Tel Aviv - Anime Con

Haaretz - Article Underground: "From Tokyo to Tel Aviv, anime magic enchants fans

By Sara Miller



Israeli Libat Rosenstock, 17, speaks perfect English. Of course she does. She learned it from Japanese films.

Not just any Japanese films, mind you. Her English came from speed-reading the subtitles on the anime cartoons she devours.

Anime, for those not in the know, is Japanese animation. You've probably seen it around - huge-eyed characters with tiny mouths and elfin features, often taking on dragons or evil sorcerers with their fantastical magic powers, or massive, lethal samurai swords.

Anime has a lock on so many young Israelis that a satellite channel now broadcasts the animated films round the clock.

And when hundreds of fans gathered at Israel's first national anime convention at the International Convention Center in Tel Aviv on Sunday night, the air had a decidedly teen feel to it:

The noise is quite overwhelming, most it coming from a stage at the far end of the room, on which three young men are performing. They're obviously a hit, most likely because what they turn out to be playing are the theme tunes from popular anime cartoons. Below them, a hundred or so people are singing along - in Japanese. It sounds very impressive."

Thanks to Sara Miller for the article. It's great to see the international flavors of Anime!

Mark
The Anime Times