Anime Rants

Large, saucer-like eyes are a striking and common feature of anime characters. This is mainly due to the influence of Osamu Tezuka, who was inspired by the exaggerated features of Western cartoon characters such as Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse and from Disney's Bambi. Tezuka found that large eyes allowed his characters to better express their emotions. Some Western audiences have interpreted such stylized eyes as more Caucasian, but cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn argues that Japanese animators and audiences do not perceive them as inherently more or less foreign.

When he began drawing Ribbon no Kishi, the first manga specifically targeted at young girls, Tezuka further exaggerated the size of the characters' eyes. Indeed, through Ribbon no Kishi, Tezuka set a stylistic template that later sh?jo artists tended to follow.

I personally love anime because it portrays emotion better than some real-life actors (Keanu Reeves anyone?). Anime is an art that is best described as unbelievably beautiful.