There's more to say about this than tweet length allows, so please click through to read the whole answer:

Why is it necessary to categorize it? There is nothing inherent to animé ("Japanese animé" is redundant, as the definition of animé is traditionally "Japanese animation") that makes it necessarily better (or worse) than cartoons of other nationalities. It's simply another medium.

First of all, Avatar: The Last Airbender is more than "pretty good," it is quite possibly the best animated TV series of any nationality to be produced in the last few years. But it doesn't have to be animé to be good. For example, Pixar's stuff isn't animé, but it beat out a Miyazaki film for a Best Animated Picture Oscar one year.

In terms of national origin, it was conceived by two American guys who grew up on Japanese animation and Hong Kong martial arts & wuxia movies (as well as the same science fiction and fantasy watched by any members of their generation). They wanted to make their own epic saga, their own equivalent of "Star Wars," making use of the Asian influences they had grown to love. Luckily, Nickelodeon let them do it.

It was animated in Korea, as are many animated movies, by studios DR Movie (who also animated the recent Robotech sequel, Shadow Chronicles) and JM Animation Co., Ltd. Many Japanese shows are also animated in Korea these days, by those very studios, because it is cheaper. It is voiced by American and British actors (some of whom are either Asian-American or Asian emigres).

These days, the definition of animé is becoming more and more muddled. When many Japanese animated shows are actually animated in Korea (in the same places as many American animated shows!), and when many Japanese animated shows are partly funded by the American companies such as Manga Video or ADV Films that will be distributing them in America, a term that originally meant "Japanese animation" starts to lose its meaning.

But it can be safely said that Avatar: The Last Airbender derives from the same traditions as many Japanese animated (and Hong Kong live-action) works, and that it is at least stylistically similar to animé.

And it can be even more safely said that it is one damned good TV show, and I'm happy to own the DVD box sets of it.
Source(s):
http://www.kungfucinema.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5667
http://dongbufeng.net/site1/content/view/186/135/


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