A Facebook page Incredible Asia recently shared a post listing the top 10 Asian countries with the best anime production based on an alleged list on The Top Tens site.

In this list, Malaysia was ranked 5^th, placing it below India (4^th) and above the Philippines (6^th). The top three places were unsurprisingly occupied by Japan, South Korea, and China respectively.

Malaysia’s neighbours, Thailand and Singapore, ranked 7th and 8th respectively.

Malaysia has been improving in strides in its animation industry. This can be seen by the rise of local cartoons such as Upin & Ipin, BoBoiBoy, Ejen Ali, and Mechamato.

Some of our local animation titles have made waves abroad in countries like Upin & Ipin in Indonesia, Mechamato in Japan, and Ejen Ali in China.

In February 2023, Mechamato became the first non-Japanese animation to win the Anime Fan Award at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival (TAAF) 2023.

From left to right: Upin & Ipin, Ejen Ali, Mechamato, and BoBoiBoy.

The Ejen Ali series also won several awards including Best 3D Animated Programme at the 27^th Asian Television Awards.

Meanwhile, BoBoiBoy also reached success internationally and won awards, including Best Animated Programme or Series (2D or 3D) at the Asian Academy Creative Awards.

BoBoiBoy’s merchandise for kids such as toy figurines and the Galaxy Card packs are popular as well.

However, many were surprised that India has anime and ranked higher than Malaysia, leading curious viewers asking for some titles to check out.

Another Facebook page Asian SEA Story mentioned some which include Arjun: The Warrior Prince (2012), Hanuman (2005), Ghatothkach: Master of Magic (2008), and Chhota Bheem and the Curse of Damyaan (2024).

What’s anime?

While it’s great to see the growth and talent in the animation industry, there’s still a debate as to what constitutes ‘’anime.’’ For some, all cartoons are anime while others do not believe so.

Anime is known as a style of Japanese film and television animation which are typically hand-drawn and computer-generated. In Japan, the term is used to refer to all types of animation productions that are produced there.

The anime style is often characterized by colourful graphics, vibrant characters, action-filled plots, and futuristic themes.

Some major Japanese studios that popularised anime include Studio Ghibli, Pierrot, Kyoto Animation, MAPPA, Toei Animation, and Madhouse.