With anime steadily making its way into mainstream media, the exploration of animated works by the general public has increased. With the influx of new people diving into this medium, though, it’s only natural for questions to arise regarding the differences between cartoons and anime, and what makes up this particular sector of animation.

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Aaron McGruder’s The Boondocks is one of those shows that live in an ambiguous space, leading many to ponder over whether or not it is considered an anime series. After all, the character designs and art style are remarkably similar to some anime works. However, despite being an anime-inspired animation, the majority of people don’t consider The Boondocks an anime.

Why is The Boondocks not considered anime?

While in Japanese culture, the word “anime” is used to refer to any piece of media that is in animation format — no matter its art style or country of origin — the same cannot be said for the rest of the world. Internationally, the term “anime” was popularized as a way to refer exclusively to animated works created in Japan, and therefore, anything outside of that is simply considered a cartoon or animation.

The Boondocks was animated and produced by American companies Adelaide Productions and Rebel Base Productions, in collaboration with South Korean studios Moi Animation, Studio Mir, JM Animation, and Dong Woo Animation. Needless to say, having an Asian country involved in bringing an animated project to life does not suddenly make it an anime, meaning that The Boondocks is considered a cartoon by most people, instead of anime.

The show is available for streaming on Adult Swim and HBO Max.