People with crazy colored hair and unnatural, overly expressive eyes put into outrageous situations, the character-driven and fast-paced action of Anime has morphed from an American import to a booming entertainment industry.

Anime is the Japanese style of cartoons with a prominent artistic style of characters with spiked hair and sharply pointed chins.  Most Anime’s are noted for containing dramatic storytelling involving the growth and internal struggles of the main character.

Justin Rojas, senior social media manager FUNimation will take  part in a panel explaining how this cartoon medium has impacted American pop culture.

The number of websites and fan sites about specific Anime titles, merchandise or forums about Anime has risen over recent years.

“It’s a slow process, but anime and anime related content [have an influence] on the Internet, especially with social media and memes,” said Rojas.

Panelists will discuss how Anime has become an accepted and recognizable part of U.S. pop culture.

“In terms of becoming mainstream, Anime is a bit of a late bloomer in comparison to some other geek-centric media,” said Rojas.

Other panelists include Creative Director for Bioware Mike Laidlaw, Digital Video Content Operations for Sony Network Entertainment Margo Yabs, Anime Specialist for Nico Nico Inc. Ryo Yamaguchi, and New Media and Business Dev for Crossley Media/Smith Global Management Craig Crossley.

All in all, if you love to watch kooky characters and giant fighting robots or wondered what the hullabaloo all about, make sure to check out Anime: More Than Cartoons.