Consider the anime exhibit at Fayetteville State University a blast from your comics past.

The "BLAM! 2011 Historical Anime to the Present" art show at Fayetteville State University's Rosenthal Gallery displays about 40 works of Japanese cartoon animation, which is known as anime. There will be a grand opening on Feb. 4 and the art will be on display through Feb. 11.

When you think of anime, "Cowboy Bebop," "Pokemon," "Voltron," "Speed Racer" and "Akira" are some of the more recognizable series or films.

But as visitors go through the exhibit, the anime series become more familiar, including such titles as "Dragon Ball," "Robotech," "Astro Boy" and even "Hello Kitty."

"This exhibit is great because you'll see the artwork of these cartoons that you saw when you were a kid, but totally forgot about," said FSU assistant professor Jonathan Chestnut, curator of the exhibit. "It's a trip down memory lane."

The annual BLAM exhibit highlights comic strips and comic books as art. This year, Chestnut said he was asked to shine a spotlight on comics with an Asian theme, "to show the university's growing connection to that part of the world." Chestnut said anime is deeply embedded in Asian culture and has had a growing impact on American culture over the last 50 years. "The idea of the exhibit isn't just to appreciate these cool cartoon series, or the amazing animation behind them," said Chestnut, "but to look at the history of anime and how it's developed into a global force.

After World War II, America helped rebuild Japan, Chestnut said, including animation studios. That contributed to anime's birth. The exhibit's chronological layout begins by featuring artwork from anime cartoons from the 1960s and earlier, including Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," and "Kimba the White Lion," both of which were adapted by Disney into feature films. In "The Lion King," Kimba became Simba. Chestnut said it became commonplace for American animation studios, such as Disney and Hanna-Barbera, to take anime shows and adapt them for American audiences.

Anime, Chestnut said, has an advantage over the traditional sequential art of comic books because it appeals to a much more diverse array of consumers, while also providing a broader spectrum of genres.

"In anime, you'll find stories about teenagers or dramas about boxers or police officers. There's even one about a tennis player," said Chestnut. "Anime has an ability to deal with darker, more mature material. Cartoons in America have a much more limited theme. Everything's either Dora (the Explorer) or super heroes."

Chestnut said it's not uncommon for anime to provide an outlet for addressing social issues in Asian countries. In the United States, anime has dealt with challenges facing the environment. "Through anime, some of those societies can create dialogue about things that they normally couldn't or wouldn't talk about," said Chestnut. The exhibit has generated discussion among students, he said, who grew up with certain comics.

"I've already got students coming up to me and saying that I forgot to add this series or that series," he said. "So, we'll be rotating some of the exhibit pieces to add in the shows even I forgot about."