[jasonbvr]

I don't even watch TV anymore, but I would say that comic books are more popular here than anime which is just short for animation (as in a cartoon). Japanese call a cartoon show an animation and then just shorten it too anime because it is awkward for them to pronounce. So when you ask where was anime started, you could say Japan. If your question is where did cartoons originate, I would say I don't know.