The 1980s Robots Robots And More Robots
The 1980s would become the golden age of anime as clear fandoms for the art form began to arise. In Japan, the otaku subculture started to grow. Meanwhile, American audiences were being exposed to even more elaborate and higher quality adaptations of anime thanks to improved home video technology.
These shows would mostly arise thanks to imported VHS copies of anime films and television shows. Fansubs became immensely popular with older fans. These were recordings of anime shows that were later subtitled independently by individuals or small collectives of fans. It helped to broaden the amount of content making its way to American eyes.
But, when it came to more mainstream fare, the biggest and most influential show was Robotech. The show was an amalgamation of three unrelated shows Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada that U.S. company Harmony Gold cut together and readapted into a brand new series.
Robotech is still praised for its adult approach, strong storylines, and compelling characters. It helped widen the American fandoms of anime and showcase that these werent just cartoons for distracted kids.
The 1960s The First Wave
Anime took off in both Japan and America around the same time. While animated shows had already found some popularity in Japan, the first major hit that made its way to the USA was Osamu Tezukas Astro Boy . The show premiered in Japan on January 1, 1963. In September of that year, NBC began showing an English adaptation of the series that was produced by Fred Ladd.
The success of Astro Boy led to a surge of anime shows being repurposed for American audiences. Fred Ladd also adapted another of Tezukas works, Kimba the White Lion, in 1966. Many have cited Kimba and its success as a potentially unintended inspiration for Disneys The Lion King.
Another series that Ladd reconfigured for American audiences was Gigantor . Gigantor hit American screens only a year after Astro Boy and found success with younger viewers. Much like Kimba, the adapted anime series inspired the next generation of Western animators and storytellers with fans pointing out that the popular film The Iron Giant is a clear tribute to Gigantor.
The final big anime hit of the 60s in America was Speed Racer in 1967. Producer Peter Fernandez, who had ghost-written American scripts for Astro Boy and Gigantor, took over adaptation duties and provided a number of voices for the characters.
Johto’s Heart And Soul
Ever since the Generation III remakes for the incompatible Generation IRed and Green games, Pokémon fans have widely speculated that remakes of the Generation II Pokémon games, Gold and Silver, would be made for Nintendo DS. Indeed, the paired remakes, titled HeartGold and SoulSilver, were eventually released in Japan on September 12, 2009, and were released in the United States on March 14, 2010. The games were referred to in the anime in an episode that featured the counterpart of the new player character and the three starter Pokémon of Johto, one of whom even joined the regular cast. A new expansion set for the TCG was also released to celebrate the new games.
Some manga series followed the release of the games, such as a new sequel to Pokémon Pocket Monsters, titled Pocket Monsters HGSS, of which the first volume was released in June 28, 2011. A new chapter of Pokémon Adventures was released, with the first volume coming out in June 28, 2012.
A new game for the Wii: PokéPark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure, was released on December 5, 2009. The game was released in North America and Europe in the spring of 2010.
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Forge A Path To Greatness
The eighth generation of Pokémon was announced with the reveal of Pokémon Sword and Shield on February 27, 2019. These games were released internationally on November 15, 2019. Fewer Pokémon were revealed prior to the game’s release compared to other generations to increase anticipation. These games introduced the Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing features, while abandoning the Mega Evolution and Z-Move features introduced in previous generations. The games became the fastest selling Nintendo Switch games, beating out Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and selling 6 million copies worldwide.
Instead of releasing a separate “third version” or sequel to Sword and Shield, a pair of DLCs, The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra, were introduced in its place, featuring all-new areas, returning Pokémon, and new Legendaries.
The anime was quick to follow with a new series, Pokémon Journeys: The Series, which took place in all of the regions from Kanto to Galar. It features two protagonists, Ash Ketchum and Goh, along with their partner Pikachu and Scorbunny. However, the COVID-19 pandemic caused the series to go on its first extensive hiatus in over 20 years.
A Public Service Announcement
Of course, Id be remiss if I didnt do the usual PSA that Im sure you have heard before. You wouldnt be reading this obscenely long and boring article if you werent a weeb already. Hey, no shame! Me too. So, if you really enjoy or appreciate anime, please consider supporting the industry with your hard-earned dollars. For example, you can subscribe to legitimate streaming services. You can also purchase your anime instead of torrent-ing it. Or, at least buy 1,000 EROMANGA SENSEI Sagiri body pillows if none of these options are appealing to you.
Another way to show your love is by supporting industry efforts for higher wages, and better working and living conditions. Really, theyre pretty darn depressing.
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During The Second World War
In the 1930s, the Japanese government began enforcing cultural nationalism. This also lead to a strict censorship and control of published media. Many animators were urged to produce animations which enforced the Japanese spirit and national affiliation. Some movies were shown in newsreel theaters, especially after the Film Law of 1939 promoted documentary and other educational films. Such support helped boost the industry, as bigger companies formed through mergers and prompted major live-action studios such as Shochiku to begin producing animation. It was at Shochiku that such masterworks as Kenz Masaoka‘s Kumo to Chrippu were produced. Wartime reorganization of the industry, however, merged the feature film studios into three big companies.
During the Second World War, more animated films were commissioned by the Imperial Japanese Army, showing the sly, quick Japanese people winning against enemy forces. This included films such as Maysuyo Seo’s Momotar: Umi no Shinpei or Momotars Divine Sea Warriors which focused on Japanese occupation of Asia.
More Popular Anime Films
Another popular anime that is one of the first to have been aired on television is Cowboy Bebop. This anime is set in the future in the galaxy of the stars.
There is a ship called the Bebop and it is piloted by an anime character named Spike Spiegel. The main character is named Spike and is a member of a special group called the Jazz band. They are also called the crew of the Bebop.
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What Inspired Anime Artists In 1970s
In other words, the world has become a global village and, industries started to cooperate. For instance, one of those examples was Walt Disney and Japanese cartoon art.
In particular, Walt Disney has inspired Japanese animators during the late 20th century. As a result, Japanese animation authors created Astro Boy, Lupin III, and Mazinger Z.
In conclusion, Japanese anime artwork has changed the world of the animation industry.
The History Of Animes Journey To America
Anime has taken the world by storm. The abundance of shows and films is matched only by how easy it is to watch your favorite anime. But, how did this export from Japan become such a huge phenomenon in America? Which shows and films paved the way for anime to become the empire it is today?
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The History Of Anime And Its Arrival In America
The history of anime in Japan is as long as the history of animation in the west. In fact, it grew out of the same roots: the development of cinema in the 1920s.
The Fathers of Anime
In many ways, our story begins with Walt Disney. He added sound and color to animation, and pioneered a number of other, now seldom-seen, techniques in the 1920s and 30s. For Disney, animation was a medium for family entertainment. Disney films were, aimed squarely at children, with a few jokes for grown-ups to keep parents from getting bored.
copyright Tezuka Productions
Early Japanese animators, like their western counterparts, followed Disneys lead and made their shows for kids. But then there was Osamu Tezuka, known to many as the God of Comics for his prolific and skilled creation of manga. Tezuka studied Disneys productions, but he was also influenced by the French New Wave cinema of the1950s and 60s. His comics made extensive use of cinematic devices likepans, close-ups and cuts, easing his transition from comics to animation.
The First Anime Superstars
Tezuka was not only an innovator in Japanese animation, but he created Japans first animated star: Tetsuwan Atom, better known to westerners as Astroboy. On January 1, 1963, Tetsuwan Atom was first broadcast on Japanese TV, and soon after that Astroboy appeared on American television.
copyright Madman Entertainment
Science Fiction and Anime
copyright Madman Entertainment
1983
copyright Harmony Gold
Fan Power
Back to Disney
The 2000s To Today All Anime All The Time
By the early and mid-2000s, anime had broken into American homes and was here to stay. Cartoon Network introduced their Adult Swim block and programmed a lot of anime series that American audiences had not been introduced to. A standout from this era was Cowboy Bebop, a short anime series that is often cited as one of the best anime shows of all time.
As the internet and digital distribution began to explode, fans found it even easier to get a hold of original Japanese versions of their favorite anime shows and films. The influx was incalculable as distributors were being held to task for providing accurate adaptations of these shows.
And by today, anime is a multi-million dollar industry that shows no sign of stopping. There are streaming services that cater specifically to anime shows and releases from Japan. Fan conventions are full of cosplayers dressing up as their favorite anime characters. And the mainstream acceptance of the medium is at an all-time high.
Anime is here to stay. Its journey from Japan to America is a long and storied one, and it will continue to affect American culture in immeasurable ways.
FANDOM is the ultimate destination for celebrating your love of anime. Visit the link below for all of FANDOM’s anime coverage!
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What Is Japanese Anime
The word anime is used in Japan when talking about animation in general. However, in the rest of the world, it has become a word we use when talking about animated shows and movies that come from Japan. Multiple factors make anime unique. Still, even if animation from other countries uses a style similar to anime, we dont call it anime unless its from Japan.
The thing that stood out for most people when discovering anime throughout the past was the way Japanese animators drew the eyes. Anime characters are usually drawn with very large and expressive eyes, which makes it easier to convey emotion through animation. Anime should not be confused with manga, which are Japanese comic books.
What Was The First Anime Ever
The first anime ever was Dekobo Shingachou: Meian no Shippai. It is a part of Dekobos New Picture Book Failure of a Great Plan. That is the official version according to Japanese Animation Industry.
Hekoten Shimokawa created the first anime ever in February 1917 in Japan. With attention to fine details, Shimokawa created his artwork using white chalk. It was a black wall-slate that gave these Japanese art frames its intrigue.
Furthermore, there is a great mystery surrounding the first anime movie ever. Even though it created the foundations of Japanese art genre, there is no copy of it in any Japanese cartoon art collection.
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History Of Japanese Animation
In the first place, we must mention Katsud Shashin, early anime film from 1907. Moreover, anime fans consider Katsudo Shashin as the oldest piece of anime history. It is a filmstrip.
However, Natsuki Matsumoto discovered Katsud Shashin by accident. Furthermore, this earliest piece of anime history was found in a Kyoto household.
Different from todays anime series, Katsud Shashin consists of a short series of images. Above all, each cartoon image lasts for three seconds.
As a result, Katsud Shashin depicts a young sailorman. In like manner, this young sailor creates kanji characters. However, the real title of this historic anime film remains unknown.
Popularity Of Anime In The West
Anime started to gain a fanbase in the United States in the 1980s. Some European countries, however, started gaining an anime fanbase as early as the 1970s. One important factor for the growth of popularity of anime in the U.S. was the movie Akira from 1988. With its dark and brooding depiction of a post-apocalyptic future, it attracted numerous western fans. It was also legally distributed in the U.S., which made it easier for more fans to watch it. After Akira broke the barriers, more and more distributors started to participate in the growing anime scene. Two of the shows are important to mention here, and those are Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon.
Those shows were shown on U.S. TV and gained heaps of fans, creating a fanbase that still lives on today. Both shows adapted popular manga and were popular among people of all ages. In the 1990s, another global phenomenon helped increase the popularity of anime – Pokemon. The Pokemon TV show is one of the most popular anime shows in history. The latter half of the 1990s saw the emergence of shows that had certain artistic qualities to them that people were not used to seeing in animated TV shows. Titles such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, or Berserk were available in the United States shortly after premiering in Japan. They dealt with serious themes aimed at an older audience.
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It’s A Second Step Into Unova
It was always anticipated that Black and White would eventually get a third version, as past generations have. Many assumed it would be called “Pokémon Grey Version”. However, this time there would be sequels, and with a different plot altogether.
Sequels to Black and White, Pokémon Black and White Versions 2, were released to Japan in June 2012 and came to North America, Europe and Australia in October 2012. The games feature two new forms of Kyurem, called Black Kyurem and White Kyurem , as well as new forms of the Forces of Nature and Keldeo. The games take place two years after Black and White, and many things have changed in the Unova region.
Some manga series followed the release of the second paired versions, most notably a new chapter of Pokémon Adventures which began its serialization in July 2013 .
Showing Love For A Painful Process
Thats anime production in a nutshell! I hope by now Ive convinced you that it really does take a village.
Behind every big shot like Miyazaki, Shinkai, and Kon is a team of hardworking artists and staff pouring their overworked, underpaid souls into a project. The anime industry is full of childish dreamers and naïve idealists, so I encourage everyone to give the lesser known creators a chance.
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Who Created The First Anime Ever
Miyako-Jima is the birthplace of Hekoten Shimokawa, the father of the anime art. Shimokawa, also know as ten Shimokawa, was born on May 2, 1892, in Okinawa Prefecture in Japan.
Consequently, while being an intern of Rakuten Kitazawa, ten Shimokawa became fascinated by manga art. Despite just being 14 years old, Shimokawa learned fast.
For instance, can you imagine how hard it must have been to produce Japans early anime movie in the 19th century? As a matter of fact, even then you needed connections to succeed in the animation industry.
As a matter of fact, fans around the world have Rakuten Kitazawa to thank for helping Shimokawa succeed. Ultimately, it was Kitazawa who introduced Shimokawa with Tennenshoku Katsudou Shashin in 1916.
This has resulted in producers inviting Hekoten to work on first-ever Japans animated film. During his career with Tennenshoku, Shimokawa produced five animations.
Shimokawas most notable early Japanese cartoon art films are
- Magic Boy ,
- The Adventures of Sinbad
- and The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon .
Even though wildly good at creating anime films, the father of Japanese animation, Shimokawa left Tennenshoku Katsudou Shashin. As a result of his illness, unfortunately, not choice.
The Chief Animation Director
Sometimes the director will appoint a senior animator to oversee the animation for an entire episode, or for the entire series. Like the animation director, the chief animation director is responsible for the quality and consistency of the animation. Often times, the director will assign the character designer to this role.
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