The History of Anime

The history of anime, the term used to describe Japanese animation for television and film, goes back many years, before animated films and cartoons were present in either the United States or Europe. Anime finds its roots in manga, which is a class of Japanese comics.
 
Anime and manga share many similarities, and many anime features are based on manga. Manga began as drawings on walls, wood blocks and other substances before it became organized and widely published.
 
 
In the early 20th century, around the time when animated films and cartoon animation were becoming popular in the United States and Europe, Japan began to make manga into anime cartoons. The first anime films were released in the early 1940s. The first anime series was created in the early 1960s.
 
After 1940, approximately 40 percent of all domestically-made films in Japan were based on manga. Unlike the Disney cartoons and animated films in the United States that were geared toward children, anime and manga were produced for all age groups.
 
Anime did not expand to the United States and other western countries until television became more popular. Anime became an integral part of Japanese television and eventually caught the eye of Americans.
 

Anime in Japan and the United States

Anime that is brought to the United States is often edited for content. Even today, Americans do not approve of some of the violence and adult content in anime.
 
In some cases, entire episodes of anime series that are aired in Japan are cut out when U.S. networks pick up the series.

Popular Anime Series

Quite a number of anime series and films have gained enormous popularity in the United States over the years. Some of the most popular include:
  • "Akira"
  • "Astro Boy"
  • "Bleach"
  • "Cowboy Bebop"
  • "Dragonball Z"
  • "Eight Man" (TOBOR, the Eighth Man)
  • "Ghost in the Shell"
  • "Jungle Taitei" (Jungle Emperor)
  • "Kaitei Shonen Marin" (Marine Boy)
  • "Mach Go-Go-Go!" (Speed Racer)
  • "Naruto"
  • "Pokémon"
  • "Sailor Boy"
  • "Sailor Moon"
  • "Tetsujin 28" (Gigantor).
Many more anime series are also popular in the United States and in other countries. Some are aired on television, while others are imported on DVD or through the Internet.

Anime Movies

Anime movies are also widespread in both Japan and the United States. In recent years, anime films have won awards at the Academy Awards and have been featured at the Berlin Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival.

Anime Genres and Evolution

Anime's influence has changed over time. Events of the era, other successes and many other factors have been mirrored in anime.
 
A few of anime's influences and themes over the years have included:
  • Disney cartoons
  • magazines (known as the "otaku" culture)
  • nationalism
  • robots
  • "Star Wars" films
  • vehicles (titled the "mecha" genre)
  • video games.

U.S. Anime

In recent years, U.S. animators have begun to incorporate the style and certain elements of anime into their own animated series.
 
These include:
  • "Avatar: The Last Airbender"
  • "Teen Titans"
  • "The Animatrix."
France and Canada are also among the countries that have recently produced animation series that contain anime elements and characteristics.
 
Resources
 
Anime Metro (2008). History of Anime. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from the Anime Metro Web site: http://www.animemetro.com/control.cfm?ID=232.
 
Patten, Fred (1996). A Capsule History of Anime. Retrieved January 7, 2008, from the Animation World Network Web site: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.5/articles/patten1.5.html.