Anime pronounced as (ah-NEE-may), more commonly referred to as Japanese animation, has its roots in manga, or Japanese comics. Manga developed over hundreds of years, starting as pictures drawn on temple walls, then on wooden blocks, and finally as woodblock prints with captions collected in books. In time, the captions became stories and the art became sequential. By the early 20th century, manga had become the main form of literature for most of Japanese society.  At the same time, animated filmmaking started in Europe and then the U.S. When it appeared in Japan, it became a huge phenomenon—so much so that after 1940, over 40% of all domestic films in Japan were animated films based on manga. Due to its integral role in Japanese society, manga appealing to all age groups were routinely published and the scope of animated films also spanned all ages. Conversely, animation was perceived as primarily a medium for children in the West, due to the lack of animated films aimed at older viewers and the flood of now classic cartoons in the decades both before and after World War II. When television became a popular entertainment medium in Japan, animation naturally became a large part of the programming schedule. While other shows preceded it, the first really huge animated series in terms of popularity was Osamu Tezuka’s Tetsuwan Atom in 1963. The show’s popularity caught the attention of NBC in 1964 and 104 episodes were syndicated in the U.S. as Astro Boy and became the highest rated syndicated show on television, live action or otherwise. As a result of this reaction, other shows soon found their way on to American television, including Tetsujin 28 (Gigantor), Eight Man (TOBOR, the Eighth Man), Kaitei Shonen Marin (Marine Boy), Jungle Taitei [Jungle Emperor] (Kimba, the White Lion), and Mach Go-Go-Go! (Speed Racer). Although these shows were edited to American standards (often with numerous episodes not even being released in the U.S.), broadcasters and pressure groups still complained about the violence present in these shows. These protests resulted in a lull in bringing anime to American television for a number of years, although series and features were still being released in Japan and were wildly successful. U.S. viewers didn’t get another look at anime until the late 1970’s, when 1972’s Kagaku Ninja Tai Gatchaman |
Many people in the U.S.
probably heard of cartoons like Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Voltron,
Gundam Wing, Speed Racer, Digimon, and the ever so popular Pokemon;
Famous cartoons that have bizarre character designs: female characters
with beautiful round eyes, hair that is incredibly big, and gorgeous
figure and physique. Male characters would
usually have enormously huge muscles (as seen in Dragonball Z and GT),
powerful bodies and maybe, on
occasion, have gigantic robots as seen in cartoons like Robotech and
Gundam Wing.
The major
difference between anime and American cartoons is that unlike American
cartoons, which are only watched by children, anime is popular among the
Japanese adults and is watched by millions. The audience is not merely
directed to children but to teens and adults as well. The same
applies to Japanese comics known as manga.
Miyazaki, who works for
Studio Ghibli is one of the most famous and most respected anime
artists of today. Some of Miyazaki's works are Kiki's Delivery
Service, Heidi, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and his recent masterpiece Princess Mononoke.
Timeline
1914 - Cartoonists were
among the first Japanese artists to experiment with animated motion
pictures.
1918 - Momotaro by Kitayama
Seitaro became Japan's first world wide success. However, the
manga industry was still growing slowly and had a long way to go.
1932 - Before the WWII, Seitaro
released the anime, Chikara To Onna No Yononoka.
1941- The Japanese government used
cartoonist to make comic strips with propaganda to use against their
enemies.
1947 - After
World War II, Osamu Tezuka became a cartoonist and released his first
work Shintakarajima (known in English as New Treasure Island).
1951 - Osamu Tezuka created the
milestone manga, Tetsuwan Atom or Astro Boy, as it was
known in the US. As a result, years later he became a pioneer in
anime, and was the man responsible for the success of anime and manga
worldwide.
1956 - The production company,
Toei Animation, was founded by Hiroshi Okawa and released its first
feature, The Tale of the White Serpent.
1958 - Tezuka furthers his talents
entering the anime world.
1961 - Tezuka founded the Osamu
Tezuka Production Animation Department, which eventually became Mushi
Productions.
1962 - Manga Calendar was
the very first anime to be aired on television.
1963 - Tezuka's Astro Boy premiered
on NBC stations.
1970's- Various "mecha"
anime (anime with giant robots) took over. Among them were G-Force,
Battle of the Planets, Great Mazinger, and Star Blazers.
1979 - Mobile Suit Gundam, the
originial version of the current anime Gundam Wing premiered and
was a huge success which turned into a nation wide obsession. As a
result, the series was released into three theatrical films.
1986 - The artist, Akira Toriyama,
released the series Dragon Ball, which became one of Japan's most
popular anime shows. Later, the series went on forming Dragon
Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT.
1988 - The world receives a blast
with the graphically violent and gruesome anime, Akira, which was
an international hit.
1995 - The girls anime, Sailor
Moon, was aired in the US.
1997- Cartoon Network launched
Toonami, a segment that showed non-American cartoons which later on
proved themselves to be more than worthy of watching in the
US.
1999 - Pokemon was released
in the US and it hit the country by storm! Sometime during the
same year, Miyazaki released the movie, Princess Mononoke with help from
Disney.
2000 - Gundam Wing, the
anime descended from Mobile Suit Gundam, was released.
Along with it came Tenchi Muyo, Card Captors, Blue Submarine 6, and
the short lived Vision of Escaflowne.
2001 - Outlaw Star, the
most current anime to be aired in the US, is showing on Cartoon
Netwrok's Toonami.
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