An Brief History of Anime

The earliest Japanese animation was in the hands of amateur animators inspired by American and European pioneers during the period before World War II, but anime as we know it today began with the formation of Toei Animation Company in 1956 and their first theatrical release Hakujaden in 1958.  Toei's early output was heavily influenced by Disney's formula, using popular Oriental folktales.  However in 1960 Toei produced Alakazam the Great, based on the manga by Tezuka Osamu. 

Tezuka was the most popular manga-ka of the time, virtually inventing the modern manga industry.  He drew inspiration from French and German films and also from Disney.  Disney's work especially influenced Tezuka's character designs - especially the big eyes.  And Tezuka in turn was an enormous influence on all later manga artists.  Tezuka was a consultant for Alakazam the Great, and it brought animation to his attention.  Tezuka organized a television animation company, Mushi Productions, and began producing television animation based on his popular manga Tetsuwan Atom in 1963.  It was an instant success, and by the end of the year Toei was producing television animation and three other companies had been formed. 

Tezuka's popularity and influence made television animation much more popular in Japan then it would ever become in America, and because Tezuka produced anime based on his manga works - and he had drawn manga in every genre available, his influence made animation a legitimate form for telling stories of any nature, whether those stories be simple children's stories or sophisticated adult works.  Tezuka established the link between anime and manga, a link that has remained since then.

Toei brought the beginning of the giant robot craze of the 70's by adapting Go Nagai's Mazinger Z for anime, but the hottest anime creator in the seventies was Matsumoto Leiji, a prodigy of Tezuka's, who is the creator of Uchuu Senkan Yamato, Ginga Tetsudo 999, and Uchu Kaisoku Captain Harlock, among others.  The 80's brought the rise of Takahashi Rumiko, with adaptations of her series Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku and Ranma 1/2.  The other big show of the 80's was Macross.     

Dominated by television animation until the 80's, the works of Studio Ghibli, beginning with Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä, as well as the output of some other studios, brought anime back to the theatre.  The development of home video technology also had a big impact on anime, and animation began being produced to go directly to video for home consumption (the OAV).  Because OAV animation is not subject to the same standards as television and theatrical releases, so OAV producers had more freedom with story, especially with the level of violence and the explicitness of sexual activity.

Otomo Katsuhiro adapted his manga, Akira, for theatrical release in 1988.  Akira has been called the Citizen Kane of anime by some western critics, and it was a tremendous success in Japan.  However, anime fell into decline until the rise of Gainax who revived, revitalized and reworked the genre with two television series - Fushigi no Umi no Nadia and Shinseiki Evangelion.  Anime is still in this period, revitalized after Gainax's Shinseiki Evangelion and, while some claim that the golden age of anime was in the 80's, others might claim that the productions since the 90's, especially since Evangelion are the best. 

Certainly these anime productions have the biggest following in the west.  The first anime began coming to American home video release during the early 90's, generally in the form of hentai, but today most new importations are marketed for teens and college students.  It seems to me that anime is a robust, vital genre with many more years of quality production ahead.  I look forward to it.