The History of Anime

Anime has been produced in Japan for almost a century, but has influences that go back even further. Susan J Napier states in her book “Anime: from Akira to Howl’s Moving Castle” that “Anime is a popular cultural form that clearly builds on previous high culture traditions…the medium show(s) influences from such Japanese art as Kabuki and the woodblock print…” (Napier 4). Another major step in the development of Anime came when trade opened up between Japan and America in the late 1800’s. Japanese readers became fond of the British newspaper comic “Punch and Puck”, and even created their own version of the comic series such as “Tokyo Puck” (Marcovitz 17). Ippei Okamoto helped organize Japanese comic artists into a professional association known as Nippon Mangakai.

In the years following, there were a number of breakthroughs in the development of Anime as we know it today. Oten Shimokawa, an animator in Japan around 1917 used stop motion techniques while experimenting on different animation, which is the same principle as flick books that appear to move when you thumb through the pages rapidly. Kitayama, another animator, saw the potential of the medium for commercials and short educational films. Kitayama’s film “Momotarō” also aired in France around 1917, making it the first Anime export. In 1927, “The Whale”, an Anime created by a man called Noburō Ōfuji, was the first Anime ever to feature sound. He also produced the anime film “Golden Flower” which was the first anime to be colored. Kenzo Masaoka also was considered to be a pioneer of Anime, as his film “The World of Women and Power”, which was the first synchronized talking anime, during a time when anime still reflected the comics and newspapers where it originated(Richmond 2-6).
But soon, comics would take a turn for the worse. In the 1930’s when Japan was growing into an aggressive Colonial superpower, the government began to see the potential of Anime for propaganda purposes. In 1931, Yasuji Murata, created an Anime film that a boy hero that fights off the enemy Wild Eagle. The film parallels Japan’s invasion of Manchuria in China the same year. Many Anime produced in the following years had a political tone to it as Japan’s power and influence in Asia grew. With the onset of World War II, only those films with a strong propaganda message were approved (Marcovitz 18). In 1942, Kajiro Yamamoto Made “The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya” featuring an Anime recreation of Pearl Harbor. There were films such as Kenzo Masaoka’s “The Spider and the Tulip”, which depicted Japan (represented by a Tulip as a sort of protector of Asia (represented as a ladybug). The Nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki which abruptly ended the war had a profound effect on Anime that was created in later years. This event served as an inspiration for AstroBoy, Akira, and the Anime “Barefoot Gen”, which is about a boy whose family manages to survive the Hiroshima bombing (Richmond 41). But many Anime that were created during that time were destroyed, as the images were drawn on translucent cels (cellulose), which were a key ingredient in weapons making. Therefore, many of the Anime created during World War II was destroyed to supply materials for military purposes.

In the years after WWII, Anime in Japan was a low priority until the U.S. occupying forces realized the value of such films in “shaping hearts and minds” (Richmond 8). Anime such as “The Magic Pen” by Masao Kumagawa in 1946 about an orphan boy in Tokyo who finds an English speaking doll that uses its magic pen to create food and shelter (Richmond 9). Later, Disney-esque features such as “Cherry Blossom-Spring Fantasy” in 1946 were produced. This Anime was similar to “Fantasia” with cute girls in kimonos danced in the cherry blossoms set the classical score of Karl Maria von Weber’s “Invitation to Dance” (Richmond 9). By 1956, the Japanese econmy had recovered enough that the Toei Doga Anime Studio was formed with the aim of taking on Disney. The Anime “Panda and the Magic Serpent”, the first Japanese feature made in color was produced and won the Grand Prix at the Venice Children’s Film festival in 1959 (Richmond 10) Anime was being produced by both studios and independent artists. The 1960’s saw the rise of the great Hayao Miyazaki who formed Mushi Productions in 1961. In 1963, the Anime TV series “Tetsuwan Atom” appeared and was a huge hit. It caught the attention of NBC Studios which re-titled it “Astro Boy” which became the first international icon of Anime. This opened that door for other Anime to cross the Pacific (Richmond 12). Next came Kimba the White Lion, Speed Racer and the like, beginning the “Coming of Age” process of Anime in America.



Anime continued to grow in Japan with many features in the 1970’s having space themes. The 1980’s were pivotal years for Anime production sometimes referred to as the “Golden Age” of Anime. Two major Studios were established at this time, Studio Ghibli and Gainax (Richmond 20). The mediums increasing prevalence and mass merchandising fed the Otaku sub-culture. Magazines such as Animage and Newtype were created (Richmond 21), In 1988, Otomo Katsuhiro released “Akira”. The post apocalyptic story and brilliant animation made it an international success. A critical and cult hit, “Akira” is usually sited as the beginning of the Anime explosion in the West (Napier 41). These darker story lines may be the main reason that Anime has drawn so many new fans. Writer Shinobu Price writes that this “uniquely odd” world of Japanese Anime may be the very reason that it appeals to so many “outsiders” or “foreigners”… Anime is ‘so distinctly different from the artistic tradition of Walt Disney that it creates a Freshly intriguing aroma that lures foreigners into its mist…”(Price 158)

Today, the Anime that is seen here in the U.S. is just a fraction of what is actually produced in Japan. In Japan, the fan base is far wider than that in the U.S. where Anime is mostly seen by children and teenagers (Marcovitz pg. 10). In Japan, Manga also enjoys an expansive fan base. Anime and Manga in recent years have both expanded. According to Sheri Le, a writer for the Anime resource site called www.rightstuf.com explained that “In Japan, manga is by far the most popular printed media. In 1997, it was estimated that 2.3 billion manga are sold in Japan every year. According to Jeff Yang and the authors of Eastern Standard Time, the top selling manga Shonen Jump sells more than five million copies per week - five times more than the most popular non-manga periodical.”

In recent years, Anime has truly “Come of Age” as an Artform. Contemporary Japanese Anime explores the same issues as contemporary “high culture” literature and contemporary art cinema (Napier 4). Because of it’s international popularity, Anime has even been sited as Japan’s “chief cultural export”. Anime such as Otomo Katsuhiro’s Akira are considered “a masterpiece of technical animation (Napier 5). With an unheard of budget in excess of ten million dollars, it took eight different companies to bring it to the screen (Richmond 36). Complex story telling like that of Hayao Miyazaki’s “Howl’s Moving Castle” elevates Anime from being simple cartoon. The story, which relvolves in part around the theme of a “ ‘senseless war’ has parallels drawn with the 2003 Gulf War” (Richmond 61). Anime’s “crowning achievement may have been when Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” was the first Anime to receive the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.

The History of Anime provides a background from which I can learn to appreciate Anime even more than I do now. I see history as a way to learn about ourselves, and learning the history of Anime only increases my respect for the artists who work hard to keep this drawing style alive. Anime has truly Come of Age over the past century and the culture has expanded to take on many new forms such as the fan-based writings known as Fanfiction.