A Brief History of Anime Anime (ah-NEE-may), more commonly referred to as Japanese animation, has its roots in manga (MAHN-ga), 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.

As the 1980's began, television and film producers scrambled to keep up with the increasing demand for more sophisticated and exciting animated programming. The situation became even more frantic as the home video market exploded onto the scene a few year later. Now Japanese fans could actually buy copies of their favorite animated TV shows and movies. Production companies even started to bypass the traditional entertainment media and release original animated features straight to video. In 1986, an adaptation of his fantasy series Dragon Ball went on to become Japan's most popular animated TV show

Employing as deft a hand at light comedy and fantasy as Toriyama, Rumiko Takahashi dominated television and video throughout the '80's and '90's. First with the insane alien comedy Urusei Yatsura and later with the gender-bending of Ranma 1/2, she enchanted audiences of all ages. her other important series, Maison Ikkoku, playfully toyed with the conventions of the romantic comedy genre.

The first and best was artist/director Katsuhiro Otamo. Not only was his groundbreaking 1988 anime film Akira a huge international hit, it ushered in an entirely new style of anime. Popular titles like Bubble Gum Crisis and A.D. Police were cut from the same fast-paced and dangerous mold as Akira. In 1987, Otomo contributed two short segments to the Neo-Tokyo and Robot Carnival animated anthologies.

Equally as influential was the work of artist Masamune Shirow. Through the adaptation of his original manga Appleseed and his own direction of Black Magic M-66, he presented a future where the lines between technology and humanity began to blur. Although Shirow's energetic video series Dominion Tank Police can best be described as a police-mecha-comedy, his recent masterpiece, the 1995 film Kokaku Kidoutai (US: Ghost in the Shell), once again took on the man versus machine interface.

Not all new anime was as outlandish as Shirow's or Otomo's. In fact, some of it was quite serious. Keiji Nakazawa wrote of his experiences as a Hiroshima survivor in the heartrending manga saga Barefoot Gen. With director Masaki Mari, Nakazawa adapted his novels into a frank and powerful 1983 film. Exploring similar territory, Hotaru No Haka (US: Grave of the Fireflies) followed the struggle of two orphans who survived the fire-bombing of Tokyo. Few live action films have ever come as close to capturing the true horrors of war as this animated film did.

Audiences were now becoming more receptive to animation that wasn't strictly action or comedy oriented. In response, anime producers turned to Japanese literature for inspiration. Based on the classic novel by Murasaki Shikibu, Genji Monogatari (US: The Tale of Genji) was a fascinating study in palace intrigue. A novel by 20th century philosopher and children's writer Kenjii Miyazawa inspired the delightful Ginga Tetsudo no Yoru (US: Night on the Galactic Railroad). The success of such films showed that anime had finally broken free from the restraints of its earlier "kids-only" label to enter the realm of high-brow acceptance.