Q. What’s the CutOff date?
A. Around here, by consensus of Old School Anime scholars over the years, we have reached the date of 1994. Meaning that all the anime that started prior to 1994, with 1994 included, belongs to the Club. Q. Why isn’t “X” or “Y” title added to the Club’s relation list?
A. Due to the Club’s theme including a large range of titles, we very likely reached the limit that MAL supports, therefore if we add more titles the list backfires us and erases other titles in tfavour of the ones added. So we made our own complete list here.
Also, before asking, check the forums (starting by the Anime Thread Index), your question might have already been asked and answered before.
The history of anime begins at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers experimented with the animation techniques that were being explored in France, Germany, the United States, and Russia. The oldest known Japanese animation from in 1907, a short 3 second clip of a sailor boy.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Japanese graphic artists began to feel the influence of two very powerful Western inventions: the newspaper comic strip and the motion picture. With its word balloons and linear story-line, the comic strip provided Japanese story-tellers with a structure that was readily accessible to the masses. Soon, popular cartoonists like Rakiten Kitazawa and Ippei Okamoto were producing their own serialized newspaper prints. These would eventually contribute to the development of the modern Japanese comic book or "manga"
In 1914, cartoonists were among the first Japanese artists to experiment with animated motion pictures. Japan's first world-wide success was
Kitayama Seitaro's short film Momotaro/(Peach Boy) (1918)
Starting in the 1920s, these short films ran anywhere from one to three “reels”. Most of the animations were recreations of Oriental folk tales made in traditional Japanese art styles. However, a few were just mere imitations of foreign cartoons.
The most notable silent-era animators included Oten Shimokawa, Junichi Kouchi,Seitaro Kitayama, Sanae Yamamoto (whose 1924 The Mountain Where Old Women Are Abandoned seems to be the earliest anime title still extant), Yasuji Murata, and the master silhouette animator, Noboru Ofuji, most of whom worked in small home studios. Eventually they came to be financed by Japanese theatrical companies that provided money for production in exchange for distribution rights.
In 1931 was released Kuro Nyago, the first anime to feature synchronized sound, it was made in 1929 but was only released later.
1935 brought the first completely Cel Animation film, Chagama Ondo/ The Dance of the Chagamas.
In the 1930s the Japanese government began enforcing cultural nationalism. This also lead to a strict censorship and control of published media. Many animators were urged to produce animations which enforced the Japanese spirit and national affiliation. Some movies were shown in newsreel theaters, especially after the Film Law of 1939 promoted documentary and other educational films. Such support helped boost the industry, as bigger companies formed through mergers, and prompted major live-action studios such as Shochiku to begin producing animation. It was at Shochiku that such masterworks as Kenzo Masaoka's Kumo to Churippu were produced. Wartime reorganized the industry, however, merged the feature film studios into just three big companies. More animated films were commissioned by the military, showing the sly, quick Japanese people winning against enemy forces.
In 1941 Princess Iron Fan, had become the first Asian animation of notable length ever made in China. But due to economic factors, it would be Japan which later emerged long after the war with the most readily available resources to continue expanding the industry.
In 1943, Geijutsu Eigasha produced Mitsuyo Seo's ]Momotarou No Umiwashi /Momotaro's Sea Eagles Although it's short, 40 minutes, it was the longest feature film of Japan at the time and it was billed as a main attraction. This News Division of Imperial Japanese Navy funded propaganda film features the classic folklore character Momotaro and his animal friends as they attack Pearl Harbor which is defended by characters strikingly similar to Pluto and Olive Oil from the Popeye cartoons. The animation is mixed with real video footage from the attack on Pearl Harbor supplied by the military..
Near the End of that year, it was released also another film of considerable length, 30 minutes, it was called Malay Oki Kaisen / Sea Battle at Malay and it was also an animated depiction of the attack on Pearl Harbor and the sea battle at Malay.
In 1945 Shochiku produced and Mituto Seo directed the another Momotarou sequel: Momotarou Umi No Shinpei/ Divine Sea Warriors (1945). This time The plot follows the successful bombing of Pearl Harbour, Momotarou and friends liberating the Sulawesi islands o the enemy troops and therefore “liberating “Asia. To some people is regarded as the first real Feature film, because it surpasses the 1 hour mark.
Momotarou Umi No Shinpei
This film was very Disney influenced with musical numbers and animal sidekicks but marked a turning point for Japanese animation. It was released in the US as Panda and the Magic Serpent. A major contribution of Toei's style to modern anime was the development of the "money shot" style. This cost-cutting method of animation allows for emphasis to be placed on important shots by animating them with more detail than the rest of the animation in the work. The introduction of this new style of making animation is what began setting apart the Japanese animation and the western animation.
Hakujaden Trailer
In the sixties with the popularity of the Television set, came the first televised Japanese animations. The first of all was Mittsu no Hanashi, in 1960, an only one episode animation containing three short stories. The second and first official japanese animated TV series, even though with 3 minute episodes, was Instant History which had a sequel named Otogi Manga Calendar. These animated pieces marked the start of Japanese animation on television, but they were still western looking animations.
Astroboy, the birth of modern Anime and the expansion of the Anime industry
The third Japanese animation to be made for television, which was made by the new studio Mushi Productions, changed the way how Japanese animation was portrayed and it was completely influential to everything that came after, the year was 1963 and the title was named Tetswan Atom (Astro Boy), based on the 1953, and still running at the time, manga of the same name by Osamu Tezuka (also founder of Mushi Pro after his contract with Toei ended) an already very famous manga author since the previous decade. In the fifties, Astroboy changed the way how people perceived comic books (Manga) in Japan, by introducing depth in their stories and making them running through several dozen of pages telling more complex stories than any other comic book at the time, the general artwork was innovative as well, Tezuka drawed his characters with big eyes, a detail that added easily recognizable feelings to his characters and increased the drama on his stories.
Astroboy 1st EP
The success of AstroBoy opened the doors for the anime industry expansion, spanning countless more series influenced by Astroboy, produced by new animation studios.
Some important following titles of the sixties are: Osamu Tezuka's Kimba the White Lion, Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Tetsujin 28-go (First super Robot anime) and Sally the Witch (The first shoujo and magical girl anime), Tatsuo Yoshida's Mach Go Go Go (known in the US and western world as Speed Racer), GeGeGe no Kitaro, Kyijinj No Hoshi/Star of the Giants (The first sports anime), Himitsu no Akko-chan (adaption of the first magical girl manga), Tiger Mask、Sazae-san (based on a comic strip from 1947 and still airing today)
Toei Animation impact on the anime industry of the sixties is not to be overlooked. Toei was still the biggest Animation studio in Japan in the sixties and other animation studios were usually created by former workers from Toei Animation. The studio continued to release some western looking early Disney influenced films throughout the sixties and even early seventies. One of Toei's styles was also characterized by an emphasis on each animator bringing his own ideas to the production.
By 1968, Toei went into another big production that proved to be another landmark in the Anime medium and a major turning point. The film was called Horus: Prince of the Sun (1968) and was different from everything that had been made before. It debuted a promising young director called Isao Takahata which had been appointed for the role after his sempai Yasuo Otsuka, a very important animator of the Studio, declined the role and recommended Takahata for it. Despite being a landmark film, the film was a commercial failure.
Horus Trailer
The film is also famous to have a young animator called Hayao Miyazaki in its ranks.
During the 1970s, the Japanese film market shrunk due to competition from television. This increased competition from television, reduced Toei animation's staff and many animators went to studios such as A Pro and Telecom animation. Mushi Productions went bankrupt (only to be revived 4 years later), its former employees went to found studios such as Madhouse Production and Sunrise.
The first big and important TV series of the seventies was Ashita No Joe in 1970, directed by Osamu Dezaki, one of seventies most important directors and one of the directors that would change the face of anime forever starting with this series.
Ashita No Joe had an incredible impact on Japanese society at the time as not only pushed children to the front of television, but reached a large adult fanbase as well. It's dark tale of a rebellious youngster in a post war poor still recovering and depressive Japan was something that adults could also connect too.
Ashita No Joe
1971 saw the animation of another adult orientated manga, Lupin III . This incredible popular title, debuted Hayao Miyazaki in director role as well as his partner Isao Takahata, both of whom had left Toei Animation earlier that year.
Early seventies also saw acclaimed manga author Go Nagai pioneering or modernizing many anime genres, the first of his series to gain popularity was Devilman, bringing the “monster of the week” concept into anime. But a series who he himself thought as a break from working on Devilman, was an immediate success and outshined his fomer work right away, the series was Mazinger Z in 1972 and it gave birth to the Mecha Genre (Although it's referenced as Super Robot Anime by some). The genre was expanded later in 1974 with Getter Robo 1974 (the first combining Robot Anime), created jointly with Ken Ishikawa. It was also at this time that the toy mechandise industry would give a big leap in toy production. Go Nagai would also revolutionize the Magical Girl Shoujo with Cutie Honey.
Mazinger Z
Another famous studio and responsible of several iconic 70's titles, was Tatsunoko Productions. Their first and most famous work was a mecha/super team anime from 1972, called Gatchaman.
Late 1973 saw the birth of modern Shoujo Anime with Ace Wo Nerae! (Aim for the Ace!). Another title directed by Osamu Dezaki, of Ashita No Joe fame. This title would consolidate Osamu Dezaki as one of the directors of the decade. Dezaki kept his trademark dramatic still scenes to add drama on certain key scenes and that aspect was one of the definitions his works.
The seventies also saw the adaptation of countless western classic children novels into Anime, TV series or full length films. These titles were grouped under the moniker "Seikai Meisaku" (World Masterpiece)and were animated by several studios. The longest running Seikai Meisaku program, and most popular, was made by a studio called Zuiyo Enterprise (renamed Nippon Animation in 1975). It was in this studio were the fascinating partnership of director Takahata and promising animator Miyazaki would gain world recognition. The studio had taken the quest of animating one consecutive TV series each year, that could be seen by all family and portrayed high human morals. Following this spirit required by Nippon Animation's Seikai Meisaku Gekijo (World Masterpiece Theater) from series like Fables of the Green Forest (1973), the first work being directed by Isao Takahata (with Miyazaki on the animaton department) would be the adaptation of the famous Swiss tale of Heidi, turning it into a world popular Hit TV series, especially in Europe and eventually being fundamental in the style for later works on the World Masterpiece Theater series as well as future Isao Takahata and Hayaho Miyazaki works as well.
Heidi
The Golden Age of Anime
Even though Heidi was the most viewed and popular anime of 1974, it is Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato that is linked with the start of the Golden Age of Anime. This series brought the science fiction anime into a new light and brought the widely recognizable Leiji Matsumoto legendary character designs.
Yamato
1976 saw another highly acclaimed World Masterpiece Theater series directed by Isao Takahata called Marco or 3000 Leagues in Search of Mother. This marked another landmark in Anime, the animation was excellent and the attention to detail on the background scenes was astonishing. Takahata and Miyazaki had traveled to Italy to acquire the true nature of the backgrounds they were trying to portray in the production of the series. The Theme and story of the series also moved people hearts all around the world. Another landmark Shoujo title aired in this year was Candy Candy.
By 1977 anime was so popular in Japan that the condensed film version release of Space Battleship Yamato eclipsed that of the local release of Star Wars. 1977 was also the year of Osamu Dezaki's Ie Naki Ko, an dramatic Seikai Meisaku adaptation by TMS Entertainment studios, with the already classic character designs of Akio Sugino and Dezaki dramatic stills. 1977 also saw the second and most famous of them all, series of Lupin the Third being animated. This series, was more light in tone, following the Miyazaki/Takahata directed episodes of the first series and marked the character of Lupin for the numerous sequels and follow ups.
1978 brought the first and only Hayao Miyazaki Endeavour in Television series, it was Mirai Shounen Conan (Future Boy Conan) and it was also a major hit worldwide.
Mirai Shounen Conan
While Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater series adapted Perrine Monogatari (based on the same author from Ie Naki Ko, adapted the previous year by another studio), another moving family story. Leiji Matsumoto attacked the world full force with Captain Harlock (which would have been a character introduced in Space Battleship Yamato hadn't the series been shortened 13 episodes) and Galaxy Express 999 later that year.
Captain Harlock
Galaxy Express 999
Both series proved to be highly successful as well as bringing timeless and legendary characters. The same year also brought Takarajima, another Osamu Dezaki adaptation of a foreign children story, but this time in Madhouse studios.
By late seventies the Mecha genre had started to slowly shift from the simple monster of the week fashion of Go Nagai Mazinger Z and Getter Robo super Robot anime style to more complex stories. Much of this was noticeable in director Tadao Nagahama's Romance Super Robot Trilogy. Chou Denji Robo Combattler V(1976-77), Chou Denji Machine Voltes V, which by the third chapter of the trilogy, Daimos, it was clear that the genre had been gaining more profundity in storytelling and in character depth.
Another popular anime director that had been making a name by himself on the Mecha genre was Yoshiyuki Tomino, who had started morphing the genre to a darker side with Zambot 3 (1978), and eventually creating the modern Mecha anime with his 1979 groundbreaking TV series Mobile Suit Gundam. Following a Star Wars strong influence, Gundam transported the story to the whole universe instead of limiting itself on only the planet earth scale and made the story plot more complex by adding political elements to it, this made the definition of good and evil more fuzzier than what had been done before. But Tomino still had his own ideas and convictions, so his dark themes explored on his previous series, were still present here and kept on going into several of his future works.
1979 saw the high production of another Isao Takahata directed anime series for Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece Theater series, the series was Akage No Anne (Anne of Green Gables) and would be another highly successful series, making it again to international circuits. Once again, Takahata, Miyazaki and company gave a step further in animation and produced the most beautiful animation and artwork seen to date. After 15 episodes of Akage No Anne, Hayao Miyazaki abandoned the series and studios to direct his first anime film feature. The film was a return from Miyazaki-san to the Lupin Franchise and was called Castle of Cagliostro, debuted on the end of the year and was a major hit as well.
Akage No Anne
1979 was also the year of another masterpiece from Osamu Dezaki and the definitive shoujo anime story to some and the definitive history adapted anime to others. The anime was an adaptation from Ryoko Ikeda's Versailles No Bara/ Rose Of Versailles, and it's story faithfully covered with high precision the happenings that led to the famous bloody French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. Once again Osamu Dezaki style and dramatic still shots were proven essential for the dramatic element of the story.
Versailles No Bara
Of relevant significance, is also the fact that in this year brought the second Doraemon series, (which only ended in 2005), Doraemon also became a world popular title.
The anime explosion of late seventies advanced on par with the country financial growth. This anime growing interest led to the birth of Anime Magazines like Animage.
1980s
The beginning of the eighties continued with the ever growing interest on Science fiction based anime, making it the genre with most popularity. More magazines were going into circulation and Anime Conventions were made. The science fiction based genres got special attention, mainly because of the growing influence of Star Wars, the space opera genre was getting larger with titles as Cyborg 009 (popular sequel to the 1968 original series) or Toward the Terra film.
Terra E… Trailer
Leiji Matsumoto was harvesting his fruits by releasing more sequels to his popular titles, Harlock, Galaxy Express 999 and Yamato. Yoshiyuki Tomino was expanding his darkness on the mecha genre with Space Runaway Ideon (1980), gaining his "kill em all" middle name, then softening his image later on with titles as Xabungle or Heavy Metal L-Gaim just to return to the Gundam franchise and bring the psychological darkness to Mecha anime again with the popular Gundam acclaimed follow upZeta Gundam among other Tomino mecha series and Gundam sequels like the conclusion of the Universal Century saga started with the original Mobile Suit Gundam series, Char's Counterattack.
No other Mecha series feuded more with Gundam on the throne of best Mecha series than Shoji Kawamori's Super Dimensional Fortress Macross(1982) directed by Noboru Ishigro. Macross took the space opera of Gundam and turned it into a strong romantic story in the middle of an intergalactic war. This concept proved highly successful and the resume film Do You Remember Love became one of the most popular titles of the decade.
Macross DYRL Trailer
Other significant Mecha series other than Macross series or from Tomino, of this period are Ryosuke Takahashi's Armored Tropper Votoms and Fang of the Sun Dougram. Takahashi's series brought more restraint and maturity to the Tomino formula and expanded the politics farther.
But Anime in the eighties was not only made of Mecha series. The early eighties in particular 1981, also developed big comedy titles, such as Rumiko Takahashi's extremely popular Urusei Yatsura, by the hand of promising director Mamoru Oshii. Isao Takahata who had depart from Nippon Animation to make Chie the Brat and Akira Toriyama saw his Dr. Slump manga adapted too.
Urusei Yatsura
By 1984 Miyazaki and Isao Takahata would team up again to make the highly acclaimed film, Nausicaa, based on Miyazaki's manga of he same name. Miyazaki more experienced at this time took the role of director while Takahata produced the film using Topcraft studios handwork. The film was success was so big that it led to the birth of Miyazaki and Takahata's own studios, studio Ghibli, using a good amount of Topcaft staff. The forming of Ghibli wouldn't be possible without the help of former Animage editor Toshio Suzuki, who had a key role on influencing Miyazaki on carrying with the Nausicaa manga and had an important role on the founding of the studios. The first official Ghibli title became Laputa: Castle in the Sky(1986), followed by several critically well received titles as My Neighbour Totoro (1989) and Kiki`s Delivery Service, Takahata would get to direct Grave of the Frireflies (1988) in a joint project in the studio that would release Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies at the same time, this project proved to be very tiring for the staff of the studio.
Nausicaa Trailer
The popularization of VCR gave birth to a new anime platform, it's name was OVA, standing for Original Video Animation. The first OVA was an adaptation from the god of manga, Osamu Tezuka, The Green Cat (1983) however there's no proof that it was actually widely released to the masses, so the officially the first OVA is Dallos (1983-1984), directed by Mamoru Oshii, of Urusei Yatsura fame. Dallos was a flop in the market, but the OVA format slowly began conquering the public. By 1985, the format had already conquered the anime fandom and Ishiguru Noboro's Megazone 23 was a success, it provided also the character designs of Mikimoto Haruhiko (from Macross fame). The OVA medium continued it's escalating to success with several titles, some even developed into popular TV series later on as Patlabor. It was in this medium where Hentai (pornographic anime) would feel at home and would develop it's own thread of the industry.
Middle eighties were very healthy for anime and were still getting healthier with genre defining series arising to international fame such as Adachi Mitsuru's Touch (1985) and Rumiko Takahashi's Maison Ikkoku (1987) making themselves as the most prolific romantic mangakas of the eighties that also conquered the anime form.
Maison Ikkoku
TOUCH
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Fighting Shounen also had its landmarks; Buronson’s Fist Of the Northstar (1984), Akira Toriyama’s Dragonball and Masami Kurumada’s Saint Seiya from 1986. Dirty Pair and City Hunter joined the already established Urusei Yatsura in the area of comedy. The area of Magical Girl Shoujo also had Creamy Mami among others. While Captain Tsubasa, an sport anime about Football (Soccer), had a considerable influence on a new generation of kids that would reach the World Cup a decade later.
The continuous advancements of the Japanese economy, had it's reflections on the Japanese society and on anime community itself, particularly manifesting itself through the OVA phenomenon. This period marked the birth of several studios (some of them short lived), that released several OVAs, from experimental animations to high budgeted major production OVAs.
The birth of the studios Kaname Productions is the prime example of the experimental kind. It was a studio that came, gave it all though gorgeous looking animated pieces like Windaria and completely experimental OVA with superior animation like Birth and eventually closed doors before the decade ended.
Other famous studio example that came about in this era but preserved was Gainax. It had been brought together by Hideaki Anno and other university students in order to animate short openings for the anime convention Nihon SF Taikai, in the beginning of the decade. These shorts eventually became so popular on the anime community that they were given a chance to helm the biggest budgeted anime film (at that time) Ouritsu Uchuugun: Honneamise No Tsubasa/ Wings of Honneamise (1987).
Honneamise Trailer
Films and OVAs from middle and the later half of the decade worth a mention would be; Night Of the Railroad, a film from 1985, feature a based on a kids story, told in an unconventional manner. Later that year, Toshio Suzuki helped put together funding for Mamoru Oshii's experimental film Angel's Egg for OVA. Tale of Genji, a popular Japanese old Folk tale would gain new life through a 1986 animated film adaptation. Arion brought another Haruhiko Mikimoto character designed film into the masses with high production values and ambitious story, set in ancient Greece.
1987 continued with the experimentation through titles as Take the X Train, Neo-Tokyo, and Robot Carnival. Neo-Tokyo and Robot Carnival having Katsuhiro Otomo seal on them prepared the public for what was to come.
1988 was also the year of the release of Akira, the biggest production to date and regarded a landmark on anime by many. The film came to existence when awarded science fiction manga author Katsuhiro Otomo, was approached to bring his Akira running, at the time, manga to existence. Due to his previous experience with Harmageddon, Otomo this time demanded complete control on the film and a special committee was formed with several studios and organisms under the moniker Akira Committee, this special committee made sure that the necessary funds for the production would not fail and the film would be completed. The animation of Akira was groundbreaking, the scenes required more cels per scene than any other anime film before it, thus making each movement very fluid, the characters when talking would move their face and not just the mouth unlike other anime. The film used the triple or quadruple number of cels required by any other films to be made. The film was also pioneer in computerized animation in some sequences.
The release of the film set attendance records for an animated film in Japan. Despite that, it didn’t reach the expectations of the producers, but the international breakthrough afterwards returned the investment and made it profitable. It was also this film that set the bridge to the commercialization of anime in the US, leading to the creation of Manga Entertainment. The film became a cult favorite across the world in years to come among many circuits and has made several top/best ever lists of either best animated and overall best films in the sci-fi category.
Akira Trailer
By the end of the decade, only Ghibli studios and few more proved to be profitable so several anime studios had already closed their doors and more were starting to pay for their animation experiences. This along with Osamu Tezuka's death in 1989, marked the end of the golden era of anime.
An Anime legend, Osamu Tezuka.
Early 90's - The end of an era
The pursuit of international success on part of anime studios was never something new, and it remounts to the times of The Tale of the White Serpent, but the success of Akira in the western world, changed the mindset of anime studios regarding the ambition of production of full length features, with that fact since the beginning of the 90s the amount of big budget productions reduced significantly, Anime studios started to change their way of operating, focusing their big productions to the western market.
Some titles that are representative of this era are; Gainax and Hideaki Anno's and first TV series Nadia and The secret of the Blue Water (1990), Future GPX Cyber Formula TV series (1990), Nippon Animation's World Masterpiece series The Trapp Family Story TV series(1991), Osamu Dezaki's second adaptation of Ryoko Ikeda manga Onisama E...TV series (1991), Roujin Z Film (1991), Gainax “80s animentary" Otaku no Video OVA (1991),
Otaku No Video Trailer
Oh sweet. Thanks for sharing. Hopefully they stick to the end.
On another note, seems like Moomin and Dr. Slump translations are still active. Both projects are rather big, especially the latter one, and I'm glad they are keeping up their work. Most Europeans are probably familiar with Moomin.
Also the kind of themes in Tomino anime are extremely commonplace in Japanese story telling. It's definitely nothing unique to him. I suppose in the world of anime he stands out for being extreme, but go beyond that and he's tame compared to some old Japanese movies and such.
Maybe, but I don't think I've seen a director incorporate slaps to the degree Tomino does. At least not to the level that annoys me like he does in that they are completely randomly thrown in. So, I don't think culture differences really matter much in this regard. I think it's more of a case of me having a problem with his directing itself.
Thoase disciplinary slaps are very Japanese, it's moronic, but its part of their culture, there are a lot of stuff that are too much to us, but are quite common there.
And see a link with this, violence with women and children in Tomino's anime and the recent alegations of a Japanese "mayor" coming out and saying that Women being forced to prostitution on the second world war was a necessity for the japanese soldiers.
Tomino is a pretty normal guy for japanese standards, their culture however has some very old fashioned standards that still need to be brushed and we see subtle hints in every anime, even in those anime/scenes where you don't think they are there. With that said, we as westerners will never be able to fully understand anime as a Japanese do. We need to understand their society outside of anime to try to fully understand anime first.
I find the slaps in general to be kind of annoying. Often times it's like he throws them in for no good reason, like Amuro or whoever else could make an extremely valid point and still get slapped.
So.. After a long break, I decided to continue Xabungle. And then suddenly this:
Like, the scene was really touching and emotional, but it was really weird seeing a guy beat up a girl on TV. He slapped her 23 times and punched her 5 times. I felt like Zentraedi watching that scene. Tomino always surprises me.
