Anime

Anime’s popularity in the US

 Anime Expo drew huge crowds: 9,700 in
2001 to 40,000 in 2006. Since then, slower
growth has been evident: by 2011, only a
small rise: 47,000.
 The US audience for anime is mainly male
teens and adults, according to a recent
survey at an SPJA expo in New York, though
there have been increasing numbers of
anime films and TV programs aimed at girls.
 2002: Anime Network on cable; now
deceased. There are currently increasing on-
demand outlets, though.
 Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki,
won the Academy Award for Best Animated
Feature in 2003.
 Cultural Roots
 Anime is intended to be an art form,
closely connected to Japanese traditional
culture and beliefs, thus contrasting with
the US school of cartooning, which is
generally seen simply as an entertainment
product to be marketed.
 Its immediate source is manga, similar to
our graphic novels, which cover a wide
variety of subjects and are often targeted
to specific groups.
Osamu Tezuka’s
Manga series -
Astroboy (aka
Tetsuwan Atomu)
Robot & Sci-Fi Series
 Astroboy (1963) led to an
anime explosion on US cable
TV
 American adults were the
first audience, often
replicating the obsessive
devotion of Star Trek fans in
the 70s.
 Typical US anime fan (1960-
90) was:
• predominately male
• technically oriented
• 70-80% college educated
• between 25-30 years old
On Oct 3, 1982, a show that involved robots
hit the Japanese airwaves: Macross.

It introduced the concept of the

transformable robot for the first time, a
concept copied by later shows like The
Transformers.

In 1985, Harmony Gold brought the US

rights to Macross and 2 other robot shows
and combined the three into an 85 episode
show called Robotech.
 With the advent of the
Internet, by the mid 1980s,
fans could communicate
with other fans—and they
did.

 The continuing popularity of

anime eventually prompted
Japanese producers to
release an animated
theatrical release in 1990:
Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira.
 Bring on the Mecha
More Americans got excited by
anime in 1993, when the Fox
Channel aired a re-edited, re-
dubbed, eventually partially
re-shot version of the
Japanese series, Super Sentai
(Task Force), retitled Power
Rangers. It was an instant hit
and created an anime frenzy.
Power Rangers
(as they were in
the ‘90s)
Super
Sentai
(1973)
 By the middle ‘90s:
Action and . . .
 Dragonball Z (1995)  explosion of action anime
 Audience saw the kind of intricate and creative
fighting animation never seen before in any other
cartoon.
 DBZ intense action animation style even influenced
major Hollywood releases such as The Matrix.
 . . . Girl Power
 Sailor Moon on TV in 1995 was
another pivotal point - the
show didn't do too well in the
ratings in its first run, but it
picked up a cult following.

 Since Sailor Moon drew in so

many young girls, US
distributors stopped catering
exclusively to male science
fiction fans and started bringing
in titles that would appeal to
females, which paved the way
for other female-oriented
anime titles, especially others
emphasizing romance, comedy,
and adventure themes
 Kids with Pets &Toys
 The next transformation came in
1998-1999 with Pokemon.
 Pokemon represented a new anime
business model: release a toy, then a
video game, trading cards and a TV
show.
 Pokemon was also key because it was
the first TV show where producers did
not disguise the fact that anime was
Japanese.
 Pokemon products became a
worldwide phenomenon and US
children were hooked.
Pokemon paved the way for
other popular similar series
such as Monster Rancher,
Digimon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Card
Captor Sakura
 What makes Anime different?
 By the 1980s, cartoons in the US were seen as
strictly kidvid, with plots following a formula that
guaranteed happy endings & no real consequences
for violent encounters: no one dies.
 Japanese Anime were bound by no such
restriction:
• Most Japanese anime TV series are designed to
last only one or two seasons (usually producing
between 13-52 episodes) and then come to a
climactic and definite ending.
• Connecting plots from one episode to the next
are common, leaving audiences curious to find
out what happens next.
• Intricate plot and character development
produces a series of plot twists and turns;
heroes may even die or become villains.
 More Differences
 Multidimensional characters and
plots are common.
 Many different foci and subplots
deepen the narrative.
 Most conventional American
cartoons tend to focus primarily
on the gags & humor, but a
single anime series may draw
its appeal from many different
elements, such as action,
characters, relationships,
internal conflict, politics, and/or
humor.
 Many (if not most) anime are
intended to mirror real social
and political dilemmas.
 Emphasis on Originality
 Not confined to one genre in
order to appeal to one niche
market.
 Tradition of including mature
content in storylines of an adult
nature, which can be an
advantage or disadvantage in
American entertainment market.
 Wide ranging themes and
genres (from children to adult,
from action & sci-fi to cooking &
chess playing).
 Can create entertaining stories
and distinct styles out of
something that is often
perceived as ordinary and thus
unentertaining in real life.
 Aesthetic Appeal
 Emphasis on graphics & symbols
over words & dialogue to tell
story and convey characters’ emotions.

 DBZ, for instance, employs elaborate

action sequences and symbolic objects,
creating a unique and intense style of
action in animation, which in turn has influenced live
action movies.

 Incorporation of advanced cinematic techniques

(lighting, camera angles and movement, mise-en-
scene) adds to the sense of reality and urgency.
 And now . . .
Cowboy Bebop