The history of anime

Are you a fan of Japanese animation? If so, you may already know that anime, as Japanese

animation is commonly known, originally dates back to the birth of Japan’s film industry in the early

1900s. You might also be aware that anime has been one of Japan’s major international cultural

influences throughout the past century.

Much of the work done in the early years of anime used very basic film-making techniques, but

as technology gradually improved, the popularity of anime slowly began to grow. The first modern

anime productions, which were created in the late 1940s, had some similarities with American

animation, but they also had their own uniquely Japanese style. And it is this style which has come

to define anime. At this time, however, few people outside Japan knew about anime, and this lack of

international success limited its development.

One thing that really helped anime to expand and develop was the arrival of television in the 1950s,

which led to a sudden increase in the domestic market for animated shows. However, at that time,

TV stations in other countries showed little interest in anime, so only TV stations in Japan were

targeted by producers and filmmakers.

In fact, it wasn’t until 1963 that anime achieved international success. This came in the form of

a series called Astro Boy, which opened up the door for other anime programmes and films

internationally. What also helped greatly was the fact that anime began to be adapted to suit

non-Japanese audiences. It would be quite a long time before international audiences demanded to

be able to watch the original Japanese versions as a matter of principle.

The next development to transform the anime industry was video, which occurred in the 1980s. This

meant that viewers could watch their favourite anime shows whenever they wanted. This proved to

be hugely successful for anime. Yet few videos were distributed outside Japan, and therefore the

money-earning potential that this presented was not fully realised.

It was towards the end of the 1990s that another major development helped anime to reach an even

broader audience: the internet. This made watching and learning about an anime series or character

as easy as typing a name into a search engine.

However, a major threat to the success of anime was the fact that Japan’s economic growth slowed

considerably in the mid-1990s, in common with that in many other countries. The effects were felt

from around 1995 until well into the new millennium. The result of this was that less money was

invested in anime during this time, which signalled a turn towards productions that were guaranteed

to sell. This also meant that experimental work largely died out.

Despite all of these difficulties, anime continues to survive both at home in Japan as well as

internationally. Its future may not look quite as bright as it once did, but the chances are that it will

still be a source of fascination to all kinds of people around the world for many years to come.

A honorable mention of Attack on Titan which is a popular anime series that has taken the world by storm. It is one of the most acclaimed and widely watched anime series of all time, and it has helped to make anime more popular around the world. Attack on Titan follows a group of brave warriors as they fight against giant humanoid creatures known as Titans, in order to protect their home from destruction.

The show's intense action sequences and thrilling story arcs have captivated viewers from all over the world, making it one of the most successful anime series ever created. Attack on Titan has become an international sensation, and its success has helped to make anime more accessible and popular than ever before.