Introduction to Japanese Anime

What ever happens now always has to be connected with the past. "

Yes, the history of anime spans a wide range of topics. It would take me hundreds of pages to write a full chapter on it. It would take me a few months to put together, and it could even be a whole year. It isn't my primary goal to give a chronology of the history of anime in a broad sense. It is my goal to simplify the history of anime for you readers. In this article I want to present a simple, yet enlightening view of anime's history for Christians. The history of anime is not a reason to be ignorant about the sophistication of today. As Christians, we must also know the history of our society before we fall into any temptation.

The word "anime", for starters, is the Japanese original pronunciation of "animation," the American term. The style of Japanese animation is called anime. It is defined stereotypically by the Urban Dictionary as characters with large, proportionate eyes. They also have hairstyles and bright colors. From very young (kiddy) to teenage (violence and content), the plots are all different. Also, it is important to know that American cartoons differ from Japanese animes. A cartoon's story is much simpler than an anime. Cartoons are aimed at children, while anime is geared towards adults.

The creation of animation was largely due to Western influence that started at the beginning of the 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers began to experiment with animation techniques being developed in the West. However, it was also influenced by manga production that had already been present in Japan before anime production.

In Japan, pictures depicting the afterlife or animals were appearing in the early 13th century (the majority of these are very similar to the modern manga). Edo, or woodblocks, were used to draw pictures at the beginning of 1600. Edo art subjects were usually less religious, and often geo-erotic. This gave me the following insight, which I can confirm:

The explicit presentation of manga that later influenced the anime industry was already present in the 13th Century. This is hundreds of years prior to the appearance of anime! "

It shouldn't surprise you, should it? Many mangas, also known as comics today, are vulgar and explicit. If not there is at least one female character with a showy look. If you think that mangas have a lot of nudities in them, I don't agree. This exploitation (or even a slight hint of sexuality) in mangas, isn't new. These mangas existed before World War I and II. However, they evolved into something different. Manga is to a large extent the reason anime exists. Most animes are based on mangas or comics.

Japanese cartoonists had been experimenting with animation styles as far back as 1914. However, the growth of anime began after World War II, when Kitayama, Seitaro and Osamu were the pioneering Japanese animators. Osamu Tzuka was the leading animator of that time and became known as the "god of comics."

Osamu Tezuka is best known for his "Astro Boy" (Tetsuwan Atomu), the first robot with an atomic-powered heart, who wished to become a boy. He was known for his notable works and contributed to the development of Japanese animation, with large rounded eyes. Tezuka did not limit his works to entertaining young audiences. He also conceived Animerama and was the initiator of its creation. The series is made up of adult animated feature films that are thematically related and were produced by his Mushi Production Studio from late 1960s to the early 1970s. Animerama is a three-film trilogy that includes A Thousand & One Nights Cleopatra and Belladona. Osamu Tezuka, , the God of Comics created the first animated film, A Thousand & One Nights.

It was not until the 1980s, that anime became a mainstream phenomenon in Japan. More and more genres have emerged since then. There are many genres to choose from, including slice-of-life, dramatic, mechas and tragic stories, as well as science fiction, romances, ecchis, shounenais, shoujos and more. Most anime has shifted away from superheroes, fantasy plots, to more realistic, space operas, with more complex plots, and fuzzy definitions of what is right or wrong.

A new anime medium, the OVA, was developed later, during the boom of Japanese animation. The OVAs are direct-to home-video movies or series that cater to a much smaller audience. OVAs were also the catalyst for the introduction of full-blown pornography in kissanime.

A subculture of Japanese animators, later known as "otaku", developed around magazines like Animage and later NewType. The magazines were created in response to the massive fandom around Yamato, Gundam and other shows in the 1980s.

As early as 13th-century, ancient painting, woodblock arts, depictions of nature and life as well as animals were the beginnings. These, however, were transformed into animated frames by different experiments of animation and mangas in the post-war era.

Mangas, also known as Edo in the 13th century were not just for art's sake but I think they served as an entertainment medium... it would evolve over time into a new form of both art and entertainment.

The history of anime is vast and the article does not cover it all. The point is that we need to know that the genres of anime can be more frightening than what we imagine.

We should be able to discern the true motives behind the animations and creators. Let's do some background research and not just take the decision to stop watching an anime for granted.