Anime has become extremely popular in the West today. It has changed from being altered shows to fit the West to becoming a part of western pop culture. We see anime like Demon Slayer, Jujustu Kaisen, and My Hero Academic make record numbers in the box office. In this article we will look at the origins of anime, when it was first introduced to America and it’s overall impact in American movie and literary culture.
Anime Origins
Anime is a hand-drawn or computer animation often originating in Japan. It’s wide range of genres have appealed to a variety of different audiences from romance to fantasy and slice of life cute shows. The vibrant colors, imaginative characters, storylines, and dramatic expressions are common characteristics seen in manga and anime shows. The very first anime ever produced was called Katsudō Shashin. It doesn’t have a definite date of publication; it is believed that it was made in between 1905-1911. The anime was only 3 seconds, and it shows a boy writing kanji before he looks at the audience and salutes them. This anime was the catalyst to the popular art form eventually coming over to the Western world. Anime didn’t really start to become popular in America until the 1960’s when the audience was introduced to Astro Boy and Speed Racer.
The Anime Boom
Astro Boy first debuted in America in 1963 that would be one of the major reasons anime gain traction in the West, but that didn’t come without sacrifice. Astro Boy had to go through significant changes in its titles, character names, and sometimes entire plot points! Speed Racer (also known as MachGoGoGo) had a better time adjusting to the American audience because of two main reasons. The first reason is because back in the 1960’s racing was a popular form of entertainment in America and Steve McQueen was a national icon which helped audiences relate with Speed Racer. Speed Racer was so popular it began to franchise, selling its own toys video games, and movies. America’s big anime boom happened in the mid 90s with shows like Pokemon and Dragon Ball Z. Both of these shows became a force in anime franchising within the States and would lead to the second boom in anime, introducing shows like Death Note, Bleach, and Naruto!
Anime’s Impact in America
Japanese animation and manga have become so popular in modern day America. Manga sales have quadrupled from 2019-200 with 28.4 million copies sold and is the 4th largest in the fiction category. Audiences have shown that they want to see more than just good guys vs. bad guys. Anime speaks to the hardships of adulthood and learning how to deal with difficult emotions which doesn’t just relate to the audience, but the audience then forms their own unique relationships with these imaginative characters. It has also influenced music and American animation studios. This kind of influence allowed filmmakers to experiment with genres, themes and animation techniques beyond what they’re used to. American animators influenced by anime in their visual aesthetic and narrative styles with shows like Avatar the Last Airbender, Teen Titans and RWBY.You even see big stars like Megan Thee Stallion who wrote the song “Otaku Hot Girl” which is full of anime references. The beginning of the song even features Adam McArthur, the voice actor of Yuji Itadori from the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen.
LOCAL EVENT: Greensboro College Senior Art Show Reception
Who: Greensboro College
What: Come join Greensboro College as we celebrate the Art Department’s Senior Show Exhibition! Come see artists whom have created a variety of artwork that tackle different themes like color psychology and nostalgia! This will be the biggest graduating class for art, showcasing six artists’ (Including yours truly) different themes expressed through different mediums!
When/Where: April 22nd 5:00-7:00pm. Anne Rud Gaylon Gallery, Cowan Building. 815 W. Market St, Greensboro, NC, 27401
Prices: FREE
SOURCES
The impact of anime on American media: An in-depth analysis of cross-cultural influence. Jay Japan. (n.d.). https://www.jay-japan.com/blogs/otaku-spot/the-impact-of-anime-on-american-media-an-in-depth-analysis-of-cross-cultural-influence#:~:text=The%20Influence%20of%20Anime%20on%20American%20Youth%20Culture,niche%20within%20American%20youth%20culture.
Katsudou Shashin. AniList. (n.d.). https://anilist.co/anime/101429/Katsudou-Shashin
Long, P. (2023, July 15). 10 shows that helped bring anime to America. Game Rant. https://gamerant.com/shows-helped-bring-anime-america/#:~:text=10%20Astro%20Boy:%20America’s%20First,gaining%20traction%20in%20the%20West.
Rogin, A., Mufson, C., & Boulter, M. (2024, May 18). What’s behind the growing popularity of Japanese comics and animations in U.S. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/whats-behind-the-growing-popularity-of-japanese-comics-and-animations-in-u-s
GREENSBORO COLLEGE ART COLUMN 