.Vol. 1 No. 2 Christmas Issue December 1999
P. Otaku Bytes: Features
[Contents] [Editorial] [Columns] [Fanworks] [Anime101] [Reviews] [Endnotes]
Features: [Anime Shopping Guide] [Pokemon]

     Katsuhiro Otomo would gain fame when the animated version of his manga, Akira, made it to the big screen in 1988. This apocalyptic thriller was then marketed to the U.S. in 1989 by Streamline Pictures and became a box office hit, giving rise to the Anime genre in U.S. (once again).
     Following up in 1995 was Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell, another science fiction flick. It integrated cel animation with computer graphics and soon gained international acclaim through Manga Entertainment, placing No.1 on the Billboard’s Top Video Sales chart.

Modern Times
     While there were a lot of successes recently like Akira Toriyama’s Dragonball/Z, Yasuhiro Togashi’s Yu Yu Hakusho or Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailormoon, the most notable of which was Satoshi Taijiri’s brainchild, Pokemon. After becoming a hit video game, it was adapted into a comic and later, into a very popular anime which not only has several episodes but several movies as well. Its fame did not only spread in the country but overseas as well, especially in America.

On O.A.V.’s
     Standing for Original Animated Video (OAV), or Original Video Animation (OVA), this emerged in the twilight of home videos in 1983. This was released in a video only format and could not be seen in local television. Because of this, there was more freedom in it resulting to some containing much violence and sex. These independent productions could run from a half hour to two full hours and came out as little as one video to up to thirteen volumes. Notably, the animation quality is better than that of TV but none surpasses that of a full theatrical feature. The first O.A.V. was Dallos but its spur became apparent in the late 80’s and the recent 90’s with successful shows such as Bubble Gum Crisis and Tenchi Muyo.

Anime in the U.S.
     Starting out in 1961 with the distribution of Toei’s releases like “Panda and the Magic Serpent”, anime hit mainstream with the 1963 release by NBC of Astro Boy, which was translated by Fred Ladd, who would later work on other early anime titles like Gigantor and Kimba.
     Soon, Tatsunoko’s classics of “Speed Racer” and “Battle of the Planets” made its way on American television as well but the real highlights was when the late 70’s and early 80’s experienced a tsunami of Japanese robot toys. These were later known as “Shogun Warriors”, Starvengers, Voltron and Transformers, a show which most people are familiar with. Leiji Matsumoto’s works would also appear like Star Blazers and Captain Harlock.
     Anime began to build up steam when “Robotech” debuted in 1985, which combined three unrelated mecha shows, the first of which was the most popular in both Japan and America: Macross.
     The release of Akira in 1989 by Streamline Pictures paved the way for an anime market. Mike Preece, certain that anime could be profitable once he had seen Akira, proposed Manga Entertainment to Marvin Gleicher and an anime distribution company was born. Its success with the imports of Ghost in the Shell (The only anime attaining the No. 1 Billboard Top Video Sales) and Macross Plus has lots to be desired.
     The 1990’s also looked great for anime as several shows went mainstream once more with the likes of Dragonball, Dragonball Z, Sailormoon, Tekkaman Blade (“Teknoman”) and Samurai Troopers (“Ronin Warriors”).
     Disney (Buena Vista) also acquired the rights to Miyazaki’s productions and in 1998, released on video was Kiki’s Delivery Service. Not only was the show uncut but featured dubbing by famous actors.
     Before the millenium ended, America was bombarded by the multimillion hit Pokemon (the 6th most search word on the Internet!), becoming the most popular personality in anime history. Also, three anime movies were released: Perfect Blue, Princess Mononoke and Pokemon the First Movie. Furthermore, several movies and videos are planned to be released in the future, with several anime distribution companies present.

Anime in the Rest of the World
     Anime always had a place among Asians. It is present in most countries like Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sinapore, Indonesia and the Philippines to name a few. They have not only accepted anime but some of Japan’s other culture as well like JPOP (Japanese Pop), manga, and Hello Kitty.
     Most of Europe is not far off in anime as it has experienced classics like Heidi of the Alps, Saint Seiya and Mazinger Z in the 1980’s. However, in the U.K., their only source for anime is through direct-to-video purchases.
     South America has tasted some anime as well through Sony’s release of Rurouni Kenshin, or “Samurai X” as a test bed for their release in the U.S. Saint Seiya and Dragonball Z has also been known to drop in on a few countries or so.

It's Still Ongoing
     Anime’s history is far from over. In fact, it is just beginning. As years and years go by, there are more and more new developments appearing. Japanese Animation has gone a long way since it originally appeared. Through its creative artists, artistic directors, industrious sponsors and us, the loyal fans, anime will continue to thrive, especially in the new millenium.

[Contents] [Editorial] [Columns] [Fanworks] [Anime101] [Reviews] [Endnotes]

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