Major Effect

It was during the 1990s that 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' (1995 written and directed by Hideaki Anno) had the most major effect on the anime industry. An apocalyptic and mecha anime genre (though technically the robots are "bio-machines") which influenced a recent western film called 'Pacific Rim' (2013). It had a major impact on anime as it was seen as controversial at the time in Japan as many scenes showed violence and sexuality. It had to be heavily censored before it could be shown on television. Another series called 'Cowboy Bebop' (1998 written by Cain Kuga) was also heavily censored to the extent that only half of the episodes could be shown. They both however managed to be accepted and gained popularity within and outside of Japan.

Neon Genesis Evangelion:

There are other examples of anime that have influenced the western film industry. 'Ghost in the Shell' (1995 by Masamune Shirow) strongly influenced the film 'The Matrix' (1999 written and directed by The Wachowski Brothers). 'Princess Mononoke' (1997 directed by Hayao Miyazaki) influenced the film 'Avatar' (2009 directed by James Cameron). 'Kimba the White Lion' (1965 by Osamu Tezuka) whose characters and scenes were plagiarised by 'The Lion King' (1994 directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff).

Is The Lion King A Rip Off?:

Toei Animation, 1948

Toei Animation was founded in 1948 and created the first colour anime film in 1958, 'Hakujaden' ('The tale of the White Serpent') directed by Taiji Yabushita and Kazuhiko Okabe. It has a Disney influence which modern anime had at that time. Between 1958 and the 1960s Toei continued creating Disney like films until eventually taking on three of the most well known anime series; Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon (1992 written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi) and One Piece (1999 written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda). Toei have even had directors and animators like Hayao Miyazaki in the past, bring out their ideas for production.

One Piece opening 1:



Establishment of Anime in Japan, 1980s

In the 1980s anime became established and popular in Japan experiencing high prosperity. 'Gundam' (1979 by Yoshiyuki Tomino), 'Macross' (1982 by Shoji Kawamori) and 'Dragon Ball' (1986 by Akira Toriyama) rose in popularity as did the genres real robot, space opera and cyberpunk. 'Akira' (1988 directed by Katsuhiro Otomo) was an anime film that was seen as part of the rise of the cyberpunk genre. It was seen as a revolutionary film for anime as it used the technique of pre-recording (which is the process of voice acting first before animating the mouth movements and timing to match the sound recording) which continues to be an inspirational technique for many anime to this day. Anime such as the well known films by Studio Ghibli use this technique. However, as they are animated to synchronise with the original Japanese voice acting, the effect is lost when the films are dubbed into English . 'Akira' set records for the cost of producing an anime film and became a well known success worldwide. Directed by and co-written by the same director of 'Akira', 'Steamboy' then took over as the most expensive anime film.



Series like 'Gundam', 'Macross' and 'Dragon Ball' have become so popular that they have been airing multiple series till this day and I'd expect for the foreseeable future, e.g. 'Dragon Ball Super' (5 July 2015), 'Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt' (25 December 2015) and 'Macross Delta' (April 2016).

Macross 1982 opening:





Anime's Development, 1970s

In the 1970s anime started to develop, cut itself off from its Western origins and create unique genres such as mecha (e.g. Chodenji Machine Voltes V). This was a period when several filmmakers became famous such as the well known Hayao Miyazaki. The first major anime film by Hayao is 'Taiyo no Oji Horusu no Daiboken' ('The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun'). Also, Hayao along with Isao Takahata (film director, animator, screenwriter and producer) began a series of literature based anime.

Isao also co-founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao and directed films such as 'Grave of the Fireflies' (1988), 'Only Yesterday' (1991), 'My Neighbours the Yamadas' (1999) and, his most recent, 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' (2013). He only started animating after becoming an official director.

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya 2013 trailer:



Beginning of Anime

Anime started in the 20th century. The late 1910s saw the very first generation of Japanese animators. This included  Oten Shimokawa, Jun'ichi Kouchi and Seitaro Kitayama who are known as the "fathers of anime". Oten created animations such as 'Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki' ('The Story of the Concierge Mukuzo Imokawa') in 1917, considered the first confirmed anime. Other animations during 1917 include 'Namakura Gatana' by Jun'ichi and 'Sarukani Gassen' ('Battle of a Monkey and Crab') by Seitaro.

During World War 2 propaganda anime films where created to encourage Japanese children to be patriotic. Examples include 'Momotaro no Umiwashi' ('Momotaro's Sea Eagles') by Geijutsu Eigasha in 1942 and 'Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei' ('Momotarou: God Warriors of the Sea'), the first animated feature-length film, directed by Mitsuyo Seo in 1945.

Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pre6wrxk15Q