9 Facts About Free Anime Series
The history of anime is notably broad, yes, and it shall take hundreds of pages if I is likely to make a chapter about it. I could, but it's going to take annually or more for me to compile it. My primary focus just isn't to present a chronological dissertation of anime history in its broadened sense, since it really is, as I said, broad. But it is part of my cause to present to you, the readers, a simplified presentation of the anime history. So in this particular article, my cause is to give a simplified yet awakening view for us Christians about anime and its history. Knowing the history, keep in mind, will not make us ignorant of today's sophistication. Furthermore, as Christians, it is essential for us to learn or to trace back the roots before we jump into temptations associated with any kind.
To start with, the term "anime" is primarily depending on the original Japanese pronunciation of the American word "animation." It's the style of animation in Japan. The Urban dictionary defines it stereotypically as: the anime style is characters with proportionally large eyes and hair styles and colors which are very colorful and exotic. The plots range between very immature (kiddy stuff), through teenage level, to mature (violence, content, and thick plot). It's also crucial that you note that American cartoons and Japanese animes are different. The storyline of an anime is more complex while that of a cartoon is simpler. While cartoons are intended for kids, anime, conversely, might be more intended for the adult viewers.
Even though the creation of anime was basically because of the influence of the Western countries that began at the start of twentieth century (when Japanese filmmakers experimented with the animation techniques that were being explored in the West) it was also inspired by the production of manga (comic) that was already present in Japan even before the production of anime.
Around the beginning of the 13th century, there have been already pictures of the afterlife and animals appearing on temple walls in Japan (many of them are much like modern manga). At the start of 1600's, pictures were not drawn on temples any longer but on wood blocks, called Edo. Subjects in Edo arts were less religious and were often geographically erotic. Noting this, with no doubt, it gave me this insight:
"The explicit presentations of manga, that might later influence the industry of anime, were already existent within the 13th century. That is decades before anime emerged into view!"
Now it should not be too surprising, right? There are numerous mangas (also referred to as comics) of currently that can be too vulgar and explicit and otherwise, there will be at least one character in her showy appearance. I'm not stating that all mangas are watching full anime of nudities, if that is what you are thinking by now. But instead, this exploitation of eroticism (or at least a hint of amorousness) on mangas isn't actually new. They already existed even prior to the World War I and II. They, alternatively, advanced into another thing. Manga, to a great extent, is a factor as to how and why anime existed. Actually, most animes and live actions are adaptations of mangas or comics.
Japanese cartoonists already experimented with different style of animation as early as 1914, however the glorious growth of anime nonetheless began shortly after the next World War where Kitayama Seitaro, Oten Shimokawa, and Osamu Tezuka were pioneering as then notable Japanese animators. Among-the pioneering animators during that time, it was Osamu Tezuka who gained the most credits and was later described as "the god of comics."
Osamu Tezuka was best known within his work "Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu)" the very first robot boy by having an atomic heart who had wished to be a real boy. His works were significant and his style of animation contributed a great deal in the production of Japanese anime, such as large and rounded eyes. Tezuka's works did not simply focus to entertain young viewers but he also conceived and initiated the establishment of Animerama. It's a series of thematically-related adult anime feature films made at his Mushi Production studio from the late 1960's to early 1970's. Animerama is a trilogy consisting of three films: A Thousand & One Nights, Cleopatra, and Belladona. The first, A Thousand & One Nights, was the first erotic animated film conceived by Osamu Tezuka, the god of comics.
Although anime made its way, it was only in the 1980's that anime was fully accepted within the mainstream of Japan. Since then, a growing number of genres emerged into being. From slice of life, drama, mechas, tragic, adventure, science fiction, romance, ecchi, shounen-ai, shoujo as well as a lot more of genres. While most of the anime shows shifted from more superhero-oriented, fantastical plots to somewhat more realistic space operas with increasingly complex plots and fuzzier definitions of right and wrong-in short, anime in its broadened sense is simply complicated.
Additionally, later through the boomed experience of Japanese animation, a new medium was then developed for anime: the OVA (Original Video Animation). These OVAs were direct-to-home-video series or movies that catered to much smaller audiences. The OVA was also answerable for allowing the very first full-blown anime pornography.
As Japanese animation further gained more audience and acceptance throughout the world, a subculture in Japan, who later called themselves "otaku", began to develop around animation magazines such as Animage or later NewType. These magazines became known in respond to the overwhelming fandom that developed around shows such as Yamato and Gundam in the late 1970's and early 1980's and during this time period the mecha genres were prominent.
Everything started from ancient paintings, wood block arts, artistic depiction of life, nature, and animals as early as the 13th century. Until these, nonetheless, evolved into moving frames when different experimentations of mangas and animation were made in the pre and post-wars era.
Even as early as 13th century, mangas on wooden blocks, known as Edo, were already existent not only for the sake of art but it was there I believe as a medium of entertainment... a type of art and entertainment that would gradually evolved in time.
In conclusion, the history of anime was broad in its sense and this article has not presented all of it. However the point is, we must realize that anime itself carries a lot of genres and motives that will be alarming more than we can see right now.
