Anime

The history of anime begins at the start of the 20th century, when Japanese filmmakers experimented with the animation techniques that were being explored in the West. During the 1970s, anime developed further, separating itself from its Western roots, and developing unique genres such as the mecha genre and its Super Robot subgenre. Notable shows in this period include Lupin III and Mazinger Z. During this period several filmmakers became famous, especially Hayao Miyazaki and Mamoru Oshii.

Anime

Unlike America, where live-action shows and movies have generous budgets, the live-action industry in Japan is a small market and suffered from budgeting and location restrictions. The varied use of animation allowed artists to create settings that did not look like anything at all.

Anime

In the 1980s, anime was accepted in the mainstream in Japan, and experienced a boom in production. The rise of the Gundam and Macross Real Robot space opera franchises and the beginnings of Rumiko Takahashi's career began in this decade. The cyberpunk film Akira set records in 1988 for the production costs of an anime film and went on to become a cult success worldwide (later in 2004, the same creators produced Steamboy, the most expensive anime film). The Super Dimension Fortress Macross also became a worldwide success after being adapted as part of Robotech, and Megazone 23 also gained recognition in the West after it was adapted as Robotech: The Movie.

Anime

In the 1990s and 2000s, anime series such as Dragon Ball Z, Pokémon, Sailor Moon and the postcyberpunk film Ghost in the Shell became worldwide successes, while other anime series such as Gundam, Macross, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop were popular in Japan and attracted attention from the West. A number of anime-influenced animations have been produced in the West, and the growth of the internet also led to the rise of fansubbed anime. Spirited Away shared the first prize at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003, while Innocence: Ghost in the Shell was featured at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

Anime

Anime