Comics, Manga & More
Anime & Progressive Animation
By Sarah Lane
Apr 6, 2006, 7:59am

Anime & Progressive Animation



An·i·me - noun
Japanese, animation, short for animEshiyon, from English: a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes. Click here for more.

Anime and manga are very closely related because the artists and their characters cross into both areas. Anime began roughly in the year 1963 with an established manga artist named Osamu Tezuka. His story,Tetsuwan Atomu, was that of a robot boy with an atomic heart disowned by his creator because he never grew up. The main character melded into Astro Boy when introduced to American culture with the help of Fred Ladd and NBC. Its national syndication resulted in widespread interest until American broadcast companies remarked upon the violence and the topic of death prevalent in the stories. Unfortunately the end of Astro Boy was never shown in the States as it was in Japan. If your curiosity is peaked then utilize the links below to learn even more fascinating tales about the evolution of Anime.

For a complete ‘Global History of Anime’ including such topics as, The First Shows Hit US TV, Other Early Shows, Androgynous Characters, Intended Audience Ages, Anime At The End Of The 70's, The 80's: The "Golden Years" Of Anime, Macross Hits The US, The Huge Films of the Mid-80's, The Home Video Revolution, The End of the Golden Years, The Release of Akira, The Disputed Last Gasp for Anime, Gainax - A Different Approach, Nadia and American Morals, Anime in the 90's, The US Anime Licensers, and 'So Is It All Over?' visit this gold mine of information.

For a complete ‘History of Anime in the US’ including such topics as, Into the Pop Culture Mainstream, Astroboy in 1964, Gigantor, Speed, Kimba & Simba, The Star Blazing 70's, Battle of the Planets, U.S. Adaptation and Syndication, Early US Anime Availability, The Early US Companies, US Anime Releases During the Nineties, Fans, Fansubs, and J.A.I.L.E.D., Who Released What and Why?, Central Park Media, Manga Entertainment, AnimEigo, AD Vision, Media Blasters, Pioneer's Animation Division, VIZ, Shogakukan, and Urban Vision, and The Right Stuf go here.