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Who of us has never, but ever, come across Japanese animations on television? Probably many of us have watched them, without even being aware that these are productions from the Land of the Cherry Blossom. The topic of Japanese animation, or simply anime is wide and deep, so today we will focus on cinema productions.
But let’s go back to the beginning for a moment.
In the Beginning There Were… Series
The beginning of Japanese animation dates back to the first decade of the 20th century. The fathers of anime were Ōten Shimokawa, Jun’ichi Kōuchi and Seitaro Kitayama, among others. During World War II, animated films became a propaganda tool. Famous titles at the time included Momotarō no Umiwashi and Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei, the latter of which was the first animated feature film.
The first animated film in color was The Tale of the White Serpent from Studio Toei and Mushi Production. The success of the film led Studio Toei to release new feature-length films every year since then. The ideas of animators working at Studio Toei were heavily emphasized – a hallmark of the studio. The breakthrough title was Horus: Prince of the Sun by Isao Takahata, in which the shift to a “progressive” style is clearly visible.
The pioneer of anime was definitely Osamu Tezuka. The manga creator and animator, who wanted to reduce production costs, simplified techniques to create animations initially modeled on Disney works. He thus introduced the style of anime that is known today. Some of Tezuka’s most famous works are Astro Boy and Kimba: The White Lion. His manga Dororo lived to see two anime adaptations, one in the 1970s and the second in 2019.
The late 1970s led to a focus on new genres, and inspiration from Western Disney productions was abandoned. The year 1979 also marked the beginning of the mecha anime genre. It is a genre dealing with robots (Japanese: “meka” from mechanical). The first series set in this genre was Mobile Suit Gundam. In 1981 the first animated film under this title was made, followed by two more parts. The title of the series may be familiar to Polish viewers, as it was aired on the Hyper channel.
Among the anime that had the greatest impact on the film industry at the time was the 1984 production of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind from Studio Ghibli. Shortly after its production, more and more ambitious and experimental projects began to be funded.
The 80s are considered by many as the golden age of anime. Cult and beloved series such as Dragon Ball and Captain Tsubasa were created during this period. The number of high-budget movies and experimental projects such as Angel’s Egg also increased. Attempts were made to make them better than their predecessors, taking lessons from the success of Nausicaä. Animated films were also made based on literary works, such as Night on the Galactic Railroad, The Tale of Genji and Grave of the Fireflies. The period of creating high-budget productions reached its zenith with the release of Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and Akira.
Akira is a post-apocalyptic production in the cyberpunk genre. The film was an international success and set a record for production costs. Although the film was not a commercial success in Japan, it won over anime fans in the rest of the world. It is worth mentioning the cyberpunk thriller Ghost in the Shell, which became the inspiration for Matrix, and Animatrix – a series of short films set in the Matrix universe. Wachowski sisters, American directors of Polish origin, were involved in directing 4 episodes. On the subject of inspirations, the works of Satoshi Kon cannot be omitted. Paprika was the inspiration for Inception, while Perfect Blue was the inspiration for Black Swan.
Thanks to Ghost in the Shell and Evangelion, among others, awareness of anime in the international market has increased. The first decade of the 21st century was a renaissance of high-budget feature films. The most expensive of these was undoubtedly Steamboy, but a few other titles worth mentioning were Millennium Actress, Metropolis, Appleseed and Paprika.
Studio Ghibli Does Not Let People Forget About Itself
Every self-respecting fan of Japanese animation knows Studio Ghibli, and even if someone isn’t a big fan of anime, the name of this studio is familiar to him somewhere. It was founded in 1985 by two friends – director Hayao Miyazaki, who at that time worked for Toei, and Isao Takahata. The first successful film from Miyazaki’s studio was Castle in the Sky. Kiki’s Delivery Service was the best selling film of 1989.
It’s a pleasure to stare at shots from Miyazaki’s films, and his productions are impressive in more than just the visuals. I remember over 10 years ago, one day an animated film was broadcast on television. Although it was quite characteristic and did not evade scenes with addition of blood and strange creatures, for me as a young girl it was fascinating and very absorbing. It was hard to look away from the screen, and even some time after watching it, the story didn’t let me forget about itself. I am talking about Princess Mononoke.
Miyazaki’s productions deal with a wide variety of issues and topics. The lovable gray creature featured on many gadgets or T-shirts – Totoro – is a character from My Neighbor Totoro. Miyazaki does a cross-section of human attitudes in this iconic film, and has gained immense fame through this production.
The first decade of the 21st century has been a successful one for Studio Ghibli, as feature-length films have received both nominations and awards at international galas. Spirited Away is a story about a little girl named Chihiro who tries to save her parents. Japanese culture relies heavily on traditional beliefs and the Shintoist religion of “the path of the gods,” so the film is a nod to Japanese tradition. The production has many fans, not only in the community of people interested in anime – the title can already be considered a cult animated film. It also has a Polish language version. Spirited Away was the first and only anime to receive an Academy Award.
Miyazaki’s other works include Porco Rosso and Howl’s Moving Castle. The second title was an adaptation of the book of the same name, while the production itself was nominated for an Academy Award. The story of a little boy and a fish in Ponyo is a tale of two different worlds coming together.
Isao Takahata debuted with a war drama titled Grave of the Fireflies – based on Akiyuki Nosaki’s story about his memories of World War II. One animation historian called the film “the most human animation he had ever seen”. Takahata made references to nature and childhood in Only Yesterday and to the modernization of Japan in Pom Poko. One of his works, My Neighbors the Yamadas, was a reflective adaptation of the manga of the same name.
Today’s Japanese Animated Films
The Wind Rises (2013) was supposed to be the last film from Miyazaki before his retirement and the hiatus of Studio Ghibli. Takahata’s return with The Tale of the Princess Kaguya was somewhat disappointing, which also affected the studio’s growth. However, Ghibli is back with the production of the upcoming film How Do You Live?
In 2016, CoMix Vaw Films studio produced a fantasy melodrama directed by Makoto Shinkai – Your Name. The production was highly praised for its realistic details and fantasy themes, while some criticized the exaggerated humor slightly. Nevertheless, the worldwide reaction was positive and the film achieved great commercial success. Shinkai’s next project, Weathering with You, was released in 2019. Makoto Shinkai himself is considered “the new Hayao Miyazaki”.
Two years later, Mamoru Hosoda’s adventure film Mirai was made. Hosoda got the idea for the film from his own life after observing his older son’s reaction to his younger daughter. He wanted to capture the change that occurs in a family and a life that seems to change and yet remains the same.
Feature Versions of Iconic Anime Series
Just as manga have had their animated versions, several anime series have been made into movies. Titles such as Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon or Pokémon, which are known all over the world and evoke nostalgic memories in many of us, have had several movies made. As many as 20 films from the Dragon Ball universe have been made, which often present alternative fates of the series’ characters. What is interesting, the 21st feature film from the world of Dragon Ball is planned for 2022.
Sailor Moon series had feature films released in the last decade of the 20th century – Sailor Moon R, Sailor Moon S, Sailor Moon Super S. However, they were summaries of the series that was broadcast on television. Last year, however, the famous series received a two-part animated film – Sailor Moon: Eternal.
Pokémon Franchise
Pokémon seemed to be present in every home, either in the morning or in the afternoon. They could be found on tokens, VHS tapes and collectible cards. Recently, a very popular mobile game was Pokémon Go, which attracted many people. The craze for Pokémon around the world began with the 1997 anime series. This media franchise already has 23 animated movies and one live action movie to its credit. The last three films in the universe take place in an alternate reality. The films were produced by studios such as OLM, Production I.G, Xebec and Wit Studio while Toho distributed them in Japan. The first film in the series Pokémon: The First Movie was released in 1998. In 2019, we could see a live action – Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, starring Ryan Reynolds, in the cinema. The production, as with other Pokémon movies, was distributed by Toho in Japan, and in other countries by Warner Bros.
Attack on Titan and the Huge Commercial Success of the Blockbusters of the Popular Series
From manga to anime series to movies and live action, Attack on Titan is a title not to be missed. The manga and anime have found a huge fan base around the world and have been positively received by critics in Japan. In neighboring countries, however, it has stirred up a lot of controversy. Attack on Titan is an anime in the dark fantasy/post-apocalyptic genre. Since 2014, 4 animated movies about the titans have come out, briefly telling the story from the TV series.
The year 2020, despite the difficult global situation, brought a new production, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Infinity Train, which was quite a financial success, becoming the highest-grossing feature film that year. The action-fantasy movie is based on the shōnen manga and is a sequel to the first season of the anime series of the same name. The animation has received a lot of positive feedback from both critics and viewers.
For Children and for Adults – Types of Japanese Cinematic Animation
To meet the needs of viewers and supporters of Japanese animated cinema came out some time ago Netflix. Currently, on this platform you can watch most of the cinema productions from Studio Ghibli, but not only! On the list of movies to watch we can also find Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliosto, End of Evangelion and Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, Pokémon: I Choose You!, Sailor Moon Eternal, Flavors of Youth, or In this Corner of the World.
Wondering if you, as an adult viewer, will find something interesting for you in the list of Japanese animated films? Or maybe you just want to watch something with your kids and are looking for visually pleasing films? The range of themes explored in Japanese animations is very wide. Japanese animations are aimed both at children and adults, so it is worth taking a look at the titles mentioned in the text.
Article: Gabriela Starzec – A culture expert with a passion for foreign languages and translation studies. Music and photography lover, always planning to travel. Author of the blog poPRZEKŁADane and translator in the CRUSHONYOU team.
English Translation: Natalia Chojnowska
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