An*i*me
1.Japanese movie and television animation, often having a science fiction theme and sometimes including violent or explicitly sexual material.
Manga
1. a Japanese genre of cartoons, comic books, and animated films, typically having a science-fiction or fantasy theme and sometimes including violent or sexually explicit material.
There were a few anime/manga shows I watched as a kid, but we never called them by those names. They were just really cool cartoons. Where would our country be without categories for every aspect of life, eh?
So I thought I’d reach back and revisit some of those shows, and check out some of the newer ones that look interesting. In this post, Youtube is our friend~
Mobile Suit Gundam
“Mobile Suit Gundam is a televised anime series, produced by Sunrise. Created and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, it premiered in Japan on Nagoya Broadcasting Network on April 7, 1979, and lasted until January 26, 1980, spanning 43 episodes.”(Wiki)
First episode: April 7, 1979
Final episode: January 26, 1980
Program creator: Yoshiyuki Tomino
Episode 1 (subtitled)
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Recently the series was revived for a video game:
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Transformers (Generation 1: 1984-1993)
“The Transformers began with the 1980s Japanese toy lines Microman and Diaclone. The former utilized varying humanoid-type figures while the latter presented robots able to transform into everyday vehicles, electronic items or weapons. Hasbro, fresh from the success of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, which used the Microman technology to great success, bought the Diaclone toys, and partnered with Takara. Jim Shooter and Dennis O’Neil were hired by Hasbro to create the backstory; O’Neil also created the name “Optimus Prime.” Afterwards, Bob Budiansky created most of the Transformers characters, giving names and personalities to many unnamed Diaclone figures.” (Wiki)
Some people contend that this series shouldn’t be considered anime, while others do. Despite which camp you find yourself in, the stylistic influence is obviously rooted in the genre.
Transformers (G1) season 1, episode 2
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Speed Racer
“Speed Racer, also known as Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo Mahha GōGōGō?), is a Japanese anime/manga franchise about automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha’s 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha. It was later adapted into an anime by Tatsunoko Production and it aired on Fuji TV from April 1967 to March 1968, with 52 episodes. The anime was rebroadcast on Tokyo MX from July 1, 2008 to September 25, 2008. Selected chapters of the manga were released by NOW Comics in the 1990s under the title Speed Racer Classics, later released by the DC Comics division, Wildstorm Productions under the title Speed Racer: The Original Manga. In 2008, under its Americanized title, Speed Racer, Mach GoGoGo was republished in its entirety in the United States by Digital Manga Publishing and was released as a box set to commemorate the franchise’s 40th anniversary and to serve as a tie-in with the 2008 film. It was published under the title Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go under the company’s DMP Platinum imprint. The television series itself is an early example of an anime becoming a successful franchise in the United States, spawning multiple spinoffs in both print and broadcast media.” (Wiki)
Speed Racer: The Trick Race
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Astro Boy
“Astro Boy (鉄腕アトム Tetsuwan Atomu?, “Mighty Atom”, lit. “Iron Arm Atom”) is a Japanese television series that premiered Fuji TV on New Year’s Day and is the first popular animated Japanese television series that embodied the aesthetic that later became familiar worldwide as anime. It originated as a manga of the same name in 1952 by Osamu Tezuka, revered in Japan as the “God of Manga.” After enjoying success both in Japan and abroad as the first anime to be broadcast overseas, Astro Boy was remade in the 1980s under the same name(s), and in 2003 as Astro Boy: Mighty Atom. It lasted for four seasons, with a total of 193 episodes, the final episode presented on New Year’s Eve 1966. At its height it was watched by 40% of the Japanese population who had access to a TV. In 1964, there was a feature-length animated movie called Mighty Atom, the Brave in Space (鉄腕アトム 宇宙の勇者 Tetsuwan Atomu: Uchū no yūsha?) released in Japan. It was an anthology of three episodes; The Robot Spaceship, Last Day on Earth and Earth Defense Squadron. The latter two were filmed in color.” (Wiki)
Mighty Atom vs. Astro Boy (1963)
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Astro Boy –1980s (subtitles)
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Kimba the White Lion
Before there was Disney’s The Lion King, there was Kimba the White Lion. Watch the two side-by-side and decide for yourself where Disney got its inspiration for their blockbuster film.
“Jungle Emperor (ジャングル大帝 Jungle Taitei?), titled in English as Kimba the White Lion, is an anime series from the 1960s. Created by Osamu Tezuka and based on his manga of the same title which began publication in 1950, it was the first color animated television series created in Japan. The manga was first published in serialized form in Manga Shōnen magazine. The anime was produced by Mushi Production. The later series was produced by Tezuka Productions.
This anime series has enjoyed popularity worldwide — including in the United States, Australia, Europe (where it has been translated into several languages such as French, Italian, Catalan, Spanish, German, Dutch etc.) and the Middle East.
A new TV special premiered September 5, 2009 on Fuji TV. Produced in commemoration of Fuji TV’s 50th anniversary, it was directed by Gorō Taniguchi, written by noted novelist and drama writer Osamu Suzuki, and featuring character designs from noted illustrator Yoshitaka Amano.” (Wiki)
Kimba the White Lion Ep.1, “Go, White Lion!”
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DMC (Detroit Metal City)
Here is something a little more current– and more intense. Of course, anything that takes its name from one of my all-time favorite bands, KISS, is worth investigating~
Detroit Metal City (デトロイト・メタル・シティ Detoroito Metaru Shiti?) is a vulgar comedy manga series by Kiminori Wakasugi, serialized in Young Animal from 2005 to 2010. An anime OVA series, twelve episodes of approximately 13 minutes each, was released starting on August 8, 2008. A live film adaptation directed by Toshio Lee appeared in Japanese theaters on August 23, 2008. The series takes its name from the KISS single “Detroit Rock City”. (Wiki)
DMC Ep.1 (subtitled)
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