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{{Anime and manga}}

The '''history of anime''' can be traced back to the start of the 20th century, with Japan producing its first animated films in the 1910s, influenced by Western animation techniques; the earliest verifiable Japanese animated film dates from 1917. However, it was not until the 1960s, with the work of [[Osamu Tezuka]], often called the "God of Manga," that anime began to take shape as a distinct cultural phenomenon. Tezuka's ''[[Astro Boy (1963 TV series)|Astro Boy]]'' (1963) is considered one of the first major anime TV series, setting the foundation for the animation industry. Over the following decades, anime grew in popularity both domestically and internationally, with diverse genres and styles emerging. By the 1980s and 1990s, anime had become a global phenomenon, with influential works such as ''[[Akira (1988 film)|Akira]]'', ''[[Dragon Ball Z]]'', and ''[[Sailor Moon (TV series)|Sailor Moon]]'' reaching international audiences. Today, anime is a major part of global pop culture, known for its unique art styles, storytelling depth, and expansive influence across media.<ref name="litten.de">{{cite web |last1=Litten |first1=Frederick S. |title=On the Earliest (Foreign) Animation Films Shown in Japanese Cinema |url=http://litten.de/fulltext/nipper.pdf |website=Frederick S. Litten's website |publisher=Frederick S. Litten |access-date=February 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227120829/http://litten.de/fulltext/nipper.pdf |archive-date=December 27, 2019 |date=June 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}This article, by a German researcher, was first published on January 4, 2013 in ''The Japanese Journal of Animation Studies'', vol. 15, no.1A, 2013, pp. 27–32</ref> Before the advent of film, Japan already had a rich tradition of entertainment with colourful painted figures moving across a projection screen in {{nihongo|''utsushi-e''|写し絵}}, a particular Japanese type of [[magic lantern]] show popular in the 19th century. Possibly inspired by European [[phantasmagoria]] shows, utsushi-e showmen used mechanical slides and developed lightweight wooden projectors (furo) that were handheld so that several performers could each control the motions of different projected figures.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.f.waseda.jp/kusahara/Utsushi-e/What_Is_Utsushi-e.html|title=What is Utsushi-e?|website=www.f.waseda.jp}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.f.waseda.jp/kusahara/Utsushi-e/Taneita(Slides).html|title=Taneita(Slides)|website=www.f.waseda.jp}}</ref>

The second generation of animators in the late 1910s included [[Ōten Shimokawa]], [[Jun'ichi Kōuchi]] and [[Seitarō Kitayama]], commonly referred to as the "[[List of people considered a founder in a Humanities field|fathers]]" of anime.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-anime-pioneers-idUST23069120080327 |title=Japan finds films by early "anime" pioneers |last=Sieg |first=Linda |date=March 27, 2008 |access-date=January 5, 2021|work=reuters.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191214085229/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-anime-pioneers-idUST23069120080327 |archive-date=14 December 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Propaganda film]]s, such as ''[[Momotarō no Umiwashi]]'' (1943) and ''[[Momotaro: Sacred Sailors|Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei]]'' (1945), the latter being the first anime feature film, were made during [[World War II]].

During the 1970s, anime developed further, with the inspiration of Disney animators, separating itself from its Western roots, and developing distinct genres such as [[Mecha anime and manga|mecha]] and its [[super robot]] subgenre. Popular shows from this period include ''[[Astro Boy]]'', ''[[Lupin the Third|Lupin III]]'' and ''[[Mazinger Z]]''. During this period several filmmakers gained worldwide fame, such as [[Hayao Miyazaki]] and [[Mamoru Oshii]]. ''[[Doraemon (1979 TV series)|Doraemon]]'', which started airing in 1979, has become the longest-running anime of all time.

In the 1980s, anime became mainstream in Japan, experiencing a boom in production with the rise in popularity of anime including ''[[Gundam]]'', ''[[Macross]]'', ''[[Dragon Ball (TV series)|Dragon Ball]]'', and genres such as [[real robot]], [[space opera]] and [[cyberpunk]]. ''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' and ''[[Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]'' also achieved worldwide success after being adapted respectively as ''[[Star Blazers]]'' and ''[[Robotech]]''. The 1988 film ''[[Akira (1988 film)|Akira]]'' went on to become an international success. Later, in 2004, the same creators produced ''[[Steamboy]]'', which became the most expensive anime film. ''[[Spirited Away]]'' shared the first prize at the 2002 [[Berlin International Film Festival|Berlin Film Festival]] and won the 2003 [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for Best Animated Feature, while ''[[Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence]]'' was featured at the 2004 [[Cannes Film Festival]].

== Precursors ==
Before film, Japan had already several forms of entertainment based in storytelling and images. ''[[Emakimono]]'' and [[Shadow play|''kagee'']] are considered precursors of Japanese animation. ''Emakimono'' was common in the eleventh century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Novielli|first=Maria Roberta|title=Floating worlds : a short history of Japanese animation|date=2018|isbn=978-1-351-33482-2|location=Boca Raton|oclc=1020690005}}</ref> Traveling storytellers narrated legends and anecdotes while the ''emakimono'' was unrolled from the right to left with chronological order, as a moving [[panorama]].<ref name=":0" /> ''Kagee'' was popular during the [[Edo period]] and originated from the shadows play of China.<ref name=":0" /> [[Magic lantern]]s from the Netherlands were also popular in the eighteenth century.<ref name=":0" /> The paper play known as ''[[kamishibai]]'' surged in popularity during the twelfth century and remained popular in the street theater until the 1930s.<ref name=":0" /> Puppets of the ''[[bunraku]]'' theater and ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' prints are considered precursors of Japanese animated characters.<ref name=":0" /> Finally, [[manga]] was a heavy inspiration for Japanese animation. Cartoonists [[Kitazawa Rakuten]] and [[Okamoto Ippei]] used film elements in their strips in the early 20th century.<ref name=":0" />

==Origins of anime (1907–1922)==
{{See also|List of anime by release date (pre-1939)|Kamishibai}}

[[File:Katsudō Shashin (1907).webm|thumb|alt=Brief animated film of a boy removing his hat and waving|''Katsudō Shashin'']]

According to Natsuki Matsumoto, the first animated film produced in Japan may have stemmed<!--better word--> from as early as 1907. Known as {{Nihongo3|"Activity Photo"|活動写真|[[Katsudō Shashin]]}}, from its depiction of a boy in a sailor suit drawing the characters for ''katsudō shashin'', the film was first found in 2005. It consists of fifty frames stencilled directly onto a strip of [[celluloid]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-08-07/oldest-anime-found | title=Oldest anime found | work=Anime News Network | access-date=16 July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://j.peopledaily.com.cn/2005/08/01/jp20050801_52250.html| title = China People's Daily Online (Japanese Edition): 日本最古？明治時代のアニメフィルム、京都で発| access-date = March 5, 2007}}</ref> This claim has not been verified though and predates the first known showing of animated films in Japan. The date and first film publicly displayed is another source of contention: while no Japanese-produced animation is definitively known to date before 1916, the possibility exists that other films entered Japan and that no known records have surfaced to prove a showing prior to 1912.<ref name="litten.de" /> Film titles have surfaced over the years, but none have been proven to predate this year. The first foreign animation is known to have been found in Japan in 1910, but it is not clear if the film was ever shown in a cinema or publicly displayed at all. Yasushi Watanabe found a film known as {{Nihongo3|"Miracle Board"|不思議のボールド|Fushigi no Bōrudo}} in the records of the {{Nihongo3||吉沢商店|[[Yoshizawa Shōten]]}} company. The description matches [[James Blackton]]'s ''[[Humorous Phases of Funny Faces]]'', though academic consensus on whether or not this is a true animated film is disputed.<ref name="litten.de"/> According to Kyokko Yoshiyama, the first animated film called {{Nihongo3|"Nippāru's Transformation"|ニッパールの変形|Nippāru no Henkei}} was shown in Japan at the {{Nihongo3||浅草帝国館|Asakusa Teikokukan}} in Tokyo sometime in 1912. However, Yoshiyama did not refer to the film as "animation". The first confirmed animated film shown in Japan was ''Les Exploits de Feu Follet'' by [[Émile Cohl]] on May 15, 1912. While speculation and other "trick films" have been found in Japan, it is the first recorded account of a public showing of a two-dimensional animated film in Japanese cinema. During this time, German animations marketed for home release were distributed in Japan.<ref name="litten.de"/> In 1914, American and European cartoons were introduced to Japan,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sieg |first1=Linda |title=Japan finds films by early "anime" pioneers |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-anime-pioneers/japan-finds-films-by-early-anime-pioneers-idUST23069120080327 |website=[[Reuters]] |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114044626/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-anime-pioneers/japan-finds-films-by-early-anime-pioneers-idUST23069120080327 |archive-date=January 14, 2020 |date=March 27, 2008 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> inspiring Japanese creators like [[Jun'ichi Kōuchi|Junichi Kouchi]] and [[Seitarō Kitayama|Seitaro Kitayama]],<ref name="gogonihon">{{cite web |title=A small glimpse into the history of Japanese anime |url=https://gogonihon.com/en/blog/a-small-glimpse-into-history-of-japanese-anime/ |website=Go! Go! Nihon |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327071555/https://gogonihon.com/en/blog/a-small-glimpse-into-history-of-japanese-anime/ |archive-date=March 27, 2020 |date=October 27, 2008 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> both of whom were considered the "fathers of anime".

[[File:Kouichi Jun'ichi - Namakura Gatana (1917) - 4-minute restored version.webm|thumb|left|''Namakura Gatana'' or ''Hanawa Hekonai meitō no maki'', a short Japanese animated film produced by [[Jun'ichi Kōuchi]] in [[1917 in anime|1917]]]]

Few complete animations made during the beginnings of Japanese animation have survived. The reasons vary, but many are of commercial nature. After the clips had been run, [[reel]]s (being property of the cinemas) were sold to smaller cinemas in the country and then disassembled and sold as strips or single frames. The earliest anime that was produced in Japan to have survived into the modern day, ''[[The Dull Sword]]'', was released on June 30, 1917, but there it is disputed which title was the first to get that honour. It has been confirmed that {{Nihongo3|"Bumpy New Picture Book: Failure of a Great Plan"|凸坊新画帳・名案の失敗|Dekobō Shingachō: Meian no Shippai}} was made sometime during February 1917. A title by the name of ''Convex new picture book Imo Suke boar hunting volume'' ( 凸坊新畫帖 芋助猪狩の巻) is the first anime domestic film.<ref name="litten.de"/>

The first anime short-films were made by three leading figures in the industry. [[Ōten Shimokawa]] was a political caricaturist and cartoonist who worked for the magazine ''Tokyo Puck''. He was hired by [[Tennenshoku Katsudō Shashin|Tenkatsu]] to do an animation for them. Due to medical reasons, he was only able to do five movies, including ''[[Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki]]'' (1917), before he returned to his previous work as a cartoonist. Another prominent animator in this period was [[Jun'ichi Kōuchi]]. He was a caricaturist and painter, who also had studied watercolour painting. In 1912, he also entered the cartoonist sector and was hired for an animation by Kobayashi Shokai later in 1916. He is viewed as the most technically advanced Japanese animator of the 1910s. His works include around 15 movies. The third was [[Seitaro Kitayama]], an early animator who made animations on his own and was not hired by larger corporations. He eventually founded his own animation studio, the [[Kitayama Eiga Seisakujo]], which was later closed due to lack of commercial success. He used the chalkboard technique, and later paper animation, with and without pre-printed backgrounds. However, the works of these pioneers were destroyed after the [[1923 Great Kantō earthquake|Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923]].<ref name=":0" /> The works of these two latter pioneers include ''[[Namakura Gatana]]'' ("An Obtuse Sword", 1917) and a 1918 film ''[[Urashima Tarō (anime)|Urashima Tarō]]'', which were believed to have been discovered together at an [[antique]] market in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/earliest-anime-found |title=Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation » Earliest Anime found |access-date=2008-07-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616074904/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/anime/earliest-anime-found |archive-date=June 16, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> However, it was later established that this ''Urashima Tarō'' was most likely an entirely different film with a story similar to the missing 1918 film by Kitayama, and therefore is no longer credited to him. As of October 2017, Kitayama's ''Urashima Tarō'' remains undiscovered.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Urashima Tarō'' (supposed title) [digitally restored version]|url=http://animation.filmarchives.jp/en/works/view/72126|website=Japanese Animated Film Classics|publisher=[[National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo]]|access-date=5 October 2017}}</ref>

==Pre-war productions (1923–1939)==
[[Yasuji Murata]], Hakuzan Kimura, Sanae Yamamoto and [[Noburō Ōfuji]] were students of Kitayama Seitaro and worked at his film studio. [[Kenzō Masaoka]], another important animator, worked at a smaller animation studio. Many early animated Japanese films were lost after the [[1923 Great Kantō earthquake|1923 Tokyo earthquake]], including destroying most of the Kitayama studio, with artists trying to incorporate traditional motifs and stories into a new form.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Crow |first1=Jonathan |title=Early Japanese Animations: The Origins of Anime (1917–1931) |url=http://www.openculture.com/2014/06/early-japanese-animations-the-origins-of-anime-1917-1931.html |website=Open Culture |publisher=Open Culture, LLC. |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327014440/http://www.openculture.com/2014/06/early-japanese-animations-the-origins-of-anime-1917-1931.html |archive-date=March 27, 2020 |date=June 14, 2014 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Prewar animators faced several difficulties. First, they had to compete with foreign producers such as [[Disney]], which were influential on both audiences and producers.<ref name="Patten">{{cite magazine |last=Patten |first=Fred |date=August 2016 |title=A Capsule History of Anime |url=https://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.5/articles/patten1.5.html |magazine=Animation World Magazine |location=Van Nuys, CA |publisher=[[Animation World Network]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327014459/https://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.5/articles/patten1.5.html |access-date=March 28, 2020|archive-date=2020-03-27 }}</ref> Foreign films had already made a profit abroad, and could be undersold in the Japanese market, priced lower than what domestic producers needed to break even.<ref name="Yamaguchi">{{cite book|last1=Yamaguchi|first1=Katsunori|first2=Yasushi|last2=Watanabe|title=Nihon animēshon eigashi|publisher=Yūbunsha|year=1977|pages=26–27}}</ref><ref name="Yasuo">{{cite web |last1=Yasuo |first1=Yamaguchi |title=The Evolution of the Japanese Anime Industry |url=https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00043/the-evolution-of-the-japanese-anime-industry.html| website=nippon.com |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200304162052/https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00043/the-evolution-of-the-japanese-anime-industry.html |archive-date=March 4, 2020 |date=November 28, 2013 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>  Japanese animators thus had to work cheaply, in small companies with only a handful of employees, which then made it difficult to compete in terms of quality with foreign product that was in color, with sound, and promoted by much bigger companies. Until the mid-1930s, Japanese animation generally used [[cutout animation]] instead of [[cel animation]] because the celluloid was too expensive.<ref>Sharp, Jasper (2009). "The First Frames of Anime". ''The Roots of Japanese Anime'', official booklet, DVD.</ref> This resulted in animation that could seem derivative, flat (since motion forward and backward was difficult) and without detail.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yamaguchi|first1=Katsunori|first2=Yasushi|last2=Watanabe|title=Nihon animēshon eigashi|publisher=Yūbunsha|year=1977|pages=20–21}}</ref> But just as postwar Japanese animators were able to turn [[limited animation]] into a plus, virtuosos such as Yasuji Murata and Noburō Ōfuji were able to perform wonders that they made with cutout animation.

Animators such as [[Kenzo Masaoka]] and [[Mitsuyo Seo]], however, did attempt to bring Japanese animation up to the level of foreign work by introducing cel animation, sound, and technology such as the [[multiplane camera]]. Masaoka created the first [[Sound film|talkie]] anime, ''[[Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka]]'', released in 1933,<ref name="animeguide">{{cite book|last1=Baricordi|first1=Andrea|last2=D'Opera|first2=Adeline|last3=Pelletier|first3=Claude J.|title=Anime: A guide to Japanese Animation, 1958–1988|date=2000|publisher=[[Protoculture Inc.]]|location=Montréal|isbn=2-9805759-0-9|page=12|edition= 1}}</ref><ref name="kodanasha1993">{{cite book|last1=Campbell|first1=Alan|title=Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia|date=1994|publisher=Kodansha|location=Tokyo|isbn=978-4-06-206489-7|edition= 1st}}{{Page needed|date=September 2016}}</ref> and the first anime made entirely using cel animation, ''The Dance of the Chagamas'' (1934).<ref name="Midnight">{{cite web|url=http://www.midnighteye.com/features/pioneers-of-anime.shtml|title=Pioneers of Japanese Animation (Part 1)|last=Sharp|first=Jasper|date=September 23, 2004|publisher=Midnight Eye|access-date=December 10, 2009}}</ref> Seo was the first to use the multiplane camera in ''Ari-chan'' in 1941.

Such innovations, however, were difficult to support purely commercially, so prewar animation depended considerably on sponsorship, as animators often concentrated on making PR films for companies, [[educational film]]s for the government, and eventually works of propaganda for the military.<ref>''The Roots of Japanese Anime'', official booklet, DVD.</ref> During this time, censorship and school regulations discouraged film-viewing by children, so anime that could possess educational value was supported and encouraged by the [[Monbusho]] (the Ministry of Education). This proved important for producers that had experienced obstacles releasing their work in regular theatres. Animation had found a place in scholastic, political, and industrial use.

==During the Second World War==
{{See also|List of anime by release date (1939–1945)}}

In the 1930s, the Japanese government began enforcing cultural [[nationalism]]. This also lead to strict censorship and control of published media. Many animators were urged to produce animations that enforced the Japanese spirit and national affiliation. Some movies were shown in newsreel theatres, especially after the Film Law of 1939 promoted documentary and other educational films.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Clements |first=Jonathan |date=2013 |title=Anime: A History |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84457-884-9 |journal=Sight & Sound |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=104–105 |doi=10.1007/978-1-84457-884-9|doi-broken-date=July 17, 2025 |isbn=978-1-84457-390-5 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Such support helped boost the industry, as bigger companies formed through mergers and prompted major live-action studios such as [[Shochiku]] to begin producing animation.<ref>{{cite book|last=Yamaguchi|first=Katsunori|title=Nihon animēshon eigashi|publisher=Yūbunsha|year=1977|pages=34–37}}</ref> It was at Shochiku that such masterworks as [[Kenzō Masaoka]]'s ''[[Kumo to Chūrippu]]'' were produced. Wartime reorganization of the industry, however, merged the feature film studios into three big companies.

During the [[Second World War]], more animated films were commissioned by the [[Japanese military|Imperial Japanese Army]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Yamaguchi|first=Katsunori|title=Nihon animēshon eigashi|publisher=Yūbunsha|year=1977|pages=38–44}}</ref><ref name="Coutte">{{cite web |last1=Coutte |first1=Aileen |title=The History of Anime |url=http://online.sfsu.edu/rapidviz/523_2013/coutte_anime_timeline_poster_2013.pdf |website=[[San Francisco State University]] |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327012936/http://online.sfsu.edu/rapidviz/523_2013/coutte_anime_timeline_poster_2013.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2020 |date=December 18, 2013 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> showing the sly, quick Japanese people winning against enemy forces.  This included films such as Maysuyo Seo's ''Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei ([[Momotaro: Sacred Sailors]])'' (1943) which focused on the [[Japan during World War II#Japanese offensives (1941–1942)|Japanese occupation of Asia]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reed |first1=Gabrielle |title=The Surprising Impact of World War II Propaganda Animation Design |url=https://www.ethos3.com/2017/04/the-surprising-impact-of-world-war-ii-propaganda-animation-design/ |website=Ethos3 |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328184331/https://www.ethos3.com/2017/04/the-surprising-impact-of-world-war-ii-propaganda-animation-design/ |archive-date=March 28, 2020 |date=April 5, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

==Post-war environment==
In the post-war years, Japanese media was often influenced by the United States,<ref name="gogonihon" /> leading some to define anime as any animation emanating from Japan after 1945.<ref name="Carter">{{cite thesis |last=Carter |first=Laz |date=November 2011 |title=Globalisation in Contemporary Anime: An Analysis of the Multiple Platform Pokémon Franchise |type=PhD |chapter=Introduction: What Is Anime? Why Anime? Where Is Anime? |publisher=School of Oriental and African Studies |chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/8867191 |access-date=March 28, 2020}}</ref>{{rp|5}} In fact, the term itself became more and more common around this time period.<ref name="Miyao 191–209">{{Cite journal |last=Miyao |first=Daisuke |date=January 2002 |title=Before anime : animation and the Pure Film Movement in pre-war Japan |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09555800220136356 |journal=Japan Forum |language=en |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=191–209 |doi=10.1080/09555800220136356 |issn=0955-5803|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Anime and manga began to flourish in the 1940s and 1950s, with foreign films (and layouts by American cartoonists),<ref>{{cite web | title = A Yiddishe Manga: The Creative Roots of Japan's God of Comics | publisher = Wix | work = Innovative Research in Japanese Studies | url = http://media.wix.com/ugd/aa7d16_761fb1e8c44a48a6b42f22e3bb8d1b23.pdf | access-date = 2014-07-17}}</ref> influencing people such as [[Osamu Tezuka]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Patten |first=Fred |author-link=Fred Patten |title=Watching Anime, Reading Manga: 25 Years of Essays and Reviews |publisher=[[Stone Bridge Press]] |year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=81Y1TVYQSrEC&pg=144 |page=144|isbn=9781611725100 }}</ref>

In the 1950s, anime studios began appearing across Japan. Hiroshi Takahata bought a studio named Japan Animated Films in 1948, renaming it [[Toei Animation|Tōei Dōga]],<ref name="Yasuo" /> with an ambition to become "the Disney of the East." While there, Takahata met other animators<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Meixler |first1=Eli |title=The Japanese Animation Director and Studio Ghibli Co-Founder Isao Takahata Has Died |url=https://time.com/5230419/isaotakahata-studio-ghibli-died/ |magazine=TIME |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601053006/http://time.com/5230419/isaotakahata-studio-ghibli-died/ |archive-date=June 1, 2019 |date=April 5, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> such as [[Yasuji Mori]], who directed ''Doodling Kitty'', in May 1957. However, for the Japanese public, it wasn't until the release of ''[[Panda and the Magic Serpent]]'' in October 1958 that Japan fully entered into world of professional animation.<ref name="Patten" /> While animators began to experiment with their own styles, [[Osamu Tezuka|Tezuka Osamu]] began drawing [[Shōnen manga|shonen]] manga<ref name="Sharer">{{cite web |last1=Sharer |first1=Linda |title=Introduction to Girls' Anime |url=http://www.umich.edu/~anime/genres_shoujo.html |website=The University of Michigan Japanese Animation Group |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901033437/http://www.umich.edu/~anime/genres_shoujo.html |archive-date=September 1, 2019 |date=2001 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> like ''Rob no Kishi'' (Knight of the Ribbon), which later became ''[[Princess Knight]]'', trying to appeal to female readers, while also pioneering [[Shōjo manga|shoujo]] manga.

==Toei Animation and Mushi Production==
{{See also|List of anime by release date (1946–1959)}}
Toei Animation was founded and produced the first color anime feature film in 1958, ''Hakujaden'' (''[[Panda and the Magic Serpent|The Tale of the White Serpent]]'', 1958).
It was released in the United States in 1961 as well as  ''Panda and the Magic Serpent''.<ref name="animeencyclopedia">{{cite book|last1=Clements|first1=Jonathan|last2=McCarthy|first2=Helen|title=Anime Encyclopedia: A century of japanese animation|date=2014|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|isbn=978-1-61172-018-1|page=616}}</ref> After the success of the project, Toei released a new feature-length animation annually.<ref name="animehistory">{{cite book|last1=Clements|first1=Jonathan|title=Anime: A History|date=2013|publisher=British Film Institute|location=London|isbn=978-1-84457-390-5}}</ref>{{rp|101}}

[[Osamu Tezuka]] established [[Mushi Production]] in 1961, after Tezuka's contract with Toei Animation expired. The studio pioneered TV animation in Japan, and was responsible for such successful TV series as ''[[Astro Boy (1963 TV series)|Astro Boy]]'', ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'', ''[[Gokū no Daibōken]]'' and ''[[Princess Knight]]''.

Mushi Production also produced the first anime to be broadcast in the United States (on NBC in 1963), although Osamu Tezuka would complain about the restrictions on American television, and the alterations necessary for broadcast.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Tezuka|first1=Osamu|author-link=Osamu Tezuka|last2=Schodt|first2=Frederik L.|last3=Chameleon|first3=Digital|title=Astro Boy|date=2002|publisher=Dark Horse Manga|location=Milwaukie, OR|isbn=1-56971-676-5|page=2 (Intro)|edition=1st|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/astroboyvol200osam}}</ref> The first anime shown in the United States was ''Animal Baseball Match'' (動物大野球戦), which was produced in 1949 but shown in the United States in 1957. 

==1960s==
In the 1960s, a unique style of Japanese animation began to take shape, with large-eyed, big-mouthed, and large-headed character designs.<ref name="Coutte" /> The first anime film to be broadcast was ''[[Three Tales (film)|Three Tales]]'' in 1960. 1961 saw the premiere of Japan's first animated television series, ''[[Instant History]]'', although it did not consist entirely of animation.<ref name="animehistory"/>{{rp|90}} 
''[[Magic Boy (film)|Magic Boy]]'', known in Japan as {{Nihongo|''Shōnen Sarutobi Sasuke''|少年猿飛佐助||"The Boy [[Sarutobi Sasuke]]"}}, is a 1959 [[anime|Japanese animated]] feature film released on December 25, 1959. Released as [[Toei Animation]]'s second theatrical anime, the film was released in theaters in the United States by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] on June 22, 1961,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=2009 |publisher=Checkmark Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-8160-6600-1 |edition=3rd |page=200}}</ref> making it the first anime film to be released in the country, followed by ''[[Panda and the Magic Serpent]]'' on July 8, 1961. These films were popular enough they paved the way for other anime to follow.
''[[Astro Boy (1963 TV series)|Astro Boy]]'', created by Osamu Tezuka, premiered on [[Fuji TV]] on January 1, 1963.<ref name="Yasuo" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-01-09/astro-boy-not-the-first-anime|title=Astro Boy not the First Anime|website=Anime News Network|access-date=April 27, 2016}}</ref>  It became the first anime series shown widely to Western audiences, especially to those in the United States,<ref name="DailyDot">{{cite web |last1=Bond |first1=Jean-Michael |title=Why anime is more popular now than ever |url=https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/what-is-anime/ |website=[[The Daily Dot]] |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327012936/https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/what-is-anime/ |archive-date=March 27, 2020 |date=April 6, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="Ruh">{{cite journal |last1=Ruh |first1=Brian |date=2010 |title=Transforming U.S. Anime in the 1980s: Localization and Longevity |url=https://www.academia.edu/1472869 |journal=Mechademia |volume=5 |access-date=March 28, 2020}}</ref>{{rp|31}} becoming relatively popular<ref name="Patten" /> and influencing U.S. popular culture, with American companies acquiring various titles from Japanese producers.<ref name="chambers">{{cite journal |last1=Chambers |first1=Samantha Nicole Inëz |date=2010 |title=Anime: From Cult Following to Pop Culture Phenomenon |url=https://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol3no2/08ChambersEJFall12.pdf |journal=The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications |volume=3 |issue=2 |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-date=September 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140923021932/https://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol3no2/08ChambersEJFall12.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{rp|95}} ''Astro Boy'' was highly influential to other anime in the 1960s,<ref name="old cool">{{Cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/the-mike-toole-show/old-cool/2010-05-23|title=The Mike Toole Show: Old's Cool|access-date=2016-10-01}}</ref> and was followed by a large number of anime about robots or space. While Tezuka released many other animated shows, like ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' (based on his own manga),<ref name="gogonihon" /> anime took off, and studios considered it a commercial success.<ref name="Ruh" />{{rp|33}} With the decade bringing anime to television and to America, early agreements were made between producers in the U.S. and Japan that planned the spread of anime to other places around the globe.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Pellitteri |first=Marco |date=2019-01-01 |title=Reframing Japanese animation's success in the late 1970s: UFO Robo Grendizer at the origin of the first anime boom in Italy and France |url=https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/jicms.7.1.3_1 |journal=Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=3–33 |doi=10.1386/jicms.7.1.3_1 |issn=2047-7368|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

1963 introduced ''[[Sennin Buraku]]'' as the first "late night" anime<ref name="old cool"/> and Toei Doga's first anime television series ''[[Wolf Boy Ken]]''. Mushi Pro continued to produce more anime television and met success with titles such as ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' in 1965. What is noted as the first [[magical girl]] anime, ''[[Sally the Witch]]'', began broadcasting in 1966. The original ''[[Speed Racer]]'' anime television show debuted in 1967 and was brought to the West with great success. At the same time, an anime adaptation of Tezuka's ''[[Princess Knight]]'' aired, making it one of very few ''[[shoujo]]'' anime of the decade. The first anime adaptation of [[Shotaro Ishinomori]]'s [[manga]] ''[[Cyborg 009]]'' debuted in 1968, following the film adaptation two years prior. 1969's "[[Attack No. 1|Attack no.1]]", the first ''shoujo'' sports anime, was one of the first to have success in Japanese primetime and was also popular throughout Europe, particularly in Germany under the name "''Mila Superstar''."

The long-running ''[[Sazae-san]]'' anime also began in 1969 and continues today with excess of 6,500 episodes broadcast as of 2014. With an audience share of 25%, the series is still the most-popular anime broadcast.<ref name="animeencyclopedia"/>{{rp|725}}
<!--=== Key Titles ===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:5%;"|Year
! style="width:20%;"|Original Title
! style="width:20%;"|English Title
! style="width:20%;"|Director
! style="width:20%;"|Studio
! style="width:5%;"|type
! style="width:20%;"|Released
|-
| 1963 || 鉄腕アトム || ''[[Astro Boy]]'' || [[Osamu Tezuka]] || [[Mushi Productions]] || Series || January 1, 1963
|-
| 1963 || 鉄人28号 || ''[[Gigantor]]'' || Kiyoshi Ounishi || [[Tele-Cartoon Japan]] || Series || October 20, 1963
|-
| 1963 || エイトマン || ''[[Eightman]]'' || Haruyuki Kawashima || Tele-Cartoon Japan || Series || November 7, 1963
|-
| 1964 || 少年忍者風のフジ丸 || ''[[Samurai Kid]]'' || Daisaku Shirokawa || [[Toei Animation]] || Series || June 7, 1964
|-
| 1964 || ビッグX || ''[[Big X]]'' || Kouji Shimizu || [[Tokyo Movie]] || Series || August 3, 1964
|-
| 1965 || スーパージェッター || ''[[Super Jetter]]'' || Isao Kawachi || Tele-Cartoon Japan || Series || January 7, 1965
|-
| 1965 || 遊星少年パピイ || ''[[Prince Planet]]'' || Isao Yamamoto || Tele-Cartoon Japan || Series || June 6, 1965
|-
| 1965 || ワンダー3 || ''[[The Amazing 3]]'' || Taku Sugiyama || Mushi Productions || Series || June 6, 1965
|-
| 1965 || ジャングル大帝 || ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' || [[Shigeyuki Hayashi]] || Mushi Productions || Series || October 6, 1965
|-
| 1966 || レインボー戦隊ロビン || ''[[Rainbow Sentai Robin]]'' || Yuugo Serikawa || Toei Animation || Series || April 23, 1966
|-
| 1966 || サイボーグ009 || ''[[Cyborg 009#1966 movie|Cyborg 009 (film)]]'' || Yuugo Serikawa || Toei Animation || Film || July 21, 1966
|-
| 1966 || ジャングル大帝 || ''[[Kimba the White Lion|Kimba the White Lion (film)]]'' || Hideaki Yamamoto || Mushi Productions || Film || July 31, 1966
|-
| 1966 || ロボタン || ''[[Robotan]]'' ||Hiroshi Ono|| Ouhiro Productions || Series || October 4, 1966
|-
| 1966 || 魔法使いサリー || ''[[Sally the Witch]]'' || Mineo Kachita || Toei Animation || Series || December 5, 1966
|-
| 1967 || マッハGoGoGo || ''[[Speed Racer]]'' || [[Hiroshi Sasagawa]] || [[Tatsunoko Productions]] || Series || April 2, 1967
|-
| 1967 || ちびっこ怪獣ヤダモン || ''[[Chibikko Kaiju Yadamon]]'' ||Ushio Souji|| P Productions || Series || October 2, 1967
|-
| 1968 || サイボーグ009 || ''[[Cyborg 009]]'' || [[Hisayuki Toriumi]] || Toei Animation || Series || April 5, 1968
|-
| 1968 || あかねちゃん || ''[[Akane-chan]]'' || Bondo Eiju || Toei Animation || Series || April 6, 1968
|-
| 1968 || 太陽の王子 ホルスの大冒険 || ''[[The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun]]'' ||[[Isao Takahata]]|| Toei Animation || Film || July 21, 1968
|-
| 1969 || 海底少年マリン || ''[[Marine Boy]]'' || Haruo Osanai || TV Douga || Series || January 13, 1969
|-
| 1969 || どろろ || ''[[Dororo]]'' || [[Gisaburou Sugii]] || Mushi Productions || Series || April 6, 1969
|-
| 1969 || タイガーマスク || ''[[Tiger Mask]]'' || Takeshi Tamiya || TV Douga || Series || October 2, 1969
|-
|1969
|アタックNo. 1
|''[[Attack No. 1]]''
|[[Fumio Kurokawa]]
|[[TMS Entertainment]]
|series
|December 7, 1969
|}-->

==1970s==
[[File:Yamato ani.jpg|right|thumb|The release of ''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' is often cited as the beginning of anime [[space opera]]s.]]

During the 1970s, the Japanese film market shrank due to competition from television.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A history of Japan |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |last=Totman|first=Conrad D.|isbn=9781119022336|edition= Second|location=Malden, Massachusetts|oclc=893678853|date = September 11, 2014}}</ref> This reduced Toei animation's staff and many animators went to studios such as A Pro and Telecom animation. Mushi Production went bankrupt (though the studio was revived 4 years later), with its former employees founding studios such as [[Madhouse (company)|Madhouse]] and [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]]. Many young animators were thrust into the position of director, and the injection of young talent allowed for a wide variety of experimentation. One of the earliest successful television productions in the early 1970s was ''[[Tomorrow's Joe]]'' (1970), a [[boxing]] anime which has become iconic in Japan. 1971 saw the first installment of the ''[[Lupin The Third|Lupin III]]'' anime. Contrary to the franchise's current popularity, the first series ran for 23 episodes before being cancelled. The second series (starting in 1977) saw considerably more success, spanning 155 episodes over three years.

Another example of this experimentation is [[Isao Takahata]]'s 1974 television series ''[[Heidi, Girl of the Alps]]''. This show was originally a hard sell because it was a simple realistic drama aimed at children, and most TV networks thought children needed something more fantastical to draw them in. ''Heidi'' was an international success, popular in many European countries, and so successful in Japan that it allowed for [[Hayao Miyazaki]] and Takahata to start a series of literary-based anime (''[[World Masterpiece Theater]]''). Miyazaki and Takahata left [[Nippon Animation]] in the late 1970s. Two of Miyazaki's critically acclaimed productions during the 1970s were ''[[Future Boy Conan]]'' (1978) and ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro|Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro]]'' (1979).
 
''[[Doraemon (1979 TV series)|Doraemon]]'', which was broadcast on ''[[TV Asahi]]'' in 1979, became the most widely watched and popular anime series of all time.

During this period, Japanese animation reached continental Europe with productions aimed at European and Japanese children, with the most-pronounced examples being the aforementioned ''Heidi'' but also ''[[Barbapapa]]'' and ''[[Vicky the Viking]]''. Specifically, anime and manga found receptive audiences in Italy, Germany, and France; East and Southeast Asia; and throughout Latin America.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mckevitt |first=Andrew C. |date=November 2010 |title="You Are Not Alone!": Anime and the Globalizing of America: "You Are Not Alone!" |url=https://academic.oup.com/dh/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1467-7709.2010.00899.x |journal=Diplomatic History |language=en |volume=34 |issue=5 |pages=893–921 |doi=10.1111/j.1467-7709.2010.00899.x|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Each country's interest increased in Japan's output, which was offered for a low price.<ref name="Bendazzi">{{cite book|last1=Bendazzi|first1=Giannalberto|title=Animation: A World History: Volume II: The Birth of a Style – The Three Markets|date=October 23, 2015|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781317519911}}{{Page needed|date=September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Anime in Europe |url=http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.5/articles/goslingeuro1.5.html |date=February 2, 2015 |access-date=January 25, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202000517/http://www.awn.com/mag/issue1.5/articles/goslingeuro1.5.html |archive-date=February 2, 2015 }}</ref> In the 1970s, censored Japanese animation was shown on American television. For example, transgender characters were censored in ''[[Battle of the Planets]]'', an American adaptation of ''[[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman]]''.<ref name="orourke">{{cite web |last1=O'Rourke |first1=Jill |title=The Erasure Of LGBTQ Characters In Children's Media Goes Beyond Bert And Ernie |url=https://articles.aplus.com/film-forward/lgbtq-erasure-kids-shows-animation |website=[[A Plus (aplus.com)|A Plus]] |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328204911/https://articles.aplus.com/film-forward/lgbtq-erasure-kids-shows-animation |archive-date=March 28, 2020 |date=October 11, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

Another genre known as [[mecha]] came into being at this time. Some early works include ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' (1972–1974), ''[[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman]]'' (1972–1974), ''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' (1974–75) and ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' (1979–80).

In contrast to male-targeted action-oriented shows, shows for a female audience such as ''[[Candy Candy]]'' and ''[[The Rose of Versailles]]'' earned high popularity on Japanese television and later in other parts of the world.<ref name="Bendazzi"/> By 1978, over fifty anime shows were airing on Japanese television.<ref name="aja.gr.jp">{{Cite web | url=http://aja.gr.jp/english/japan-anime-data |title = Anime Industry Data {{pipe}} 日本動画協会}}</ref>

==1980s==
In the 1980s, anime started to go through a "visual quality renewal" thanks to new directors like [[Hayao Miyazaki]] and [[Isao Takahata]], who founded Studio Ghibli in 1985, and [[Katsuhiro Ōtomo]].<ref name="gogonihon" /> Anime began to deal with more nuanced and complex stories, while "[[Boys' love|boy’s love]]" continued to impact cultural norms, taking root across East Asia, as countries such as South Korea, Thailand, and China ingested these Japanese pop culture exports.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ureta |first1=Rhys |title=Making History: The Rose of Versailles |url=https://futekiya.com/exploring-the-sociocultural-impact-of-boys-love-in-asia-with-james-welker/ |website=Futekiyablog |publisher=FANTASISTA, INC. |access-date=March 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200326215918/https://futekiya.com/exploring-the-sociocultural-impact-of-boys-love-in-asia-with-james-welker/ |archive-date=March 26, 2020 |date=January 21, 2020 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref name="Mazariegos">{{cite journal |last1=Mazariegos |first1=Edgar Santiago Peláez |date=2019 |title=The global "craze" for Japanese pop culture during the 1980s and 1990s: The influence of Anime and Manga in Mexico |url=https://www.academia.edu/41040019 |journal=Iberoamericana |volume=41 |issue=1 |access-date=March 28, 2020}}</ref>{{rp|3}} The shift towards [[space opera]]s became more pronounced with the commercial success of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977). The science fiction genre, as a whole, had a strong influence on Japanese animation, shaping its creative direction.<ref name="Miyao 191–209"/>

This allowed for the space opera ''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' (1974) to be revived as a theatrical film. ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam]]'' (1979) was also successful and revived as a theatrical film in 1982. The success of the theatrical versions of ''Yamato'' and ''Gundam'' is seen as the beginning of the anime boom of the 1980s, and of "[[Cinema of Japan|Japanese Cinema]]'s Second Golden Age".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kehr|first1=Dave|title=FILM; Anime, Japanese Cinema's Second Golden Age|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/20/movies/film-anime-japanese-cinema-s-second-golden-age.html?_r=0|website=The New York Times|date=2002-01-20 |access-date=2016-09-25}}</ref>

A subculture in Japan, whose members later called themselves ''[[otaku]]'', began to develop around animation magazines such as ''[[Animage]]'' and ''[[Newtype]]''. These magazines formed in response to the overwhelming fandom that developed around shows such as ''Yamato'' and ''Gundam'' in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In the United States, the popularity of ''[[Star Wars]]'' had a similar, though much smaller, effect on the development of anime.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} ''Gatchaman'' was reworked and edited into ''[[Battle of the Planets]]'' in 1978 and again as ''G-Force'' in 1986. ''Space Battleship Yamato'' was reworked and edited into ''[[Star Blazers]]'' in 1979. The ''[[Macross]]'' series began with ''[[The Super Dimension Fortress Macross]]'' (1982), which was adapted into English as the first arc of ''[[Robotech]]'' (1985), which was created from three separate anime titles: ''The Super Dimension Fortress Macross'', ''[[Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross]]'' and ''[[Genesis Climber Mospeada]]''. The sequel to ''Mobile Suit Gundam'', ''[[Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]'' (1985), became the most successful [[real robot]] space opera in Japan, where it managed an average [[Audience measurement|television rating]] of 6.6% and a peak of 11.7%.<ref name=ratings/>

The ''otaku'' subculture became more pronounced with [[Mamoru Oshii]]'s adaptation of [[Rumiko Takahashi]]'s popular manga ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' (1981). ''Yatsura'' made Takahashi a household name and Oshii would break away from fan culture and take a more auteuristic approach with his 1984 film ''[[Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer]]''. This break with the ''otaku'' subculture would allow Oshii to experiment further.

The ''otaku'' subculture had some effect on people who were entering the industry around this time. The most famous of these people were the amateur production group Daicon Films which would become [[Gainax]]. Gainax began by making films for the Daicon science fiction conventions and were so popular in the ''otaku'' community that they were given a chance to helm the most expensive anime film at the time, ''[[Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise]]'' (1987).

[[File:MEHVE - Nausicaa of the valley of the winds.jpg|right|thumb|The film ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)|Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]'' helped jumpstart [[Studio Ghibli]].]]

One of the greatest and most influential anime films of all time, ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)|Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]'' (1984), was made during this period. The film gave extra prestige to anime, allowing for many experimental and ambitious projects to be funded shortly after its release. It also allowed director Hayao Miyazaki and his longtime colleague Isao Takahata to create their own studio under the supervision of former ''Animage'' editor [[Toshio Suzuki (producer)|Toshio Suzuki]]. This studio would become known as [[Studio Ghibli]] and its first film was ''[[Castle in the Sky]]'' (1986), one of Miyazaki's most-ambitious films.

The success of ''[[Dragon Ball (TV series)|Dragon Ball]]'' (1986) introduced the martial arts genre to a wider audience and became incredibly influential in the Japanese animation industry. It influenced many more martial arts anime and manga series, including ''[[Hajime no Ippo]]'' (1989), ''[[Baki the Grappler]]'' (1991), ''[[Naruto (TV series)|Naruto]]'' (2002), and ''[[The God of Highschool]]'' (2020).

The 1980s also brought anime to the [[home video]] market in the form of [[original video animation|original video animations]] (OVA), as shows were shifting from a focus on superheroes to robots and space operas;<ref name="Coutte" /> the format debuted on the market in 1984, with varying lengths.<ref name="Patten" /> Home videos opened up floodgates, introducing viewers, especially those in the West, to anime films.<ref name="DailyDot" /> Although anime was widely distributed through international piracy in the 1980s and 1990s,<ref name="chambers" /> before the days of [[online piracy]], it continued to survive. Anime recovered in the U.S., becoming more of Japan's television exports as the country became the "world's leading authority" in entertainment.<ref name="Carter" />{{rp|19–20}} The first OVA was [[Mamoru Oshii]]'s ''[[Dallos]]'' (1983–1984). Shows such as ''[[Patlabor]]'' had their beginnings in this market and it proved to be a way to test less-marketable animation against audiences. The OVA format allowed for the release of pornographic anime such as ''[[Cream Lemon]]'' (1984); however, the first ''hentai'' OVA was actually the little-known Wonder Kids studio's ''[[Lolita Anime]]'', also released in 1984.

Additionally, the decade saw the amalgamation of anime with video games. The airing of ''[[Zillion (anime)|Red Photon Zillion]]'' (1987) and subsequent release of its [[Zillion (video game)|companion game]], is considered to have been a marketing ploy by [[Sega]] to promote sales of their newly released [[Master System]] in Japan.

''[[Golgo 13: The Professional]]'', and [[Daicon III and IV Opening Animations|Daikon IV]] became the first anime mediums to utilize 3D [[computer-generated imagery]] (CGI); both debuting in 1983.

Sports anime, as it is now known, made its debut in 1983 with an anime adaptation of [[Yoichi Takahashi]]'s soccer manga ''[[Captain Tsubasa]]'', which became the first worldwide successful sports anime. Its themes and stories were a formula that would be used in many sports series that followed, such as ''[[Slam Dunk (manga)|Slam Dunk]]'', ''[[Prince of Tennis]]'' and ''[[Eyeshield 21]]''.

The late 1980s saw an increasing number of high-budget and experimental films. In 1985, Toshio Suzuki helped put together funding for Oshii's experimental film ''[[Angel's Egg]]'' (1985). Theatrical releases became more ambitious, with each film trying to outclass or outspend its predecessors, taking cues from ''Nausicaä''{{'}}s critical and commercial success. ''[[Night on the Galactic Railroad]]'' (1985), ''[[Tale of Genji]]'' (1986), and ''[[Grave of the Fireflies]]'' (1988) were all ambitious films based on important literary works in Japan. Films such as ''[[Arion (manga)|Arion]]'' (1986) and ''[[Char's Counterattack]]'' (1988) were lavishly budgeted spectacles. This period of lavish budgeting and experimentation would reach its zenith with one of the most-expensive anime film productions ever: ''[[Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise]]'' (1987). Studio Ghibli's ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'' (1989) was the top-grossing film of 1989, earning over $40&nbsp;million at the box office.

Despite the commercial failure of ''[[Akira (1988 film)|Akira]]'' (1988) in Japan, it brought with it a much larger international fan base for anime. When shown overseas, the film became a cult hit and, eventually, a symbol of the medium’s success in the West. The domestic failure and international success of ''Akira'', combined with the bursting of the bubble economy and Osamu Tezuka's death in 1989, marked the end of the 1980s era of anime.

==1990s==

In 1995, [[Hideaki Anno]] wrote and directed the highly acclaimed and controversial anime ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. This show became popular in Japan among anime fans and became known to the general public through mainstream media attention. It is believed that Anno originally wanted the show to be the ultimate ''otaku'' anime, designed to revive the declining [[anime industry]], but midway through production he also made it into a heavy critique of the subculture. It culminated in the successful but controversial film ''[[The End of Evangelion]]'' which grossed over $10&nbsp;million in 1997. The many violent and sexual scenes in ''Evangelion'' caused [[TV Tokyo]] to increase censorship of anime content. As a result, when the [[neo-noir]] [[space Western]] ''[[Cowboy Bebop]]'' was first broadcast in 1998, it was shown heavily edited and only half the episodes were aired; it too gained heavy popularity both in and outside of Japan.

''Evangelion'' started a series of so-called "post-''Evangelion''" or "organic" mecha shows. Most of these were giant robot shows with some kind of religious or complex plot. These include ''[[RahXephon]]'', ''[[Brain Powerd]]'', and ''[[Gasaraki]]''. It also led to [[Late night anime|late-night experimental anime shows]] which became a forum for experimental anime such as ''[[Boogiepop Phantom]]'' (2000), ''[[Texhnolyze]]'' (2003) and ''[[Paranoia Agent]]'' (2004). Experimental anime films were also released in the 1990s, most notably the [[cyberpunk]] thriller ''[[Ghost in the Shell (1995 film)|Ghost in the Shell]]'' (1995),<ref>{{cite web|title=Megazone 23|publisher=[[A.D. Vision]]|url=http://www25.advfilms.com/titles/megazone|access-date=May 5, 2008}}</ref> which had a strong influence on ''[[The Matrix]]''.<ref name="silver-anime-1">[[Joel Silver]], interviewed in "Scrolls to Screen: A Brief History of Anime" featurette on ''[[The Animatrix]]'' DVD.</ref><ref name="silver-anime-2">[[Joel Silver]], interviewed in "Making ''The Matrix''" featurette on ''The Matrix'' DVD.</ref><ref name="south bank show">{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid%3D2701 |title=ITV – Manga |access-date=2010-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517205003/http://www.itv.com/page.asp?partid=2701 |archive-date=May 17, 2006 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> ''Ghost in the Shell'', alongside ''Evangelion'' and ''Cowboy Bebop'', helped further increase the popularity of anime in international markets.<ref name= 90sflashback>{{cite web | last= Verboon | first= Nick | date= June 13, 2013 | title= 90's Flashback: Neon Genesis Evangelion | url= http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2013/06/13/90s-flashback-neon-genesis-evangelion/ | publisher= Unreality Mag | access-date= November 17, 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141207062837/http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2013/06/13/90s-flashback-neon-genesis-evangelion/ | archive-date= December 7, 2014 | url-status= dead }}</ref>[[File:Mononoke hime cgi.png|thumb|right|[[3D rendering]] was used in this scene of ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'', the most expensive anime film at the time, costing $20&nbsp;million.]]

In 1997, [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s ''[[Princess Mononoke]]'' became the most-expensive anime film up until that time, costing $20&nbsp;million to produce. Miyazaki personally checked each of the 144,000 [[cel]]s in the film,<ref>{{cite web |date=1999-04-11 |title=TNT's Rough Cut – Princess Mononoke – Hayao Miyazake Transcript 11/4/1999 |url=http://www.princess-mononoke.com/html/chats/dp_991104_transcript.html |access-date=2016-09-26 |publisher=Princess Mononoke}}</ref> and is estimated to have redrawn parts of 80,000 of them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Studio Ghibli {{pipe}} Disney Video |url=http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/studioghibli/princessnews.html |access-date=2016-09-26 |publisher=Disney.go.com}}</ref> 1997 was also the year of [[Satoshi Kon]]'s debut, ''[[Perfect Blue]]'', which won "Best Film" and "Best Animation" awards at Montreal's 1997 [[Fantasia International Film Festival|Fantasia Festival]], It also won awards in Portugal's Fantasporto Film Festival.

The late 1990s also saw a brief revival of the [[super robot]] genre that had decreased in popularity due to the rise of [[real robot]] and psychological [[mecha]] shows like ''[[Gundam]]'', ''[[Macross]]'', and ''Evangelion''. The revival of the super robot genre began with ''[[Brave Exkaiser]]'' in 1990, and led to remakes and sequels of 1970s super robot shows like ''[[Getter Robo Go]]'' and [[Chō Dendō Robo Tetsujin 28-go FX|''Tetsujin-28 go FX'']]. There were very few popular super robot shows produced after this, until ''[[Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann]]'' in 2007.

Alongside its super robot counterpart, the real robot genre was also declining during the 1990s. Though several ''[[Gundam]]'' shows were produced during this decade, very few of them were successful. The only ''Gundam'' shows in the 1990s which managed an average [[Audience measurement|television rating]] over 4% in Japan were ''[[Mobile Fighter G Gundam]]'' (1994) and ''[[New Mobile Report Gundam Wing]]'' (1995). It wasn't until ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED]]'' in 2002 that the real robot genre regained its popularity.<ref name="ratings">{{cite web|url=https://aeug.blogspot.com/2004_11_01_aeug_archive.html#110060731014068978 |title=Gunota Headlines |publisher=Aeug.blogspot.com |access-date=2016-09-25}}</ref>

By 1998, over one hundred anime shows were airing on television in Japan,<ref name="aja.gr.jp"/> including a [[Pokémon (TV series)|widely popular series]] based on the ''[[Pokémon]]'' video game franchise. Other 1990s anime series which gained international success were ''[[Dragon Ball Z]],'' ''[[Sailor Moon (TV series)|Sailor Moon]],'' and ''[[Digimon Adventure (1999 TV series)|Digimon Adventure]]''; the success of these shows brought international recognition to the martial arts [[superhero]] genre, the [[magical girl]] genre, and the action-adventure genre, respectively. In particular, ''Dragon Ball Z'' and ''Sailor Moon'' were dubbed into more than a dozen languages worldwide. Another large success was the anime ''[[One Piece (1999 TV series)|One Piece]]'', based on the best-selling manga of all time, both of which are still ongoing.

==2000s==
The "''Evangelion''-era" trend continued into the 2000s with ''Evangelion''-inspired mecha anime such as ''[[RahXephon]]'' (2002) and ''[[Zegapain]]'' (2006) – ''RahXephon'' was also intended to help revive 1970s-style mecha designs. The number of anime productions began to decline after peaking in 2006 due to alternative forms of entertainment, less ad revenue, and other reasons, with [[TV Tokyo]] remaining one of the only channels airing anime shows.<ref name="Yasuo"/> Even so, anime began entering U.S. homes like never before, with fans able to get their hands on Japanese-language originals of anime they watched, thanks to the internet.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Dietsch |first1=Drew |title=The History of Anime's Journey to America |url=https://www.fandom.com/articles/anime-history-america |website=[[Fandom (website)|Fandom]] |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422061308/https://www.fandom.com/articles/anime-history-america |archive-date=April 22, 2020 |date=December 8, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The [[real robot]] genre (including the ''[[Gundam]]'' and ''[[Macross]]'' franchises), which had declined during the 1990s, was revived in the early 2000s with the success of shows such as ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam SEED]]'' (2002), ''[[Eureka Seven]]'' (2005), ''[[Code Geass|Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion]]'' (2006), ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam 00]]'' (2007), and ''[[Macross Frontier]]'' (2008).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Best Anime of the 2000s {{!}} The Artifice|date=December 20, 2018 |url=https://the-artifice.com/best-anime-2000s/|access-date=2021-05-22|language=en}}</ref>

The 1970s-style [[super robot]] genre revival began with ''[[GaoGaiGar]]'' in 1997 and continued into the 2000s, with several remakes of classic series such as ''[[Getter Robo]]'' and ''[[Dancougar]]'', as well as original titles created in the super robot mold like ''[[Godannar]]'' and ''[[Gurren Lagann]].'' ''Gurren Lagann'' in particular combined the super robot genre with elements from 1980s real robot shows, as well as 1990s "post-''Evangelion''" shows. ''Gurren Lagann'' received both the "best television production" and "best character design" awards from the [[Tokyo International Anime Fair]] in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-02-26/eva-1.0-wins-tokyo-anime-fair-animation-of-the-year| title=''Eva 1.0'' Wins Tokyo Anime Fair's Animation of the Year|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=February 26, 2008|access-date= February 26, 2008}}</ref> This eventually culminated in the release of ''[[Shin Mazinger]]'' in 2009, a full-length revival of the first super robot series, ''[[Mazinger Z]]''.

An art movement started by [[Takashi Murakami]] that combined Japanese pop culture with [[postmodern art]] called [[Superflat]] began around this time. Murakami asserts that the movement is an analysis of post-war Japanese culture through the eyes of the ''otaku'' subculture. His desire is also to get rid of the categories of 'high' and 'low' art making a flat continuum, hence the term 'superflat'. His art exhibitions have gained popularity overseas and have influenced a handful of anime creators, particularly those from Studio 4&nbsp;°C.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Takashi Murakami {{!}} Japanese artist and entrepreneur|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Murakami-Takashi|access-date=2021-05-22|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref>

The experimental [[late night anime]] trend popularized by ''[[Serial Experiments Lain]]'' also continued into the 2000s with experimental anime such as ''[[Boogiepop Phantom]]'' (2000), ''[[Texhnolyze]]'' (2003), ''[[Elfen Lied]]'' (2004), ''[[Paranoia Agent]]'' (2004), ''[[Gantz]]'' (2004), and ''[[Ergo Proxy]]'' (2006). Elfen Lied in particular being aired on subsidiary premium network [[AT-X (company)|AT-X]], allowing director Mamoru Kanbe to push the boundaries of violence, nudity, and story themes, as well as employ unique artistic elements such as artwork inspired by Austrian painter [[Gustav Klimt]].
<ref>{{Citation |title=Mamoru Kanbe on Elfen Lied|url=https://www.theanimenetwork.com/Blog/2009041386/director-mamoru-kanbe-on-elfen-lied|journal=Anime News Network}}</ref>

Before the massive boom from companies like [[Funimation]] and [[Adult Swim]], viewing or even obtaining anime in the United States was quite difficult due to the market value and low interest in the country, and many broadcasting companies would not air anime. This was due to a number of factors, one of which was getting the show translated. Anime is often dubbed over with English voices for Western audiences. However in the early 1990s, when anime was first stating to become popular internationally, dubbing was rare. Many fans of the genre would translate the show themselves and would post them online for others to view; these are called [[Fansub|fansubs]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Daliot-Bul|first1=Michael|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/9781684175819|title=The Anime Boom in the United States|last2=Otmazgin|first2=Nissim|date=2017-01-01|publisher=BRILL|doi=10.1163/9781684175819|isbn=978-1-68417-581-9}}</ref> This trend would continue until September 2, 2001, when the show ''Cowboy Bebop'' first aired on the broadcasting network Adult Swim and was the first anime to be broadcast on live television.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Anime in the US: The Entrepreneurial Dimensions of Globalized Culture|url=https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5509/201487153|journal=Pacific Affairs|year=2014|volume=87|pages=53–69|doi=10.5509/201487153|last1=Otmazgin|first1=Nissim|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The show was an instant success with its only issue being its late air time, meaning that the audience was smaller than usual.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kennell|first=Amanda|date=February 2016|title=Origin and Ownership from Ballet to Anime|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jpcu.12378|journal=The Journal of Popular Culture|volume=49|issue=1|pages=10–28|doi=10.1111/jpcu.12378|issn=0022-3840|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In addition to these experimental trends, the 2000s were also characterized by an increase of [[Moe (slang)|moe]]-style art and [[bishōjo]] and [[bishōnen]] character design. There was a rising presence and popularity of genres such as romance, [[harem (genre)|harem]] and [[slice of life]].

Anime based on [[eroge]] and [[visual novel]]s increased in popularity in the 2000s, building on a trend started in the late 1990s by such works as ''[[Sentimental Graffiti|Sentimental Journey]]'' (1998) and ''[[To Heart]]'' (1999). Examples of such works include ''[[Green Green (anime)|Green Green]]'' (2003), ''[[SHUFFLE!]]'' (2006), ''[[Kanon (visual novel)|Kanon]]'' (2002 and 2006), ''[[Fate/Stay Night]]'' (2006), ''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]'' (2006), ''[[Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two|Ef: A Tale of Memories]]'' (2007), ''[[True Tears (anime)|True Tears]]'' (2008), and ''[[Clannad (anime)|Clannad]]'' (2008 and 2009).

Many shows have been adapted from [[manga]] and [[light novels]], including popular titles such as ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters]]'' (2000), ''[[Inuyasha]]'' (2000), ''[[Naruto (TV series)|Naruto]]'' and its sequel series ''[[Naruto (TV series)#Part II: Shippuden (2007–17)|Naruto Shippuden]]'' (2002 and 2007 respectively), ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (TV series)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'' and its more faithful adaptation ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'' (2003 and 2009 respectively), ''[[Monster (manga)|Monster]]'' (2004), ''[[Bleach (manga)|Bleach]]'' (2004), ''[[Rozen Maiden]]'' (2005), ''[[Aria the Animation]]'' (2005), ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]'' (2005), ''[[Pani Poni Dash!]]'' (2005), ''[[Death Note]]'' (2006), ''[[Mushishi]]'' (2006), ''[[Sola (manga)|Sola]]'' (2007), ''[[The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (anime)|The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]'' (2006), ''[[Lucky Star (manga)|Lucky Star]]'' (2007), ''[[Toradora!]]'' (2008), ''[[K-On!]]'' (2009), ''[[Bakemonogatari]]'' (2009), and ''[[Fairy Tail]]'' (2009); these shows typically lasted several years and garnered large fanbases. Nevertheless, original anime titles continue to be produced with the same success.

The 2000s marked a trend of emphasis of the ''[[otaku]]'' subculture. A notable critique of this ''otaku'' subculture is a central theme of the 2006 anime ''[[Welcome to the N.H.K.]]'', which features a ''[[hikikomori]]'' (socially withdrawn) protagonist and explores the effects and consequences of various [[Japanese popular culture|Japanese sub-cultures]], such as ''otaku'', [[lolicon]], [[internet suicide]], [[massively multiplayer online game]]s and [[multi-level marketing]].

In contrast to the above-mentioned phenomena, there have been more productions of late-night anime for a non-''otaku'' audience as well. The first concentrated effort came from [[Fuji TV]]'s [[Noitamina]] block. The 30-minute late-Thursday timeframe was created to showcase productions for young women of college age, a demographic that historically had watched very little anime. The first production ''[[Honey and Clover]]'' was a particular success, peaking at a 5% TV rating in Kantou, which was very strong for late-night anime. The block has been running uninterrupted since April 2005 and has yielded many successful productions unique in the modern anime market.

There were also revivals of American cartoons such as ''[[Transformers]]'', which spawned four new series; ''[[Transformers: Car Robots]]'' in 2000, ''[[Transformers: Micron Legend]]'' in 2003, ''[[Transformers: Superlink]]'' in 2004, and ''[[Transformers: Galaxy Force]]'' in 2005. In addition, an anime adaptation of the G.I Joe series was produced, titled ''[[G.I. Joe: Sigma 6]]''.

The revival of earlier anime series was seen in the forms of ''[[Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior]]'' (2006) and ''[[Dragon Ball Z Kai]]'' (2009). Later series also started receiving revivals in the late 2000s and early 2010s, such as with [[Studio Khara]]'s ''[[Rebuild of Evangelion]]'' [[tetralogy]] (2007–2021), and new adaptations of [[Masamune Shirow]]'s manga ''[[Appleseed XIII]]'' (2011) and ''[[Ghost in the Shell: Arise]]'' (2013–2016).

The decade also dawned a revival of high-budget feature-length anime films, such as ''[[Millennium Actress]]'' (2001), ''[[Metropolis (2001 film)|Metropolis]]'' (2001), ''[[Appleseed (2004 film)|Appleseed]]'' (2001), ''[[Paprika (2006 film)|Paprika]]'' (2006), and the most expensive of all, ''[[Steamboy]]'' (2004), which cost $26&nbsp;million to produce. [[Satoshi Kon]] established himself alongside Otomo and Oshii as one of the premier directors of anime film, before his premature death at the age of 46. Other younger film directors, such as [[Mamoru Hosoda]], director of ''[[The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006 film)|The Girl Who Leapt Through Time]]'' (2006) and ''[[Summer Wars]]'' (2009), also began to reach prominence.

During this decade, anime feature films were nominated for and won major international film awards for the first time in the industry's history. In 2002, ''[[Spirited Away]]'', a [[Studio Ghibli]] production directed by [[Hayao Miyazaki]], won the [[Golden Bear]] at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] and, in 2003 at the [[75th Academy Awards]], won the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature]]. It was the first non-American film to win the award and is one of only two to do so. It has also become [[List of highest-grossing animated films#Anime|the highest grossing anime film]]{{Broken anchor|date=2025-08-02|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=List of highest-grossing animated films#Anime|reason=Anchor "List of highest-grossing animated films#Anime" links to a specific web page: "Anime". The anchor (Anime) [[Special:Diff/695417222|has been deleted]].|diff_id=695417222}}, with a worldwide box office of [[United States dollar|US$]]274&nbsp;million.

Following the launch of the [[Toonami]] programming block on [[Cartoon Network]] in the United States in March 1997, anime saw a giant rise in the North American market. Kid-friendly anime such as ''[[Pokémon (anime)|Pokémon]]'', ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!]]'', ''[[Digimon]]'', ''[[Doraemon]]'', ''[[Bakugan]]'', ''[[Beyblade (manga)|Beyblade]]'', ''[[Sonic X]]'', and the [[4Kids Entertainment]] adaptation of ''[[One Piece (1999 TV series)|One Piece]]'' all achieved varying levels of success. This era also saw the rise of [[anime-influenced animation]], most notably ''[[Avatar: the Last Airbender]]'' and its sequel ''[[The Legend of Korra]]'', ''[[Megas XLR]]'', ''[[Code Lyoko]]'', ''[[Ben 10]]'', ''[[Chaotic (TV series)|Chaotic]]'', ''[[Samurai Jack]]'', ''[[Teen Titans]]'' ''[[The Boondocks (TV series)|The Boondocks]]'', and ''[[RWBY]]''.
Anime further became entrenched in U.S. households with the launch of [[Adult Swim]] by Cartoon Network in 2001, aimed at those in the "older OVA and tape trading crowd," with a new fandom forming.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ohno |first1=John |title=A brief history of anime fandom outside of Japan |url=https://medium.com/@enkiv2/a-brief-history-of-anime-fandom-outside-of-japan-4c5b6c51ed8d |website=[[Medium (website)|Medium]] |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523042222/https://medium.com/@enkiv2/a-brief-history-of-anime-fandom-outside-of-japan-4c5b6c51ed8d |archive-date=May 23, 2019 |date=May 22, 2019 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}Ohno is an author of various books in the area of computing, such as ''Big and Small Computing: Trajectories for the Future of Software''.</ref> This fandom was, however, exclusive and elitist, with newcomers expected to know how to use [[Internet Relay Chat|IRC]], some basic Japanese, and so on. 

By 2004, over two hundred anime shows were airing on television.<ref name="aja.gr.jp" />

At the [[2004 Cannes Film Festival]], ''[[Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence]]'', directed by [[Mamoru Oshii]], was in competition for the [[Palme d'Or]] and in 2006, at the [[78th Academy Awards]], ''[[Howl's Moving Castle (film)|Howl's Moving Castle]]'', another Studio Ghibli-produced film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, was nominated for Best Animated Feature. ''[[5 Centimeters per Second]]'', directed by [[Makoto Shinkai]], won the inaugural [[Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Animated Feature Film]] in 2007, and so far, anime films have been nominated for the award every year. 

In 2006, graduates of the [[University of California, Berkeley]] launched [[Crunchyroll]] in 2006,<ref>{{Cite web |last1=King |first1=Steve |title=Anime: The Impact, the History, and the Controversy |url=https://goodmenproject.com/arts/anime-the-impact-the-history-and-the-controversy/ |website=[[The Good Men Project]] |access-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426022222/https://goodmenproject.com/arts/anime-the-impact-the-history-and-the-controversy/ |archive-date=April 26, 2020 |date=December 21, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref> becoming the first "anime streaming service", a model later used by [[Netflix]], [[Funimation]], and [[Amazon (company)|Amazon.com]] in the 2010s.

==2010s==
In May 2012, the Toonami programming block in the United States was relaunched as a late night adult-oriented action block on Adult Swim, bringing more uncut popular anime to a wider audience on cable television. In addition to broadcasting or re-broadcasting previously released dubbed anime, the block (as well as Adult Swim itself) oversaw the worldwide premiere of English dubbed releases for various anime, including but not limited to: ''[[Durarara!!]]'' (2010), ''[[Deadman Wonderland]]'' (2011), ''[[Hunter × Hunter#Second series (2011)|Hunter x Hunter]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-12-12|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Hunter × Hunter#Second series (2011)|reason= The anchor (Second series (2011)) [[Special:Diff/1107472600|has been deleted]].}}'' (2011), ''[[Sword Art Online]]'' (2012), ''[[JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (TV series)|JoJo's Bizarre Adventure]]'' (2012), ''[[Attack on Titan]]'' (2013), ''[[Kill la Kill]]'' (2013), ''[[Space Dandy]]'' (2014), ''[[Akame ga Kill!]]'' (2014), ''[[Parasyte -the maxim-]]'' (2014), ''[[One-Punch Man]]'' (2015), ''[[Dragon Ball Super]]''  (2015), ''[[My Hero Academia]]'' (2016), ''[[Boruto: Naruto Next Generations]]'' (2017), and ''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba]]'' (2019).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adultswim.com/videos/toonami/|title=Adult Swim Video|website=Adult Swim|access-date=2018-01-31}}</ref>

On September 1, 2013, Hayao Miyazaki announced that ''[[The Wind Rises]]'' (2013) would be his last film,<ref name="Guardian 2013 Miyazaki">{{cite news |last1=Child |first1=Ben |title=Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki to retire following latest film |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/sep/02/studio-ghibli-hayao-miyazaki-retires |access-date=24 April 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 September 2013}}</ref> and on August 3, 2014, it was announced that [[Studio Ghibli]] was "temporarily halting production" following the release of ''[[When Marnie Was There (film)|When Marnie Was There]]'' (2014), further substantiating the finality of Miyazaki's retirement. The disappointing sales of [[Isao Takahata]]'s comeback film ''[[The Tale of Princess Kaguya (film)|The Tale of Princess Kaguya]]'' (2013) has also been cited as a factor.<ref>{{cite web|last=O'Brien |first=Lucy |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/08/04/studio-ghibli-will-no-longer-be-making-feature-films |title=Studio Ghibli May No Longer Be Making Feature Films |website=IGN |date=August 3, 2014 |access-date=August 5, 2014}}</ref> Several prominent staffers, including producer [[Yoshiaki Nishimura]] and director [[Hiromasa Yonebayashi]], left to form their own [[Studio Ponoc]], premiering with ''[[Mary and the Witch's Flower]]'' (2017).<ref name="ann 20150616">{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-06-16/ghibli-producer-yoshiaki-nishimura-works-at-new-studio/.89158|title=Ghibli Producer Yoshiaki Nishimura Works at New Studio|date=June 16, 2015|work=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=December 15, 2016|archive-date=June 17, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617025258/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-06-16/ghibli-producer-yoshiaki-nishimura-works-at-new-studio/.89158}}</ref><ref name="empireonline 20161215">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/studio-ponoc-aims-bring-ghibli-magic-mary-witch-flower/|title=Studio Ponoc aims to bring the Ghibli magic with Mary And The Witch's Flower|first=James|last=White|date=December 15, 2016|magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|access-date=December 15, 2016|archive-date=December 17, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161217144021/http://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/studio-ponoc-aims-bring-ghibli-magic-mary-witch-flower/}}</ref><ref name="ann 20161215">{{cite news|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-12-15/former-ghibli-staffers-studio-ponoc-unveils-mary-and-the-witch-flower-anime-film/.109925|title=Former Ghibli Staffers' Studio Ponoc Unveils Mary and the Witch's Flower Anime Film|date=December 15, 2016|work=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=December 15, 2016|archive-date=December 16, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161216023919/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-12-15/former-ghibli-staffers-studio-ponoc-unveils-mary-and-the-witch-flower-anime-film/.109925}}</ref> Both Ghibli and Miyazaki subsequently returned for the production for the 2023 film ''[[The Boy and the Heron]]'',<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/12/studio-ghibli-reopens-for-hayao-miyazakis-new-film/|title=Studio Ghibli reopens for Hayao Miyazaki's new film|work=Engadget|access-date=2018-03-03|language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214112835/https://www.engadget.com/2017/08/12/studio-ghibli-reopens-for-hayao-miyazakis-new-film/|archive-date=2017-12-14}}</ref> while Takahata died on April 5, 2018, of lung cancer.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5230419/isaotakahata-studio-ghibli-died/|title=Isao Takahata, Co-Founder of Japan's Studio Ghibli, Has Died|magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | first = Eli | last = Meixler |access-date= April 6, 2018 | date = April 5, 2018}}</ref>

Various international anime distribution companies, such as [[ADV Films]], [[Bandai Entertainment]], and [[Geneon Entertainment]], were shut down due to poor revenue, with their assets spun into new companies like [[Sentai Filmworks]] or given to other companies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/animetaros/posts/904383853032139|title=Animetaro|website=www.facebook.com|language=en|access-date=2017-10-31}}</ref>

In 2011, ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' was aired in Japan. The anime was a departure from typical magical girl anime, as it contained darker, more complex, and gorier themes than what was seen in the genre. The anime was well-received by critics, with ''[[Anime Network|United Kingdom's Anime Network's]]'' Andy Hanley rating it a 10 out of 10 for its emotional content and evocative soundtrack.

Both ''[[Attack on Titan]]'' and ''[[The Wind Rises]]'' began to reflect a national debate surrounding the reinterpretation of [[Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan]], with Miyazaki's [[pacifism]] in the latter work coming under fire from the [[political right]],<ref name="Blum(2013)">{{cite news |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1296325/miyazakis-newest-film-soars-despite-criticism |title=Animation legend Hayao Miyazaki under attack in Japan for anti-war film |last=Blum |first=Jeremy |date=August 13, 2013 |website=South China Morning Post |publisher=SCMP Group |access-date=December 11, 2013}}</ref> while ''Attack on Titan'' has been accused of promoting [[militarism]] by people in neighboring Asian countries, despite being intended to show the haunting, hopeless aspects of conflict.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.libertytimes.com/2013/new/jun/12/today-int7.htm | title=A revival of militarism? ''Attack on Titan'' sparks Korean-Japanese spat (軍國主義復活？/進擊的巨人 引發韓日論戰) | work=[[The Liberty Times]] | location=Taipei | date=June 12, 2013 | access-date=June 27, 2013 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The [[mecha anime]] genre (as well as Japanese [[kaiju]] films) received a Western homage with the 2013 film ''[[Pacific Rim (film)|Pacific Rim]]'', directed by [[Guillermo del Toro]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Axinto |first=Jemarc |url=http://www.the-artifice.com/pacific-rim-anime-influence/ |title=Pacific Rim: In-depth study of the influence of Anime |publisher=The Artifice |date=April 24, 2014 |access-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref>

Western streaming services such as [[Netflix]] and [[Amazon Prime Video]] became increasingly involved in the production and licensing of anime for the international markets.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2017/10/18/netflix-is-currently-funding-thirty-original-anime-productions/ |title = Netflix is Currently Funding 30 Original Anime Productions|website = [[Forbes]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/23/21003549/anime-streaming-wars-netflix-amazon-att-sony-crunchyroll-funimation|title=Anime is one of the biggest fronts in the streaming wars|website=The Verge|date= 23 December 2019}}</ref> By 2015, an all-record-high of 340 anime series were airing on television.<ref name="aja.gr.jp" />

==2020s==
The global popularity and demand of anime continued to rise during the decade due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and the medium's wide availability on streaming services.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-world-is-watching-more-animeand-streaming-services-are-buying-11605365629|title= The world is watching more anime and streaming services are buying |date= November 14, 2020 |website= [[The Wall Street Journal]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/business/2021/06/05/streaming-and-covid-19-have-entrenched-animes-global-popularity|title= Streaming and covid-19 have entrenched anime's global popularity |date= June 5, 2021 |newspaper= [[The Economist]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/streaming-giants-battle-for-anime-supremacy|title=Streaming giants battle for anime supremacy|date=11 May 2023|website= [[The Straits Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/video/asia/3220322/streaming-giants-battle-be-top-platform-japanese-anime|title=Streaming giants battle to be top platform for Japanese anime|date=12 May 2023|website=[[South China Morning Post]]}}</ref>

''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train]]'' became the [[List of highest-grossing films in Japan|highest-grossing Japanese film]] and the world's highest-grossing film of 2020.<ref name="bbc">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54730487 |title=How a demon-slaying film is drawing Japan back to the cinemas |date= October 31, 2020 |website= BBC |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103161257/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-54730487 |archive-date=November 3, 2020}}</ref> It also became the fastest grossing film in Japanese cinema, earning 10&nbsp;billion yen ($95.3m; £72m) in 10 days.<ref name="bbc"/> It beat the previous record of ''[[Spirited Away]]'', which took 25 days.<ref name="bbc"/>

In 2021, the anime adaptations of ''[[Jujutsu Kaisen]]'', ''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba]]'' and ''[[Tokyo Revengers]]'' were among the top 10 most discussed TV shows worldwide on [[Twitter|X]] (then known as Twitter).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/insights/2021/2021--onlyontwitter|title=2021 #OnlyOnTwitter|date=9 December 2021|website=Twitter}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbr.com/jujutsu-kaisen-squid-game-wandavision-twitter-2021/|title=Jujutsu Kaisen Tops Squid Game, Wandavision in Social Media's 2021 Discussions|date= 9 December 2021|website=CBR}}</ref>

In 2022, ''[[Attack on Titan (TV series)|Attack on Titan]]'' won the award of "Most In-Demand TV Series in the World 2021" in the Global TV Demand Awards. it became the first ever non-English language series to earn the title of World's Most In-Demand TV Show, previously held by only ''[[The Walking Dead (TV series)|The Walking Dead]]'' and ''[[Game of Thrones]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Anime and Asian series dominate 4th Annual Global TV Demand Awards, highlighting industry and consumer trends towards international content|url=https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/anime-and-asian-series-dominate-4th-annual-global-tv-demand-awards-highlighting-industry-and-consumer/article_28591ec0-befe-57c6-99c3-eebe66ad66c5.html|date=January 25, 2022|access-date=January 27, 2022|publisher=[[WFMZ-TV]]}}</ref>

In 2023, the opening theme "[[Idol (Yoasobi song)|Idol]]" by [[YOASOBI]] of the anime series ''[[Oshi no Ko]]'' topped the [[Billboard Global 200|''Billboard'' Global 200]] Excl. U.S. charts with 45.7&nbsp;million streams and 24,000 copies sold outside the U.S. "Idol" has become the first Japanese song and [[anime song]] to top the ''Billboard'' Global chart, and it also took the top spot on [[Apple Music]]'s Top 100: Global chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Trust |first1=Gary |title=YOASOBI's 'Idol' Surges to No. 1 on Billboard Global Excl. U.S. Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/yoasobi-idol-tops-billboard-global-excl-us-chart-1235346245/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date=June 5, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/anime/yoasobis-idol-tops-global-charts-creating-a-new-streaming-milestone-for-japanese-music-101687344690614.html|title=YOASOBI's 'Idol' tops global charts, creating a new streaming milestone for Japanese music|website= [[Hindustan Times]]|date= 21 June 2023}}</ref>

In 2024, Studio Ghibli's ''The Boy and the Heron'' won the [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature]], making it the second [[Oscar award]] won by [[Hayao Miyazaki]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=At 83, filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki earns historic Oscar for ''The Boy and the Heron'' |url=https://apnews.com/article/best-animated-film-2024-oscars-346ebe9c9392126031969ff51044a4a2 |last=Yamat |first=Rio |date=2024-03-10 |access-date=2024-03-10 |work=[[Associated Press]] |archive-date=March 11, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311010819/https://apnews.com/article/best-animated-film-2024-oscars-346ebe9c9392126031969ff51044a4a2 |url-status=live }}</ref> It became the second non-English language film to win the award, after ''Spirited Away''.<ref name="Non-EnglishOscar">{{Cite web |last=Goodfellow |first=Melanie |date=2024-03-11 |title=Record Number Of Non-English-Language Movies Take Home Oscar Statuettes |url=https://deadline.com/2024/03/godzilla-minus-one-makes-vfx-oscar-record-number-of-non-english-language-movies-oscar-winners-1235854658/ |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Firsts==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:25%;"|First...
! style="width:25%;"|Native language name
! style="width:25%;"|English name
! style="width:20%;"|Released
! style="width:10%;"|Type
|-
| Anime (oldest known) || {{lang|ja|活動写真}} || ''[[Katsudō Shashin]]'' || Unknown; believed to be about 1911{{efn|name=NoteA}} || Short Film 
|-
| Confirmed film release || {{lang|ja|凸坊新畫帖 芋助猪狩の巻}} || ''[[Convex new picture book Imo Suke boar hunting volume]]'' || January 1917 || Short Film 
|-
| Anime publicly shown in a theater || {{lang|ja|芋川椋三玄関番の巻}} or {{lang|ja|芋川椋三玄関番之巻}} || ''[[Imokawa Mukuzo Genkanban no Maki|The Story of the Concierge Mukuzo Imokawa]]'' || April 1917<ref name="litten.de"/> || Short Film 
|-
| [[Sound film|Talkie]] || {{lang|ja|力と女の世の中}} || ''[[Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka|Within the World of Power and Women]]''{{efn|name=NoteC}} || April 13, 1933<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=130376|script-title=ja:力と女の世の中 (1933)|publisher=AllCinema Movie & DVD Database|language=ja|access-date=20 May 2009}}</ref> || Film 
|-
| Entirely cel-animated anime || {{lang|ja|茶釜音頭}} || ''[[The Dance of the Chagamas]]'' || 1934<ref name="Midnight"/> || Film 
|-
| Feature film || {{lang|ja|桃太郎 海の神兵}} || ''[[Momotaro: Sacred Sailors]]''{{efn|name=NoteD}} || April 12, 1945<ref>Jonathan Clements, Helen McCarthy. ''[[The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917]]. Revised and Expanded Edition''.—Berkeley, CA: Stone Bridge Press, 2006.—P. 12.—{{ISBN|978-1933330105}}</ref> || Film 
|-
| Appearance on television (non-series) || {{lang|ja|もぐらのアバンチュール}} || ''[[Mole's Adventure]]'' || July 14, 1958<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-06-19/oldest-tv-anime-color-screenshots-posted|title=Oldest TV Anime's Color Screenshots Posted|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=June 19, 2013|access-date=May 22, 2017}}</ref> || Short Film 
|-
| Color feature film || {{lang|ja|白蛇伝}} || ''[[Panda and the Magic Serpent|The Tale of the White Serpent]]'' || October 22, 1958 || Film 
|-
| Television series || {{lang|ja|インスタントヒストリー}} || ''[[Instant History]]'' || May 1, 1961 || Series 
|-
| First popular television series worldwide and Ep's telling || {{lang|ja|鉄腕アトム}} || ''[[Astro Boy (1963 TV series)|Astro Boy]]'' || January 1, 1963 || Series 
|-
| Late night series || {{lang|ja|仙人部落}} || ''[[Sennin Buraku|Hermit Village]]'' || September 4, 1963 || Series 
|-
| Giant robot series || {{lang|ja|鉄人28号}} || ''[[Tetsujin 28-go|Tetsujin 28-g]]''[[Tetsujin 28-go|ō]]|| October 20, 1963 || Series 
|-
| Cyborg series || {{lang|ja|8マン}} || ''[[8 Man]]''|| November 7, 1963 || Series 
|-
| Color television series || {{lang|ja|ジャングル大帝}} || ''[[Kimba the White Lion]]'' || October 6, 1965 || Series 
|-
| Magical girl series || {{lang|ja|魔法使いサリー}} || ''[[Sally the Witch]]'' || December 5, 1966 || Series 
|-
| Horror series || {{lang|ja|ゲゲゲの鬼太郎}} || ''[[GeGeGe no Kitarō]]'' || January 3, 1968 || Series 
|-
| Sports series || {{lang|ja|巨人の星}} || ''[[Star of the Giants]]'' || March 30, 1968 || Series 
|-
| Adult-oriented (animated) film || {{lang|ja|千夜一夜物語}} ||''[[A Thousand and One Nights (1969 film)|A Thousand and One Nights]]'' || June 14, 1969 || Film 
|-
| Hentai with an "[[X rating]]"{{efn|name=NoteE}} || {{lang|ja|クレオパトラ}} || ''[[Cleopatra (1970 film)|Cleopatra]]'' || September 15, 1970<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Jonathan | author-link1=Clements, Jonathan |last2=McCarthy |first2=Helen |author-link2=Helen McCarthy | title=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 |edition= Revised and Expanded | publisher=Stone Bridge Press | year=2006|title-link=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 }}</ref> || Film 
|-
| Dark Fantasy series|| {{lang|ja|デビルマン}} || ''[[Devilman]]'' || July 8, 1972 || Series
|-
| First Giant Robot series with inside cockpit || {{lang|ja|マジンガーZ}} || ''[[Mazinger Z]]'' || December 3, 1972 || Series
|-
| Space opera series || {{lang|ja|宇宙戦艦ヤマト}} || ''[[Space Battleship Yamato]]'' || October 6, 1974 || Series 
|-
|Use of stereo sound || {{lang|ja|ルパン三世 カリオストロの城}} || ''[[The Castle of Cagliostro|Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro]]'' || December 15, 1979 || Film 
|-
| [[Isekai]] series || {{lang|ja|聖戦士ダンバイン}} || ''[[Aura Battler Dunbine]]'' || February 5, 1983 || Series
|-
| First [[Anti-war film|anti-war]] anime || {{lang|ja|はだしのゲン}} || ''[[Barefoot Gen (1983 film)|Barefoot Gen]]'' || July 21, 1983 || Film
|-
| [[Original video animation|OVA]] || {{lang|ja|ダロス}} || ''[[Dallos]]'' || December 12, 1983 || OVA 
|-
| [[Cyberpunk]] series || {{lang|ja|ビデオ戦士レザリオン}} || ''[[Video Warrior Laserion]]'' || March 4, 1984 || Series 
|-
| [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|Post apocalyptic]] anime || {{lang|ja|風の谷のナウシカ}} || ''[[Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (film)|Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind]]'' || March 11, 1984 || Film 
|-
| First popular worldwide movie || {{lang|ja|アキラ}} || ''[[Akira (1988 film)|Akira]]'' || July 16, 1988 || Film
|-
| First computer cel generated anime || {{lang|ja|機動警察パトレイバー 2 the Movie}} || ''[[Patlabor 2: The Movie|Patlabor 2]]'' || August 7, 1993 || Film
|-
| Anime with [[computer-generated imagery]]|| {{lang|ja|GHOST IN THE SHELL / 攻殻機動隊}} || ''[[Ghost in the Shell (1995 film)|Ghost in the Shell]]'' || November 18, 1995 || Film
|-
| Fully computer-animated anime<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2000-07-04/fantasia-2000-holds-press-conference|title = Fantasia 2000 holds press conference|date=July 5, 2000|access-date= January 4, 2014|work= [[Anime News Network]]}}</ref> || A.LI.CE || ''[[A.LI.CE]]'' || February 5, 2000 || Film 
|-
| [[Original net animation]] || {{lang|ja|無限のリヴァイアス イリュージョン}} || ''[[Infinite Ryvius]]'' || June 30, 2000 || ONA 
|-
|-
| First anime film to be nominated for and win [[Academy Award for Best Animated Feature|Best Animated Feature]] || {{lang|ja|千と千尋の神隠し}} || ''[[Spirited Away]]'' || July 20, 2001 || Film
|-
|-
| First HD anime || {{lang|ja|攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX}} || ''[[Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]]'' || October 1, 2002 || Series
|-
| First 4K anime || {{lang|ja|SOL LEVANTE}} || ''[[Sol Levante]]'' || April 2, 2020 || ONA
|-
| First Anime created by outside Japan || {{lang|ko|나 혼자만 레벨업}} || ''[[Solo Leveling season 1|Solo Leveling]]'' || January 7, 2024 || ONA
|}

==Records==
{|class="wikitable"
|- dragon ball
! style="width:25%;"|Record...
! style="width:25%;"|Native language name
! style="width:25%;"|English name
! style="width:20%;"|Released
! style="width:10%;"|Type
|-
|Highest grossing anime film in Japan
| 劇場版「鬼滅の刃」 無限列車編
|''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train|Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – the Movie: Mugen Train]]''
| October 16, 2020
|Film
|-
|Fastest grossing anime film<ref name="bbc" />
|劇場版「鬼滅の刃」 無限列車編
|''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train|Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – the Movie: Mugen Train]]''
|October 16, 2020
|Film
|-
|Highest grossing anime film worldwide
| 劇場版「鬼滅の刃」 無限列車編
|''[[Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train|Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – the Movie: Mugen Train]]''
| October 16, 2020
|Film
|}

==See also==
{{portal|Anime and manga|Animation|Film|Japan}}
*[[History of animation]]
*[[History of comics]]
*[[History of manga]]
*[[List of years in anime]]
{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{notelist|refs=
{{efn|name=NoteA|''Katsudō Shashin'' is thought to have been made sometime between 1907 and 1911. It is not known if this film was ever publicly displayed or released as evidence suggests it was mass-produced to be sold to wealthy owners of home projectors.}}
{{efn|name=NoteC|Also referred to as ''The World of Power and Women''.}}
{{efn|name=NoteD|Also referred to as ''Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors'' or ''Momotaro: God Warriors of the Sea''.}}
{{efn|name=NoteE|Most erotic works have been retroactively tagged as "hentai" since the coining of the term in English. As such, there is [[Hentai#History|no agreed upon]] first hentai series or film.}}
}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==

* {{Cite book|author=Clements, Jonathan and Helen McCarthy|year=2001|title=The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 |edition= 1st |publisher=Stone Bridge Press|isbn=1-880656-64-7}}
* Clements, Jonathan and Barry Ip (2012) "The Shadow Staff: Japanese Animators in the Toho Aviation Education Materials Production Office 1939–1945" in ''Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal'' 7(2) 189–204.
* {{Cite book|author=Drazen, Patrick|year=2003|title=Anime Explosion!: The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation|publisher= Stone Bridge Press|isbn=1-880656-72-8|title-link=Anime Explosion!: The What? Why? & Wow! of Japanese Animation}}
* [http://www.pelleas.net/animators/ Ettinger, Benjamin "Karisuma Animators"]
* [http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php?p=66&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#comments Ettinger Benjamin "Toei Doga"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716150423/http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php?p=66&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#comments |date=July 16, 2011 }} ([http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php?p=67&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#comments Part 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716150629/http://www.pelleas.net/aniTOP/index.php?p=67&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#comments |date=July 16, 2011 }}) ''Anipages Daily.'' July 25, 2004, and July 26, 2004.
* [http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/interviews/aboutanime.html Miyazaki, Hayao trans. Ryoko Toyama "About Japanese Animation"]
* {{Cite book|author=Murakami, Takashi|year=2003|title=Super Flat| publisher=Last Gasp|isbn=4-944079-20-6}}
* Okada, Toshio et al. (2005), "Otaku Talk". ''Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture''. Ed. Takashi Murakami. Japan Society and Yale University Press. {{ISBN|0-913304-57-3}}.
* [http://www.midnighteye.com/features/pioneers-of-anime.shtml/ Sharp, Jasper "Pioneers of Japanese Animation at PIFan" ''Midnight Eye'' September 25, 2004]
* {{Cite book|author=Richie, Donald|year=2005|title=A Hundred Years of Japanese Film: A Concise History, with a Selective Guide to DVDs and Videos|publisher=Kodansha America|isbn=4-7700-2995-0}}
* Kime, Chad. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120716193931/http://www.ex.org/3.3/14-column_riap.html "American Anime: Blend or Bastardization?"] EX Online Anime Magazine.

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080512151819/http://www.tapanime.com/General-Info/historyanime.php History of Anime: Osamu Tezuka]
{{Years in anime}}
{{Animation industry in Japan}}
{{Animation}}

[[Category:Anime|*]]
[[Category:History of animation|anime]]
[[Category:History of cinema in Japan|Anime]]