America and Anime

Two decades ago if someone from America was asked if they liked to watch Anime or read Manga (the Japanese version of a comic book) the most common answer would be a follow-up question from the one being asked. "What is anime?"

Anime and Its Beginnings

Who started the trend that has reached all the way from Japan to America? When did this form of art start? The answer is Osamu Tezuka. Born November 3, 1928, Osamu Tezuka is considered the Walt Disney of Japan. He is well respected in Japan, and even called the Godfather of Manga and Anime. Tezuka began his journey of introducing his new art style to the world shortly after World War II in 1947. Tezuka in 1947 published his first Manga, simply named New Treasure Island. Tezuka's work would go on to win several awards, his most famous work being Astro Boy. Due to the wild popularity of his work, this is easily seen as the beginning of the Manga and Anime craze we see in Japan now.

Osama Tezuka

Though Tezuka's series Astro Boy was not the first Anime to ever air on television, it was the most popular.

Anime's Invasion of the USA

With Tezuka's hit series Astro Boy takingover Japan, it wasn't long before Americans became interested. Astro Boy first aired in the US on September 7, 1963. The new series was a hit. The series has had many reboots as well in America continuing all the way up until 2008 with Cartoon networks Adult Swim final airing of the popular Anime.

Astro Boy

Controversy in America

Anime's arrival in the States had its good moments and many of its bad. Tezuka even had some clashes with the American legend Walt Disney himself. This is not a well-known fact by many, but there are strong beliefs that Disney himself blatantly ripped off Tezuka's Anime series Kimba the White Lion. One does not have to think very heard on which Disney film is accused at stealing Tezuka's masterpiece, The Lion King. On top of having his ideas stolen, Tezuka also had his beloved Astro Boy censored in the English version as well. The most hurtful, Tezuka says in an interview, being that they would not air an episode of a dog being worked on in a medical hospital due to its "cruel nature." Tezuka claims the reasons were purely based off of racist reasons due to the fact that he was a Japanese creator and that the prime insult of the day was that he and his fellow countrymen loved to eat dogs and other such household pets.

How I Became an Anime Lover

Japanese Anime was once not an interest in my life, but Dragon Ball Z changed all that. I was probably around the age of ten when I started watching DBZ with my younger brother. To make a long story short I was instantly hooked on the intense battle scenes, the raw emotions, and the exaggerated body muscles of the fighters on this anime series. My brother and I were so hooked in fact that we joined the local wrestling team in hopes to achieve the ridicules power we saw every weekend on our favorite show.

Conclusion

Writing this article I have learned far more about anime and it's beginnings than I thought I ever would. I hope you the reader have learned as much as I have. If you are not an anime lover like I am, then I hope you would be willing to at least give it a chance and try to branch out from your regular entertainment genres. If you are unsure on what Anime to watch or which ones are good, then catch my upcoming article, "Top Five Anime's to Watch for Beginners."