Osamu Tezuka is also influential in this department. His [Testuwan Atom – Astro Boy] was the first animation series which was successful in Japan and internationally. His company, Mushi Productions, together with Toei Animation, with which he worked as a character designer, was among the first in Japanese Animation studios.

Similarly to his manga, Tezuka’s animation was innovative, in that unlike the Western cartoons which were mostly episodic in nature, the plots were complex and the characters even underwent a development/ maturing. For e.g. “Kimba the White lion” grows from a young cub to an adult lion. This complexity in plots and the use of plot elements further enhanced the appeal, already very strong, of anime.

• Mecha anime > short for mechanical. As the term implies it has to do with mechanical and ultimately robots. A prototype of this kind of anime would be Go Nagai’s – Mazinger Z
   
• Changes made to conventional plot > Rather than sticking to the standard good vs. bad concept, anime artists introduced to the world the equivalent of animated antithesis of heroes. An example would be Lupin from the anime Lupin Sansei who is a thief and therefore by definition a ‘baddie’ yet in possession of a good heart…otherwise put, a good guy who had immoral qualities – in this case thieving.

A fusion of the above two trends is visible in the renowned Mobile Suit Gundam which was about a war between Earth and its first space colonies. For purposes of war the warriors made use of mechanical suits, shaped like robots, which they piloted and used like one would a tanker. This series’ popularity was further bolstered with the introduction of merchandise of the models used in the anime in question.

Besides the above, fundamental to the anime style, specifically the drawing style, are the following trends:

• Large eyes
• Multi-coloured hair
• Cute super-deformity

Large eyes
the saucer-sized eyes of the characters are unique to Japanese animation even while acknowledging that Tezuka was initially inspired by the West’ exaggeration of features, in this case the eyes. The reason behind the decision to depict the eyes in such a way has to do with the notion that emotions are better conveyed if the eyes are bigger. Furthermore large eyes are often associated with friendliness or openness of character as opposed to small eyes which tend to stand for the opposite, namely hostile or secretive.

Multi-coloured hair
another characteristic of the anime character is the hair colour – ‘unnatural’ colour, as in unintended by mother nature J. We’re talking electric blue, shocking pink, blood red, violent purple etc. In other words the kind of colour which only comes out of a bottle.

One of the main reasons behind the choice of such colours is that it makes it easier for the viewer to identify who’s who in an anime. It could also, though not necessarily, reflect the personality of the anime character. E.g. red-heads Asuka from "Neon Genesis Evangelion", female Ranma from "Ranma 1/2", and Shiris from "Record of Lodoss War" – are strong, brash and powerful.

Cute super-deformity [sd]
as the title implies it has to do with two main factors – cuteness but in a deformed kind of way. This style is used most frequently in situations which are comical/droll. A typical example would be where the size of the head stays the same whereas the body is made smaller hence the ‘deformity’.

also:

Expressions
eyes going from saucer size to mere dots to signify surprise,
eyes changing into slits/upside down Vs, standing for sneaky and happy respectively
lower jaw dropping [literally] meaning surprise
facial features excessively simplified [to mere shapes, e.g. Vs for eyes, O for face…]for a couple of seconds especially in a comic situation

Gestures
the famous V-sign for victory/success,
exaggerated fluttering of hands

Frequent use of noises
whether of annoyance, frustration, shock, surprise

All these can be said to be unique to as well as synonymous with japanimation but which are slowly being adopted by the West as in the case of Dexter’s Lab and Ren & Stimpy.

To resume with the history of anime, we can say that by the 80’s, Anime had become a national mainstay. It had also gained popularity on international shores.

Another artist worth mentioning at this point, mostly because he deviated from the concept that animation was a kid-fad, and proceeded to introduce to the world anime strictly for adults. E.g. would be Cutey Honey and Kekko Kamen.

1988 brought us AKIRA, a bombshell of an anime which most anime fans claim it got them into anime in the first place, owing to a gripping storyline, amazingly detailed graphics and the action. It is followed by Ghost in the Shell, for many superior to its predecessor. Its graphics are wonderfully detailed, making the anime seem more like a movie with real people. With its combination of intriguing plotline, detailed graphics and haunting music it is surely the ultimate Japanimation.

Anime today continues to expand and evolve. We are constanly being bombarded with series, such as Dragonball Z and feature films, like Perfect Blue, which serve to keep the interest alive, apart from being the livelihood of many a Japanese artist.

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