Anime is a simple form of art and creativity that’s expanded into a global phenomenon. For many decades, this medium in animation has impacted the lives of many, from the mundane individual to the most well-known names in the business. “How did this happen,” you may be asking. We’ll find out by traveling back in time to Japan’s bygone era in 1917.

The Fathers of Anime

Shimokawa Ōten, Kitayama Seitarō, and Kōuchi Jun’ichi first conceived the concept of anime.With their creative teamwork, they soon produced one of the first Anime to ever exist: “Shingachō Meian no Shippai,” which tells the story of a man who realizes that he’s born to be a samurai but has doubts when the only weapon he has is a dull sword. This became the foundation of a new medium in entertainment. But life doesn’t make things any easier. Before WWII in 1923, an earthquake destroyed numerous film studios in Japan. Despite this, many animators were competing against other animation companies, such as Walt Disney Studios, who were already selling products that allowed them to buy Cel animation while the studios were trying to save money.

_{A Change in Perspective}

Then, around 1933 – 1941, commercial, educational, as well as propaganda Anime was produced like “Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka,” “The Dance of the Chagamas,” and “Ari-Chan,” since production at the time was struggling financially. As 1939 rolled in, a law would soon pass regarding the film industry and how they were to follow the government’s regulations and serve their interests, which involved numerous propaganda animations of Japan winning the war and boosting morale. At the time, particularly in 1945, the country’s first full-length Anime was produced: “Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei (Momotaro: Sacred Sailors).” By 1948, after WWII, the Japanese animation industry would be reborn into the Toei Film Company, which shaped the Anime genre as we know it today. With the studio’s release of Anime such as “Bishōjo Senshi Sērā Mūn (Sailor Moon),” “Doragon Bōru (Dragon Ball),” and “One Piece,” a cult following soon swelled.

_{Cultural Presence Overseas}

Once the medium made its way overseas, the number of viewers skyrocketed, leading more animation studios to develop and expand the genre’s titles. To this day, Anime has maintained a strong influence on the general audience, it continues to be prominent today, and it’s going to stay this way for centuries to come.

https://theableshow.com/anime-the-2d-cultural-phenomenon

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References:

https://www.toei-animation.com/about-us

https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/the-first-japanese-animation-films-in-1917/

https://wildcatchronicle.org/12300/features/a-look-into-the-history-of-anime/