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Introduction

Anime—or Japanese animation—has been popular in Japan since Astro Boy appeared on Japanese television in 1963. Subsequent titles like Speed Racer and Kimba the White Lion helped spread the fandom across the country. Often adapted from popular manga (a comics style tracing its roots to the late nineteenth century), anime is as commonplace in Japan as the output of Disney or Pixar.

In the States, however, anime acceptance is playing an indefinite game of catch-up.

Back in the ’80s and ’90s, meeting a fellow anime geek was tantamount to connecting with a long-lost loved one. Perhaps you found yourself at a comic book store browsing the shelves for the latest horrendous—and criminally overpriced—VHS English dub. Perhaps you bumped into someone wearing baggy jeans and a black graphic T-shirt, noticed their embarrassingly large stack of anime and manga, and struck up a friendship. If so, you and your new companion had just joined the American anime underground, a shadow network built on chance encounters, early Internet chat rooms, and secretive after-school clubs.

Anime in America remained an underground art form for many years, yet a few titles pierced the public’s consciousness. Katsuhiro Otomo’s masterwork, Akira, saw limited release in the States on Christmas Day, 1989. But even that remarkable film met resistance. No lesser Hollywood luminaries than George Lucas and Steven Spielberg famously labeled Akira as “unmarketable.” And yet, history has vindicated Akira as a landmark film, its animation so mind-bogglingly gorgeous that one struggles to comprehend the skill required to produce it.

Similarly, Mamoru Oshii’s transcendent Ghost in the Shell remains one of the most influential films ever made. Filmmakers like James Cameron and the Wachowskis have cited it as a source of inspiration for their work. GITS even garnered attention from mainstream audiences when film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert reviewed it on their show.

Akira and GITS are often cited as the two pioneers of anime’s eventual acceptance in America, but there were others. Shows like Star Blazers (a.k.a. Space Battleship Yamato), Battle of the Planets (a.k.a. Gatchaman), and Robotech all saw broadcast on American television starting from the late ’70s and continuing through the middle portion of the ’80s, though each was censored and altered for American audiences. Later, the Sci-Fi channel (now Syfy) aired a Saturday block of anime that included such titles as Robot Carnival, Galaxy Express 999, Roujin Z, Fist of the North Star, Lily C.A.T., and even Akira.

Soon enough, every kid in America wanted to be “the very best!” No one was prepared for the explosion known as Pokémon, a show centered around capturing exotic monsters and training them to battle in arenas. Pokémon’s success was mind-blowing. Nintendo played a major role in popularizing the anime with an ongoing string of video games and product tie-ins. It wasn’t uncommon to see kids on school buses, at parks, or game stores actively trading and battling with their Pokémon cards. Those cards remain sought-after items today.

Pokémon became the first real multi-million-dollar anime franchise to hit the States, but it was Cartoon Network’s anime block, Toonami, that changed the game forever. Toonami aired Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Outlaw Star, Gundam Wing, Tenchi Muyo!, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Naruto, among others. It dared to defy the trend of aggressive Americanization that had plagued US anime broadcasts for decades, eschewing the drastically altered storylines that robbed these shows of their Japanese cultural heritage for a closer hewing to the original material. In doing so, Toonami awakened mainstream America to the quality of Japanese animated television. Better yet, they promoted the knowledge that these shows were coming from Japan, rather than based in America. Thus, a new generation of anime fans was born, and for the first time in memory, being an American anime geek wasn’t so bad.

I’ve had the privilege of watching this medium flourish from those early comic book store days to its viable and accepted inclusion into American culture. Naturally, anime remains more acknowledged in Japan—you won’t see a giant Gundam standing outside your local 7-Eleven anytime soon—but it’s no longer an underground cult here in America, either. Anime has imprinted on us, and hard. It’s not going anywhere.

When I first got the idea for this book, I planned on it being a solo job. I’d research anime’s history, its appeal across a broad spectrum of fans, and eventually present a well-rounded view of its impact on our culture. But one of anime’s most beautiful aspects is that it speaks to and impacts upon each of us differently. My personal relationship with anime will naturally differ from the introvert who found her voice by discussing her favorite show with a fellow fan, or the man who met his future wife through their shared love of this beautiful art.

So let’s make this a collaborative effort, shall we?

In the coming pages, you’ll hear not just from me but from a multitude of anime fans. Some entries are penned by well-known authors or personalities, but many are written by people who’ve never been published before. These are computer technicians, nurses, data-entry specialists, even personal trainers. Each has their own distinctive relationship to anime, and each has a story to tell. I’m proud to include these voices here, not just because I think they’re terrific writers, but because I believe it’s crucial to hear from the widest swath of society if we’re going to fully understand anime’s broad impact.

As with my previous book (The Film Buff’s Bucket List), the goal here is not simply to pen another “Best of” list. You don’t need me for that—one quick Internet search will cover you there. Rather, my goal is to highlight the works that have moved us most. The titles included in this book are almost all hand-picked by the various writers as ones they wanted to discuss. You’ll hear filmmakers describe how anime has influenced their movies, or how a certain show helped someone get through the day during one of life’s rough patches. In these pages, you’ll read stories of personal discovery. Many writers have detailed their experiences that led to unearthing a life-changing anime. Others have taken a more analytical approach. Each writer was encouraged to express themselves authentically, and I believe their intimate expressions have created something special. This isn’t just a list of essential titles. It’s a discussion of the true impact of anime on multiple generations.

Chris Stuckmann

December 26, 2017

Note: To discuss the following titles with proper depth and scrutiny, some entries contain spoilers. You’ve been warned.