While Astro Boy is not the first anime to be aired in Japan, it is considered one of the first popular and influential animated television series. Previously, Japan had often released animated shorts and films, but Astro Boy, with its 1963 TV series release, became the first of its kind to be widely broadcast on Japanese television. The anime spanned four seasons, featuring a proper sequential plot. Which means, it is also most likely one of the first anime series that influenced the pattern of seasonal releases or anime serialisation we see today. Astro Boy is also the OG, which has influenced many tropes and standards that are still being used in modern anime.
On the other hand, one of the latest anime is Gachiakuta, is taking inspiration from the outside world. According to many reports, the show is inspired by street art and graffiti culture, particularly the history of rebellion and self-expression in communities like the Bronx in the 1970s. While the expression has changed, the themes have remained similar to those of Astro Boy. Gachiakuta also follows a young boy who is attempting to change the world for the better. For the unversed, the age-old anime also followed themes of anti-war sentiments, the preservation of nature, and the prejudice against robots, which at the time served as a metaphor for racism.
Essentially, both the shows and many more throughout the decades have talked about what it means to be human. All anime, irrespective of the art style, animation style, 2D, 3D, or aliens on earth or Humans in an alien world, have all been about the same thing on paper. These creators strive to remind us of who we are. But this doesn’t mean anime hasn’t evolved. Anime has evolved dramatically from its early days, reflecting changes in technology, storytelling, and global influence, with Astro Boy and Gachiakuta serving as bookends to this transformation.
The Birth â Astro Boy and the Pioneers
Osamu Tezuka is known as the God of Manga due to his significant influence and key contributions to early anime. The Japanese manga artist is a pioneering figure due to his early creations, including several critically acclaimed comics, such as Metropolis, Astro Boy, Black Jack, and Adolf. The animation style of the 1960s is often referred to as the early era, but the modern anime is said to have begun here. The art style of this period was heavily simplistic because of the highly limited budget and technological capabilities.
The stereotypical style followed characters with large, expressive eyes, which is also the one feature that has defined anime apart from other animation styles in the West. The technique used in the ’60s involved the use of celsâtranslucent celluloid sheets and hand-drawn frames. The output was much laborious and time-consuming, as it was in the West early on. But this is also the time when all the groundwork for the style of narration was laid.
The Golden Age â Studio Ghibli and Global Recognition
While the 1970s were about experimentation, when different studios started working on various distinct art styles, the 1980s and 1990s became the era of classics like Dragon Ball, Akira, Studio Ghibli, and more. They didn’t just make animation well-known because of the art style or characters, but more because of the artistic liberties and narrative sophistication. Akira became a milestone movie, showcasing the potential of anime as a unique and extreme form of art. It was realistic, and the highly detailed artistry combined with fluid animation turned into an ever-increasing standard in the business, even internationally. Series like Dragon Ball Z brought anime to international audiences.
On the other hand, along with the art style, the experimentation was also on the tech being used to develop these anime. Neon Genesis Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop are two revolutionary anime that include a collection of hand-drawn components along with CGI. The international reputation of anime saw a massive increase in this decade, thanks to anime series like Pokémon in 1997 and Sailor Moon in 1992. The storytelling continued to deepen and explore different characters with broader themes of freedom, expression, and even good vs evil.
The Digital Revolution â Streaming and Modern Anime
Works like Naruto in 2002 and Fullmetal Alchemist in 2003 became the era of mature dark themes and shonen anime. Highly inspired by Dragon Ball’s creator, Akira Toriyama, these works focused on the stylization of character designs and dynamic fight scenes. These stories were more about teenage characters, their triumphs and troubles in any setting possible, from Naruto’s Shinobi world to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star, whose art style is still quite the trend in anime character design even today. But it was the decade of the 2010s that brought in high artist diversity and became the high-definition age in animation. It offered rather rich and visually brilliant anime like Attack on Titan, Your Name, which brought globalisation to the next level, and TV channels and streaming platforms that made anime a household name all over the globe.
Anime in the 2010s and beyond have been about the breathtaking backgrounds, distinct character creation, and clean blending of CGI. One of the biggest names would be Attack on Titan, which is best known for its dark, realistic artwork that focuses on the brutality and intensity of its story. But the diversity is also seen in other hits like Your Lie In April, which focused on the beautiful depiction of normal lifestyles. We also had the development of genres that explored magical elements in normal life, such as Fruits Basket and Kamisama Kiss.
Gachiakuta: A New Era of Anime
A lot of modern anime rely on different settings for different genres. And there have been a range of mix and matches and experiments with the rules of the past. We have had high schools for magic users, cities plagued by monsters, even new civilisations building up, and old ones that are destroyed. But in the last few years, anime and mangaka are breaking those rules left and right. We have Frieren, which is about an Elf, and after the hero’s journey, we have always been reading about. It’s not about the victory but the loss and grief and peace that comes after it. Meanwhile, JJK is about monsters in a city, with magic and high schools and all the kinds of tropes you can think about. In terms of commercial and technical wins, Demon Slayer has been attaining new heights nonstop.
Gachiakuta’s storytelling is setting its own rules. Instead, the usual world of monsters and the cities and the injustice in the world, this anime throws its protagonist and the audience into the depths of the Abyss, a dangerous landfill where societyâs âtrashâ ends up. The show builds its narration in a world that breaks what we think of as a world while also feeling real. While protagonists have been about being good and likable, Rudo shows real age and has the right reasons to be filled with hate. The social commentary in the show is also seamlessly itâs woven into every layer of the world, forcing the viewers to confront the system alongside the protagonist.
The Global Impact
The art style is fresh, inspired by the world outside Japan, and also blends with the social and economic issues across the world. Anime is no longer just about being human and the concepts of humanity, but is about expressing the pain and the loneliness felt commonly across the world. The changes and evolutions in the patterns also come from the artistic and cultural improvement across the world. From the simplistic yet elegant designs in Astro Boy to the high-definition figures in Demon Slayer or the themes of Gachiakuta, it continues to push the limits of what may be accomplished via animation.
As the industry will continue to grow, it will innovate and inspire, reflecting the changing world and exploring the power of storytelling.
