Ask John: What are the Decade Defining Anime?

Question:

In the 1990’s DBZ was the most popular anime overall in Japan. In the 2000’s it was One Piece. What animes were the most popular and decade-defining in Japan in the 1970’s, 1960’s and 1950’s? And which one do you think is gearing up to be the “it” show of the 2010’s?

Answer:
Regrettably, I didn’t grow up in Japan and live through decades to witness the popularity of particular anime first hand, nor do I have enough grasp of history to definitively cite which series were most prominent in Japanese public consciousness during their original release. But examination of history can suggest some titles that seem to have topped and defined their decades. And in some cases, titles which seem tremendously significant may actually be more significant to otaku than to Japanese society at large.

The 1950’s only produced two major anime productions of significant public awareness and historical significance: 1958’s Hakujaden movie and 1959’s Shonen Sarutobi Sasuke movie. I don’t know which, if either of these films was a significant box office hit in Japan or if either picture generated wide recognition and popularity among Japanese viewers of the time. In present reflection, the later is remembered for its historical significance but the former is more beloved because of its basis on a popular Chinese fairy tale that’s still adapted today, most recently in the 2011 Jet Li movie The Sorcerer and the White Snake.

Tetsuwan Atom may immediately spring to mind as the most beloved and popular anime to come out of the 1960s. With 193 episodes, seemingly the only other title from the decade that comes close to its longevity is 1968’s beloved baseball anime Kyojin no Hoshi, which had 182 episodes and a sequel series. However, first impressions may cause otaku to forget that the 1969 Sazae-san television series is still ongoing with over 2,000 weekly episodes. Tetsuwan Atom was highly successful and popular during the 1960s. Sazae-san premiered too late in the decade to establish itself as a definitive 60’s anime. While Tetsuwan Atom has come to define and represent modern Japanese anime, Sazae-san, in fact, is arguably the most successful and popular anime of all time because it’s the longest running anime of all time.

Similarly, the 1970s may be immediately defined by the 79 episode Ashita no Joe television series from 1970 or the 155 episode Shin Lupin the Third television series from 1977, but the actual most successful and popular anime series to air during the 1970s is probably Doraemon. Although the original 1973 series lasted only 26 episodes, Doraemon was a well-recognized character in the 1970s, and his second television series from 1979 eventually aired 1,049 episodes.

The 1980s may belong to 1986’s St. Seiya. Long running programs including Urusei Yatsura, City Hunter, and Hokuto no Ken were tremendously popular in the 1980s. The 1980s marked the true embarkation point of the Gundam franchise’s tremendous popularity, although the popularity of the Gundam franchise picked up steam throughout the later 1980s rather than exploding in the 1980s. St. Seiya was massively popular during the mid 1980s in Japan. In present day reflection,
1988’s Tonari no Totoro has certainly surpassed St. Seiya in widespread, mainstream popularity and success. However, the film premiered so late in its decade that it just didn’t have enough time to become a decade dominating title upon its initial release.

Dragon Ball Z may seem like an obvious pinnacle of 1990’s anime success and popularity; however, I’d say that it must share its throne with the Pokemon franchise, if Pocket Monster doesn’t actually surpass Dragon Ball’s Japanese popularity during the 1990s. While Pokemon may be especially passé among American otaku in 2011, we cannot disregard the fact that the franchise was staggeringly popular in Japan during the 1990s, and has remained at a height of popularity since. In fact, while Dragon Ball Z certainly was phenomenally popular in Japan during the 90’s, Pokemon may have had an even bigger public awareness and profile, and even more merchandise in Japanese stores in the 1990s.

While the awareness and popularity of One Piece has remained moderately subdued in America during the early 2000s, the franchise has arguably dominated the Japanese public profile of anime. Titles like Bleach, Naruto, and even Suzumiya Haruhi seem to be more popular than One Piece among American otaku, but public recognition and adoration of One Piece in Japan during the early 2000s has been record setting.

Since we’re now less than one year into the second decade of the 2000s, attempting to predict what the most beloved and popular anime of the next nine years will be is simply impossible.