Ask John: Which Anime Have Had the Most Influence on Current Anime?

Question:
John, I was wondering what shows you would consider to be “mandatory” viewing so a person could have the greatest grasp of terms and situations commonly played out through modern titles today. I’ve been watching fansubs for years, but I still feel guilty for not having watched all of Sailor Moon subbed/uncut not to mention a few others. So in short, what do you feel constitues a mandatory viewing list of shows that have had the longest lasting affect on newly produced anime?

Answer:
Trying to define a curriculum of anime titles that represent an ideal introduction to anime is very difficult because any such list will inevitably exclude something that someone considers vitally important. Furthermore, appreciation of anime itself may fall into one of two different categories that affect the efficacy of such a list. Anime may be studied and critiqued as an art form, which gives rise to the relevance of a list of titles of primary importance. On the other hand, anime is a hobby, just a form of entertainment from which it follows that there should be no need for fans to compile a list of “must see” titles. Anime fans with no interest in the history or culture or technique of anime should prioritize watching whatever they find appealing.

Now that I’ve clarified this article as not absolute, nor binding, nor exclusive, I’ll answer the question precisely. To use an extended analogy, if I were to instruct a course on the appreciation of modern anime, the following are the titles I’d choose as a syllabus.

Go Nagai’s Mazinger-Z (1972) and Getta Robo (1974) may be considered the roots of the super robot stereotypes we now associate with anime almost unconsciously. Mazinger-Z introduced the concept of a human piloting a giant robot from within. Prior influential giant robot series like Tetsujin 28 were controlled externally by remote control. It wasn’t until the 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam that giant robots were presented as nothing more than bipedal tanks, but the revolutionary concept behind Gundam’s mecha was built upon Mazinger-Z’s introduction. Getta Robo introduced the concept of transforming and combining robots. And both Mazinger and Getta Robo are the roots of shouting attack names, exaggerated emotional sacrifices and character deaths that have now become even the source of parodies like Nadesico’s Gegiganger III all originated with programs like Getta Robo, Combattler V, Kotetsu Jeeg, Zanbot 3, Voltes V, and so forth. While it’s not absolutely necessary to be familiar with where the tradition started, to appreciate the tradition behind contemporary shows like Chojushin Gravion and Yusha Oh Gaogaiger, one should have at least some familiarity with where these traditions came from.

Familiarity with the original Mobile Suit Gundam provides an understanding of the “real robot” genre. Simply knowing that Gundam is a war story featuring giant robots doesn’t impress on one the drama and methodical pacing and character interaction involved in shows like Gundam and Dragonar and Layzner and Dunbine and Five Star Stories and Gasaraki and Evangelion. Without first hand familiarity with hard sci-fi mecha shows, it’s too easy to develop a mistaken impression of what they’re actually like. These shows may include a lot of action, but first and foremost they are stories about human conflict and the means through which humans interact and conflict with each other and themselves.

The Dirty Pair motion picture is essential viewing because it both defines anime, and dispels certain misconceptions about anime. The Dirty Pair movie is pure escapist entertainment. It’s cute girls with guns, constant action, explosions, catchy music, flashy visuals. It’s virtually the epitome of anime. But it’s only upon watching it that viewers realize that it’s also smart. Dirty Pair isn’t psychologically challenging or intellectual, but for all its sensationalistic and sexy action and visual appeal, it never condescends to the audience. As a defining representation of all anime, the Dirty Pair movie appeals to our instinctual craving for entertainment while it never becomes stupid or insulting. Like typically all anime, it’s a guilty pleasure that we really don’t need to feel guilty about enjoying.

Ai City and Angel’s Egg are two very different anime films that serve the same purpose. Ai City, which could be just as easily substituted for Battle Royal High School, epitomizes the random and totally fantastic uniqueness of anime. There’s really no other cinematic art in the world that so totally embraces fantasy and the impossible as does anime, and few films more vividly pound home that point than Ai City and Battle Royal High School. These two anime are, in a word, crazy. Similarly, Angel’s Egg, which may be substituted with Urusei Yatsura movie 2: Beautiful Dreamer, present a more subdued but not less original and bizarre vision. Films like Angel’s Egg and Beautiful Dreamer are among the best examples of anime as a genuine cinematic art form. These films are stunningly cinematic, featuring visuals that exist for no purpose other than to impress visually. Logical meaning isn’t the purpose of these films. These films exist to place wonder before your eyes, to make your head spin with the magic of cinema. I think it’s vitally important to understand and appreciate anime’s concern with overwhelming visual impact free of logic or meaning or secondary purpose, and few films exemplify that better than Angel’s Egg or Beautiful Dreamer.

Royal Space Force, actually even more than Akira, is a film that acknowledges the devotion of Japanese animators to their craft. Every frame of the Royal Space Force movie exudes a sensation of hard work and love for the craft of animation. The extensive, hand drawn detail and intensely humanitarian story imply the work of Japanese animators to whom anime is a labor of love. Few films, I think, have the power to instill in viewers an appreciation for the craft of Japanese animation the way Wings of Honneamise does.

The films of Hayao Miyazaki are absolute essential viewing because they represent the pinnacle of anime. Films including Lupin the 3rd: Castle Cagliostro, Nausicaa, and Laputa are timeless. Their stories are universally affecting, and their art design and animation quality so good that it’s impossible to date them. I think it’s impossible to truly appreciate anime without knowing the heights of quality that anime is capable of reaching.

Jubei ninpucho or Yoju Toshi (Ninja Scroll or Wicked City) are vital aspects of anime because they imply what anime is capable of. Both films are very adult, showing viewers that not all anime is for children. If Hayao Miyazaki’s films alert viewers to the quality that anime is capable of, these films alert viewers to the distinctive content that anime is capable of. There have been countless anime before and after these two films that have contained fantastic, superhuman action and erotic and violent content, but these two films are among the best the Japanese film industry has ever created in best representing these facets of anime.

Virtually any shoujo anime from 1982’s Minky Momo through 1992’s Sailormoon would be a good choice as an introduction to this aspect of anime. More importantly than introducing magical transforming girls in particular, shoujo anime from this decade establishes the tone of contemporary shoujo anime. As much as these shows may be fantastic and humorous and frequently silly, they remain grounded in the real life psychology of their primary young girl protagonists. Without actually experiencing classic shoujo anime first hand, it’s far too easy to disregard such shows as brainless, sappy role-play for young teen girls. Only watching some shoujo anime gives viewers an appreciation for the emphasis on story and slow maturation of character that these shows subtly prioritize. One of the very best examples may be Hime-chan’s Ribbon- a show not totally unlike the better known Sailormoon, but a show surprising for its maturity and subtlety within the context of a transforming magical girl series.

Tenchi Muyo has had such a tremendous influence on the development of anime that it’s virtually required viewing, even though taken in isolation it’s not really revolutionary. Tenchi Muyo was the first true example of the so called “harem anime.” So for that alone it deserves mention, but more importantly, primarily its first OAV series established the precedent of well written individual characters within an ensemble cast. Perhaps for the first time in anime, Tenchi Muyo introduced a sizeable cast in which each character was developed and distinct enough to be capable of leading a series alone.

Evangelion deserves mention actually not because of its popularity or because of its philosophical meditations or because of its story but because of its willingness to push the envelope and intentionally forcibly evolve the anime industry. Evangelion itself was little more than a thoughtful reworking of established anime elements and characteristics. There had been massively popular anime titles before Evangelion. There had been countless shows about young boys piloting robots built by their fathers. And there had been plenty of anime made in the 1980s that dealt with philosophical and religious and literary theory. The coup of Evangelion was daring to be more graphic and intentionally obtuse and challenging than anything broadcast on mainstream Japanese television before. Evangelion broke new ground by challenging the conventional standards and limitations of anime, opening wide the doorway for greater freedom to deal with previously taboo material like sex- not just nudity, which has always been a common staple of anime, but actual physical sex in mainstream anime, and realistically presented intense graphic violence.

The above list is not an encapsulated history of anime, nor is it a list of recommendations for a knowledgeable and experienced anime fan (although it may be close to that). My list is a short catalog of titles that, in combination, I think best represent the character and characteristics of contemporary Japanese animation.