Monday, 09-Nov-2009 05:11:47 CST
Global
History of Anime
Anime At The End Of The 70's
As the 1970's drew to a close, several things
were happening at once. Television animation was cranking out new
stuff at an incredible rate. The Matsumoto TV shows like Captain
Harlock: Space Pirate, Space Cruiser Yamato and Galaxy Express suffused
drama and high adventure like nothing before them could. And, a
robot show popped up that flipped the industry over and it hasn't
been the same since. It was called Mobile Suit Gundam, and more
than a giant robot show (we've had them before this: witness Go
Nagai's Mazinger, and even Tetsujin 28! ), Gundam dealt with character
development like a Matsumoto show and brought with it the word Newtype.
These Newtypes were the most precious resource known to Man ...
more valuable than gold, diamonds, oil, or uranium, Newtypes just
did things a little better than normal humans. In the case of Amuro
Rei, it was reflexes. He defeats his initial opponents with the
power of the Gundam easily ... until he encounters Red Comet, flown
by Cha Aznable. Thus is born one of the greatest stories ever told
in anime, a story finished almost ten years later in the "Cha's
Counterattack" movie.
Many have asked about this series, specifically why it hasn't made
it to America yet. There are probably about five or ten huge shows
that have not come over yet: in some cases, it's the Japanese who
don't want to relinquish the rights, in others its a case of outlandish
amounts of money being asked, and in still others the question of
who actually owns a product is the issue.
Gundam wasn't the only thing that happened as the 70's ended: a
movie featuring a popular character was given to an up and coming
director who also happened to have a budget to work with. What emerged
from the mix was one of the greatest films ever made from one of
the greatest Japanese directors in the business: Lupin III: Cagliostro
Castle from Hayao Miyazaki. This film is very near perfect in its
execution; there is action, there is great music, there is one hell
of a story, and all the little things are there. It captures the
essence of Lupin (a fantastically capable thief) and his almost
equally capable pursuer (Inspector Zenigata) while treating the
audience to a genuine roller coaster. There are spots only marginally
long enough for the audience to catch their breath, and then it
takes off again. There has never been a Lupin film like it before
or since: in fact Mystery of Mamo (an excellent film in its own
right) pales when compared to this. Many have commented on just
how good this film really is, and it has become the yardstick on
which other films are measured ... as it should be.
|
