Anime Comes of Age: The History of Japanese Animation, 1980-Present

In 1979, Mobile Suit Gundam and The Rose of Versailles proved that Japanese animated television series could work as entertainment for adult audiences as well as children. As appreciation of what animation could do spread in the high-speed economy of 1980's Japan, new genres and forms of anime were developed. Out of this explosion of animation came some of the powerhouse directors, writers and animation studios that would go on to change not only Japanese popular culture, but that of the entire world over the next few decades. Following on last year's talk about the origins of anime, this presentation looks at how and why Japanese animation became a worldwide phenomenon, and what led to the current styles and titles that remain popular today.



Joshua Frydman is Associate Professor of Japanese at the University of Oklahoma. A scholar on ancient Japan, his interests include the development of writing systems in East Asia and worldwide. He is the author of The Japanese Myths: a Guide to Gods, Spirits and Heroes and Inscribed Objects and the Development of Literature in Early Japan.