Japanese anime is one of the cultural products with the greatest impact worldwide. Characters, series and films that have surpassed many of their western competitors in diffusion and success.
In anime, no genre is dispensed with: fiction, drama, comedy, horror, romance, adventure, mystery. The audiences of all ages they get their share of care.
Anime origins
Born at the end of the second decade of the XNUMXth century, from the 60s it would begin to expand and spread practically without limits.
Closely related to Manga, from where it takes almost all of its arguments. At the graphic level, it stands out for the large oval eyes of your characters.
Regarding the narrative level, it usually offers thematically complex stories, constantly suppressing the concept of time, full of references and historical figures.
Some of the Best Anime Series in History
Astroboy
First anime to be broadcast on television, in Japan and abroad. Based on a popular Manga created by Osamu Tezuca, it would debut on the small screen in 1963 with a black and white series that became an instant hit.
Almost 300 chapters in three different stages and a film produced in Hollywood, make up the legacy of this little humanoid android, whose validity seems inexhaustible.
Dragon Ball
Beyond "Astro", if there is a world-famous Japanese character, it is Goku.
Also born as a Manga in 1984, created by Akira Toriyama. Since 1986 it has been around as an anime, with a tour divided into 4 main stages: Dragon Ball (1986-1989), Dragon Ball Z (1989-1986), Dragon Ball GT (1996-1997) y Dragon Ball Super (2015-?).
As popular as it is criticized, the series has been questioned and censored in various countries for its raw violence, sexist content and for the repeated nudity of its characters.
Death Note
Terror, mystery and police investigation are the ingredients of this contemporary Manga created by Tsugumi Ohaba in 2003 and that would jump to anime in 2006.
A nondescript high school student bumps into a notebook with supernatural powers: If the bearer writes the name of a person and visualizes their face while doing so, the target will die.
Praised by critics, but questioned by the most conservative sectors. In China they banned it after students started decorating their notebooks like the book of death in the series.
Champions: Oliver and Benji (Captain Tsubasa)
Sports also play in anime. Based on a popular cartoon created by Yoachi Takahashi in 1981, it narrates the adventures and misadventures of Tsubasa and his friends, since they were children until they become soccer professionals.
Global success in the penultimate decade of the last century, this anime has been picked up a couple of times after specific stops, without repeating the initial success.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand alone complex
Futuristic science fiction whose visual aesthetics is halfway between Blade Runner y resident evil. Lots of action and a very high erotic content, serve as a front for a story with deep debates about the transcendence of humanity, the concepts of good and evil and the relations of convenience of the highest political spheres.
Detective conan
More than 20 years uninterrupted for this suspenseful story, also out of Japanese comics. Shinichi Kudo is a 17-year-old detective, who ends up trapped in the body of a 7-year-old boy, after he was given poison. The purpose was to kill him, not shrink him.
Mazinger Z
This Manga and Anime (the conception of both formats was simultaneous), inaugurates what is known as the genre Wick: manned robot stories.
Those who await the arrival at the cinema of the well-known robot, have to settle for Pacific Titans, the series of films created by the Mexican Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo constantly admits that part of his source of inspiration is precisely in the legendary Japanese robot.
Knights of the Zodiac
Known in its eastern country of origin as Saint Seiya. An extremely complex story, full of elements from Greco Roman mythology and above all, a lot of blood and action. The classic series premiered in the late 80s, although it was ubiquitous for almost all of the 90s.
Heidi
This is one of the rare cases of anime whose genesis is not in a manga. Heidi, one of the most popular animated series in the world, is based on the homonymous novel by the Swedish writer Johanna Spyri.
Beside candy Candy y Marco, forms the trilogy of orphaned or abandoned children.
Evangelion
A story initially conceived to be developed as an anime, although its adaptation to the Manga went on sale before the premiere of the first chapter.
A post apocalyptic future, where some teenagers must climb inside some war machines (biomechanics in this case) to defend humanity.
Evangelion is considered by many in the world as the Best Anime Series of All Time, Although it only consists of 26 chapters released between 1995 and 1996.
Pokemon
The source of inspiration for this series is in the popular video game distributed by Nintendo and that, since 1996, is one of the most played titles in the world. The anime instantly replicated the success of the original product. 20 years and more than 1.000 chapters later, the series has not lost an iota of its validity.
Digimon
Seven children who are dragged into a digital world and must, along with their fellow Digimon, face the dark forces who seek to seize both the Virtual Reality where they are trapped, and the Real World.
Sailor Moon
This is the anime (and manga) Shojo by excellence, aimed at the female audience. It began airing in 1992, quickly reaching the top ratings in all the countries where it was broadcast.
The original contents suffered a considerable number of modifications to adapt them to "all public" standards. It was one of the first television shows in include homosexual relationships, both male and female.
Fullmetal Alchemist
For Japanese viewers, this is the most popular anime of all, although many consider it extremely sentimental. It narrates the adventures of the brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, who desperately search for The Philosopher's Stone, with the purpose of bringing their mother from the dead.
Image sources: IGN Latin America / YouTube