It’s no secret that Japanese anime has had an expanding presence in American media over the past few years. Some anime, like Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo and Spirited Away, come to the US relatively untouched by American hands. Others, like the omnipresent Naruto and Naruto: Shippûden, are edited for American audiences to include less graphic violence. However the anime arrives in the states, be it fansubs, big budget film productions, or illegal downloads, the genre has affected the landscape of animation across the world. Sure, this is a generalizing statement, but then again so is the term “anime”.

Anime is broadly defined by its origin (Japan….duh) and visual style. Certain visual techniques, such as motion lines, and certain character design qualities, such as abnormally sized eyes, are common but not defining characteristics of the medium.

Because anime lacks an absolute definition it should be no surprise that its themes, tropes, and genres are being borrowed in increasing frequency by American writers, directors, and producers without much fanfare. What is surprising are the different ways that anime is being borrowed by non-Japanese animators. Anime has penetrated American media in ways that are as varied as the actual shows themselves. Here are some perfect examples of American products that find their foundation in Japanese anime:

Transformers

The Michael Bay explosion-fest/SI swimsuit commercials that are Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had humble beginnings as the 1980s Japanese toy lines Microman and Diaclone. The Microman and Diaclone action figures could transform into weapons and vehicles and were the immediate predecessors to our beloved robots in disguise. Hasbro had recently used the Microman technology in their latest incarnation of the G. I. JOE action figure and was looking to expand their roster of transforming toys. So Hasbro bought Diaclone and partnered with Japanese toy company Takara to create Transformers. Transformers also took an incredibly common anime genre, Mecha, and popularized it for American audiences. Mecha’s most literal translation is “giant robot”. If nothing else, when you watch Transformers you will get some giant robots. You may also get a Shia LaBeouf slathered in fake tanner, but you will definitely get giant robots.

Japanese Toys + American Toys + Popular Anime Genre = Transformers

Animatrix

Is it meta to talk about an anime-inspired movie that derives its name from a portmanteau of its two subjects in an article that does the exact same thing? Probably. Hot on the heels of their revolutionary (and certainly anime-based) movie, The Matrix, the Wachowski brothers were promoting the film in Japan when they decided it would be a good idea to work with some of the directors who helped inspire the film to expand The Matrix universe. The result is a collection of shorts that feature some of the most beautiful animation ever scene on screen. This featured video is called World Record and is my favorite of the bunch, but do yourself a favor and watch all of them. Interesting Fact: To sell their idea for The Matrix, the Wachowski brothers showed producer Joel Silver Ghost in the Shell and said that they wanted to do a live action version of the film.

Anime-Inspired American Film + Japanese Animators = Animatrix

Samurai Jack

Samurai Jack was one of the best American cartoons of the last ten years that never really got its dues (Futurama anybody?). The opening line of the series says it all:

“Long ago in a distant land, I, Aku, the shape-shifting Master of Darkness, unleashed an unspeakable evil… But a foolish samurai warrior wielding a magic sword stepped forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck, I tore open a portal in time and flung him into the future where my evil is law. Now the fool seeks to return to the past and undo the future that is Aku!”

If you watch this behind the scenes look at the series you will see that the creators were trying to jam as much action as possible into every scene. You’ve done 30ninjas proud! Not only that, but they are able to use an anime convention, blood splatter gore, without censors making a fuss because all of SJ’s enemies are robots and their blood is technically oil. Genius!

American Animation + Japanese Action Techniques = Samurai Jack

Batman: Gotham Knight

I am going to make an analogy here that hopefully won’t get you sweating like a high schooler at the SATs. The Matrix: The Animatrix :: The Dark Knight : Batman: Gotham Knight. This analogy works on many levels. Both Gotham Knight and The Animatrix are collections of anime-style short films that serve as prequels to their corresponding feature film brethren. Gotham Knight is described by its creators as an anime, but things cannot possibly be that clear-cut. The short films were animated by Japanese animators yet were written by Americans. Also, I’m pretty sure that it’s Batman and not バットマン. Batman is as American as Gotham.
American Character + American Writers + Japanese Animation = Batman: Gotham Knight

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Avatar is a lot like the anime Naruto. A youth has hidden powers dormant inside of him and must harness his chakra etc. Both shows are also marketed for children but often deal with themes that are complex and more appropriate for young adults. The creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender have admitted to borrowing heavily from Chinese art and history, anime, Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism and Yoga. The character designs of Avatar are more than reminiscent of anime, yet the production staff of the show is almost exclusively American. For more information on Avatar: The Last Airbender, check out our interview with M Night Shyamalan here.

American Production + Anime Character Design and Themes = Avatar: The Last Aribender

Tekkonkinkreet

TekkonKinkreet (translation is a mispronunciation of “steel reinforced concrete”) is the story of two children, the street savvy Black and the naive White, who are trying to protect the fictional land of Treasure Town from being converted to an amusement park by the local yakuza. The 2006 film was based on the manga which came out in 1988, so how, you may ask, is Tekkonkinkreet not purely an anime film? Tekkonkinkreet was directed by Michael Arias, an American and the first non-Japanese director of a major anime film. This marks one of this first “infiltrations” of American filmmakers and animators into the anime realm of Japan. Cue “U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A.!” chant!

Everything Anime + American Director = TekkonKinkreet

Teen Titans

Originally debuting in the 1960′s, the Teen Titans went on to become a massively popular superhero comic in the 80′s. It wasn’t until 2003 that the Teen Titans got an anime-style makeover for their debut on the Cartoon Network. Teen Titans‘ anime visual style was supposed to be accompanied by themes appropriate for 6-8 year-olds, but like Avatar: The Last Airbender, as the show progressed it became more and more mature. Who knew that Robin was cool?

American Comic Book + Anime-Style Visuals = Teen Titans

Afro Samurai

Afro Samurai is a clear departure from the norm in manga to anime production. Most anime are based of a manga (Japanese comic books) counterpart much like the way that big screen superheroes are based off of comic books or graphic novels (same thing). Takashi Okazaki was heavily influenced by American hip-hop culture during his conception of the manga Afro Samurai, and it shows not only in the character design of the protagonist but also in the soundtrack and feel of the movie (RZA did the soundtrack). This, combined with the fact that Afro Samurai was originally voice-recorded in English instead of Japanese (using the voice talent of Samuel L. Jackson), makes AS a progressive fusion of styles.

America Influenced Manga + Anime Visuals + American Voice Talent = Afro Samurai

Aeon Flux

Aeon Flux aired on MTV, of all networks, in the early 90′s and was the most successful of MTV’s Liquid Television experimental animation show. The creator of the show, Peter Chung was also the director of Matriculated, one of the shorts of The Animatrix (coincidence?). Chung’s biggest influences include Koji Morimoto also of The Animatrix (coincidence?) and Igor Kovalyov, character designer of . . . The Rugrats Movie? Aeon Flux borrows from both American conventions and Anime styling and themes to produce a show that is bizarre and beautiful.

Anime Influences + MTV = Aeon Flux

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• Afro Samurai: Resurrection Review
• Clash of the Titans Going 3-D
• Maggie Q: Battle Priestess
• Halo Legends Coming Soon
• Trailer: Redline
• Warner Bros. Prepares English Film Version of Bleach