I must
admit that I have not always been a great fan of Japanese animation or anime.
But like a number of other close observers of the animation industry, I
could not but help admire and envy the diversity and breadth of product
turned out in Japan. Like a number of my colleagues, I would use the Japanese
example to berate American (and other) producers for not being able to see
animation as other than as something for kids. (This has not always been
the case, but this fact has seemingly vanished from Hollywood's collective
memory.)
In recent years, I also could not help but notice that growing influence
of anime in Hollywood and in Europe. As Jerry Beck notes in his article,
"Anime: Hollywood's Invisible Animation Genre," major filmmakers,
such as Bill Kroyer and Peter Chung, have increasingly expressed their admiration
for the work of their Japanese colleagues and pay homage to it in such shows
as Aeon Flux. Thus, despite the outward signs of resistance on the
part of American producers, it has become increasingly clear that Japanese
animation is on the verge of breaking into the mainstream in both the United
States and Europe.
Thus, it seemed appropriate that in this issue we explore the impact anime
has had outside of Japan, as well as touch on some of its history. In this,
Jerry Beck's piece is an excellent polemic, as well as providing some of
the background on the current renaissance of anime in the US. Fred Patten,
in his "Capsule History of Anime" provides a quick tour of the
anime history, detailing the major trends both in terms of genre and in
terms of how different segments of the Japanese animation industry have
developed.
In "Fred Ladd: An Interview," I talk with the producer who was
responsible for preparing a number of early anime classics for the American
market, which helped boost the Japanese animation industry and provided
the basis for its widespread appeal in the United States.
The increasing success of anime in recent years has not gone entirely unnoticed
by mainstream companies. Thus, Mark Segall, in his "Manga Entertainment:
Taking Anime To The Next Stage," explores how the first major distributor
of Japanese animation with relatively "deep pockets" is changing
things on an international scale.
John Gosling, in his "Anime In Europe," explores the ways anime
has been fighting its way through much of Europe, battling censors and accusations
of too much sex and violence along the way. At the same time, Gosling, in
"The Hidden World Of Anime," explores the various cultural influences
upon Japanese animation, ranging from classic forms like kabuki to contemporary
attitudes towards women.
Raoul Servais, the famed Belgium filmmaker who will be honored at this month's
Hiroshima Animation Festival, is interviewed herein by Philippe Moins. In
it, Servais talks about his philosophy of filmmaking, his friends in animation
and his experiences in making his first feature, Taxandria.
Speaking of festivals, Mark Langer reports on the first edition of the Singapore
Animation Fiesta, a vest pocket event that seems destined to be a regular
biannual event.
Finally, Frankie Kowalski's Desert Island Series relates the top 10 choices
of a number of anime-related personages, while John Dilworth introduces
us to his "Dirdy Birdy" comic strip, which will be a regular feature.
Harvey Deneroff
editor@awn.com
