Episode 184 – Anime Firsts

No one forgets their first, and as an anime fan you shouldn’t either!  Of course you remember your own first anime, but do you know the firsts for the industry?  We cover a list of firsts that happened in the anime world, and you may be surprised how early some of them are!

First Anime

Of course, this is up for debate… some say it is a 50-frame 3 second clip called Katsudo Shashin. In it, a boy writes 活動写真, which means “moving pictures” on a board. The exact date isn’t known but it is believed to be from 1907.  The creator is also unknown.  – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DMQx0dTqbs

As for films…. a short film named なまくら刀 (An Obtuse Sword) from 1917 is 2 minutes long and believed to be the first film. – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlC0_gh0FpE

First Color Anime Feature Film

Is the tale of the White Serpent or, 白蛇伝 Hakujaden, released in 1958. 78 minutes long  – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOI9cSrm4Rs

First Anime to Air in America

The first one is actually a 3-part anthology that received it’s broadcast in Japan in 1960 and aired in America in 1961 called “Three Tales.”

However, the first series anime was Astro Boy, which aired in the fall of 1963.

First Mecha Anime

Again, this is up for debate in how you define “mecha.”  The first large robot series was Mitsuteru Yokoyama’s Tetsujin 28-go, which had an original manga release in 1956 but was animated in 1963.  However, Gigantor – as the robot was called in the states – was controlled by remote and not cockpit pilot which some people will define as not a true “mecha” as we know them today.

The first Super Robot show and what defined most of the mecha genre today was Mazinger Z whose anime started in 1972

First Televised Anime Series

おとぎマンガカレンダー Otogi Manga Calendar

This anime actually holds the title for both the first anime series overall and the first one to hit television.  From 1961-1964

First Magical Girl Anime

Mahoutsukai Sally or Sally, the Witch

Written by Mitsuteru Yokoyama

First debuted as manga in 1966 and was also animated in 1966

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_the_Witch

First Hentai Anime

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Thousand_and_One_Arabian_Nights_(film)

A 1969 anime feature film directed by Eiichi Yamamoto, conceived by Osamu Tezuka. The film is part of Mushi Production‘s Animerama, a series of films aimed at an adult audience.

The film was given limited screenings in the America, but the film did very poorly, as an X-rated cartoon did not seem to appeal to an audience. [1] The dubbed version of the film is now very rare, and has never been released on home video, and may be considered lost. The film predates the more successful release of Fritz the Cat, the first American X-rated animated film, by little over a year.

First Use of CGI in an Anime Series

Golgo 13 circa 1983 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJxPjUo5-cI

First Entirely CG Animated Program

Bit the Cupid releasing in 1995 was the first animated series to be done entirely in CG.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYeyTskqtBQ

First Anime Done Entirely with Computers

Blood: The Last Vampire in 2000 was the first anime to say “bye bye” to animation cels.  There were, to be clear, anime previously who had long since incorporated computer editing and animation to the traditional process.  But this was the first anime to do away with traditional animation techniques entirely.