Celebrating National Anime Day

Here at Devolutions, we enthusiastically celebrate key dates on the Geekian Calendar, such as May the 4th and SysAdmin Appreciation Day. Well, starting this year, we are adding a festive new occasion that brings together geeks from around the world, across all ages and backgrounds: National Anime Day on April 15. Keep reading to discover the origins of anime, some fun and surprising facts, and a few of my personal favorite productions.

The origins of anime

In the early 20th century, Japanese animators began experimenting with drawing and cutout techniques based on animated shorts coming out of the U.S. and France. While these productions (called “manga films”) were lauded for their high quality, they were expensive to produce. To make things much worse, in 1923 the Great Kantō Earthquake caused catastrophic damage across Tokyo, and the fledgling anime industry was almost completely destroyed and forced to restart from scratch.

Over the next few decades, legendary animators such as Mitsuyo Seo, Ari-chan, and Kenzō Masaoka played a pivotal role in helping re-establishing anime and taking it to new heights. A signature feature that took root during this period, and which continues to influence animators today, is the strong focus on camera effects. Unlike western animation where the emphasis was (and largely remains) on the movement of characters, anime delights in shifting perspectives through angle shots, zooming, and panning.

Today, anime is more than merely a thriving industry: it is a powerful cultural force that inspires animators and audiences around the world. And many new anime films and TV series are based on comics and graphic novels (collectively called manga), which ensures that there will never be a scarcity of ideas.

Anime: fun facts and amazing stats

Now, let’s turn our attention to some facts and statistics that reveal just how far anime has come since its humble beginnings and early struggles a century ago:

• Sorry Simpsons fans, but the longest-running animated TV series of all-time according to the Guinness Book of World Records is “Sazae-san,” which debuted in 1969 and now has over 7000 episodes (and counting!).

• Studio Ghibli’s glorious “Spirited Away” was the first anime film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

• If you aspire to explore all anime films and series…maybe re-think that goal. There are now over 12,000 titles, and hundreds more are added each year. Head over to AnimePlanet.com if you want to do some exploring and curate your personal anime watchlist.

• According to a survey by the Anime News Network, the most popular anime production of all-time is the TV series “Fullmetal Alchemist.”

• The highest-grossing anime film in history is “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train” (2020), which has raked in over $500 million USD worldwide.

• One of the most important and popular anime productions in history, “Akira” (1988), is reported to have used as many as 327 different colors, with around 50 being created exclusively for the film.

• The animation industry is projected to reach about $462 billion USD by the end of 2025, and grow about 10% through 2030.

• There are many anime conventions that take place throughout the year around the world, from relatively small gatherings in local libraries, to massive expos that attract tens of thousands of attendees — many cosplaying as iconic characters such as Goku from the Dragon Ball series and the immortal Sailor Moon. AnimeCons.com publishes a great (and very big) list of conventions, which can be browsed by location/date.

My personal favorites

I have been an anime fan for several years. Below are some (but definitely not all) of my favorite TV series. If you’re new to anime, then I highly recommend checking these out:

• Dragon Ball: This centers around the adventures of Son Goku, a Saiyan, who aspires to improve himself by going to battle against other martial artists. The series, which ran from 1995-2003, gets its name from Son Goku’s quest to find seven mystical Dragon Balls, which will summon a wish-granting dragon.

• Pokémon: This gets its name from the term “Pocket Monsters,” and consists of eight sequential series that are each based on a title from the Pokémon video game franchise. It follows the adventures of Ash Ketchum, a Pokémon trainer on his quest to become a Pokémon master. Along the way, he befriends a growing roster of Pokémon friends — all of whom have special powers and attributes, such as spewing water and sparking lightning. The series ran from 1997-2023, and continues to thrive today in an incredibly popular (and for some quite lucrative!) role-playing game, as well as video games and manga.

• Naruto: This is based on a manga collection of the same name by creator Masashi Kishimoto. The series, which ran from 2002-2007, follows a young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki who wants to be recognized and respected by his peers, and dreams of becoming the leader of his village. When asked what makes Naruto so special, one ardent fan offered: “Naruto combines rich character development, relatable themes, and emotional depth, making it a beloved series that resonates with viewers on multiple levels. Its exploration of universal human experiences allows audiences to connect deeply with the story and its characters.” I completely agree with this!

• One Piece: Launching in 1999, this boasts more than 1100 episodes, and is still going strong. It centers around a monkey named D. Luffy, who has set off on an adventure with his crew in search of the greatest treasure of all time: the famous One Piece. What makes things even more interesting, is that there is considerable ongoing discussion and debate about what, exactly, the One Piece is — some say it’s an invaluable item or collection of items, while others believe it's an experience or concept (such as freedom and unity for all people).

Are you an anime fan?

Are you a big anime fan like me and several other geeks here at Devolutions? If so, please share some of your favorite productions from movies, TV, video games, and manga. And if you’re new to the anime world and have burning anime-related questions that you’ve always wanted answered — but didn’t know where or who to ask — then please comment below. I promise that someone here on our staff, or among our global user community, will be glad to fill any gaps and provide insights.

And last but not least, remember to have a happy National Anime Day! Perhaps you can invent some Pokémon and add them to your team (like Backupsaur who is brilliant when it comes to backups, or Passwordio who is adept at resetting passwords). Or maybe you can deploy another Devolutions product to your infrastructure and triumphantly proclaim “SUCCESS – I HAVE FOUND ANOTHER DRAGON BALL” (don’t worry, if you get funny looks from your colleagues just send them to this blog!).