Nostalgic Masterpieces of Japanese Animation from the Showa Era

April 29th, known as "Showa Day," is a new holiday established in Japan in 2007 to commemorate the birthday of Emperor Showa. The Showa era is the longest-running era in Japan's history and marks the beginning of the country's animation industry.

In the 33rd year of the Showa era (1958), Japan's first full-length color animated film, "Legend of the White Snake," was released. Then, in the 38th year of the Showa era (1963), Japan's first 30-minute per episode television animated series, "Astro Boy," premiered. These milestones can be considered the beginning of the flourishing era of Japanese animation.

The airing of "Space Battleship Yamato" in 1974 can be considered the pioneer of Japanese science fiction and mecha anime. With its expansive universe, nuanced character relationships, and enduring appeal among fans, it stands out. In contrast to the prevalent black-and-white portrayal of characters in contemporary mainstream anime, "Space Battleship Yamato" presents a more nuanced perspective on morality, making each character more vivid and authentic.

Getter Robo series was another robot animation broadcasted in 1974. However, the art style is entirely different from Space Battleship Yamato. Dinosaur man, cosmic rays, and other elements of science fiction made it an even more fantastical work. An anime television series adaptation of Getter Robo Arc was be released in summer 2021.

Following the above two, came the milestone of robot sci-fi anime, also the top earner of Bandai: Mobile Suit Gundam. The Gundam series created by Sunrise studio has lived on for over 40 years. As one of the most iconic series in the anime industry,  the anime's subjects covered various aspects of human lives from a serious discussion on wars to the young love of teenagers. The whole series is well worth seeing!

The original Osomatsu-kun series was first aired in 1966 and the second series of the same name was produced in 1988. All were born in a rather complex age of Japan. The series was created based on the idea of making people laugh heartily. The new series Mr. Osomatsu released in 2015, 2017, and 2020 has the same original concept. Hope you all have fun watching it!

Our time has witnessed a blowout of great animation works. Every year there are lots of new animes that come out, but the works that can survive through the ages with everlasting charm are rarely come along nowadays. Only true masterpieces will never be forgotten.