There have been many events during the course of anime's history, so here is a timeline showing when the most important stuff...
1953: Astro Boy comic series created by Osame Tezuka. This series is about a robotic boy and his adventures deeply influenced future Japanese manga and anime creators.
1963: Animated Astro Boy show hits the airwaves. A huge hit in Japan, the animated version of "Astro Boy" became a worldwide classic when it was translated for American audiences several years later.
1967: "Speed Racer" airs. Known as "Mach Go Go Go!" in Japan, Speed Racer is as popular today as he was three decades ago.
1973: "Mazinger Z" airs in Japan. Although it wouldn't hit American airwaves umtil 10 years later as "Tranzor Z" animator Go Nagai's tale of a robot piloted by a young hero single handedly created the Japanese giant robot genre.
1974: "Getta Robo" airs. Go Nagai does it again, this time inventing the concept of tranforming vehicles that merge into a giant robot. A later incarnation of this series aired in america as "Starvengers" and formed a part of the Shogun Warriors series of toys.
1979: "Mobile Suit Gundam" airs. This television and film series featuring giant war machines known as Mobile Suits was a retake on the giant robot genre aimed at an older audience.
1982: "Super Dimensional Fortress Macross." This wildly popular animated series, featuring robots that transform into fighter jets, was imported into America as "Robotech" several years later. The combination of deep plot, love story and incredible mecha design have enchanted fans for nearly two decades.
1989: Akira. This incredibly detailed manga series spawned a feature film that caused Americans to question their preconceptions of Japanese animation as kids' stuff. Dark, violent and adult oriented, Akira stands as a masterpiece of Japanese sci-fi even today.
1995:"Ghost in the Shell" hits movie theaters. Another dark, violent tale set in Japan's future, "Ghost in the Shell" created an international sensation and cemented Japan's status as premier animation creators.
1999:"Princess Mononole" screens in American art theaters. In a leap forward for serious treatment of Japanese animation, Disney imported this film, which was the number one box-office hi in Japan in 1998.
*please not that this information came from Wizard's "Toyfare" magazine issue # 34 (June 2000)...
