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Curated playlist

Anime

Akira opened in Japan on the same date its story says Tokyo was destroyed, and director Otomo picked that match on purpose. The rest of this list follows anime from its start to its big franchises. Osamu Tezuka's money-saving shortcuts shaped the look in Anime, and his robot boy in Astro Boy was sold to a circus. Studio Ghibli takes its name from a Saharan wind. Neon Genesis Evangelion came out of Hideaki Anno's four-year depression. Attack on Titan's giants started with a drunk customer at an internet cafe.

  • Hayao MiyazakiHayao Miyazaki was told as a boy he would not live past 20. He went on to found Studio Ghibli in 1985.
  • My Neighbor TotoroEight animators finished My Neighbor Totoro in just eight months. They spent one full month on a tadpole scene alone.
  • Studio GhibliStudio Ghibli is named after a hot Saharan wind. Miyazaki wanted it to blow through a stagnating animation industry.
  • Spirited AwayIn Spirited Away, a girl's parents turn into pigs in an abandoned resort town. Ten-year-old Chihiro is left alone.
  • GundamJapan's Agriculture Ministry once reprimanded an employee for editing Gundam pages at work.
  • Cowboy BebopCowboy Bebop lost its toy company sponsor after early footage showed it would never sell spaceship toys.
  • MangaManga began with a four-page magazine that lasted only three issues. Eshinbun Nipponchi launched in 1874.
  • NarutoOn the night Naruto was born, his father sealed a nine-tailed fox inside him. He grew up scorned by the village.
  • Neon Genesis EvangelionDirector Hideaki Anno called Neon Genesis Evangelion a metaphor for his own four-year depression.
  • Princess MononokeHayao Miyazaki spent seventeen years getting Princess Mononoke made.
  • One PieceOda sealed the truth about One Piece's treasure in a box and sent it to the ocean floor.
  • History of animeBefore the war, Japanese animators could not match Disney's prices. Imported prints sold below local break-even cost.
  • Dragon BallDragon Ball's seven orbs were shrunk down from eight Buddhist prayer beads in an old Japanese novel.
  • Dragon Ball ZDragon Ball Z got its name because its creator wanted the series to end.
  • Sailor MoonSailor Moon, the Japanese manga written and illustrated by Naoko Takeuchi, has sold over 46 million copies worldwide. That makes it one of the best-selling manga series in history, and one of the best-selling shōjo series. The story opens…
  • Akira (1988 film)Akira opened in Japan on the same date its story says Tokyo was destroyed. Otomo chose that symmetry on purpose.
  • Astro BoyAstro Boy, a robot boy, was built to replace a dead son and then sold to a circus. His creator rejected him.
  • Attack on TitanAttack on Titan's giants began with a drunk customer at an internet cafe.
  • Fullmetal AlchemistTwo brothers try to bring their mother back in Fullmetal Alchemist, and lose a leg and a whole body.
  • Bleach (manga)The manga Bleach began with a drawing of a kimono. Its artist had just had his previous series canceled.
  • Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no YaibaDemon Slayer began as a quiet manga about a boy who sold charcoal. By July 2025 it had over 220 million copies out.
  • AnimeOsamu Tezuka's money-saving shortcuts became anime's defining look. He adapted Disney techniques.
  • Osamu TezukaOsamu Tezuka was a licensed physician who never practiced medicine. He is the manga artist behind Astro Boy.
  • Death NoteA plain black notebook sits at the center of Death Note, a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. Anyone who writes a person's name in its pages ends that person's life within seconds. In Tokyo, a…
  • Toei AnimationIn 2022, a ransomware attack on Toei Animation interrupted broadcasts of One Piece.
  • One-Punch ManOne-Punch Man is a Japanese manga series about a hero who can end any fight with a single punch. Saitama has trained so thoroughly that no opponent can test him, and the reward is boredom rather than glory. His creator, who goes by the…
  • Sword Art OnlineSword Art Online opens with 10,000 players logging into a virtual reality game for the first time on the 6th of November, only to discover that they cannot log out. The year is 2022, and each player wears a helmet called the NerveGear,…

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