Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1276583
D E PA R T M E N T 31 KEYFRAME By Evan Henerson FALL 2020 31 THE INFLUENCE OF ANIME Beyond the tropes of big-eyed heroines and hyper-violence, artists, writers and creators share how anime has allowed them to explore deeper themes and multi-layered characters. "It was the first time I realized that animation could be more than just funny. It could be sad. It could be epic; it could be scary and beautiful. I was hooked," says Farrell, who would work on shows including BoJack Horseman, Final Space and Duncanville. "I went home and checked out pretty much everything the 'anime' shelf at Blockbuster had to offer, which wasn't much." Farrell's story is not unusual among artists who grew up on Looney Tunes and Disney and were told that those styles—and not anything from Japan—would be the roadmap to industry success. It wasn't so long ago that a love of Japanese animation—more familiarly known as anime—was something you kept to yourself. Consequently, a generation of people have passed around VHS tapes, devoured manga and videogames all while hiding their interests for fear of being razzed or discouraged from embracing those techniques if they wanted a career. WHILE STILL IN HIGH SCHOOL, ANNE WALKER FARRELL RECALLS GOING WITH A FRIEND TO SEE HAYAO MIYAZAKI'S PRINCESS MONONOKE AT A SMALL ARTHOUSE THEATER IN SAN FRANCISCO… AND HAVING HER SENSIBILITIES ROCKED.