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.