Today is Anime Day, how are you going to celebrate it?
Millions of fans of this Japanese-born form of animation are enjoying their hobby in a special way today.
Are you an anime fan? Thirty years ago, when some of us were still young, many of us didn't necessarily know one cartoon from another, but before long certain tropes and patterns of Japanese animation were embraced more strongly than the rest of Western animation. My mother, for example, would never tell you outright that she consumed anime, but she will tell you that her favourite series as a child was 'Heidi, Girl of the Alps', or '3000 Leagues in Search of Mother', or even 'Mazinger Z'. Because anime has been around for generations and has captivated several generations of viewers. And today all of them are invited to celebrate World Anime Day.
Japan decided on the date to commemorate this form of animation as a tribute to the first full-length Japanese colour animation film, released on 22 October, 1958. It was Hakujaden, or Legend of the White Snake, which was based on the traditional Chinese fairy tale.
Anime has been an integral part of the childhood of hundreds of millions of people, an inspiration for today's greatest artists in other branches such as Marvel or DC comics (as cartoonist Jorge Jiménez told us) or traditional cinema and, of course, in video games (just watch this clip with which SNK wants to celebrate it today). Even now, the main entertainment companies see the important commercial potential of taking anime to mass entertainment, as evidenced by the release in cinemas of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - The Movie: Infinity Castle, the fifth highest-grossing film of the year around the world.
So we at Gamereactor wish you a very happy Anime Day. Are you going to watch an anime episode or film today to celebrate? Tell us which one in the comments. And if you think you're too old for this or that this doesn't suit you, listen to this track and try to bite your tongue so you don't join in the chorus:
