Older anime – it’s just dated shows with illogical
writing, boring direction, and slow animation, right? While hopefully few
people *literally* believe this exact sentiment, there is still that sense that
older anime is harder to watch. I will FULLY 100% admit to this view lurking
underneath my mask of “everything is good regardless of time.” But, as someone
who has been watching a lot of these ‘older anime’ lately, I wanted to speak to
it being valuable. Even if you aren’t instantly smitten with those old aesthetics.
There are definitely barriers to watching these shows.
They are often harder to access, like when the 1979 anime Rose of Versailles
exited streaming service Crunchyroll a couple months ago – and another anime by
the same director (Dezaki), 1982 anime Space Adventure Cobra, is leaving
Crunchyroll in a week. Many of these older series, let’s say pre-1995 (the
release year of the famous/infamous anime Neon Genesis Evangelion that still
dominates current discussions), require you to download them, given a paucity
of legal options. Sure, series like
Legend of the Galactic Heroes (which ran from 1988 to 1998) and Lupin III (a
long-running franchise with two ‘70s main installments and one main ‘80s
installments) are available for streaming. But most older series seem to
require downloading regardless. And this is setting aside how different in
style many of these older series can be (which is a complete other thing to be considered).
Admittedly, my primary arena is post-Evangelion works,
meaning that for me older anime is quite different from what I expect. And not
all of them fit my aesthetic preferences smoothly. But that’s especially why I
wanted to talk about the value of older anime. It’s much more than just wanting
to be part of a different era, or simply liking certain styles across the
board, but part of evolving as a viewer.
Naturally, there is one very easy argument: see
how people did work earlier on, so you appreciate what you currently watch.
Just watch for “history.” However, in reality, at least for me, I cannot simply
watch a show for its history. Rather than just “history”, I want to know the rationale
that was used – what did this director, possibly operating in a specific time
and place, seek to convey to audiences?
Did they use techniques novel for that time? What about techniques or
narratives that are very specific to the time period? What “logical gaps” are
present and what does this suggest about how the anime staff creates the world?
Similar thoughts can be applied beyond the director and onto animation directors,
key animators, etc. Along these lines, a “historical” analysis could be applied
across a work overall or its key components. This can especially be powerful when
certain creators are defined by a period of activity – for example, famous
directors Dezaki and Rintaro are dead and retired respectively and are best
known for works of the 70s and 80s. Other things were left behind in this era
of older anime – things like Hayao Miyazaki doing key animation on Lupin III.
Other creators became outright inactive past the mid-90s. Thus, from an
intellectual standpoint or a technical standpoint, watching these shows can be
incredibly valuable. As I watch Zambot 3 (a 1977 anime), I could insist that it
is Evangelion before Evangelion, the first REAL deconstruction.
On top of “history”, many of these shows are genuinely fun or innovative or both in their story structure. Because the culture of the time likely has different ideas on what is “illogical”, these stories can make leaps that can be either jarring or fascinating for a modern viewer. Of course, pacing can vary wildly, but the pacing of a 70s show, for example, is very unique in feel – it is often breakneck, sometimes with explanations outright omitted. Such series can emphasize something like that evil of a villain via cartoony humor (known formally as “70s corn”) and then go straight to a more serious tone afterwards; tonal whiplash often is with the territory. These unique tonal transitions and relatively limited explanation can lead to some very unique narrative styles. To put it another way, the narrative constraints and expectations of a time can play a huge role in shaping how a show can be interpreted. Instead of seeming like a simple monster of the week show, Zambot 3 offers themes surrounding both the perpetration of war and how people are treated as migrants or refugees; given that these themes were not common in shows until the modern era (citation: myself), it is fascinating to observe Zambot 3’s story covering that topic. …Which means I could call Tomino a visionary directory based on this work…but as a director, because of his almost slavish obsession with certain themes around war (WAR IS BAD), he is able to help define what a 70s or an 80s show can seek t do even if his works tend to be outliers. It is no exaggeration to say that Tomino has made unique and influential content for a long time.
There’s also a basic “cool” factor where you can find shows you genuinely like regardless of time. It is hopefully self explanatory that watching older anime can help expand shows you like or even love. For example, a friend of mine is currently fostering their newfound love for the 1981 anime Urusei Yatsura, a series they weren’t even sure about initially!
There’s probably other relevant reasons for watching older anime. Some comedic or musical styles just don’t really exist in the same form nowadays. Maybe you want to be an oldhead to outdo the oldheads, just as a pride thing. Maybe you want to debunk an anituber saying the 80s were definitively the best decade for anime by actually seeing some of those 80s OVAs. But the most essential reason to watching old anime is that, even if you do not like everything you see, the process of discovery and observation can be itself the most fun part. In my experience, that is the case. Beyond simply finding likable and/or important works, you get this feeling of “hey I accomplished some viewing.” And you can do that with newer shows too, not just grandpa shows. Maybe there’s a bit more strength to seeing every work beyond its time and place than I admitted earlier.
On top of “history”, many of these shows are genuinely fun or innovative or both in their story structure. Because the culture of the time likely has different ideas on what is “illogical”, these stories can make leaps that can be either jarring or fascinating for a modern viewer. Of course, pacing can vary wildly, but the pacing of a 70s show, for example, is very unique in feel – it is often breakneck, sometimes with explanations outright omitted. Such series can emphasize something like that evil of a villain via cartoony humor (known formally as “70s corn”) and then go straight to a more serious tone afterwards; tonal whiplash often is with the territory. These unique tonal transitions and relatively limited explanation can lead to some very unique narrative styles. To put it another way, the narrative constraints and expectations of a time can play a huge role in shaping how a show can be interpreted. Instead of seeming like a simple monster of the week show, Zambot 3 offers themes surrounding both the perpetration of war and how people are treated as migrants or refugees; given that these themes were not common in shows until the modern era (citation: myself), it is fascinating to observe Zambot 3’s story covering that topic. …Which means I could call Tomino a visionary directory based on this work…but as a director, because of his almost slavish obsession with certain themes around war (WAR IS BAD), he is able to help define what a 70s or an 80s show can seek t do even if his works tend to be outliers. It is no exaggeration to say that Tomino has made unique and influential content for a long time.
There’s also a basic “cool” factor where you can find shows you genuinely like regardless of time. It is hopefully self explanatory that watching older anime can help expand shows you like or even love. For example, a friend of mine is currently fostering their newfound love for the 1981 anime Urusei Yatsura, a series they weren’t even sure about initially!
There’s probably other relevant reasons for watching older anime. Some comedic or musical styles just don’t really exist in the same form nowadays. Maybe you want to be an oldhead to outdo the oldheads, just as a pride thing. Maybe you want to debunk an anituber saying the 80s were definitively the best decade for anime by actually seeing some of those 80s OVAs. But the most essential reason to watching old anime is that, even if you do not like everything you see, the process of discovery and observation can be itself the most fun part. In my experience, that is the case. Beyond simply finding likable and/or important works, you get this feeling of “hey I accomplished some viewing.” And you can do that with newer shows too, not just grandpa shows. Maybe there’s a bit more strength to seeing every work beyond its time and place than I admitted earlier.
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