The Golden Age — the 1980s || Overview

#AnimeHunters

“Japanese animation isn’t just for children. It’s capable of expressing deep ideas, human emotion, and philosophy.”

— Hayao Miyazaki

『Intro』

Welcome anime classic lovers, this time around I'll provide you some deep insight into anime of the 1980s. This post contains some general information on the topic, creators and studios that shaped the decade. In posts I'll then dive into standout films, OVAs and anime series of the 80s. Don't forget to check out my posts about anime of the 1960s and 70s.

『A Decade of Transformation』

“The 1980s were a period where creators started taking more risks—where anime stopped asking what it could be, and started answering it.”

— Mamoru Oshii (paraphrased)

The 1980s marked a significant period of growth and expansion in anime, both domestically in Japan and internationally. During this decade, anime began to gain widespread popularity and recognition, thanks in part to the emergence of iconic series that would go on to become classics. The medium itself also transformed, as anime started tackling adult themes more openly. Furthermore, technical innovations like the more widespread use of multi-plane camera techniques and lavish cel animation with high frame counts marked the style of the decade. Soundtracks, often with synth and rock, became more stylized and iconic, adding to anime's overall success in the 80s.

『Anime Goes Global』

The 1980s continued and strengthened anime’s global spreading. Anime slowly but steadily found audiences beyond its home country. Shows like Robotech (a re-edited fusion of several series), Voltron, and Captain Harlock were among the first to be syndicated on western tv.

Simultaneously, the rise of home video opened new channels for anime distribution. Imported VHS tapes allowed niche audiences to discover new and experimental titles. Top runners were Fist of the North Star, Vampire Hunter D, and Wicked City. These darker, more mature films circulated through fan clubs, conventions, and specialty stores. They nourished an underground but devoted fanbase.

『Defining Genres』

One development that continued from the 70s was the expansion of mecha genre. Many anime of the 80s featured piloted giant robots. The genre shifted from heroic super robots to complex, militarized real robot narratives. For example, the Macross series saw its first installment with The Super Dimension Fortress Macross in 1982. Furthermore, the 1985 sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, became the most successful real robot space opera in Japan.

Additionally, in the 1980s several iconic shounen anime series emerged. Dragon Ball, Saint Seiya, and Fist of the North Star are the most notable ones. And all three fan-favorites were produced by Toei Animation.

Another genre that hat it's golden era in the 1980s was cyberpunk. Inspired by the global sci-fi boom and Japan’s own tech-fueled transformation, creators explored dystopian futures, simulated realities, and the dark side of high technology. It were OVAs like Bubblegum Crisis, Megazone 23, and Cyber City Oedo 808 that didn’t just reflect cyberpunk — they helped define it.

『The Rise of OVAs』

For the first time, the 1980s brought anime to the home video market in the form of original video animation (OVA). These are anime that, in contrast to theatrical films and TV series, are produced specifically for release on the video market. The introduction of OVAs meant the emergence of a third distribution channel for anime in Japan. That allowed more — and especially smaller — studios to enter anime market, as OVAs offered the opportunity for smaller, directly financed projects. In the second part of this blog series about anime in the 80s, we'll take a closer look at some popular OVAs.

Additionally, OVAs strengthened the anime fan scene which had been growing since the 70s. The video medium made it possible for fans to share anime with each other and to watch the works repeatedly and more closely. The direct distribution to fans also had a major influence on the produced content. It allowed for more mature, experimental, and niche content to be created. Genres like cyberpunk, horror, and erotic subcontext became more present and popular. This trend helped solidify anime’s reputation as a medium that could push boundaries. It also enabled the creation of pornographic anime — with the first hentai OVA being Wonder Kids studio's Lolita Anime in 1984.

『Otaku Culture & Experimental Filmmaking』

“The term ‘otaku’ wasn’t always flattering. But it was also a recognition that something new was forming—something ionate and powerful.”

— Toshio Okada, co-founder of Gainax (paraphrased from interviews)

The 1980s were also the time of Japanese Cinema's Second Golden Age. Some successful anime series from the 70s were brought back at the beginning of the 80s as theatrical films. These versions of Space Battleship Yamato and Mobile Suit Gundam saw major commercial success.

Anime magazines like Animage and Newtype emerged as a response to the growing fan communities. These had developed in the late 1970s and early 1980s around series like Yamato and Gundam. In Japan, a subculture began to form around such magazines. Its later came to be known as otaku.

The otaku subculture became more pronounced with Mamoru Oshii’s 1981 adaptation of the popular manga Urusei Yatsura. However, Oshii soon distanced himself from the fan culture. With his 1984 film Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, he took a more independent creative approach. This break with the otaku subculture opened the door for further experimentation.

In 1985, his next and first original film, Angel’s Egg, was released. The film features elements that were highly unusual for anime productions of the time, which has left many viewers puzzled about its supposed meaning. This led to the film being quite commercially unsuccessful. However, in today's decade it is revered for it's unique take on anime and storytelling and Oshii is considered a symbol of anime’s experimentation.

Three years later, in 1988, Oshii directed the OVA series Patlabor: The Early Days, followed in 1989 by Patlabor: The Movie. He was also the one who directed Dallos in 1983 — the first ever OVA.

Let's come back to the fan-culture of the 80s. University students influenced by the emerging otaku subculture founded Gainax in the early 1980s under the name Daicon Film. One of these students was Hideaki Anno. Their first projects were animated shorts for the Daicon conventions. These shorts were so popular in the otaku community that they were given a chance to produce Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamis — the most expensive anime film at the time.

『The Birth of Studio Ghibli』

“We don’t make films for children. We make films for the child that lives inside every adult.”

— Isao Takahata

Another popular anime film of the 80s was Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. It was released in 1984 and produced at Topcraft. The studio, however, went bankrupt in 1985 and was dissolved, which effectively split it in two. On the other hand, this also turned out to be a stroke of luck. It enabled Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, and Isao Takahata to acquire assets and found Studio Ghibli.

Of course, every anime fan should know Studio Ghibli. It is internationally well known, together with Hayao Miyazaki. The studio focuses almost exclusively on high-quality theatrical films. This makes it a special case among Japanese animation studios, which generally neither have such strong brand recognition nor are able or willing to concentrate on a small number of productions at this level of quality.

In 1986, Castle in the Sky became the first film produced by Ghibli. Miyazaki and Takahata then released more films in 1988/89. These early works — Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies, and Kiki’s Delivery Service — would later become cornerstones of anime's legacy.

『Akira’s Legacy』

“With Akira, we wanted to make something that had never been seen before. We wanted to show the world what Japanese animation could truly do.”

— Katsuhiro Otomo

The late 1980s saw an increasing number of high-budget and experimental films. Akira is THE film that Western anime fans think of when it comes to anime in the 80s. The production of Akira involved significantly greater effort than any previous Japanese animated film and experimented with new stylistic techniques.

You might not believe it, but in 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo's film was only a moderate commercial success in Japan. However, Akira brought with it a much larger international fan base for anime. It played a key role in the acceptance of anime in Western countries and introduced many new viewers to Japanese animation. Moreover, it was instrumental in the big boom of anime in english-speaking countries during the early 90s.

But every golden age must end.

『The End of an Era』

The bursting of the bubble economy and Osamu Tezuka's death in 1989, marked the end of the 1980s golden era of anime.

As the 1980s came to a close, anime had evolved from a niche national medium into a creative force with global momentum. It was a decade of innovation, experimentation, and the birth of legends — both creators and studios alike. With its roots now firmly planted in international soil, anime was ready to flourish in the decades to come, forever changing how the world viewed animation.