I think we all know how extensive the world of Japanese animation is. This goes hand in hand with the infinite possibilities that this brings. Thus, whether you are a newbie or a complete veteran on the subject, there will always be more interesting things to learn. And for this reason, today we decided to share with you a few interesting things about this industry. Without further ado, let’s get started!

THE NAME OF STUDIO GHIBLI COMES FROM “MEDITERRANEAN WINDS”

The name Ghibli that was given by Hayao Miyazaki comes from the Italian noun “ghibli” which refers to the hot and dry winds, often violent, at the same time that it is based on the Libyan-Arabic name given to the hot winds of the desert of the Sahara.

Miyazaki’s idea in using this name was to express that Ghibli would ” blow a new wind through the anime industry.”

THE ANIME “SPACE BROTHERS” HAD VOICE LINES RECORDED FROM SPACE!

Space Brothers is an anime about two boys who aspire to be astronauts. The anime is distinguished by its realistic approach and has plenty of material to keep space geeks hooked.

It also has a pretty awesome fun fact: Episode 31 features the first recorded voice acting from outer space. Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide provided his voice while aboard the International Space Station. Hoshide noted that filming in outer space “was pretty tough, but I did my best.”

THE TITANS OF SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN ARE BASED ON DRUNK PEOPLE

Hajime Isayama was working at an internet cafe when he came across a drunk customer. The experience affected him so much that he was inspired to create a manga about it. You may know about it, a little indie story called Attack on Titan.

According to Isayama, the client showed him how difficult it can be to communicate with someone despite being of the same species. He also made her realize that the scariest animal is also the most common: the human being. 

A CHARACTER WITH 22 DIFFERENT VOICE ACTORS?

It’s not uncommon for a character to get a new voice actor in a reboot, or even a new season. But there is one character in particular who has a new seiyuu in every aired episode of their series.

Eucliwood Hellscythe, from “Kore wa Zombie Desu ka?”, has 22 different voice actresses throughout the episodes and OVAs. The reason? Although the character rarely speaks, each episode features fantasy segments in which Eucliwood participates. And every time this happens, she has a different voice.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE THINGS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN BORROWED FROM THE ANIME

Hollywood has drunk many times from the cup of anime. There are The Wachowski Sisters, who publicly accept that they were inspired by Ghost in the Shell to create The Matrix. There are also those that do not admit the obvious, as in the case of Pacific Rim, The Lion King, or the most undeniable as in the case of “Black Swan”.

Black Swan, by Darren Aronofsky, has endless similarities: the names of the protagonists are Nina (BS) and Mima (PB), with similar physical features. Both in the entertainment industry, both dream big, and their personalities are similar.

Aronofsky denies any connection, but the nearly identical scenes and shots are hard to miss. Especially knowing that the director obtained in 2000 the rights for a remake of Perfect Blue. Of course, by having the rights, the director could replicate Perfect Blue as much as he wanted. Why is he so determined to deny the obvious? That is the real mystery. Even Steven Spielberg has admitted on one occasion that he is an anime lover.

THE AVERAGE JAPANESE ANIMATOR EARNS LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE

Let’s go with a sad fact. Who hasn’t dreamed of making their own anime or working for their favorite studio? Unfortunately, all dreams have some ugly side. If you are thinking of being an animator in Japan, listen to your mother’s advice when she asks “From what are you going to live?”. This job may sound like fun, but it’s exhausting and alarmingly underpaid.

Every year more and more anime is produced, but there is less money to give to each of the bunch of animators on the payroll. The result is an industry riddled with animators who work for months on end while earning less than minimum wage.

“COMIKET” (COMIC MARKET) IS BIGGER THAN “COMIC-CON”

When we talk about conventions of a gigantic scale, the first thing that comes to mind is the famous Comic-con, where basically all the news of the western entertainment industry is presented. A real titan whose tickets are sold out in minutes. With more than 167,000 people attending San Diego in 2015, it’s easy to see why it’s such a well-respected event. 

However, the Japanese “Comiket” has a registered attendance of more than 550,000 people in 2007. And we all know that the assistance trend in this type of event always goes upward year by year. It is the mecca event for anime and manga of excellence and obviously, its magnitude will be proportional to the number of fans of that said industry. Just think about how many people love anime and manga in Japan (where more paper is used for manga than for toilet paper) and get an idea.

THE TERM “OTAKU” IS VERY POORLY SEEN IN JAPAN

There are so many words to describe a person who is passionate about Japanese culture. Anime nerd, weeaboo, and of course the Japanese word “otaku”. While on our side of the globe the stigmatization of otakus fell along with that of nerds (Because well, until now some consider them two beans of the same pot)

This noun may resemble the English word “geek” more commonly used to indicate someone very passionate about something, but its meaning is not so simple in its place of origin.

The word “otaku” has an extremely negative meaning in the Japanese language. This is generally used to refer to someone who stays at home all the time and has no social life, adding an extra touch of “disgust” given the occasions where the actions of some anime and manga fan in that country have been of the weirdest, damaging to other people, twisted, etc.

Perhaps you already knew some of the things mentioned and others you had no idea. Likewise, we hope you liked our little list. Let us know that juicy tidbit we didn’t put up but you think is something every anime fan should know in the comments!

Until next time fellow anime fans!