As television increasingly took the anime torch away from film, a number of iconic themes and series were produced to satisfy an ever-growing audience of fans.
From the beginning of the genre, there was always a demand for the fantastic stories, drawn from the myths and folk tales of Japan and elsewhere. Often featuring humans, spirits, and animals (or any combination in one character), this trait was augmented by the significant Disney influence, especially in postwar anime.
However, the 1970s also saw the rise of more realistic, historical, and literary themes in anime, beginning mainly with the internationally-successful Arupusu no Shōjo Haiji (Heidi, Girl of the Alps). The wartime anime had added a definite tendency for military themes and conflict, but it was giant mechanical weapons that came to symbolize anime combat. The human-controlled Super Robot theme had been a part of anime and manga as far back as 1958′s Tetsujin 28-gō (Gigantor), but it was Majingā Zetto (Mazinger Z) in 1972 that made “mecha” a household word (of sorts).
In 1974, a related series, Uchū Senkan Yamato (Space Battleship Yamato, or Star Blazers in the US) predated 1977′s Star Wars phenomenon as anime’s first and most influential “space opera”. In fact, Yamato’s 1977 feature film release was arguably more anticipated and popular in Japan than the Lucasfilm import. Along with 1979′s feature film version of Mobile Suit Gundam, a (relatively) more realistic Super Robot series, it became obvious that the anime “Golden Age” had begun.
The late 1970s and into the 1980s saw the rise and widespread use of consumer videotape and VCRs, which provided additional distribution avenues and longevity for revenue…as well as the ability for anime studios to cater to more specific interests. At extreme opposite ends of the spectrum, this allowed countless shows for small children to be produced, as well as giving a huge boost to anime’s ‘evil twin’, hentai…