Anime that define the fanbase of different countries?

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Sheleigha

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I'll try and explain what I mean...
A while back, I remember reading an article on here (could not find the link... Maybe someone else recalls it?) about what Japan feels like are essential, anime series that really define "anime". The thing was, alot of what they thought were the international defining anime, weren't so for everyone else... All I really remember, was that Doraemon was high on the list. To me, Doraemon is more a Japanese classic if anything. I know it did get dubbed in a few different languages, but not sure about how the popularity caught on. All I know, is it wouldn't be a good candidate for someone from America would have on their list.

This, is one of the examples of how it seems like every country has a different idea on what the defining anime are. Japan has it's own defining anime, just like America/Canada, and different latin countries do as well (many of which never were dubbed in english, but for example Captain Tsubasa and Saint Seya are good candidates there, so I hear). I thought it would be neat to see what everyone thought would be the defining anime of their countries, knowing how this board is international, of course. Of course, it'll vary quite a bit. You can also make guesses for other countries, like what you think defines Japan etc. I'll do it in the form of a top 5 list, but of course, elaborate and explain, rather than just making a list. I'm also doing it in NO specific numbered order.
(I hope this made sense!)

America/Canda
---------------------
Dragonball Z - The first anime series for MANY MANY people, and one that has held up until now and STILL continues in making sales
Sailor Moon - A show that was quite an impact on girls, having a strong character that wasn't like another female version spin off, like She Ra.
Pokemon - This is more past tense, but during the first season, the show did well for a anime based on a game, and once again created a huge anime fanbase.
Cowboy Bebop - One of the first dubbed "serious" anime, before it completely took of with most dubs being directed to kids. Also known as one of the best dubs, it still holds up!
Anything Miyazaki - Always on the top 10 list of Amazon's best anime sellers, and some of the first non-TV dubbed anime that beginning fans have seen.

I didn't add any of the newer series, like Naruto and Bleach because to be honest, I don't know how much lasting apparal they will hold up in the future since they are still current...

In comparison, my guess is Japan would probably have Doraemon, Gundam, Astro Boy, Dragonball, and Miyazaki movies, but the real article had their real answers on it.

So, what are the top 5 anime series that define your country?
 
In Canada, the biggest was definitely Sailor Moon. YTV had a special relationship with Sailor Moon, and we often got episodes before they aired in America/episodes that never aired in America. And the popular YTV host, Sugar, voiced Rini in S/SuperS, so that was also a big impact.
 
I'm from the Netherlands and most of the stuff that got wide exposure here were the typical kids anime that made it to TV in a lot of countries: Pokemon, DBZ, Yugi-Oh, Digimon, Beyblade and some others.
The first two seasons of Sailor Moon and part of Cardcaptor Sakura were broadcast on TV here only once and without much success. Cowboy bebop was likewise broadcast just once, at midnight and in Japanese with subtitles. Most people didn't even notice it was there. We never got many of the more mature, darker series in the Netherlands, so the Teknoman anime series is still very fondly remembered here by older fans, as it was on television in a pretty good timeslot. Similarly, Samurai Pizza Cats got good TV exposure here and is still fairly well-known.
 
Mexico ADORES Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Dragon Ball Z, Fist of the North Star and Saint Seiya. I remember there was a kid when I was in 5th grade who had a Ghost Sweeper Mikami sticker on his binder (which I didn't find out the name of the show until Sentai licensed it) and he told me it was his favorite show he used to watch in Michoacan.

There's something about us Mexican fans that's different from your typical American moe lover and I just couldn't tell you what.
 
KanjiiZ said:
There's something about us Mexican fans that's different from your typical American moe lover and I just couldn't tell you what.

Hold up, I'm an American, and I hate moe series. Don't clump us together like that. :x
 
KanjiiZ said:
Mexico ADORES Ghost Sweeper Mikami, Dragon Ball Z, Fist of the North Star and Saint Seiya. I remember there was a kid when I was in 5th grade who had a Ghost Sweeper Mikami sticker on his binder (which I didn't find out the name of the show until Sentai licensed it) and he told me it was his favorite show he used to watch in Michoacan.

There's something about us Mexican fans that's different from your typical American moe lover and I just couldn't tell you what.

Yeah, like I said in my first post I heard Saint Seiya was HUGE in Latin America. As for Ghost Sweeper, it's only a show I recognize from the box cover and forum avatars of the main character.

About liking different titles, I noticed too many popular Latin America titles tend to be old classic titles from the 70s. World Masterpiece Theatre titles seem to be popular, such as Heidi. I've seen quite a few of them sold in Latin flea markests (along with Captain Tsubasa/Super Campeones). Maybe the taste is more in the older classics?

I just find it interesting, the diversity^^
 
I'm an American who just happens to be Mexican, so I feel you, Sano.

Yeah all of that stuff too as well as Remi (which I almost bought the spanish dub of). If Mexico had stronger anime licensing companies, I'm sure Giant Killing would be a hit over there too.
 
Haruhi has a big following in Blighty, as does Bleach. More than in the US, I think shonen titles are considered the big hitters, with a pretty poor showing for any other genres such as moe and shojo. The most moe release I can think of over here recently was Moon Phase, possibly. Iuld be off with that, mind, as I usually import all my DVDs.

To go further with this whole topic, I think it would be interesting to go by generation as well. In the UK back in the day you'd have bought Akira, and stayed up at silly hours of the night in order to tape episodes of Oedo 808 and Project A-Ko off Channel 4.
 
Wouldn't Gundam Wing count as another anime that most people would instantly recognize in the US as well? Almost everyone I know has watched Wing when it was shown on Toonami years back.
 
Anime that define the fanbase of different countries

Sheleigha said:
So, what are the top 5 anime series that define your country?

Back in the underground VHS club days (before the mere commercialism of DBZ or Sailor Moon), I remember "Otaku no Video" parodying the circa-'88-90 US as a nation of obsessed Urusei Yatsura addicts.

...It didn't particularly help that they were right. :lol:

(The club fans were the first to spot Complex storylines, as in Robotech, and to praise the Weird, With Cute Girls. That would be UY.)
 
Perhaps a Franciphone member could help me out, but isn't Captain Harlock quite popular in French-speaking nations? I believe they call him 'Albator.'

Likewise, I've heard that Robotech is quite popular in Latin American nations.
 
Tachibana Hirou said:
I think Digimon and Naruto also recognize in US and other countries too. :D

Other countries, maybe, but over here, Digimon never quite escaped its reputation as "Pokemon's brother-in-law Ed", that always wanted a piece of the equal billing.
Naruto is remembered for the whitebread mainstreaming of Cartoon Network, where those with good memories of it use Cowboy Bebop as the representative.
 
Correspondent from Poland reports: it's impossible to write five titles that formed anime fandom and made things recognisable. There can be mentioned 4 eras of anime in Poland.
1)(early 90s) Ancient tapeworms
Japanese cartoons debited earlier, but nobody was taking WMT's masterpieces seriously. The first animes aired as "Japanese cartoons" were long, never ending stories like
Tiger Mask, Capitan Tsubasa, Secret garden, Yattaman etc.

2)(about 1995)Medieval princess
aka
Sailor Moon
Horrible translation, poor overdubbing and the first title that everybody (especially moms of girls in my age) know as anime.
3 About 2000Dragon Ball renaissance
Every weekday about 4pm. children disappear from backyards to watch Slayers, MKR and Dragon Ball. Till today DB share with Sailor Moon title of "classical anime". The first mangas are published, fandom is formally formed around "Kawaii" magazine.

4) about 2005Naruto strikes back as the last anime that will have it's honourable mention in chronicles of fandom. Now varies shows are aired, FMA and Bleach rae very popular among young teenagers, but the times when everybody was watching the same show are gone forever.
 
EireformContinent said:
Every weekday about 4pm. children disappear from backyards to watch Slayers, MKR and Dragon Ball.


Awww you guys were lucky to have those titles back then! Slayers has been around, and I believe even subbed on The International Channel in America (not sure when this was, but more in the 2000s I believe) and if Rayearth was here too, I'm sure it would have also been a hit, being around the time when Sailor Moon was popular! Then girls could have not just Sailor Moon to relate to, but that as well!

It's all very interesting to hear the diversity in titles! There will always been the same few popping up of course, but many will differ. I was also thinking of how to incoperate the older series for really classic titles, but for as big as say, Robotech was back in the day, I honestly don't think it holds up AS much as the ones I had posted. I'm sure the older members would disagree, but I just don't believe it went that mainstream then... As "niche" as anime is now, it was probably considered almost underground then (yet, it did air on TV, correct?) I'm sure a member could enlighten me^^
 
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