Finally visited Akihabara and it changed my mind about old anime

I used to think older shows from the 80s were just too dated to enjoy, but walking through those cramped shops in Tokyo last month and seeing the passion for series like Gunbuster made me download it. One shop owner spent 15 minutes explaining the cel animation process and now I get why people love that grainy look. Has anyone else had a trip flip their opinion on a whole era of anime?

2 comments

2 Comments

beth_reed1mo ago

And I'm sitting here thinking about how my clunky VHS tapes from the 80s literally fell apart in the rewinder last week, so maybe I should've listened to that shop owner sooner. Gunbuster's cel animation blew my mind too when I finally checked it out the grainy fight scenes actually make the explosions look more real somehow. I used to skip anything pre-90s because I thought the art style was too weird but now I'm digging through old fansubs of Bubblegum Crisis like a total nerd. The shop owners really know their stuff though I showed a guy my beat up copy of Akira and he didn't even laugh at the tracking issues.

leo_fisher1mo ago

Did you ever try baking soda on the tape reels? Sounds crazy but it can soak up the moisture that makes the magnetic coating peel off. I had the same issue with my Macross Plus VHS set until some old head at a con told me that trick. Saved three tapes that were starting to squeal.