The term “classic” is extremely vague and carries the baggage of a general correlation to the age of the subject. To some, it could even be seen as a sort of a pejorative term as many regard older media as inferior and “not cool”. I remember several anime club meetings at my local college where certain members would whine about having to sit through anything “old”. This disregard for the history of the medium that we all love definitely highlighted a division between fans, one I feel should not be there. I do have a nostalgic sense for things from my youth, but hope that this blog doesn’t exist as yet another window into the life of a jaded thirty-something yelling at kids to get off his lawn. With that in mind, how do I use “classic”?

The label “classic rock” means radio rock ‘n roll from the 70’s and 80’s, “classic film” means anything from before 1970, and classical music ends sometime in the early twentieth century. When speaking of “classic anime” I had to think up a definition of a term that many use, but very few define. For some, it simply means “80’s anime”, and for others it means things from five years ago. For me, the anime industry shifted drastically around the year 2000, and I see anything before that to be “classic”.

In 2000 digital animation became the norm, and traditional animal cels went the way of the dodo. Suddenly anime hit somewhat of a “fad” and became a mainstream medium. Best Buy suddenly had an anime section, Hollywood actors were doing voice over work, and popular TV shows had anime parodies. Then the bubble burst. We’re now closer to the “old days” in anime then we ever were a decade ago, and to me that’s both a good and bad thing. Anime is no longer over-saturating the market, but it definitely lost some fans.

That isn’t to say I won’t venture out into this modern era, but I feel that most modern anime fans know quite a bit about these sorts of shows / films. So whether it’s because of nostalgia, or some sort of educational purpose, I’d like to mostly discuss forgotten gems, old school favorites, and new features that have older sensibilities. Think of this blog as the “alternative scene” to the “anime top 40”, it’s not that I dislike things like Naruto, I’d just rather discuss Galaxy Express 999!