Anime Archaeology
What we are
We are long-time otaku who analyze anime (mostly classics).
We believe a few things:
- In-depth analysis and discussion of anime is worthwhile and fun.
- Different people like different things. There's no such thing as a universally "good" or "bad" anime.
- Anime is more fun and less confusing if you understand what it's referencing.
- Most anime are based on the classics of the medium, so it's beneficial to know the classics, even if you don't love them.
- Old anime can be just as entertaining as modern anime.
- Old anime covers genres you might enjoy that are less common today (like mecha).
- Watching old anime can improve your understanding of modern anime. It's helpful to see how anime has evolved, in terms of animation styles, genres, and how anime has affected or been affected by other media over time.
- Specialization is for insects. Appreciation of one aspect of anime improves with knowledge of the rest of the medium and its context.
- Build your opinion of a work based on watching it rather than relying on someone else's tweet or headline.
- Reviews improve as their objectivity increases. Tell me about the anime's genres, its use of color, the pace of the editing, and how the background music complements the visuals. No review can be completely objective, but it's better to avoid subectivity as much as possible, and admit to it when it's unavoidable. Subjective reviews—talking about what the reviewer liked or didn't like—only help the audience if the tastes of both the reviewer and the audience match. This is unlikely.
- Talking about anime that you find problematic or that you otherwise wouldn't recommend does not endorse that anime. Indeed, it's important to talk about these works so others know what they're getting into.
Where we are
We livestream on 
Twitch Sunday nights starting at 7:00pm Eastern, though we're on a temporary hiatus through at least November 2024.
We upload video essays and reviews on 
YouTube.
Resources
The Anime Canon
To help people identify classics that are relevant for point #2 above in our beliefs, here are some classic anime that are helpful to watch:
| Year | Anime name | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Heidi, Girl of the Alps | The first major Isao Takahata/Hayao Miyazaki work |
| 1974 | Space Battleship Yamato | Arguably the first anime that early fans formed clubs around; the birth of "otaku" as an organized fandom |
| 1979 | Mobile Suit Gundam | The first "real robot" anime |
| 1979 | The Rose of Versailles | Hugely influential shoujo anime |
| 1982 | Super Dimension Fortress Macross | A huge mecha hit with both otaku and regular viewers; successfully appealed to both boys and girls |
| 1985 | Angel's Egg | Mamoru Oshii's heavily symbolic film; the poster child for "weird symbolic anime" |
| 1986 | Dragon Ball Z | The first continually successful shonen battle series-turned-franchise |
| 1988 | Akira | High-budget, high-box office film that proved anime could target adults and make money |
| 1992 | Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon | The first magical girl team anime, and the first to see worldwide popularity |
| 1995 | Neon Genesis Evangelion | An incredibly popular psychological mecha series |
| 1997 | Pokemon | The series that turned anime mainstream in North America |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | A wild ride through symbolic adolescence |
| 2001 | Spirited Away | Arguably the film that put Hayao Miyazaki on the map in North America |
| 2003 | Fullmetal Alchemist | This series and Brotherhood were popular and tackle tough themese |
| 2006 | Death Note | A surprisingly popular dark anime |
| 2012 | Sword Art Online | The first massively popular "stuck in an MMO" anime that arguably set up fandom for isekai |
| 2013 | Attack on Titan | A surprisingly pouplar dark anime, helped by being shonen |
Records
The following is an archive of references to actual interviews and other information corroborating our viewpoints on anime.
- Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance
-
- The series was made in Unreal Engine 5
- The official Gundam.info website: "Production has begun on Gundam Requiem for Vengeance, a new anime made for global release using Unreal Engine 5"
- Manga
-
- As of 1982, manga made up about 28% of the Japanese publishing industry. 47.5 million copies of manga were published every month.
- Manga: The Cartoon in Contemporary Japanese Life
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
-
- The ending of the TV series was hard work and intentional
- EvaWiki, Eva Special Talk with Anno Hideaki and Toshiya Ueno (Newtype 11/1996)
Panels
Download the slides for Anime Archaeology's convention panels below:
- Genshin Impact as Norse Tragedy
- The Hard-Nosed Business: Why Anime is Made
- Ink and Paint Come Alive: How Anime is Made
Contact us
Join us on Discord or 
email Brent. We don't use social media. We're old-school that way.
Art by r/Sukiyw.
