This class seeks to provide a broad introduction to the study of Japanese Animation, examining the social and historical context of various film movements throughout Japan’s unique century plus history of work that led its artists to become global trendsetters in the field of animation. Beginning with the history of Japanese illustration, we will then discuss how film movements such as ‘Daikaiju’ (giant monster) and other early Science Fiction subgenres inspired an emerging generation of animators in the postwar era. We will also explore how Japan’s meteoric economic rise during the boom years helped pave the way for its culture to achieve global popularity, and how even now in the subsequent decades after the 1989 market crash, Japan has remained culturally relevant through animation. Classes are primarily lecture based, but will include viewing of short animations and other film excerpts throughout.