I write often about the interesting ways Japan influences the West and vice versa. When the Matrix was released in 1999, it was viewed as an interesting combination of “anime” inspired themes, most obviously Shirow Masamune”s Ghost in the Shell series but also other classics like Megazone 23. The movie Inception is another example, clearly taking some cues from Satoshi Kon’s Paprika. Inspiration is a two-way street, though, and it’s common for animators in Japan to borrow ideas from Hollywood franchises, often creating parodies of Western property memes in the process. Titles like the classic Bubblegum Crisis, essentially an homage to Blade Runner, Japan’s take on the classic Hollywood adventure story Black Lagoon, and the new Deadman “Escape from New York” Wonderland are all examples of this. Gainax’s awesome Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt also toys with just about every Western property it can think of. Then there’s the currently running Aria the Scarlet Ammo, which features a super-cute tsundere with twintails voiced by Rie Kugimiya (of course) and a plot that steals dramatic story elements from the 1995 film Speed whenever it can.
Anime often pays homage to Hollywood themes in subtle ways.
