Gone are the days of trying to find anime to stream online, legally or not so much, if you did not want to wait for the DVD release to maybe come out in your country. These days, streaming sites like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Disney+ are regularly delivering anime the same day that it is released in Japan, legally and complete with subtitles. This has made being an international anime fan so much easier, and lets otaku around the world stay up to date with the latest anime.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s director considers his own anime roots
11.03.2024 - 17:27 / polygon.com
Joaquim Dos Santos is one of the most influential and successful animators of his generation. Even if you’re not immediately familiar with his name, you’re no doubt familiar with a series or film he’s worked on.
The 46-year-old Portuguese American director’s filmography is studded with contributions to some of the most highly acclaimed animated shows of the 21st century, from episodes of Justice League Unlimited and Avatar: The Last Airbender to executive producing series like The Legend of Korra and Voltron: Legendary Defender. That’s not even mentioning what is easily his greatest professional accomplishment to date: co-directing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the 2023 follow-up to the Oscar-winning animated superhero film.
Dos Santos was one of several high-profile guests who were invited to the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards to present this year’s nominees and honor the accomplishments of the anime industry at large. Polygon had the opportunity to speak with Dos Santos ahead of the awards to discuss his personal history with anime, what fascinates him the most about the medium, and the artists and animators that inspire him in his own approach to storytelling.
This interview has been edited for content and clarity.
Polygon: What was your first favorite anime, and what’s your favorite anime now?
Joaquim Dos Santos: They’re both the same. I don’t know if it was my first anime per se, because I think anime had been kind of infiltrating the U.S. for many, many years without us really realizing it back then. But the first one that stood out to me that I knew was not made in the U.S., that existed outside of Western storytelling conventions, was Macross. In the States, it was called Robotech.
I remember that made a huge impact on me. You have to remember it was the mid-’80s and ’90s, and all the cartoons at the time — and I love them all, by the way — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joe, and Thundercats, they were all great, but they felt like they were essentially driving products for kids. Macross was the first one that had all the stuff I loved as a kid, which was giant robots and aliens, but it also had these love stories that were woven in. People died and stayed dead, and the characters had to deal with that death and what it means to be at war with somebody else. What does it mean if your enemy becomes your friend? Those intricacies really made a huge impression on me, so that one to this day is still my favorite.
You’re a visual storyteller who pulls inspiration from a variety of different sources . What is quality that is unique about anime that personally inspires you as a creator?
Honestly, it’s the appreciation of the quiet moments. It’s the little observations that allow you to
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