SOMEWHERE in our childhood or perhaps, in the quiet stretch of adolescence, anime lived in the background of our youth,  like a strange world glowing in the dark, a story slowly unfolding through art. When the world seemed to slow down and the night turned blurry, there was that familiar pull to sit in front of a screen in a quiet awe, waiting for your favorite show to begin. 

  Within the Filipino psyche, anime has played a strong role in shaping our childhood memories. Amidst the long-held misconceptions and stereotypes placed by the significant minority that cartoons are made only for children, anime reveals a deeper reality, exploring a wide spectrum of themes such as love, friendship, morality, war, and resistance. It is not merely entertainment but something more enduring, a philosophy hidden inside an adventure. 

Frames that Speak

But what exactly is this moving magic that flickers within our screens?

Anime refers to animated television shows and films produced in Japan and dates back to the early 1900s when animated techniques were first used. Inspired by US pioneers such as J. Stuart Blackton, Japanese producers began creating animated offerings of their own, telling stories about their history and culture.

As it gained popularity, it continued to make waves across different nations. Today, National Anime Day is celebrated on the 15th of April,  highlighting the rich expression and artistry of this genre of motion pictures. Anime, since then, has travelled far from its homeland, touching the hearts and embedding itself into the everyday lives of Filipinos. 

From Arrival to Resistance 

Back in the 1970s, the era marked what would later be seen as the golden age of anime, as Japan introduced it to the world, particularly in the Philippines, with the show Voltes V–a cultural phenomenon in 1978 alongside other mecha titles such as Mazinger Z, Daimos, UFO Robo Grendizer, all contributing to the growing fascination with anime.

Among the many anime that reached Filipino television, one stood above the rest. 

Beyond what seems to be a super robot series, Voltes V is a classic 1977 Japanese anime series and the second installment of the Robot Romance Trilogy. It depicts the story of three brothers, joined by two companions, as they search for their lost father, while waging a war against a horned race of alien invaders. Together, the five young pilots defend the Earth from the Bozanian Empire by combining vehicles into the super robot, Voltes V.

Unlike many Western Cartoons, Voltes V explored stories of justice, loyalty, and sacrifices that resonated deeply with Filipino values. The captivating plot of the series reveals a more profound narrative of people rising against an oppressive force, embodying a powerful message of resistance against authority.

What seemed to be an unstoppable force, however, the growing influence of anime was abruptly shoved to the corner when martial law was imposed in the Philippines, banning Voltes V and other mecha titles just before the final episodes were released due to what the regime deemed “excessive violence.”

       In a nation living under authoritarian rule, such themes did not go unnoticed. The story of heroism displayed through moving images turned into a reflection that confronts the realities faced by a society under those in power. Thus, in a series centered on machines fighting for justice and freedom, the narrative was seen more than a fiction, but a threat to a tyrannical ruler which led to its eventual ban, justified through claims that it was “warlike in nature” and capable of tended to create “unwholesome attitudes among children toward violence,” as cited in news reports and formalized under the Interim Board of Censors for Motion Pictures, warning its supposed “harmful effects.”

For a time, the screen went silent, and anime soon returned along with democracy after the success of the 1986 People Power Revolution. But only in 1990 was the rebirth and new chance for anime to re-emerge from the rubble. This period saw the rise of Tagalog dubbing of well-loved anime such as Sailor Moon and Magic Night Rayearth, which seamlessly incorporated themselves within the spirit of the decade. By the 2000s, anime had fully entered the mainstream, with titles like Dragon Ball, Ghost Fighter, Slam Dunk, and Ranma.

Indeed, Voltes V did not merely exist as a form of entertainment; rather, it settled into memory, becoming a quiet yet powerful touchstone for those who grew up in a repressive political era. Its abrupt disappearance lingered like an unfinished story that seemed to echo a deeper longing for freedom. In many ways, its banning came to symbolize something far greater than a missing finale, but a reflection of the silence imposed upon the people, a moment where even the right to imagine, to question, and to seek freedom was taken away.

Fiction that Forces Awareness

From the eye-watering pieces of one of the most respected anime filmmakers in history,  Hayao Miyazaki, to the action-filled motions and dark, complex, and political narratives of Hajime Isayama in the popular cartoon, “Attack on Titan,” anime has truly gone far from being just a mode of entertainment. It has evolved to become an actual work of art capable of capturing every emotion in every flick of the artist’s wrist. 

Anime in the modern period has become not only a medium of storytelling but also an instrument of freedom and self-expression for both creators and viewers, creating a growing community that goes beyond the borders of race, gender, or creed. 

In a sense, anime has made “one piece” of us all, where even the simplest stories drawn in ink and brought into life through motion hold power to challenge, inspire, and resist.