Written by one of Funimation’s Brand Managers, Jennifu
Ready to feel old? This year, we’re kicking off a lot of new 10-year anniversary editions of some really iconic anime, including the just-released The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and the just-announced Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya collector’s editions.—and more 10th anniversary editions are on the way! To mark these, here’s a rundown of what life was like in 2006—a great year for anime!
In anime:
We can’t stress enough that 2006 was A REALLY GOOD YEAR for anime. 2006 is considered the height of the anime “bubble” in both Japan and the US with a record high (at the time) number of new anime series being created, before the industry took a decline.
Tons of series that still impact us today were born this year:
Ouran High School Host Club and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya both debuted in spring for a season of double Haruhis. Everyone’s learning the Hare Hare Yukai.
Code Geass
Death Note
Nana
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time wins the first Japan Academy Prize (the Japanese equivalent of the Oscar) for Animation of the Year ever awarded
Detective Conan/Case Closed celebrates its 10th movie release
In North America:
Anime is still released in single-volume releases with only about 4 episodes each.
The last volume of Fullmetal Alchemist is released, as well as the movie The Conqueror of Shamballa.
Toonami is on Saturday nights and features the first Yu-Gi-Oh! spinoff, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Toonami also launches their online video service Toonami Jetstream
Other headlines
Twitter is founded in March 2006
Wii and the PS3 living rooms
Motorola Razr phones are still popular, and the Zune debuts
Pluto is demoted to not-a-planet
“You” is Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, celebrating creators of user-generated content
Movies: 300, Da Vinci Code, Cars
What were some of your favorite moments from 2006? Let us know in the comments!
Looking for more anime merch? Check out our store!
