When did anime become such an integral part of Japanese culture?

Anime has been a part of Japanese culture since the early 1900’s but it really did not become an integral part until probably about the 1960’s. There was a period shortly before the end of World War II when anime was primarily used “to lift morale and commitment to the war effort”. In 1963, the first anime TV series such as “Astro Boy “appeared followed by “Sally the Witch” in 1966.

In 1968 a popular baseball-themed anime, “Star of the Giants”, was released and in 1969 a family drama, called “Sazae-san” was released and can still be seen on You Tube today, in 2018. It may even be the longest-running series in anime history.