Animation has spread far and wide to all corners of the world as a way for people to express their creativity and ideas, often inspired by each other. Specifically, lots of other countries’ animation styles have been influenced by the Japanese style of animation, but the same can be said for the other way around.
Japanese animators have been inspired by Western animation for a while, and have brought a unique spin on it to their own shows. Three distinct shows come to mind when it comes to those styles, that being Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Inferno Cop, and Pop Team Epic. These three shows all look fairly American aesthetic-wise, and all share one thing, random adult and meta humor.
The first show on the roster is Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, a well-known cult classic. The show follows the two "Anarchy Sisters", Panty and Stocking, fallen angels that are stuck on Earth defeating bizarre monsters in order to earn their way back into heaven.
The show is heavily influenced by American cartoons, with stylized characters using sharp angles and bright colors. The style is reminiscent of Powerpuff Girls and Invader Zim, with a focus on more geometric designs and exaggerated proportions. There is even a direct reference to Invader Zim in the show, the sister's pet named Chuck has a similar design to the iconic GIR from Invader Zim.
The creator of the show, Hiromi Wakabayashi, is also known to be a Western animation fan and specifically states that the American adult animated television sitcom Drawn Together from 2004 was a big inspiration for Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. He was inspired by how vulgar Drawn Together was, and wanted to apply those elements when producing Panty & Stocking.
The next heavily American influence series is Inferno Cop, a series produced by Studio Trigger released in 2012, making it one of the studio's earliest works. Studio Trigger, founded in 2011 by former Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishii and Masahiko Ōtsuka, who also happened to work on Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, with Hiroyuki himself being the director for the show.
Inferno Cop is a very short series, consisting of thirteen episodes with an average length of three minutes. This series was also known as an "ONA", or, "original net animation", meaning that instead of airing on television, the episodes were uploaded online.
The series follows the titular Inferno Cop, a retired police officer with a flaming skull head trying to get revenge on the secret Illuminati-like organization that killed his family, "Southern Cross". While that synopsis sounds very serious, the show is anything but, with mostly wacky episodes and lots of silly gags.
The type of animation used for the show is called "motion comic" style, where comic panels are expanded upon with bits of animation. This then brings up the animation style, which is influenced by American comics, with most characters seeming rather realistic in a classic superhero art style. Inferno Cop himself seems to be inspired by characters like Ghost Rider, with the reminiscent flaming head and penchant for justice.
The final series with ample western influence is Pop Team Epic. Pop Team Epic is an animated parody show, adapted from the original "yonkoma" manga of the same name. The show is generally disjointed, following the two main characters, the short and very angry Popuko, and the tall and very calm Pipimi and their strange adventures parodying movie tropes and different intellectual properties.
The show utilizes different types of animation, typically using 2D animation, CG animation, and stop-motion. The episodes typically have a fifteen-minute runtime, with each new episode swapping voice actors and art styles.
The first half of the episodes are voiced by men taking on the roles of Popuko and Pipimi, while the second half is typically voiced by women. The series is very reminiscent of humor many would recognize from Adult Swim -- raunchy, and sometimes very dark. It's fitting that Pop Team Epic would eventually air in English on Adult Swim. While Pop Team Epic uses a standard anime art style, it feels very American in its quick-witted, sometimes demented humor.
While the Japanese anime art style sweeps the overseas market, Japan isn't only looking inward for inspiration, it is also looking outward. With Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt taking cues from Invader Zim and Drawn Together, Inferno Cop poking fun at Ghost Rider, and Pop team Epic taking a crack at the styling of Adult Swim, they are all unique and entertaining in their own ways.