Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most famous and influential anime directors of all time, has created many classic anime films such as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Howl's Moving Castle.

The compact disc (CD) was co-invented by Philips and Sony in the 1980s and has since replaced vinyl records as the primary means of music storage.

Mobile Suit Gundam, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino in 1979, is a popular anime series that helped to popularize the mecha genre of anime, which features giant robots.