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I'm running a panel in the upcoming ACEN with the theme of nostalgia.  One of the things I'd like to discuss is what it was like to be a fan prior to anime being popular in the US ('80s and before?), and how it came to be popular in the US.  

I know there were shows like Astro Boy and Speed Racer that were on TV back in the day, but were they even recognized as anime by most people then?  How did one even get into anime back before you had a real concerted effort to license it in the US?

I've heard a couple ways one could watch anime back then - either joining an anime club which could order stuff in, or know a guy who knew a guy who could get you a bootleg VHS that didn't even have subtitles because it was from a Japanese TV broadcast.  Any truth to that?  Was fansubbing a thing back in the VHS era?  If so how was that done?

Are there any anime shows or movies in particular that could be thought of as being responsible for the upswing in anime's popularity in the US?  Aside from Central Park Media, what were some other companies that aren't around anymore that licensed anime at that time?

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