Anime fans today may be horrified to learn this, but once upon a time, most anime series were only released in Japan. That’s right—there once was a time when a vast majority of the industry’s best and most influential anime series during its Golden Age were only viewable in Japan. Unless a person lived in Japan or jumped through a series of very convoluted hoops, there were very few options for Western anime fans to join in on the fun. This was the time when liking anime was not only rare (US localizations notwithstanding), but also something of a social faux pas. There used to be a time when being uncool was legitimately uncool.
Source：https://www.cbr.com/tekkaman-blade-history-explained/
