Anime

Colin Odell, Michelle Le Blanc

• Editorial: Kamera Books
• Año: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781842435885
• Categoría: Media & Performing Arts
• Categoría: Animation

This guide to anime offers an overview of the art form, looking at its development in Japan and its export to other cultures. It includes a history of Japanese animation from early examples to the relaunch of animation as a viable commercial entity and its enormous rise in popularity after WWII. Anime explains the difference between manga and anime, offering a brief history of manga including its development from traditional art form (woodblock prints) to massive commercial success with millions of readers in Japan and worldwide. Odell and Le Blanc also consider anime style and genres, its market and importance in Japanese culture, and its perception in the West including controversy, such as criticisms of sex and violence in anime that affect other national markets, including the UK (notably Urotsukidoji) and the USA, where it is considered a 'kids only' market.

A SELECTION OF ANIME

As you can no doubt surmise, a book of this size is simply not large enough to cover every anime created or even a comprehensive selection of the best. We would have similar problems if we were writing a book about any cinema genre. We have thought long and hard about what to include (and, even more difficult, what to exclude) within this section and have tried to offer a selection of films that covers as many different genres, styles aYonosuke, a prosperous merchant, ind markets as possible. This means that, with great reluctance, some fantastic animations have had to be omitted. We would have loved to have covered every Studio Ghibli film and every Kon Satoshi film in detail, for example, but simply do not have the space (please do see every Studio Ghibli and Kon Satoshi film because they are emphatically worth watching), and we wanted to provide as diverse a range of anime from across its history as we could.

Momotarō the Undefeated (Nihon-ichi Momotarō [1928])

Directed by: Yamamoto Sanae
11 mins

An elderly couple are overjoyed when the wife brings home a giant peach that has washed down the river and discovers a young boy inside. He is Momotarō, and he is a ‘kind-hearted, mighty boy’ who grows into a ‘gallant young man’. He defeats a local demon then teams up with a monkey, a dog and a pheasant to travel to Demon Island and challenge all who reside there. He returns home triumphant, bearing treasures.

Momotarō is based on a traditional Japanese folk legend and has appeared in anime right from its inception, from his first starring role in Kitayama Seitaro’s 1918 film. The basic style for Yamamoto’s charming version is very much tableau-based, with the action taking place in front of static backgrounds. Although the animation is generally very restricted to one plane (left to right and vice versa), the quality of the movement and the timing of the fights demonstrates a sophisticated perception of the animation process. The character design is very detailed, most notably in the costumes of the lead characters; Momotarō himself wears traditional dress that is also convenient for fighting.

Momotarō would go on to have further adventures with his chums in Murata Yasuji’s Aerial Momotarō, where our hero takes on an eagle, and Momotarō’s Underwater Adventure, where he is called upon to defeat a vicious shark that has been attacking submarines, as well as his wartime excursions with Momotarō’s Sea Eagles and Momotarō’s Divine Sea Warriors. A TV series in 1989 updated the character for a new generation, even sending him into space. Momotarō would appear in many future anime, right up to a pastiche My Neighbours The Yamadas.

The Tale of the White Serpent (Hakujaden [1958])

Directed by: Yabushita Taiji, Okabe Kazuhiko
Feature film, 78 mins

Tōei Studios were fundamental to the development of animation within Japan. Crucially, they established the two major markets for their animated products – that of television and feature-length film. The Tale of the White Serpent was the first colour, feature-length animation to be produced in Japan.

Set in China, this is a love story between the beautiful princess Bai-Niang and young man Xu-Xian. Xu-Xian had known Bai-Niang since he was a child, but she was very different then. Bai-Niang was actually a white snake, who had been Xu-Xian’s friend. But, after casting aside her reptilian form, the monk Fa-Hai recognises that she is a spirit and separates the pair. Xu-Xian seeks any way he can to find his serpentine amour. Fortunately he has help in the guise of his companions, Panda and Mimi. Bai-Niang has her own assistance, from Xiao-Xin, also a magical creature who has transformed from a fish. But these are harsh times for all creatures as there is magic in the air, dangerous waters to traverse and criminal syndicates to confront if true love has any chance of blossoming.

The quality of the animation on The Tale of the White Serpent remains impressive despite its age, and the character design within its fantasy scenario makes for a timeless tale that mixes romance with cute supporting characters. Despite being released over a dozen years before the massive public panda craze that also created a success for Takahata’s Panda ko panda (1972), The Panda and the Magic Serpent, to give this film its American title, suggests that there is a role for the panda that gives the film (in some edits) a more family-centred feel. The fantastical, spiritual and romantic elements are complemented by an amusing buddy relationship between the animals, especially Mimi and Panda, who are also involved in the action and conflict, whether that be from the magical world or the animal world – notably a pig-led crime syndicate.

The Tale of the White Serpent is an excellent introduction to the world of modern animated feature films and created a viable industry, defining Tōei as a studio which could create solid commercial animated cinema. It was the first anime to be distributed in the USA.

Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atomu [1963–6])

Directed by: Tezuka Osamu
TV anime, 193 episodes

Mushi Productions was formed by Tezuka Osamu in the early 1960s and Astro Boy, based on the star character from his 1950s manga, was its first TV production. It holds an important place in both the history of anime and its heart, and the animation, amongst the earliest to be distributed overseas, remains exemplary even by today’s standards.

The early twenty-first century has advanced technologically to the extent that robots are a part of everyday life, there to assist humans with even the most menial of tasks. Talented scientist Dr Tenma is devastated when his boy Tobio tragically dies in an accident involving an automobile. But while the good Dr Tenma cannot directly resurrect his deceased son he can create a robot with an uncanny resemblance to him. The new robot looks like Tobio but is not Tobio, and the realisation that this ‘boy’ will never grow up causes further distress for his creator. Too late to recognise that the little robot with amazing superpowers is, in fact, capable of understanding and experiencing human emotion, Dr Tenma sells the robot to an evil circus owner. But Astro Boy is rescued by the Ministry of Science’s Professor Ochanomizu and uses his prodigious powers to fight evil.

Astro Boy is one of the most iconic characters created and yet his design was deliberately kept simple: clean lines, simple costuming, distinctive hair and large eyes to convey emotion. The series depicts impressively designed futuristic cities which feel realistic (this series was made well before Japan achieved its international reputation for technological achievements) with a plethora of robots ranging from chibi to gigantic. The human character design ranges from normal depictions to verging on cartoon comic with notable extreme hairstyles, exaggerated expressions and choreographed movements that add elements of fantasy or comedy to the proceedings.

Tezuka’s great skill was telling fantastic stories about very human characters. The interaction between humanity and machinery was a theme that would become prevalent in many future anime. Films such as Metropolis (based on a concept by Tezuka) and Ghost in the Shell ask complex questions about artificial intelligence and what it is to be human. Astro Boy appears, at least on the surface, to be more simplistic, but, despite his apparent indestructibility as a boy hero, the little robot does have human emotions, including moments of worry and disappointment, and he frequently asks questions about issues of morality – what is right and what is wrong – in between the hugely enjoyable moments of combat and flying. Probably the most influential science fiction and fantasy anime created, Astro Boy’s onscreen adventures are constantly enjoyable and engaging.

Jungle Emperor (Jungle Taitei [1965–66]) aka Kimba The White Lion

Directed by: Yamamoto Eiichi
TV anime, 52 episodes

Leo is a white lion who has had a rough start in life. His father, Panja, king of the jungle, was killed by hunters and his pregnant mother captured, bound for a zoo. Leo was born in captivity on a ship but escaped by leaping overboard and made his way back to Africa. He tries to live by his father’s values, ensuring that both animals and humans can live in peace together. Eventually, in future series, he marries Lya and has two cubs, Lune and Lukio, who are raised to continue his ideals.

Based on Tezuka’s manga from the 1950s, Jungle Emperor was the first colour TV anime to be released in Japan. The series was syndicated to the US just a year later, marketed as Kimba The White Lion, and proved to be a huge hit. What is interesting is the way that Leo interacts not only with the other creatures of the jungle – having to ensure a consensus amongst the animals and dealing with rivals, especially his lion nemesis, Claw – but also the way that he communicates with humans as well. These result in confrontations with poachers and hunters but also co-operation with the wildlife rangers. Indeed, the series doesn’t balk at the depiction of some of these skirmishes and the violence is surprisingly graphic. There is also a significant amount of character death. However, the whole is based around Tezuka’s primary premise of showing how different species should try to live together in harmony and peace.

Tezuka’s design for his lead character is again notable for its simplicity – Leo has Astro Boy’s wide, expressive eyes and distinctive shock of a mane perched atop his cute head. Tezuka claimed that he had originally intended Leo’s colouring to be yellow. Apparently he had been working late in poor light and, when he returned to review his work the following morning, noticed that the fur colouring had remained white.

It has been noted that Leo/Kimba bears an uncanny resemblance to Disney’s The Lion King (1994) and it is easy to see the similarities: the death of the father, the range of supporting characters, the quest to achieve peace, some of the character design, and even the lead character’s name, Simba. However, the studio insisted that this was pure coincidence.

Sazae-san (1969–present)

TV anime, > 6,000 episodes

Recently there was an announcement that The Simpsons had surpassed The Flintstones as the longest-running American animated television series. Without denigrating the accomplishment of that long-term broadcasting achievement, there is an anime that exceeds its longevity with ease.

Sazae-san is a Japanese institution, which started out as a popular yonkoma manga by Hasegawa Machiko in 1946. In 1949 Sazae-san went national in the Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s top broadsheets, where it was published daily for the next quarter of a century. The comic was transformed into a TV anime series in 1969 and has maintained its regular broadcast every Sunday evening since then. Sazae-san is essentially a series of humorous vignettes about family life. Although the comics were quite radical at the time, the anime is a gentler affair, grounded in traditional values and viewed with affection by Japanese audiences. Sazae-san is a housewife who lives with her parents and siblings, as well as her salaryman husband and their child. The series’ success lies with its wholesomeness – its lack of conflict and general niceness; the kids occasionally get into minor scrapes and there is some mild slapstick but this is a Japan depicted as the Japanese like to see it – harmonious and community-based.

Sazae-san is not only old-fashioned in its outlook, it was also one of the last anime to be made using traditional cel animation, long after the use of CGI had become the norm in TV anime, with its gruelling production schedules. And it always ends with a janken (paper-scissors-stone) contest between Sazae-san and the audience.

Doraemon (1973, 1979, 2005)

TV anime

Nobi Nobita has a rather special friend. It’s a cat, Doraemon, who hails from the future, way in the twenty-second century, and has travelled back in time to use his super technologically advanced capabilities to aid Nobita whenever he needs him. For Doraemon knows that he must save Nobita from an otherwise awful future thanks to the boy’s general incompetence. He’s terrible at sports (something that Doraemon, we discover, is not), he dislikes school and his mother is constantly moaning at him about not cleaning his bedroom or, even worse, not doing his homework, something Nobita really should get on with because his academic record is distinctly unremarkable. Having Doraemon as a companion is undeniably cool – he has a magical pouch in his tummy that contains multifarious goodies and a propeller on his head for flying, but Doraemon is not a slave to Nobita’s endless needs and, knowing his potential future, is as demanding as Nobita’s mother, albeit technologically far more impressive. However, his assistance often leads to further trouble and much gentle amusement all round.

Originally created as a manga in 1969 by the writers known as Fujiko Fujio (Fujimoto Hiroshi and Motoo Akbiko), Doraemon later became an anime that is still running and remains popular to this day. Predominantly aimed at a children’s market (although an older demographic than educational anime such as Anpanman or Shima Shima Tora no Shimajirō), Doraemon’s plot and characterisation actually appeal to a wider age group than its target audience. As well as the television anime, there are also r...

Índice

• Cover
• ANIME
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• CONTENTS
• ANIME
• INTRODUCTION
• KEY ANIME CREATORS
• A SELECTION OF ANIME
• FURTHER READING
• REFERENCES
• OTHER BOOKS BY COLIN ODELL & MICHELLE LE BLANC
• Copyright