The very first anime. The appearance of the very first anime in the world Watch anime of old years all types

In our country, anime is a prerequisite for the emergence of a subculture; in Japan, it is a special segment of the economy that brings good income to the state treasury. The debate about when the very first anime arose continues today. Previously, there were no studios for creating films, and everything was done by amateurs, so a lot of information was lost.

100th Anniversary of Anime

According to unofficial data, 2007 marked exactly 100 years since the very first anime was created. A few years earlier, namely in 2005, a celluloid tape was found on which the frames were drawn. It is considered to be the oldest animated work, the creation of which dates back to 1907.

The tape consisted of 50 frames. They depicted an OYASH (ordinary Japanese schoolboy) writing on the blackboard the kanji: 活動写真 (katsudo sashin), which translated means “active photographs.” Afterwards he turns to the viewer and bows, taking off his hat, which was part of the then school uniform. It is unknown who the author of this animation was, and whether there was a continuation of this story or not.

First anime

It is officially accepted that the very first anime in the world dates back to 1917. The animation was directed by Shimokawa Dekoten and was titled Suketchi no nyūarubamu (New Sketchbook). A year later, in 1918, his animation “Momotaro” was released. Somewhat later, the animated film “Battles of the Monkey and the Crab” (Sarutokani notatakai) by Kitayama Seitaro appears. These two directors are considered to be the founders of the Japanese animation genre.

The first ones lasted no more than 5-6 minutes. They showed simple scenes from Japanese life, fairy tales or mythology. The films were created by single animators who worked in their homes. The artists took into account the experience of animators from Europe and the States and over time received the genre that can be seen today.

By now, the very first anime of the early twentieth century has been irretrievably lost. There is only some information left that these works were shown in public and in cinemas, while collecting money. The very first animators worked at home, their work was simple and straightforward. Perhaps that is why they quickly won the favor of the public.

First studios

The very first anime was created by single enthusiasts, and animators covered their expenses by selling the rights to show it in cinemas. When anime began to be talked about as an independent genre, the companies Takamasa Eiga and Asagi Kinema became involved in its formation, beginning to actively engage in the development of this industry. The first studios whose work was based on the creation and release of animated films appeared in 1932 on the initiative of Masaoki Kenzo. The first studio was named after its creator - Masaoka Film Production. In 1933, this studio released its first work entitled “Strength and Women of the World.”

Formation of the genre

In 1958, animated films were an independent branch of Japanese animation. And at the end of the twentieth century they were officially recognized as an art form. At this time, such films as:

"The Legend of White Winter" by Taiji Yabushita. The film was released in 1958 with the support of the Toei animation studio; the total length of the film was 1 hour 19 minutes.
Otogi Studio Calendar is considered to be the first anime documentary series. Its production lasted from 1961 to 1962. The director of the film is the founder of the Otogi studio, Ryuichi Yokoyama.

The beginning of the anime boom in Japan dates back to 1963, when Oamu Tezuka, known as the “genius of manga,” founded his own studio, Mushi Production, and presented the first series called “The Mighty Atom,” or “Astro Fight.”

The very first love

Anime began to develop at an unprecedented speed in the 70s of the last century. Everything changed - from the drawing to the genre. In the features of the images, more attention began to be paid to the eyes of the characters - they were made more and more expressive. If in the 60s they tried to make images natural, similar to a living person, then a decade later animators improved the drawing of eyes. This made it possible to more easily reveal the range of feelings and experiences of the main characters.

The genre shuffle did not go unnoticed either. The works were intended not only for children, but also for adults. The first anime series dealt with themes Everyday life studio workers. The animation was not particularly interesting for children, but it found its admirers among teenagers and part of the adult population. Even among older people, anime has become a second first love.

Over time, some studios began to form groups of authors who worked in a certain genre. For example, after the release of “Pure Romance” by Dean Studio, most of its creators were noticed in the development of the anime “The Best First Love in the World.” After the release of two seasons of this series, a full-length film and an ovashka, some creators began to work only with projects of the “shounen-ai” genre. Whether this is explained by long-term work on the anime “The Best First Love” or personal preferences is unknown.

Bottom line

When the very first anime in history was created remains a mystery. Some believe that it was 1907, others are sure that it happened in 1917. But no one excludes that the very first anime in the world could have appeared several years or decades earlier. Today, anime is spreading confidently around the world. You can find films of any genre, length and age limit. Over the more than 100-year existence of anime, the art has changed noticeably, but in general it has remained the same as before - simple and understandable to everyone.

Nowadays, full-length Japanese anime is regularly released in Russian distribution along with new feature films and documentaries. Anime is also gaining popularity in advanced online cinemas like Netflix and Amazon Prime, and some are even talking about a new wave of anime. It seems like it's time to get to know Japanese animation better. ELLE looks at how Japanese animation became what it is today.

From antiquity to World War II

In Japan, since the 12th century, and even earlier, they have honed the skill of telling stories through illustrations: a complex writing system of three alphabets (Kanji, Hiragana and Katakana) forced the addition of pictures to the texts - even an educated Japanese often found it difficult to fully read the text and grasp its meaning. At the end of the 19th century, when examples of Western pop culture began to penetrate into the Land of the Rising Sun, the beginnings of local comics - manga - appeared in Japan in the form in which we know them today, and in the 20th century, original Japanese animation grew out of manga.

They began experimenting with animation in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, again, inspired by Western cinema and cartoons, but only in the second decade of the same century did works appear that actually resembled European and American models, and by the 1920s there was already a beginning in Japan manga and anime market. The Japanese immediately took animation seriously and did not focus on children's cartoons, transferring adult stories to the screen, including propaganda and erotica. Unfortunately, in the first half of the 20th century, circumstances were not in favor of Japanese animation. Firstly, its production was too expensive for local artists, and therefore American and French cartoons dominated in the Land of the Rising Sun for a long time. The appearance of Walt Disney's products in the late 20s left no chance at all for the development of the local animation film industry. Secondly, on September 1, 1923, the island nation literally fell victim to the movements of the earth's crust: the Great Kanto Earthquake almost destroyed Tokyo and Yokohama and the areas adjacent to these cities, and with them the first animation studios. The first sound cartoons appeared in the West in 1929, and the first color cartoons in 1932, but Japanese animation was in too weak a position to be able to adapt these innovations.

The manga and anime industry in Japan began to actively develop after World War II, along with the theatrical entertainment industry. Western animation at that time was still superior in quality to Japanese, which led to its dominance in local cinemas. This seemed unpatriotic to the proud Japanese artists, so they decided to develop their animation techniques and soon learned how to create good cartoons without investing a lot of money in it. For example, the Toei studio, founded in 1948, eventually came up with the idea of distributing the budget for the project so that most of it went to important scenes, and unimportant scenes were rendered with lower quality. As a result, Toei quickly became one of Japan's leading animation studios and began receiving orders from the West. "Toei" remains in a leading position in the industry to this day, but in the 50s, Japanese animation as an independent genre was still not very attractive to Western viewers, although already at the end of the decade the first Japanese full-length cartoon appeared, as if predicting the rapid rise of the industry .

The Revolution of Osamu Tezuka

Osamu Tezuka, born in 1928, grew up in a family of theater and film fans and was equally accustomed to Japanese and Western culture from childhood. He was a fan of Walt Disney animation and began drawing manga while studying at medical university and after receiving his degree he never returned to medicine, concentrating on his career as an artist. This decision was fateful for the industry throughout the country: Tezuka became one of the main innovators of Japanese manga and animation of the post-war period and managed to interest Western audiences with his cartoons.

In his works, Tezuka used cinematic techniques, transferring the cinematic system of plans, angles and framing into manga and animation. He was inspired by French and German cinema, in particular, the influence of the author of Metropolis, Fritz Lang, is noticeable in his works. Tezuka began his career as an animation director at the already mentioned Toei studio, but left there and in 1962 founded his own studio, Mushi. There he released the most successful manga of his career and based it on the even more successful black-and-white anime series Astro Boy, after which Tezuka was called the father of manga and animation. Astroboy - in the American dub, the name of the main character of the comic and cartoon, the humanoid robot Atom. The action takes place in a world where androids live side by side with people, and Atom fights all the bad for all the good. In 1963, Astro Boy premiered in the United States, and the anime became very popular with American audiences. Today "Astro Boy" looks simple, but in the early 60s it set new standards for anime quality for other Japanese studios, inspired by the success of the series.

After the success of Astro Boy, Tezuka continued to work, managing, among other things, between the 1950s and 1960s to create a manga and an animated series of the same name, Kimba the White Lion. For Japan, Kimba was the first color anime series. "Kimba", following "Astroboy", won a wide audience abroad. It is interesting that, apparently, the Walt Disney studio, which Tezuka himself once copied, took the idea " White Lion Kimba" as the basis for his "Lion King", exactly copying many of the characters and repeating some scenes of the Japanese cartoon frame-for-frame. The Disney company, however, denies the fact of plagiarism, but many, including the actor who voiced Simba, Matthew Broderick, are inclined to believe that there was indeed intentional copying. Tezuka Studio decided not to sue Disney because, according to representatives of the Japanese company, it simply did not have the resources to do so.

From erotica to space opera

In the 1960s, while The Beatles were changing the Western music industry, Japanese animators, inspired by the success of Astro Boy, set about reforging anime, and the genre began to rapidly evolve, growing into sub-genres and sub-sub-genres. In the 60s, anime, following manga, began to be divided into cartoons for boys - shounen - and cartoons for girls - shojo. Anime for boys is definitely adventure, and main character- a brave, purposeful, intelligent young man, often makes friends with other males, and girls usually appear as fighting friends. In anime for girls, according to the same logic, main character- a young girl, but, following gender stereotypes, she must have a romantic line. One of the first anime series for girls was Sally the Witch, which gave rise to the subgenre of magical girl anime when such a genre of television series already existed in the West.

In the same decade, in 1963, anime for boys introduced Iron Man #28, the first animated series in the mecha subgenre, the name of which was derived from the English word for “mechanism.” The main characters of such cartoons are human-controlled or independent humanoid combat robots. In 1968, the first anime about sports, Kedzin Star, about a talented baseball player, was released, and a year later, in the wake of the success of this show, a similar one, only for girls, about a women's volleyball team was released. Also in 1969, the first erotic anime based on “1000 and 1 Nights” appeared.

In the 60s, Western TV channels began to buy Japanese anime series more often, but real interest in Japanese animation abroad showed in the late 70s, when the popularity of space operas and other sci-fi grew in the USA and Europe (at this time the first film of the saga was released star Wars"and a full-length film following the successful TV show " Star Trek"), and in Japan they began making anime series in this genre. Also in the 70s, rather quietly relative to future success, the career of the cult director-animator Hayao Miyazaki began, who became one of the main heroes of the “Golden Age” of anime in the 80s.

Golden Age of Anime

In the 1980s, the manga and anime industry began to grow at an astonishing rate: new studios appeared as quickly as the poor relatives of someone who had just received a huge inheritance, the evolution of genres and subgenres continued, and bold experiments in mixing genres began, the development of technology made it possible to achieve more high quality animation and distribution via video cassettes.

The main genre of anime of that time was cyberpunk, well known in the West for the cult full-length cartoon “Akira” of 1988 about government experiments on people and gang warfare in the city of Neo-Tokyo, which survived a nuclear explosion. It must be said that in Japan itself, Akira did not arouse such enthusiasm as in the USA and Europe, although it was a breakthrough for the art of animation - the first anime filmed at a speed of 24 frames per second, and even with tremendous detail, which had never happened before in Japanese animation.

The 1980s also saw the rise of Hayao Miyazaki, the most popular Japanese animation director in the world. His studio Ghibli appeared in this decade; in 1984, the director released his first truly popular cartoon, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, followed by Laputa Castle in the Sky in 1986, and My Neighbor Totoro in 1988. and "Witch's Delivery Service" in 1989.

Two more important milestones of the 80s for Japanese animation: the emergence of porn anime and the smoothing out of the flow of anime exports to the West, where they finally showed interest in the full diversity of Japanese animation. It should be noted that in the 80s a huge number of important and successful anime series were released, but in the USA they were reworked for showing to an American audience, and now, as a rule, we watch exactly those reworked versions.

Moon in a sailor suit

In the 1990s after the collapse Soviet Union anime also appeared in Russia, and we began to show the same animated series that were watched in the USA and Europe - “Pokemon”, “Hello Kitty”, “Candy-Candy”, “Speed Racer” and others. Perhaps one of the most memorable examples was Sailor Moon: Sailor Moon, about a group of high school girls who transform into warriors to fight evil. Sailor Moon was one of the first shows in the new girl-for-girl anime genre that emerged in the 90s. In such anime series, the romantic line lost its dominant position, and the heroines became more socially active and showed leadership skills, as if these cartoons were made today under the influence of a new wave of feminism.

The special strength of Sailor Moon was that the series combined the features of anime for girls and anime for boys: the main characters were girls, and the romance remained part of the plot, but these girls were also warriors, and in each episode they fought with someone, and also an important element of the show was that they wore short skirts and when transforming from ordinary girls into warriors, their naked silhouette was shown - this was also a bait for boys. With hooks for such a wide audience, Sailor Moon has become one of the most popular Japanese anime in the West.

If we return to Russia, for many years anime was a niche entertainment that was looked down upon by those who did not succumb to its charms, believing that cartoons were only for children. Today, the misconception that any animation is entertainment for children is still strong, but gradually skepticism gives way to enthusiasm: those who grew up on Japanese animation continue to watch it as adults, and do not perceive the love for it of their peers and current teenagers as infantilism. Japanese animation really is designed for people different ages and interests and should be perceived on an equal footing with conventionally “adult” cinema.

Dictionary:

Anime- in the world this is what they call Japanese animation, in Japan - any animation

Akihabara- a Tokyo district known for the largest concentration of electronics stores and goods for fans of anime, manga and video games.

Kawaii- a concept in Japan that refers to something that an individual finds cute and charming.

Cosplay- transformation into anime and manga characters, computer games, books, films and TV series through costumes, makeup, make-up, wigs and acting.

Manga- Japanese comics; Most anime are based on some kind of manga.

Mangaka- comic book (manga) artist.

Otaku- in Japan this is what they call a person who is very passionate about something; Outside of Japan, this is the name given to people who are passionate about anime and manga.

Shoujo- anime and manga for girls aged 12 - 18 years.

Shounen- anime and manga for boys and young men 12 - 18 years old.

Kogyo is with you, and today I will tell and show the very first Anime of the times.

The very first anime in the world did not last long, about five minutes. At that time there were no large companies creating anime films; they were drawn by individuals. The artists were based on the experience of animators from Europe and the USA. This gave rise to a new genre that is still popular today.

By the 20s of the 20th century, anime became longer - about 15 minutes. The very first anime copied the plots of foreign cartoons. One of these repetitions was the series “Felix the Cat”. The plots of folk tales from China and Japan were also often used. One such film was Japan's Greatest Hero Momotaro.

Among the animators who created the very first anime in the world are Shimokawa Dekoten, Yamamoto Sanae, Murata Yasuji and some others.

Anime of that time was created in modest conditions. These were usually small home studios. The costs of making films were borne by film companies. In return, the animators sold them the rights to rent their creation. Japanese companies Takamasa Eiga or Asahi Kinema were actively involved in the development of the anime genre in Japan.

The studio, which would exclusively produce anime films, was created only in 1932. She owes her appearance to Masaoka Kenzo. The studio took the name from his name - "Masaoka Film Production". The first full-length film at this studio was released a year after its opening. It was called “Strength and Women of the World.”

Those who are familiar with the history of Japan know about the mood of this country in the 30s of the 20th century. At that time, the country experienced powerful army influence. This could not but affect the cultural level. Humorous stories of an army nature began to supplant folk tales. For example, in 1934 the film “Corporal Norakuro” was released. Its animator was Murata Yasuji. The anime lasted 11 minutes in total. The plot was about a dog who joined the army. The dog's adventures received wide public recognition. The film was based on a manga by Tagawa Suiho. Political events have appeared frequently in anime. The propaganda focus of the films was caused by the situation in the country.

The history of anime dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when the Japanese began to show noticeable interest in foreign techniques for creating animated films.

During the 1970s, anime changed rapidly, breaking ties with its foreign ancestors and giving birth to new genres such as mecha. Such works appeared, for example, “Lupin III” or “Mazinger Z”. Many famous directors, notably Hayao Miyazaki, Osamu Dezaki, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Mamoru Oshii, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri, began their careers during these years.

By the 1980s, anime and manga had become widespread in Japan and were experiencing what was known as their "Golden Age". The first series from the “Gundam” series were released, and Rumiko Takahashi began her journey to the top. The 1988 feature film Akira set an anime film budget record in 1988 and created an entirely new style of animation.

The number of both anime fans and viewers watching it from time to time has increased manifold. At the same time, in Japan, the technology for creating and rendering anime continued to improve: studios switched to computer graphics, actively using three-dimensional animation. From children's animated films of the early 20th century, Japanese animation has developed into a culture that creates diverse, serious and funny, emotional and naive works intended for teenagers, children and adults.

The oldest known anime, found in 2005, was created about a century ago - around 1907. A short cartoon called "Katsudo Shashin" consisted of fifty frames drawn on celluloid tape. The boy depicted draws the characters 活動写真, meaning "moving photographs" and used at the time to denote the word "cinema", then turns to the viewer, removes his hat and bows. The artist and author of this animation is unknown. The first animated films began to appear in Japan. Their duration ranged from one to five minutes. Some of the first Japanese cartoons include Dekoboko Shingate (New Sketchbook) by Dekoten Shimokawa, Saru Kani Kassen (Fight of the Crab and the Monkey), Dull Sword, etc. The works of the first quarter of the 20th century were mainly created by enthusiasts who were inspired by the creations of their foreign colleagues. Sometimes the plots and characters of such anime were borrowed from Western culture, but more often these were film adaptations of ancient Japanese fairy tales. The duration of individual cartoons from the 1920s could reach 15 minutes.

It is difficult to determine at what point anime gained the sympathy of Russians or when the first otaku appeared in the vastness of the country; only one thing can be said relatively definitely - the history of anime in Russia goes back more than 40 years. And it originates back in the USSR, where animation and cinema of capitalist countries were strictly selected according to ideological, economic and aesthetic criteria, and only a few films were released. This exception was also made for some Japanese animated films.

Russia is called "little China". Not in terms of geography: if you look at the map, there will be many questions about who is still small here. It’s just that in Russia they are also successfully (or not very successfully) producing everything and anything: from Abibas sneakers and Naik bags to anime.

The plot flashbacks to 1942, when the USSR was the only country capable of resisting the Nazis. This is a movie about World War II, but not about anything "based on real events“There is no question here. The Russians are still fighting against the Germans, but they do it with the help of magic. One of the most talented Soviet magicians, the girl Nadya, calls on her dead comrades - pioneers executed by the Nazis at the beginning of the war - for help in this colossal war in terms of losses.

The very first anime appeared in 1917. At that time it was called “New Sketchbook”. The director of the very first anime in the world was Shimokawa Dekoten. Soon he became the creator of Momotaro. This anime was released in 1918. Another founder of this genre is considered to be Kitayama Seitaro, who directed the film “The Battle of the Monkey and the Crab.”

The very first anime in the world lasted only five minutes. At that time, there were no large companies that could create anime films. They were painted by single artists. But at the same time, the artists were based on the experience of animators from the USA and Europe. As a result, a completely new genre emerged that is still popular today.

In the 20s, the very first anime in Japan became a little longer and lasted 15 minutes. At that time, the anime copied the plot of the cartoons from foreign countries. What was the very first anime in the world that was a repetition of foreign cartoons? This is the series “Felix the Cat”. The anime also used various themes from Japanese and Chinese fairy tales. The film, which copied folk tales, was called “Japan's Greatest Hero Momotaro.” The very first animators in the world were Shimokawa Dekoten, Murata Yasuji, Yamamoto Sanae and several others.

The very first anime in Japan was created in very modest conditions. This was done in small home studios and all the costs of creating anime were borne by the film companies. In return, the companies received the rights to rent the animators' creations. At that time, two Japanese companies were popular and began to develop the anime genre in the country. These are the companies “Takamasa Eiga” and “Asahi Kinema”. But in 1932, a studio was created that dealt exclusively with anime films. This appearance was influenced by Masaoke Kenzo. A year later, the very first full-length anime film appeared in this studio. It was called “Strength and Women of the World.”

Those who have studied the history of Japan know very well what the mood was in the country in the 30s of the last century. At that time, Japan was under strong military influence. And this also affected the cultural level. As a result, folk tales began to be replaced by army-themed stories. For example, in 1934 the film “Corporal Norakuro” was released. The film was animated by Murata Yasuji. The anime was 11 minutes long. The plot was about a dog who went to serve in the army. In addition, political themes appeared in the anime.

The very first full-length anime appeared in 1943. This appearance was influenced by the Japanese government. The film was created by Seo Mitsue, and it was called “Momotaro - The Sea Eagle”. Then the film had a sequel. The main characters of the film were caricatured marines. Then the very first love in anime began to appear. But that's a little later.

The very first anime appeared in 1917. It was called "New Sketchbook". The film was directed by Shimokawa Dekoten. He also became the creator of Momotaro, an anime that was released in 1918. One of the founders of the genre is also called Kitayama Seitaro, the director of the film “The Battle of the Monkey and the Crab.” The very first anime in the world did not last long, about five minutes. At that time there were no large companies creating anime films; they were drawn by individuals. The artists were based on the experience of animators from Europe and the USA. This gave birth to a new genre that is still popular today. By the 20s of the 20th century, anime became longer - about 15 minutes. The very first anime copied the plots of foreign cartoons. One of these repetitions was the series “Felix the Cat”. The plots of folk tales from China and Japan were also often used. One of these films was “Japan's Greatest Hero Momotaro.” Among the animators who created the very first anime in the world are Shimokawa Dekoten, Yamamoto Sanae, Murata Yasuji and several others. Anime of that time was created in modest conditions. These were usually small home studios. The costs of making films were borne by film companies. In return, the animators sold them the rights to rent their creation. The Japanese companies Takamasa Eiga or Asahi Kinema were actively involved in the development of the anime genre in Japan. A studio that would exclusively produce anime films was created only in 1932. She owes her appearance to Masaoka Kenzo. The studio took the name from his name - "Masaoka Film Production". The first full-length film at this studio was released a year after its opening. It was called “Strength and Women of the World.” Those who are familiar with the history of Japan know about the mood of this country in the 30s of the 20th century. At that time, the country experienced powerful army influence. This could not but affect the cultural level. Humorous stories of an army nature began to supplant folk tales. For example, in 1934 the film “Corporal Norakuro” was released. Its animator was Murata Yasuji. The anime lasted 11 minutes in total. The plot was about a dog who joined the army. The dog's adventures received wide public recognition. The film was based on a manga by Tagawa Suiho. Political events of the mid-20th century often appeared in anime. The propaganda focus of the films was caused by the situation in the country. The very first full-length anime appeared in 1943. Moreover, this was the decision of the Japanese government. The film was created by Seo Mitsuyo. The anime was called Momotaro the Sea Eagle. The film had a sequel - “Momotaro - the Divine Sailor”. Moreover, both films had political overtones. The main characters are caricatured marines. Their mission is to save Malaysia and Indonesia from the devils. Naturally, in the Japanese understanding, devils are Americans.