The very first anime in history

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

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 appeared does not stop today. Previously, there were no film studios, and everything was done by amateurs, so a lot of information was lost.

100th Anniversary of Anime

According to unofficial data, 2007 marks exactly 100 years since the very first anime was created. A few years earlier, namely in 2005, a celluloid tape was found on which 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) who wrote on the kanji board: 活動写真 (katsudo sashin), which means "active photos". After that, he turns to the viewer and bows, removing his hat, which was part of the then school uniform. Who was the author of this animation is unknown, as well as whether there was a continuation of this story or not.

First anime

OfficialIt is generally accepted that the very first anime in the world dates back to 1917. This animation was directed by Shimokawa Dekoten and the title of the tape was Suketchi no nyūarubamu (New Sketchbook). A year later, in 1918, his animation "Momotaro" was released. A little 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 animated cartoons lasted no more than 5-6 minutes. They showed simple scenes from Japanese life, fairy tales or mythology. The tapes were created by lone animators who worked from their homes. Artists took into account the experience of animators from Europe and the States and eventually got the genre that can be seen today.

To date, the very first anime of the early twentieth century has been irretrievably lost. Only some information remains that these works were shown to the public and in cinemas, while collecting money. The very first animators worked from home, their work was simple and straightforward. Perhaps that is why they quickly won over the public.

First studios

The very first anime was created by single enthusiasts, and animators covered their costs by selling the rights to show in theaters. When they began to talk about anime as an independent genre, the companies Takamasa Eiga and Asagi Kinema joined in its formation, starting to actively engage in the development of this industry. The first studioswhose work was based on the creation and release of animated films, appeared in 1932 at the initiative of Masaoka Kenzo. The first studio was named after its creator, Masaoka Film Production. In 1933, this studio released its first work called "The Power and the Women of the World".

Formation of the genre

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

• "The Legend of the White Winter" by Taiji Yabusita. The film was released in 1958 with the support of the animation studio "Toei", the total length of the tape was 1 hour and 19 minutes.
• Otogi Studio Calendar was recognized as the first anime documentary series. Its release lasted from 1961 to 1962. The director of the tape is the founder of Otogi Studios, Ryuichi Yokoyama.

The beginning of the anime boom in Japan dates back to 1963, when Oamu Tezuki, 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 in the 70s of the last century began to develop at an unprecedented rate. Everything changed - from drawing to genre. In the features of the images, more attention was 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 lateranimators have improved the drawing of the eyes. This made it possible to more easily reveal the range of feelings and experiences of the main characters.

The genre shuffling didn't go unnoticed either. The works were intended not only for children, but also for adults. The first anime series touched on the themes of the daily life of studio workers. For children, the animation was not particularly interesting, but among teenagers and part of the adult population, she found her admirers. Even among older people, anime has become a second first love.

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

Result

When the very first anime in history was created remains a mystery. Someone believes that it was 1907, someone is 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. To date, anime is confidently spreading around the world. You can find films of any genre, footage and age limit. Over 100 years of anime existencethe drawing has noticeably changed, but in general it remains the same as before - simple and understandable to everyone.