In our country, anime is a prerequisite for the emergence of a subculture, in Japan - a special segment of the economy that brings good income to the state treasury. Disputes about when the very first anime arose did not stop today. Previously, there were no studios for creating films, and all were performed by amateurs, so a lot of information was lost.
100th anime anniversary
According to unofficial data, in 2007 it was exactly 100 years since the day when 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 OYASH (an ordinary Japanese schoolboy), who wrote on a kanji board: 活動 写真 (katsudo sashin), which means “active photographs”. After he turns to the viewer and bows, taking off his hat, which was part of the then school uniform. Who was the author of this animation is unknown, as well as whether this story was continued or not.
First anime
It is officially accepted that the very first anime in the world dates from 1917. The director of this animation was Shimokawa Dekoten, and the tape was called 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 animations lasted no more than 5-6 minutes. They showed simple scenes from Japanese life, fairy tales or mythology. Tapes were created by single animators who worked in their homes. Artists took into account the experience of animators from Europe and the United 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 remained 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 lone enthusiasts, and the animators covered their costs by selling the rights to show in movie theaters. When they began to talk about anime as an independent genre, the companies Takamasa Eiga and Asagi Kinema joined in its formation, having begun to actively engage in the development of this industry. The first studios, whose work was based on the creation and production of animated films, appeared in 1932 at 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 “The Strength and Women of the World.”
The formation of the genre
In 1958, animated films were an independent area of Japanese animation. And at the end of the twentieth century they were officially recognized as a form of art. At this time, a wide audience was shown such tapes as:
- The Legend of the White Winter, authored by Taiji Yabushita. The film was released in 1958 with the support of the animation studio "Toei", the total duration of the tape was 1 hour 19 minutes.
- The Otogi Studio Calendar was recognized as the first documentary anime series. Its release lasted from 1961 to 1962. The director of the film is the founder of the Otogi studio, Ryuichi Yokoyama.
The anime boom in Japan dates back to 1963, when Oamu Tezuki, known as the “manga genius,” founded his own studio, Mushi Production, and presented the first series called “The Mighty Atom,” or “Astro Battle.”
Very first love
Anime in the 70s of the last century began to develop at an unprecedented rate. Everything has changed - from drawing to the 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 later, animators improved eye painting. This made it possible to more easily reveal the amplitude of feelings and experiences of the main characters.
The genre scuffle did not go unnoticed. The works were intended not only for children, but also for adults. The first anime series touched on the daily lives 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 began to form in some studios who worked in a particular genre. 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 full-length film and a movie, some of the creators began to work only with projects of the genre of “shonen-ai”. This is explained by the long work on the anime “The Best First Love” or personal preferences - is unknown.
Total
When the very first anime in history was created, it remains a mystery. Someone believes that it was 1907, someone is sure that this happened in 1917. But no one excludes that the very first anime in the world could have arisen 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 the more than 100-year-old existence of the anime, the sketch has noticeably changed, but in general it has remained the same as before - simple and understandable to everyone.