Category: 1925-1931: Before The War
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1931 – ACTUAL FIRST SUMO
I have an apology to make: I missed the first surviving animated depiction of sumo wrestling.
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1931: MURATA. THE INCIDENT.
1931 saw Murata and his studio “only” release seven films. But one of them was a prequel for something far more famous.
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1931: THE UNKNOWNS
Four animations from 1931 have made it to the present day, but their directors and studio names haven’t.
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1931: OFUJI NOBURO
The first original record talkie was made to meet the need for an animated National Anthem.
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1931: NIKKATSU & YAMAMOTO
In 1929, Nikkatsu Studios set up a new animation department. They would soon hire “the father of anime”.
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1931: IWASAKI & A NEW PILLAR
By 1931 in Japan, animation was a viable industry again, even if that was largely down to government funding.
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1929-30: THE LEFT & THE LOST
What did you do in Japan when your ideals were miles to the left of the government? Make good cartoons and get arrested, apparently.
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1929-30: MURATA II & OFUJI
MURATA Yasuji continues to set a blazing pace in 1930, while OFUJI Noburo goes for quality and mostly succeeds.
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1929-30: THE MINISTRY & MURATA
Today I’m reviewing about half of MURATA Yasuji’s output in 1929 and 1930.
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1927-1928: YAMAMOTO & KIMURA
YAMAMOTO Sanae gives Momotaro his first cartoon, while KIMURA Hakusan makes propaganda.