Category: Wartime Anime
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1945: THE OCCUPATION BEGINS
After rough weather delayed the ceremonies for a day or two, the two sides met aboard the Missouri on September 2nd. General Douglas MACARTHUR of the American armed forces, and Japanese Foreign Minister SHIGEMITSU Mamoru, signed the Instrument Of Surrender. Japan had offically surrendered to the Allied Powers, and ended World War II.
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1945: MOMOTARO: SACRED SAILORS
It’s time for the review I’ve been dreading, ever since the blog started: “Momotarō: Umi no Shinpei” / “Momotaro: Sacred Sailors” or “Momotaro’s Divine Sea Warriors”.
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1945: THE END OF THE WAR
The events of 1945 which led to the end of World War II.
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1944: MOCHINAGA SUBMERGES
One film from this year is watchable. It was the directorial debut of MOCHINAGA Tadahito. Geijutsu Eigasha hired MOCHINAGA in 1941, to build Japan’s first multiplane camera for SEO Mitsuyo.
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1943: MASAOKA, OFUJI AND THE LOST
The next animated film to come out in Japan – that still survives, of course – baffled me before I watched it, because I didn’t see how it could have been made.
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1943: HISTORY AND SEO
By the first week of February 1943, Japan had left Guadalcanal for good. Throughout this year, Japan’s armed forces suffered loss after loss, and by September had established a new naval perimeter.
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1942: THREE WATCHABLE CARTOONS
For 1942, there were only three cartoons which I have been able to see. So I’ve reviewed them.
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1942: HISTORY AND THE UNWATCHABLE
Thanks to a new edict from the Japanese government, by the start of 1942, the entire Japanese film industry was reduced to three production companies. They were Daiei, Toho and Shochiku.
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1941: YAMAMOTO AND THE WAN BROTHERS
As I hope has already become clear, this period of Japanese animated film-making is either superbly and precisely documented, or involves 85% guesswork.
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1941: NIKKATSU AND THE ANTS
Japan enters World War II proper, Mickey Mouse strikes a terrible propaganda blow, and the last of the original Japanese animation studios closes.