Urashima Tarou (supposed title) (original) (raw)

Having accidentally seen the 1931 version, I finally came upon the real, 1918 version, and as a fan of very antiquated things, I loved it!

Though from the silent era, when animation was less about even using cell, which had not really come around yet even in america, and simply about what seemingly amounted to motion capturing different pictures- frame, after frame, after frame.
BUt growing up with claymation shows as a child, I dont hate this.

ON my quest to see much anime, I of course could not pass up any of the oldest still available to watch, and I encourage others to not pass up the... opportunity to watch this near ancient piece.

Though lacking in aesthetics, it was funny to see the way the animators created the illusions of aquatic life underneath our fisherman protagonist, as well as the scenes underneath the sea itself.
Oddly enough, the whole backdrop was red colored, either due to the fragility and damage over time done to the original stills or thats just how twas back than. NANDA TO?! O>o
Supposedly filmed and/ or hand drawn by people at a japanese company listed at the films end, called Y.N .& Co., there is a picute of a young gal point to japanese words that, maybe, say "thanks for watching" but I could not tell. Also there is a backwards 87, likely the number of frames of single pictures that made up this historic gem. I though it was funny to see the protagonist end up old, like he had spent too much time or all his life nearly underwater be the films end, which made me chuckle at how much old things remind us that people have always been people, now and forevermore. Give it a watch at :
http://animation.filmarchives.jp/works/play/72126