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FINALLY, this one was added to MAL database.
I personally like this one more than Namakura Gatana. Though not whole Namakura Gatana movie is available on the internet, which is kinda sad.
I find it interesting that he writes 活動写真 "backwards" (actually vertically with single-character columns). It seems it was more common around this time period.
Amazing, would watch again.
Although the main character is very unlikeable ,all the side characters and the antagonist make up for it. Especially the antagonist, his plan to kill the main character was fantastic, and its so crazy, makes you ask how could any human being even think of this amazing plan? This anime kept me at the edge of my seat the whole time, my jaw kept dropping every 3 seconds of the anime. I cant explain how interesting it was, all the symbolism and the hidden meaning behind all the scenes added to the mix, with an amazing opening theme to go with it, it was a great watch. Even though it was a little long for my taste and had a lot of fillers, i still enjoyed it a lot and would reccomend it to everyone, its definetly worth to try. Definetly the best slice of life / hentai anime of this season.
that plot twist was great in the beginning he write slowly after that he tun his back and suddenly the budget start to run out so he wrote the last 3 part faster than the first part
I found this pretty interesting. It's really cool to see how it all began. I like seeing these sort of firsts, like Roundhay Garden Scene (the first film ever), or Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (first animation ever).
I also like the art-style. It looks pretty nice, and the animation is very impressive considering it's, well, the first anime ever.
lol at the 26 people in the stats who "dropped" a 3 second anime.
But this tiny clip is far better than what I last heard was "the first anime"- Namakura Gatana- which was fucking terrible, but all the reviewers gave it a "10" anyway, because they're terminal weebs, and "OMG It's the FIRST anime!!! (therefore no matter how objectively unwatchable, it gets a 10!!)"
But the art and animation was considerablly better (tbf, it's also much shorter)
I've seen this a long time ago but am only realizing it has an entry now.
It's sad that this animation is better and more expressive than some animation now.
They even added extra movements they didn't have to add which gave the kid more character. Cause really, this could have just been a boy writing, turning around then removing his hat. No. They made the boy turn around after writing the first part, WITH A SMILE as if to say, "Lookit that! Hee hee! My kanji's good huh?" or "See that? 'Life'! Hee hee!" or "Guess what's next? Hee hee!" And then he finishes off the rest ON HIS TIPPY TOES-- like they didn't have to even add such a small detail, but they gloriously did. And then this smug, but cute boy goes and takes off his hat with a bow.
Sometimes these days, they only want to do the bare minimum. I know most anime is limited animation and not full animation, but come on. For some, it's like the only time they want to add a little extra is when it's fanservice or they only use facial expressions to get things across when there's so much more to the human than just their faces. Sad that this few second freaking animation from the early 1900's did it better than some can. And a lot of it is just being able to catch human subtleties. And hey, I get that limited animation is meant to be cheap and fast to make, but ahhh when you see animation like this, it's hard not to wish you had more of that.
This clip had inspired the grindcore band Napalm Death to create a track titled "You Suffer" and
in the modern industry to create the easiest anime to finish and least likely to be dropped that is Bleach.
This is and will be a masterpiece forever, 10/10. It's the oldest or the first of the art form known as anime, the art form I love so much, the art form I want to be a part of. Thank you, whoever made this, thank you.
What a masterpiece! Loved every second of it. The plot was really well written and they managed to animate it beautifully. I liked it so much that I rewatched it 5 times already.
It's kind of funny how, in the MAL DB, this constitutes as "episode 1" lmao.
There's not really much else we can compare this to... and for that, this is technically a 10/10 anime, since -- at the time, it was the only such art piece that could constitute as an "animation." If I'm the first person to score a basket, am I technically the best basketball player in existence? I'd say yes, until someone else can do it with more finesse. If I'm the first person to talk in a manner that would constitute as singing, aren't I the world's best singer? Again, probably, until someone else can outdo me.
Also, no one should deduct points for the cartoony design either. This is obviously the animator's style. Even if it was to make the animation process easier. Which, by the way, the animation is good. The frames/shots pretty much line up with each other. The movement is fluid and coherent. And, YET again, it's not like anyone else had ever made 50 coherent images to be played in a 'film-like' format. So this anonymous illustrator, objectively speaking, must have been the best at point.
Since there's no other "motion picture" we can compare this to -- yes, "motion picture," I was struggling to find the right term, but I think this is the correct phrase -- this gets a default score of 10/10.
MAYBE this was just a test animation. Maybe the animator told themselves that they were just going to create a series of images -- a 'moving' image -- of someone writing. In which case, they completely succeeded. They probably weren't making this for financial gain, and it was probably merely experimental. An "art study." So, they weren't obligated to continue. Their only goal should've been to satisfy themselves, in which, again, they get a 10/10.
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However, I'll lower the score due to a lack of ambition. Even though they're the first animator, they didn't set the bar high enough for themselves.
Even if it was just 1905-(1907)-1911, I think people could still possess standards.
Sure, animation with sound effects, vocals, and a musical score was way out of the question -- technical FX weren't a thing -- and something so early is not obligated to have a coherent story..... and YET, the "animator," or person behind the 50 celluloid images, could have probably excelled and one-upped themselves. Maybe they eventually did? But with Katsudou Shashin, they surely could've expanded the 'film' past a few seconds. They could've added a plant next to the blackboard on which the boy wrote. Or colored the outfit as well... unless it was a stylistic choice to make the hat vibrant in contrast to everything else.
Art obviously existed at the time, and there are some pretty beautiful works. Complex. Intricate. Colorful.
If it were 1907 and I were asked, "Do you want this extravagant art piece -- with much to look at ... or do you want 50 simple images of a plump boy writing (of course, with a provided contraption that constantly moves the pictures to create motion)" .......... I'd still choose the former, a still image, so long as the artistic prowess triumphs the motion picture.
So, this motion picture could've had more to it. It could've had a potted plant. It could've had a blue shirt. I could've been 5 seconds, or 7 seconds. The boy could've bowed, and then slipped on a banana peel. And for that, I'd deduct one or two points. And then I'd deduct a third point because not even 50 coherent images are as impressive as some of the beautiful still pieces from the time.
TL;DR 10/10 animation, 7/10 art piece.
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UPDATE: Here's the Wikipedia
Animation technology had existed since 1898 in places like Germany and France. Some of the first "technology" included simple "devices" or "toys" that displayed film loops, probably of photographs, although the Wikipedia says "likely" including animation loops. It says that FOREIGN animated films first made an appearance in Japan in 1911 and Japanese animated films didn't premier on screens until 1917. So, this obviously isn't the FIRST animation EVER. However -- I don't know why I assumed it was when typing the shpeel above -- but I think we can still attribute it as the first to come from Japan. Potentially a decade in advance to when it was considered a possible industry.
Great anime. It was like welcoming to the world. However who it would start something like things todays we are experiencing. Just one thing I want to know is what the boy wrote on the wall.
For something that's technically the first anime ever made this thing's surprisingly well preserved and still accessibly even after 114 years (as of 2021).
_______I like rocks__
