2026年8月6日 星期四

Anime 1: The 1960s and Still Earlier Examples


To start with, I'm leaning heavily on the Wikipedia article.  My own introduction to anime began in the 80s, and I have no doubt that a lot of the anime I then regarded as "new" was actually old news in Japan.

At the time I doubt many American kids even glimpsed the long and distinguished history that this art form had up to that point.  We knew that the robots were cool, we regarded some of the imported and often inadequately translated manga as intriguing, but that was about it.

So consider this entry as more of an attempt to supplement my own faulty education.  I'm hoping to understand some of the trends that led to the anime I knew as a boy, and perhaps to also find through lines from the oldest examples of anime to more recent efforts.  I may not get there but I'll try.

Some of the motivation for this entry also comes from the tokusatsu shows I've been watching.  At a certain point in the 80s improved animation techniques and storytelling methods led to anime's supplanting the live-action tokusatsu shows to some extent, and I'd like to take a better look at how that might have happened.


1. Katsudo Sashin (1907)

This is considered to be the first anime.  It's a simple, short loop of a student writing four characters on a blackboard.


2. Namakura Gatana (1917)

Ten years later Jun'ichi Kouchi, one of the three "fathers of anime" produced this extremely short silent film about a dim-witted ronin.  A lot of the animation from this period was lost in a great fire that took place in 1923, and Namakura Gatana was only recently rediscovered in 2008 at an antique shop in Osaka.


3. Ugokie ko Ri no Tatehiki  (1933)

This is one of the first anime to incorporate sound (the sound in the Namakura Gatana clip above was added later).  It's a fairly incomprehensible tale of shape-changing spirits playing tricks on each other, but its incomprehensibility is comparable to many American cartoons of the same time period.


4. Momotaro: Sacred Sailors (1945)

Japanese Imperial propaganda!  This is one of the weirdest things I've seen in a while, being a Disney-influenced discourse on Japan's right to liberate Asian people from their Western oppressors.  Watching funny animal friends pack parachutes, bayonet Allied opponents and dictate terms to captured Westerners is a very surreal experience.  The weirdest part is the fable about the island off the coast of Goa which somehow mandated Japan's divinely inspired mission.

I fell asleep in the middle of this one and had the strangest dreams.  After I woke up I had to go back and watch the parts I missed just to convince myself that yes, this movie actually happened.


5. Three Tales (1960)

This was the first anime ever shown on (Japanese) television.  It was aimed squarely at children and the animation is extremely primitive.  Historic, yes, but not really worth watching.


6. Instant History (1961-1964)

The first anime television series.  Like Three Tales this was aimed at kids and there's little in it to interest adults.  The video linked above is more of a discussion of the show with clips shown in the background.


7. Astro Boy (1963-1966)

The great granddaddy of them all, this anime's influence on subsequent creations cannot be underestimated.  The original manga's creator, Osamu Tezuka, created a host of memorable characters, everything from this show's titular character to Black Jack and Kimba the White Lion.

I watched the first five episodes.  Astro Boy is still an endearing character, and this show is both very wacky and a lot of fun.  Watching it in 2026 brought Steven Spielberg/Stanley Kubrick's 2001 film A.I.: Artificial Intelligence to mind.  I wonder, could Astro Boy have been an influence on Kubrick's much later film?


8. Gigantor (1963-1966)

Like Astro Boy above this series takes place in the year 2000.  How does it feel to live in the distant future?

It's not entirely clear whether Gigantor (a.k.a. "Iron Man 28," a.k.a. "Tetsujin 28") has a mind of his own or if the boy is controlling him.  Whichever the case, Gigantor and his youthful controller seem to be battling a shadowy criminal organization reminiscent of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. from the James Bond movies.  It's worth noting that the Ian Fleming novels appeared a few years before the manga which inspired the anime, and that Dr. No hit theaters a year before the anime aired on television.

I had a Gigantor toy when I was little.  It was a prized possession.


9. Speed Racer (a.k.a. Mach GoGoGo) (1967-1968)

Color is nice, but it's also a leap forward in terms of animation.

Speed Racer follows the travails of first name Speed last name Racer as he attempts to secure his father's place in the auto industry.  In hindsight it might seem an unlikely hit in the States, but it happened to appear at just the right moment in American culture, when young men were entertaining thoughts about cars, girls, and racing.  There's also another Bond connection, in that the Mach 5 was to some extent inspired by Bond's Aston Martin in the movie Goldfinger.

For the record I LOVE the 2008 film.  I think it captures the silliness of the anime perfectly.


10. Dororo (1969)

Osamu Tezuka's influence on anime and manga cannot, again, be underestimated.  He was behind Astro Boy, he was behind Princess Knight, and he was behind Dororo, perhaps the darkest and most disturbing of his many creations.

In Dororo a young orphan befriends a wandering swordsman out to recover lost body parts from a host of demons.  It's bloody, it's unsettling, and I loved it.  If you're in the mood for something weird I hightly recommend this one.


11. Princess Knight (1967)

No idea what Osamu Tezuka was smoking when he created this one but I sure would like some.  This show made me feel HIGH.

Also not sure how this tale of a gender-bending princess would be received in 2026.  She has to dress up like a boy, OK, but what about that scene with "the creator" passing out genders?  And what pantheon does that "creator" belong to, exactly?  Princess Knight's sidekick is an angel, but in the same conversation they mention Roman gods?

I dunno, this one's a headscratcher for sure.  So weird it's worth watching, but perhaps not worth thinking about too deeply.


12. The Golden Bat (1967)

Quite possibly the world's first superhero?  Depictions of the character predate Batman and Superman.

The anime arrived shortly after a live action adaptation featuring none other than Sonny Chiba.  

The story?  Well, most of the episodes I watched don't make complete sense, but apparently a girl is able to summon an Atlantean superman after discovering his tomb and reviving him in the lost capital of that vanished civilization.  The Golden Bat then proceeds to battle Nozo, a being with four differently colored eyes bent on world domination, and over the course of 52 episodes manages to best this adversary.

Notes on All of the Above:

A. I watched at least five episodes of #7-#12 above.  Dororo was my favorite by far.  I could watch all of them again except for maybe Princess Knight, which is hard to watch without the aid of drugs.

B. The 1960s anime discussed above might have been the most popular/influential, but there are dozens more shows that aren't discussed in this entry - everything from Attack No.1 to Cyborg 009.

C. Momotaro: Sacred Sailors is worth a look.  It offers a unique insight into Imperial Japan at the end of WWII.

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More Absolutes


I reviewed Absolute Batman vols. 1 and 2 around a month ago.  Needless to say it made quite an impression.  It remains my favorite of the Absolute comics that I've read so far.

I recently read more of the Absolute titles, and what you see below are my thoughts on each.  I've ranked these titles from most to least liked.  Here we go!


1. Absolute Wonder Woman vols. 1 and 2 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman and Others.

Man, there are some great moments in this series.  There are things that bring a smile to your face, and things that feel gratifying.  I found myself very invested in this version of an oft over-complicated character, and I was glad they could give her a fresh start.

With Wonder Woman there are often uneasy compromises between Greek mythology, the modern world, modern attitudes, and a tendency to (over) sexualize the character.  Kelly Thompson obviates any such compromises by putting Diana solidly within Greco-Roman mythology, and by asserting her presence in the modern world as if it were a self-evident fact. 

Steve Trevor, however, seems like a character cut out from a rom-com.  Even so this is a small complaint, and moreover one that could be addressed in future issues.  He only needs some tiny flaw to make him more convincing.

There has been criticism that this title features too much exposition in its later issues.  I'd agree with that.  Some of these later issues do need a little less "tell" and a lot more "show."


2. Absolute Martian Manhunter vol. 1 by Deniz Camp, Javier Rodriguez and Others

Javier Rodriguez is, as of now, my favorite artist.  The story which unfolds in Absolute Martian Manhunter is a little confusing at times, but I suppose that was to some extent the point.  I really enjoyed the battle between the two heavies near the end, and the contrast between John Jones and his alien counterpart is very compelling.

I wonder, however, if the writer didn't paint himself into a corner with this one.  How would it continue?  How would this character/storyline blend with others?  As it is it seems more like a pocket universe within the larger Absolute continuity, and with vol. 1's tale told I'm not sure what more there is to say about the character.


3. Absolute Green Lantern vol. 1 by Al Ewing, Jahnoy Lindsay and Others

I am not now nor have I ever been a big Green Lantern fan.  I always thought his (and it's usually a "his") powers were a little silly.  And don't get me started on all the different colors of the spectrum and the related nonsense.  To me all those differently colored lanterns are just a step removed from the Speed Force so often invoked in more recent Flash comics.

And yet I loved this series.  Volume 1 (I haven't yet read Volume 2) offers a great mythos on which to build future adventures, and even if Green Lantern's mythos isn't quite as good (or consistent) as Wonder Woman's it's still very well thought out and promises many good stories in the future.

I doubt Absolute Batman will be dethroned anytime soon, but I could see Absolute Green Lantern supplanting Absolute Wonder Woman a few issues down the line.  It replaces an old system of magic with a new one, sure, but the new system is WAY cooler.


4. Absolute Superman by...?

I've only read bits of this one online, but what I read seemed very political and heavy-handed.  I may return to it in the future.

I'm not a big fan of Jason Aaron though.  I doubt my opinion of this series will change much upon further readings.


5. Absolute Flash by...?

What a disappointment.  As in the case of Absolute Superman I've only read parts of this series, but nothing I've read has impressed me.  The Flash is my all-time favorite superhero, and I think the Absolute line let him down.

Part of my problem with Absolute Flash is that there is a definite hole in the Absolute line up that could have been filled by this title.  In Absolute Batman you've got VIOLENCE, in Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Green Lantern you've got magic, and in Absolute Martian Manhunter you've got a kind of surreal psychology that acts as a counterpoint to what's going on in Absolute Batman.  Absolute Flash could have rounded out this collection by being a more science-oriented title, crafting a more rational/scientific world around a character with impossible abilities.

But no, they didn't do that.  Not really.

Bonus points for NO Speed Force however, at least not yet.  That's a welcome change.


6. Absolute Catwoman by...?

Haven't read any of these.  Could be interesting.


7. Absolute Green Arrow by...?

Haven't read any of these either.  Cool costume though.  There's always something a little silly about heroes walking around with bows and arrows in a world full of machine guns, but hey, maybe the creators manage to make that particular trope convincing.


8. Other Titles

Again, haven't read any.  There are several one-shots and the DC All-In Special which inaugurated the line.

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2026年8月4日 星期二

"Space Battleship Yamato: The Classic Collection" by Leiji Matsumoto (1975)


You might think this manga predates the anime, but no, it was created afterward, as a companion piece to the televised series.  This fact goes some distance toward explaining the strange, somewhat disjointed nature of the manga, a printed version in which key moments from the anime seem to be missing.

I worshiped the anime (known to me then as "Star Blazers") as a kid.  It came out long before Robotech, and it was the first Japanese "cartoon" I was exposed to as a kid.  I spent hours drawing the Yamato (or the "Argo") in notebooks in the early to mid 80s, and I was glued to our living room television whenever the show aired.

Reading it in 2026, with more mature eyes, was an interesting experience.  Through this manga I can see an attempt to come to terms with Japan's role in WWII, and also a concern over both nuclear power and nuclear weaponry.  In the lovingly rendered spaceships I can see intimations of mecha yet to come, and also character types familiar from other series.  Space Battleship Yamato wasn't the beginning or end of any process, but it was certainly a milestone along a well traveled route that is still being developed and expanded upon today.

For those unfamiliar with the story, a race of aliens known as the Gamilas bombards the Earth with planet-destroying weapons, and the fraction of humanity which survives is forced to live belowground.  In the depths of their misery they receive plans for a Wave Motion Engine from the distant planet Iscandar, and also the promise of a device called the Cosmo Cleaner, which will restore the Earth to its former glory.

For me, as a kid, one of the riveting things about the anime was the way in which it constantly counted down towards Earth's imminent (?) demise.  "Only five days left!" the narrator would announce, and with such news I'd be locked in for next week's episode.

The anime has an interesting history.  Leiji Matsumoto, who produced the anime, also produced the manga.  You can see the influence of Space Battleship Yamato in later works like Super Dimension Fortress Macross and even video games like Space Invaders.  It was originally conceived as a tokusatsu (live action) series, and both the movie The Poseidon Adventure and the novel Lord of the Flies were two of the many sources of inspiration which led to its creation.

One fun thing about the manga, which I don't remember from the anime, is the inclusion of Captain Harlock from one of Leiji Matsumoto's other manga series.  Captain Harlock's two appearances in Space Battleship Yamato were, for me at least, the highlights of the manga.

If you're like me and grew up on the anime you'll enjoy this manga collection.  It will bring back a lot of memories.  If, however, you're unfamiliar with the anime, then I'd pass on the manga.  Taken on its own merits it's a little too disjointed, and too many of its critical moments occur outside the printed page.

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2026年8月1日 星期六

"The Warlock in Spite of Himself" by Christopher Stasheff (1969)


"'A totalitarian movement, beyond question,' the robot replied, 'A rabble-rouser, no doubt power hungry, who will lead the people to make demands on the government, demands which cannot be met.  The crown's refusals will be used to incite the mob to violence, and you have your revolution made.'

"'Couldn't be just an ambitious nobleman trying to usurp the crown?'

"'Usurpation derives its support from the upper classes, Rod.  No, this is a proletarian revolution - a prelude to a totalitarian government.'"

Christopher Stasheff was a Midwestern author known for blending science fiction and fantasy.  This novel, The Warlock in Spite of Himself, is probably his best known work.  It's also the first book in Stasheff's Warlock of Gramarye series, which consists of 12 books published between the late 60s and early 2000s.  Stasheff passed away in 2018.

In the novel a star traveler representing a galaxy-spanning democracy visits the world of Gramarye, where a group of colonists have established a society modeled on the Middle Ages.  This feudal community is ruled by the capricious Queen Catherine, a young woman new to the throne and her responsibilities as queen.  Our star traveler, seeing in Catherine's troubled monarchy an opportunity to push Gramarye towards democracy, decides to intervene in local politics.

Given its date of publication, many of The Warlock in Spite of Himself's earliest readers drew parallels between the novel and American exploits in Vietnam.  These parallels are, I think, a bit of a stretch.  Yes, the novel's political underpinnings do invite some comparisons to American adventurism in Indochina, but The Warlock in Spite of Himself is a far from politically astute work.  The politics at play in the book are more cosmetic, and concepts such as totalitarianism and democracy are treated in the most cursory fashion.

On balance I don't think this novel is any more timely than Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, a tale The Warlock in Spite of Himself much resembles.  Both books involve a more "enlightened" protagonist transported into medieval times, both books involve this protagonist posing as a magician, and both books involve characters attempting to modernize medieval institutions.  The main difference being that Twain's book is a work of satire, while The Warlock in Spite of Himself is offered with more of a straight face.

Then there's the misogyny, of which The Warlock in Spite of Himself has plenty.  Sure, the protagonist overcomes some of his misogyny in the course of the novel, but there are still several troubling depictions of women and their ability to change (or even influence) events in this narrative, and this aspect of the novel will likely cause most readers to question the author's attitudes toward the female sex.

I wouldn't recommend this book.  I found it hard to get through and less than convincing.  It's not terrible, mind you, but I've read much better science fiction (and fantasy) from the same time period.

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