Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends
Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 10:04 am
Originally written by Daniel on 2016/01/03, 07:44:22 PST :
Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
I've been watching Manga Nippon Mukashibanashi. This series retells old folktales from Japan. I don't think it's very well known among western fans, but the show had a two decade run, starting in '75 and ending in '94.
Interesting! The only problem I have with this show is that they pack in two stories per episode, so you end up with about 10 minutes per story, and it sometimes feels rushed. Many of these can be and have been made into feature length films.
The show will likely be difficult to understand without knowing Japanese, and to my knowledge no fansubs exist. If I were a fansubber, this would be the kind of show I'd be interested in working on -- old series, out of the limelight and mostly ignored, but something personally interesting. Of course, I've no time for that.
There is however a new show, still ongoing, that seems to be a rehash of this show, and is being subtitled. The title is Furusato Saisei Nippon no Mukashibanshi. I checked out the first few episodes. Unfortunately, instead of packing in two stories per episode, they now cram in three per episode -- way too rushed! The stories themselves also are somewhat different than their counterparts in the original series how much liberty they're taking here versus how much the stories actually varied while being retold for generations throughout Japan, I can't say.
Happy holidays, old schoolers.
Originally written by AVHodgson on 2016/01/03, 09:26:27 PST :
Re: Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
There's a lot of series that adapt old Japanese folktales out there, but close to none have been fansubbed or ever brought overseas - mainly because Japanese folktales don't really have much of an audience among anime fans in the States, or among most people in the States, period.
Conversely, there's quite a few shows based on folktales from around the world that have been dubbed. Case in point, Dax International's Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi , which featured adaptations of folktales and classic literature, and which made it to America under a variety of names Merlin's Cave, Tales of Magic, etc. And much like Manga Nihon , each episode has a different director and a different style of animation.
On the topic of the show, however, I can recognize a couple of the stories from the pictures you posted. Momotaro, Urashima Taro, Ikkyu-san, the Grateful Crane... and I believe they did an adaptation of The Tongue-Cut Sparrow as well.
Maybe we should have a thread about anime retellings of Western folktales legends...
Originally written by llj on 2016/01/04, 07:44:56 PST :
Re: Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
The closest thing to this kind of anthology series to be released in the U.S. was CPM's Animated Classics of Japan, but I have to admit that that was a fairly dry show at times, with less experimentation of visual styles than I would hope for. The show you posted, Daniel, seems to be a lot more varied.
Originally written by DKop on 2016/01/10, 18:21:42 PST :
Re: Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
Urusei Yatsura Beautiful Dreamer is the only movie that comes to mind about the Urashima Taro story.
Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
I've been watching Manga Nippon Mukashibanashi. This series retells old folktales from Japan. I don't think it's very well known among western fans, but the show had a two decade run, starting in '75 and ending in '94.
Interesting! The only problem I have with this show is that they pack in two stories per episode, so you end up with about 10 minutes per story, and it sometimes feels rushed. Many of these can be and have been made into feature length films.
The show will likely be difficult to understand without knowing Japanese, and to my knowledge no fansubs exist. If I were a fansubber, this would be the kind of show I'd be interested in working on -- old series, out of the limelight and mostly ignored, but something personally interesting. Of course, I've no time for that.
There is however a new show, still ongoing, that seems to be a rehash of this show, and is being subtitled. The title is Furusato Saisei Nippon no Mukashibanshi. I checked out the first few episodes. Unfortunately, instead of packing in two stories per episode, they now cram in three per episode -- way too rushed! The stories themselves also are somewhat different than their counterparts in the original series how much liberty they're taking here versus how much the stories actually varied while being retold for generations throughout Japan, I can't say.
Happy holidays, old schoolers.
Originally written by AVHodgson on 2016/01/03, 09:26:27 PST :
Re: Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
There's a lot of series that adapt old Japanese folktales out there, but close to none have been fansubbed or ever brought overseas - mainly because Japanese folktales don't really have much of an audience among anime fans in the States, or among most people in the States, period.
Conversely, there's quite a few shows based on folktales from around the world that have been dubbed. Case in point, Dax International's Manga Sekai Mukashi Banashi , which featured adaptations of folktales and classic literature, and which made it to America under a variety of names Merlin's Cave, Tales of Magic, etc. And much like Manga Nihon , each episode has a different director and a different style of animation.
On the topic of the show, however, I can recognize a couple of the stories from the pictures you posted. Momotaro, Urashima Taro, Ikkyu-san, the Grateful Crane... and I believe they did an adaptation of The Tongue-Cut Sparrow as well.
Maybe we should have a thread about anime retellings of Western folktales legends...
Originally written by llj on 2016/01/04, 07:44:56 PST :
Re: Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
The closest thing to this kind of anthology series to be released in the U.S. was CPM's Animated Classics of Japan, but I have to admit that that was a fairly dry show at times, with less experimentation of visual styles than I would hope for. The show you posted, Daniel, seems to be a lot more varied.
Originally written by DKop on 2016/01/10, 18:21:42 PST :
Re: Anime Retellings of Japanese Folktales Legends :
Urusei Yatsura Beautiful Dreamer is the only movie that comes to mind about the Urashima Taro story.