Animated film in Japan until 1919: Western animation and the beginnings of anime

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Wow. I remember when the earliest Japanese animation that could be seen and studied were those early color features produced in the late 1950s – and anything earlier than that was scarce or buried. Today, with DVD, the internet, blogs and several lavish new books, studying the history of anime is more accessible – and more intricate than we ever imagined. Now comes the the ultimate first chapter in the story – historian Frederick Litten has published his study of the first years of the Japanese art form, one hundred years ago, in a thoroughly written (and heavily footnoted) 160-page paperback. There’s no doubt animation has shaped the world – and anime is still growing in influence. I’m grateful that Dr. Litten has documented where and how it all began, and is sharing that knowledge in this concise tome.

This book is a game-changer. Litten opens up the lid of the musty trunk of forgotten history, roots around among the debris and creates a coherent body of evidence, theory and well-supported speculation for his fascinating conclusions.Drawing together evidence from a huge range of contemporary sources, Litten balances likelihoods and acknowledges difficulties and previous errors - by himself as well as others - in a way that makes his arguments all the more persuasive. In his unusually well informed opinion, the earliest domestically produced Japanese animation arrived between 1907 and 1912 and the primal centenary has already passed unnoticed. He does the most cogent work to date in identifying and ordering the first theatrical screenings of Japanese animation.If you are at all interested in the early history of film or animation in Japan, you need this book. If you're an educator trying to teach your students best practice in research methodology, you need this book and so do they. It's a marvel and I'm so glad it is finally available in English.

Die Geschichte des japanischen Animationsfilmes beginnt in Nürnberg, das zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts als Weltzentrum der Spielzeugindustrie galt. In diesem Buch beschreibt Dr. Litten die ersten dort produzierten Animationsfilme, Projektoren ("Kinematographen"), deren Produzenten und den Export auch nach Japan, das später auch amerikanische und französische Filme importierte. Erst danach entwickelte sich die japanische Zeichentrickfilmindustrie. Das Buch ist gründlichst recherchiert, anschaulich bebildert. Für Interessenten dieses Genres eine klare Kaufempfehlung.