Chikara to Onna no Yo no Naka
Encyclopedia
is a 1933 anime
short film by Kenzō Masaoka
and the first Japan
ese anime of any type to feature voiceovers. The film was released in black and white. There are no known prints of this film available, and is considered a lost film
.
Chikara was listed as one of the "Best of Best" by the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival.
at home, he becomes involved in an affair
with a cute typist at his company and accidentally tells his wife about it while talking in his sleep
. After obtaining additional evidence of the affair, she goes to confront both her husband and the typist at her husband's office.
was released in the United States as the first talkie film, and Japanese film companies began working on creating them as well. Shochiku
released in 1931, the first Japanese talkie. Due to the success of this film, the president of Shochiku, Shirō Kido, commissioned Masaoka to make the first anime talkie, and he began working on it immediately.
Masaoka worked on the film for a little over a year and finally completed it in October 1932. The film was released in theaters the following year on 13 April 1933. At this time, the job of voice actor
did not exist, so Shochiku used regular actors for the voice parts. Casting well-known stars
such as Roppa Furukawa as well as Ranko Sawa (of the Takarazuka Revue
) helped make the film a success.
Sources:
Sources:
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
short film by Kenzō Masaoka
Kenzō Masaoka
was an early anime creator. He is probably most famous for creating the earliest anime to use cell animation and recorded sound. He also did work under the pseudonym...
and the first Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese anime of any type to feature voiceovers. The film was released in black and white. There are no known prints of this film available, and is considered a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
.
Chikara was listed as one of the "Best of Best" by the 12th Japan Media Arts Festival.
Plot
The protagonist is a father of four children. His wife is 180 centimetres (5.9 ft) tall, and weighs 120 kilograms (264.6 lb) due to her incredibly large physique. Because he is constantly being henpeckedDomestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
at home, he becomes involved in an affair
Affair
Affair may refer to professional, personal, or public business matters or to a particular business or private activity of a temporary duration, as in family affair, a private affair, or a romantic affair.-Political affair:...
with a cute typist at his company and accidentally tells his wife about it while talking in his sleep
Somniloquy
Somniloquy or sleep-talking is a parasomnia that refers to talking aloud while sleep. It can be quite loud, ranging from simple sounds to long speeches, and can occur many times during sleep...
. After obtaining additional evidence of the affair, she goes to confront both her husband and the typist at her husband's office.
Production
In 1927, the The Jazz SingerThe Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
was released in the United States as the first talkie film, and Japanese film companies began working on creating them as well. Shochiku
Shochiku
is a Japanese movie studio and production company for kabuki. It also produces and distributes anime films. Its best remembered directors include Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Mikio Naruse, Keisuke Kinoshita and Yōji Yamada...
released in 1931, the first Japanese talkie. Due to the success of this film, the president of Shochiku, Shirō Kido, commissioned Masaoka to make the first anime talkie, and he began working on it immediately.
Masaoka worked on the film for a little over a year and finally completed it in October 1932. The film was released in theaters the following year on 13 April 1933. At this time, the job of voice actor
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
did not exist, so Shochiku used regular actors for the voice parts. Casting well-known stars
Movie star
A movie star is a celebrity who is well-known, or famous, for his or her starring, or leading, roles in motion pictures. The term may also apply to an actor or actress who is recognized as a marketable commodity and whose name is used to promote a movie in trailers and posters...
such as Roppa Furukawa as well as Ranko Sawa (of the Takarazuka Revue
Takarazuka Revue
The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese all-female musical theater troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway-style productions of Western-style musicals, and sometimes stories adapted from shōjo manga and Japanese folktales. The troupe takes its name...
) helped make the film a success.
Staff
- Original Creator, Script: Tadao IkedaTadao Ikedawas a Japanese screenwriter and film director. After graduating from Waseda University, he joined the Shochiku studio and came to prominence writing screenplays for such directors as Yasujiro Ozu, Mikio Naruse, Kozaburo Yoshimura, and Yasujiro Shimazu. He also directed a few films.-Selected...
- Original Planning, Director: Kenzō MasaokaKenzō Masaokawas an early anime creator. He is probably most famous for creating the earliest anime to use cell animation and recorded sound. He also did work under the pseudonym...
- Animation: Mitsuyo SeoMitsuyo Seowas a Japanese animator, screenwriter and director of animated films who played a central role in the development of Japanese anime. He was born in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture.-Career:...
, Seiichi Harada, Saburō Yamamoto - Photography: Kakuzan Kimura
- Producer: Shirō Kido
- Voiceover Director: Hiromasa Nomura
- Audio: Haruo Tsuchihashi
- Music Director: Masanori Imasawa
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Cast
- Main character: Roppa Furukawa
- Wife: Ranko Sawa
- Typist: Yōko Murashima
- Tarō: Akio Isono
- Jirō: Hideo Mitsui
- Hanako: Fusako Fujita
- Toshiko: Yōko Fujita
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