IS IT ANIME? The Last Unicorn

[AmazonMandy]

Well, i dont think its fair to limit the definition of style, if you look at the various styles from Ninja Scroll, Blood, Tiny Sugar Snow Fairy, and Kimiga Nozomu no Eien...all COMLETELY different looks, yet all are considered anime. Not saying TLU IS, but saying that shouldn't be a defining point...

[Kalium]

To provide some evidence, here is Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankin-Bass

To quote:

Rankin-Bass (aka Videocraft International) is an American production company known for its seasonal television specials.

I think that says it all, really.

[paizuri]

So...the reason The Last Unicorn is not considered anime is because:

1: it was made by Japanese people for American viewers
2: the style was Japanese, but the target audience was not Japanese
3: it was made in Japan, but not for Japan
4: its original audio is in English so it was subtitled for foreigners (though this wasn't listed)

Then tell me why Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is considered anime when:

1: it was made by Japanese people with funding from Americans and for American viewers
2: the style was Japanese, but the target audience was American
3: it was made in Japan (maybe) but not for Japan
4: its original audio is in English and it was subtitled or 'dubbed' for foreigners (though this wasn't listed).

Now...VHD Bloodlust did have a prequel established in Japan for Japanese viewers. But we're not talking about the original, we're talking about the US-funded sequel, released with with an original English audio because its target audience speaks English.

Visuals alone, both look Japanese. Audio obviously doesn't count, so 'anime' doesn't need to be in Japanese. Both target US viewers (though Bloodlust did get released with subtitles for Japanese speakers - just like The Last Unicorn has been since then, American's aren't the only people who import 'foreign' films).

The only thing these two have different are the stories themselves. VHD is based off a Japanese story and TLU is based off an English story. But I'm confident we can find quite a few 'anime' that were based on English stories, and 'easternized' the same way VHD was 'westernized' to fit their target audiences.

I'm not particular about whether or not TLU be counted as anime, but if it isn't, neither is VHD's US-funded sequel.

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust was a US-Japan co-production between Urban Vision and Madhouse Studios. Basically, the head of UV learned that Madhouse wanted to make a sequel to the first one so they helped fund the effort and also provided the sound and music direction. However, it was a japanese script, animated and directed by a japanese studio. Also, although the language track was only in English, it debuted in Japanese theatres in April 2001 with a japanese subtitle track. The theatrical debut in the US was in September 2001. The japanese may not have been the target audience, but they were certainly not left out.

This is somewhat different than The Last Unicorn, which was entirely funded, scripted, directed, and voiced by Rankin-Bass Productions and the american people they hired, with Topcraft (which later evolved into Ghibli) handling the animation. The Last Unicorn never had a theatrical release in Japan, nor were there any official licensing or translation efforts for at least 20 years that I can find mention of.

[bobbarker31]

This makes me wonder if that Honda made in Southern West Virginia by Americans for Americans really makes it a Japanese car anymore?

Nothing is 100% something. Welcome to globalization of animation.

[Kalium]

This makes me wonder if that Honda made in Southern West Virginia by Americans for Americans really makes it a Japanese car anymore?

Nothing is 100% something. Welcome to globalization of animation.

Well, it was designed in Japan, and is more reliable than the cars made in Detroit, so, yeah, probably.

Anyway, all this makes for is a quagmire. :/

[Arigatomina]

Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust was a US-Japan co-production between Urban Vision and Madhouse Studios. Basically, the head of UV learned that Madhouse wanted to make a sequel to the first one so they helped fund the effort and also provided the sound and music direction. However, it was a japanese script, animated and directed by a japanese studio. Also, although the language track was only in English, it debuted in Japanese theatres in April 2001 with a japanese subtitle track. The theatrical debut in the US was in September 2001. The japanese may not have been the target audience, but they were certainly not left out.

I read the subtitled version was aired in May 2001, but it could have been the site. ;p

But this is good because we've identified what it takes to be 'anime' on this site. It doesn't matter who pays for the show to be made (US in both cases), or who controls the audio (US in both cases), or what style the animation is (Japanese in both cases).

To be considered anime, the show must be based on a Japanese script, directed by a Japanese person, and released in Japan (with subtitles if the original language is not Japanese).

[Maybe something should be in there about which country owns the copyright, but I couldn't find proof for VHDB, so I left that out - some sources claim Urban Vision 'owns' all rights and control over the release of the animated movie, others claim it's owned jointly by both companies and the Japanese just let Urban Vision make the rules - both countries - I don't have confirmation either way.]

You could put that in the rules and settle a lot of arguments before they start, you know. I've always pushed clearly defined terms as to what is and is not anime on this website - if you put it in the rules, no one will be able to say they didn't know if it was considered anime or not.

[Kajino Rei]

Instead of launching one of my big posts I'll say one thing:

SQ, I'm with you.
Hope you don't have any problems at the VCA's.

Where's my cup?

[badmartialarts]

*cough*Animatrix?*cough*

[Arigatomina]

*cough*Animatrix?*cough*

A number of the scripts were written by the Wachowski brothers, and the entire concept came from them. So it fails to fit the "must be based on a Japanese script" requirement.

So unless anime means nothing more than "directed by a Japanese person and released in Japan," the Animatrix is not anime.

Heh, part of it's live action. That's definitely not anime in any sense of the 'animation' term. You'd have to break it into the different sections, only including the animated parts that were based on Japanese scripts (if any of them were).

[Arigatomina]

Heh, part of it's live action.

Correction - it's CG to the point where if it were a Japanese game, we wouldn't allow it on the org because it isn't done in 'anime' style (like the FF games are).