IS IT ANIME? The Last Unicorn

SQ · Post by SQ » Mon Jan 10, 2005 2:21 pm

The Last Unicorn.

I know it's an anime. I don't think it's an anime. I know it's anime.

AbsoluteDestiny and I have argued over this subject multiple times.
The Last Unicorn is in that grey area.

When it comes to grey areas, it's a case-by-case basis.
Nadia was animated completely in Korea. But it was directed and produced by a Japanese anime company.

Therefore, AD claims this as anime.

The Last Unicorn was animated completely in Japan.
Although it never aired there, it was animated there, and since "Anime" is japanese animation, which is also Japanese Drawings, then, to me, The Last Unicorn is an anime.

The whole reason I am arguing this is because (1.) I truly believe it should be listed as anime, and (2.) I don't want to be DQ'ed from the VCA for having an only "Non-anime video" listed.

Here are my sources:
http://utd500.utdallas.edu/~hairston/luanimage.html

In 1983 the manga serial Nausicaa had been running for a year and a half in Animage, a Japanese monthly magazine devoted to animated movie features and tv programs in Japan. The publishers decided that Nausicaa was popular enough to make an animated feature based on the story in the manga with its creator, Hayao Miyazaki, as the director. They hired the studio Topcraft to do the animation. While Topcraft had done several high quality animated features before this, (most notably The Hobbit), all of them had been for Rankin-Bass Productions and released only in the US market. Their work was unknown in Japan itself. Animage wanted to show their readers that Topcraft was capable of doing a good job on the film version of Nausicaa, so in the September 1983 issue they ran a multi-page profile of the studio and showed off their previous project, The Last Unicorn. Ironically, The Last Unicorn has never to this day been released in Japan. My friend, Ryoko, found this article and was kind enough to scan in several of the images and pages as well as provide me with a translation of key parts of the article.

http://www.geocities.com/d-patanella/unicorn.html

The answer isn't as clear, due to recent developments in American animated features. A few years ago I would put The Last Unicorn in the anime category. The screenplay, while not written by a Japanese and not reflecting uniquely Japanese concerns, is mature enough to set it apart from most American child-oriented screenplays. When The Last Unicorn stood alone as the only example of its type in the West, the temptation to classify it as anime was very strong.

What do you guys think?

Should we base the declaration of anime by where the screenplay was made or where the actual cels were made?

Bulghod · Post by **Bulghod** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 3:14 pm

Does it matter?

It's an international animation project. if you're going by that, then it's not anime, otherwise the Simpsons is Korean animation.

SQ · Post by SQ » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:15 pm

The simpsons being Korean doesn't mean it's anime, so it doesn't matter.

My point was here that The Last Unicorn was made by an entirely Japanese staff, with Japanese animators, all in Japan.

And that the org is not classifying it as anime because it was produced by non-japanese.

:..Darkamist..: · Post by **:..Darkamist..:** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 4:24 pm

yes, its is an anime...its an old...and i mean old anime but is still anime...

AmazonMandy · Post by **AmazonMandy** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:04 pm

I have always kind of put it in the anime category (great movie imo), even though its an entirely different style, it should't make it less of an anime.

Bulghod · Post by **Bulghod** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:07 pm

SQ wrote:
My point was here that The Last Unicorn was made by an entirely Japanese staff, with Japanese animators, all in Japan.

And that the org is not classifying it as anime because it was produced by non-japanese.

oh, my bad

srocketa · Post by **srocketa** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:20 pm

Well if the animators are japanese, then the animation is japanese, and that makes it anime...
I love 'The Last Unicorn' by the way I bet there could be some really beautiful amv's with footage from that.
I always considered it to be anime, I'm suprised to hear it's not classed here as one? that's kind of sad if it discourages people from using it...are there even any amv's for that

? *goes to look*

SQ · Post by SQ » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:36 pm

I have some(not downloadable). One of the main reasons why I'm trying to get people to agree with me now that it IS anime, so I don't get DQ'ed from the VCA.

But also because TLU should be marked as an anime, and rightfully so.

(Honestly, if I get disqualified from VCA, I couldn't care less).

Unpronounceable_Symbol · Post by **Unpronounceable_Symbol** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:45 pm

I thought I remembered this topic...

reference

srocketa · Post by **srocketa** » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:49 pm

I read those things you posted. I'm suprised it was never released in Japan...
Anyway it seems a reasonable argument that it should be classified as anime here. I mean the ART is japanese, just because the producers were not it shouldn't mean anything, they just handle the money and buisiness side of it, they don't make the art, and the actual art is the important thing. That's just my opinion.