Nostalgic Anime Retrospective No. 18] The exhilarating feeling of celluloid art dominating the background art!　What is the 60's cartoon charm of "Crusher Joe"?

The third episode of "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin," directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, will be screened as an event starting May 21, 2016. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's directorial debut was "Crusher Joe," which was released theatrically in 1983. In this film, Yasuhiko also served as the animation director, much to the delight of fans who had been captivated by his characters in "Mobile Suit Gundam.

The same year, "Genma Taisen" was released with Katsuhiro Otomo as the character designer, and the characters were so finely drawn that their characteristics could be pointed out in detail. The background art was modeled on real locations such as Shinjuku and Kichijoji.

Compared to the more realistic "Genma Taisen," the look of "Crusher Joe" is a stark contrast in every respect. The story is set in the vastness of space, where warp navigation allows the characters to fly freely, and countless mechanics appear. The characters are exhilaratingly conventionalized: the two-faced hero, the monstrous giant of a man, and the cold, ruthless villain .......

Even though they were the same cell animation and commercial animation, there was as much difference between "Genma" and "Jyou" as between standard Japanese and dialect. Putting aside which is the standard language and which is the dialect, I would like to explore the unique charm of "Jyou".

The joy of the moment when "only when it moves does it become a cel-shaded picture.

After infiltrating the enemy base, Jyou and the others come across a long corridor. If they cross the corridor, they are sure to be exposed to enemy fire. Jyou runs out to cross the corridor by himself. Under fire, the corridor Jyou runs along breaks in the middle, and he slips, grabs onto the railing just in time, and ends up suspended in mid-air.

The corridor that Jyou and his friends see before crossing is depicted as background art. As Jou begins to cross the corridor, the handrails in front of and behind him are drawn in the cell. The next cut is the hallway being shot at from Jou's subjective view. At the end of this cut, the corridor tilts gloriously (thus, the corridor is painted in the cell, not in the art). Bust shot of a startled Jo. The next cut shows the corridor tilting vertically and a long shot of Jou, who breaks his posture, spins head first, and holds onto the broken corridor with his arms outstretched.

Jou's friends are watching Jou's pinch from the other side of the corridor ......, but the corridor depicted in the shot is not a cell. It is painted as a background.

With today's technology, it is possible to move the corridor in 3DCG, apply textures, and blend it with the background art. In 1983, however, the only way to make the corridor move was to draw the part of the corridor on celluloid pictures. The texture of the background art was different from that of the celluloid. When it comes to celluloid, you can tell that it "moves," and they know it. However, at the moment when a part of the background is drawn on celluloid, don't you feel the animator's strong will, "Now, let's move it!

The example I gave of "Jyou about to fall down the corridor" is very lively. The two movements, Jyou trying hard not to fall and the corridor that bends unceremoniously, are in conflict with each other, and it is interesting to watch again and again. The animators had a lot of fun with the animation, and their "groove" comes through.

I want to move the picture as much as I can. A bouncing desire for expression

The screen of "Crusher Joe" has a large percentage of cells. In other words, there is a lot of "moving" elements. The highlight of the film is a brawl scene at a disco in the first half.
Jyou is reprimanded by his father, and drinks a lot. There are many speakers in the disco. They are depicted in celluloid because they shake due to vibrations. The tables and the booths with the waiters are painted as background art. However, in the cut where the table is straddled by Jyou's friends after they notice Jyou's brawl, the table is broken as a celluloid painting, and the glasses and dishes on the table are flying in the air. There is a sense of exhilaration as if the inanimate table and glasses suddenly come to life, as if they are freed from the laws of physics.

Talos, a giant of a man, is hit in the head from behind with an ashtray. But not a drop of blood comes out. Instead, Talos' head caves into his torso like rubber. In the next cut, Talos grabs the man who hit him, but again, his hand snaps out like rubber. Talos lifts the ball-shaped speaker with monstrous strength. The thugs who had been running toward him with deadly intent all stop in the same pose. Talos takes his place on the stage and throws the thugs left and right as they attack with mops, Japanese swords, and all manner of weapons. The screen is increasingly dominated by celluloid images. People, objects, and everything else are drawn on cels without distinction, filling the entire screen.

Objects that are supposed to be hard bend with a jerk. Conversely, human bodies, which are supposed to be soft, become hard like metal or bounce like springs.

The look of "Crusher Joe" is cemented in the 80's trends favored by animation fans of the time. There are many backstage gags and playful elements that only fans can appreciate. However, the film reveals that what drives "Jyou" is the free-spiritedness of the cartoons that flourished in the 1960s, generous humor, over-the-top action, and a desire to "move the picture as much as you want," a desire to express oneself to an almost excessive degree. It is not elegant by any means, but the extent to which the filmmakers wanted to move the pictures and thoroughly enjoy the "movement" - this bursting vitality is what makes "Jyou" a work that deserves repeated viewing even today.


(Text by Keisuke Hirota)