Through Monday, August 30! Save the masterpiece cel-animation "Manga Sarutobi Sasuke! Crowdfunding to create a digital archive is underway!

A crowdfunding campaign to support the digitalization of "Manga Sarutobi Sasuke," an anime produced by NAC Corporation that was broadcast in 1979, is currently underway until 23:00 on August 30, 2021 (Monday).

⇒ Long Interview] Actually, it was an issue for the entire video industry! Charge Man Lab! Vinegar Syndrome" problem highlighted by crowdfunding project

Manga Sarutobi Sasuke" is a cel animation that was broadcast on Tokyo 12 Channel (now TV Tokyo) in 1979. It is one of the truly buried works among the NAK-produced animations, known only to those in the know.

The story is about a boy ninja, Sasuke Sarutobi, who chants "Onkirikiribasaraunhattan~! and uses ninjutsu to defeat his enemies. In the Warring States Period and the beginning of the Edo Period, Tokugawa Ieyasu tries to take over the country, and the Kouga and Iga ninjas, as well as a Western sorcerer, appear.

The story is a simple, straightforward story of good and evil, with honey traps, sexiness, and the familiar background music of "Charge Man Kenkyu! and action! The opening and closing songs are also very catchy, and the lyrics are charming as well.

Manga Sarutobi Sasuke" OP Video

Crowdfunding is now underway until 23:00, Monday, August 30, 2012.

ICHI Corporation (formerly Knack) has launched a crowdfunding campaign to digitally archive "Manga Sarutobi Sasuke" as a chance for more people to rediscover the fun of the work.

It is because of the low profile of the work that this page is being viewed by "Charge Man Kenkyu! fans and those who have seen Knack's works are needed to help us.

Overview】
■The second archiving of Nack's works｜Save the hidden masterpiece "Manga Sarutobi Sasuke"!
Project page: ##
Period: July 2, 2021 (Fri) - August 30, 2021 (Mon) 23:00
Target amount: 2,500,000 yen
(Total support as of August 24: approximately 1,258,000 yen)

Project page by ICHI Corporation (former Knack)

Today, many animated films, regardless of whether they are produced by Knack or not, are on the verge of extinction.

The animated films that many children watched from the 1970s to the 1990s, from the period of television development to its heyday, were produced on film or tape masters, and there is a growing possibility that they will eventually become unwatchable due to the end of production of playback equipment or deterioration of poorly preserved masters. The possibility that they will eventually become unwatchable is increasing.

In order to preserve these works for posterity, it is essential to convert them to digital data, but this requires a great deal of time and costs, including the removal of dust and dirt, reinforcement of the joints between frames, and correction of deteriorated images and faded colors. This is a very time-consuming and costly process. It is becoming very difficult for us at ICHI to preserve our work alone.

Under these circumstances, we have been trying to raise funds through the crowdfunding campaign for "Charge Man Kenkyu! and thanks to the warm support of many of you, we were able to bring the film back to life in its original high-definition format. Thanks to your support, we were able to give back to our fans in various ways, such as commercialization on Blu-ray and video distribution on the official ICHI YouTube page, and this has provided an opportunity for many people who are unfamiliar with the work to become familiar with it. Once again, thank you very much.

(Original text in Japanese)

Even hidden masterpieces can be subject to disposal if they are not illuminated

NAC Corporation (now ICHI) has produced approximately 43 celluloid animation works. As the years pass by, minor works that tend to be buried are rarely given a chance to be broadcast on terrestrial wave as well as BS and CS.

When there was demand for program broadcasts, it was possible to cover maintenance costs such as warehouse storage fees and material tape conversion work, but for the past 17 to 8 years, there has been almost no demand, many works have been in arrears in terms of contact with rights holders, and the number of works with the potential to generate income has decreased, leaving only maintenance costs as a major burden. Therefore, the company is currently considering the disposal of 16mm film and work materials internally as an option.

In the past, NAK has released many films on DVD, some of which remain as digital data, but unfortunately, the quality of the films at the time of their creation has not been reproduced because the image quality has been reduced from their original potential in order to meet DVD standards.
(It is said that 16mm master films have the same potential as the high-definition films we see today, and 35mm master films have the same potential as 4K.)

) Because of their uniqueness and unique worldview, NAK works stand apart from other animation works, and there are many works that have been buried under the spotlight. Manga Sarutobi Sasuke" is one such work that is the subject of this crowdfunding campaign.

Goal of the project and how the support will be used

Originally destined to be lost, "Charge Man Kenkyu! was previously revived with your support. Our goal is to revive the hidden masterpiece "Manga Sarutobi Sasuke" together with those who support us.

This time, we are challenging crowdfunding with a goal of 2.5 million yen to realize the digital archiving of "Manga Sarutobi Sasuke". Your support will be used to cover the following expenses

1,800,000 yen for film scanning and color correction (for all 24 episodes)
Return expenses and crowdfunding fee: 812,500 yen
Total: 2,612,500 yen

The challenge of crowdfunding is a positive way for the Japanese animation industry to raise awareness of NAK works (Showa-era animation) among a generation that is unfamiliar with them, and as a chance to raise funds to archive and pass on the works to future generations. We hope that those who agree with us will support this project.

*The project will end when we report the completion of digitization by June 15, 2022 (Wednesday).
*This project is an [All-or-Nothing] challenge. In the unlikely event that we do not reach our goal by the end of the application period (August 30), the project will fail and we will not receive your support (the "Manga Sarutobi Sasuke" archive project will not come true).

For more information about the returns and other details for everyone who supported the project, please visit the project page.
#