Arabian Night: Sindbad no Bouken

アラビアンナイト　シンドバッドの冒険 - Arabian Nights: Sinbad's Adventures is one of Toei Animation's early works and already pretty old. Gladly, I'll tell you something about its creation, but in order for you to enjoy the anime as well, I would like to ask you a small favor. Try to get rid of CGI-pampered eyes and the idea that an anime that is well over 50 years old can or should be compared to today's animations.

A tip at the beginning, look for a good version of the anime, preferably with a running time of about 81 minutes and in Japanese dub with subtitles. These versions are a bit ... hard to find, but it's worth the search because the entertainment value is higher.

Story: simple, predictable, but to be honest, it's pretty well known, isn’t it? (6/10)
The scenario, which was used by the famous manga-ka Tezuka, Osamu and the writer Kita, Morio for the script, is set in the time of the Caliph Hārūn ar-Rashīd. Sinbad (Sindbad) lives in the port city of Basra (southern Iraq on the shores of Shatt al-Arab) and his adventures are most likely inspired by the stories of Arabian sailors dating back to the 9th and 10th centuries. One famous theory is that Sinbad the Sailor was a good nighttime story told by a Scheherazade to entertain her Caliph. Although I like this theory very much as well, unfortunately this story is not included in the oldest Arabian folktale collection, which dates back to the 15th century, and is therefore not documented. Still, I like this theory a lot and it fits in with the story told in this anime.
A young man named Sinbad happens to get a map showing the way to a fabulous treasure on a mysterious island. Together with his new friend, the orphan Ali, he wants to find the treasure. Thus the two dreamers board a cargo ship as stowaways and, unaware of the obstacles and dangers that await them, embark on a risky cruise through the seas of the Middle East. On their way they have many fabulous adventures and are later accompanied by the courageous sultan's daughter Samir ...
If you have a little patient with the story, the last 20 minutes will bring a sudden surge of tension and compensate for the temporary lack of excitement, giving the end of the adventure a beautiful finale.

characters: stereotype, little background information, but fit into their roles (5/10)
The characterization of the individual main characters is very equivalent. The characters interact without any special emphasis and the behaviour appears natural as far as it is possible for an adventure story.
Sinbad:
Of course, the hero of the story gets one or two major appearances, but on the whole he is the typical, handsome hero of a fantasy story. He can sing and is not a fool and full of energy. He doesn't fulfil his role badly at all.
Ali:
The little orphan is something like a smart cookie, he has a good heart and helps his friends. This character trait allows him a good connection to the animals in the show, which proves to be very helpful.
The two sailors:
These two characters are really funny and yet immediately reminiscent of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy (Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo that made successfully more than 100 slapstick comedy films between 1921 and 1951). As a fun duo they take over a big part of the comedy and do it very well, because the characters are not mocked and remain an important part of the movie.
Princess Samir:
She is a really interesting character, her description is very feminine and on the other hand she knows exactly what she wants and she is not afraid to take it. It's a bit unusual for the archaic time of the fairy tale and also for the 60s when the anime was made. In any case, it is pleasantly realized and fits very well to her role.
Grand vizier Torfa:
The outward appearance already makes it obvious that he doesn't belong to the nice characters. He has a scheming personality, as it should be for a villain, and is also greedy. We'll see where it leads him.

Visuals: aged, technically well-made for the time, a rarity (7/10)
Viewed with kindness, and taking into account the fact that some available films/streams look as if they were taken from a faded 16mm narrow film format that has been enlarged to a 35mm film for commercial marketing to be able to use standard cinema projectors. To enjoy the movie more, try to find a better version as described above.
The Character sketches are very nice. The faces do not yet have the later character traits (big-eyes style and European appearance) that the aforementioned Mangaka Tezuka Osamu will shape. In addition the animal representations are very realistic and well done. The animal figures remind me a lot of the gorgeous drawings of Mori, Yasuji, in particular the little kitten, but also the little whale, the horses and even the bat drawings are really good. The animation of the sea impresses with a terrific water animation.
The animation may not as innovative as the earlier production "Koneko no Rakugaki", but it is fluid and enriched with many ideas. For example, it's fun to see the big water vortex and the images of blurry spirits hovering over a shipwreck. The flight attack of the electric jellyfish is also famous. The perspectives are right and the shots put the characters in the right light. For the year 1962, the team of artists and animators created an artistically and experimentally successful, unmistakable rotoscoping design. The anime has a specific and inexplicable, but irresistible charm and is also a small rarity, one notices the influence of the West. A glimpse at Disney classics such as Snow White from 1937 reveals how the directors tried to approach the Western style, but still create something independent. Nevertheless, this should not be judge negatively, because the Disney classics are beautiful and impressive inspirations to derive something for oneself and to develop an independent style. As already mentioned, this is exactly what will happen when Tezuka Osamu founds his own studio (Tezuka Dōga Production and later Mushi Production) and triggers a revolution in the still very young Japanese anime world with anime classics like Astroboy. A chance for the most to discover a probably unknown part of animation history.

Music: slightly melancholic but not bad, original japanese VA good (7/10)
The music and the songs were composed by Yoneyama, Masao (Lyrics) and Tomita, Isao (Music). The elaborate orchestration supports the narrative structure and reflects the emotional state of the characters and the dramatic situations in which they find themselves. The individual songs like Fushigi na Guitar, Omoi tsumini or Hitoribocchi no Hime sound better in the Japanese original than in the English translation.
The same applies to the voice dubbing. For example, the voices of Takiguchi Junpei as Captain Hamdi and Kinoshita Hideo as Sinbad sound more appropriate for their characters than in French or English dubbing.
The sound effects of Kimura, Hajime are well done, if not extraordinary, but fitting.

The anime is very entertaining and also very informative for an anime fan because it shows a lot about the beginning and development of art and animation. On the other hand, without these good old Toei Animation movies, to name a few "Hakujaden", "Koneko no Rakugaki" today's animation industry would surely still be sitting in a cave and make fire with flints.

Thanks for reading and have fun watching!

i only managed to find the dub for this one. Sindbad's adventures was a much needed change of pace from the same old character designs TOEI was employing - direct imitation of Disney movies of the time with much poorer production value and quality, unfortunately. You even see some experimentalism make a return here, especially with how some effects for the ocean and the treasure were animated using sand.

Unfortunately, the characters continue to remain paper thin and uninteresting. while their designs are quite a detailed improvement from the paper motion humans in the previous TOEI doga films, there is little depth to them. The movies ... continue to feel like a stitched together tapestry of disparate scenes that are unrelated to each other, rather than fostering a single contiguous narrative. This unfortunate feature continues to undermine the potential of these early age films and the narrative limitations of the artists working in the space at the time.

Once again, there are some scenes that would breach the realms of appearing psychedelic, almost approaching the brink of horror - only to pull back into the familiar territory of a figurative children's playground of a perfect world of idealism and adventure. The movie, like others of its ilk often threatens to break out of the mold created for it by its meta realities like its audiences contrasting with the artistic frustration of the creative team.

How delightful it is to delve into the realm of such vintage entertainment in our modern age, where complexity and nuance have flourished to unprecedented heights. Truly, it is a shame to review this ancient masterpiece when compared to the marvels of today's anime landscape. Oh, how far we have come!

Let us delve into the story, a tale so bland and devoid of complexity that it would make even the most straightforward children's fable appear as a convoluted enigma. Prepare yourself for a journey into the realm of randomness and stupidity, where character decisions lack reason and coherence, serving solely as convenient plot devices that ... only gullible children might readily accept. How marvelous it is to encounter an adventure that thrusts you into the unknown without the slightest semblance of coherence or explanation!

Ah, the characters, those magnificent creations with no backstories, no development, and a penchant for acting irrationally. Villains, too, are not to be outdone, for they possess motives that are both stupid and irrational or reasons that shall forever remain shrouded in mystery. And let us not forget Sinbad, the pinnacle of character stagnation and emotional vacancy. Witness his blandness, his complete lack of depth, as he single-mindedly pursues his one true passion: sailing the seas—a concept so novel and groundbreaking in the realm of Sindbad stories.

Now, let us cast our gaze upon the art, a visual feast reminiscent of the cartoonish wonders of yore. Do not be startled by its appearance, for it is but a natural consequence of the anime's age. We must embrace the simplicity and embrace the fact that we have indeed progressed far beyond such visual antiquities.

And what of the sound? Prepare your eardrums for the auditory experience of a lifetime! Let the incessant calling out and piercing screams wash over you, for this is the hallmark of an anime from an era long past. Take solace in the fact that you are experiencing the authentic soundscape of ancient times.

In conclusion, despite the predictability of character development and the ending that was foreseen from the very beginning, there is a certain charm in the movie's ability to retain its adventurous spirit. Embrace the randomness and unpredictability that befalls our intrepid heroes on their journey, for it is indeed a welcome respite from the mundane.