Daicon Opening Animations

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Daicon, Daikon, Daicon films, Daicon III, Daicon IV

Japanese: DAICONオープニングアニメ

Information

Type: Special

Episodes: 2

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Aug 22, 1981 to Aug 20, 1983

Producers: None found, add some

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Gainax

Source: Other

Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Themes: Mecha, Music, Otaku Culture

Duration: 5 min. per ep.

Rating: PG - Children

Statistics

Score: 7.72¹ (scored by 11,648 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #1193²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #4757

Members: 21,059

Favorites: 195

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Synopsis

Daicon III Opening Animation
An unnamed girl watches as the Science Patrol lands their aircraft. A masked individual exits the ship and approaches the girl, entrusting her with a cup of water and a simple task: to water a radish. The girl enthusiastically accepts her mission but is obstructed by a multitude of foes. Faced with waves of unrelenting monsters, mechas, and starfighters, can the young heroine protect the cup of water and make it to the radish unharmed?

Daicon IV Opening Animation
Clad in a Playboy Bunny suit, an older version of the same girl takes on new and notable adversaries from around the galaxy. From dueling with lightsabers to surfing the magical sword Stormbringer, there is no shortage of action!

Set to Electric Light Orchestra's "Twilight," the Daicon IV Opening Animation is a grand tribute to science fiction culture, showcasing hundreds of familiar characters in one spectacular bout.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

The Daicon III and Daicon IV Opening Animations were produced with the intent of being showcased at the twentieth and twenty-second Nihon SF Taikai science fiction conventions—specifically the 1981 and 1983 Osaka conventions, nicknamed Daicon III and Daicon IV.

Daicon III Opening Animation
The 1981 Daicon III Opening Animation was solely animated by the three-person studio Daicon Film—consisting of university students Hideaki Anno, Hiroyuki Yamaga, and Takami Akai. While others were involved in the short's production, there were only three members credited.

Daicon IV Opening Animation
The animation's unauthorized use of the Electric Light Orchestra song "Twilight" prevented it from receiving an official release; however, unofficial laserdiscs were produced to pay off the debt of the production.

The production of the 1983 Daicon IV Opening Animation was said to be rigorous, and its completion was on the day of its premier. Nevertheless, the short's reception was overwhelmingly positive and spawned it a favorable legacy. A 2001 edition of the Animage magazine ranks both shorts at number 35 in its Top 100 anime productions ranking.

The twelve individuals involved with the production of Daicon IV would go on to found the studio Gainax, responsible for the acclaimed anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Brief moments of Daicon IV can be seen in Gainax's anime Otaku no Video, which is based around the formation of the studio.

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

DAICON Girl

Main

More staff

Staff

Yamaga, Hiroyuki

Director, Episode Director

Electric Light Orchestra

Theme Song Performance

Anno, Hideaki

Key Animation, Animation Director

Sadamoto, Yoshiyuki

Key Animation

Edit

Opening Theme

"Twilight" by Electric Light Orchestra

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Ending Theme

No ending themes have been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding an ending theme here.

Reviews

Nov 27, 2012

AnnoKano

Recommended

The Daicon Opening Animations are two short films that were created for two Sci-fi conventions. They have gone down in history as the first and second titles produced by the infamous Studio Gainax, which at the time was little more than a group of students from the Osaka University of Arts.

Though they may be fairly humble origins for one of the most influential animation studios of the past 30 years, the Daicon films still demonstrate the tremendous potential of the Gainax staff. Both Daicon III and Daicon IV have essentially the same premise; a single girl fighting a battle royal against the Sci-Fi ... heroes of yesteryear. Deep and compelling storytelling it is not, but one can’t help but enjoy watching dozens of characters, some familiar and some long since forgotten, fighting each other.

Certainly, one doesn’t need to think hard to imagine the faces of the people attending those conventions all those years ago; seeing all their favourite characters in a single film with reasonable production (or in the case of Daicon IV, exceptional production) would have made for quite the kick. Hell, even thirty years later it’s hard not to feel pumped up when you hear the opening line: “Just on the border, of your waking mind”

That brings us to the soundtrack, which in Daicon IV, consists of the songs ‘Prologue’ and ‘Twilight’ by Electric Light Orchestra. It’s a perfect fit; it manages to sound futuristic, yet is still distinctly eighties at the same time. It manages to reflect the period of the films but also the sci-fi and fantasy themes that go with it. But it also conveys a strong sense of ambition, a clear reflection of how the film’s young creators felt at that time.

Because although the Daicon films follow a very simple concept, on technical terms they are on another level; comparable to and perhaps even exceeding the level of professional productions of the time. The animation is incredibly smooth, the backgrounds are detailed.

The cast is largely made up of characters borrowed from other shows, and these are somewhat faithful reproductions of their originals, but this isn’t where Daicon exceeds expectation; one of the most memorable scenes, featuring what appears to be a nuclear bomb going off in reverse, features no science fiction characters at all. It’s clear that the Gainax staff were not content with mere being mere imitators.

The Daicon Openings are certainly an important part of anime history, and one that will not be forgotten any time soon. But make no mistake, they are worth so much more than a pedestal in an anime museum exhibit. The Daicon Openings represent a youthful passion to do something you love; a sense of unity that (sadly) anime fans have since lost; and a studio not content with the status quo. They may be almost 30 years old, but the Daicon Opening animations are as young and fresh as they were at the first screening.

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Sep 7, 2017

brandotendie

Recommended

This is history. This is art. This is the passion and love of a medium encapsulated and condensed into 5 minutes with the care and effort of three men who would change the face of anime forever.

In just over 5 minutes, this opening animation to the 1981 DAICON sci-fi/anime convention, DAICON III tells the simple story of a little girl's quest to water a radish. Along the way, however, she is assailed and chased by popular pop culture icons, forcing her to utilize her full power to get to her goal.

It's a simple plot, yes. Also, the animation looks very dated and low-budget, yes. But ... the reason why DAICON III is so beautiful is because of its historical significance.

The short film was made by Hideaki Anno, Hiroyuki Yamaga and Takami Akai, the forefathers and founders of the legendary anime studio Gainax, which would later become Studio Trigger. The legacy of these men has repurposed the face of the anime industry, pumping out classics like Gurren Lagann, Gunbuster, and the timeless Neon Genesis Evangelion.

On top of that, the way they distributed the short film by selling individual tapes for fans to watch over and over back at home was revolutionary; this was the very first example of an anime original video animation (or OVA, for short), a practise that is still put into use today and has wrought some of the best things the medium has to offer (primarily 1988's Legend of the Galactic Heroes).

That legacy and more started with just this short, 5 minute film, a passion project so intimate, bursting to the seams with love and care, that in every key frame we can already see the signature touches and tropes that would begin to litter the industry for years to come.

Aside from the historical significance, DAICON III is just brimming with that optimism and unadulterated love of young, creative minds. Bolstered by a very bright and cheery wholesome 70s score, the short film is just a real love letter to the medium of anime as well as other influences (Star Wars and Ultraman among others).

It's more than just a pop culture romp akin to, say, 2006's The Ultimate Showdown, it's a short but sweet testament to the burning passion of three young men, and also a precursor to greater things to come.

Even in its dated glory, there's more heart and passion to be seen here than in most seasonal anime nowadays, and that's honestly refreshing to see. It's a reminder of why so many people love anime, why I love anime.

DAICON III may not offer much in terms of technical aspects or plot, but it is a very important milestone; it is modern anime's Steamboat Willie.

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Aug 12, 2016

FAKEANIMEGIRL

Mixed Feelings

Gainax's two short films made for the science-fiction conventions Daicon III and Daicon IV. But that's not exactly true. The truth is is that this wasn't made by Gainax in name, but rather a group of young animators that would go on to form that of one of anime's most prolific and influential studios of all time. These seemingly little things birthing such a giant of Japanese animation would come as no surprise to anyone who'd watch them. These music videos are full of fluent, active animation as mascot girls jump between absurd scenes and battles featuring science-fiction icons such as Darth Vader, Gundam, and ... Transformers. The number of references is astounding, and this is a work that bursts from passion both from its animation and appreciation for the fantasy of anime and its many national and international origins.

The opening for Daicon IV is the most well-known of the two, partially for featuring the song "Twilight" by rock band Electric Light Orchestra from their 1981 album "Time". I was never that much of a fan of that album for getting away from ELO's faux-electro orchestra sound, but if there's an exception it's that single song. And if there's a reason, it's this single short which I saw for the first time ages ago. The use of the track is such literary genius that I wonder if it was accidental because of the language barrier and just chosen for being a cool song. The opening text scroll subtitling the album's concept narrative implies otherwise, as lyrically Twilight conjures up the story of a bewildered man who finds himself transported through time into the future and questioning whether he's in reality or a dream, and that he "only meant to stay a while". These shorts, made at the beginning of the anime Otaku-boom and birth of a true subculture herald such an event, a celebration of the starry-eyed fanaticism that the boundless wonders of escapist imagination anime has been inspired for decades since. It's a beautiful thing to look back on now as a celebration of anime while at the same time being at that early a stage in the medium's life making it an optimistic view looking forward to the countless dreams to come. The bouncing surrealist narrative is unhinged and loose with excitement about all of the creative fantasies that have been created as well as the ones that would be on their way forever more. To give us one last reminder, an ending animation features ELO's "Hold on Tight" which repeatedly states "hold on tight to your dreams". And many of the animators who touched this project did just that.

It's just about impossible for an anime fan to not like the Daicon shorts, because they are so definitively "anime" in their sporadic eccentricities, and that level of energy was only just blooming at the time they were created. It's almost like watching something new come to life, because in a way, that's what was happening.

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Gainax Announces 'Daicon Film 33'

A teaser website for "Daicon Film 33" has been published by Gainax. It is a sequel to "Daicon Opening Animations," originally produced as Gainax's first work when it...read more

Dec 25, 2013 3:11 AM by Dunois | Discuss (34 comments)

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Poll: Daicon Opening Animations Episode 2 Discussion Iri - Aug 24, 2008	32 replies	by NeandertalKnight »» Apr 18, 6:32 PM
Why haven't you seen this masterpiece yet? Say-My-Name - Aug 13, 2022	4 replies	by PossumCore »» Aug 14, 2022 1:14 AM
Poll: Daicon Opening Animations Episode 1 Discussion RafaelDeJongh - Mar 13, 2013	12 replies	by Kristiwazhere »» May 13, 2020 6:51 PM
Daicon III & IV LD insert question evangelionfan - May 12, 2020	3 replies	by DeadlyRaven »» May 13, 2020 12:28 PM

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Daicon Opening Animations

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Synopsis

Background

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Characters & Voice Actors

DAICON Girl

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Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

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Recent News

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