Ningen Doubutsuen

Ningen Doubutsuen, also known as Clap Vocalism or Human Zoo, is truly the most influential anime of the twentieth century. Uneducated viewers new to the anime medium may find it jarring or confusing. It requires an inquisitive and analytical mind to peer into the rich imagery and deep symbolism of Ningen Doubutsuen. Allow me to show you.

The title cards for the introduction and conclusion are minimalistic in nature. It seems to mock television programmes and movies which use overly-edited footage and effects to have a bombastic opening and closure. Ningen Doubutsuen says, "No, I don't need any complicated effects to make the movie good." And ... this is resoundingly true. The content of the movie is so good, so solid, so FRESH that it doesn't need any extra fluff to make it as good as it is.

Again, the avant-garde animation follows the theme of minimalism as I mentioned earlier. Ningen Doubutsuen doesn't need fancy animation or a unique artstyle to make itself shine. It is fantastic on its own already. The inclusion of drawings instead of just words seems to be a mocking gesture by director Kuri Yoji. He seems to say, "Okay, I'll add this stuff on top so that it qualifies as an 'anime', even though it is amazing already."

Ningen Doubutsuen goes straight to the point. It draws important parallels between animal abuse and domestic violence in twentieth century Japan. In the feministic society, men trapped in loveless marriages and "caged in" and tortured by their wives, similar to how animals are trapped in zoo cages and abused. The Man is expected to be the breadwinner of the family while the Woman sits at home and does nothing, just like how animals are made to perform for the entertainment of humans. The fantastic voice acting echoes Kuri's sentiments. Sharp, high-pitched voices mimicking animals which sound almost sarcastic in nature. Mocking, showing derision towards marriages, gender roles, society, the very nature of humanity itself... Brilliant. Simply brilliant I must say.

Ningen Doubutsuen is by far one of the most important works of the twentieth century, and is one of the best films Japan has ever put out. Its vibrant symbolism and detailed historical context give an insight into Japanese married life in the sixties. One simply cannot call himself a so-called 'anime' fan if he has not seen this masterpiece. Truly, it is director Kuri Yoji's magnum opus.

Kuri Yoji is a genius at experimental works. Granted, a ton of people will be turned off by the lack of story, bizarre art, but his genius lies at using minimalist art to convey sick and twisted themes. Thus, he is more interested in seeing our reactions and emotions to the work.

It is a pity that Human Zoo has so much potential, but it is almost wasted.

Like other Kuri Yoji works, the emphasis on provoking emotions is there in Human Zoo through twisted minimalist imagery. The art looks like a five year old's drawing, though I may be giving too much credit to the art. ... What is more important however is his usage of the drawings.

Human Zoo explores animal abuse, power, and marriages. We see repeated viewings of the wife abusing the husband; for example, a wife will sit on the husband.

And that's about it.

Compare Human Zoo to his other works like Ai and there is more substance; Ai is about exploring the dark side of love and Kuri Yoji uses the drawings and sound to create an eerie atmosphere. Human Zoo has nothing of that sort.

I feel that the idea of Human Zoo is noble and witty, but the execution is sloppy and lazy. How does 2 minutes of seeing wives sit on husbands be either entertaining or thought-provoking?

That said, I did not entirely hate the work nor did I like it. I prefer other Kuri Yoji works and for those starting to watch his works, I suggest Ai as a better starter. People who already have seen his other works can give this a watch.

I wished Human Zoo didn't disappoint me. I really do.

Okay let me rephrase, just wanted to say this is the biggest disappointment that I have witnessed thus far. And I do not believe old anime or influential media should be above any form of criticism. As it is merely a perspective given by an individual on a work of art or entertainment that they have consumed.

With that being said I will proceed to the review.

"Ningen Doubutsuen" or "Human Zoo" also known as "Clap Vocalism" is a two minute short anime by Yōji Kuri. He was an important figure in the history of Japanese independent animation. So reviewing this will be a pain. As I ... do not look at his work from a biased point of view of a fan rather someone who is merely consuming it at face value and judging it on the basis of what it has to offer as a standalone piece.

This is a theme based short animation and with that being said, does not have a narrative, characters and the like. It is merely an exhibition of an idea or message if you will.

So given that I am consuming this not at the time it was concocted for I might be amiss to the message or themes that it is trying to tell me, but from my conjecture based on what I saw in this two minute short anime was a message that can be interpreted in several ways.

1. The societal power struggle between genders of the opposite sex as seen by the director.
2. The subjugation of Men and the frustration of the director. (Cautionary Tale)
3. The liberation of Women and the activist nature of the director. (Right to Equality)
4. The carnal fantasies of the director. (Femdom)

The problems that arise from this is a mixture of themes that does not harmonize well with each other and cannot be properly established in this short anime and thus will not resonate with the vast majority of people consuming this as of today.

So it makes sense for it to be in the category of dementia here on MAL. However. What is dementia? Dementia is madness. And in that it has excelled. In my humble perspective this is the best Dementia piece in the existence of anime thus far in terms of depth that I have witnessed. Even surpassing other well known dementia pieces such as "Nami" and "Utsu Musume Sayuri".

And the crude and discord nature in its execution and the repetitive nature in terms of its animation, art and sound only adds so much more depth to the dementia aspect that this short anime has to offer. So if you're an avid dementia fan you will find this a hidden gem or a treat if you will. As for me I'm not in this category as it is not my cup of tea.

I hope my review gives you a chance to understand how I personally feel about the work, as well as gaining an understanding of what the work is about. And that the review is ultimately delivered as fairly and objectively and detailed as possible, and done so in a way that does not spoil the artistic composition for you. To provide you with tools to decide by yourself if you wanna check this artistic composition out or not.

tldr; Better than Nami or Utsu Musume Sayuri in terms of depth if you're a fan of depth in dementia. Worse than Nami or Utsu Musume Sayuri if you're not a fan of depth in dementia.