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Aug 16, 2009 6:43 PM
#1

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Jun 2008
8100
THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
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Hmmm, so what were the pilots trying to accomplish? I take defeating that creature in the arctic?
Nov 2, 2009 5:21 AM
#2

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Jun 2009
615
Yeah, the eagle is evil, so they asked Momotaro to save the day LOL
Jul 17, 2012 8:04 PM
#3

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Apr 2012
845
What the hell was that crazy character around 2m50??

Another adventure of the Momotaro we saw before in Nihonichi Momotaro... This one probably isn't an old folk tale. Wikipedia says
Momotaro was an immensely popular figure during World War II, appearing in many wartime films and cartoons.
so this might be a contemporary theme from slightly earlier - Manchuria related? There was the late 1931* Mukden Incident with a false flag sabotage of the railway (the eagle here seems to be harrassing people and Momotaro similarly comes to "save the day" like Japan did). The eagle could easily be America too I suppose.

Sorry, just thinking out loud.

On another note, I'm finding the Benshi more and more charming

*September. According to ANN this came out a few weeks later in October, so it's certainly possible.
BlackoutingApr 11, 2014 8:21 PM
Oct 7, 2013 7:16 PM
#4

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Nov 2010
26413
It was ok, nothing special. Repeated a lot of scenes but stayed kinda interesting.
Oct 22, 2014 8:19 PM
#5

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Jun 2010
1869
Blackouting said:
Another adventure of the Momotaro we saw before in Nihonichi Momotaro... This one probably isn't an old folk tale. Wikipedia says
Momotaro was an immensely popular figure during World War II, appearing in many wartime films and cartoons.

so this might be a contemporary theme from slightly earlier - Manchuria related? There was the late 1931* Mukden Incident with a false flag sabotage of the railway (the eagle here seems to be harrassing people and Momotaro similarly comes to "save the day" like Japan did). The eagle could easily be America too I suppose.

The air-and-sea aspect of this story and the ultimate Artic setting doesn't match up with the subjugation of Manchuria (a land/army thing hardly more northerly than Japan itself) and at 1931 I think it's a bit early for anti-Americanism in Japan. Moreover it's clearly not a bald eagle. I suspect this is just a straightforward fairy tale and the nationalistic use of the character had yet to begin, but I could be wrong of course.
Oct 23, 2014 10:46 AM
#6

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Apr 2012
845
Yeah, it doesn't have to be a literal allegory though. Propaganda only has to encourage general sentiments. It got me thinking because as fairy tale fantasy featuring folk heroes go, this is just plain bizarre. It's particularly militaristic and seemingly themed around current national concerns.

at 1931 I think it's a bit early for anti-Americanism in Japan

Not at all, things were getting quite tense by that point. America and its allies had been trying to limit Japanese strength for some time http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_militarism#Growth_of_ultranationalism
Feb 28, 2015 8:26 AM
#7

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Nov 2010
4482
I like this short with all the air acrobatic stunts.
Oct 22, 2015 5:00 AM
#8

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Nov 2008
764
Momotarou is the worst protagonist ever. He literally only said "Capture him alive!" and other than that, the animals did all the work.
Jan 12, 2019 4:34 PM
#9

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Oct 2015
6916
That pig was the true hero of the story, Momotarou didn't do much. Liked it and I suspect it contains propaganda.

6/10.
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove

May 4, 2019 8:21 AM

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Feb 2017
218


Was the eagle supposed to represent the U.S.A ?

5/10
Oct 9, 2019 12:35 AM
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Nov 2017
10
WashmaButt said:

Was the eagle supposed to represent the U.S.A ?

5/10


Yes, it was representative of the USA per the description on Japanese Animated Film Classics with a couple sources. The propaganda gives this film a little more intrigue, but I agree Momotaro didn't do a whole lot here except fly the plane. I suspect I will see more of him as I work through these old films.

6/10
Apr 20, 2020 11:58 AM

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Sep 2011
764
The eagle was animated so well for it's time! Great short!
I want to sleep...
Mar 10, 2021 9:14 AM
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Oct 2020
227
it was ok, kinda interesting
Mar 25, 2023 12:31 PM

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Dec 2021
473
So was this the start of imperialistic anime I assume.
May 22, 2023 11:10 PM
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Oct 2017
39
USUBEI-KUN WAS IN THIS. From the Monkey and the Crabs... Ahh the small homages to his previous works was amazing. 
AlarokiMay 28, 2023 11:26 PM
It’s time to ditch the text file.
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