50 years ago, 1974 was “a year that will remain in the history of anime.”
Heidi by Takahata & Miyazaki, with Yamato in the background!
by Tatsuji Nagano
This year, 2024, marks the 50th anniversary of the first TV broadcast of many popular works that have left their mark on anime history. We will take a look back at the works that had a great impact on the subsequent anime culture.
Heidi Girl of the Alps, the strongest collaboration of Takahata and Miyazaki
The first program that began airing on January 6, 1974 was Heidi Girl of the Alps in the Calpis Manga Theater series. A total of 52 episodes was broadcast on Fuji TV. Isao Takahata directed the series, and Hayao Miyazaki composed the scenes. These two giants of the anime world, who later established Studio Ghibli, worked together to produce this masterpiece.
This was the first Japanese anime to scout overseas (in Switzerland) for location reference, and the production team was very focused on creating a high-quality series. They were able to depict Heidi, a 5-year-old girl, growing up in the Alps wilderness with a lot of emotion. This is one of the strengths of the TV series. While it is a peaceful “everyday anime” that depicts the interaction between Heidi and other characters, the average viewer rating for the series exceeded 20%, making it a popular work.
Opening title | Anime News Network encyclopedia
In 2023, Studio Ghibli became a subsidiary of Nippon TV, which was a major topic of conversation. We hope that the new Ghibli will be able to produce more TV series like Heidi, Anne of Green Gables, and 3,000 Leagues in Search of Mother.
Space Battleship Yamato, in which the day of the Earth’s destruction is fast approaching
Space Battleship Yamato was a head-to-head challenge to Heidi, which was also very popular in Europe. Yamato aired from October 1974 on Nippon TV, Sundays at 7:30 p.m., the same time as Heidi. Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki was previously a member of Mizutaka Enterprise, the production company for Heidi, and decided to take on the challenge of his life by using his personal studio, Office Academy, as the production body.
Until then, TV anime had been aimed at children. However, Yamato invited manga artist Leiji Matsumoto, who passed away in February 2023, to join the design staff, and the production team produced a full-fledged science-fiction TV anime that could be enjoyed by teenagers.
In terms of viewer ratings, Yamato lost out to Heidi. The program was scheduled to air for three arcs, but was reduced to 26 episodes in two arcs. However, the compilation film version, edited for overseas audiences, was re-cut and released in theaters in Japan, and it was a bigger hit than expected. It was a great comeback victory for Producer Nishizaki.
The concept of a battleship flying in the sky was previously seen in the live-action film Undersea Warship (1963) and the tokusatsu movie Mighty Jack (Fuji TV). The battleship Yamato, which was sunk in the Pacific War, was converted to fly and set out for an unknown planet called Iscandar to save all mankind in a great adventure. At the end of every episode, a countdown to the destruction of the earth was shown week after week. The fans who saw it in real time must have been watching with excitement.
Although it took some time for its worldview to be recognized, Yamato was expanded into a series and became a bigger success. A rivalry with Yamato led director Yoshiyuki Tomino to plan Mobile Suit Gundam (TV Asahi).
The “original” combining transformable robot also appeared!
In April 1974, another groundbreaking anime work appeared: Getta Robo (Fuji TV), featuring the original transformable robot. Manga artist Go Nagai had already made a big hit with Mazinger Z (Fuji TV), which had begun airing two years earlier. Getta Robo, co-created with Ken Ishikawa of Dynamic Pro, had a maverick charm.
The three characters, Ryu (hot-blooded), Hayato (cool), and Musashi (wearing a construction helmet), were all very much in the same boat. By changing the order of docking, they transformed the Eagle, Jaguar, and Bear into Getta 1, Getta 2, and Getta 3, respectively. Boys were fascinated.
The Getta 2 with the arm drill weapon was especially popular. Boys seem to have a thing for drill weapons. A live-action version is currently in the planning stages.
Opening title | Anime News Network encyclopedia
Dame Oyaji [Bad Father] predicted the collapse of the patriarchal system
Dame Oyaji was another unforgettable work that caused a social boom. Based on a manga by Mitoshi Furuya, it was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April to October 1974.
When salaryman Ameno Damesuke (voice: Koh Oizumi) returns home, hell awaits him. His wife Fuyuko, a.k.a. Onibaba, abuses him day after day. Yukiko, the eldest daughter, and Takobo, the eldest son, join in blaming their father. He is bullied for his low salary and for not moving up in the world. He was a man who was constantly abused. But no matter how badly he was beaten, Damesuke always went back to work the next morning for his family. The sheer absurdity of it all makes one weep.
In the original story, Damesuke later becomes a very successful company manager and lives a comfortable life. However, the anime version ends with the birth of his second son, Ikataro. We can’t help but be surprised at how well this couple did what they had to do. Nowadays, this is a program that would certainly become a big hit.
Opening title | Anime News Network encyclopedia
Meat on the bone looks delicious in First Human Gyatoruz
Lastly, I would like to introduce First Human Gyatoruz, an anime adaptation of Shunji Sonoyama’s gag manga. Co-produced by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and Tokyo Movie, a total of 77 episodes aired from October 1974.
It depicted the survival life of the caveman Gon and his family. The sliced mammoth rings and meat on bones looked very tasty. The ending song composed by Hiroshi Kamayatsuya, The Ballad of Their Footsteps, is also featured. Today it is known as a masterpiece. Even now, I sometimes want to listen to it again. (Get a taste here.)
Scene clips | Anime News Network encyclopedia
Fifty years ago, there was a great variety of TV anime. It was a remarkable year that marked the dawn of the anime boom.