Tag: Shigeto Takahashi

The History of Mushi Pro – 06 – Towards the World Masterpiece Theater (1971-1973)

~ matteowatz ~ 4 Comments

Rather than narrate Mushi's supposedly inevitable fall, I'd like to paint a related, but different picture: that of a studio which, by the end of Tezuka's presidency and the entire course of Kawabata's, had lost almost all agency. Between 1970 and 1973, it was completely dependent on other entities -  chaotic producer Nishizaki, longtime partner Fuji TV, and the planning company Zuiyo Enterprises. Here, I will focus on the last two. The triangular relationship they formed with Mushi laid the ground for what would become one of anime history's most famous programs - The World Masterpiece Theater.

A Dog of Flanders

~ matteowatz ~ 2 Comments

Flanders is among the most well-known works in the World Masterpiece Theater canon, both in Japan and overseas; it is perhaps the most famous outside of the select list of Isao Takahata’s entries in the series. Such fame is not surprising when one considers Flanders’ tragic finale, and the fact that this ultimate episode reportedly reached the highest audience rating in the history of the World Masterpiece Theater - an impressive 30.1%. However, it is also questionable whether such fame is really deserved - indeed, Flanders is perhaps the most imperfect show among 1970’s World Masterpiece Theater entries. There is of course a sort of contradiction here - how is it that such a poorly made series became so popular? The aim of this article is precisely to answer this - to illustrate the elements that make Flanders a subpar work, and to understand how it could have been such a success nevertheless.