Momotaro: Sacred Sailors: I Hear It's Amazing When the Famous Peach Boy in Mitsuyo-Seo Space with the Kaigun-Sho Does a Raw Blink on Celebes Rock. I Need Anime! '63!! A-I-U-E-O!!!

The year 2020 marks the 75th Anniversary of the end of World War II, which came shortly after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki in Japan. Being a fan of Japanese animation, it's important to understand its history as a medium, and that inevitably brings things over to WWII. Though there were Japanese animators working hard prior to the war's start in 1939, including the likes of Noboru Ofuji, Yasuji Murata, & Kenzo Masaoka, they were all shorter fare, either for simple amusement, advertisement, or for personal experimentation. I actually covered a number of these "pre-anime" works back in the blog's second ever review, which covered Zakka Films' Roots of Japanese Anime DVD (which you can still buy from Zakka for ~$20!), but the main attraction of that release was 1942's Momotaro's Sea Eagle. Directed by Mitsuyo Seo, this 37-minute production became Japan's first theatrically-shown anime... And it was a propaganda film showing a surrogate attack on Pearl Harbor as though it was lead by iconic folk hero Momotaro & his animal friends, so as to make it look appealing to children.

Considering the environment it was released in, & its lack of showing any on-screen deaths, it's not surprising that it was a success & spawned a sequel.

The text on the side cites that the film
was finished in December 1944.

Let's face facts, people: World War II was an era of propaganda films. Nazi Germany had movies directed by Leni Riefenstahl, most notably Triumph of the Will. The United States had Walt Disney & the Warner Brothers producing various wartime movies, with probably the most infamous being the one where Donald Duck worked on the production line of a Nazi factory. Therefore, it's easy to see that Japan did the same and took advantage of a slowly growing animation industry to do so, just like how there were too many Looney Tunes propaganda shorts to count. Anyway, on April 12, 1945 (just months shy of the war's end in September), Momotaro: Sacred Sailors debuted in theaters, and at 74 minutes long became Japan's first theatrical-length anime; while the Japanese Naval Ministry merely "sponsored" the first film, this sequel was specifically ordered by it. Following the end of World War II & Japan's occupation by American forces, it was long presumed that Sacred Sailors was confiscated & burnt, and the fact that it had never resurfaced helped strengthen that idea. However, production company Shochiku eventually came across a negative in a warehouse in 1983, and the following year saw a new release on VHS. Come 2015, it was decided to remaster the film, to celebrate both Shochiku's 120th Anniversary & the 70th Anniversary of World War II's end, and through the financial support of partners around the world it received an HD remaster & even got screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. One of those financial partners was FUNimation, which in turn licensed the film for North American release in 2017, making it probably the least likely anime the company has ever released; Anime Limited did the same for the UK. So, as the first of a three-part look at how World War II was reflected in anime, not to mention tie things in with my second-ever review for the blog, let's see what all the hubbub is with Momotaro: Sacred Sailors.

After taking out the naval fleet on Devil's Island in a surprise bombing raid, sailors Sarukichi, Wankichi, Kijisuke, & Kumakichi return home to visit their families, but it's not long before they're called back to action by Momotaro. This time around, they have to help establish a new airbase on Manado, educate & endear the natives, & then launch another surprise attack on Devil's Island, this time via parachuting, with the intent to make their foes agree to unconditional surrender.

"Kids, you too can become ready & willing
to 'not actually murder' those American devils!"

I watched Momotaro: Sacred Sailors immediately after re-watching Momotaro's Sea Eagle for the first time in about a decade, for proper context, and doing that really shows the difference in how each film handles its war propaganda. Sea Eagle is exactly what you think it is, showing the take-off, journey, attack, & safe return of the animals that fought in the bombing of "Devil's Island", and by showing absolutely no deaths whatsoever (on BOTH SIDES!), it's meant to showcase the Japanese military as being the greatest force in the world, one that can succeed in their missions while also sustaining no losses; "Praise Hirohito & Hideki Tojo" & all that jazz, you know? Meanwhile, Sacred Sailors offers a different side of war propaganda, showing how benevolent the military is. When the "main" animals return home, they're welcomed as heroes to look up to, and when Sarukichi's younger sibling Santa falls into the river while playing with Sarukichi's hat, he & Wankichi get to show off their skills by rescuing Santa, showing how brave & selfless you too can be by joining the Navy! Meanwhile, the native residents of Manado are more than happy to help Momotaro's animal friends build & establish the new airbase, while the main animals teach the natives how to speak Japanese by singing the "Song of AIUEO", a children's song that helps teach traditional kana order. Finally, in both films, the soliders on Devil's Island (i.e. the American military) are shown as so incompetent that they readily wave the white flag not long after being attacked; both films even show Bluto from the Popeye cartoons, while Sacred Sailors outright shows Popeye himself!

However, putting the propaganda aside (at least hypothetically) & when taken in a modern context, Sea Eagle still remains something that can keep your interest, mainly because there's always some sort of advancement, in terms of storytelling. Sacred Sailors, on the other hand... is kind of boring. Now, to be fair, it does start off engaging enough, with the first 17-20 minutes showing the main animals' return to home. In terms of war propaganda, it's easy to see that the message here is that being a sailor in the Imperial Japanese Navy is such an appealing endeavor that children should aim for. After all, you get to fly planes, ride on gigantic ships, become brave & selfless when the time comes to be a hero, and when you get back home you'll be seen a someone that will inspire others; the fact that you'll potentially engage in a brutal & violent war, & likely die, is purposefully avoided. All that being said, though, this first quarter of the movie is also the most interesting, as we do get some basic character development for Sarukichi (through his time with sibling Santa), Wankichi (who's family works on a rice paddy field), & Kijisuke (who responsibly helps feed his baby siblings [or children? It's not really explained]). Once this part of the movie ends, it's literally nothing more than showing the airbase being constructed, educating the natives in Japanese, Kijisuke leading (an unseen) aerial recon mission, and then the lead up & execution of the parachuting mission.

Sorry, Popeye, but not even Spinach Power can
help you against the forces of Imperial Japanese propaganda.

The main problem here is that this is all stretched out over the remaining hour or so of the movie's run time, which results in there being a feeling that nothing all that interesting really happens. This is sheer war propaganda with no real substance to it, focusing more on how appealing the life of an Imperial sailor is, with only a small bit showing that they're sacrificing time with their families to be sailors, while also shoehorning in numerous musical numbers. Yes, Mitsuyo Seo was inspired by Disney's 1940 classic Fantasia, which was shown in Japan by the Naval Ministry, so he decided to add in musical bits to help keep the interest of children during some of the simpler or more tedious scenes, like erecting the airbase, teaching Japanese, or loading the planes with supplies for the parachuting mission at the end. Unfortunately, the songs used in this movie are all simple little children's songs that have little to no substance to them, making the musical numbers drag the entire pacing down to a halt, especially since the footage matching the songs only contribute to the storytelling in very basic ways; in other words, they're kind of superfluous. Again, though, this is coming from 34-year old me watching this film in Central New Jersey in the year 2020, so I can only imagine that this would be much more appealing if I was a Japanese child living in Imperial Japan during World War II.

As we get into the production behind this movie, it should be noted & emphasized that Mitsuyo Seo was NOT some mere follower of Imperial Japan's ethos & beliefs, even though his most notable works were all related to the military in some form. Rather, Seo simply wanted to work in animation during this early time, and producing films that praised the military (especially during wartime) was simply the only way to get consistent work. Honestly, that first section of Sacred Sailors taking place at "home" is so separated from the rest of the movie from a narrative perspective that I wouldn't be surprised if it was a late addition from Seo in an attempt to keep it from being nothing but directly related to the War. In fact, Mitsuyo Seo himself was notably a leftist, having joined the Proletarian Film League of Japan earlier in his life, and after the war had ended he would write & direct Osama no Shippo/The King's Tail, which was a pro-democracy film based on The Emperor's New Clothes planned for release in 1949. Unfortunately, distributor Toho felt that the film was too politically leftist & refused to release it, even after being edited, while the studio that Seo made the film with went bankrupt. Remember, this was American-occupied Japan during the start of the Cold War, so anything even resembling communism wasn't going to be given a pass; to this day, Osama no Shippo has never seen release, becoming a lost film. Sadly, this would be the last straw for Seo, as he left the animation industry completely, instead becoming an illustrator for children's books under the pen name Seo Taro. Mitsuyo Seo would pass away on August 24, 2010, a month before his 99th birthday, & said death would be barely reported on. Considering his silence for the remaining 60 years of his life, outside of apparently a single doujinshi someone made about him, Seo may have had heavy guilt towards his Momotaro films, even though the work he did would become a big reason for why anime as we know it exists today.

I feel like this is cheating, but having such fluid movement
does result in moments where you get pure nightmare fuel.

It is a shame that Seo's legacy was tied solely to these propaganda films, too, because when you look at both Sea Eagle & Sacred Sailors from a technical & visual standpoint, they are absolutely stunning films, especially the latter. Though Momotaro's Sea Eagle was "sponsored" by the Naval Ministry, it wasn't paid for directly by it, but it still shows Mitsuyo Sea's talent for detailed & fluid animation; even the rather rough quality of the footage that remains doesn't mask the quality. With money coming in from the Imperial government, though, Momotaro: Sacred Sailors looks even more beautiful, with a constant level of movement that still feels rare to this day, minus only the most exquisitely animated feature films. The main thing about this film visually that hasn't aged well, however, are the faces. The "standard" anime visual aesthetic wouldn't really become established until Osamu Tezuka started making anime, and that look itself was heavily influenced by the works of Walt Disney. Therefore, early anime like the Momotaro films have a very different visual style to them, especially when it comes to faces. Human faces, in particular the Japanese, tend to look more realistic than how anime usually portrays them nowadays, and while that only applied to Momotaro himself in Sea Eagle, this now applies to all of the animals as well in Sacred Sailors... And it's kind of scary looking. The main reason is that Seo was very big on having characters' mouths wide open, complete with the teeth showing pretty much every time, and when combined with eyes that often almost look lifeless, the faces sometimes enter a sort of uncanny valley, looking too realistic for a cartoon, yet not realistic enough to feel like they were rotoscoped. Overall, though, this is really more a case of early pioneers simply going with what they knew, helping to establish what would later become standardized. It is also worth nothing that the natives of Manado do look to have very stereotyped facial features, but that really can't be helped, considering the era this film was produced in; quite frankly, racist stereotyping was being done by all sides in these kinds of propaganda films. It was wrong then, and it's wrong today, but we can't ignore the fact that they did happen. As FUNimation says in its warning splash upon booting, "to do otherwise would be the same as pretending that this period in history - and the international climate at the time - never existed."

Unfortunately, there really isn't much to list in terms of other staff behind the movie, as it was a rather small crew, & the voice cast isn't credited at all. The only other notable name on the staff for Sacred Sailors would be music composer Yuji Koseki, who would later be most known abroad for doing the music for the original Mothra, and here his soundtrack is solid, though limited in use. Back in the day, music was only really utilized to emphasize scenes where there were no vocal performances, outside of singing, so Koseki's soundtrack only appears here & there throughout the film, and while it is fitting for the scenes it's used, it's otherwise a bit unremarkable. That being said, Yuji Koseki was an influential name in Japanese music, and this year even saw the debut of a TV drama based on his life, Yell, that's currently airing. As for the uncredited voice cast, it's honestly rather solid, with everyone fitting their roles well, and I even think the voice for Momotaro in Sea Eagle came back to reprise their role here, as it sounds almost exactly the same. The only thing that makes me worry is that there's a scene at the very end where Momotaro is talking with the acting commander of Devil's Island after conquering it, and the people voicing the commander & his subordinates are all, very obviously, native English speakers. Considering the time this movie was made in, I feel there's a very fair chance that the "actors" for those English speaking roles could have possibly been prisoners of war that were forced to deliver the lines under threat of death. This is, however, nothing more than pure speculation based simply on the fact that this movie was produced & released in the twilight of World War II, and it is known that there were POWs in Japan, some of which did perish in the atomic bombings.

Nope... Not even going to touch this. Move along.

Also included in this HD-remastered release is Spider & Tulip, a 15-minute short film from 1943 directed by fellow early anime pioneer Kenzo Masaoka; it received its own HD remaster back in 2011. It's a simple tale of a spider that wants to capture a small ladybug in his web by trying some sweet talk, but a nearby tulip offers to shelter the ladybug from the spider, so the spider wraps webbing around the tulip, preventing it from opening back up. A giant storm then comes, and the spider dies after trying to survive it; naturally, the lesson is that those who do bad things get punished. Overall, it's decently enjoyable & has some nice, fluid animation of its own, as well as a simple little song for kids to enjoy. The main thing people will likely take from it today, however (& is why it gets a warning from FUNimation before starting) is that the spider is portrayed in minstrel-style blackface, complete with giant, white lips; again, this matched the time it was made in, & has always been wrong, but we shouldn't just ignore it. Still, if I had to compare Spider & Tulip to Momotaro: Sacred Sailors & pick which one I liked more, I might actually have to go with the short film; it's a simple plot that pretty much solves itself, but it's at least interesting all throughout... & isn't war propaganda.

To no surprise, one can't really "review" Momotaro: Sacred Sailors the same way one would review a modern-day film. While nowhere near as blatantly militaristic as Momotaro's Sea Eagle, this follow up was still produced with the explicit intent to show Japanese children of the time how great & benevolent the Imperial Japanese Navy was during World War II, even though the truth of the matter was almost nothing of the sort. That being said, while Sea Eagle was a notable success for its time, Sacred Sailors didn't do anywhere near as well, with the general idea being that the Japanese populace weren't really in the mental & emotional state to feel like taking their children to watch a propaganda film. After all, Benito Mussolini & Adolf Hitler would both be dead just two weeks after its debut, ending the European front of the war & leaving Japan as the sole surviving member of the Axis Powers. All that being said, though, Momotaro: Sacred Sailors did still manage to become an important part of anime history, & it's all because of a single person who did see the film when it first ran: Osamu Tezuka. At the age of 16, Tezuka decided to watch the film & would later admit that he was brought to tears by Mitsuyo Seo's attempt to instill children with hopes & dreams under the visage of war propaganda; Tezuka even paid homage to the film by later including the "Song of AIUEO" in Jungle Emperor/Kimba the White Lion. Mitsuyo Seo should be celebrated for doing what he did under the restrictions of the era, and it's sad that he might have lived the rest of his life ashamed of what he was most known for, even though he was able to see what his early work helped lead to. Today, though, both Momotaro films are anime curios for those who are interested in the history of the medium, and while neither holds any intrinsic value as pieces of entertainment, it is still great that both are available for people to check out officially in English, though both are only available legally via physical releases.

Up next in the "World War II in anime" trio of articles? We jump ahead to the Battle of Midway to scream "Let's do the Time Warp again!".

Anime © Shochiku Co., Ltd.