Japanese cartoons accompany the growth of Chinese teenagers generation after generation.

The gap between Chinese and Japanese cartoons

In fact, our country and Japan have the same starting point. If you have seen a representative cartoon produced by our country in the 1950s called "Beauty" You know the one about "The Monkey King", and the representative Japanese cartoon of the same era as "The Monkey King" is "White Snake". In terms of style and technique, we are better than the Japanese! ! ! But why has the gap between us widened since the 1960s? Of course, my personal opinion is that this does not rule out political factors. During the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution, it was impossible for excellent cartoons to appear (there were no movies, let alone cartoons. Just imagine, we are watching it on cctv-6 now) Some of the old movies we visited were shot during the Cultural Revolution, including "Little Soldier Zhang Ga" and "Sparkling Red Star" (except for very few). Most of them were war movies produced in the 1950s! ! ! ), and what about the Japanese animation industry at the same time? Japan in the 1960s happened to be the start-up period of economic development. The political economy was developing rapidly, and the people had a strong need for material culture, just like we did in the 1980s! ! Against this historical background, Japan's animation industry developed rapidly, and a large number of animation masters emerged. Among them, Osamu Tezuka, the representative master, created a unique Japanese comic style! ! And has cultivated a large number of animation practitioners. Today we can see the shadow of Tezuka in Miyazaki Shun, Takada Kaoru, etc.! ! !

It can be said bluntly that the 20 years from the 1960s to the 1980s were a period of stagnation in the development of our animation. It is conceivable why there is such a big gap in our current animation. There is no way Objective reasons, if it is only political reasons that cause us to fall behind, we have nothing to complain about. After all, animation is only about spiritual life. We are no longer sad after 20 years of economic recession, but we are catching up with reform and opening up! ! ! What's the point of complaining and being sad when animation is lagging behind?

But is it really just political reasons? The answer may not be! ! ! ! Think about it in the mid-1980s, some of our animation studios produced a batch of cartoons like "Black Cat Sheriff" that were both story-telling and interesting, and the art was quite good. It can be said that our animation recovery, but what will happen in the next decade of the 1990s? It can be said-------no! ! !

Why? As Huan Canglang said above, there is a problem with the positioning of our animation industry. Why should it be positioned at 5-10 years old?

Do we also love watching cartoons as adults? ! ! Watching cartoons does not mean being childish. Moreover, although Japanese and American cartoons are mainly aimed at children, they also take into account the appreciation level of adults. How many domestic children have seen the cartoons produced by Miyazaki Shun's Gibili Studio? Most of the audience are us adults! ! !

And China actually does not lack animation producers, but because they are not utilized reasonably and effectively, they are lost to the animation departments of Japan or the United States in China. What is the specific situation? I’m not sure, but it seems from a report that there are a large number of outstanding young cartoonists from my country who are drawing for Japanese companies in Shenzhen! ! The comics they drew were brought to China under the name of Japan! ! ! ! How sad! ! ! ! Why not organize and utilize it?

Why can’t we have studios like Japan’s Geebili? It may be related to the economic environment and people's consciousness. How sad! ! ! !

This year can be called the Year of Comics. Domestic comic centers Shanghai and Guangzhou have continued to hold comic exhibitions. The largest comic exhibition this year is also the first large-scale comic exhibition held in the 15 years of the development of New Cartoon, the "China-Japan Youth Comic Exchange Exhibition" 》will be held at the Beijing Capital Library during the National Day period (10.1-10.7). Japanese comics enjoy a high reputation in Asia and even the world, and have formed a huge and mature industrial chain mechanism. The huge profits created for Japan every year make it a mainstream industry in Japan. However, most of the Japanese comics read by Chinese readers, who are known as the largest consumers of Japanese comics, are also pirated. Chinese readers know and love Japanese comics through piracy, but China’s original comics have been squeezed by both the industrial mechanism and piracy. It is difficult to move forward in the cracks. Due to the huge creative resources, market potential and audience resources, neither authors nor merchants want to give up. Therefore, the industrialization process of Chinese comics has become the most concerned topic for comics and comics readers. For this reason, the reporter interviewed the comic book author Liang, the main planner of this exhibition.

Zhang: Japanese comics are very famous in the world. How is their actual development?

Liang: Japan’s comic market is huge and formed very early. Their first batch of comics The reader is now sixty or seventy years old. This kind of reading interest has always been retained, and it is a situation where everyone reads comics. Japanese cartoonists are the highest-paid taxpayers in Japan. The well-known pop singers who are generally considered the richest in Japan are also ranked behind cartoonists.

Zhang: Why is this?

Liang: This is because the Japanese comic industry is completely industrialized and has a very mature industrial chain and commercial market. In Japan, when a new comic book is created, it will be serialized in a magazine first. If the response is good, a single volume will be released immediately, and then the cartoon will be adapted. When the ratings are good, peripheral products such as comic portrait stickers, phone cards, and cups will be launched. , toys, etc. Immediately afterwards, there will be advertisements using these comic characters. Not only that, before the next new comic comes out, this comic will also be made into OVA (original cartoonist's video or CD) and DRAMA-CD (theatre). CD) to supplement the market vacancy during this period. These two follow-up products will also have a good market due to their relatively low cost and convenient form. In addition, there will be video game versions and animated films, and the income from the above series will be shared into the industry chain.

Zhang: In your opinion, what is the gap between domestic comics and Japanese comics?

Liang: The biggest gap is not in technology, but in the lack of industrialization and marketization of domestic comics. , without a reasonable industrial chain, making market operations quite difficult. For example, many domestic comic magazines do not have direct operating rights. If a good comic is published in a single volume, it will involve an ISBN, and a cartoon volume sometimes even requires several ISBNs; the approval of cartoons is cross-industry, because the profit direction is different. First, it makes the application for approval extremely complicated and lengthy, which is unbearable due to the characteristics of cartoon comics, let alone the production of animated films, OVA and DRAMA-CD. Under this mechanism, domestic comics magazines are largely restricted.

Zhang: In fact, the idol stars created by cartoonists have more stable commercial returns than real stars. For example, if the stars are packaged, they may also "retire", "break the contract", " Risks such as "accidents" mean that recycling profits cannot be completely guaranteed, but comic images will always be loyal to the author and underwriters, and each cartoonist may create multiple idols, such as F4 in Japan's best-selling comics.

Ryo: That’s right! For example, famous Japanese manga artist Toriyama Akira’s “Dragon Ball”, Tomiyoshi Hiroshi’s “Yu Yu Hakusho” and Takeuchi Naoko’s “Sailor Moon”, not only do their works rely on mature marketization The operation generated huge commercial profits, and the author became one of the richest people in Japan.

Zhang: But some people report that there are still many bad comics in Japan that are bringing a lot of negative impact to domestic young readers?

Liang: This phenomenon is completely mercenary and irresponsible. caused by pirated booksellers. In Japan, comics have strict restrictions. They are classified according to age and gender orientation. The divisions are very detailed. There are also reading restrictions for those under 12 years old, 18 to 20 years old, and adults. They must be placed in different areas in bookstores and have dedicated personnel. supervision. Because Japanese comics are not like domestic comics, their themes are limited to satire, humor or some simple children's stories. Their comic creations involve very profound themes, such as the works of the famous Japanese cartoonist Mitsuko Naka Naka who visited this exhibition. It is adapted from the famous book "The Red and the Black". Domestic pirates not only ignore the restriction level, but also publish some books that are not suitable for children as children's books. This is very irresponsible for the growth of Chinese teenagers.

Zhang: Can you evaluate the technical gap between Chinese and Japanese comics authors?

Liang: From the highest level, the technology of Japanese comics is not out of reach. There are many great comics authors in China. For example, Yao Feila of "Beijing Cartoon" used to study computer science at Wuhan University. Now many comic readers regard him as their idol. The situation is similar to that of some singer fans.

Zhang: But are these author teams as a whole not yet formed? Why is this so?

Liang: In fact, there are still team types, and the lineup is not small. Because the degree of industrialization is too high, It is low, so people who work in this industry have to have many choices first. For example, being a comic book author can only earn 3,000 yuan a month, and going to a good advertising company will earn 8,000-10,000 yuan. In terms of talent competition, currently What remains is a group of people who work with passion. They have a lot of free investment, such as a patriotic enthusiasm and do not want only Japanese comics to exist in the Chinese market. In fact, the development of the domestic original comics market to this day is almost due to the existence of these people. But passion cannot be eaten.

Zhang: This "China-Japan Youth Comic Exchange Exhibition" is said to have 1,100 Japanese comics and 600 Chinese comics. It also arranged flash animation movie appreciation, comic character imitation show theater, and autographs by Chinese and Japanese comic masters. , comic awards, community exchanges, comic lectures and many other activities, will they have a great impact on the promotion of domestic cartoons?

Liang: This "China-Japan Youth Comic Exchange Exhibition" may have a great impact on the promotion of domestic cartoons. The direct impact of comics is greater, and it will only have a greater impact on cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, where comics are most popular in China, after several consecutive editions. Nowadays, the industrialization of Shanghai comics is progressing rapidly, and their "Cartoon King" magazine has independent operating rights. This exhibition can be said to be an attempt to activate the comic market that has been dormant in Beijing, because such a large-scale exhibition is like a symbol of the industry and will bring in a lot of commercial investment. Although there will be "numerous casualties" in the initial investment, it will definitely be beneficial to the advancement of comics industrialization. Because Beijing is the political and cultural center, it should be the only starting city for the comic industry to promote great changes.

Zhang: I hope it will be a good result.

Everyone’s comments on the gap between Chinese and Japanese animation include talent, technology, and funding. . etc. To name a few. .

In fact, I don’t think there is any comparison between Chinese and Japanese animations. . It has been 50 years since the founding of New China.

How many animations can be put on the table? A "Black Cat Sheriff", a "Calabash Man" and a "Havoc in Heaven" are all representatives of our animation business. . . Do you think that based on these animations (and they were all produced more than 10 years ago), we can say that we also have our own animation? Our animation is not worse than Japan’s. . Even better than them? Isn't that a joke?

If you really want to find the gap and hope to gain some enlightenment and develop, I think the reason why Japanese animation is better than Chinese animation is very simple:

They are Treat animation as a career and an industry! And China’s attitude towards animation is just a tool for educating young children!

It’s that simple! If we don't change the concept, even if the economy becomes more developed in the future, the animation produced will still be at the current level, and at most it will be more precise!

For example, this is like releasing relief funds to a poor rural area. Farmers who have no idea of ??getting rich just hold a meeting and everyone divides the money; while villagers with economical minds will share it with everyone. Let’s discuss together how to use this money to make more money until we become well off. This is a matter of concept.

In fact, China is still at the stage where farmers are sharing relief funds. No one, maybe anyone, intends to pursue animation as a career. Take a look at CCTV’s “Thousand-Episode Plan” animation not long ago. . Fanit...it's just a waste of money and energy! ! !

In fact, we still have not seen any changing trends in our mainstream society (the authorities). Just like those endless CCTV cartoons with big heads and big eyes and dull eyes!

So the biggest problem with Chinese animation is not money (you can produce high-quality animation with little money), nor talent (China has many excellent animation talents), but a concept. . . The attitude of our authorities towards animation directly restricts the development of animation. This is reflected in the animation production ideas and the animation script writing directly related to it.

If the mainstream authorities cannot make changes, then the Chinese who really want to make some real animations will not be able to start. (I heard that at the first independent film festival in Beijing not long ago, a 10-minute animation "TALK" made by a Shenzhen person won the first prize.

It is said that that animation truly reflects the current level of animation development in China)

If all our animations were based on the fundamental starting point of educating people, this animation would have been ruined from the beginning. . . And this is exactly what our authorities are most willing to do. . The so-called "ideological control"!

Here, I would like to talk about my thoughts after watching the behind-the-scenes of Miyazaki Jun's latest film "Spirited Away". Putting aside Ghibli's meticulous and rigorous work style, Miyazaki Jun's words in it had a profound impact on me: He said, I made this film just for those who are about to be 10 years old, or are 10 years old now, or are already 10 years old. Year old people watch. I hope everyone can remember that time (to this effect). Is his animation meant to teach children to study hard and make progress every day? no. . His animation is more of a memory and a narrative. A description of a beautiful, innocent time. Good animation touches people inadvertently. . . . So in this kind of emotion, everyone can also learn what we really need. . . . . .

Finally, I want to talk about the only domestic animation I like that I saw a long time ago: "Tadpole Looking for Mom". . A small ink animation with strong Chinese characteristics. It's short, but very artistic. Chinese people’s own characteristics! ~A hundred times better than the current domestic animation!

I then thought about what if we could have stuck to this Chinese landscape-like animation style. If we develop well, will we have animation with a unique Chinese style? Just imagine, if the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with such a theme, was performed in this style, wouldn't it be more interesting? ! Maybe this is just an assumption. The more domestic animations we see are more pseudo-Japanese style. Nothing. . .

According to survey data released by relevant Japanese parties, in 2004, there were about 81 animation films released in domestic cinemas in Japan, and Japanese TV stations broadcast more than 80 episodes of animation programs every week, and 80 animation programs were broadcast in a year. Close to 4,000 episodes. Comics account for 40% of all publications in Japan, with an average of 25 comic books published every day.

According to statistics from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, sales of Japanese cartoons in the United States reached US$4.36 billion in 2002, more than three times the value of Japanese steel products imported into the United States. Last year, the total revenue of China's animation industry was only 10 billion yuan. A considerable part of it was processing fees paid by foreign investors.

According to the requirements of China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the broadcast of domestic cartoons on TV stations should account for 60% of the total number of cartoons broadcast. In fact, in 2004, the total domestic cartoon production in my country was only 29,000. minutes, the market demand is only 268,000 minutes, and TV station cartoon resources are seriously insufficient; 2005 is the spring for further development of the animation industry, but almost all of the few animation channels have a shortage of films, and one cartoon has been copied over and over again. Local broadcasting indicates that Chinese animation is not yet self-sufficient.

As we all know, the gap between Chinese and Japanese animation is very obvious. I won’t go into details about how obvious it is. Saying it would only add to the sadness. But why is there such a gap between Chinese and Japanese animation? This is an issue worth discussing.

Some people think that the gap between Chinese and Japanese animation is caused by the late start of Chinese comics. It is true that Chinese comics entered commercialization much later than Japan, but this is not the problem. Chinese football It started very early, but China’s table tennis didn’t start very early. Some people think that the gap between Chinese and Japanese animation is due to the problem of Chinese cartoonists’ drawing skills. This is not the problem. The painting style of "San Mao Wandering" is by no means like It's like Japanese cartoons, but it is indeed a classic comic.

I personally think that the gap between Chinese and Japanese animation is due to Chinese cartoonists’ understanding and attitude towards animation. Cartoons have always been read by children aged 4-8, so look at all the Chinese cartoons on the market Bar: "Blue Cat Naughty 3000 Questions", "Strange City", "Big-headed Son and Little-Headed Dad", "Panda Jingjing", "Feng Shen Bang", "Gray Bean" (probably this is the name) and some others that I really like I'm too lazy to remember their names. These are undoubtedly exceptions and target the audience at 4-8 years old! What is even more revealing is the introduction of "Neon Genesis Evangelion". I didn't want to mention this, but I have to! This is the biggest failure of foreign comics introduced into China! Not only the tone and personality of the dubbed characters are incompatible with the original work, but the lines and plot of the original work are also in vain. All this is because those people only regard EVA as a cartoon only for teenagers. Therefore, in the original work, the profound thoughts about life, self-existence, and interpersonal relationships were avoided, and only the battles in EVA were shown one by one. Let’s look at “Snowy Coconut” painted by Chinese cartoonist Yan Kai. This can be said to be a successful representative work of Chinese comics. Although some people think that Yan Kai’s painting style is very similar to Japanese comics and has no Chinese characteristics, but I want to ask, What are China’s own characteristics? Features are a very abstract thing, even very unrealistic. There is a difference between "being different from others" and "being liked because of being different". What else do Chinese comics fans have besides children? And now Chinese animation writers also do it for the sake of being liked by children in other countries. So complacent and ashamed. Another issue that affects Chinese animation is the attitude of Chinese animation producers towards animation production. Chinese comics are pretty good, but Chinese animation production is very obvious. China's current animations still have low-level errors such as inconsistency in far and near size ratios (such as "Blue Cat 3000 Questions"), inconsistent colors and even overflowing borders (such as "Gray Bean"). These problems only need to be solved during the production process. Easy to spot. When I first watched "Duck Detective", a collaboration between my country and Canada, although I could recognize it as a Chinese work at a glance from the style of painting (the Chinese characteristics mentioned earlier are quite effective), there was not a single character in the entire film. It has similar problems, and I even dare to say that it is a very good animation, so I doubt whether it is a domestic animation, but the foreign names among the producers seem to be able to give me an answer. Without the supervision of foreign friends, what does the success of "Lotus Lantern" mean? China can produce good games, but it all depends on the work attitude of the producers.

Let’s talk about Japanese animation. A detailed introduction is unnecessary. You may know more about it than I do. What I want to talk about is the Japanese people’s understanding and attitude towards animation. Japanese animations have specialized voice actors - we also have them, but there are very few; Japan has studios that specialize in animation production - we also have them, but they are not as large as Japan in terms of scale and personnel (funding problems are serious); Japan has many cartoonists , and many children also volunteer to be cartoonists. Japan has a complete animation operation system-we also...

In general, the gap between Chinese and Japanese animation is obvious. Putting aside external reasons, the gap between Chinese and Japanese animation is the gap in understanding and attitude towards animation. Think about it, we are still While we are debating whether watching animation will affect learning, how can we make our animation develop?