Panda and the Magic Serpent

白蛇伝 - Hakujaden is based on a great Chinese folk tale called "白蛇傳- Bái Shé Zhuàn". The "Legend of the White Snake" is quite old, but also very popular, with countless versions in folklore, literature and drama. The version chosen for the anime adaptation is beautifully romanticised, with some additional characters. A fairy tale about a snake spirit who falls in love with a human. Story: Legendary, beautifully romanticised, but deviating from the original (6/10) The original version of the legend is of literary significance, is considered to be one of the four great Chinese folk tales, and is much older than the existing written texts fromthe Ming Dynasty. It was first performed as an opera by oral tradition. It tells the story of a man-eating demon who was fought by Buddhist and Taoist priests. However, the legend has undergone a dramatic change since its earliest days. Over time, the demon has become more representative and sympathetic. She has been transformed into a serpent goddess, and her quest for love is in keeping with the times. Political interpretations are also common. But that is another story. In addition, the legend is a historical treasure for the Chinese. It contains wonderful references to the idyllic West Lake (西湖) and the beautiful and famous Léifēng Pagoda (雷峰塔) near Hángzhōu (杭州). Despite its considerable age, it is a beautiful fairy tale (in this version) about a monk Fǎ Hǎi (法海) in ancient China who tries to prevent the love between the man Xǔ Xiān (许仙) and the beautiful immortal snake goddess. The story's superficial moral can be interpreted as everything can grow, change and love conquers all. This may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but the narrative style and content is very reminiscent of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and this is not as far-fetched as it seems at first glance. Xǔ Xiān and the Snake Spirit Princess fall in love like Romeo and Juliet and must find the courage to face the incompatibility of their different worlds. It is up to them to overcome the greatest challenge and prove that their love is true and lasting. A closer look at the fairy tale reveals that, with its Taoist theme of immortality on the one hand, and its Confucian and Buddhist influences on the other, the story reflects the major philosophical influences rooted in many different aspects of Chinese culture. Characters: Simple MCs, animals stand out (5/10) The main characters are kept rather simple, and although they're very likeable, they're not allowed to develop beyond a basic feeling of loving each other. However, it is quite possible that Uehara, Shin and Yabushita, Taiji were trying to prevent any further changes to the main characters of the original legend in this way. Unfortunately, this makes them seem a little too abstract. The added secondary characters, especially the cute animals, literally steal the show from the protagonists. But let's take a closer look at the characters. Lady White The White Serpent (goddess) transformed into a very beautiful young woman called Bái Shé Zhuàn to visit the West Lake of Hángzhōu and was attracted by the beauty of the scenery. Lady White immediately fell in love with a human being (brief story). Her character is very interesting because she is portrayed as emotionally strong, with a deep willingness to fight for her love. It would have been nice to show the development of her character on this basis, even if it meant a variation of the original legend. And more than that, it would have been a minor sensation because it would have been the depiction of a very emancipated young woman (remember, this was 1958). Xǔ Xiān His character is also interesting, but not because he is very strong. On the contrary, his character reflects several facets of human nature. On the one hand he is good-natured, but on the other hand easily persuaded, especially by those in authority. Thus, it is possible for the monk to influence Xǔ Xiān and put his ulterior motives into action. Xiǎo Qīng (小青) She made it possible for Xǔ Xiān and Bái Shé Zhuàn to meet and fall in love. Her character can best be described as beautiful, smart and loyal. Furthermore, her character is historically based and existed before the anime version. She was added to the original legend a long time ago and is therefore already an integral part of it. According to one version, Lady White bought a captured snake and thus saved it from being eaten. The rescued snake was also transformed into a woman, named Xiǎo Qīng. Grateful for her rescue, she decided to serve Lady White in the future. Their relationship is aptly described in the anime as very trusting, like sisters. Monk The role of the Buddhist monk has changed as fundamentally as the demon of the original legend. He used to play the good guy in the original, now he's supposed to play the evil guy. But he plays his role quite well, I think. What motivates him varies depending on the version. In the rarer version, he wants to protect Xǔ Xiān. In the more common one, he is just jealous of Lady White's abilities, and he wants to do her harm. The animals The most challenging plot points are highlighted by the animal characters in a positive and understandable way. The little panda (Ailurus fulgens) and the big panda are very cute. Of course, their cuteness is due to the fact that their characters were given more screen time and adventure to develop. Especially the aspect that they care about the relationship between their owners. Conversely, the protagonists lack this potential, which is a bit sad. Visuals: Well done for the first Japanese full colour film (7/10) The animation is well done, although at first (for about four minutes) it looks like silhouette animation. Later on, you'll notice that a lot of effort has been put into creating lively characters that move smoothly. Toei's animation looks really good for its age and the colours are nice and saturated. Please remember that this was the first full colour Japanese animated film to be released in America and was created as a classic children's story despite the turbulence of the time. The characters actually look Asian. Even Miyazaki, Hayao, wrote in an essay in 1979 that he was inspired by Hakujaden and decided to become a mangaka. The style is immediately reminiscent of Disney, especially Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, but at that time the animation industry in Japan was mainly influenced by Disney. This changed in the early 1960s when Tezuka, Osamu entered the animation industry. He founded Mushi Production as a rival to Toei Animation. He was already famous for his imaginative stories and became the pioneer of the anime and manga industry as we know it today, varying many of the techniques used by Disney. He was the founder of the now well-known "Large Eyes" style, as well as the Western European "look" of Japanese manga and anime characters. To cut a long story short, the animation is probably not what you would first expect when you think of anime, but the film is very well done for the time. Sounds: BGM is fitting and well done, VA remarkable (7/10) The background music was composed by Kinoshita, Chuji and enhances the scenario very well. It almost feels like a good musical accompanies the show. There is not much dialogue, and the dubbing is also mono, which makes the Japanese a little difficult to understand at times. Still, it is remarkable, though not really surprising for the time, that there were only two voice actors: Miyagi, Mariko and Morishige, Hisaya. All characters are literally spoken by one woman and one man. Which they did very well. Hakujaden is a legendary work in the history of Japanese animation and a valuable gesture in the historical context of its time. The decision to use a legendary Chinese folk tale as a concept for an anime can certainly be seen as a valuable contribution to the relationship between the two countries and has also inspired many people. For me, this anime is touching and beautiful. As an anime fan, I hope that this review has sparked some interest in the beginnings of Japanese animation history. Take a look - it's worth it. Thank you for reading and have fun watching!

For some reason when adapting the Legend of the White Snake into an animated movie, producers thought it was a good idea to have utterly boring protagonists. Perhaps attempting to remain faithful to the original, perhaps out of incompetence. Either way, it's a big problem since a lot of screen time is dedicated to them while offering nothing past two winsome bland and wooden stock characters in pursue of whatever it is they're after. I'm not saying there can't be people like that, just that there is no real reason to do that in a movie whose intention is first and foremost to provide anenjoyable and colorful experience for the audience. The pets are fine, but I'd rather watch them feature their own picture instead of sitting through pointless padding. If you need constant comic relief, I have bad news. I'd be more impressed at it had colors not been a thing since Flowers and fucking Trees from 1932.

Hakujaden is an interesting case, the very first Japanese animated feature film in color and somewhat of a hallmark in Japanese animation. So much so that the thing that actually got me to watch it was it's being selected as the no.1 anime of all time by the anime magazine Animage. Dated is probably the best way I can describe the film, it has some quite wonderful, fluid animation, stunning even. Interesting use of colour, blurred objects in the foreground, and baring a few jaring cuts and character expression it looks simply great, often taking much from both traditional and modern art creating a unique aesthetic.The other aspects however lag behind significantly. It is an adaptation of an old Chinese legend merged with a book name of which I can't remember and as a result, the story comes of as rather basic. The characters act as is usual in a legend or a fairy tail of that period and that is to say that they lack said character, they simply move along with the plot as the plot moves along with them. The villain of the story is somewhat of an exception, as he really is only the assigned villain, never really operating from malice or any kind of evil intention, but rather trying to help our hero Xu-Xian with what he sees as a haunting and a problem, where a problem is really not. The story is told primarily through rather intrusive naration, detailing things we already know on several ocasions and in that sense again feels like a relic of it's time. The sound is all rather choppy and unclear due to the movie's age, and the voice acting ranges from passable to bizzare. Music however is quite nice, if not very memorable. With the main cast all being bland and uninteresting, genuinelly the most engaging characters are the animal comic relief, quite obviously inspired by disney. Their designs are great, their animation allows for a wide range of movements and unlike the main cast they exert at least a little character of their own. There is one genuinelly wonderful and entertaining fightscene where a tiny panda beats up a bunch of animals and becomes their leader, and the movie is worth a watch just for that, and as a case study to see how anime has developed.

Fun Fact: This anime is as old as my mother. Story: This is based on a Chinese fairytale that I have never heard of before, so I have no idea how faithful this adaption is. As a romance, I found it well done. It's easy to root for the main characters to get together in the end. I don't know if these animals were in the original tale, but they do a good job as filler material. Slightly annoying however was the narrator, who kept describing what we see. Do we really need this? 8/10 Art: To put this in historical context, this was made one year prior to DisneysSleeping Beauty. If we look at Disney as the nonplusultra in animation at that time, Hakujaden does not look much worse. Sure, there are some things one might find odd nowadays, like the character design, which is closer to traditional Japanese art than to what we recognize as anime art today, but for a country without a high profile history of animation, this movie looks amazing (for 1958). 9/10 Sound: The sound quality is not very good, which is not that surprising considering its age. Some of the voice actors sounded quite...let's call it odd. The traditional Chinese music was great for setting the mood and the woman who did the singing in the beginning (I guess she's the same who voiced Pai Niang) was really good. Fair for its day, but nothing to write home about. 6/10 Characters: As I said, the main couple were both likeable people. Their sidekicks were not that bad and did something noteworthy a couple of times. The bad guy (if you will) was interesting, as he saw his actions as righteous and justified. All in all, quite the interesting cast. 8/10 Enjoyment: I was a little worried that I might end up having to force myself through this, but to my suprise, this movie ended up being pretty entertaining. There were barely any drawn out scenes, or rather, they didn't feel like it. If you're interested in the history of anime or animation in general, The Legend of the White Serpent should be an easy pick. 8/10 Overall: 7.8/10