Forest Concert: A moving experience of beautiful melodies in harmony with nature

Detailed evaluation and recommendation of Forest Concert - Mori no Ongakukai

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Anime Original

■ Release date

March 1953

■Distribution company

Oku Shokai Limited Partnership (Oku Shokai)

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Zensuke Nishio

■ Director

Ashida Iwao

■ Production

Ashida Manga Film Studio

■ Story

Today is a forest concert, and the badly behaved wolf leaves a pile of trash on the road before leaving. He smokes on the train and is scolded. When he throws his cigarette out the window, it sets a gas station on fire. He picks flowers in the venue's garden but is attacked by a horde of bees. The bell rings and the concert begins. The hat thrown by the wolf lands on the conductor's head, throwing the rhythm out of whack, making the singer angry and causing chaos in the venue. The wolf is then beaten up by the audience.
Source: History of Japanese Animation Films, p. 244

■ Main staff

・Original story and screenplay: Zensuke Nishio ・Director and cinematographer: Iwao Ashida ・Animation: Risaburo Fukuda ・Animation supplement: Yukio Nishijima ・Background: Toshiro Migita ・Color effects: Nippon Shikisai KK
・Composition: Yoshio Ozaki ・Music Conductor: Hirohisa Yamamoto ・Performance: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra ・Soloist: Toshie Kusunoki

■Detailed evaluation

Released in 1953, "Concert in the Forest" is one of the most important early postwar Japanese animation films. The film was produced by Ashida Manga Eiga Seisakusho, directed by Ashida Iwao, and based on a story and screenplay by Nishio Zensuke. The story depicts a mischievous wolf's journey to a forest concert and the commotion he faces at the venue, satirizing social issues of the time.

The greatest feature of this work is the social satire depicted through the character of the wolf. The wolf repeatedly engages in extremely irresponsible behavior, such as littering, smoking on the train, and setting fire to a gas station. These actions symbolize the manners and environmental issues in postwar Japanese society, and encourage viewers to reflect deeply. In a scene at a concert, the wolf's hat is comically placed on the conductor's head, making the audience laugh while also emphasizing the chaos caused by the wolf's irresponsibility.

Visually, the animation is of extremely high quality considering the technical standards of the time. In particular, the backgrounds are drawn by Toshiro Migita, realistically expressing the beauty of the forest and the splendor of the concert. Furthermore, the color effects were handled by Nippon Shikisai KK, and the richness of the colors enhances the atmosphere of the entire work. Musically, the composition by Yoshio Ozaki, the musical direction by Hirohisa Yamamoto, the performance by the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and the solo vocals by Toshie Kusunoki combine to create an important element that enlivens the story.

"Forest Concert" was one of the first postwar Japanese animation films, and had a major impact on the subsequent development of Japanese animation. In particular, its social satire and comical direction influenced many later works. Furthermore, by depicting the social issues of the time, this work succeeds in conveying a profound message to its viewers. For this reason, it can be said to be an important work that is not just entertaining, but also has educational value.

■Recommendation details

"Forest Concert" occupies a very important position as one of the early postwar Japanese animation films. Therefore, I recommend this work for the following reasons:

First of all, this work satirizes the manners and environmental issues in postwar Japanese society, encouraging deep reflection in the viewer. In particular, the chaos caused by the wolf's irresponsible behavior leaves a strong impression on the viewer. Also, in the concert scene, there is a comical scene in which the wolf's hat sits on the conductor's head, which makes the audience laugh while also emphasizing the chaos caused by the wolf's irresponsibility. These elements succeed in conveying a profound message to the viewer.

Secondly, this work is an extremely high quality animation considering the technical standards of the time. In particular, the background depictions and color effects are important elements in enhancing the overall atmosphere of the work. In terms of music, the composition by Yoshio Ozaki, the musical direction by Hirohisa Yamamoto, the performance by the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, and the solo vocals by Toshie Kusunoki are all important elements in enhancing the excitement of the story. These elements succeed in deeply moving the viewer.

Finally, as one of the first postwar Japanese animation films, this work had a major impact on the subsequent development of Japanese animation. In particular, its social satire and comical direction influenced many later works. Furthermore, by depicting the social issues of the time, this work succeeds in conveying a profound message to the viewer. For this reason, this work can be said to be an important work that is not just entertaining, but also has educational value.

For these reasons, "Forest Concert" occupies a very important position as one of the early postwar Japanese animation films, and we highly recommend that you watch it at least once. This work succeeds in deeply moving viewers while also encouraging deep reflection. Furthermore, as one of the early postwar Japanese animation films, this work had a major impact on the subsequent development of Japanese animation. Therefore, this work can be said to be an important work that is not just entertaining, but also has educational value.