Underplayed Gems

Folktales from Japan

Folktales from Japan poster
Genre
drama anime and manga
Country
Japan
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This is an anime series that adapts traditional Japanese folk tales into short episodes. Each episode contains three separate seven minute long stories. Veteran actors provide the narration and all the voices.

gentlecalmeducationalepisodicwhimsicalnostalgiclighthearted

What happens

Hometown Rebuilding: Folktales from Japan (ふるさと再生（さいせい） 日本（にっぽん）の昔（むかし）ばなし, Furusato Saisei: Nippon no Mukashi Banashi) is a 258-episode long Japanese anime television series that adapts various traditional stories from Japan. Each episode of this anime comprises three approximately seven-minute tales. Produced by the Tokyo-based animation company Tomason, it was aired by TV Tokyo from April 1, 2012 to March 26, 2017. The narration and all character voices are provided by veteran film actors Akira Emoto and Yoneko Matsukane. Voice actress and singer Shoko Nakagawa performed the initial opening and ending theme songs. Tomoyuki Okura, a member of the vocal group INSPi, wrote and composed the opening theme "Hitori no Kimi ga Umareta to sa" (You Were Born Alone), and the ending theme song "Arukou" (Let's Walk) with his fellow INSPi member Keisuke Yoshida. From episode 53 onwards, "Arukou" was replaced by "Pyon Pyon Punyo Punyo no Uta" (Song of Jump! Jump! Cheek! Cheek!) by Shindo Heart (lyrics) and Star Flower (song) from Victor Entertainment. From episode 208 onwards, "Hitori no Kimi ga Umareta to sa" was replaced by "Furusato Hokkorimura" by Hajime Yamanouchi (lyrics) and Kaori Mizumori (song). A second 50-episode long series, Hometown Visiting: Folktales from Japan (ふるさとめぐり日本（にっぽん）の昔（むかし）ばなし, Furusato Meguri: Nippon no Mukashi Banashi) began airing from April 2, 2017 and it was concluded on March 25, 2018. Each episode of this anime comprises two approximately ten-minute tales instead. An English-subtitled version was simulcasted on the streaming service Crunchyroll, which describes the main plot as following: "Like in any culture, Japanese kids grow up listening to the stories repeatedly told by their parents and grandparents. The boy born from a peach; the princess from the moon who is discovered inside a bamboo; the old man who can make a dead cherry tree blossom, etc. These short stories that teach kids to see both the dark and bright sides of life have passed traditional moral values from generation to generation." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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