What was the world of animation like in the 1960s? The culture of images, devastated after World War Ⅱ, gave birth to a new art form: animation. Animation was an unknown art, an art of trial-and-error. Manga films had been produced prior to that time, but animation, known as "art animation," was a new form introduced into Japan through the participation of large numbers of artists.
The activities of the "Animation Group of Three" (Yoji Kuri, Hiroshi Manabe, and Ryohei Yanagihara), taking place at the Sogetsu Kaikan, has led to the development of a collaborative art movement, involving contemporary musicians, photographers, poets, actors, novelists, fine artists and film directors. Adopting Sogetsu Kaikan as a stronghold, Yoji Kuri lit the fuse of the animation art bomb, which was a memorable part of the history of animation in the 1960s.