TL;DR, Rintarō’s 24-minute silent animation short Nezumikozō Jirokichi is now streaming on the Bang Bang YouTube channel via Miyu Distribution, in Japanese with English subtitles. The film honors director Sadao Yamanaka and features character designs by Katsuhiro Ōtomo.

Rintarō’s 24-minute silent animation short Nezumikozō Jirokichi is now streaming on the Bang Bang YouTube channel via Miyu Distribution. The release brings a festival-traveled tribute to classic Japanese cinema to a broad audience. The film honors director Sadao Yamanaka and revives the benshi tradition in a contemporary package.

Rintaro Nezumikozō Jirokichi YouTube availability matters because it pairs a new work from a veteran director with Katsuhiro Ōtomo’s designs and English subtitles for global accessibility.

Where to watch Nezumikozō Jirokichi on YouTube

Streaming is live on the Bang Bang channel on YouTube, where Miyu Distribution has uploaded the 24-minute short. The video appears under the title “Manga Cinema Dedicated to Sadao Yamanaka ‘NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI’.” Audio is Japanese, and English subtitles are included. The upload presents the work in its intended silent animation form.

You can watch the Rintaro Nezumikozō Jirokichi YouTube upload directly on the Bang Bang channel. The Miyu Distribution Bang Bang YouTube posting uses the project’s official naming, making it easy to identify among recent uploads. English subtitles for Nezumikozō Jirokichi are provided, so viewers can follow the narration and intertitles without prior Japanese knowledge.

The official Japanese title listed is “Yamanaka Sadao ni Sasageru Manga Eiga ‘Nezumikozō Jirokichi’.” The runtime is 24 minutes, ideal for a single sitting. The video description credits the creators and clarifies the silent format, so you know you are watching the definitive version as it toured festivals.

• Platform: Bang Bang channel on YouTube.
• Uploader: Miyu Distribution, the film’s distributor.
• Title on page: “Manga Cinema Dedicated to Sadao Yamanaka ‘NEZUMIKOZO JIROKICHI’.”
• Runtime: 24 minutes, complete short.
• Format: Silent animation, faithful to the project’s concept.
• Audio: Japanese, with benshi-style narration in the track.
• Subtitles: English subtitles appear on the video.
• Creator note: Directed by Rintarō, a veteran of Galaxy Express 999 and Metropolis.
• Design credit: Characters by Katsuhiro Ōtomo.
• Music credit: Score composed by Toshiyuki Honda.

What Nezumikozō Jirokichi shows about Sadao Yamanaka

The short dramatizes the behind-the-scenes story of Sadao Yamanaka’s Nezumikozō Jirokichi, Edo no Maki and his effort to complete it. It presents Yamanaka’s working world during a turning point, when Japanese cinema moved from silence to sound. As a Sadao Yamanaka silent animation tribute, it frames process and legacy over spectacle.

Rintarō’s film also points to the core drama of Yamanaka’s work. The Yamanaka Nezumikozō Jirokichi synopsis centers on Jirokichi, a thief who steals from the rich to aid the poor, and Osuzu, a townswoman raising a small child after her husband’s death. That human focus mirrors the compassion in Yamanaka’s films.

Form matches subject. As a Nezumikozō Jirokichi anime short told in a silent style, it employs a benshi narrator to echo how audiences originally experienced films in the early 1930s. The piece highlights Yamanaka’s role in spurring the transition to talkies, situating his brief career within a larger industry shift.

• Subject: Yamanaka’s behind-the-scenes push to produce Edo no Maki.
• Historical frame: Japan’s changeover from silent films to talkies.
• Era context: Yamanaka died in 1938 at age 28, underscoring a short, intense career.
• Story touchpoints: Jirokichi’s Robin Hood ethos and Osuzu’s hardship with her child.
• Silent grammar: Minimal dialogue on screen, guided by narrated commentary.
• Benshi lineage: Live-style narration links the film to period exhibition practices.
• Industry lens: Shows effort, craft, and the pressure of a shifting medium.
• Legacy angle: Honors a director who helped propel sound cinema in Japan.

Who made Nezumikozō Jirokichi and its festival debut

Rintarō directed the project, marking a return to the director’s chair. Production was handled at GENCO, Studio M2, and French studio Miyu Productions. Character designs come from Katsuhiro Ōtomo, and the score is by Toshiyuki Honda.

Mami Koyama performs as the film’s benshi, the live narrator role used in silent-era screenings.

The short premiered at the 1st Niigata International Animation Film Festival in March 2023, where it stood as Rintarō’s first new directorial work in 14 years. It then screened at Montreal’s Fantasia International Film Festival in July 2023. Subsequent stops included Annecy, the Lumière Film Festival in France, and the Japan Film Festival Los Angeles in September 2024, before opening at Eurospace in Shibuya in November 2024.

This Rintaro new anime short arrives on YouTube after completing a robust festival run. The Katsuhiro Otomo Nezumikozō Jirokichi collaboration and the Mami Koyama benshi Nezumikozō Jirokichi performance connect modern animation to film history, while the Niigata International Animation Film Festival debut places the work within a curated showcase of contemporary shorts.

• Director: Rintarō, returning with his first new directorial work in 14 years as of 2023.
• Studios: GENCO, Studio M2, and Miyu Productions collaborated on animation and production.
• Character designs: Katsuhiro Ōtomo shaped the cast’s visual identity.
• Music: Toshiyuki Honda composed the score, supporting the silent format’s rhythm.
• Narration: Mami Koyama voices the benshi, channeling classic exhibition style.
• World premiere: 1st Niigata International Animation Film Festival, March 2023.
• North American stop: Fantasia International Film Festival, July 2023.
• European circuit: Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Lumière Film Festival.
• U.S. screening: Japan Film Festival Los Angeles, September 2024.
• Theatrical showing: Opened at Eurospace cinema in Shibuya, November 2024.

Source: ANN