National Original Animation (ナショナルオリジナルアニメーション), or simply National OA, was founded by Kyushai Ezuko, former member at Nikkatsu-Banno since in 1932, he left the studio to create a new company, similar to National Japanese Cinema Industries. Mai Banno was also collaborating with him in it's earliest years of life. It has now been extinct since 1993.
1st Logo (1968-1975)
Logo: On a black background, a white-green triangular pendant on the top and the abstract, neon-ish text "OA" in white in the bottom, appear zooming out with a green square in a massive amount of trails. The square then drains in it's thinnest part and then the "OA" flashes. The text "National" in blue, appears flashing upwards the "OA".
Trivia: As many suggest, this logo was actually made with traditional animation, including the flashing, which was made with an old brush. Kyushai Ezuko solely produced this sequence properly due to it's professionalism, and it took exactly 32 minutes and 21 seconds to make this sequence.
FX/SFX: The zooming-in of the logo, the words flashing.
Music/Sounds: A choir of japanese singers saying "National, OA!!", composed by Mikko Hakubaya.
Trivia: The "National" they sung is actually in Engrish, making it sound like "Nachonaru"
Availability: Common, this was seen on color prints of some Toei animation series for television since 1968, and was always saved on the public domain for a while. If you want to check those tapes, check out too the Toei Home Video and Gekkeikan Entertainment logos, and it features this logo. It was also seen by original animation series by it, starting with Kaishou Gekkenbon.
Editor’s Note: None.
2nd Logo (1973-1979)
Logo: We see many green square bits forming a line. Suddenly, we zoom out to that line to reveal many green lines, and then the camera pans diagonally to reveal the "A", and which whom it it's the text "OA", on green. Over the zooming out, the text National zooms in to the left side of the screen. And with that exact A, a blue-outlined sun with an white cardiogram appears rising over said letter. The whole logo then flashes for one second and then the logo stands still for three seconds.
Trivia: This was Kyushai's second attempt in traditional animation, and it's much better than the 1st logo anyways.
FX/SFX: The animation, the squares and the forming of the lines, the sun rising, the word zooming out.
Music/Sounds: Same as before, but with a big band melody accompanying it.
- A version from the 1st logo, which includes the singers only, has appeared thrice on Astro Boy.
Availability: Common. Seen on Street Fighter films in color, and other animation shows like Kashikoipoid, Himitsu No Ame, Aa - My City, Reimai, Chikkara to Onna No Yo No Nakka (1976), Kenkyu Ishabashi and some releases of My Ordinary Life. Although it's seen in Astro Boy Thrice, the logo still stands as a common logo.
Editor’s Note: None.
3rd Logo (1980-1993)
Logo: We see on the top the text, which translates to "NATIONAL Film Studio", on white, with it's first characters being more bigger. Much down over it, we see the National logo in red, with an unknown company's byline over it, with an english text too over it and japanese text on the right of the byline. On the middle we see either
- An animated picture of Mai Banno (formerly named Mai Minakami) on a turquoise-gray background (which is still),
- A milk pouring on a vase on a house background,
- A remote control being broken by a punch by on a red background with a table over it,
- Or even an animated fight with anthropomorphic cookies, in an mountain background.
FX/SFX: None, or even the animation included on one of the middle pictures.
Music/Sounds: A bass note (which is barely heard), following by people saying "National!". On the third variant, a punch is heard after that.
Musi/Sounds Trivia: Again, the word they are saying is on Engrish.
Availability: Seen on the last productions from the company. Also, it plasters the previous logos during it’s usage.
Editor’s Note: It may be very annoying to some for plastering old logos at the time of the logo‘s usage.