It's really quite enjoyable seeing some of the culture of japan that ISN'T based on school life (That's really getting old). It covers a lot of the background that really gives insight into some of these other anime. Festivals, gods, strange stories and so on. That's almost reason enough to watch it!

Each of the little stories in each episode are very similar in many ways to folktales from other parts of the world, but they all tend to be entertaining. The good getting rewarded and the Wicked people being justly punished. Morals being learnt. Adventure and bizarre happenings. It really is all there, and on a pleasantly wide range of topics.

Each episode is a mixture of narration and character's speach, for the most part. Occasionally the narrator speaks a lot more, other times the narrator hardly speaks. Occasionally, these are poorly done, and they are quite noticable when they are. Most of the time It's quite tolerable.

Animation quality rangess from incredibly bad to almost beautiful. When it's bad, it's almost horrific and unwatchable. At its best, it's almost like watching a painter at work. However, for the average episode, artwork is of a lower quality than might be expected, especially compared to pretty much anything else on this site.

I would suspect that the average viewer would find this mildly diverting and worth watching for its cultural signifance, but would much rather find something else to watch. (show less)

The title's quite literally meant, as this is different from really anything out there.

“Folktales from Japan” is what it promises: a collection of Japanese fairy tales in anime version. The small stories are well selected and grouped together, with three stories per episode; some of those are funny, some a barely ten-minute crash course on Japanese superstitions, some have their way-obvious morals and some get so wrapped up in the process of story-telling that the moral values are completely mushed. Easy enough to understand and manages to keep your attention quite well at the same time.

There’s only two narrators, so not exactly a wide variety of voices, but I guess since it’s meant for kids, it’s alright... The dialogue is what you’d expect from a fairy tale, easy to follow, mundane, but quite funny here or there, and good overall if you’ve got the nerve for it.

The animation is… unique to say the best, odd to say the least. Each small story has a different art style and about the animation of the good old TV cartoons. The art style varies, giving off impressions from picture-book over watercolour to acryl paintings (and probably a few more I forgot). There is the expected simplicity to each picture and character, e.g. the backgrounds barely moving at all, yet for the fact that the drawings change style as frequently as they do (and they’re nothing short of adorable at times! XD), it’s good enough. Opening and ending songs are well-chosen, and although the music during the series itself could easily be more varied, it does fit.

And now... this anime is generally suitable for all ages, yet the entertainment factor entirely depends on whether you like fairy tales or not. If you like folktales, you’re bound to love this, seeing as the tales animated here haven’t been edited any more than was necessary for the anime adaption, and they’re not only easy to understand but also quite adorable; if you don’t like fairy tales, don’t bother to watch or comment. Personally, even though I tend to get unnerved by morals that jump right into my face (*sighs*), I love this for the simple fact that it is folklore AKA cultural goods, and adorably presented for that matter!

Cheers!~ (show less)

This isn't your typical anime, of course - it's not action oriented, but it's a great way to learn about Japanese folklore, and it's a nice breather from your typical shows. Being directed towards younger children, the stories are lightened up with soft, adorable animation, but I think it's appealing to all ages.

There are only two narrators who split up narration of the stories as well as characters, but it doesn't deter from the story or entertainment. There are typically three or so stories per episode. Though they're short and simple, they still manage to catch your attention. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Japanese folktales! (show less)