Tokyo Weekender - October 2017

as the Best Animation Film Award at the 70th
Mainichi Film Awards. This year, in recognition
of the director’s body of work, the Tokyo
International Film Festival, which kicks off
on October 25, has dedicated its animation
section to his creative output.
Weekender recently dropped by Hara’s
studio in Nakano to talk with him about…
THE CHALLENGE OF BRINGING
COLORFUL TO LIFE:
With Colorful, it was a client who asked me
to make that film. I didn't know the original
novel, but when I read it, at first I didn't think
Miss Hokusai, ©2014-2015 Hinako
Sugiura MS.HS / Sarusuberi Film Partners
Mami the Psychic: Dancing Dolls in a Starry Sky, ©Fujikopro,
Shogakukan, TV-Asahi, Shin-ei, and ADK 1988
nese people feel that aspect of things strongly;
even though we are a developed country, we
still believe in connections with dead people,
and gods dwelling in nature. So I want to honor
that part of Japanese people's hearts, and
continue to reflect that in my films to come.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SUPER-
NATURAL IN HIS FILMS:
I haven't experienced anything like that
myself, but I feel like there is some kind of
supernatural influence in our world, in the
form of certain phenomenon, or in the case
of things like fate or destiny. I think Japathat
it was great material for an anime. But
the producer was intent on making it into
an anime, and requested that I do it. I took
it up as a challenge to turn the story into an
animated film.
THE SERIOUS TOPICS LYING AT
THE HEART OF A FILM DIRECTED AT
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:
[This film] tells the story of a junior high
school student who commits suicide, one
whose mother is having an affair, and
another who is prostituting herself to buy
the things she wants. These are heavy topics.
These things are really happening now in
Japan. I didn't want people to look away
from these problems, but face them head on.
There are young people who are struggling
with those problems, so I made this film for
those people.
WHAT DREW HIM TO THE STORY
BEHIND MISS HOKUSAI:
I really loved Hinako Sugiura's manga, and I
knew that I wanted to make an anime from
her work at some time. So when I had the
opportunity to collaborate with Production
I.G, I was very happy to be able to bring this
piece to life. It was really like a dream come
true.
THE UNIQUE APPEARANCE OF MISS
HOKUSAI’S LEADING LADY:
In the original story, O-Ei is not a beautiful
I DIDN'T WANT PEOPLE
TO LOOK AWAY FROM
THESE PROBLEMS, BUT
FACE THEM HEAD ON
woman, and from the historical records that
remain, it was very certain that O-Ei was
not a beautiful woman. But because she is
the protagonist, I thought it was a good idea
to make her beautiful, but not completely
gorgeous. So I made her attractive, but I
made her eyebrows very thick and gave her
other striking features. She’s pretty, but she
has a unique appearance that will make an
impression on the audience.
Dawn of a Filmmaker: The Keisuke Kinoshita Story,
©2013 "Dawn of a Filmmaker" Partners
WHY HE DECIDED TO GO IT ALONE
AFTER DECADES OF SUCCESS:
I had a long part of my career directing as an
employee, and during that time, I wasn't making
films for myself, but doing what I was being
told by the company. Within those limitations,
I tried to maximize my freedom. Finally,
I felt like I had achieved a certain measure of
success, but I was aware of the limitations. So
I decided to launch myself on my own. However,
not many people get to spend most of their
career making only movies! I have been able
to make only films up until now, so I feel very
lucky to be able to do this work. I also think
that it's not easy to keep making only movies,
but if possible, I want to keep making them for
the rest of my career.
THE 30TH TOKYO
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
PUTS A SPOTLIGHT ON THE
WORLD OF KEIICHI HARA
This year marks the fourth year since
the Tokyo International Film Festival
revived its Special Focus on Japanese
Animation, and 2017 also marks the
100th anniversary of the institution of
Japanese animation itself. In honor of
this historic occasion, TIFF is focusing
on the work and worlds of Keiichi
Hara. This is the first ever major
retrospective of the director’s work,
and will feature movies in the Shinchan
series as well as his more recent
independent films.
TIFF will take place between October
25 and November 3, 2017. Full details
about screenings are available at
2017.tiff-jp.net