ryuganji

The penis mightier than the mosaic

2011-08-01T10:21:00.006+09:00

The Japanese cinema-going public may be exposed to as much ultraviolence as filmmakers can throw at them on a regular basis, but they must be protected at all cost from glimpses of genitals, even in a non-sexual context. This bizarre situation has continued for decades and is frustratingly (or rather resignedly) accepted as the status quo by distributors and audiences alike, with the exception of the odd minor online uproar over particularly egregious examples such as the squiggly scribbles that concealed a crucial shot in the Japanese release of “Let the Right One In”, or the overzealous digital mosaics that robbed “Jackass 3D” of much of its humor.

However, a recent police decision has opened the possibility that a certain Hollywood film could become an unlikely touchstone for censorship reform. Asai Takashi of distributor Uplink gave an overview of the issue on his blog.

Currently, an uncensored version of Warner Brothers' “The Hangover Part II” is being screened with an R-18 rating exclusively at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills. Other cinemas are playing an R-15 version.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) ~~National Police Agency (NPA)~~ carried out an investigation over whether this screening in Roppongi falls under Article 175 of the Japanese Penal Code regarding the display of obscene material.

The point of contention was a scene in which the film's main characters are having a wild time at a nightclub in Thailand, and the male genitals of transgendered club staff can be seen in three places.

As a result of an investigation of Tokyo Customs, the Film Classification and Rating Committee (Eirin), and Warner Brothers, the MPD decided not to prosecute. The reason was apparently that the scene in question was not a still image, and that the film was on the whole a comedy rather than a predominantly erotic work.

First of all, this film passed customs inspection, so Tokyo Customs do not regard it as obscene material. The state has determined that it is not obscene.

It was then inspected by Eirin, the film industry's self-regulating body, and as it was released with the most prohibitive rating possible of R-18, so there is no legal issue whatsoever.

It could be said that the MPD's decision not to pursue criminal prosecution was a proper one, and if it had gone through with it, Tokyo Customs would also have had to be prosecuted as one of the parties involved, and as Tokyo Customs is an arm of the state, the MPD would have effectively been prosecuting the state as a criminal.

Although it refrained from pursuing the case, the MPD has called for Warner Brothers to blur the genitals in the scene in question for the DVD release, as minors would be able to watch it as a still image, but this request has no legally binding force.

However, as many rental outlets display R-18-rated films separately from those for general viewing, selling an uncensored R-18 version would be a viable business option from the manufacturer's perspective.

Recently, customs have been clearing films with shots where male genitals are visible but not erect, such as bathing scenes, although this is not the case with depictions of sex.

I was told by a newspaper reporter that the MPD apparently decided not to prosecute in light of the Supreme Court's ruling regarding a book of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe. They must have judged that taking the case to court would only result in defeat.

I'm all for removing blurring from films, and I spent ten years fighting the Mapplethorpe case in court, so if that ruling played a part in the case not being pursued, I couldn't be happier.

It is my hope that Japan Customs and distributors will refrain from exercising self-censorship in future as a result of this development.

This Tokyo Shimbun article claims that soon after the uncensored version began screening at Roppongi Hills, the MPD had received a complaint from some meddling prude about the unobfuscated tackle on display, which supposedly sparked their investigation.

As for Warner Brothers, they could only offer a feeble “No comment” in response to Tokyo Shimbun's inquiry about the issue, despite their laudably defiant act of unleashing unbowdlerized todgers on the ticket-buying public. Whether this will catalyze a change in the ridiculous censorship that has plagued film in Japan for decades remains to be seen, but it does inspire hope that one day the powers that be will trust the good citizens of Japan not to transform into lust-crazed rape monkeys at the sight of a furry dong or two.

Suzuki Noribumi remembers Okada Shigeru

2011-05-22T11:36:00.005+09:00

The May 13th edition of the Nikkei Shimbun featured the following remembrance of the late Toei chairman Okada Shigeru (who died on May 9th) by Suzuki Noribumi, one of the most original and entertaining filmmakers to have emerged during his heyday. Although the same can be said for all of the old major studios, Toei's output today is nowhere near as dynamic and provocative as it was once famed for, and Okada's old-school impresario approach to filmmaking has been sorely missed for quite some time already.

Former honorary chairman of Toei, Okada Shigeru, was an outstanding film producer. When I joined Toei's Kyoto studio as an assistant director in 1956, his talent was already recognized despite his youth. I was set to make my directorial debut with a period tragedy, but Mr. Okada was the one who suggested I was suited to making comedies, which later led to my involvement with the "Truck Yaro" series.

He stuck to his guns and never held back from saying harsh things, but he had a warm-hearted, fatherly demeanor. When Daiei had a hit with a female gambler film starring Enami Kyoko [Yuge Taro's "Onna Tobakushi" (1966), which went on to become a 17-film series], he spurred us into action, saying "How would it look if the originator (of ninkyo films) couldn't do the same?" and told me "Write whatever you like", allowing me to write the screenplay as I saw fit. "If we run [the screenplay] by the board everyone will want to have their say, but if it turns out well, I'll green-light the project," he said, and "Red Peony Gambler" (1968) starring Fuji Junko [now Fuji Sumiko] was born [which became a series in its own right, spanning eight films].

He also enjoyed taking risks, producing experimental works and handpicking young directors. "A delinquent sensibility is an absolute must" was a favorite phrase of his. He meant that films should handle material that can't be dealt with on strait-laced television. He also said, "Film directors must have relationships with many women." His argument was that without doing so, they couldn't depict real life in their films. His choice of words was extreme, but as I look back now, they seem to have a certain truth to them.

Sono Sion on film fandom

2010-12-23T13:28:00.001+09:00

The enigmatic Sono Sion, via Twitter:

'I'm a manga fan.' I don't think I've ever heard anyone make such a sweeping statement. There's so much variety in manga that you can't say you like them all. I think that applies to film as well. I'm in no way a film lover or a film fan. That's because I hate most films.

Pandering is all well and good - just do it right

2010-09-10T22:46:00.002+09:00

Sarah from Tokyo-based English language mag Metropolis kindly asked me to write an opinion piece on Japanese film for their regular Last Word column, so here it is:

http://metropolis.co.jp/features/the-last-word/movie-meddlers/

Kameyama Chihiro: know your enemy

2010-07-25T11:44:00.004+09:00

Television is both the savior and the destroyer of the Japanese film industry. Five of the top-grossing Japanese films in the first half of 2010 were TV show adaptations, and it is these productions that have played a major role in bringing audiences back to cinemas and driving multiplex construction around the country. On the other hand, they have done so by ushering in non-cinematic television production values and aesthetics, catering to a subtitle-abhorring demographic that can be herded into cinema complexes with excessive television promotional campaigns utilizing the lure of big small-screen names and familiar properties. To film fans such as myself who view this development with the kind of disdain reserved for fascist dictators and Johnny Kitagawa, the great Satan is the head of Fuji Television's film department, producer Kameyama Chihiro.

The following inter view with Kameyama by (Fuji Sankei group) news site Iza on the eve of the release of the third film in Fuji's “Bayside Shakedown” franchise provides a glimpse into the mind that brought you such worthy dramas as “Mt. Tsurugidake” as well as utterly irredeemable abominations like “Shaolin Girl.”

Iza: How do you go about selecting the projects that you produce?

Kameyama Chihiro: Above all, they're TV station projects, so I consider them with a view to future television broadcast. Splatter horror and erotic subject matter are out. We'd never be able to get involved with something like [Nakashima Tetsuya's] “Confessions.”

I: Bluntly speaking, do you have a “hit formula”?

KC: Not at all. If I did have a formula, I'd be creating huge hits with original material. When I heard that Yaguchi Shinobu was going to make “Swing Girls,” I told him, “Comedies with girls are difficult, so you should give it up,” but it was entertaining when I saw it. If there's one thing I have, it's not a hit formula, more a rule of thumb I guess.

I: Using that rule of thumb, what kind of strategy did you come up with for “Bayside Shakedown 3”? 　

KC: It's an event film, so this time we didn't hold any public previews, and just gave it heavy exposure on television to stimulate audiences' hunger. This method doesn't come from my knowledge of marketing, but rather it's a way of doing things that developed from my firsthand experience up until now. We created the video series “Kakaricho Aoshima Shunsaku” exclusively for streaming on the Docomo mobile phone network, and hoped that people would think “Bayside's really wild right now.”

I: Originally you wanted to become a film director, and in your university days you studied under Gosho Heinosuke, who made Japan's first talkie film “The Neighbor's Wife and Mine” (Madamu to Nyobo).

KC: Gosho spent his later years in my hometown of Mishima in Shizuoka, so during the summer holidays in my first year at university, I visited him hoping that he'd introduce me to some part-time film job. When I went to his place, he suddenly ordered me to “Go to the second floor and tidy up the bookcase.” He was the chairman of the Directors Guild of Japan, and when I asked him if he'd write me a letter of introduction for presenting to film companies when I started to look for work, he told me: “Film's no good anymore, go into television instead.”

I: Then you were employed by Fuji Television, but what had happened to your passion for filmmaking?

KC: I no longer had any. I loved ATG's films, but as a television professional I banned myself from watching strongly auteurist films.

I: In your fourth year at Fuji in 1983, the company began its involvement in film production with “Nankyoku Monogatari.” What was that like for you at the time?

KC: I looked after Taro and Jiro [the canine stars of the film] when I was working in the programming department (laughs). I wasn't envious of the young film department staff at all. I'd really lost all interest in film itself.

I: Later, the idea emerged of turning popular TV series “Bayside Shakedown” (Odoru Daisosasen) into a film.

KC: Even though I had no filmmaking experience, I bragged that we'd make a film to rank in the top three of [venerable film magazine] Kinema Junpo best ten list, but screenwriter Kimizuka Ryoichi and director Motohiro Katsuyuki told me that wasn't what fans of the series wanted to see in a movie. I came to the decision that we couldn't change the feel of the TV show for the film, so apart from the cameraman we shot it entirely with the show's crew.

I: That was the birth of 'TV company films.'

KC: I asked them to use the same camera angles as the TV show for the first half of the film so that fans wouldn't get confused. I took the stance that it's a film made by TV people, so why not.

Nakadai Tatsuya on screenwriting

2010-07-24T08:26:00.003+09:00

At my age, I really don't want to say expository lines anymore! (laughs) Some scripts are full of explanatory dialogue, and they have many scenes where I have to say something just to make the other character say something. In film, silence works much better.

The great Nakadai Tatsuya decries the current state of Japanese screenwriting in the July edition of Eiga Hiho magazine.

"8000 Miles" director Irie Yu: Indie filmmaker wa tsurai yo

2010-07-19T20:22:00.002+09:00

I'm sure there are more than a few foreign fans of Japanese cinema (myself included) who at one time or another have harbored dreams of becoming a filmmaker in their own right in Japan. My own such ambitions lasted about as long as it took for me to learn the realities of the industry from people already working in it. This is not a vocation you take on if you want to lead a comfortable lifestyle, let alone become affluent, and yet there are still plenty of young people signing up for film schools, or making their own films on their own buck, out of a sheer love for film.

Irie Yu is one of them. Inspired by the films of James Cameron and Steven Spielberg, he enrolled in Nihon University's College of Art (famous for producing such luminaries as Ishii Sogo, Tsukamoto Shinya, and Fukasaku Kinji among others) hoping to eventually make movies on a similar scale, and supported himself with random gigs such as shooting footage of plankton for the National Museum of Science and Nature.

His independently-produced low-budget comedy "8000 Miles" (a play on the title of Eminem vehicle "8 Mile"; the original Japanese title translates as "Rappers from Saitama") about aspiring b-boys in the boondocks started out in cinemas with the kind of limited late-show release usually given to obscure self-made films that invariably disappear within the space of two weeks.

The response surprised Irie more than anyone. Word of mouth was overwhelmingly positive, boosted by its grand prize win in the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival's off-theatre competition, as well as praise from influential supporters such as veteran Japanese-language rapper and self-styled film critic Utamaru who championed it on his popular Saturday night radio show. Its burgeoning popularity led to it being picked up for screening by other cinemas around Japan, as well as several overseas film festivals, and eventually garnered a best newcomer award for Irie from the Directors Guild of Japan. A sequel, "8000 Miles 2", is currently enjoying a much wider release than its predecessor, and Irie's ultimate aim is to turn it into a long-running series to rival Yamada Yoji's "Otoko wa Tsurai yo".

However, such success doesn't necessary pay the bills, as Irie himself explained in an eye-opening blog entry that offers an insight into the kind of difficulties facing independent filmmakers in Japan today.

Due to insurmountable circumstances, I'm leaving Tokyo after living here for over 10 years.
There are lots of reasons why, but the main one is financial.
The impracticality of being constantly involved in promoting and distributing “8000 Miles” and making “8000 Miles 2” since late 2008 has finally come to a head, making it extremely difficult for me to keep on top of things as they are, such as rent and living expenses.
You could also say that I've totally failed to manage my own situation, but it seems quite amusing (maybe “interesting” is a better way to put it) when looking at it objectively, so I'd like to write a few notes about it and give it some consideration in my own way.

In a nutshell, I have to leave Tokyo because my silly little film “8000 Miles” was “acclaimed” (even if I do say so myself) beyond all expectations.

It's perfectly reasonable to think “Huh? If it was acclaimed, aren't you well off now?”, and even people who are making independent films these days are probably less aware of the reality than you'd expect.
If you're reading this blog and hoping to get a chance to have your self-made film theatrically released, I hope it'll be of some use to you.
(There are plenty of people in the film industry with a background in self-made films, but they don't talk very openly about it.)

Ultimately, the harder you work to have your film shown, the poorer you get.
This is totally unrelated to how the filmmaker and the film itself is received.

So, why are things this way?
I'll describe how it works step-by-step as follows.

At the very least, this is how it happened with “8000 Miles.”
I've measured the financial achievement (FA) and critical achievement (CA) of the film at different stages on a positive and negative scale, and as “8000 Miles” was completely paid for out of my own savings, I've started out suddenly with a negative 100 in terms of financial achievement (the 100 isn't equivalent to a yen amount; it's just a relative figure).

1) The film is set for a theatrical release. I did it!
FA: -100
CA: +10

2) The promotional campaign begins.
I begin making flyers, setting up a blog, fielding interviews etc.
My spirits are running high, so I pay off all the production costs.
FA: -150
CA: +30

3) The film's theatrical release commences.
The reaction is better that expected, and its run is extended.
FA: -150
CA: +50

4) Surprisingly the response continues to improve, and after the film's release is expanded to venues outside of Tokyo, I make every effort to do onstage greetings, radio appearances and the like so that non-Tokyoites will come and see it.
FA: -170
CA: +80

5) The film's reputation grows, and I end up taking it to film festivals overseas.
Meanwhile, I have no time to work because of all the promotional activities, stage greetings and what have you, so I have zero income.
Day after day I find myself burning through the money I need to pay living expenses.
FA: -180
CA: +100

6) About a year has gone by since the film first began showing in theaters and it's still playing, so I continue to promote it in a low-key way.
Distribution of the income from the theatrical release finally begins, but by this point there's been a pretty big timelag since the film first opened.
The payment order is cinema→distributor→(promotions)→filmmaker (me), and on top of that each takes a predetermined share of the profits.
(In some cases, filmmakers don't even recoup half of their production costs.)
On the other hand, the film wins awards which further enhances its reputation, as well as my own.
I realize that my financial situation and critical reception are diametrically opposite.
FA: -150
CA: +150

So, I've simplified things quite a lot here,
but the reality of independent film promotion is that the more you push on with promoting your film, the less you're able to work, and the longer your film screens, the more money you lose.
(Recently, the fact that 'regular' films are being heavily promoted over as short a period as possible and released on DVD as soon as their theatrical run finishes could be because filmmakers want to avoid income losses and delays.)

Plus, with independent films you often don't have famous actors in the cast, so it's necessary for directors to handle interviews and promotion themselves.
There aren't many directors who don't want people to see their films, so in most cases they'll jump at any interview or talkshow offer that comes their way, and travel here and there to drop off flyers.
When a film is well received, actors and camera operators and composers receive offers of other work as a result, but even if they do take up a job on another production, it's standard for the director to remain focused on his own film for as long as it's screening.
Besides, if the colleagues who kindly toiled away on your film for a pittance manage to find other work through its success, that's about the only way a director can repay the favor.
Striving to promote your film as much as possible is also something you do for the people who helped you out.

In my case, I was also involved in the production of another independent film, my latest work “8000 Miles 2,” and have spent about a year and a half (three years if you count the work I put into the first “8000 Miles”) making and promoting it, so its rather amazing that I've managed to eke out a living this long.

So, I think the essence of this situation is that “it's nobody's fault.”

The cinemas who decide to screen your independent film, the people who take a liking to your film and write about it to help get its name out there, the filmgoers who are nice enough to say they want your film to be screened near where they live too, and the film festivals at home and abroad who can only cover transport costs but still want you to present your film in person, are all people who are supporting your film, and their contributions are invaluable to a filmmaker.
Without those people, it's not possible for a film to be seen by a wide audience.
Therefore, if someone calls me up today, I'll gladly go along.

If I was to go out on a limb and blame someone, I'd have to say it's the fault of the guy who passed up part-time jobs and contract work in putting his film's promotion first, namely me.
(The number of film and video production jobs I've turned down since I began work on “8000 Miles,” large and small, is well over twenty or thirty.)
But I don't think there are many directors out there who would normally decline jobs like that if their film was already being screened (that's because they probably would have gone through quite an ordeal to get their film shown).
This systemic problem is something that I think the few directors I know have all experienced, but in actual fact, hardly anyone is aware of it.

Unfortunately, right now don't know of an effective way to solve this problem.
You could say this could be averted by cutting yourself free at some point, but the choice to cease promoting a film that's still screening in order to shift to a new project, or to refuse interviews from media who take more of an interest in independent films than major ones, or to receive payment as a director even though the staff haven't been paid a decent wage, are ones I don't want to make.

That's exactly why I intend to reboot my lifestyle and write new scripts and things, while attempting to change this 'insane' situation in Japanese filmmaking.
Because “8000 Miles” fortunately enabled me to keep making films (I've no idea about the future though) I view this as my responsibility.

So, it's sayonara to Tokyo for a while.

I'll still pop back in whenever I'm being interviewed.
That's because I want my films to be seen by as many people as possible.

29/07/2010
Jason Gray kindly provided an update on Irie's situation:

Was told some good news today that Irie's video royalties have allowed him to come back to Tokyo. He's working on a script about a crazy band and their manager. Band is real, film will be a combination of narrative/documentary.

Call him Dragon Ishii

2010-07-13T12:34:00.003+09:00

When Ishii Sogo's rickety homepage suddenly went off line earlier this year, I was more than a little worried. As the Japanese filmmaker who has probably influenced me the most, his long lamented absence from the screen since the experimental “Mirrored Mind” had only been tempered by two comprehensive DVD box sets of his earlier works, the result of a long process of regaining rights to these films in order to put them behind him once and for all. He had finally left Tokyo, a city which the Fukuoka native never quite adapted to, and relocated to Kobe to become a university lecturer, a common career choice for established yet financially-challenged filmmakers lured by the security of a regular wage.

Then the welcome news broke that he was now Ishii Gakuryu (or as the man himself has said, "People can call me Dragon Ishii"), and has several new projects on the boil that are actually coming to fruition. Details began to emerge during Ishii's recent visit to Switzerland for a retrospective organized by the Neuchatel International Film Festival, where he was interviewed by film news site Cinema Today. I've excerpted and translated the key info below.

Cinema Today: This year you announced that you had changed your name to Ishii Gakuryu and would become more active [as a filmmaker], but why the name change?

Ishii Gakuryu: Actually, I'd wanted to change my name for a long time (laughs). When I was in my second year of high school, my parents suddenly made me change my name to Sogo [聰亙], and people would often write it with the wrong characters, so I decided to change it at the same time as the announcement of my new projects. I'm fond of the work of Katsushika Hokusai, and he also changed his name several times. I made up my mind on the name change in the same way that bands rename themselves.

CT: Please tell us about your new projects.

IG： I've been teaching a class at Kobe Design University, plus I'm planning to shoot two features and one short based in Kobe, and we're scheduled to start filming.

Until now I've tried to cram everything I wanted to do into a single film, but from now on I want to keep on churning out as many films as possible within the budgets I have, regardless of whether they're short films or features. The people I've taught at the university in Kobe have been developed as the kind of filmmakers that I'd like to work with, and the progression of digital technology has made it possible to keep costs down, so from here on I want to throw myself into making films. One of my feature film projects is scheduled to being shooting in Kobe in mid-October, and the other one, a fantasy, is being set up with a view to start filming in March of next year. At the university I want to cultivate artists with a craftsman-like approach who can function in any situation, so I plan to continue teaching film classes.

Not so much outraged, more mildly disappointed

2010-07-04T11:53:00.003+09:00

Another of my Asahi Shimbun translations and yet another piece on Kitano Takeshi, this time on his latest effort "Outrage."

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201006250430.html

Kitano delivers a beat-down to today's Japan

2010-07-04T11:33:00.006+09:00

In February, an autobiography of Kitano Takeshi entitled “Kitano par Kitano” was published in France. It was compiled from five years worth of interviews by Michel Temman, a journalist for daily newspaper Libération, and delves into his upbringing, his views on television and film, his near-fatal motorbike accident and more. A Japanese translation will be released in Kitano's homeland on July 7th, and news site Iza ran a few excerpts which I've translated below. You can always count on the Beat for some tasty soundbites.

I hate computers. Email too. There's a mobile phone in my car but I've never answered it. Take Twitter for instance: it's fine if you're sharing jokes and playing around, but I can't quite figure out the idiocy of treating it as a source of information.

Information comes to you while you're walking down the street. Even if you do your best not to watch television, I think the information that you'll receive will still be correct. But people these days are always searching for information. Because they chase after it, the information they come across seems amazing to them, even if it's no big deal.

It depends on who's putting the information out there. Advertising agencies and lots of different interests go about creating a narrative, where it has to go next and that sort of thing. It allows them to shift everyone from cage to cage like domestic animals. They don't notice that construct creates inequality.

In Japan today, people don't say whether something is dignified or not anymore. When we were kids, we had a sense of shame about lining up at a soba noodle joint or a standing eatery, but nowadays, everyone stands and eats at a furious pace. How did we become so bad-mannered?

Women doing their make-up on the train is a lot like a drunk pissing in a corner, but now they think it's fine to do it.

There are too many business models that trap poor people in poverty and circulate money within that. Whether its clothing or food, if you only buy what's sold cheaply and line up at places that are fast and cheap, you'll never be able to break out of that cycle. Hold back from eating three times and eat once instead. You can eat a 1,000 yen meal slowly to make up for it. It's the same with clothes. People were taught that way in the past.

There's no question that [news regarding] political corruption, or the sumo world's connections with organized crime that have become an issue lately, in other words Japanese society itself, is presented to us like “Hey, hey, check this out.” As much as the media say they take a stand against powerful interests, they're pretty timid towards their own advertisers. Lately that's come out into the open, which I guess is why everyone's got a frosty view of the media.

The film world's in a terrible state as well. The Japan Academy Awards are shared around by the major film production companies, and independent productions are shut out. Even though film critics and journalists have to write bad things [about movies] and give harsh critiques from time to time, film companies now only grant access to people who'll promote and praise their films. They have a strangely cozy relationship with them, and now it's gotten to the point where the whole system is rotten.

Politics is the same. The [DPJ's] manifesto became a talking point when they took over control of the government, didn't it. I said they'd never be able to make the highways toll-free. I asked how anyone could take one look at the people in the DPJ and still think it'd be possible.

[Former prime minister] Hatoyama was like a mayor who says “This town has no need of gangsters” even though things were running well when people were paying them. People who try to become marginally virtuous because they don't have what it takes to be a bad guy all make that kind of mistake. Essentially, politicians are people who can even take the initiative to start wars that could result in numerous deaths, so they're in no position to talk about small virtues. If they want to be a great power for good, they've got no choice but to do the full Gandhi.

It appears as though I'm having all sorts of adventures because I've got things like film, television, and acting to take refuge in. I always think, if I get picked on doing one of them, I can slip away to another bolthole. That just looks like I'm on an adventure.

Since my bike accident, I don't think at all about the amount of time I have left. Even if you told me today that I've only got a month left to live, I have the confidence to go on working and living the way I am. When I was younger I thought for some reason that I'd kick the bucket somewhere around the age of 63, and I've reached that age now, but my career's going well at this point, so if I'm not careful I think I might end up living about another ten years.

Freedom of speech... just watch what you say

2010-06-08T16:42:00.005+09:00

If you've ever wondered exactly what kind of people are behind the movement to prevent the Japanese release of "The Cove," here are some enlightening highlights from a speech at a 40-minute demonstration held by over 30 protesters in front of Shibuya Station in Tokyo on Saturday June 5th.

Freedom of speech ain't something that exists everywhere like oxygen. [abbreviated] That freedom of speech is guaranteed by Japan! The Japan that we have defended for hundreds and thousands of years guarantees our freedom of speech. We unyieldingly object to the kind of freedom of speech that insults Japan, that tells Japan to eat shit! We can at least barely acknowledge that traitors who hate Japan have the right to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. But we cannot acknowledge the right of traitorous bastards who hate Japan to speak ill of Japan. You might think that this is an outrageous idea, [abbreviated] but our country's criminal code recognizes the right to self-defense. Blowing away a fella who tries to injure any of these people here would be permitted as self-defense. Shooting and killing someone who tried to ram their car into us here would be within the limits of self-defense. Similarly, protecting the honor, pride, traditional culture, and right to exist of the people of the Japanese race in this nation called Japan from those who would attempt to damage this nation called Japan is an act of racial self-defense as an extension of the right to self-defense. "Please protect Japan's freedom of speech" while they're telling Japan to eat shit? Like hell we will! Whoever said that is lacking in logical coherence. This kind of movie should be played on televideos at mental hospitals. This is not the kind of thing that cinemas should be screening. This president of Unplugged [the company attempting to distribute the film] is unbelievable. [abbreviated] This lily-livered gutless idiot bastard is trying to screen a film that belittles Japan. What a bloody joke! [abbreviated] This guy says "Make up your mind after you've seen it." What the hell are you talking about! Why should I have to pay 1800 yen at a cinema to watch such a piece of shit movie? [abbreviated] So if we pay, he'll listen to our opinions? Not a chance. You know he's doing this thinking that the price of a ticket includes a fee for listening to our complaints. This guy is trading in anti-Japanese sentiment! What a traitor this bastard is!

[Then a passing foreigner, presumably caucasian, gives a Nazi salute and a "Sieg Heil" to the protestors, eliciting the following response:]

Oi, what the fuck! Stupid bastard! Come on! Yeah you, whitey!

[The foreigner gets into a scuffle with protestors, but several police break it up. The gentleman with the mic continues:]

This is Japan. Beautiful Japan. The island that is home to the Japanese people. This is not a place for dirty white pigs to spout their insolence! [abbreviated] Kick anti-Japanese foreigners out of Japan! Fucking insolent western whites can get out of Japan! We won't allow the screening of "The Cove"! We will fight until the Japanese release of "The Cove" is canceled!

I have to admit that they do have some valid points. I can't count the times I've thought to myself, "Why should I have to pay 1800 yen at a cinema to watch such a piece of shit movie?"

Kitano Takeshi terrorizes Parisians

2010-06-04T08:48:00.003+09:00

Better late than never, but here's another of my film-related translations for the Asahi Shimbun, this time about Kitano Takeshi's exhibition at The Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in Paris.

http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201005240282.html

As a translator I don't receive a byline on the story, so you'll just have to take my word for it. Would I lie to you? (don't answer that)

Soda Kazuhiro on "The Cove"

2010-06-04T07:55:00.005+09:00

"Campaign" and "Mental" documentary director Soda Kazuhiro weighs in on the cancellation of the Japanese release of "The Cove" at main venue Theater N in Shibuya due to a sustained phone call campaign by right-wing citizens groups:

They say it's to avoid "inconveniencing their neighbors," but the ones causing the inconvenience are the right-wingers, not the cinema. Why is a cinema so worried about something like that? More than that, a cinema yielding [to such pressure] is a huge inconvenience for discourse and expression in Japanese society. http://twitter.com/KazuhiroSoda/status/15346279454

But you know, in a way it's impressive that [those groups] are pouring so much energy into picking a fight over a film they haven't even seen. I couldn't do something like that - it's too scary (ha ha!). I suppose they decided for themselves that "The Cove" is 'anti-Japanese' based on all the media reports on it, but where did all that trust in the media come from?
http://twitter.com/KazuhiroSoda/status/15351349052

Soda has actually been very critical of the film's biased approach, both on his Twitter page and on his blog. See Jason Gray's writeup for details on the cancellation and the campaign against "The Cove."

Kurata Yasuaki's final opponent

2010-04-25T19:34:00.005+09:00

"I'm thinking of telling him this when I see him, but he visited [Japan] a long time ago you know. He came over when he was in the U.S. and things weren't going so well for him. We ate tonkatsu together in Shimokitazawa [laughs]. And now he's China's number one action film star. It's totally his time right now. So I'm especially looking forward to acting alongside him, but a single day [shooting our scene together] isn't going to be anywhere near enough, so I'm thinking of asking him to do a proper fight scene with me one more time after that, and then I'll retire. I've worked with both Jackie and Jet, so it'd be a shame to leave the business without working with him. If I finish up having acted alongside those three, I think it'll be alright to retire from kung-fu action."

Action legend Kurata Yasuaki on Donnie Yen, his opponent in a flashback scene in Andrew Lau's upcoming "Fist of Fury: The Legend of Chen Zen". From an interview in the April 2010 issue of Eiga Hiho.

The woman who sold Kitano Takeshi

2010-04-23T12:17:00.004+09:00

I know I don't post enough here anymore, but it's not that I've become bored with blogging; I'm just preoccupied with other things.

For example, my translation of an article on film sales companies and the role they've played in Kitano Takeshi's filmmaking career is now up on the Asahi Shimbun website. It's especially worth reading for some rare reminiscences from Hengameh Panahi, the woman behind Celluloid Dreams and overseas agent for Kitano's work.

Hopes for Fukasaku + Oshii collaboration still burning faintly

2010-03-20T16:19:00.005+09:00

Back in 2005, you might have read about a major collaboration between Fukasaku Kenta and Oshii Mamoru titled "Elle is Burning" that was seeking investment at Tokyo Project Gathering, a sidebar of the Tokyo International Film Festival. Initially inspired by a series of riots by poor day laborers in Osaka's Nishinari ward that stretches all the way back to 1961, the story took on a more futuristic sheen with Oshii's involvement and piqued the interest of more than a few film fans in Japan and abroad. Actually, at the time I was fortuitously given the job of translating the synopsis and script, but possibly because of that (hey, you never know), little has been heard of it since.

Fukasaku subsequently hasn't had much trouble finding gainful employment, turning out several niche genre works that have been lukewarmly received at best; most notably his terrorism-themed revival of the Sukeban Deka series, casting Hello Project idols Matsuura Aya and Ishikawa Rika alongside Kubozuka Shunsuke and Takeuchi Riki, was a resounding flop. His most recent effort is "Maid for You", the seventh instalment in the softcore "A Perfect Education" series, which opened in limited release on January 30th and boasted sporadic 3D bonking (Jason Gray has more on the film here). But in a Cyzo interview to promote the film, Fukasaku provided a little background on why the eagerly awaited "Elle" project fizzled out:

"The project wasn't moving forward much, so I asked Oshii Mamoru to write a script and changed its direction so it would become an entry in his 'Kerberos Saga'. Refugees would flood into Japan from mainland China, and an island internment facility would be created in Tokyo Bay... it was an ambitious concept. But there were a number of problems such as the large budget and the necessity of gaining approval from the Chinese government, so it got shelved. Later I traveled to China to research another project, and that's where I met the screenwriter for ["A Perfect Education: Maid for You"], Zushi Kensuke. I told him that I had a hangup about working with actresses, perhaps because my mother [Nakahara Sanae] was one, and that I didn't like working with actresses in sexy situations, and he let me know that there was another entry in the 'A Perfect Education' series in the works. I'd followed the series for a long time, so I ended up saying 'Let me make it'."

Although I can't publish my synopsis or script translation here, I can say that making the film would require a massive outlay on production design including sizeable set construction and CG work, not to mention legions of extras, rendering it very difficult to execute effectively in the current conservative film industry climate. Also taking into account its grimly dystopian world view and plot detailing totalitarian oppression and violent rebellion (shades of "Children of Men"), it's unlikely that it would find much of an audience domestically outside of diehard Oshii fans. Nevertheless, it's a gripping story culminating in an incendiary climax that could swiftly relegate the likes of "Sky Crawlers" and "Assault Girls" to the bargain bin of Oshii's filmography.

Whether Fukasaku is the right filmmaker to realize the project is another matter, but in any case he hasn't given up on it yet.

"While I took a risk making 'A Perfect Education', as did Yanagi and Ayano who acted their hearts out in the lead roles, I think we've made it possible for ourselves to take the next step forward. I have about seven or eight projects I'm working on, and I haven't given up on 'Elle is Burning' yet either."

"Coraline" director Henry Selick's favorite Kurosawa film

2010-03-20T12:25:00.006+09:00

"As for my influences, of course there's Harryhausen, Fellini, Kurosawa Akira... 'Ran' is especially great. I like the character that Harada Mieko plays with the shaven eyebrows. It's an incredibly powerful image."

From an interview in the April 2010 issue of Eiga Hiho magazine.

A New Year's message from Ichise Taka

2010-01-02T22:00:00.002+09:00

Happy new year everybody. In keeping with this blog's usual tone of disappointed idealism, I thought it would be fitting to kick off 2010 with a sombre but defiant greeting from big mouth "Goemon" producer Ichise Taka:

On New Year's Eve three years ago, I wrote that the Japanese film industry was about to become a wasteland, and that has become a reality.

Can you name the director of this year's biggest hit film, "Rookies: Graduation"? Right now, many Japanese films aren't creative works, but mere products. DVDs aren't selling any more, so it has become virtually impossible for projects other than guaranteed successes to be made. 2010 will probably see the Japanese film bubble continue in numerical terms due to a barrage of adaptations of TV series, but even that will only last [for another year].

So, what should we do?

Create good scripts. Find the most suitable actors. Pull together production funds somehow. Make the greatest effort possible with directors and crew who possess the ability and vision to fight for the same goal. And rack our brains to figure out how our films can be seen by as many people as possible. [This year] we'll keep on doing exactly that, as we've always done.

I hope that 2010 will be a happy year for you and me.

More story details for Kitano's "Outrage"

2009-12-10T12:34:00.005+09:00

Alerted by Jason Gray's tweet to the existence of an official site for Kitano Takeshi's upcoming "Outrage", I found and translated the following synopsis:

The story begins with Sekiuchi (Kitamura Soichiro), boss of the Sannokai, a huge organised crime syndicate controlling the entire Kanto region, issuing a stern warning to his lieutenant Kato (Miura Tomokazu) and right-hand man Ikemoto (Kunimura Jun), head of the Ikemoto-gumi. Kato orders Ikemoto to bring the unassociated Murase-gumi gang in line, and he immediately passes the task on to his subordinate Otomo (Beat Takeshi), who runs his own crew. The tricky jobs that no-one wants to do always end up in Otomo's lap...

The site also describes the film as "a violent action blockbuster set in the world of the yakuza, where men put their lives on the line and engage in betrayal and subterfuge in a vicious struggle for power."

Comedy, horror, Iguchi, Noboru

2009-12-07T22:07:00.025+09:00

Hard work, resilience and an admirable crowd-pleasing ethos has enabled Iguchi Noboru to hack off a small but loyal chunk of popularity among Japanese filmgoers. namely those seeking titillation, mutilation and cheesy gags in equal measure. If you're looking for a modern day equivalent of old-school artisan B-movie meisters such as Ishii Teruo or Suzuki Noribumi, who has quite appropriately professed his admiration for Iguchi's handiwork, you'd have a hard time finding a more jovial and well-regarded heir to their legacy. Now in his 40s, Iguchi boasts a still-expanding repetoire of oddball hardcore porn to complement his more 'mainstream' work as an actor for frequent collaborators Takenaka Naoto and Matsuo Suzuki's Otona Keikaku, as well as writing and directing credits on several late night TV series mostly starring untested young female idols, and then there are his films. In recent years, Iguchi has been brought to the attention of overseas audiences largely through the U.S.-funded "The Machine Girl" and his subsequent "Robo Geisha", two eclectically idiosyncratic projects that gleefully exploit fetishized western images of Japan (or rather the assumptions of the filmmakers themselves) to riotously absurd extremes. More stereotype aikido beckons with a new project in the works from Nikkatsu's foreign geek-baiting Sushi Typhoon label. But regardless of what you think about his oeuvre, you have to hand it to Iguchi for managing to consistently churn out well-received niche entertainment with a distinctive voice in the face of minuscule budgets, suicidal schedules and working conditions that are considerably less than luxurious. When so many more well-known directors are struggling to get their own projects off the ground and languishing in obscurity, that's quite an accomplishment.

Somewhere in between all this, the man still finds time to blog on occasion and generally comes across in his writing as a sensitive, playful personality with a genuine dedication to making sure paying customers get their money's worth. In contrast to the lovable sicko image projected by his loincloth-flapping glute-puncturing festival appearances, Iguchi is also a reliable source of frank and well-considered opinions on certain films, filmmakers and the state of the industry, as shown in this entry lamenting the contrasting attitudes to horror in Japan and the U.S.:

So lately my work has revolved around scriptwriting and meetings, but the more films I make, the more I come to realize that there's no end to it. Trying to find what's entertaining, what people want to see. I agonize over the gap between my own values and sensibilities, and those of audiences.

Meanwhile, I saw "The Final Destination" and "Drag Me To Hell".

Both were made in the U.S., where over-the-top horror films are big business, and these were actually big hits. The needs of viewers there are totally different to those in Japan.

Anyway, what impressed me about both films was their devotion to entertaining audiences. "The Final Destination" is 3D, and it puts you on the edge of your seat just by making you wonder when and how its characters are going to be killed off. In "Drag Me To Hell", an elderly woman torments the heroine to a sadistic degree, and gratuitously throws up on her time after time for our enjoyment. Their unrelenting stance and dedication to spectacle is terrific, and they function unashamedly as horror films, nothing more and nothing less. This spirit is truly wonderful!

That's because I see Japan as a country where being 'mere cinematic entertainment' is for some reason often looked upon with shame and disdain. Horror films tend to be regarded as vulgar and an infantile genre, so in Japanese horror there is an odd tendency to add complex interpersonal drama and auteurish, stylish cinematography, despite the fact they're horror films.

Furthermore, often when you see interviews with actors who appear in Japanese horror films, they'll say "This isn't just a horror film", and that saddens me. Every time I feel like retorting, "What's wrong with just being a horror film?"

This seems to be misunderstood, but making a proper horror film isn't about stringing together scenes of violent cruelty. You need a sense of dramatic balance and technique to deliver suspense while closely adhering to viewers' psychology.

"The Final Destination" director [David R.] Ellis, and Sam Raimi, making his first horror film in several years, are both first-rate directors who possess that kind of technique of the highest standard. On top of that, they are actually skilled at portraying characters, and their unobtrusive depictions of the modest struggles and hang-ups of the black alcoholic security guard in "The Final Destination" and the heroine in "Drag Me To Hell" add depth to their films. By underpinning the story with such elements, fear is felt more keenly. Especially with Raimi's film, I felt that his experience in creating blockbusters like "Spiderman" and serious works was used to powerful effect.

To an extent, the way in which they fulfill their missions as genre films gives you an idea of their directors' good nature. They opened my eyes to the fact that these are the kind of films that are made by adults, in the truest sense. These are directors who are worthy of respect. Please see these films if you get the chance.

*Photo graciously supplied by Iguchi wrangler outcastmarc

Sono Sion: cinematic contrarian

2009-12-03T22:26:00.012+09:00

A selection of the most interesting quotes from an interview back in February by online mag Hogaholic with "Love Exposure" director Sono Sion:

Hogaholic: Suggesting meaning in the spaces between dialogue and ruminating on it is often described as cinematic. In Japan especially, it's widely viewed as a good thing.

Sono Sion: That's right. In fact, there are lots of films like in Japan. But I'm a contrarian, so I want to go in the opposite direction. It makes me feel "anti-Japanese film" (laughs). If Japanese films were all chatty, I think I'd make ones that focused on the silence between words. However, right now there's a glut of that kind of film, so I do things the other way. I don't know if this is a great example, but I think the people who make those films take a firm stance like "There might be 36 colors, but black's all I need". But that kind of austerity isn't for me. I've got the kind of personality where if I have 36 colors, I want to use them all. I want to try all kinds of techniques. These days, there's a school of thought that regards narration as crude, but if it's the best option I wouldn't hesitate to use it. After all, narration is a fine traditional cinematic technique.

HH: There are a considerable amount of homage-like scenes in this film. One of the most obvious would be [male protagonist] Yu dressing up in drag as Sasori, which of course is a reference to the "Female Convict Scorpion" series.

SS: You could even say there are too many. Directors like Tarantino deliberately and explicitly insert them as if to say "this is dedicated to that scene from that movie", but with me it's more of an automatic process. There's absolutely no intention to say something like "This one goes out to Sasori and Toei". They just appear naturally. This time around, personally speaking, I wanted to make a film with a virginal quality, and there was an element of wanting to make something with the kind of aroused excitement I felt when I was a virgin. Basically I wanted to make a film that provided the kind of excitement I felt when I was still in junior high and high school. That's why homages to the films I watched back then ended up in it. I myself didn't notice until afterwards. Yesterday, I watched [Brian] De Palma's "Phantom of the Paradise", and there's a kind of homage to it in "Love Exposure". But while I was shooting it, that didn't occur to me at all. Yesterday while I was watching "Phantom" on DVD, I realised for the first time that "Hey, I made an homage to this" (laughs).

HH: I get the impression that you pay a lot of attention to the feelings of your actors. Is that because you're a director with acting experience?

SS: I haven't done much acting lately, but that might be true. Also, I like John Cassavettes, and he's the origin of my directing style. Cassavettes was a director who had experience as an actor, and that influenced his method of direction. His influence is probably quite significant.

SS: This doesn't apply only to Japan, but producers these days, once they have a hit with a particular actress, they only think about how far they can stretch out that success by continuing to use that same actress, saying "she stars in your next film" without putting any thought into it. They work within what you might call their comfort zone, and won't take a chance on uncovering some new unpolished gem. The result is that you get four or five films a year starring the same actress. That's abnormal. If Japanese films continue down this road, they'll definitely suffocate. A producer's role should be something like a day trader, but they only treat casting like a safety mechanism that aims to recycle past successes. That's why you end up seeing the same faces all the time. Doing things that way, new talent will just stay buried. This isn't a good situation. I believe in my own eyes, and I want to keep on searching for actors with future potential.

Jasper Sharp's new website

2009-08-09T21:55:00.002+09:00

Film writer and curator Jasper Sharp of Midnight Eye and "Behind the Pink Curtain" fame now has his own homepage: http://jaspersharp.com. He's also on Twitter too: http://twitter.com/jaspersharp. Adjust your bookmarks and RSS readers accordingly.

Ishii Sogo pays tribute to Yamada Tatsuo

2009-08-04T11:36:00.005+09:00

Yamada Tatsuo (centre), a prolific supporting actor who appeared in around 100 films including "The Sinking of Japan", "Ashura" and the upcoming "The Sun That Doesn't Set", and also attended high school in Toyama with future filmmaker Takita Yojiro who would later direct him in "When the Last Sword is Drawn" and "Departures", died of stomach cancer on July 26th at the age of 53.

To many people though, including myself, he will always be remembered for his 1980 screen debut as Jin, the indestructible protagonist of Ishii Sogo's Mad Max-inspired violent opus "Crazy Thunder Road". 13 years later, he reunited with Ishii to play an older, wearied but still rebellious version of the same character in "Street Noise", a short instalment in the director's 1993 omnibus "Tokyo Blood". This marked Ishii's return to filmmaking after a protracted absence, and Yamada's presence also represented a fond farewell of sorts to the style of frenzied, kinetic cinema he'd become associated with before exploring a new internalised, metaphysical approach.

Ishii remained silent on his close friend's death until August 3rd, when he posted this moving tribute on his website.

Encountering actors and crew members is a truly wondrous experience that feels like a gift from above.

For me, Tatsu was my eternal star.

He was generally known as a distinguished supporting actor, but Yamada Tatsuo was always the star in my films.

Ultimately we only worked on two films together, but we shared a rivalry between actor and a director in which neither of us would budge an inch. There was no such thing as an easy job when we worked together, and there was always an unspoken rule between us that there would be absolutely no possibility of working together if we weren't able to invest over 100% of our energies in a project.

Tatsu was also one of the few people who had a profound understanding of the essence of the kind of films I wanted to make, and it would have been unthinkable for me to accept an offer of a job that he didn't approve of.

When "Crazy Thunder Road" was screened at the Kanazawa Film Festival in September of 2007, he kindly came as a guest, and although he was a man of few words and very good at hiding his true feelings behind humour, for the first time ever he spoke with me earnestly and fondly about the time we made the film. Afterwards, he joined me for a drink even though he was obviously in a bad way, and our robust discussion about the kind of films we'd make together next eventually turned out to be the last time we'd ever talk.

I'll never forget the happy, melancholy, and relaxed look on Tatsu's face back then.
　
Just as everyone would imagine, Tatsu was a real man's man, while at the same time he was also a very sensitive soul.

Of the new scripts I've completed, a few were written with Tatsu in mind.

I am once again angered by my own pathetic inability to get a new film off the ground in time.

I'm sorry.

I am filled with regret. And sadness.
　
Yesterday's films no longer exist.
Tomorrow's films are yet to be known.
All we have now are the films of today.

In memory of Yamada Tatsuo.

For new "Sasori" Mizuno Miki, Simon Yam's boots know no mercy

2009-08-02T17:51:00.013+09:00

Japanese production company Artport and Hong Kong director Joe Ma's reboot of the classic "Female Prisoner Scorpion" series, Sasori, finally opens in Japan on August 8th. By all accounts, it's a rather odd reimagining rather than a remake that de-emphasises the original's central theme of an oppressed and defiled woman wreaking merciless revenge against male hegemony, in favour of more conventional yet confusingly-plotted wire-based action. Mizuno Miki gamely takes over the role synonymous with Kaji Meiko, and in this Eiga Hiho interview with vocalist for influential rock band Kinniku Shojotai and writer Otsuki Kenji, she's surprisingly upfront about the film's more idiosyncratic elements, as well as the contrasting action styles of her Hong Kong co-stars.

OK: This remake feels like a spliced-together montage of scenes from different TV series and films. It'll suddenly cut off in mid-scene, and jump to some other totally unrelated part.

MM: During the shoot, they'd only give me the parts of the script we were shooting that day, so I had no idea what it was like in its entirety. What's more, it kept on changing. It was as if the complete version existed only in the director's mind.

OK: Sasori is dumped in this place that's like a disposal site for dead bodies, and corpse collector Simon Yam picks her up thinking she's dead even though she's actually still alive, then he trains her... story developments like those made absolutely no sense when I was watching the film (laughs).

MM: They didn't to me either, so when I was on set I went and asked the director about the bits I didn't understand. But his answer was mostly “Logic's got nothing to do with it!” (laughs)

OK: “Don't think, feel!”, just like Bruce Lee! So what exactly was that place where the corpse collector finds Sasori?

MM: Um... I suppose the prison had a place where the police would dump all the corpses.

OK: Oh, how convenient! That's a pretty half-arsed premise! He's supposed to be there collecting bodies, then he's all “bloody hell, she's alive”, so he force-feeds you something like a roasted sweet potato and nurses you back to health. Feeding a roasted sweet potato to someone who's on the verge of dying – what kind of resuscitation technique is that?!

MM: It was just a sweet potato. Still, he did give me something to drink before he fed it to me.

OK: Oh right, potatoes contain no moisture so it'd get stuck in your throat... what the hell's that got to do with it?! (laughs)

MM: Simon's character was probably under the impression that someone who dies and is resurrected can become a powerful assassin, so he'd collect lots of corpses, constantly wondering if one would come back to life. While making a giant wooden martial arts dummy. Or something like that...

OK: Well... then doesn't the corpse collector's story sound a lot more interesting?! (laughs) Not “Departures” so much as “Dispatches”. Sometimes he dispatches bodies, sometimes he doesn't...

MM: Ha ha ha!

OK: I'd love to see a spin-off built around the corpse collector.

---

OK: Also, there's that bit where Ishibashi Ryo is drinking in a bar and suddenly whacks another customer with a stick, and just as I'm thinking “What the hell was that?”, he's gone back to drinking again with a cool look on his face. That was a surprisingly surreal scene!

MM: I thought the same thing when I watched the film, but its power alone is amazing, and the story and the action is off the scale. The same goes for the way each action scene is choreographed.

OK: In one fight scene, a female opponent suddenly hangs in the air, spins around and around then delivers a flying kick. Without any run-up! That was amazing. A complete violation of the laws of gravity!

MM: That's right! I also get lifted up by my enemies, get spun around several times, suddenly jump incredibly high, and do a flying kick. We shot action scenes like that with the idea that their impact was more important than their reality. As I was acting I gradually became so numb to that idea that I came to think, “That's just the way it is” (laughs).

OK: There's a lot of freedom inside the prison too, with the inmates getting into fights and no-one trying to break them up!

MM: And on top of that the costumes were pretty out-there too. Miniskirts as part of the inmates' uniform... (laughs).

OK: Including bizarre things like that, how should I say, it felt like being transfixed by some strange dream (laughs). The catfight scene with Natsume Nana was awesome too!

MM: It was cold when we filmed that scene, and the floor was slippery, plus we were covered in mud, so it was incredibly tough.

OK: Nana lets out this fearsome beast-like growl (laughs). Like “ROOOAR!!!” I wondered, is she really like that? It was quite a surprise.

MM: She said the ADR sessions were tough too. I guess action movies really are more about entertainment than logic!

---

OK: What was it like acting alongside Bruce Leung?

MM: It was a-mazing! His movement was incredibly quick even though he's in his sixties. Plus he was extremely intimidating and scary when he attacked, but if I broke stance even slightly he'd stop the action immediately. He pays proper attention to his opponent's movements, and if he senses danger he responds right away, so I felt completely safe acting with him.

OK: How was Simon Yam [pictured left]?

MM: He'd just come at you out of nowhere, it was so frightening! (laughs) He doesn't pull his punches at all, so when he hits you, he really hits you! When he kicks you, he really kicks you! That's what he was like. Plus he always wore these heavy boots that looked like they had steel plates in them. When he'd kick me, it'd be with such force that I'd think “If I take three more of these, my bones are breaking for sure...”

OK: For an actor, that's an... interesting approach (laughs).

MM: Sure enough, I took a hard kick in the ribs one time that rendered me motionless for a while. It was too much so I pleaded to the director with tears in my eyes, “Please make him stop doing that, it's scaring me” (laughs).

OK: There are a few people around who are that full-on...

MM: If they want to do full-contact hitting for real, they should probably do it in a ring!

Jissoji Akio: "giant of carnal knowledge"

2009-07-15T14:22:00.014+09:00

"Jissoji's collection was wide and varied. I also compiled around 20 "Ultraman" files in my junior high days, and I understand that Kurosawa Akira had memorised the complete works of Shakespeare. I guess film is a kind of 'collection of memories'."

Filmmaker Kawasaki Minoru reminisces about his late friend Jissoji Akio's passion for scrapbooks, sex and monsters in this candid interview for Cyzo by Nagano Tatsuji. As my translation is unauthorised, you'll have to click through to the original article to see photos of Kawasaki's keepsakes.

Director Jissoji Akio (1937-2006) was an unusually-blessed television and film creator whose intense episodes for the "Ultraman" and "Ultra Seven" series left traumatic impressions on the children who watched them. While revered as the "Ultra master" by tokusatsu fans, he also possessed an intimate knowledge of opera and classical music, and is also well-known as a calligrapher and tram aficionado. If Ultraman is a 'giant of light', Jissoji was an intellectual who could be fittingly described as a 'giant of knowledge'. The film "Kibogaoka Fufu Senso", currently screening in theatres [at the time of writing in July 2009], is an erotic comedy based on a novella by Jissoji that demonstrates his literary talent. It is also a work that shows his extraordinary thirst for knowledge of the erotic. For this article, we spoke to one of Jissoji's long-time friends, director Kawasaki Minoru. As well as revealing for the first time some of the rare mementos he received from the director, he also talked about a lesser-known side to this 'giant of knowledge'.

NT: Jissoji is known amongst some of his fans as a collector of flyers for adult entertainment. I understand that many of his possessions were donated to the Kawasaki City Museum...

KM: Yes, this is a file of adult entertainment flyers that he gave to me. There are about 20 of these files just for such flyers. Also, there are another eight of clippings from erotic manga. Some of Taniguchi Jiro's erotic work is in there too, and he's a popular manga author now (laughs). The things that stimulated Jissoji's sensory genius were painstakingly collected in these files. I think most of the books that were tucked away in his storeroom have been donated to Kawasaki City, but apparently some items that weren't so easy to donate were destroyed. What I have here are rare items that narrowly avoided disposal. This is probably the first time in the world they've ever been shown (laughs). Jissoji loved the sex trade, and there are a huge number of diaries he kept with detailed records of things like the kind of service he got from the girls and the layout of the rooms, and I think that all of his diaries were donated. Jissoji wasn't just a 'giant of knowledge', he was also a 'giant of carnal knowledge' (laughs).

NT: Right, let me take a look at this file. Wow, it's quite a sight to see so many girls from '80s gravure packed in here!

KM: In a way, these are lost images from the Showa era. The heyday of adult entertainment flyers was around '85 I think. Ones that have only illustrations and text would probably be older. Even the phone boxes that these flyers used to be stuck on have already disappeared from our streets. You could probably call these extremely rare cultural artifacts. These flyers are filed according to region... there are ones here from Shinjuku, Shibuya, Sugamo, Otsuka, and even Niigata and Nagasaki. Each has its own file number, which gives you a sense of how methodical Jissoji was. He didn't collect these by himself either: he got his crew and cast members, and even his wife (actress Hara Sachiko) to help. Well, she only brought back a couple though (laughs).

NT: The ones that used photos of celebrities have beautifully handwritten notes next to them. "Possibly the one and only Yakushimaru Hiroko". They're the private indulgence of an in-demand director. I hear that Jissoji wasn't a fan of large breasts?

KM: Big breasts did nothing for him, nor did young girls. He was crazy about older women. When popular AV actress Sakuragi Rui visited his office looking for work, he told her "No, no, big tits are no good" and sent her home. He'd say, "Fruit and meat are tastiest when they're just about to go off" (laughs). Jissoji didn't like appearing on television, and he turned down offers because he wouldn't have been able to go to knocking shops so easily if his face became known. There's a bookstore in Jinbocho that specialises in erotica called Haga Shoten, right? One time when Jissoji tried to buy a really hardcore video there, the shop assistant said to him "Oh, you're a famous director aren't you? You're Ninagawa Yukio!", and apparently he just took the receipt without denying it. The bookstore staff must have been stuck with the misconception he was Ninagawa (laughs).

NT: Do you see eroticism even in his tokusatsu hero work like "Ultraman" and "Ultra Seven"?

KM: Of course. Come on, the monster in the first episode of "Ultraman" that he directed was the "Squirting Pearl Eater" (Shiofuki Kaiju Gamakujira). Tokusatsu is a treasure trove of fetishism. Jissoji was a train buff too because he loved the world of miniatures. He had an inclination for the feel and texture of things that evoked the Showa era, like model trains, and Leica cameras. People who have a thing for Ultraman are all fetishists of some kind. Well, Jissoji was someone who had stronger feelings for monsters than Ultraman. I heard that at the time of filming he wanted to give Seabozu and Gamakujira a more grotesque appearance, but thanks to designer Narita Toru and modeller Takayama Ryosaku they became lovable monsters. In later years, he admitted regretfully that "They were right". He couldn't have conceived that the shows would still be screened 40 years later.

NT: In the notoriously banned 12th episode of "Ultra Seven", "From Planet With Love" (Wakusei yori Ai o Komete), a Spehl alien sucks the blood of a young woman, which is an erotic premise when you think about it today.

KM: That episode has scriptwriter Sasaki Mamoru's (1936-2006) unmistakable stamp on it too. Jissoji and Sasaki shared outsider status within Tsuburaya Productions. Their unique collaboration was able to shine exactly because the main team of Iijima Toshihiro and Tsuburaya Hajime were active at the time. It's the same today too. Major, mainstream properties have disappeared, and there's no longer any place for outsider talent to shine either.

NT: Looking at these flyer files and considering the essence of creativity, it feels as though it's found in an artist's particular erotic tastes. For example, Obayashi Nobuhiko is obsessed with the eroticism exuded by teenage girls.

KM: Ah, Obayashi Nobuhiko. Lolita-loving Obayashi's works didn't sit well with a lover of mature women like Jissoji. Jissoji started out in television and Obayashi in commercials, so they both came from different fields to become film directors. That's because they had such distinctive characters. Mishima Yukio told Dazai Osamu he hated him, but the situation was probably similar to Jissoji and Obayashi. They'd never compliment each other, but they were conscious of what the other was doing.

NT: Does this file contain the letters that Jissoji sent to you?

KM: They're so exquisitely handwritten that I can't read them (laughs). On this New Year's card, there's a photo of his beloved stuffed raccoon toy he called "my eldest son Cheena". On the set of "Chikyu Boei Shojo Iko-chan 2" (1988), he brought Cheena along. It scared lead actress Masuda Mia. He was a dangerous old man who cared for a stuffed toy like it was his own child (laughs). This easy-to-read printed postcard was one he sent to me when he was in hospital for a stomach cancer operation. I had asked him to supervise production on "The World Sinks Except Japan" (2006), and he watched the film from his hospital bed. He wrote here "I can't wait to get back on set". His tenacity enabled him to return to work and finish his last work, "Silver Mask" (2006). This is the notice for his memorial service.

NT: Ah, very Eros and Thanatos. You asked Jissoji to act as supervisor on your "Chikyu Boei Shojo Iko-chan 2" (1988), "Calamari Wrestler" (2004), "The World Sinks Except Japan" and "Rug Cop" (both 2006), so did he influence those works?

KM: I say 'supervisor,' but he really just watched the films and did the title calligraphy for me (laughs). I didn't learn filmmaking under him, so we were more like friends with an age gap. He had no influence on my works [he says decisively]. Well, there's an homage scene to the Eye Slugger from "Ultra Seven" in "Rug Cop". But, I have to say that his comedy sense is amazing in episode 34 of "Ultraman", "A Gift from the Sky" (Sora kara no Okurimono), where Hayata tries to transform into Ultraman using a curry spoon. There's also the scene in episode 8 of "Ultra Seven", "The Targeted Town" (Nerawareta Machi), where the Metron alien and Dan have a conversation over a traditional short-legged dinner table, that really packs a wallop. There were plans to export the Ultra series overseas, so a scene as quintessentially Japanese as that raised the ire of Tsuburaya Productions. But Jissoji was the kind of person who broke taboo after taboo. And those works of his live on today as masterpieces. I doubt we'll see many filmmakers from now on who'll be as dazzling and capable of breaking taboos so nonchalantly.