Herr Direktor - Isao Takahata

Isao Takahata

Date of Birth: October 25, 1935

Place of Birth: Ise City, Mie Prefecture

Best Known For: My Neighbors The Yamadas, Graveyard of the Fireflies, Pompoko

1 Isao Takahata took up French literature in Tokyo University.

2 He admires French director, Paul Grimault, for his film Le Roi et L'oiseau.

3 He never drew before becoming a full-time director.

4 Isao Takahata directed Hols: Prince of the Sun under Toei Doga Animation Company. 
The studio unjustly blamed Isao for the film’s box office failure.

5 He co-founded Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki and is considered to
be one of the greatest anime directors of all time.

Heat Seeker - Macross-ing My Fingers

MACROSS-ING MY FINGERS

When Macross came out in the 80’s, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.  It was a space opera juiced up with mecha madness.  There were planes that turned into robots, giant aliens, monumental battles and the occasional pop idols. But even this winning combination couldn’t stop me from eventually disliking mecha for very, very long time. 

I don’t know what it was, but something about the Maross craze just made me lose interest and actively seek out other anime genres. It took nearly a decade and a half before I’d see another Macross anime—thankfully, it was the limited OVA series, Macross Zero.  And it was this five-episode 20^th anniversary prequel which restored my faith in mecha-based storylines. 

So, fast forward to January 22, 2011.  It’s just a few days before the premiere of Macross Frontier: Sayonara No Tsubasa, in Japan. This new movie is directed by Macross veteran, Shōji Kawamori. 

From the trailer, it looks like the filmakers made sure all the standard elements were in the mix. That could actually be a bad thing.  If they expect Macross’s audience to grow, the plot has to take off from a different angle. 

JJ Abrams did just that when he envisioned the genisis of Star Trek.  Abrams kept all the standard Star Trek elements but he gave the story-telling a new spin. It's true that loyal fans of the aging franchise had mixed feeling about it.  Some loved it.  Some hated it.  But one thing’s for sure, Abrams laid down a stronger and wider foundation for the newer generation of Star Trek fans to tread on.

Let’s hope Shōji Kawamori's newest Macross film delivers something that will not only keep his old fans happy, but something that will entice a larger and younger fan base.

I’m crossing my fingers.

--Mori

Randomimity - One Piece featured on NHK Today's Close-up

ONE PIECE FEATURED ON NHK TODAY'S CLOSE-UP
Watching NHK World on cable is pretty much like playing the lotto.  Sometimes you get lucky.

I had just gotten home from work.  I was clicking away, channel-surfing, when I chanced upon TV host, Hiroko Kuniya, interviewing a very distinguished-looking gentleman. When the camera pulled away from the guest, I was pleasantly surprised. The whole Today's Close-up set was plastered with enlarged images from the One Piece Manga. 

I hit the jackpot.

The show discussed the reasons behind the popularity of One Piece.  (With over 200,000,000 books sold, One Piece is the best-selling shonen of all time.) I wasn't able to get the name of the guest but I've seen enough of these programs to know that he was either a university professor or independent expert on Japanese pop culture.

The guest gave credence to the social changes that swept Japan in the late 90's for One Piece's success.  Apparently, in the late 90's, working Japanese adults felt that they were not being rewarded for their hard-work.  This made a lot of them gravitate towards One Piece's colorful storylines--which dealt mainly with themes of insecurity, pride, determination, alienation and friendship.

To be honest, I was never really a fan of One Piece.  The fact that it was so popular made me avoid the manga and the anime. But after watching Today's Close-up and learning about the socio-cultural implications of the most successful manga in Japan, I think I'll give it a whirl.

--Mori

Herr Direktor - Leiji Matsumoto

LEIJI MATSUMOTO
Date of Birth: January 25, 1938

Place of Birth: Kurume City, Furuoka Prefecture

Best Known For: Space Battleship Yamato, Galaxy 999 & Captain Harlock

1 Leiji Matsumoto's first manga was Mitsubachi no Bouken.  It was published in 1954.

2 He drew shoujo manga early in his career.

3 He gained fame when he began working on the shonen, Otoko Oidon, in 1971.

4 He married Miyako Maki, a former shoujo manga artist.

5 He designed a touring water bus (ferry) called the Himoko.

Back Flip - The Miyazaki Blueprint

THE MIYAZAKI BLUEPRINT
It was published by Animage 28 years ago in Japan.  Many fans of Studio Ghibli director, Hayao Miyazaki, liken it to the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant or that can opener Sylvester the cat was going nuts for in the Looney Tunes “Canned Feud” episode.  It’s a picture storybook and manga all rolled into one—a sweeping fairytale eloquently narrated with the delicate strokes of a watercolor brush. 

Scanned copies of this book have been on the net for years. But even with its availability online, thousands or even millions of Miyazaki’s followers have been wishing for original copies of the book to be on their shelves.

We are, of course, talking about Hayao Miyazaki’s Shuna No Tabi which was published in 1983 by Animage. Illustrated and written by the director himself, many visual elements and themes from the book have been consequently reflected in several of Studio Ghibli’s biggest hits. (Like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky and Princess Mononoke) But to say that the book was the sole springboard for his later films would be inaccurate. We have to remember that the Nausicaa manga made it to print much earlier than the storybook.  More than anything else, Shuna No Tabi, very much like the Nausicaa manga, serves as a small window into Miyazaki’s creative mind at that period of his life. 

Shuna No Tabi’s story revolves around Shuna, a prince who lives in a poor distant village at the bottom of an enormous valley. The prince is burdened with worries because the land can barely support the needs of his people. One day, while riding his Yakkul, he stumbles upon an old dying traveler along a path.  He then brings the traveler back to the village to nurse him.  Too weak and riddled with old age, the stranger passes on but not before showing Shuna a mysterious pouch filled with dead seeds. The stranger is able to tell Shuna that the seeds, when alive appear golden.  He is also able to mention, that in legend, the seeds may be found at a point where the earth ends.  Shortly after the death of the old traveler, Shuna goes on a quest to find the seeds in the hopes of saving his people from their plight.

Okay, that’s all we’ll be mentioning with regards to the plot.  For those new fans of Miyazaki who have not read Shuna No Tabi, go find it (better if you buy it), enjoy the art and read the hell out of it. Unfortunately, it's available only in Japanese.

On that note, we hope that the book is turned into a film some time in the near future.  But more than that, we wish that there was an original 1983 copy of it on our shelves.

If you wish to order reprints of Shuna No Tabi online from Japan check out http://stores.ebay.com/edo-iki.