by A series of spatial experiences that will not make you bored even for a moment
I think many people have been waiting for 15 years. The impact of “Denno Coil” (2007) was so significant. At the same time, Mitsuo Iso, the director who suddenly appeared (looked like), also got a lot of attention.
“Denno Coil,” which was a challenging attempt to broadcast the cutting-edge theme of overlapping the virtual cyberspace with reality on NHK educational television, was highly evaluated immediately after the broadcast’s start and was excellent in the animation section of the Japan Media Arts Festival. Awards, 7th Tokyo Anime Award TV Anime Category Excellence Award, 39th Seiun Award Media Division, 29th Japan SF Grand Prize, etc. As the director’s debut work received an exceptionally high evaluation, the day came when he could meet Mitsuo Iso’s new work, which had been expected for the following work.
“The Orbital Children’s” was a work that did not disappoint, or even more than that, in terms of results. The movie version released on January 28 / February 11, 2022, is 91 minutes for the first part and 99 minutes for the second part (Netflix delivered from January 28 is six episodes), totaling 190 minutes. Still, for a moment, It was a series of space experiences that never bored me. Unlike the epic and cutting-edge space epics such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) and “Interstellar” (2014), the setting is that the universe is invading everyday life, but in terms of content. It can be said to be at a level comparable to those work philosophies. Mitsuo Iso is terrifying.
I want you to be excited about the future big theme of humankind, “the universe.”
This time, the theme chosen by Mitsuo Iso is “universe.” The theme of the animation is the royal road in the royal road, in the middle of the fastball, but it was “a familiar universe.” The stage is 2045 when information and topics about the universe are routinely flowing on the Internet and TV news. The director intended that the universe was portrayed as an extension of everyday life rather than as a cutting-edge adventure as it used to be. Indeed, even now, in 2022, it is an era when civilians leave for space, and space may enter our daily lives in another 20 years.
However, Japan is losing the momentum to dream of the future, including space. As you can see from the criticisms of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games, in the face of a situation where no solution such as global warming and the new coronavirus can be seen, the Japanese are tending to atrophy. Mitsuo Iso created this work with the hope that the universe, which will be one of the significant themes of humankind, will be crushed by young people who tend to give up the act of drawing the future, probably due to the influence of the economy that has been in a slump for a long time.
In Japan, there is the fact that children who saw Atom and Gundam became robot researchers and engineers and laid the foundation of a robot powerhouse, but in the United States, it was “Star Trek” (1966-). Impressed by this space adventure, the children set out for NASA and set out in space. With that in mind, among the boys and girls who saw “The Orbital Children,” space technology researchers, migrants to the planet, and aspirants who want to engage in such services may appear.
Mitsuo Iso, Creators, and highly respected Creators Then, what kind of person is Mitsuo Iso? Before making his directorial debut with the shocking “Denno Coil,” he was “Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack” (1988), “Red Pig” (1992), “Neon Genesis Evangelion” (1995), and “GHOST.” IN THE SHELL / Shell Mobile Corps” (1995), “Perfect Blue” (1998), “Steam Boy” (2004), Yoshiyuki Tomino, Hayao Miyazaki, Hideaki Anno, Satoshi Kon, Katsuhiro Otomo Under the intense supervision of, he was not only an animation director, but also a drawing director, a script, a mechanic/firearm design, digital works, setting development, and visual effects.
What producers and directors secretly expect from animators who play a crucial role in their works is the super-animator of “God drawing” that creates more than requested, but Mitsuo Iso has even greater creativity. There was. Masao Maruyama (currently Chairman of MAPPA) of Madhouse saw this and gave him a chance to direct. Maruyama, who puts all his efforts into giving talented directors inside and outside the company a chance, produced Satoshi Kon’s “Perfect Blue,” Sunao Katabuchi’s “BLACK LAGOON Black Lagoon” (2006), and Masaaki Yuasa’s “Kemonozume” (2006). ), Seiji Mizushima “Oedo Rocket” (2007), Mamoru Hosoda “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” (2006), etc. And that eye was inevitably turned to Mitsuo Iso, and what was born was “Denno Coil.” As expected by the famous Bo Le Maruyama, Mitsuo Iso is the director mentioned above.
He also made a break and became a director, expected to make the following work.
Looking at the faces of the drawing staff who participated in “Denno Coil,” you can see how the staff loves Mitsuo Iso. Anime industry legend Toshiyuki Inoue, who plays a central role in directors such as Hayao Miyazaki, Katsuhiro Otomo, Hideaki Anno, and Mamoru Hosoda, as well as Yu Honda, Satoshi Hiramatsu, Katsuya Kondo, and Masashi Ando (February 2022). The director of “The Deer King Yuna and the Promised Journey” released on the 4th), Kazuya Kise, Takaaki Yamashita, and other core human resources gathered under Mitsuo Iso. Mitsuo Iso is a creators creator who creators respect.
Since then, we focused on digital drawing, and we appointed young talented people other than masters such as Toshiyuki Inoue and Kenichi Yoshida. You can also see international faces such as Ilya Kuvshinov, born in Russia in 1990, and Bahi JD, born in Austria in 1991 (note the guest design in the first episode!). A must-see video full of the latest information and full of excitement.
The great thing about Japanese animation is that theater animation directors such as Hayao Miyazaki, Hideaki Anno, Mamoru Hosoda, and Makoto Shinkai, both writer and commercial, stand out. In fact, how many anime directors can be named outside of Japan other than John Lasseter, who left Pixar? Of course, Sylvain Chomet of France (“The Illusionist” [2010]) and Tom Moore of (“Song of the Sea Umi no Uta,” which is a candidate for the Academy Prize Animation Award every time. [2014] “Wolfwalker” [2020], etc.) There are directors with outstanding writers, but they do not have commerciality. After all, Japan is the only Japanese theater animation director.
Mitsuo Iso suddenly appeared in such a situation. Currently 54 years old, Mitsuo Iso is 25 years younger than Miyazaki, six years younger than Anno Hideaki, one year older than Hosoda Mamoru, and seven years older than Shinkai Makoto. How many more will you leave?
“The Orbital Children” will be screened in Shinjuku Piccadilly and other locations for the first part from January 28, 2022 (Friday), and the second part from February 11 (Friday) for two weeks each, and the theater release limited edition Blu-ray & DVD will be released at the same time. , Simultaneous worldwide distribution on Netflix from January 28 (Friday) (all six episodes simultaneous distribution)
