by As a commemorative project for the 45th anniversary of Kadokawa Daiei, 31 masterpieces that changed the history of Japanese films, including the 4K digitally restored version of “The Inugami Family,” have been released to theaters at once at the Kadokawa Film Festival.
The omnibus movie “Neo Tokyo,” released in 1986, was being screened in the project, and a talk event by Katsuhiro Otomo, one of the directors, was held on November 28th.
“Maze Property” is a legendary work made into an animated film by three leading Japanese anime writers, Rintaro, Yoshiaki Kawajiri, and Katsuhiro Otomo, based on the original work of science fiction Taku Mayumura.
Otomo is one of them, “Order to cancel construction.”
First of all, Otomo participated in “Maze Monogatari” when he was invited by Masao Maruyama (then) of Studio Madhouse after “Genma Taisen” (1983), in which he was in charge of character design. Matter.
“After” Genma Taisen “was over, Mr. Maruyama said,” Next, I have a movie by Mr. Mayumura, so why don’t you try one short story? ” At that time, I went to Madhouse and saw the atmosphere of the studio and the work of animation director Takuo Noda, so I thought, “I’m going to make it this way, I’d like to make it if I have the opportunity.” I was doing it, and I think it can be done because it’s a short story of about 15 minutes. “(Otomo).
Also, at the time of making “Neo Tokyo,” Otomo serialized “AKIRA” every other week, but “I drew (every time)” AKIRA “in a week, and after all, I went to Madhouse by bicycle at dawn. He said that he was attending, “Actually (also” AKIRA “), I feel like I could have serialized it weekly if I worked hard (laughs),” and invited the audience to laugh.
“But it was fun to go to the animation (on-site). It was fun to learn new things, much less because I was able to draw the storyboards myself” (Otomo).
It seems that Otomo himself chose the “construction cancellation order” from among the many works by Mayumura. I wonder if it’s okay because there isn’t any excellent punch line. “
Furthermore, when talking about the visuals that were drawn in the details common to the later animation “AKIRA” (1988), “I was very grateful that Mr. Mukuo did the art.” Otomo touches on the contribution of Takamura Mukuo, the art director of this work.
“I think Mr. Ryo also wanted to do various experiments. I think it was just the right subject. The pink sky and the construction site (depiction) are fantastic. I haven’t used it until now. We use only colors, so it felt like we were being encouraged to do our best. It was a lot of fun. “
When Otomo’s animation roots became a hot topic, I liked the Japanese-style paintings of Akira Daikuhara, an animator seen in Toei Animation’s works, especially “The Tale of the White Serpent” (1958) and “Magic Boy.” He said that it was, and also showed an episode that Akira’s face appearing in the second volume of “AKIRA” was drawn while remembering the tiny dragon that appeared in “Alakazam the Great” (1960).
There was one act in which a new fact was revealed to the extent that the listener, Hikawa, unintentionally gave a surprised voice, “I had never heard of it!”.
In addition, the talk show was full of topics, including episodes during the production of the anime “AKIRA” and the complete works of Katsuhiro Otomo, which will soon be published.
“I was doing it in good time. It was fun. I didn’t talk much about it in the past, but sometimes when I drink with an animator, I talk about something like,” By the way, I’m glad I was back then. ” The words that look back on his career as an animation director were also impressive.
