by The VR animation movie ” Mimi ni Sumeru Mono” produced by Kodansha VR Lab, has been completed. The delivery date is undecided, and we plan to enter major international film festivals with VR divisions.
This work, the original work by Akutagawa Prize-winning author Yoko Ogawa, known for “The Mathematical Formula Loved by Professor,” was created by Koji Yamamura, an animator who was nominated for the 75th Academy Awards in the short animation category for “Mount Head.” VR visualization over the years. Masaki Okada from “Drive My Car” and “He is One Second” has a voice role.
The main character is a boy who spends days digging and collecting things he finds in cookie tins. He records the lonely voices of his own life and the things he has collected in his notebook, and every time he sheds his tears, he listens to the music played by four musicians and two shrimps who live in the depths of his ears and are encouraged by dance. One day, the boy who grew up to become a hearing aid salesman was fascinated by a small bird brooch found in a Japanese-American internment camp that he saw on the TV news.
The full comments from Mr. Ogawa, Director Yamamura, and Producer Kenji Ishimaru are as follows.
I didn’t think about it myself, but it’s a work with a universal message to people of all nationalities, all kinds of thoughts, people of all ages, and all kinds of people.
The world is here for those who see it. Rather than telling you to receive the common message we have put here, we will revive the important memories deep in the ears of each person who sees them and bring them back to life. I would like it to be a work that allows you to face hopeless loneliness and affirm it momentarily.
This is my first attempt at both VR and 3DCG expression, but by fusing Yoko Ogawa’s worldview with mine, a new video that can only be experienced in VR that takes advantage of the characteristics of the 360-degree video was born. Enjoy memories that transcend time and space and a journey into the abyss of the self.
Kenji Ishimaru (Producer)
Yoko Ogawa wrote the original story for VR, Koji Yamamura directed it, and Masaki Okada voiced the main character. Just as the three felt the potential of VR movies, many artists, such as novelists, manga artists, and animators who have never worked with VR before, will be interested in VR as a result of this work.
