Source@and\evil\社

Text ● Yumiko Watanabe (@watanabe_yumiko)

Translated by @超昂闪存

What makes a movie successful? Director? Budget? It is also ...... theatrical version of "Son of the Wolf, Rain and Snow", which mobilized 3.41 million viewers and grossed 4.18 billion yen (as of the end of November 2012). He has won several awards, including the Japan Academy Award for Best Animation Work. What is the reason for the success of this "Jeep class", and listen to producer Takashi Watanabe to tell us in detail.

Movies are popular things -

Mr. Watanabe's emphasis on this sentence is also the policy of director Mamoru Hosoda. The age group of the audience has expanded to include "ordinary people" who rarely come into contact with anime, such as women and the elderly. What is the popularity of animation? What does it take to convey to the general audience? From the words of Mr. Watanabe, who was the editor-in-chief of an anime magazine, the face of the "general audience" gradually became clear.

Animation producer Takashi Watanabe

Born in Tochigi Prefecture in 1959. After serving as the editor-in-chief of the anime magazine "Animage" (Tokuma Shoten), he joined Kadokawa Shoten. After the editor-in-chief of "Newtype", he turned to the animation division. He has been a producer of Mamoru Hosoda's full-length original works "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (2006), "Summer Wars" (2009), and "Son of the Wolf: Rain and Snow" (2012). In 2012, he was also in charge of the production of "Library Wars: Wings of Revolution" (directed by Takayuki Hamaaki).

Theatrical animation "Son of the Wolf: Rain and Snow"

Xiaohua, a college student, falls in love with a "werewolf" who lives as a human being. The two-person room that began to live together was born with a new life. Sister Xiaoxue and younger brother Xiaoyu. A "son of a wolf" who has the appearance of a human and a wolf. After saying goodbye to the werewolves, Xiaohua decided to move to the countryside surrounded by nature in order to allow the children to freely choose "to be a human or a wolf" in the future. (Quoted from the official website)

- "Son of the Wolf, Rain and Snow" (hereafter "Son of the Wolf") is a surprisingly successful original animated film. Mr. Watanabe, who was one of the producers, what do you think about the reason for this success?

In fact, the reason why it became so popular has not yet been analyzed. However, director Hosoda's works so far have a common theme, that is, "the so-called film is the thing of the public", and the result of emphasizing and implementing the concept of this thing of the public may be the current situation.

The so-called movie is a popular thing

INTERVIEWER What is the concept of "movies are popular things"?

The title of this serial is "Who is animation for?" Director Mamoru Hosoda often says, "Movies are things that are popular," and I strongly agree with that. He created popular films, namely "Son of the Wolf, Rain and Snow", "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time", and "Summer War", which are the main spines of director Hosoda's works.

- How exactly does "the public" express xiàn?

Director Hosoda likens the film to a "park". In the park, there are all kinds of people who gather to play with various purposes. That is, the park is provided as a place, but how to use it is very different. The same is true of movies, where everyone watches them on the same screen in the cinema, but the purpose is completely different, there are people who come to enjoy the work, and there are couples who come in pairs and start watching movies to have an atmosphere with their girlfriends. There are people who come to kill time, and there are also families who come to watch movies for their children's moral education.

We (Kadokawa Shoten) are mainly engaged in the publishing industry, and this is probably the difference between movies and books. Books are purchased by readers with the intention of appreciating the work, and the expectations of the work are in line with the content of the work. And movies are a good service that even "reading places" provide. The purpose and expectation of the audience coming to the cinema can be said to be very different. The film is necessary to give back all the expectations of these guests

INTERVIEWER It's very difficult to give back to people who have a variety of goals in mind.

Oh, yes. So, that's our ideal. It's actually hard to satisfy everyone. Although it is difficult to respond, as a delivery person, you should keep this in mind, so let's make zuò with this mentality. In addition, there is another layer of meaning to the fact that movies are a popular thing. Movies are also a business with a lot of people involved.

In particular, when producing a large number of films, the scale can become unusually large. Basically, the director alone cannot complete the film, there is the director, the actors, the producers who hang the movie in the room (cinema), the cinema operator, the ticket seller, and the publicity. Not to mention the scale of our current animation production, which requires about hundreds of people to participate in the video production alone. There are also investors who support them, and there are people who guarantee them...... All things considered, I'm afraid that a work must have thousands of people involved in it.

In short, according to the results of the box office revenue of the movie, the problems of the lives of thousands of people can be influenced. First of all, "no loss to investors" is one of the goals of this film as a "business".

- As a result, the box office of "Wolf Child" is 4.2 billion, and the goal has been achieved. When I appreciate anime, I analyze it from the perspective of the writer and the content of the work, but in fact, it is quite a strong element of the great commercial activity of "film".

Well. It's a business. Because he doesn't give investors a return, then director Hosoda will not be able to produce the next work. Therefore, as a matter of course, the starting point was "I want to make a good movie", which is shared by Mr. Hosoda and other employees who make the film, but we must not forget that this is a matter of fate for many people. The so-called movie is burdened with the fate of the participants.

"Ahh It's not a dialogue from another dimension that can be solved in such a sentence, and something called "responsibility" does exist.

- Responsibility, isn't it?

Right. Cinema creates responsibility. Going back to the original topic of "movies are popular things", making a movie is not just a matter of getting through one person's obsession and the urge to express it.

Cinema is also something extremely personal

…… So, until now, we have been discussing the argument that movies are something that is popular, and on the contrary, movies are also extremely personal and individual. That's where the movie is so interesting.

INTERVIEWER Why do you say that it is an "extremely personal thing" when it is clearly a popular thing?

Right. Sure enough, the source of original movies starts with what kind of work the director wants to make. The motivation for making a film often starts with one's own life and the discovery of one's surroundings.

"Summer Wars" is also because it was released in the summer, so I wanted to make a summer adventure. Because the protagonist of "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is a girl, "Summer Wars" is an adventure for boys in the most cutting-edge online world. The stage of the real world is set in the countryside, which is completely opposite to the most cutting-edge and does not even feel connected to the Internet. When discussing which place to use as this venue, Mr. Hosoda mentioned that his wife, who he visited when he got married, Ueda in Mano Prefecture, was used as the stage for "Summer Wars". That's how it was decided.

INTERVIEWER The director's own life will be greatly reflected in the content of the film.

The same is true of "Son of the Wolf". Although Mr. Hosoda himself had a child shortly after the release of "Son of the Wolf", he often mentioned in the process of making zuò, "I have no experience in raising children, but there are several people around me who are raising children, and although they keep complaining that raising children is 'very tiring, very tired', they still talk about it tirelessly." I think such people are great. "And think about whether it can be reflected as a movie. This is also one of the opportunities for the creation of "Son of the Wolf".

So at this stage, I don't say to Mr. Hosoda, "Then the box office of the next work will be set at how many billion yen." Speaking of "For whom does the film exist?" It is for the sake of the public. But at the source, movies are for the sake of directors. In order for the popularity and the personality of the writer to be established at the same time, it is necessary to observe the situation of both at the same time.

It is something that is popularized, and it is also something that exists for the writer as a person. In the face of such a contradictory "movie", what exactly is Mr. Watanabe's job as a producer?

When I was working as an editor for "Animage", I learned from the then editor-in-chief Mr. Toshio Suzuki (editor's note: Producer of Jipuli Studios. The former editor-in-chief of Animage) heard something like that there.

Faced with Mr. Isao Takahata, who was the producer of "Nausicaa in the Valley of the Wind" at the time, Mr. Suzuki asked the question of "what exactly does a producer do?" Mr. Takahata replied, "It's simple. At all times, you must be on the director's side. ”

When I heard this from Mr. Suzuki, it was like an initiation. Even if it is a popular film, it is the director who gave birth to it. The director starts the work from an extremely personal point of view, and the producer has to be completely on the side of the individual. That's my role. Making a film is about running a marathon with the director while finding out where the director will work.

Sometimes I get lost, and when the director gets lost, he gets lost with him and looks for a way out. That's how it feels.

Cannot be animated as a character

INTERVIEWER What do you think is the reason for the success of "Son of the Wolf" in attracting audiences who don't usually watch anime, that is, the general audience?

If the theme is only "Family Drama", it will be difficult to appeal to the general audience. "Don't you think it's vulgar to make a family drama as an animation?" Such a response has also been heard. I've been thinking about how to add universality to my anime for a long time after I experienced "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time".

- "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Space" is a small theater that only relies on more than a dozen theaters, but it is still quite successful.

"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" grossed 260 million yen and mobilized 188,000 viewers. It is on par with the Jeppli "Earth-Sea War" released at that time, which is really gratifying.

("The Girl Who Leapt Through Time") survived with only 14 copies. In the hardest times, there was not enough film, for example, sometimes I had to unload the film immediately after the release in Shinjuku, put it on the back of the bicycle, and rush to the movie theater in Ikebukuro for the next screening. I didn't expect that after 2000, there would be such a thrilling thing as running around on a roll of film.

- The next "Summer Wars" immediately after. In one go, it received 1.6 billion yen at the box office and mobilized 1.23 million viewers. Is there any connection to "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time"? Sure enough, from that time, I began to work hard to greet ordinary audiences.

When "Through Time and Space", it was able to greet ordinary audiences, and the reason for this is relatively large. Of course, from the beginning, I wanted to let as many people as possible see it. I am very grateful to be able to borrow the original work of Yasutaka Tsutsui, who has many fans like us.

"Because "Through Time and Space" is a national-level literary work, you can't disgrace this work." The idea has always been in our train of thought, and we want to create it without stifling the universality that "Through Time and Space" has. You can't make a work that is only closed to people who like anime, and the general audience can't understand it after watching it, and you can't get resonance.

INTERVIEWER What kind of animation is "an anime that is closed to people who like anime and the general audience doesn't understand it"? Tell us about the effort that went into avoiding such an outcome.

What was done? Say whatever comes to mind, although I hope you don't take it all seriously (laughs).

First, it can't be made into a "character animation". That's how I felt when I worked as an editor for an anime magazine for many years. There are several things that are conventionalized in character animation. For example, "the color of the hair, in fact, is impossible at all". This narrows the customer base. Then "the style of the unified expression". That is, to compress the character's expression to a certain range. Ordinary people don't know about this kind of anime convention, and it turns out that it's all the same face. Again, this narrows the customer base.

Next, can you see the panties? The moment you decide to see it, it narrows again.

The narrower it is, the clearer the outline of the actual customer will be. Therefore, when the (animation) sales target is clear, it is also possible to adopt all of these strategies. "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" is not bound by the conventions of these character animations.

One more point. This is also the feeling of being engaged in the editing of animation magazines. First describe the setting or story as close to the real world as possible, and then add a fantasy element of "this is a lie that only anime" is added. In the end, the foundation is supported by the real world, and some incredible elements are added under the premise of persuasion.

- What is the reason for the incredible element control in a little bit?

What ordinary guests can understand and easily resonate with is the real world that they have and are by their side, right? The practice of adding a lie to such a real world has not changed, "Time Travel" is a time and space jump, "Summer Wars" is the virtual world of OZ, and "Son of the Wolf" is the setting of a werewolf.

Why do people cry because of the movie?

Then there's a question I've been thinking about as a producer, "Why do people cry because of movies." Individuals have done quite a bit of research.

INTERVIEWER Why did you start thinking about the reason for crying because of the movie?

It's really important, it made the audience cry. Because if you cry, it means that it is great to see this movie.

Thinking about why people cry because of movies, probably because I have been engaged in animation magazine editing for a long time. If the editors and editors can't understand why they cry because of this anime, they won't be able to put together a special feature, and they won't be able to publish the scenes that readers want to see. Sorting out the photos that readers want to see is also a process of thinking about where this anime is disgusting and where it is moving. And through guò's interview with the director, he proofread his own thoughts.

This kind of training has been done since the days of editing and editing in animation magazines, and now, as a producer, I am thinking about "what scenes are needed for animation that can make people move?" ”

INTERVIEWER Mr. Watanabe's understanding of the work as a producer is probably a large part of the idea of "how readers perceive anime" during the era of animation magazine editors.

I also said it when I agreed not to animate the characters, but if I want to say that this is the reason, I don't really want to add more universality to the work. …… Because I am, to put it bluntly, what I have is no different from that of "ordinary people". It's just that there's nothing to be done with the core part of the anime fan.

It's not so much a contradiction as a pain.

I worked for about three and a half years at Tokuma Shoten's "Animage" and after I joined Kadokawa Shoten, I worked as the editor-in-chief of "Newtype". If you include the time spent as an editor/editor, the animation magazine calendar is even longer. Seriously, if you want to be the chief editor of an animation magazine, if not the best in Japan, you should say that you are the best in the world who knows the most about animation. It's hard work not to do that. But unfortunately, I'm ashamed that I didn't become that kind of person.

When I first joined the editorial department of "Animage", I was shocked enough. The freelance editors and editors are all people who talk about the level of the past who have been watching the screen to record the staff since they were sensible. "I remember it too, ahhh But I've never done anything like it. The gap has been pulled away from the foundation. With such a person, you can't make a decent comparison. Therefore, it can be said that he did not become a freelance editor, but chose to become an editor affiliated with the company.

Therefore, it is not so much that I want to make a universal work, but I have to survive with the same feeling as ordinary audiences. That's it. I'm ashamed that it's not such a scheming strategy as a producer. I have to give people the feeling that I am no different from the uncle of the office worker society.

- Is this connected to universality?

Whether that's good or not, I don't know. In conclusion, "Son of the Wolf" has been received by a wide variety of audiences in a wide variety of ways. It's not just people who accept it as a heart-warming movie because it's a family drama. I once asked young people in their teens to early twenties, and heard the feeling of "why Xiaohua didn't avoid pregnancy". Although there was a moment of surprise, more surprise followed. But the film just has to accept such a wide range of opinions. It's like fate.

About the Author – Yumiko Watanabe

Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1967. After graduating from Sukiyama Girls' Gakuen University, she worked as a clerk in a film company and became a freelance writer. He is a cultural researcher who writes about animation as the central field, and is also a journalist who reports on the relationship between his work and his audience. Serialized "The Desire of the Times from Animation" on Nikkei Business Online. He is the author of "My Husband is a Science-kun" (NTT Publishing) and other works.