The OQ Weekly (1 July 2021) - The 'Summer Is Here' Edition
The best curated newsletter in the Japanese pop-culture world.
Looking for a new series to watch? If you have Netflix, there is a story from Japan that you NEED to watch. I mean… it’s not every day that a Japanese series becomes so popular worldwide to make it to a second season.
According to the old-heads of OTAQUEST, The Naked Director is more relevant today than ever, even if the second season is not as wild as the first.
I am Ura, your series-loving NOT-AV actress in this amazing journey into Japanese pop, geek, and sub culture.
Thank you for joining us.
1
What happened to the homes?
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was a beacon of light for many when it released in early 2020, but several glaring issues still remain. One of them is the design of villager houses.
In previous titles, each villager had a distinct style that went beyond what species they were. Just because you were a penguin didn’t mean that you wanted an ice-themed house, but not in New Horizons! The designers must have been running out of time, because everything is quite trite and predictable.
Popular YouTuber loulou-crossing recently pointed this out in a new video, also addressing the severe lack of villager dialogue and compelling interaction options. This is a shame, especially considering the relationships fans built up with villagers in previous titles.
‘Yes, the character models look fantastic. Yes, it’s a blast to build your island from scratch. But so much of the franchise is about bonding and belonging, being excited to turn the game on each day to see what your friends are up to. That mystery is gone now…’ (Carley Garcia)
2
Naked reflection.
Just as the Heisei era turned into Reiwa in 2019, Netflix’s The Naked Director showed the world what life was like back at the last turn of an era.
The rise of real-life porn director Toru Muranishi shed a very intriguing light on late Showa, bubble era Japan, as well as one that reflects the society of today. In the excursion to Hawaii, for example, Muranishi is called a ‘Jap’ and gets arrested on flimsy charges: this paints a picture of a society hesitant against Asian people, mirroring the anti-Asian discrimination we’ve seen first-hand over the past couple of years.
Furthermore, during the transition to Heisei from Showa in 1989, The Naked Director shows porn mogul Ikezawa and Furuya being arrested for their production of uncensored films as part of a crackdown on illicit activities before the new era started. This ‘clean sweep’ was seen once again during the transition to Reiwa in 2019, with police ‘arresting’ people seen inside known yakuza locations in a show of force.
Daryl Harding explains that ‘Many of them were seen walking into the same buildings later that same day, grumbling about the farce… Those events in 2019 happened before The Naked Director released (though likely after the show was filmed) but even beyond its release, the show continues to stay relevant.’
3
Anime’s international influence.
While Japanese animation was generally held in low regard by those inside and outside of the industry abroad before the 1980s, that couldn’t be further from the truth today.
In a roundtable discussion featuring Sofia Alexander (Infinity Train,Onyx Equinox), Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani (Let the Corpses Tan), Manny Hernandez (We Bare Bears), Michael Dudok de Wit (The Red Turtle) and Tomm Moore (Wolfwalkers) at Annecy Film Festival 2021, these renowned international animators discussed how anime has influenced their work and careers.
Manny Hernandez, for example, was born and raised in California but grew up in a Spanish-speaking household. ‘When I was younger, I didn’t see Japanese anime on American TV too much, so the first time I ended up watching an anime on TV it was a show called Dragon Ball, and it only showed on a Spanish channel called Telemundo.’ This was partially why Akira Toriyama’s work was so influential for him growing up.
Tomm Moore took less visual inspiration from anime for his work over at Cartoon Saloon, meanwhile, but was inspired by its directorial style. He noted that The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon was a major influence on Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea thanks to its pop-up style, and more recently it was how The Tale of the Princess Kaguya used the animated medium in a way that only it could to bring out the emotions of the story.
‘Whether simply being an inspiration to what is possible in the medium or a thematic resonance that could be incorporated into their work, anime’s reach and influence can be felt everywhere as those who grew up on it now have the responsibility of creating new animated work for a new generation.’ (Alicia Haddick)
4
Fantastic Fantasia.
A number of anime and Japanese live-action films have been named in the latest slate of announcements for the upcoming online Fantasia International Film Festival, including some international premieres.
Kicking off the live-action slate is Love, Life and Goldfish, directed by Yukinori Makabe and adapted from the manga of the same name by Noriko Otani. Next up is a film that’s arguably named perfectly for the time of year that the festival is taking place: It’s a Summer Film, Soushi Matsumoto’s debut feature.
Alongside the previously announced Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes and Kakegurui 2, there’s also the extreme workplace drama Jigoku-no-Hanazono ~Office Royale~ and Sakura, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Kanako Nishi. To be honest, there are far too many announcements to list them all here, so just go and read Alicia’s article.
In terms of anime, Pompo: The Cinephile will receive its North American premiere at this event, marking one of the first times that people outside of Japan will be able to watch this long-awaited manga adaptation about the art and industry of filmmaking. Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko will also screen alongside the one-man stop motion feature Junk Head and a French documentary about the late, great Satoshi Kon titled Satoshi Kon, The Illusionist.
‘With this latest slate of announcements including anime and high-profile live-action films, Fantasia looks set to host an unmissable selection of films in celebration of its 25th anniversary.’ (Alicia)
5
Preanimation anxieties.
By now, you’ve all seen the trailer for the upcoming Chainsaw Man anime that was premiered during the Studio MAPPA 10th anniversary event. It looks good, but is also a bit of a trick.
This is because, in all likelihood, it’s preanimated. There’s no confirmation of this via the official sources, but it can be inferred from the kind of footage featured. This wouldn’t be the first time that Studio MAPPA has put together a preanimated trailer to show off a highly anticipated project, either: our first look at Attack on Titan: The Final Season was the same, even featuring scenes that wouldn’t make it into the final product.
The argument is that a preanimated trailer sets a standard for the production team to aim for, but there are several problems with this. First of all, Attack on Titan: The Final Season ultimately did not end up looking like the initial reveal, with the Titans being mostly animated in 3D. We also now know just how overburdened and overworked MAPPA animators are, with freelancer Mushiyo likening the studio’s work conditions to that of a ‘factory.’
‘As a result, whether the Chainsaw Man anime can actually live up to the lofty standards set by this trailer remains to be seen… I want to believe, but a preanimated sizzle reel isn’t enough to overcome my anxieties just yet.’ (Jacob Parker-Dalton)
6
Wishing you a happy MAPPAversary.
Another thing to come out of the Studio MAPPA event was a short video celebrating the company’s work and thanking fans for their support.
Featuring scenes from the thirty-one TV anime and movies that MAPPA has worked on over the years (that’s quite a lot), it’s all set to a new song by ZUTOMAYO called ‘Baka Ja Nai No Ni (Even Though I’m Not Stupid).’ At one point, things even get a little emotional as all of the characters line up to say ‘Thank you.’
Looking at the footage, you might even find some shows that you’ve watched but never realized were made by Studio MAPPA. Sports dramas like Yuri!!! ON ICE and DAYS stand proudly next to such shonen giants as Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan, after all, while In This Corner of the World offers a rare slice of slow historical storytelling.
And it’s honestly still baffling to me that the studio produced Kunihiko Ikuhara’s latest creation, Saranzanmai. Them’s the breaks!
7
Unexpected adaptations.
In the past week, two games were unexpectedly announced to be getting an anime adaptation: Final Fantasy IX and Legend of Mana.
For Legend of Mana, now is perhaps the perfect timing. The legendary RPG by SQUARE ENIX just got a HD remake for most major systems, although the project was actually first pitched to producer Masaru Oyamada before the remake was even in discussion. Perhaps quite naturally, though, the studios that collaborated on the opening movie for the remake Graphinica and Yokohama Animation Lab will be producing the adaptation.
Final Fantasy IX, though? That one comes straight out of left-field. Details are admittedly quite thin on the ground, but we do know that it will be produced and distributed by Paris-based company Cyber Group Studios. CEO Pierre Sissman said that production is set to start sometime at the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022, with the target audience being eight to thirteen-year-old kids.
‘With Final Fantasy IX selling more than five million copies worldwide, it makes you wonder why something like this hasn’t been done with the series in the past. I mean there have been other Final Fantasy animated projects, but this is the first time anyone has ever done anything with Final Fantasy IX.’ (Corey Prasek)
8
Eyes on Inoue.
Taku Inoue will release his first major debut single ‘3時12分’ next month, featuring an unlikely collaborator.
Ever since the former Bandai Namco Entertainment lyricist and composer left the company in 2018, all eyes have been on the artist to see whether he could make it in the mainstream. He would probably be the first video game composer to do so, but we haven’t heard much from him since signing up with TOY’S FACTORY in July 2019. At least, until now.
Taku Inoue’s first major debut single ‘3時12分’ (meaning the time 3:12) will release on 14 July, featuring vocals by hololive virtual YouTuber Hoshimachi Suisei. A small preview is available to listen to now via Taku Inoue’s official YouTube channel: it really is only small, coming in at just over thirty seconds long, but so many of Inoue’s idiosyncrasies are already there.
‘Loud, rich, expansive production, as well as an insatiable groove... Suisei’s powerful voice definitely won’t lose out to this, making her and Inoue into an excellent combination.’ (Jacob)
9
In reality…
As if it wasn’t already impressive enough, the true form of Jump Plus’ latest Million Tag competition has been revealed as a reality show.
Starting this week, a total of eight episodes will be posted on the official Jump Comics Channel every Friday. Featuring voice over from the members of comedy group YONSENTOSHIN and voice actor Ayane Sakura, the Million Tag reality show has also invited celebrated Jump Plus authors Tatsuki Fujimoto (Fire Punch, now also Chainsaw Man) and Yuji Kaku (Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku) to participate as guest judges. It’s a star-studded affair.
Back in December, the Million Tag competition was unveiled as the latest in a long line of attempts by the Jump Plus editorial department to recruit the brightest and best of the latest generation. It was more than notable then on account of its promise to give the winner five million yen, a full serialization, collected volume release, and an anime adaptation, but the whole reality show thing certainly gives it another layer.
‘The official website describes the Million Tag reality show as a “battle audition program,” so I’m imagining something along the lines of The X Factor, except with shonen manga.’ (Jacob)
10
Demonic popularity.
Considering just how popular Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is, it’s honestly a surprise that it has taken this long to make an appearance at Universal Studios Japan.
Set to run as a limited-time attraction from 17 September 2021 through 13 February 2022, the theme park is promising visitors that they will be able to ‘feel the breath of Tanjiro and his friends as they engage in fierce battles’ and ‘enter a world of extreme realism that can only be experienced here.’ Judging from this description, it’s going to be another 4D ride, although no specifics have been shared at this stage.
Undoubtedly, the sheer magnitude of people obsessed with Demon Slayer in Japan right now means that this won’t be the last time we see the series hit the park. If you wanted any indication of that, then Megahouse recently felt confident enough to put out a Demon Slayer-themed hula hoop.
At this point, I really have seen everything!
Video Corner
This weekend starred the MAPPA Stage 10th Anniversary Event, a 5 hour stage event featuring a few announcements, voice actor chats, and games. And as is becoming more common, especially in the wake of the pandemic, this was also streamed on their YouTube channel. In Japan, this was broadcast from 3PM to 8PM, prime viewing hours. But the amount of viewers was far far more than expected for an event like this. In fact, for most of the stream, it was hitting over 100,000 concurrent viewers, largely made up of people from outside of Japan, despite featuring no English translation. All waiting for a first look at the upcoming Chainsaw Man anime.
Video by Callum May
See you next week!
Ura and the OTAQUEST team.
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