Post by Koikitten on Jun 25, 2007 19:13:35 GMT -5
I am very much looking forward to this, and thought I would pass it along.
"As a special summer project, Fuji TV will air a big-budget anime, Miyori no Mori (Miyori's Forests), a film focusing on the spiritual growth of a little girl and the magical power of forests.
Nizo Yamamoto, director of the anime film (Aug. 25, 9 p.m.-11:10 p.m.), is renowned for his work as art director for Hayao Miyazaki's anime works, including Mirai Shonen Konan (Conan the Boy in the Future) and Tenku no Shiro Rapyuta (Laputa: Castle in the Sky). The film is the first animated feature story Yamamoto has directed.
The 53-year-old director read the original manga story by Hideji Oda about 2-1/2 years ago. He says he was impressed by the story of Miyori, an 11-year-old heroine who is mentally scarred by her parents' divorce. Miyori gradually recovers from her traumas after encountering the spirits of a forest that is destined to be submerged at the bottom of reservoir as part of a planned dam project in the near future.
Yamamoto says he had been feeling uncomfortable for years about the amount of violence in anime and the number of bloody murder scenes he sees in them.
"For a long time I've been planning to direct an anime film in which none of the characters dies," he said.
Another reason that spurred Yamamoto to direct the anime by himself, was the sudden death of Yoshifumi Kondo, who served as chief animator for Hotaru no Haka (The Grave of Fireflies). Kondo died in 1998 at age 47.
"If he were alive, I would never have been the director [of this project] as Kondo was a genius animator," Yamamoto said. "After I lost Kondo, whom I looked up to as a professional [in this field], I felt I just had to do it myself."
Yet another factor influencing the decision to make this movie was that Yamamoto knew a girl who had been bullied badly, he says.
"These days, there are so many children like that girl. Through this story, I want to convey a message to children who are bullied: 'Be strong like Miyori. Stand up to bullies!'"
About 10 years ago, the average viewing rate of anime programs for children in the slot starting at 7 p.m. was about 20 percent. These days, however, it has dropped to about 6-7 percent due to the decrease in the number of children in the nation.
With the Miyori project, Fuji TV producer Koji Kaneda has put priority on creating a show that all members of a family can enjoy watching.
For the last three years, Kaneda says he has been wanting to produce a show that would win a high viewing rate in the middle of the prime time slot--neither in the late-night slot for adults nor in the earlier slot for children.
In that sense, Miyori no Mori is the first project to fit in with his dream. The unusually high production standards of this TV anime film put it on a par with a movie, not only in terms of money, but of time, too.
The voice cast includes many popular actors. Miyori is performed by Yu Aoi, and her grandmother by veteran actress Etsuko Ichihara. Ippon Zakura no Sei, a cherry tree spirit, is voiced by singer Chitose Hajime."
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20070623TDY21005.htm
"As a special summer project, Fuji TV will air a big-budget anime, Miyori no Mori (Miyori's Forests), a film focusing on the spiritual growth of a little girl and the magical power of forests.
Nizo Yamamoto, director of the anime film (Aug. 25, 9 p.m.-11:10 p.m.), is renowned for his work as art director for Hayao Miyazaki's anime works, including Mirai Shonen Konan (Conan the Boy in the Future) and Tenku no Shiro Rapyuta (Laputa: Castle in the Sky). The film is the first animated feature story Yamamoto has directed.
The 53-year-old director read the original manga story by Hideji Oda about 2-1/2 years ago. He says he was impressed by the story of Miyori, an 11-year-old heroine who is mentally scarred by her parents' divorce. Miyori gradually recovers from her traumas after encountering the spirits of a forest that is destined to be submerged at the bottom of reservoir as part of a planned dam project in the near future.
Yamamoto says he had been feeling uncomfortable for years about the amount of violence in anime and the number of bloody murder scenes he sees in them.
"For a long time I've been planning to direct an anime film in which none of the characters dies," he said.
Another reason that spurred Yamamoto to direct the anime by himself, was the sudden death of Yoshifumi Kondo, who served as chief animator for Hotaru no Haka (The Grave of Fireflies). Kondo died in 1998 at age 47.
"If he were alive, I would never have been the director [of this project] as Kondo was a genius animator," Yamamoto said. "After I lost Kondo, whom I looked up to as a professional [in this field], I felt I just had to do it myself."
Yet another factor influencing the decision to make this movie was that Yamamoto knew a girl who had been bullied badly, he says.
"These days, there are so many children like that girl. Through this story, I want to convey a message to children who are bullied: 'Be strong like Miyori. Stand up to bullies!'"
About 10 years ago, the average viewing rate of anime programs for children in the slot starting at 7 p.m. was about 20 percent. These days, however, it has dropped to about 6-7 percent due to the decrease in the number of children in the nation.
With the Miyori project, Fuji TV producer Koji Kaneda has put priority on creating a show that all members of a family can enjoy watching.
For the last three years, Kaneda says he has been wanting to produce a show that would win a high viewing rate in the middle of the prime time slot--neither in the late-night slot for adults nor in the earlier slot for children.
In that sense, Miyori no Mori is the first project to fit in with his dream. The unusually high production standards of this TV anime film put it on a par with a movie, not only in terms of money, but of time, too.
The voice cast includes many popular actors. Miyori is performed by Yu Aoi, and her grandmother by veteran actress Etsuko Ichihara. Ippon Zakura no Sei, a cherry tree spirit, is voiced by singer Chitose Hajime."
www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/arts/20070623TDY21005.htm
Revolutionary!! Seriously, I like that. Yeah, you gotta learn to deal with tough stuff... but once in a while it's nice to check out from the real world where all that's happening anyway and relax with something sweet like Whisper of the Heart or shows of that genre.
