Nostalgic Anime Retrospective No. 27] Symmetrical Composition and Stage Set Reveal Correlation between "Teito Monogatari" and Theater

The anime film "LUPIN THE IIIRD: Ishikawa Gomon in the Smoke of Blood" is now in theaters. Director Ken Koike started his career as an animator and served as assistant animation director for the OVA "Teito Monogatari" (1991).
The animators participating in the animated version of "The Imperial Capital Story" include Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Yu Honda, Shinji Higuchi, Masahiro Maeda, Shoichi Masuo, Isamu Imakake, Hidenori Matsubara (......), and other former members of Gainax, as well as Kenji Hayama, Eishimitsu Ohashi, and Takahiro Kishida. The cast is surprisingly diverse. The character design is by Masa Sasayuki.

The novel "Teito Monogatari" by Hiroshi Aramata was adapted into a live-action theatrical film in 1988. Set in the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras, both the live-action and animated versions depict Yasunori Kato, a mysterious monster who plans to destroy the imperial city of Tokyo, and the people who fight him.
The first volume, "The Devil's City Arc," ends with Kato taking Yukari Tatsumiya, a girl with spiritual powers, away. The film is directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama.

Sharp gestures and symmetrical composition create an intimidating atmosphere.

The live-action version of "Tales of the Imperial Capital" was notable for its SFX set pieces and creatures such as the "shikigami" and "belly worms" used by Kato. The animated version of "Tales of the Imperial Capital" is directed by Rintaro, who also directed "Genma Taisen" and depicted the activities of espers in the series.

The main character in the film is the monster Yasunori Kato, who plays a central role in the scenes where sorcery is used.
In Tokyo, where the mood is constructive toward the "Imperial Capital Remodeling Project," Kato alone engages in destructive behavior in an attempt to summon the vengeful spirit of Taira no Masakado. At the beginning of the film, Kato visits the "head mound" where the spirit of Taira no Masakado rests and tries to revive it. The ground cracks and human masks appear, and grotesque depictions ensue, but it is Kato's gestures that heighten the strangeness of the scene.
Standing in front of the head mound, Kato, dressed in military uniform, clicks the heels of his boots together and assumes the "beware" posture. Each of Kato's gestures is a ritualistic gesture. There were eight shots of Kato from his first appearance to the "Attention" shot. Five of them are symmetrical compositions, showing Kato from directly in front, directly above, and directly behind.
Next, Kato appears in front of the Yin-Yang master, Yasumasa Hirai. Again, Kato's figure is captured from the front. Thereafter, symmetrical compositions are used in most of the scenes in which Kato appears, such as "standing on a boat on the river" and "standing on a tree in a shrine.
The frequent use of symmetrical compositions adds symbolism and intimidation to Kato's presence and conveys that his actions are planned and disciplined ......, i.e., that he is "tough.

The same moves by friend and foe stylize the performance.

After kidnapping Yukari Tatsumiya, Kato is blocked from going by Hirai, an Onmyoji. As Hirai confronts Kato on the riverbank, Kato says to him, "Don't be righteous. Don't be righteous. You, too, are a curse. I am the front and back, light and shadow.
At the same time, Kato's left leg moves slowly from left to right on the screen. He is bracing himself for battle. In the following cut, Hirai's right leg moves jitterily from right to left. Hirai is also preparing himself to attack Kato, but since the same composition is used in reverse, does it not look as if "Hirai is being carried along by Kato's pace"?　The symmetry of the two consecutive shots of Kato's left foot and Hirai's right foot also visually supports Kato's line, "Front and back, light and shadow.
Furthermore, the repetition of the same movements by Kato and Hirai stylizes the entire scene, making the battle between the two seem like a Butoh dance. At the beginning of the scene, when Kato visits the "head mound," the iron gate opens to the left and right. He crosses a wooden bridge. Standing with the moon in the background, ...... we notice that some kind of stage set is prepared for Kato's appearance scene.

Now, Hisasaku Shimada plays Kato in this animated version of "Teito Monogatari. Before making his debut as a film actor in the live-action version of "Teito Monogatari," he was a member of the theater troupe "Tokyo Grand Guignol. In other words, he was a stage actor.
Hirai, Kato's antagonist, is played by Goro Naya. Noya was also a stage actor. Animation and theater are connected in a surprisingly deep way, and the relationship between them may be like "front and back, light and shadow.

(Text by Keisuke Hirota)
(c) Hiroshi Aramata/Toei Video, Oz, Kadokawa Shoten

Teito Monogatari [DVD] (Japanese only)