Interview with Masaaki Yuasa, director of the movie "The Dog King," which opens in theaters on May 28.

Inuoh," a feature-length animated film directed by Masaaki Yuasa, adapted from the novel "The Tale of the Heike: Inuoh no Maki" by Hideo Furukawa, will be released on May 28 (Saturday). The original work, which is said to be a spin-off of the complete translation of the military masterpiece "The Tale of the Heike," has been revived as a visual work by Japan's top creators.

Director Yuasa, who created a new kind of animated musical by combining "Nohgaku," said to be the world's oldest musical, with modern rock 'n' roll, orchestral sounds, and the trappings of an outdoor festival, will talk about how it was made, the response when it was shown at overseas film festivals such as Venice and Toronto, and how it is his culmination. He also spoke about his thoughts on this film, which he considers to be the culmination of his career.

Q: Why did you choose "rock" for the performances of Inuoh, a deformed child born to a sarugaku troupe, and Tomogyo, a biwa player who was blinded by a Heike curse?

Yuasa: If we only follow the historical evidence, there is not much information available at the time. But in reality, there must have been many people engaged in various activities, and I thought it would be better to have more diversity in order to depict the story of those who were lost.

We thought it would be interesting to have music that would involve everyone. I thought it would be better if the music was something that would surprise people, rather than something that would make them say, "Wow, I didn't know this kind of music was popular. In such a case, powerful rock music is good. Rock music has a sense of passion, of appealing to the heat of the moment, and I thought rock music would be a force that would help the Dog Kings incite everyone to action. I thought that rock's strong image of rising from the bottom to the top would match the story.

Q: Why did you choose Avu-chan as the Dog King and Mirai Moriyama as Tomogyo, and what was your impression of their performances?

Yuasa: When their names came up as suggestions, we had not yet established the characters and could not decide whether they were a good fit or not. However, when I felt that I wanted to directly incorporate the power of these two straight-thinking, expressive people living in the present into the work, I came to the conclusion that there was no better choice for a story about "two such energetic expressive people who once upon a time were. By moving closer to Avu and Moriyama, it became easier to understand the direction of the characters, which I had not been able to decide on. The presence of the two live performers gave the characters a sense of presence. As for the voices, I asked them to perform as they wanted, and only corrected the parts that I felt were different. As for the singing, they were both really good, so I had little to say.

I heard that Moriyama-san was practicing his biwa (Japanese lute) in preparation for the recording.

Yuasa: In order to concentrate on my voice, I didn't play the biwa in the film, but the teacher who was teaching me said, "You play it very well" (laughs). (Laughs) I was surprised that they would go that far in preparing me for a role, but I was grateful. I think there is a difference in expression between singing without playing and singing with the ability to play. I didn't order them to "learn to play the biwa! I don't order them to "learn to play the biwa," but I feel that it leads to a good expression.

Inuoh and Tomogyo. I imagine there was a lot of detailed direction in creating the energetic characters.

Yuasa: They came up with the characters themselves, and I think the sound director, Kimura, did a good job of drawing them out, but I think the power of what the two originally had was significant. I felt that their personalities, or rather, their straightforwardness in expressing themselves, worked on the characters and gave them a core. I got the impression that both Avu-chan and Mr. Moriyama were very honest in their expressions, just like Inu-oh and Tomogyo.

Q: This film was well received at overseas film festivals such as Venice and Toronto. Were there any impressive reactions?

Yuasa: I felt that many people took it rather politically. They saw him as an artist who was crushed by politics. I am sure that this aspect exists, but I think that in Japan, people see something more in the inner life of the characters. It is more emotional. But in general, I don't think the reactions overseas and in Japan are that different. I felt that the audience watched the film warmly, partly because I was unable to speak due to the Corona disaster (laughs). I think the film is originally intended to be enjoyed more noisily and is suitable for supportive screenings.

The expression "rock opera" came from the Venice film festival side in the introduction of the film. I like it because it is a catchy word.

Q: What do you think of the Japanese style of the film? Did you get any reactions to the Japanese taste?

Yuasa: Many people, not only overseas but also in Japan, do not know much about the Nanbokucho dynasty. However, this film is simply about two young men who rise to power, so I think it would have been equally well received in any country. The good thing is that the film was shown with subtitles, so I think people were able to watch the film with a complete understanding of the lyrics. I wanted people to hear the lyrics as well, not just "Hey, there's some cool music playing." There are parts of the film that are driven by the lyrics, which is why it is a musical. Without subtitles, it could have looked like a movie that was just a bunch of songs.

Q: The story made me want to learn more about the period from the Nanbokucho (Northern and Southern Dynasties) to the Muromachi Period, when Inuoh and Tomogi were living.

Yuasa That's how you get hooked on historical dramas. If you make a work, you learn something about that period, but you don't know much about the connections with other periods. But as the number of periods I am involved in increases, the history becomes more and more connected, and I can gradually see the flow of the period.

It was also interesting to see that the rules of dress and gestures differed slightly from period to period. But this time, the mob scene in the town was very difficult. It has been said in the anime world for a long time that "each mob must have its own story," but at the time, I just kind of went along with it and thought, "Hmmm. But that was only because it was a modern drama, and I realized that in a period drama, "each person needs to have a story.

The only people who were casually walking around town in the daytime were rich young men who didn't have to work. ......

I have the impression that people in those days were out running errands.

Yuasa That's right. They were all in the middle of carrying something, or in the middle of working, or they were selling something from far away. A great samurai would always have an escort, and would not be alone. Once I started thinking about that, it was very difficult to draw the scene where they pass by the bridge. Clothing also has a TPO, and you can see many things by the way it is worn. In animation, I tend to draw clothes that are tight-fitting to the skin. It is easier to draw that way, and if you draw thickly, you can move the silhouette alone. If she is wearing a loose, soft kimono, the arms move first and the sleeves sway later. In Edo period paintings, only elegant wives wore their kimonos with the collars tightly closed up to the neck, while common people wore their kimonos with the collars wide open, and working people did not seem to mind if their breasts were bare in front of their relatives. The mob scene was the most difficult. Then there were the dance scenes (laughs).

I wanted to watch the film while imagining the settings of each person.

Yuasa: Cloth was also very precious in those days, so we had to shorten sleeves for different levels of the society and not wear too many layers of clothes.

Q: Please tell us about any period or story that sparked your interest in historical dramas and made you want to depict it.

Yuasa: My interest in historical dramas keeps growing. It is fun to add new characters in the same period, and it would be interesting to depict unexpected aspects. For example, I saw a special program on TV the other day and found Minamoto no Yoshitsune to be a really interesting character. I could see different information and aspects from what I knew about him, such as his image of Ushiwakamaru, how he was active but was killed by his brother, and his strategies. It was very interesting to see the connection with what I had thought and to see new interesting aspects.

A: There are many different theories, so it is also interesting to be able to draw various perspectives and aspects of history, isn't it?

Yuasa: That's right. Some say that Taira no Kiyomori was not such a simpleton, or that his son was even more mischievous. It is interesting that you can rewrite various types of characters like the Ako Ronin, and it would be great if you can create a portrait of a person that fits your own personality in accordance with historical facts.

Q: This is the second film set in Kyoto, following "Shijohan Shinwa Taikei" and the movie "Yoru wa Tanshi Arukkeyo Otome". What do you find attractive about Kyoto?

Yuasa: I feel like there are still traces of the past. There are plenty of cafes and the food is delicious. I found a delicious udon shop when I was there the other day. There are also many delicious curry stores and bakeries, and many stores that originated in the area. From the outside, it gives the impression of a livable town. It is also nice that the Kamo River runs through the middle of the city. It's a place where you can take a breather, and I like the fact that the area is easy to find. I can also get around the center of the city by bicycle. I have always wanted to live in Kyoto someday. I am also interested in Kurama and Uji.

Q: I get the feeling that there is a story lurking in the area.

Yuasa: There is that kind of atmosphere, and I like that the lights are dark at night. It doesn't shine too much light, so it looks as if there is something in the dark. ...... There is a nostalgic feeling, and I think it's good that even though there is light, you can still feel the darkness.

Director Asa himself considers this film to be the "culmination" of his career. Do you have any "special" feelings that you put into the culmination of your work? Did you make the film with a culmination in mind, or did the final product become a culmination?

Yuasa: I feel that it became so as a result of making it. We made some changes, went back to the basics, tried to follow what we had learned up to now, took on challenges without changing, pushed a little too hard (and did our best) in some cases, and were able to take some time because of the Corona disaster. I think we were able to achieve a certain degree of perfection.

Q: Now that you have completed what you consider to be the "culmination" of your work, do you have any new ideas for future works you would like to create? I think you have already started work on your next project, but could you tell us about your future plans?

Yuasa: I am interested in various types of works, such as stories about everyday life, beautiful or ugly things, and manga and novels based on ....... I think it would be interesting to animate old movies in a modern style. I think it would be possible to show works that have been frozen because of the changing times, but reworked into a form that can be enjoyed in this day and age. I would also like to keep challenging myself with works that are difficult to visualize.

(Interview and text by Shinobu Tanaka)

Film Information
The King of Dogs

May 28 (Sat.), 2010 (National Roadshow)

＜Cast and Staff

Voice Cast: Avu-chan (Queen Bee), Mirai Moriyama, Tasuku Emoto, Kenjiro Tsuda, Yutaka Matsushige

Original story: "The Tale of the Heike - Inuoh no maki" by Hideo Furukawa, published by Kawade Bunko

Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Screenplay: Akiko Nogi
Character Planning: Taiyo Matsumoto
Music: Otomo Yoshihide

Animation Production: Science SARU
Music: Otomo Yoshihide ・Distribution: Aniplex, Asmik Ace

(c)2021 "INU-OH" Film Partners