Interview with Fumie Takeuchi, producer of the critically acclaimed movie "The King of Dogs".

The movie "Inuoh," a feature-length animated adaptation of Hideo Furukawa's novel "The Tale of the Heike: Inuoh no Maki" directed by Masaaki Yuasa, is now in theaters to rave reviews. The original work, which is said to be a spin-off of the complete translation of the military classic "The Tale of the Heike," has been revived as a visual work by Japan's top creators.

The film is directed by Masaaki Yuasa of "Yoru wa tanshi arukete yo otome" and "Yawnawareru no uta," with a screenplay by Akiko Nogi of "The Voice of Sin" and "MIU404," character designs by Taiyo Matsumoto of "Ping Pong," and music by Yoshihide Otomo of "Hanabusa yona na koi wo shitatta," all by the splendid team of Hideo Furukawa The Heike Monogatari: The Tale of the Heike, Inu-O no Maki (The Tale of the Dog King)" is adapted into an animated film.

Inuoh," an animated musical film that brings together Japan's top creators, depicts the story of an unknown Muromachi pop star, "Inuoh," with a transformative imagination.

The film has been highly acclaimed as a "rock opera" and has been screened at many international film festivals including Venice, Toronto, and Pusan. We interviewed producer Fumie Takeuchi about the film's response overseas, highlights of the film, and her desire to depict something new based on history.

⇒ Interview with Masaaki Yuasa, director of the film "Inuoh," which opens in theaters on May 28, 2012.

How did you come up with this buddy movie from the Muromachi period, a period rock opera that incorporates classical musical instruments?

Takeuchi: When I was thinking "What would be the best form for Director Yuasa to work on to fill the film with his imagination?", I came across the original story, which was bound by Taiyo Matsumoto. It had an impact on me from the moment I saw it in a bookstore, and when I read it, it was really interesting. I was really interested in it when I read it, and I asked Director Yuasa if he would be interested in having it made into a film.

Noh at that time was enjoyed freely by the common people, and if we were to compare it to today, it would be like us going to a music festival. Inuoh, a Noh performer who is said to have split his popularity in two with Zeami, was a man for whom no works or materials exist, so I suggested that we take the plunge and portray him as a pop star.

ーー How was Director Yuasa's reaction?

Takeuchi: He was very interested in the fact that Mr. Furukawa, the author of the original work, had portrayed a person named Inuoh for whom there was no documentation, rather than just researching the history of that period and portraying him as he was. He told me that if that was the case, we might be able to make an interesting animation.

Q: A number of prominent members are involved in the production of this film. Could you tell us about your impressions of everyone involved in the production process and how they worked? First of all, how did you like the scriptwriter, Akiko Nogi? I often hear that Nogi-san has a very interesting way of creating screenplays.

Takeuchi: She places great importance on the relationships between the characters. What kind of feelings do they have and how do they communicate with each other? I really appreciate the way he carefully and clearly describes the complicated parts of the characters.

Q: What kind of request did you make to Mr. Taiyo Matsumoto for the character drafts?

Takeuchi: Before drawing the character drafts, Mr. Taiyo Matsumoto first drew each scene of the original work and put the story into his own mind, and then he started working on the character drafts. I was impressed by the fact that this was the way to confront the work and characters from the very beginning.

Q: Since this is a musical, I think the music will be a very important element.

Takeuchi: From the time Mr. Nogi started writing the script, I consulted with Otomo-san, the musician. There are many different ways of perceiving a musical animation about pop stars, and in the course of discussing our images, Otomo-san asked Director Yuasa to draw the pictures first. Director Yuasa drew the storyboards without music. Otomo-san then created the music based on the storyboards. What surprised me was that Director Yuasa drew a storyboard without music, but with choreography written in and audible sounds, and that Mr. Otomo created music that perfectly matched the storyboard during filming. There were many moments in this film when I saw the skill of the gods.

Q: So you added the performances of Avu-chan from "Queen Bee" and Mirai Moriyama to the efforts of the top creators in another dimension.

Takeuchi: Av-chan had voice acting experience with "Devilman Crybaby," but this time she played the main role of speaking and singing. She had practiced and prepared so much for the recording that she herself called it "devil's training. Director Yuasa told her what he wanted to do in each scene, and Avu-chan replaced the lyrics with Inu-Oh's words, so I have the impression that she did a lot of work on the lyrics and singing.

I had told Mr. Moriyama that there would be no biwa playing scene, only voice acting, but at the first meeting with the director, Mr. Otomo and Mr. Goto, he asked, "Can I practice biwa?" I was very happy to hear that. About six months before the voice recording, she practiced her biwa and was ready to play it, so she participated in the recording. The director and biwa supervisor, Mr. Goto, said, "Why don't you play the biwa in the film? The director and Mr. Goto, who supervised the biwa, said, "Why don't you play the biwa in the film?

Q: This film was well received at overseas film festivals such as Venice and Toronto. How was the reaction overseas?

Takeuchi: To be honest, while making subtitles, I was worried about how much of the Japanese culture and history would be conveyed to the audience without any information. However, when I heard the feedback from the local audience, I was surprised to learn that what I wanted to convey could be conveyed even if they were not familiar with the history of Japan. At the Venice International Film Festival, it was first introduced as a "rock opera," and I thought, "I see. Now we officially use that expression (laughs).

You also worked on the animated TV series "The Tale of the Heike". Do you feel that you were able to take on a new challenge?

Takeuchi: I feel that I have created something new as a result of my work. I think that the original story by Mr. Furukawa was a big part of both of our works. The original story of "Inuoh" is written in letters, but you can hear the sounds, and "The Tale of the Heike" is a modern translation, but it is not just a translation to convey the meaning of the letters. The "Tale of the Heike" is a modern translation, but it does not only convey the meaning of the text. There is the presence of the biwa master who was speaking. As for "Inu-Ou," you have a wonderful point of view. The fact that someone like Mr. Furukawa drew a story from the few pieces of information that remained after the story was told is in itself new.

When I started this project, before I read Mr. Furukawa's "The Tale of the Heike," I had the impression that it was just another classic book. But Mr. Furukawa's translation into modern Japanese made me realize that this is a story that has been passed down by people, and that there are stories told by multiple people in various forms, and that the mixture of information is finally put into writing. I feel that presenting this to the present time has led to challenge and discovery.

Q: You left the sound as text, and now you are turning the text back into sound and images.

Takeuchi: I had the sense that I was decompressing. I found it interesting to take something that had been compressed and put together into letters and open it up again into sound, using a modern interpretation. The passion of the moment when something new was born in each era, the shock that everyone felt, and how it would be if we were to relive it all over again, were the common thread that ran through both works.

Heike Monogatari" by Fumiko Takano and "The King of Dogs" by Taiyo Matsumoto are currently on display at the Kyoto International Manga Museum (June 27). Since both works are set in Kyoto, please tell us about your thoughts on Kyoto and the attractions you feel there.

Takeuchi: "Yonjohan Shinwa Taikei" was my first work set in Kyoto. Although it was a contemporary drama, I had a strange sense that it was somehow connected to another place, as if I could feel its history. In the case of "Yonjohan Mythos Taikaikei," it was a work by Tomihiko Morimi, who can go back and forth in time and space (laughs).

ーーThe story of Inuoh and Tomogyo makes me want to know more about the time period in which they lived. What are your thoughts on the Muromachi period and historical dramas?　Also, is there any period (story) that you are personally interested in depicting in the future?

Takeuchi: I think it would be interesting to depict something that still exists today, but is different from our own impressions. For example, Kawachi Ondo is now seen as part of a festival where everyone enjoys Bon Odori dancing together and enjoys it as a day of Hare, but originally it had a sad story in the background. As entertainment, sublimating it into something else and passing it on to the next generation may be for the sake of telling the story, or so that it will not be forgotten. ...... I think there are various reasons, but I think I could be interested in the kind of meaning of preservation.

(Reporting and writing by Shinobu Tanaka)