Osamu Dazai's masterpiece becomes a cyberpunk action anime! Interview with Fumitomo Kizaki (Director) and Tow Ubukata (Original Story and Screenplay) for the world-renowned film "HUMAN LOST: Ningen Shikkaku".

HUMAN LOST: Ningen Shikkaku, a dynamic reimagining of Osamu Dazai's immortal masterpiece, will open in theaters on Friday, November 29, 2019.

Fumitomo Kizaki, who directed the film, and Tow Ubukata, who drafted the story and wrote the screenplay, talked about episodes during the production, the original story "Ningen Shikkaku," and their impressions of the cast. We also asked them about their impressions of the cast.

-- How did you feel about the bold setting of turning "Ningen Shikkaku" into a sci-fi, dark hero action film?

Fumitomo Kizaki (Kizaki): I didn't break any rules that shouldn't be broken. For example, of course there are things that Hazura Ohba has hidden, but without Hiiragi Miko and Horiki Masao, he wouldn't be Hazura Ohba at all.

Ubukata Tow (Ubukata): I had already determined the points that I had to keep in mind. As long as we didn't lose those points, I thought we'd be able to get by.

Kizaki: It was a project that had me thinking, "What are you talking about?" But I was determined to give it shape, so I'm relieved that we managed to finish it, even though it was a struggle.

Ubukata: Even though we had an original idea, this was like creating an original work from scratch, and we were trying to go where no one had gone before. It's retro-futuristic, cyberpunk, and biotechnological science fiction, but it's not Resident Evil. I think they did a good job of putting together a project that could have disintegrated in mid-air at any moment. The finished film was a huge explosion of Kizaki-ism, and I think it must have been very difficult for those who were on set (laughs).

-- Could you tell us about your encounters with "Ningen Shikkaku" and your memories of it?

Ubukata: We read it for a school assignment. I don't think of myself as someone who aspired to be a writer after reading Dazai-sensei. But he is a great predecessor in the publishing industry, and what he has cultivated has been passed on to us, and civilization enjoys it.

KISAKI: "Did I ever read about it in a textbook?" I had only a vague recollection of what it was about. When I heard about the film adaptation, I reviewed the story and thought, "Oh, yes, that's right. I remembered that at the end they put him in a mental hospital. It is not a pleasant story, and it depicts the fall of a human being. My impression is that it's positioned as a book that makes you think, "I wonder if this is the kind of person Mr. Dazai was after all.

Ubukata: In Mr. Dazai's defense, he was very mentally stable and calm when he wrote "Ningen Shikkaku". The only thing I'm sure of, though, is that through this work, he explored the darkness. I think that you have accurately delineated the kind of darkness that human beings can fall into in civilized life.

KISAKI: And it's also very relevant today, isn't it?

Ubukata Yes, that's right. In a society where the old values have been shaken, people are frightened by the oppression of the old fatherhood, and in order to overcome that, they actively participate in the fads, and then they become addicted to them, and they are ruined. I believe there are many such people today. I think this is a kind of warning to young people. They should cherish their own self-pity. In fact, they say that it will be the last resort. Unless you have self-pity, you will not notice if you are discriminated against or oppressed. From the very beginning, he says, "I don't want to laugh, but I'm laughing" (laughs). I think I understand, though, because it becomes the first mission for the child to meet the demands of the parents. That's when rebellion begins, and I think the work "HUMAN LOST" sends out the message that this is a very natural thing to do.

-- HUMAN LOST: The Human Disqualification was also screened at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, and the response overseas has been very positive.

KISAKI: The project itself was to "go global! So of course we were conscious of world-class visuals, action, and presentation. On top of that, we also wanted to make sure that it would be accepted in Japan as well.

Ubukata: You're a naturally international person, aren't you, Mr. Kizaki?

Kizaki: From the very beginning, when they approached me, I knew that they had an overseas perspective in mind. From the very beginning, the project itself had overseas in mind. My action-heavy works are popular overseas, so I think that was one of the reasons I was approached.

-- What did you think of the performances of the cast?

Ubukata: I've seen them in various works before, so I was just looking forward to seeing the finished version. When I actually saw the finished product, I was surprised to see that it was even better than I had imagined. Especially the scene in Tokyo Tower with Hazura, played by Mamoru Miyano.

Kizaki: He's an actor, isn't he?

Ubukata: It's such an amazing scene that I wouldn't mind taking out just that part. Also, the villainous character of Horiki, played by Takahiro Sakurai, is great!　If he's not very good, he can eat the main character, can't he?　He really shows off his talent this time as well. It's great because he puts empathy into persuasion. You all have both ability and flexibility. Not only the characters of the work, but the actors themselves already have characters.

-- It's an amazing level of skill to take people who are already established and take them to another level.

Ubukata: How do you achieve such a level of quality?

Kizaki When you do the prescoring, there are no pictures, are there?

Ubukata Do you just ask them to act with boundless enthusiasm?

KIZAKI I think they wanted us to feel something from the scenario.

Ubukata That's how they got that kind of performance, so it's really amazing.

--HUMAN LOST: How do you recommend we enjoy "Human Lost: Human Disqualification"?

KIZAKI: I don't want to say, "This is what this work is about," but I'd like to leave it up to the viewer. It contains the message of Dazai's "Ningen Shikkaku," so I hope you'll enjoy watching it and get a sense of that.

Ubukata: Once you've seen the first 10 minutes, you'll just be drawn in. It's just amazing. It's a work that asks the questions "What should human beings be like? I would like you to tell me how you felt about that through the work.

(Interview and text by Shinobu Tanaka)