Anime @ Work : Anime scriptwriter Yamanobe Kazuki's Anime and Historical Drama Update - No.16

In this column, animation script writer Kazuki Yamanobe provides information on Japanese animation and period pieces. Today's installment includes remarks on period pieces and productions by the Gekidan Shinkansen Theatrical Troupe which make use of the unique characteristics of period pieces and kabuki.

The Gekidan Shinkansen Troupe, with Hidenori Inoue at the helm and playwright Kazuki Nakashima in charge of production, was established in 1980 for students at Osaka University of Arts. Support for the troupe, which has launched well-known actors such as Aruta Furuta and is known for its large-scale sets and frequent use of hard rock sounds, has presently reached fervor pitch. Repertory numbers such as "Seven Souls in the Skull Castle" (Dokurojo no shichinin) and "Blood Gets in Your Eyes" (Ashurajo no hitomi), which draw considerably on kabuki theater, are called "Inoue Kabuki."
In 2005, a film adaption of "Blood Gets in Your Eyes," directed by Yôjirô Takita and starring Somegorô Ichikawa, was released and distributed nation-wide through the Matsutake Group. The playwright Kazuki Nakashima also participated in the dramatization of the movie remake for "The Hidden Fortress," which was released in 2007.

"The Hidden Fortress," a popular period film directed by Akira Kurosawa, was originally released in 1958. The director of the remake was Shinji Higuchi, who also had a hand in "Lorelei" and "Japan Sinks," This was followed in 2007 with a remake of Akira Kurosawa's period film "Sanjuro."

The trend to remake Japanese films has continued in Japan, although a number of these have actually been small-scale productions. As a result, producers have observed that there was a rush among viewers last year to seek out epic works such as the kind produced by Akira Kurosawa. However, Kazuki Nakashima of the Gekidan Shinkansen Troope felt that he didn't want to simply create a remake of "The Hidden Fortress." Producers of Japanese historical dramas hope to breathe new life into these works. Perhaps overseas fans of period pieces also have the same hopes.


Profile of Yamanobe Kazuki
Scriptwriter
Member of the Writer's Guild of Japan
Representative Director of the scenario production company, Edgeworks

Official site of Edgeworks http://www.edge-works.co.jp