Thinking back to ``River's Edge'', the deep relationship between genius manga artist Kyoko Okazaki and movies

Kyoko Okazaki, Godard, and Yasujiro Ozu

Now, from now on, I would like to think not only about the ``film adaptation,'' but also the connection between Kyoko Okazaki and the movie itself. This is because Okazaki's manga is characterized by its abundance of quotations and sampling from various cultures, and it is also filled with movie material.

Of course, he also has an extremely high aesthetic eye and critical ability for movies, and in the 1990s he was in demand as a publicist and opinion leader for new movies. For example, there are many theatrical pamphlets that Okazaki contributed to and appeared in, and for me, my personal favorite is ``My Private Trip: The Limits of Pleasure'' in Gus Van Sant's ` `Drugstore Cowboy '' (released in Japan in 1990). Particularly memorable were the article titled ``JLG's Loneliness,'' a conversation with Takashi Hamasaki (vocalist of FLYING Kids) titled `` Godard's Farewell '' (released in Japan in 1994).

In terms of this connection, Jean-Luc Godard is probably the most prominent of the movie sampling sources in Okazaki's manga.

Although there is a series of short stories with the same title as the 1972 film `` Everything is Fine '' (released in Japan in 1996) (included in the book `` UNTITLED ''), it is the 1989 masterpiece `` Pink '' that is particularly influential. Arrangements of famous phrases used in the narration, such as "The informant informs" and "The liar tells a lie", are also included (Chapter 13, "The Princess Works"). There is also a cover painting (Chapter 19, ``Love and Violence'') that imitates a scene from `` The Pavement Where Women and Men Live '' (1962). Furthermore, the afterword quotes Godard's words, ``All work is prostitution,'' which also ties into the theme of the work as a whole.

“River's Edge” © 2018 “River's Edge” Production Committee/Kyoko Okazaki/Takarajimasha

Yet another important person, Yasujiro Ozu, is perhaps a little surprising. A 1994 short story called ``Otome-chan'' (included in the book ` `End of the World '') depicts a family portrait centered around a daughter in her early 30s who is approached with an offer of marriage, and her taciturn father who has retired. , is depicted in a matter-of-fact manner, making full use of indoor low-angle shots and compositions in which several people stand facing the same direction. In other words, it is a great work that parodies the ``Ozu style'' in manga.

The first episode of ``Everything is fine'' mentioned above is also a home drama that has elements of Ozu. On a more trivial note, in the 1993 masterpiece `` Tokyo Girls Bravo ,'' there is a statement that ``I wanted to see Isuzu Yamada in ``Tokyo Scenery,'' saying, ``I'm done with Tokyo.'' This probably refers to `` Tokyo Twilight '' (1957).

The proper names Godard and Kyoko Okazaki should easily connect images among fans. In particular, early Kodar, who created a highly aesthetic avant-pop style that was closely intertwined with the customs of the times until the 1960s, has a strong affinity with Okazaki, who from the 1980s onward achieved both a similar sense of edginess and fashion. However, when it comes to Ozu, they have more in common at their core. "Tokyo Story" for each era - Ozu and Okazaki, who have captured the daily lives of city dwellers from a cool perspective that mixes resignation and kindness, are like a spiritual father (or rather, grandfather) and daughter. It seems like there is a similar relationship.