“Detention” Condenses the essence of The Game, and the possibility of adaptation beyond media

Enjoy the depth of adaptation

Currently, there are four different versions of "Detention" available in Japan: The Game"Detention", the film "Detention", the drama " Detention ", and the novelization " Detention: Shadow Collection ". (The novelization "Detention: Nightmare Continues" was released in Taiwan in 2017, but unfortunately it has not yet been translated into Japanese.) What they all have in common is that they are all based on the story of a female student named Fan Leixin, and that they are all based on the historical background introduced in the first half of this article.

While all four of these works basically have the same story, each has a completely different quality. The tranquil and truly terrifying The Game version that was the starting point of it all. The film version condenses its essence and elevates it into dynamic entertainment. The TV version adds new layers to the story, making it into a hard-hitting coming-of-age tale. The novelized version takes advantage of the novel medium to delve into the psychology of the characters, enhancing the kind of "unpleasant mystery" feel.

“Detention”ⓒ 1 Production Film Co. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The various media mix works that began with "Detention" not only prove the strength of the original work, but also show the creators' attitude towards adaptation and the story possibilities that can be explored through adaptation. In this article, I have barely mentioned the story of "Detention" so far, but one of its charms is that there is enough to talk about just the excellent approaches of each work. Whether you start with The Game, movie, drama, or novelization, you will surely be able to immerse yourself in the world of "Detention" (personally, I think the movie version is the best choice for those who are not familiar with The Game).

One more thing to note is that "Detention" is a work that pays tribute to its predecessors who depicted the White Terror era. Both Yao Shun-ting, who worked on The Game , and John Su, the director of the film version, acknowledge the influence of " A City of Sadness " (1989) and " A Brighter Summer Day " (1991), which were produced during the Taiwan New Cinema period in the 1980s and 1990s. I hope that this work will encourage you to take another step into Taiwanese history and film.

[References]

Press materials for "Detention"

Chou Wan-Yi, Expanded Edition Illustrated History of Taiwan, translated by Go Ishikawa, Miki Nakanishi, and Hei Nakamura, supervised by Atsutoshi Hamashima, Heibonsha, 2013.

He Yi-lin, “Modern History of Taiwan: Re-memorizing history surrounding the February 28 Incident”, Heibonsha, 2014.

Text: Takatoshi Inagaki

Writer/editor/dramaturg. His writing activities span across fields such as movies, dramas, comics, theater, and art. Contributes to theater programs such as the movies ``Tenet'' and ``Joker,'' edits web media, edits exhibition catalogs, and appears on radio. Major stage works include dramaturg for PARCO's productions of ``Kengyo Yabuhara'', Tristone Entertainment's ``Shoujo Kamen'', prosthetic assistant for Kinoshita Kabuki's ``Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan'', ``Sannin Kichizo'', ``Kanjincho'', and KUNIO's ``Greeks''. ”Literature.

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"Detention"

Friday, July 30th: Nationwide release at TOHO Cinemas Chanter and other theaters

Distributor: Twin Promotional Production: Braintrust

ⓒ 1 Production Film Co. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.