``Shino Cannot Say Her Own Name'' A magic that turns ``uncool'' into ``cool.'' A masterpiece of a unique youth movie

Thoughts put into it by the creators

The original work is the manga of the same name by Shuzo Oshimi, which has been adapted into multiple films, including the movie ` `Sweet Poolside .'' It was published in book form in 2012, and five years later it has been printed 12 times and is still being reprinted. In the afterword of the book, Oshimi reveals that he based his own experience in describing Shino's utterances. On the other hand, the author does not use words to refer to specific disabilities or symptoms in the story, saying, ``I wrote the story with the hope that it would be applicable to everyone.''

The scriptwriter was Shin Adachi, whose ` `100 Yen Love '' won many awards, including the Japan Academy Award for Best Screenplay. According to press materials, Adachi's colors are most evident in "Kikuchi's character." In fact, the scene in which Kikuchi introduces himself and the many episodes in which he plays a flirtatious person to his classmates and annoys them are elements not found in the original work. Adachi made his directorial debut in 2016 with `` 14 no Yoru, '' which he also wrote the screenplay for, and there are some similarities between the characters of the four dull middle school students and Kikuchi, who self-deprecatingly confesses his virginity. Additionally, the sequence in which Shino and Kayo walk through the night town in silence is also original to the movie, but it also recalls a scene from ``14 Nights.''

“Shino Cannot Say Her Own Name” © Shuzo Oshimi/Ota Publishing ©2017 “Shino Cannot Say Her Own Name” Production Committee

This is director Hiroaki Yuasa's first full-length commercial film. However, in 2007, she made her debut in a commercial film with `` Kusama's Whisper: Hyoichigo no Kumi'', a part of the omnibus film ``Shin Onna Takuishi Retsuden'', directed by Mamoru Oshii, and appeared in TV dramas such as `` Wakako Sake ''. He has worked on numerous music videos and short movies for Nogizaka 46 and Nogizaka46, and boasts a career spanning over 10 years as a professional videographer.

The images created by director Yuasa in collaboration with cinematographer Keisuke Imamura ( Grandpa, I'm Dead ) have an effective shallow depth of field, and in some scenes the sense of tunnel vision caused by Shino's nervousness is conveyed. and a dreamy atmosphere reminiscent of the days of youth. There are shots of Shino and Kayo dozing off on the bus seats, fitting together like puzzle pieces, and overhead shots of them curled up like twin fetuses on a boat by the sea, showing the relationship between the two. The film's unique composition, which symbolizes sexuality, is also excellent.

Director Yuasa also repurposed motifs from his independent film ``Mababaki'', such as the opening alarm clock and the long stay at a bus stop with no buses. Whether it was the screenwriter or the director, their intention in adding elements from their own past works to the original work was to make the film more applicable to a wider audience by adding a variety of experiences and perspectives, in other words to increase the universality of the work. As expected, it can be said that this aim has certainly been achieved.