"Barbora" directed by Makoto Tezuka, a film adaptation of his father Osamu Tezuka's unique work focusing on eroticism and pure love [Director's Interview Vol.95]

`` Barbora '' is an extremely unique work among Osamu Tezuka's vast body of work. One day, trendy writer Yosuke Mikura meets Barbora, a dirty girl in the crowds of Shinjuku. Mikura, who begins to live a strange joint life with her, is at the mercy of his own sexual love with a strange creature due to his "abnormal sexual desire". And before he knows it, he becomes obsessed with lust and drives himself to the edge of madness that no one could imagine...

Tezuka's son, Makoto Tezuka, took on the challenge of adapting the original work, which Tezuka himself described as "decadentism and madness." Why did Makoto Tezuka, who is internationally acclaimed as a visualist, choose ``Barbora'' out of his father's numerous works? How did Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikaido bring out the performances of Goro Inagaki and Fumi Nikaido, who built the world of the work with performances that made it seem as if the characters were possessed?

While unraveling the charm of Osamu Tezuka's world of work, we asked him to tell us about the story behind this work.

Index

• The charm of Tezuka's hidden masterpiece "Barbora"
• A movie focused on pure love and eroticism
• "I'll just do it without thinking" Fumi Nikaido's role preparation
• Shooting that makes you think like shogi
• Weaknesses of Japanese films found in overseas editing

The charm of Tezuka's hidden masterpiece "Barbora"

Q: "Barbora" was serialized in "Big Comic" (Shogakukan) from 1973 to 1974. At the time, Osamu Tezuka said,human insect record"or"KikoA number of manga for adults have been published, such as ``. Why did you choose "Barbora" from among them?

Tezuka: First of all, it's not just a manga that depicts a story; it's an interesting way of expression. It feels strange from the beginning, and the picture is distorted in a good way. The buildings don't stand straight, and the drawings are a bit abstract.

Into that world, a homeless, dirty girl known at the time as Futen appears and suddenly starts muttering old French poems. I have no idea which part is reality and which part is fantasy. I really liked the way it made you think that maybe it was all just an illusion.

Other manga for adults are more realistic. In both ``Human Insect Chronicles'' and ``Kiko,'' it wouldn't be surprising if such stories existed in reality, but in comparison, ``Barbora'' is completely fantasy. Moreover, I think it's very romantic because it's a story between a man and a woman.

I think all of Osamu Tezuka's manga are basically romantic. Depending on the work, there are various elements such as putting science and technology at the forefront or setting the story in outer space, but when you boil it down, many of the stories are very romantic. I think "Barbora" is the work that best shows this. It's not one of Tezuka's most well-known works, so I hope people will take this opportunity to read it.

Q: In the original story "Barbora," the main character monologues, saying, "I have an abnormal sexual desire." What do you mean?As I read about it, I found myself almost having sex with Mannequin and dogs, and the world was quite exciting.That's right.

Tezuka: The main character thinks that he has an ``abnormal sexual desire,'' but when you think about it, you realize that's not the case. In other words, it's certainly abnormal if you try to have sex with someone when you know it's a Mannequin. However, if you think it's a human but it turns out to be a Mannequin, it's almost like you're hallucinating.

Q: Although it doesn't appear in the movie, there was a story in the original work where the manuscript of the novel looks like a human woman. You will be amazed by Osamu Tezuka's intense imagination.

Tezuka: I thought of another episode. The main character goes to a car showroom to buy a car. Then, he sees a very beautiful car, and a most beautiful woman is sitting in the passenger seat. So the main character feels a little in love with her, gets into a car, and casually makes advances on the woman, but then suddenly realizes that he was about to have sex with the car (lol).

Q: (laughs) That's director Tezuka's original, right?

Tezuka: Yeah, I thought of it, but I didn't film it.

A movie focused on pure love and eroticism