"Rurouni Kenshin Final Chapter The Beginning" Director Keishi Otomo What is necessary in manufacturing is an awareness of details [Director's Interview Vol.120]

Everyone should advocate for the necessity of movie theaters.

Q: I feel that the importance of movie theaters has become even more important now that the issue surrounding movie theaters being requested to close following the declaration of a state of emergency has arisen.

Otomo: Really. I feel that this incident has brought into sharp focus the problems that Japan faces. If you look around the world, there is a solid foundation for preserving the culture of film, but in Japan, we only see film as a ``show'', which is why things like this happen. The problems with bureaucracy that director Akira Kurosawa described in Ikiru (1952) still remain unimproved. It's a movie from 69 years ago. I actually contacted the Tokyo metropolitan government office and cultural promotion offices, but the response was no different from what I saw in that movie.

Q: Director Otomo was the first to act as a filmmaker when requests for closure were made, and he has also made comments on Twitter and elsewhere.

Otomo: When I made my move, I thought that many people would already be speaking out... However, after I had a hearing at the Constitutional Research Commission, I searched for ``request for movie theaters to close'' and found only articles by SAVE THE CINEMA, Zenkoren, and myself. On the contrary, I was surprised.

At the end of the month, I feel like the industry, including the film industry, has finally become a monolith, so I feel like we need to communicate and share more about the need for movie theaters so that similar things don't happen again. . The same goes for mini theaters and theater malls.

However, at the same time, in this situation, I was so happy that I was moved to tears by the fact that our customers, especially those in rural areas, fought together. People say, ``I watched The Final 35 times!'' and ``I watch it once every day.'' They are extremely supportive and are trying to protect the film, and their voices are being heard. I will never forget that voice, and I think I should never forget it as long as I continue to make movies.

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Director/Screenplay: Keishi Otomo

Born in 1966. Born in Iwate Prefecture. The Graduate from Keio University Faculty of Law. Joined NHK in 1990 and directed the TV drama series ``Chura-san'' (2001-2004), ``Hagetaka'' (2007), ``Shirasu Jiro'' (2009), and the taiga drama ``Ryomaden'' (10). He has won numerous awards both domestically and internationally, including the Italian Prize. In 2009, he made his debut as a film director with “Vulture”. Became independent in May 2011, and has worked on the two-part series ``Rurouni Kenshin'' (12), ``Platinum Data'' (13), and ``Rurouni Kenshin Kyoto Inferno Arc/Legend's End'' (14). The ``Rurouni Kenshin'' series has been released in more than 50 countries around the world, and the trilogy has become a huge hit, with cumulative box office revenue exceeding 12.5 billion yen. Since then, he has continued to release popular works such as ``The Top Secret'', ``Museum'' (2016), ``March Comes in Like a Lion Part 1/2'' (17), ``Hyakuman'' (18), and ``Kageura'' (20). Send it out into the world. In 2017, he launched a new joint-stock company with Dentsu called OFFICE Oplus, and is expanding his activities to include video production overseas.

Interview and text: SYO

Born in 1987. After The Graduate from Tokyo Gakugei University, he worked at a film magazine editorial production site and a film information site before becoming a film writer/editor. Works on a wide range of topics including interviews, reviews, columns, event appearances, and recommendation comments. Contributed to ``CINEMORE'', ``Cinema Cafe'', ``Soen'', ``FRIDAY Digital'', ``CREA'', ``BRUTUS'', etc. Twitter「 syocinema 」

“Rurouni Kenshin Final Chapter The Beginning”

Nationwide roadshow on Friday, June 4, 2021

Distribution: Warner Bros. Pictures

©Nobuhiro Watsuki/Shueisha ©2020 Movie “Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter Part I - The Final/The Beginning” Production Committee