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Other Films
by Isao Takahata |
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Jarinko Chie (Chie the Brat) is a
movie directed by Takahata in 1981. Based on the very popular
manga by HARUKI Etsumi, it is about a ten year old "the most
unfortunate girl in Japan" Chie, who manages her family
diner while her unemployed Yakuza father and her mother are
separated (this sounds really depressing, but it's actually a
very funny comedy). The story is set in Osaka, which has a
totally different culture from Tokyo. After the success of the
movie, a TV series was made, and Takahata worked as the chief
director.
Availablity (in Japanese)
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Q: What is "Goshu the Cellist"?
"Sero Hiki no Goshu (Goshu the Cellist)"
is a movie directed by Takahata. Based on a story by MIYAZAWA Kenji, one of
the most loved poet/storytellers in Japan (Miyazaki and Takahata
love his works, and have been influenced by him). The movie was
made as an independent project by a Japanese animation studio, OH
Production, and took 6 years to complete. It is rather difficult
to make a Kenji story into a movie (and there are many Japanese
just waiting to rip you apart if you screw up), but
"Goshu" has been highly acclaimed, and considered one
of the best Kenji movies. The story is about a cellist, Goshu,
who becomes a better cellist by interacting with animals who
visit his home every night.
Availability (in Japanese)
Availability (in Spanish)
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Q: What is "Yanagawa Horiwari Monogatari"?
An (almost) live action
documentary movie written and directed by Takahata, and produced
by Miyazaki. This is an independent movie produced by Nibariki
(Miyazaki's personal office), with the copyright revenue from
"Nausicaa". At first, it was supposed to be an
animation film which takes place in the town of Yanagawa.
Miyazaki visited Yanagawa, and was impressed by the beautiful
town with its canals. At that time, after the success of
"Nausicaa", Tokuma wanted to produce another animated
movie (of course, they wanted a "Nausicaa" sequel), and
Miyazaki was looking for a good project. Miyazaki came up with an
idea for a film about high school boys and girls in Yanagawa, and
thought that Takahata, who worked as a producer for
"Nausicaa", should direct such a film. However, when he
visited Yanagawa for research, Takahata came to be more
interested in the history of the town, especially how local
people fought to preserve the canals which have been a part of
the community for a long time, and how they put a great deal of
efforts to clean up the once polluted canals. As a result, it
became a live action documentary, and Miyazaki decided to spend
his own money on it. It took three years for Takahata to complete
this film.
Availability (in Japanese)
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