'Takahata Isao Exhibition - The Man Who Created Japanese Animation' looks back on the career of master director Takahata Isao in chronological order. Ota Hikaru and Iwai Shunji will hold a cross talk at the opening ceremony.
To mark the 90th anniversary of the birth of anime director Isao Takahata, who
Takahata Isao Exhibition - The man who created Japanese animation.
https://www.azabudai-hills.com/azabudaihillsgallery/sp/isaotakahata-ex/
The event will be hosted by freelance announcer Tomoko Takeuchi .
Attending the ceremony were Takahata's wife Kayoko and his eldest son Kosuke. In his speech, Kosuke described Takahata's works as 'visually varied, unique, and not necessarily sweet or refreshing, but they are deep-fruited and still have a timeless brilliance.' He commented on the exhibition, 'The idea was to start during my father's lifetime and to highlight the background to his work, his ideas, and the art that influenced him. With my father's death, this was no longer possible, but it has become a chronological retrospective. It was a surprise and a joy for our family that it is now being held in various parts of the world.'
Also appearing as a special guest was Ota Hikari of the comedy duo Bakusho Mondai, who is known to be a fan of Takahata's work. As soon as he took the stage, Ota shouted 'Help me!', drawing laughter from the assembled press. However, he then switched to a calmer tone, saying 'I made a bit of a mistake,' and went on to talk about Director Takahata and his work.
Ota once had the opportunity to talk with Takahata when he held a screening of 'The King and the Bird,' the film that inspired both Takahata and Miyazaki Hayao to pursue a career in animation, and also visited the studio during the production of 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.' At the time, Ota heard from an animator at the studio that Takahata was very particular about even the smallest details, such as movements, gestures, and blinks, and would even match the animation even if it was 'not necessary to go that far.' Ota realized that Takahata was a very strict person when it came to his work, and also strict with himself.
Also appearing as a guest was Shunji Iwai, a film director and special supporter of the exhibition. Iwai is not actually related to Takahata by blood, but is a distant relative, and when he was deciding to work in the film industry, he met Takahata through a relative's connections, as he was the only one of his relatives who worked in the film industry. When Iwai met Takahata, he was working on the documentary film 'Yanagawa Canal Story,' and Iwai, who had experience making independent films at university, spoke to him for two hours about 'how difficult it is to make something you love.'
He said that he treasured the words he received from Takahata at that time as the only words he had ever received from a senior in the film industry. For example, he wrote the storyboard for the final scene of 'Love Letter' with 'Only Yesterday' in mind.
When asked about her favorite work and scene, Ota prefaced her answer by saying, 'Of course I love Anne of Green Gables,' and chose 'My Neighbors the Yamadas,' as she is a fan of Ishii Hisaichi's work. She went to see the film to see how Studio Ghibli would adapt Ishii's sarcastic work, and was impressed by the clear, uncluttered illustrations, which are not precisely drawn like ink paintings, and how the movements of Kikuchi Baba, played by Miyako Chocho, were exactly what she wanted when she said her lines.
On the other hand, Iwai chose 'The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun.' In real time, Iwai watched this film when he was in kindergarten, but when he saw it at a screening by a club in high school, he was shocked by how well-made it was, and since then, he has watched it from time to time. It also appeared in 'Hana and Alice' for about 10 seconds as a movie that the main characters watch.
Also, because this exhibition marks the 80th anniversary of the end of the war, a lot of effort is being put into showcasing 'Grave of the Fireflies,' so there were questions about Takahata's statement that 'Grave of the Fireflies is not an anti-war film.'
Bakusho Mondai made their debut in 1988, the same year that Grave of the Fireflies was released. Although Ota doesn't remember whether he saw the film in theaters or on TV, he had read the original novel by Nosaka Akiyuki. He noted that Nosaka once had a huge fight with film director Oshima Nagisa, and said he was shocked to find out that the film was based on Nosaka's own experiences.
He then pointed out the vagueness of the words 'anti-war' in relation to Takahata's statement that 'it is not an anti-war film,' and said, 'I feel like Takahata is asking me not to simply confine this work to the words 'anti-war'.'
Iwai also commented that 'There is no film as painful to watch as this one,' and pointed out that 'Takahata must have been asking himself whether depicting the story of two siblings, Seita and Setsuko, was depicting war.' He also commented on the cruel scene in which an unsuspecting station employee throws a can of Sakuma Drops, which is important to Seita and Setsuko, in a baseball pose, saying, 'To others, it's just that. I was impressed by Takahata's characteristic stern and ironic gaze.'
'Takahata Isao Exhibition - The Man Who Created Japanese Animation' will be held at Azabudai Hills Gallery from Friday, June 27, 2025. Tickets cost 2,000 yen for adults, 1,700 yen for college, high school and vocational school students, and 1,400 yen for ages 4 to junior high school students.
◆Outline of the 'Takahata Isao Exhibition - The Man Who Created Japanese Animation'
Date: June 27, 2025 (Friday) to September 15, 2025 (Monday, holiday)
Venue: Azabudai Hills Gallery (5-8-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Azabudai Hills Garden Plaza A, MB floor)
Organized by: Azabudai Hills Gallery, NHK, NHK Promotion
Planning cooperation: Studio Ghibli
Cooperation: Tokuma Memorial Foundation for Animation, Shinchosha
Sponsor: A Factory
Sponsored by: Let's Enjoy Tokyo, TOKYO MX, Embassy of Switzerland in Japan
Related Posts:
