(C)Hand to Mouse. Naoya Kurisu
The 15-minute 3DCG animated short film “Kinuginu no Hanayuki” (Late Morning Snow), based on a story from the Konjaku Monogatarishu (Tales of Times Now Past), will be released at Cine Libre Ikebukuro and other theaters nationwide starting October 7th. Ryuichi Kijima stars as Tokimasa, and Chihiro Ishiguro plays Obama. The trailer has been released.
This short film marks the first directorial work in nine years from Naoya Kurisu, the filmmaker known for his work on Hatsune Miku live performances and the CG recreations of historical costumes for the Tokyo National Museum Theater and Kyoto Gyoen Museum VR Theater. In Heian-era Kyoto, Tokimasa visits a woman’s house he abandoned and witnesses the woman’s corpse remaining undecayed and an eerie light floating around the area. Fearing a curse, Tokimasa seeks out the onmyoji (exorcist) Kamo Tadayuki, but…
(C)Hand to Mouse. Naoya Kurisu
(C)Hand to Mouse. Naoya Kurisu
The trailer includes voiceover footage of Tokimasa promising his future to Obama, and Obama lying on the floor calling out Tokimasa’s name.
Kurisu Naoya
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“Later Morning Snow” (Modern Japanese Version) Theatrical Release Trailer
It has also been announced that a digitally remastered version (50 minutes) of Director Kurisu’s previous work, “Sleeping, My Lovely Child, in the Silence of the Sky,” released in 2016, will be screened at the same time. This sci-fi, human drama, which Director Kurisu handled the animation almost entirely on his own, has received high praise at film festivals and events around the world, including the Stuttgart International Animation Film Festival. The film stars Oreion Fukushima, Kikuko Inoue, Hiroaki Hirata, and the late Atsuko Tanaka.
Director Kurisu’s comment is below. Michihiko Suwa, known as the original producer of “Detective Conan,” also provided a comment on the film.
[Naoya Kurisu (Director/Screenwriter)] Perhaps because of what we learned in school, many people associate the Heian period with imperial literature, such as “The Tale of Genji.” While I certainly agree that “The Tale of Genji” is a wonderful work, I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the typical image of the time, depicting the lives of upper-class aristocrats obsessed with wooing women while living comfortably off the taxes collected from the common people. With this in mind, my first film, “The Literary Master,” depicted a strange tale of love between a “non-aristocratic man and woman”—a Shirabyoshi (traditional dancer) and a cowherd boy—and was gratefully enjoyed by many. After that, I created another of my core interests, a science fiction work (“Sleep, My Beloved Child, in the Sora no Shitone” [Sleeping Sleep]), but throughout the production of that work, I had a strong desire to create another period piece, and this has now come to fruition in the form of “Goasa no Hanayuki” [Later Morning Snow], my first Heian short story in 20 years since my first work. This film is an adaptation of a chapter from “The Tales of Times Now and Then,” one of the classic literary works that features many commoners, and depicts the love affairs of lower-ranking aristocrats in the form of a ghost story. I would be truly delighted if it becomes an opportunity for everyone to experience a different side of the Heian period.
[Suwa Michihiko (Founding Producer of “Detective Conan” / Animation Producer)] The fate of a man who abandons his woman for various reasons, and the all-too-pure heart of the woman who is abandoned. You’re right, both of these are things we don’t see in this day and age. It may seem dark, but it’s truly a pure modern-day fairy tale. The animation and sound are brilliant, capturing the era in great detail. On top of that, it’s overlaid with the energy that the film wants to convey to viewers. It’s a work to cherish.
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