Murai Sadayuki is the writer behind some of the most astonishing and groundbreaking anime films of all time, including the Hitchcockian Perfect Blue, Otomo’s Akira follow-up Steamboy, and the reality-blurring Millennium Actress. But he’s not done yet: he continues to write for TV series, including Knights of Sidonia, Godzilla, and Sabikui Bisco.
Conducted at THU via a translator, this podcast sees Chris discover the world of Japanese animated movie-making and storytelling. Murai explains the importance of Godzilla, Ultraman, Akira, and WWII in Japanese culture. He also discusses the back-and-forth between Western and Japanese movie-making, and gives us his thoughts on what it means to be a creative person today.
Links:
0:04:02 Giant lizards and ultra men: What inspired Murai-san
0:08:12 How Japanese entertainment appeals to both kids and adults
0:16:01 The importance of "Akira" and Osamu Tezuka
0:21:19 How Murai-san became a writer
0:23:39 "Perfect Blue," "SteamBoy," and "Millennium Actress"
0:27:12 The stories Murai-san likes to tell
0:29:52 WWII as a source for Japanese story-telling
0:36:55 East and west stories and structures
0:40:43 Why Western takes on Japanese content doesn't work
0:44:26 What it's like to be a creative person today
0:49:13 Are we focused on content or creators?