Tatsumi (film)
Encyclopedia
Tatsumi is a 2011 Singaporean animated drama film directed by Eric Khoo
. It is based on the manga
memoir A Drifting Life
and five earlier short stories by the Japanese manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi
. The film is a Singaporean production with Japanese dialogue, and was animated in Indonesia.
The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
on 17 May 2011. It later made its box office debut in the Singapore box office on 15 September 2011. The film has been selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
at the 84th Academy Awards
.
, as he begins to work as a comics artist in post-war occupied Japan, meets his idol Osamu Tezuka
, and invents the gekiga
genre of Japanese comics for adults. Interweaved with the biographical material are segments based on Tatsumi's short stories "Hell", "Beloved Monkey", "Just a Man", "Good-Bye" and "Occupied".
, who previously exclusively made live-action films but has a past as a comics artist, was first introduced to the works of Yoshihiro Tatsumi
during his military service, and says that he immediately was stricken by the sadness and beauty of the stories. When Tatsumi's 840-page autobiographical manga
, A Drifting Life
, was published in Singapore in 2009, Khoo realised that Tatsumi still was alive and wanted to pay tribute to him. Khoo visited Tatsumi in Japan in October 2009 and received the permission to adapt the work to film. Production was led by Khoo's Singaporean company Zhao Wei Films. The budget of the film corresponded to 800,000 US dollars.
The visual style and storyboards of the film were kept tightly to Tatsumi's original drawings. Khoo said: "You see, Tatsumi loves cinema, and when he created this new movement of comics using strips with real characters, rather than the four-panel manga convention, he produced works that are like storyboards for a film. All we need to do is stretch them out to a widescreen format. And give them multi-planes, like layers, so there is more depth and feel. I also tweaked certain things, changed some of the sequences of the stories, so for the cinema his stories got a new voice."
were sought out specifically, and Tatsumi instructed the actors how to speak the Osaka dialect of the 1950s.
, Indonesia. It involved a team of 25 artists who previously had worked mainly on syndicated television shows.
, the Hollywood Reporter said reviewed that the film "evinces a mood that is unutterably sad, yet indescribably beautiful.", but added that "the sinister and decidedly adult subject matter may scale down its widespread marketability". The reviewer also praised the three music compositions, which she felt "lend the biographical segments a sweetly rueful timbre". The reviewer also said that "the uncompromising, shattering power of the stories, (made) the account of Tatsumi’s life seem less engaging."
Eric Khoo
Eric Khoo is a film director from Singapore. He was introduced to the world of cinema at a very early age. He was educated at United World College of South East Asia before attending City Art Institute in Sydney, Australia where he pursued cinematography...
. It is based on the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
memoir A Drifting Life
A Drifting Life
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. It was released in Japan as two bound volumes on November 20, 2008. It is licensed in North America by Drawn and Quarterly and was released as a wide-ban volume in April 2009...
and five earlier short stories by the Japanese manga artist Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Yoshihiro Tatsumi
is a Japanese manga artist who is widely credited with starting the gekiga style of alternative comics in Japan, having allegedly coined the term in 1957....
. The film is a Singaporean production with Japanese dialogue, and was animated in Indonesia.
The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard
Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...
section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
on 17 May 2011. It later made its box office debut in the Singapore box office on 15 September 2011. The film has been selected as the Singaporean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
at the 84th Academy Awards
84th Academy Awards
The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the best films of 2011 and will take place on February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California. It will be televised in the United States on ABC. The host was originally going to be Eddie Murphy. However, after Brett Ratner resigned as...
.
Plot
The film follows the career of Yoshihiro TatsumiYoshihiro Tatsumi
is a Japanese manga artist who is widely credited with starting the gekiga style of alternative comics in Japan, having allegedly coined the term in 1957....
, as he begins to work as a comics artist in post-war occupied Japan, meets his idol Osamu Tezuka
Osamu Tezuka
was a Japanese cartoonist, manga artist, animator, producer, activist and medical doctor, although he never practiced medicine. Born in Osaka Prefecture, he is best known as the creator of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion and Black Jack...
, and invents the gekiga
Gekiga
is Japanese for "dramatic pictures." The term was coined by Yoshihiro Tatsumi and adopted by other more serious Japanese cartoonists who did not want their trade to be known as manga or "irresponsible pictures." It's akin to Will Eisner who started calling his comics "graphic novels" as opposed...
genre of Japanese comics for adults. Interweaved with the biographical material are segments based on Tatsumi's short stories "Hell", "Beloved Monkey", "Just a Man", "Good-Bye" and "Occupied".
Development
Singaporean director Eric KhooEric Khoo
Eric Khoo is a film director from Singapore. He was introduced to the world of cinema at a very early age. He was educated at United World College of South East Asia before attending City Art Institute in Sydney, Australia where he pursued cinematography...
, who previously exclusively made live-action films but has a past as a comics artist, was first introduced to the works of Yoshihiro Tatsumi
Yoshihiro Tatsumi
is a Japanese manga artist who is widely credited with starting the gekiga style of alternative comics in Japan, having allegedly coined the term in 1957....
during his military service, and says that he immediately was stricken by the sadness and beauty of the stories. When Tatsumi's 840-page autobiographical manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, A Drifting Life
A Drifting Life
is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. It was released in Japan as two bound volumes on November 20, 2008. It is licensed in North America by Drawn and Quarterly and was released as a wide-ban volume in April 2009...
, was published in Singapore in 2009, Khoo realised that Tatsumi still was alive and wanted to pay tribute to him. Khoo visited Tatsumi in Japan in October 2009 and received the permission to adapt the work to film. Production was led by Khoo's Singaporean company Zhao Wei Films. The budget of the film corresponded to 800,000 US dollars.
The visual style and storyboards of the film were kept tightly to Tatsumi's original drawings. Khoo said: "You see, Tatsumi loves cinema, and when he created this new movement of comics using strips with real characters, rather than the four-panel manga convention, he produced works that are like storyboards for a film. All we need to do is stretch them out to a widescreen format. And give them multi-planes, like layers, so there is more depth and feel. I also tweaked certain things, changed some of the sequences of the stories, so for the cinema his stories got a new voice."
Casting and Staff
Tatsumi himself was involved in the project and oversaw details to secure authenticity, as well as provided the narration for the biographical segments. Other prominent voices were performed by the Japanese stage actor Tetsuya Bessho. Minor characters were played by amateurs from Singapore's Japanese minority. People with roots in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
were sought out specifically, and Tatsumi instructed the actors how to speak the Osaka dialect of the 1950s.
Principal Production
Animation work started in March 2010 at Infinate Frameworks Studios in BatamBatam
Batam is an island and city in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, known for its free trade zone area as part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located off Singapore's south coast...
, Indonesia. It involved a team of 25 artists who previously had worked mainly on syndicated television shows.
Music
The theme song of this film was composed by director Eric Khoo's then 13 year old son Christopher. Christopher composed a total of 3 musical compositions for the film.Critical Reception
In a review written at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
, the Hollywood Reporter said reviewed that the film "evinces a mood that is unutterably sad, yet indescribably beautiful.", but added that "the sinister and decidedly adult subject matter may scale down its widespread marketability". The reviewer also praised the three music compositions, which she felt "lend the biographical segments a sweetly rueful timbre". The reviewer also said that "the uncompromising, shattering power of the stories, (made) the account of Tatsumi’s life seem less engaging."
See also
- Cinema of SingaporeCinema of SingaporeDespite having a flourishing Chinese and Malay film industry in the 1950s and 1960s, Singapore's film industry declined after independence in 1965. There were a few films that featured Singaporean actors and were set in Singapore, including Saint Jack and They Call Her Cleopatra Wong...
- History of mangaHistory of mangaThe History of manga is said to originate from scrolls dating back to the 12th century, however whether these scrolls are actually manga is still disputed, though its believed they represent the basis for the right-to-left reading style. Other authors report origins closer to the 18th century...
- List of films based on manga
- List of submissions to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Singaporean submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film