Art
Exciting show biz headlines keep popping up this spring.
But these headlines aren’t talking enough about projects made in non-spotlight: The great projects are usually being build as we speak by producers, innovators, and artists getting ready to blow our minds this year.
“Young people are not so familiar with Sumie now. I hope that this animation will make them feel more familiar with it. In recent years, Japanese culture has spread to the world through manga, games, and anime, and I hope that it will also spread through the medium of Sumie through this work. Mr. Hosokawa’s Sumie has the power to surprise the world,” said Hiroshi Takane Producer, Director, and Script Writer of Operation ONI.
Having an extensive background in scriptwriting for major game studios, Hiroshi is debuting his first film as a director.
“This is a fictional story about Japan when there were Samurais.
A war is about to break out between humans and the Empire of Spirits. Mao, the strongest samurai with ONI horns, had been separated from her parents by death and was raised by the tyrannical lord. “
“I think there are many cases in the world where people realize that they are different from other people and feel lonely. I’ve been different since I was a child, and I’ve always lived my life thinking that way. When you find yourself different from others, when you are tormented by loneliness because of that, how should you live? If there are people who are struggling with such questions, I would be happy if this film can help them to look forward and think, “I’m not the only one.”
The mega project invites major artists suited to its size.
Shoh Hosokawa as Sumie art director,
Tomiko Claire, Risa Imayanagi as voice actors and many more talents are shaping the project.
Japan’s folklore is fascinating. I hope that projects like these can introduce more people to the exciting world of oni and other fantastical creatures.
said Tomiko Claire
First of all, I was attracted by the innovation of this project. The idea of making an animated film with Sumie sounds new, but I know that there have been several attempts in Asia already. But I think they were only with strong fantasy elements like fairy tales.
If we succeed in this title, something extraordinary will happen that could turn the world upside down. I thought so excitedly. There was no other way but to say “I want to work with you.” Said Shoh Hosokawa.
Technology
In amidst of all development in the entertainment industry in recent years, there is a keyword buzzing around that has become popular in art, music, gaming, and entertainment. The word is NFT. It may not take too long till we see Operation ONI debuting its NFT projects. According to Masahiro Watanabe, an aspiring entrepreneur who is now looking to provide its own services that cultural unique to Japan,
Because I started my own business after working for a Global company, I am highly aware of this reality that there are many contents from Japan that are highly appreciated in other countries.
I would like to convey those value of Japan that is unique to its own culture to the rest of the world through technology such as NFTs.
“We are focusing on building a business model to provide entertainment (music artists, actors) and professional sports athletes’ contents to the world through NFT. At the same time, we are planning NFT content for Japanese traditional culture including Noh, Kabuki and Ikebana. We have started to approach overseas NFT business development, as the domestic market is shrinking.”
Examples of contents Masahiro is currently working on includes, Photographs and video works expressing the unique character of professional athletes, Providing unreleased sound sources exclusively to fan clubs to expand the fan base of music artists, or if the artist has not yet made his/her major debut, convert his/her support activities into NFT content. Digital images of traditional performing arts of Noh, Kabuki converted to NFT and provided to consumers.
Conclusion- the way forward
How does technology help or hinder? Where are we headed? Art, entertainment, blockchain, NFT, etc. What we can see from these evolutions is that, perhaps, humans want to connect and meet. People want to bond with each other. Maybe we want to express ourselves, feel others, and communicate with each other. And perhaps the barriers that prevent us from doing so are gradually being removed.
According to Psychotherapist Sayo Omura, the human values of moving, laughing, and eating are natural habits that greatly encourage our positive growth.
Perhaps through our creativity, we are effective in the way we share stories and through technology such as NFT deepen our relationships.