NINJA & SOLDIER

SYNOPSIS

Nitobe and Sakamoto are friends from childhood who now work at the front desk of a capsule hotel. Nitobe has a particular fondness for philosophy and crustaceans. Sakamoto, meanwhile, is fixated on suicide. The capsule hotel draws a variety of guests, including a Finnish mother who has lost her child, a fugitive woman, and a researcher studying Daphnia. None of their lives ever intersect. Nor do any of the lives out of it for that matter. They exist, but never cross, like cells in a capsule hotel. With crustaceans as leitmotif, the themes of life and death are explored through a fragmentary view of the characters’lives.

SYNOPSIS

Nitobe and Sakamoto are friends from childhood who now work at the front desk of a capsule hotel. Nitobe has a particular fondness for philosophy and crustaceans. Sakamoto, meanwhile, is fixated on suicide. The capsule hotel draws a variety of guests, including a Finnish mother who has lost her child, a fugitive woman, and a researcher studying Daphnia. None of their lives ever intersect. Nor do any of the lives out of it for that matter. They exist, but never cross, like cells in a capsule hotel. With crustaceans as leitmotif, the themes of life and death are explored through a fragmentary view of the characters’lives.

Isamu Hirabayashi was born in 1972 in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. He was born into a family of precious metal craftsmen of three generations as the second of three sons.

Isamu Hirabayashi was born in 1972 in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. He was born into a family of precious metal craftsmen of three generations as the second of three sons.

Isamu Hirabayashi was born in 1972 in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. He was born into a family of precious metal craftsmen of three generations as the second of three sons.

Isamu Hirabayashi was born in 1972 in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. He was born into a family of precious metal craftsmen of three generations as the second of three sons.

Isamu Hirabayashi was born in 1972 in Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture. He was born into a family of precious metal craftsmen of three generations as the second of three sons.

NINJA & SOLDIER

2012 / 10 min

N&S_01.jpg

N&S_001.jpg

SYNOPSIS

Two 8-year old boys are having a conversation. Ken, born in Japan, is dressed in a ninja costume. Nito, born in Congo, Africa, is a child soldier. Nito was forced to kill his own mother, ordered by a soldier. Boys start speaking about "differences" between themselves.

Director's Statement

When one becomes conscious of a difference between others and themselves in a negative way, discrimination begins. This leads to hostility towards each other, progressing into a war which people kill each other. A child soldier problem happening in Congo is not some unrelated issue happening far away in Africa. It is actually a problem about ourselves. I hope this film provides an opportunity for viewers to become aware about child soldiers, to raise its awareness between Japanese people. I wish for teenagers to view this work as well, an age group which interpersonal problem such as bullying can easily turn into a tragedy.

This work was screened at Generation14plus division in the Berlin film festival. Generation14plus is a division for a young generation aged 14 to 17. This film stimulated many questions immediately after its showing there. After Berlin film festival, it has been shown at symposiums sponsored by an NPO that works on social rehabilitation of African ex-child soldiers. Inquiries regarding child soldier and human consciousness of "difference" that manifests this problem were raised during its Q&A session. Also, some have independently organized its viewing as a part of a training program for planning corporate social contribution. All viewers have a common feedback: "I would like more people to see this production".

N&S_003.jpg

N&S_002.jpg

Staff

Director : Isamu Hirabayashi
Produce : Yasuo Fukuro
Drawing & Animation : Isamu Hirabayashi
Photographer : Ani Watanabe
Graphic Artist : Katsuya Terada
Art Director : Ken Murakami
Animation Assistant : Mina Yonezawa
Voice : Reigo Mizoguchi
Voice : Shion Noda
Composer : Takashi Watanabe
Assistant Composer : Kina Kuriwaki
Clarinet Ensemble : Hidenao Aoyama
Clarinet Ensemble : Shizuka Omata
Clarinet Ensemble : Toshiyuki Muranishi
Clarinet Ensemble : Terumichi Aoyama
Sound Design : Keitaro Iijima
Foley : Yu Arisawa
Foley : Momoko Iijima
Sound Studio : Kobe Institute of Computing-College of Computing
Distributor : Tamaki Okamoto (CaRTe bLaNChe)

Film Festival

Berlin International Film Festival Generation 14plus (Germany)
Giffoni Film Festival (Itary)
BUSTER Copenhagen International Film Festival for Children and Youth (Denmark)
Sakhalin International Film Festival (Russia)
Image Forum Festival 2013 (Japan)
Kinder Film Fest Kyoto (Japan)