I'm always amazed of how much research you do to create such articles super informative article/s. I only log…
My dear friend, thank you for the comment and for such kind words! I always try to do my best and write such articles which would interest me as a reader. Hope this makes sense.
Yes, older Obayashi, especially from the 1980s, is definitely interesting. I recommend The Exchange Students, Lonely Heart, and Four Sisters.
Can't believe it's been already two months since this article was released and I only read it today. Well, what…
My dear dear friend! Thank you so much reading and for leaving a comment. It is always a pleasure to read your feedback.
I'm so busy at the moment that two months feel like ages to me. I'm all the more happy that I managed to write this article before PhD defence. What is more, I couldn't be more happier to know that you got some new info from my text. This is the greatest reward for me.
Well, Takeshi Kitano is really popular in the West and France, so maybe the same will happen with Obayashi in the future. It all depends on foreign distributors and their willingness to issue Obayashi's films on physical media. I know that back in 2017 he and his wife visited a film festival in Paris and presented Hanagatami. Even some fans came up to him for autographs. Clips from this visit can be found in His Promise documentary.
I hope that you will be able to watch Four Sisters someday, because I would love to hear your thoughts on this particular film.
Thank you again, my dear friend. Your comment really gave me strength for a challenging period.
It only took you a month?! And you still managed to write all of this? That's super impressive. I had to skim…
Yes, indeed. As you can see, a passionate topic drives me forward in my work. It's been a month of watching, reading, and researching on Obayashi. I hope the article will inspire you to check out some of the titles made by this great director.
Thank you in particular for the advice at the end on how to see some of these, as, the last I checked, MDL hasn't…
Thank you for leaving a comment and providing more information about the availability of Obayashi's titles.
I had no idea that the Anti War Trilogy was also digitally released in Northern America. Good to know.
With regard to Labyrinth of Cinema, yes I've been aware of the fact that the film was available on MUBI. In addition, I knew that it was coming off the platform, but I figured it would be pointless for me to cut corners and rush the article so as just to write that the film will be accessible there for a day or two. I hope that MUBI will make more Obayashi's titles available in the future.
Wow, amazing article for an amazing director! It's obvious how much time and effort and love that you've poured…
Thank so much for reading and for leaving a comment kura2ninja :) I'm glad you liked it.
Yes, I really tried to grasp and describe as accurately as possible his filmmaking style. I do hope that Obayashi willl become popular in the West because so many of his movies deserve official releases!
The guy in charge of Third Window recently said in an interview that he is still negotiating a contract with Kadokawa for the release of The Little Girl Who Conquered Time, The Island Closest to Heaven, School in the Crosshairs, and His Motorbike, Her Island, but the titles should be out by Fall this year.
Personally, I hope that other distribution labels already familiar with Obayashi like Criterion or Crescendo House will jump at the trend as well and put out Exchange Students, Four Sisters, Beijing Watermelon, and Lonely Heart on Blu-ray.
I know it is wishful thinking because Japanese studios are hard to work with in terms of licensing, but it is not impossible. I would even write booklets for free if these editions were to happen.
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Yes, older Obayashi, especially from the 1980s, is definitely interesting. I recommend The Exchange Students, Lonely Heart, and Four Sisters.
I'm so busy at the moment that two months feel like ages to me. I'm all the more happy that I managed to write this article before PhD defence. What is more, I couldn't be more happier to know that you got some new info from my text. This is the greatest reward for me.
Well, Takeshi Kitano is really popular in the West and France, so maybe the same will happen with Obayashi in the future. It all depends on foreign distributors and their willingness to issue Obayashi's films on physical media. I know that back in 2017 he and his wife visited a film festival in Paris and presented Hanagatami. Even some fans came up to him for autographs. Clips from this visit can be found in His Promise documentary.
I hope that you will be able to watch Four Sisters someday, because I would love to hear your thoughts on this particular film.
Thank you again, my dear friend. Your comment really gave me strength for a challenging period.
I had no idea that the Anti War Trilogy was also digitally released in Northern America. Good to know.
With regard to Labyrinth of Cinema, yes I've been aware of the fact that the film was available on MUBI. In addition, I knew that it was coming off the platform, but I figured it would be pointless for me to cut corners and rush the article so as just to write that the film will be accessible there for a day or two. I hope that MUBI will make more Obayashi's titles available in the future.
What is more, perhaps some MDL-ers will be interested in this piece of information, which I did not include in the article. That is to say, an academic monograph on Obayashi is currently in development: https://networks.h-net.org/node/14467/discussions/7803378/obayashi-nobuhiko-call-papers
I myself unfortunately missed the call for papers deadline, but I hope I will be able to write a scientific text on Obayashi for some other journal.
Yes, I really tried to grasp and describe as accurately as possible his filmmaking style. I do hope that Obayashi willl become popular in the West because so many of his movies deserve official releases!
The guy in charge of Third Window recently said in an interview that he is still negotiating a contract with Kadokawa for the release of The Little Girl Who Conquered Time, The Island Closest to Heaven, School in the Crosshairs, and His Motorbike, Her Island, but the titles should be out by Fall this year.
Personally, I hope that other distribution labels already familiar with Obayashi like Criterion or Crescendo House will jump at the trend as well and put out Exchange Students, Four Sisters, Beijing Watermelon, and Lonely Heart on Blu-ray.
I know it is wishful thinking because Japanese studios are hard to work with in terms of licensing, but it is not impossible. I would even write booklets for free if these editions were to happen.