World famous for his work on animated series Death Note and The attack of the Titansthe Japanese director and storyboarder Tetsuro Araki signs a feature film for Netflix, bubble. This variation on the story of The little Mermaid, available from Thursday, is breathtaking and proves that the forties is indeed one of the masters who count in anime, Japanese animation.
“This tale inspired me because it allowed me to paint the portrait of a melancholic young man falling in love with an inaccessible girl, a subject that speaks to me”, explains the filmmaker to 20 minutes. In a Tokyo half submerged under water, the young hero gradually lets himself be bewitched by a mysterious teenager who is as gifted as he is in jumping from building to building, braving all the dangers.
” As for The attack of the Titans, we were greatly inspired by parkour , the sporting discipline and its acrobatic techniques, insists the director. We were advised by Zen Shimada, a specialist in these practices in order to reproduce movements in a rugged setting. In order to survive and obtain food, various gangs of teenagers compete in perilous competitions dragging the spectator in their wake. The animation defies gravity by almost giving the impression that the protagonists can fly.
Romanticism, action and destruction
“The real challenge was to mix romanticism and action,” says Tetsuro Araki. It was complicated to arrange intimate passages in the heart of the chase scenes. The characters’ feelings weave their way through the chaos they have to deal with on a daily basis. “I had drawn a mermaid against the backdrop of a city in ruins, remembers the filmmaker and this sketch remained in my memory throughout the production. The suspense that keeps the audience in suspense is tinged with nostalgia in front of these isolated kids forced into a constant struggle in a devastated world. “It’s a pleasure for an animator to destroy everything, laughs the director. There is something very satisfying about it. »
The dazzling mastery of Tetsuro Araki is more evident than ever in bubble. If the director refuses to be considered a “model” for his peers, he admits to having acquired a taste for the feature film format. “It requires more rigor because you have to have everything in mind from the start of the project, which allows better control. We can’t wait for him to do it again in this area, perhaps with the chance to see his spectacular creations broadcast on the big screen one day.