The second chapter of the completely new film trilogy "Mononoke the Movie," based on the popular TV anime "Mononoke," which aired on Fuji TV's late-night anime slot "Noitamina" in 2007, "Mononoke the Movie: Chapter 2: Fire Rat," is now in theaters. Chapter 2 is also a "story of parent and child," with a story that focuses on the schemes and conflicts between the families of the Ooku over the succession to the throne. We asked General Director Nakamura Kenji about his thoughts on Chapter 2, "Fire Rat." (This interview contains spoilers for the main story.)
◇When faced with injustice, if you could think with your head instead of your emotions...
The theme of the film trilogy is the "fallacy of composition." The fallacy of composition is an economic term that means that the right answer for an individual does not necessarily coincide with the interests of the entire group. The "Mononoke the Movie" depicts the "Mononoke" that is born from the friction and discrepancy between the individual and the group, set in the Ooku. In the second chapter, the main characters are Fuki Tokita, a self-made court lady of townspeople's origins who is the recipient of the Emperor's favor, and Otomo Botan, the daughter of the Elders of the Council of Elders. Botan and Fuki, who value discipline and balance, clash.
Director Nakamura says that in the second chapter, "Fire Rat," "there is something I want to convey from two perspectives: macro and micro."
"At a macro level, including up to Chapter 3, the optimal answer to make everyone happy is one that will not make individual 1 maximally happy; it will always be an unpleasant answer. What's more, the answer is that it seems incredibly stupid from an individual's perspective; the answers that are actually correct are, "these people don't understand anything" or "maybe everyone in power is stupid." But that's just how the world is. Of course, I'm not saying that everyone has to accept the optimal answer for everyone; we need to work things out between us. It's difficult to find the optimal solution, and it's impossible to satisfy every individual 100%, so we have to find something that's just "good enough."
He explains that when we feel that the world is unreasonable, the concept of "fallacy of composition" can help us perceive things differently.
"If you have the fallacy of composition in the back of your mind, you can think with your head, rather than with your emotions, that 'this unreasonable thing they say might actually be something very important,' and I would like you to create such moments in your life. Having said that, I also say in the drama that you should never throw away what is important to you, so there is no need to throw away your heart either. If you throw away what is important and become one with the whole, you will lose your sense of self. I think many people will become ill or unable to remain healthy as individuals, so I think the world would be a better place if leaders who lead the whole and individuals could talk to each other while being considerate of each other's convenience."
◇No matter how many indelible scars you have, I want you to live
From a micro perspective, she says, "I want everyone to forgive me more." The Fire Rat, who appears in the second chapter, is a ghost born from the passion of the court lady, Saijo Suzu, who had to give up her child in the past due to considerations over the succession of the Ooku. The catchphrase, "What can't you forgive?", is also related to Suzu, who died in a fire shortly after becoming pregnant.
"In terms of the color image of the second chapter, it's grey. The copy is, 'What can't you forgive?', but I want everyone to forgive me more. So no matter how many indelible scars they have on their bodies and hearts, I wish they would live if possible. When I read the script for 'Fire Rat,' the first thing I thought was that I wanted Suzu, who died, to live. However, if Suzu doesn't die, the Mononoke won't appear, so I can't make the story... But even so, I want her to live. So the person I'm most annoyed with is Suzu's father. But he's a character that appears in the story, so even though I'm annoyed with him, I do love him."
Director Nakamura expressed his wish that "I don't want people to give up on themselves." The "Mononoke the Movie," which depicts the inner palace, may be a cheer for us who live in the modern age.
