THE COLORFUL AND ECCENTRIC WORLD OF ANIME DIRECTOR MASAAKI YUASA
The vast medium that is anime has been around for quite a while — around 100 years to be clear. Over time, anime has birthed many legendary creatives and has gained cult-like popularity not only in Japan but also overseas.
When talking about it, one often hears these names thrown around: Satoshi Kon, the man behind perplexing stories like Perfect Blue [1997] and the heartwarming Millennium Actress [2001], and Mamoru Oshii, the mind-bending director behind cyberpunk knockout Ghost in the Shell [1995] and the equally astounding Patlabor film series [1989 - 2002]. Lest we forget, Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki is undeniably synonymous to anime, much like Michael Jordan is to Basketball. But there is one who is less talked about, but no less legendary than the names mentioned above. Here, we explore the genius mind and vibrant creations of the one and only Masaaki Yuasa.
Well-known for his unorthodox way of directing, his colorful world is unhinged and frenetic—often shattering notions of anime being trivial and only for children. He does not let traditional limitations of the medium confine him; He just follows the beat of his own drum.
This offbeat style connects more with a niche group of anime lovers, one that loves the bizarre and in some ways, the avant-garde. Do not be intimidated by those heavy adjectives though. Yuasa’s movies and shows are very much catered to everyone—with his viewers fervently waiting for the next release, and the next, and the next. It’s no surprise that he is one of the most celebrated anime directors in this boundless outlet of imagination.
“I originally thought that if I made something I found interesting myself, everyone else would find it interesting too, but I discovered that often wasn’t the case” Yuasa once said. Even with more than three decades of works under his belt, his illustrious career still excites even the most casual of anime fans. Make no mistake, though: There are a handful of viewers that often overlook his filmography because of its unusual qualities. A random person would get discouraged by such things, but it doesn’t faze Yuasa—never stopping him from riding his own wave, and continuing to release projects brimming with charmingly coarse animations and unique visuals.
Yuasa co-founded the animation studio Science SARU in 2013 with producer Eunyoung Choi. It has since gained popularity starting with Food Chain, an episode from the widely acclaimed cartoon Adventure Time. The studio has since moved to feature films such as the outstanding Night Is Short, Walk On Girl [2017], and the award-winning bop-induced Lu Over the Wall [2017].
With less of the gigantic eyes and the kawaii appearance, and more of the exaggerated movements and unusually placed humour amplified by an amazing score, he utilises animation in nonsensical ways, and by God, it works. This is evident in his directorial debut, Mind Game [2004].
Meanwhile, Yuasa’s [alongside Science SARU] adaptation of Go Nagai’s 1972 classic manga, Devilman, spawned a new craze and their own version of the Naruto ninja run. Devilman Crybaby, crafted by his unconventional way of directing, launched on streaming giant Netflix in 2018. With that, he gained an even larger audience.
Yuasa’s body of work is a testament to his constant love for animation, and his passion for pushing its boundaries. Recalling what he said in a Reddit AMA, “I make my animation for the whole world, not necessarily concentrating on the Japanese market only. I make anime that I think is interesting to me. And I will probably not change that idea.”
To get a deeper connection with Yuasa, we share with you some of his best works and show you how the acclaimed director adds even more color to an already colorful medium.
Mind Game [2004]
For most directors, making an experimental film would cross their minds around the middle of their careers, when they’ve done almost everything. Never without his beanie, Masaaki Yuasa is a different case.
Unrestrained, unruly, rowdy, uncontrolled, unbridled, bonkers, unconventional, rampant, untamed, free, chaotic—any of these words are appropriate to describe this unpredictable and hypnotizing trip of a movie. What’s a directorial debut if it isn’t half as wild as that, right?
Now considered a cult classic, this hodgepodge story about human-eating whales a la Pinocchio and finding your... oh what the hell, this isn’t that. There’s no real explanation to what this is. It’s just a fun, roller coaster ride of a movie about Nishi running away from the Yakuza, debauchery, and yes, finding himself. Inside a whale. With Myon, his childhood crush. And Yan, Myon’s sister. And an old man who’s been trapped inside the whale since God knows when. With amazing visuals to boot.
A thousand and one questions later, we find Nishi and Myon alone together. One thing leads to another and then another and ultimately, to a love scene so strange that I need to stop here because to say more would end up in spoilers galore. One has to watch it to fully appreciate that dreamy scene. Ah yes, intimacy.
It’s no state secret that this movie is a pastiche of animation styles. We recall what Yuasa said during an interview in 2004, "Instead of telling it serious and straight, I went for a look that was a bit wild and patchy. I think that Japanese animation fans today don't necessarily demand something that's so polished. You can throw different styles at them, and they can still usually enjoy it.”
Kaiba [2008]
What would you do if you can transfer and manipulate your memories? What happens if you can remove the bad ones and replace them with pleasant ones? These are the possibilities turned into reality in the world of Kaiba.
What’s a sci-fi story without transferable memories, a hole in your chest, space travel, and a love that transcends all. Mix that all together, add an atmospherically haunting score, and you get this poignant space opera about a boy who lost his memories and his journey to remember.
One might think that a show with an animation style that is almost reminiscent of Disney cartoons is just another one of those Sunday afternoon shows, but this is Masaaki Yuasa we’re talking about. What might be an anime with a cute exterior is his most serious story to date.
Kaiba is far from perfect, but what makes this such a precious show is that it has heart and an amazing OST. From the opening song to its hair-raising score, every scene just gets amplified and puts viewers on the edge of their seats. Aside from its obvious sci-fi elements and tropes, its social commentary about the gap between the rich and the poor is one you won’t miss; how only the privileged can take part in the body-swapping, while the poor sell their bodies in its most literal sense is flawlessly shown in one of the show’s early episodes.
While it may have its flaws, the show takes the viewer on an emotional roller coaster ride exploring different worlds and meeting new people, all in just 12 episodes. One thing that will surely stay with us is this quote from the show, when a despot takes pride in killing just about anyone: “There’s nothing impressive about being able to kill.”
Ping Pong the Animation [2014]
“Chant these words three times in your mind! The hero appears! The hero appears! The hero appears!” You’d hardly ever hear something like this in sports animes. Instead, you’d hear “Ganbatte!” or “You can do it!” and inspirational speeches from team captains, coaches, and teammates. Ping Pong, however, is not your typical sports anime.
Adapted from Taiyō Matsumoto’s [Tekkonkinkreet, Sunny] 1996 manga of the same name, and what may be Yuasa’s most celebrated work next to The Tatami Galaxy [2010], Ping Pong is a story that is less about the eponymous sport and more about growing up. It’s a mixture of finding yourself, personal growth, and as cheesy as it may sound, learning how to fly with your own wings. In short, it’s the perfect coming-of-age story.
The viewers are introduced to four amazing high schoolers slash ping pong players. Peco, a child-prodigy with a knack for beating players older than him. Smile, a rarely smiling robot of a kid, still in his cocoon, and Peco’s best friend. Kazama, dubbed as the Dragon and Japan’s number one. Then there’s Wenge Kong, who got kicked out of China’s national team and found himself playing in Japan for redemption. For them, ping-pong is a form of escapism, and they find themselves playing one another through the course of the series. It is only in those escapes and their battles with each other that they truly become free.
For the casual anime fan, this may be a departure from what one is usually used to, especially to those who are used to standard animation. What one should know is its coarse animation is what adds to its charm. Animated panel-like layouts straight from the manga, visual cues of humility from wins and losses, and the prominent imagery of wings, organic or not, is ever so present. It may be an acquired taste, but one that really pays off in the end.
Aside from its animation, its OST is to die for as well. It amplifies any scene to a hundred and amps it some more. One track that really pumps you up and makes you want to go all out is Peco’s Theme.
Finally, from first losses to putting down the paddle for good [or so they thought], what this teaches the viewers is that in failure, there is growth; It stimulates it. Some win, some lose, and some become the hero—but in the end, nothing really amounts to anything if you never enjoyed playing.
Night Is Short, Walk On Girl [2017]
Anime movies had an exemplary run during the late 2010s with Makoto Shinkai’s Kimi no na wa. [2016], KyoAni’s Koe no Katachi [2016], Mari Okada’s Maquia [2018], and Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai [2018], to name a few. But there’s one that truly stood out and what might be worthy of being called one of the best anime movies of the late 2010s. Here, we talk about the hilariously phantasmagorical and highly lauded masterpiece that is Night Is Short, Walk On Girl.
Adapted from Tomohiko Morimi’s 2006 novel of the same name with original character designs from Yusuke Nakamura, and what is considered to be the spiritual sequel of the quirky The Tatami Galaxy [2010], Night Is Short is a romance comedy to its core with the added Yuasa flair. The movie is filled with everything you can imagine—drinking, chance meetings and fate, raunchy humor and guerilla plays, phallic symbols, and loose pants. What’s not to love, right?
From the get-go, Night Is Short is about a down-on-his-luck guy known only as Senpai, and his undying crush for the bewitching black-haired Otome. Sugarcoated stalking and calling it fate, this fever dream of an adventure to find a book from her childhood is told from their perspectives, and centers on one frivolous night of drinking around Kyoto.
What most movies with an obscene amount of alcohol show is the aftermath of the wild night, and never what happened during said wild night. This film shows both, but more on the “during” than the “after.” In their separate adventures, they encounter mythological gods, a man who doesn’t want to change his underwear until he again meets his “fated” love, a book fair, a spicy food eating contest, and a bunch of street plays. Everything done with wondrous animations, and dizzying, colourful visuals. Again, what’s not to love?
Aside from the hypnotizing visuals, the topnotch OST, and a theme song by Asian Kung-Fu Generation [who aren’t foreign in the world of anime songs], the movie is just one hell of a trip, which to some is an understatement. Night Is Short is so ambitious, playful, heartwarming, and any positive adjective you can think of. It’s so full of itself—delightfully so. It just works, complete with flamboyance done masterfully by the master Yuasa.
Lu over the Wall [2017]
The last time the Annecy Cristal was awarded to an anime was to Isao Takahata’s Pom Poko back in 1995, a year after its release. A special award was bestowed on Mamoru Hosoda’s The Girl Who Leapt Through Time in 2007. The coveted award would then be given an astonishing 22 years later in 2017, a historical accomplishment, to the bizarrely sweet movie Lu over the Wall.
A warm, fuzzy, and odd tale about songs, mermaids, and that feeling of an endless summer. It seems like the plot of every coming-of-age story that’s ever been told, and it makes one ask why it was deserving of the Cristal from the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Well, we can start with how adorably simple the overall story is. And the movie’s refreshing scenery. And one hell of an OST. That award certainly deserved to go to Lu.
Fairly certain that when it comes to any movie that includes the seaside and mermaids, one can’t stop but compare it to the Disney classic, The Little Mermaid [1989], and Studio Ghibli’s very own Ponyo [2008]. However, what sets this apart from its predecessors, and even more from the countless coming-of-age movies out there are its captivating sceneries and its last song syndrome-inducing OST. Aside from those, the movie’s characters are all just so lovable. From the main characters to the side ones, nobody outshines anybody. Nobody stands out like a sore thumb. They just all complement each other perfectly.
The story takes place in Hinashi town, a small and quaint fishing village that is home to fishermen who are afraid of merfolk, but was once home to both. From there, the viewers get to meet Kai, an introverted boy who produces music with his laptop and uploads it online anonymously. He gets invited to play in SEIREN, a band formed by Ebina Seafood heiress-slash-bassist Yuho and Chief Priest to be-slash-guitarist Kunio after hearing his songs online. They start practicing at the now-defunct amusement park Merfolk Island. As soon as the tune starts playing, the shenanigans begin as well.
We then meet Lu, teal-haired mermaid with an undying love for music and dancing. With each strum of the guitar and each button pressed from the laptop, Lu almost instinctively starts shaking her leg Tex Avery-style, then pirouettes her way to everyone’s hearts. Her unbridled happiness when there’s music playing—infectious. She’s pure, and frankly a pure fun to watch.
A personal favorite from Yuasa’s diverse catalogue, Lu is undoubtedly for everyone—and it’s not just because music is a universal interest. This film uses music to tell a story that is crafted to perfection. Case in point: the climax. In that whole sequence, the song and the visuals blend together in a way that gets to you, give you chills, maybe even find yourself saying “wow” too many times. That climax did wonders for the whole movie. From extraordinarily fun to oddly tearjerking, the final moments of Lu unleashed all kinds of emotions.
What may come as a surprise to some who’s seen most of the director’s over-the-top movies is that he is also good at making charmingly wholesome movies, and Lu perfectly encapsulates it, all the while keeping that classic Yuasa touch. However, looking at his other works, one can see that he reaches a high level of in-your-face and sometimes chaotic style—and Lu may actually be his most subdued.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! [2020]
It’s almost impossible for Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken! to not be on someone’s radar—what with getting hailed as one of the Best TV Shows of 2020 by no less than The New York Times, The New Yorker, Forbes, and Hypebeast to name a few. So what exactly does it have that lifts it to such high regard?
Based on the manga of the same name by Sumito Ōwara, we follow the lives of three high-school girls that are out to make an anime of their own. What lies ahead is a fun adventure, albeit most of it being in their minds, and a heartwarming story about friendship and imagination.
We get introduced to Eizouken’s adorably goofy characters in the form of spunky otaku Asakusa Midori, deadpan-and-beyond Kanamori Sayaka, and talented animator slash amateur model Mizusaki Tsubame. From extemporaneous drawing sessions and daydreaming of robots and space stations, the girls would often lose themselves in the process, while still having the time of their lives. It’s so satisfying to see them do their best to achieve a goal that might seem far-fetched to some.
Teeming with screencap-worthy animations and backgrounds, Eizouken is a feast for the eyes. Anyone who has watched and is watching this can attest to that. The vibrant animations, the wild imaginations, and the contrasting nuances of the girls just make this an enjoyable watch.
Aside from the lovely animation, the soundtrack and score of the show are powerful. It’s impossible to not feel a jolt of energy when that imagination score kicks in. Then the brainstorming ensues—complete with vibrantly contrasting animations and never-ending mumbo jumbos.
Eizouken is drowning in coming-of-age tropes, and I’m all for it. From seemingly unattainable goals to just winging it, and eventually achieving said goal with the help of your friends or with teamwork, the show perfectly captures the highs and lows of youth.
Its slightly different take on slice-of-life is refreshing as well. Loyal fans of the medium and of Yuasa consider this Science SARU adaptation to be a love letter to anime and animation, and they’re right about that, but there’s more to it—it is a warm, familiar hug from an old friend, a cozy memory from childhood, and a beautifully composed love letter to everyone who has dared imagine a life outside of the mundane.
Masaaki Yuasa & Eunyoung Choi
“I don’t think I had a dream as a child. I just wanted to live a slow life by eating good food, and maybe own a bookstore and read manga all day long.” Echoing what Yuasa has said, the news of his retirement from Science SARU still came as a surprise. He took to Twitter last year to make his announcement—through a heartfelt thread—that he will be stepping down as president and representative director of the animation studio he co-founded. He explained that he had been working nonstop for seven years [living a slow life was nowhere to be found] and would like to take a much needed break before his next work. The lovely Eunyoung Choi, his frequent collaborator, has taken over the helm as CEO.
Whatever comes next and whenever that may be, everyone is looking forward to your return, Yuasa-san.
Last but not the least, Kick-Heart [2013]’s success with crowdfunding is cited to be what helped open doors for creators to do more crowdfunded projects with no compromise in their creative freedom. It comes to no surprise that this, the first ever successfully crowdfunded anime, came from Masaaki Yuasa.
With that, we leave you with this foxy short about masochistic wrestlers, love, and nuns in disguise.
About the author:
Josh Morente wears t-shirts two sizes larger, worships Masaaki Yuasa and Red Velvet, dresses up every now and then, loves places that are further than the universe, and occasionally writes through Instagram stories.
