Sakyo Komatsu is a landlord in the japanese science fiction world, which celebrated the 10th anniversary of his death and the 90th anniversary of his birth. The TV drama "Sinking Japan - People of Hope", based on one of his masterpieces" "Sinking Japan", is currently airing every Sunday night at TBS's Sunday theater from 9pm. This work, which is a large arrangement from the original work featuring researchers who are involved in the seabed survey as the main characters, depicts the struggles of the Ministry of the Environment bureaucrats played by Shun Oguri, and the question of what humans can do in the face of the natural phenomenon of earthquakes is depicted emotionally. Episode 6, which will be broadcast today, will begin with a story about recovery from the unprecedented disaster of the sinking of the Kanto region.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Japanese science fiction giant Komatsu Sakyo and the 90th anniversary of his birth. The TV series "Japan Sunk - Man of Hope-" based on one of his masterpieces, "The Sinking of Japan", is currently airing at the NIS Theater (every Sunday at 21:00). The novel revolves around marine geology researchers, and the TV series is based on the original work, with the struggle of the ministry official of the environment played by Oguri Asuna as the main line, delicately portraying people's crisis feelings in the face of natural disasters such as earthquakes. Starting with episode 6, which airs on November 21, the show will move into the second chapter to tell the story of the protagonists who rescued the crisis after the sinking of Tokyo.
The original novel of "Sinking Japan" was published in 1973. In that very year, when it was made into a film by Shiro Moritani and Akiyoshi Nakano, it became the number one japanese film of the same year. Since then, reconstructions have been added in every way, such as the TV drama version produced at the same time as the movie version, the 2006 movie version starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and the anime version "Japan Sinking 2020" directed by Masaaki Yuasa. In the meantime, Japan is an earthquake-prone country that has experienced a series of major disasters such as the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake, and the Great East Japan Earthquake. Every time a major disaster comes and "Sinking Japan" is made into an image, it seems that many people are looking for a clue to each future in this work.
The novel The Sinking of Japan was published in 1973. In the same year, it was adapted into a film and put on the screen, directed by Shiro Moriya and with Akiyoshi Nakano as the special effects supervisor, which was the biggest hit at the box office of that year. Since then, major companies have launched a number of film and television animation works based on this story. In 2006, the big movie of the same name, co-produced by the TV station and the film company, was released, and the film starred Tsuyoshi Kusanagi. In 2020, the anime work "Japan Sinks 2020" directed by Masaaki Yuasa was officially launched. Japan is an earthquake-prone country that has suffered many devastating disasters, including the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake, the Niigata Chugoku Earthquake, and the Great East Japan Earthquake. Whenever disaster strikes, whenever "The Sinking of Japan" is re-adapted, I think many people will go to this work to find a future destination.
Unexpectedly, last year, a work by the same Komatsu Sakyo original attracted a lot of attention. It is the blockbuster "Resurrection Day" in the 1980s, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, who is known for his "Battle of The Battle of No Righteousness", who took a megaphone and invited a Hollywood cast. Coupled with the setting of the world view that a new kind of virus is rampant around the world and the cause and effect that this original novel was published in 1964 of the Olympic year, there were many voices that they had foreseen 2020, and a revival screening was held in a hurry.
Last year, a film also adapted from Komatsu Sakyo's book became the focus of public opinion. The film was directed by Shinji Fukasaku, who is well known for his "Battle for No Mercy" series, and specially invited Hollywood superstars to participate in the filming of the 1980s blockbuster film "Resurrection Day". The story is set against the backdrop of a new virus spreading around the world, and the original was released in 1964, coinciding with the fact that Tokyo was hosting the 18th Summer Olympics, and many coincidences were mixed together to make many people think that the work was a prophecy for 2020, and the theater even launched a re-screening of the film.
A new kind of viral weapon was brought out from the Army Bacteria Laboratory in East Germany, and the virus was scattered because of the accident. The story begins with the threat spreading all over the world in an instant. Eventually, 863 people in Antarctica were left behind, and humanity around the world was killed. After that, Yoshizumi, a seismologist at Syowa Station in Antarctica, sensed that further danger was imminent on the earth. It was that a vertical earthquake that hit the United States could trigger a missile retaliation system and bomb antarctica. To save one of the few human predicament, Yoshizumi travels with Carter of the American Corps to ruined Washington.
The Army's Bacteriological Research Institute in East Germany developed a new type of viral weapon, but it was accidentally leaked. The threat quickly spread around the world, and the story of Resurrection Day unfolds. The disaster brought humanity close to extinction, with only 863 expeditions on the Antarctic continent surviving. Subsequently, Yoshizumi, an earthquake researcher at the Antarctic Showa Base, sensed that the Earth was facing an even greater crisis—a major earthquake would strike the United States that would trigger a nuclear missile launch system, and Antarctica would most likely be bombed. In order to save these few surviving humans, Yoshizumi and Carter, members of the American Antarctic expedition, decided to travel together to Washington, D.C., which had long since been reduced to rubble.
Komatsu was born in 1931 and Fukasaku was born in 1930, who spent his boyhoods in the aftermath of world war II. The Day of Resurrection depicts the strong wishes for peace of both, the impermanence and sin of humanity, and the greedy obsession with life that tries to live, centering on the threat of nuclear missiles that have caused the postwar world into great uneasiness. It is surprising by Komatsu's foresight that it can be used in the present day more than half a century after the birth of the original, and 40 years after making it into a movie, and at the same time, it feels like a miracle that is too unfortunate. Simulations of what kind of measures should be taken to the threats that affect human life and death are meaningful only after the time comes, as is the natural disaster depicted in "Sinking Japan".
Born in 1931 and director Fukasaku in 1930, both spent their childhoods in the war-torn Second World War. With the nuclear missile threat as the main story line, "Resurrection Day" shows the two masters' strong desire for peace, the impermanence and sin of human beings, and the attachment to life and attachment to life. More than half a century has passed since the publication of the original book, and the premiere of the film version has been more than 40 years ago, but this work still has practical significance, which is both the embodiment of the writer's foresight and the misfortune and sadness of reality. As described in The Sinking of Japan, how to deal with the threat that affects the survival of mankind can only be reflected when the "threat" arrives.
(Left: Sakyo Komatsu; right: Kinji Fukasaku)
In addition to these two films, several Komatsu films have been made into films that have a scale that breaks the realm of Japanese science fiction films. Espie (74), in which psychics spies confront a group of evil psychics, is a bit of a different species, but "The Loss of the Capital" (87) is interesting as a simulation work to reality as in the previous two works. Suddenly, the "clouds" that appeared completely paralyze the function of Tokyo's capital. In a sense, this may be as close as possible to a situation that could have occurred sufficiently in reality around last year.
In addition to the above two works, Komatsu has a number of novels that have been adapted into film and television works, which are the pinnacle of Japanese science fiction works. E.S.P.Y (1974), an offbeat genre, tells the story of spies with superpowers and groups of evil superpowers. 1987's "The Capital Disappears" is similar to the above two works, which is also a science fiction realism and has a deep connotation. Tokyo was suddenly enveloped by an inexplicable "cloud", causing the capital to completely paralyze its functions. In this way, this coincides with last year's real life again.
Also, don't forget Goodbye Jupiter (84), which is even larger than The Sun of Japan, which depicts the crisis of a country, and "Day of Resurrection", which depicts the crisis on a global scale. Detonate Jupiter to prevent black holes from approaching the solar system. Although it is a very outrageous setting, it is said that the details of the space exploration depicted in the play have influenced reality in no small way. Perhaps the time will come when this work is said to have been "foreseen the present" in the near future.
Another work worth mentioning is a work that is larger than "The Sinking of Japan" and "The Disappearance of the Capital" about a national crisis and "Resurrection Day", which tells about a global crisis, which is "Goodbye, Jupiter" (1984), which sets the stage for the universe. To prevent black holes from approaching the solar system, humans decided to detonate Jupiter. Although the plot is somewhat far-fetched, the details of the exploration of the universe depicted in the work have more or less inspired the study of reality. Perhaps, the work will also be regarded as a "prophecy of God" in the near future.
At the Kadokawa Film Festival, which is being held from November 19, the "Resurrection Day" introduced above is shown. At the 4K restoration film, which was produced on the 40th anniversary of Kadokawa's film, the vivid images amplify the reality of the story and further enhance the today's character of the film. The film is also being distributed in 4K on the AppleTV app MOVIE WALKER FAVORITE channel, so those who can't visit the film festival can enjoy it at home. It would not be a bad idea to take this opportunity to touch on the komatsu sakyo works that are attracting attention again, and to prepare for "the time" when you do not know when it will come again.
The Kadokawa Film Festival opened on November 19 this year with the just-introduced Resurrection Day. The filmmakers launched a 4K restoration of kadokawa film on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the film, and the clarity of the picture greatly improved the authenticity of the story and made it more realistic. In addition, in order to meet the needs of fans who cannot attend the film festival, the app AppleTV "MOVIE WALKER FAVORITE" channel has also launched a restored version of the film. Take this opportunity to watch Sakyo Komatsu's works that have regained the attention of the current people, and prepare for the "crisis" that may strike again at any time.
This translation is original in Hujiang Japanese and is prohibited from being reproduced without authorization.