Forum - View topicInterview: Legendary Anime Screenwriter Mari Okada
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Mhora
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She did great work on The Lost Village. Keep it up!
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FireChick
 Subscriber Posts: 2487 Location: United States |
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Well, I'm definitely buying her autobiography after having read this.
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BodaciousSpacePirate
 Subscriber Posts: 3019 |
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When asked about my personal favorite shows that Mari Okada has worked on, I usually come up with about 4-5 titles, and it's a real testament to her body of work that - even though the interview covered so much ground - it didn't even mention any of those shows.
 I wouldn't be surprised if a good portion of the people who proclaim to dislike Mari Okada's writing actually turned out to like a bunch of stuff that they had no idea she even worked on!
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Shay Guy
 Posts: 2322 |
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You know, I think the only Okada anime I've actually watched is The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, and people talk less about her influence there than Yamamoto's. Though I saw bits and pieces of Toradora in my college anime club.
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MarshalBanana
 Posts: 5511 |
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Didn't you interview her only last year, I remember something about her autobiography eing mentioned.
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Blanchimont
 Posts: 3564 Location: Finland |
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No mention she wrote Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan airing this current season?
That one is slowly shaping up to be one of my Spring favorites ... |
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ANN_Lynzee
ANN Executive Editor
 Posts: 3031 Location: Email for assistance only |
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Kim previously wrote a piece about Okada's work when the autobiography was first released in Japan: http://4NN.cx/.120417 But it wasn't an interview with Okada herself. |
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Jose Cruz
 Posts: 1796 Location: South America |
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She wrote an enormous amount of stuff. So I have the impression that Anohana was among her weakest shows. My favorite from her is Simoun, by far.
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Kougeru
 Posts: 5587 |
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Nice little interview. Can't wait to read her book and see that movie. Outside of Lost Village, I pretty much love everything she's touched.
Jose, ANN says she only did 9 episodes of Simoun. |
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BodaciousSpacePirate
Subscriber Posts: 3019 |
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According to interviews and commentary tracks, Okada started contributing to the show following the first story arc (which is generally considered to be the least interesting third of the show). She and her mentor Junji Nishimura - who also directed the show - worked very closely together to write the show's final two thirds, and one of the two of them are credited for every episode after that point, aside from the one where the sybilla provide air support for an all-male ground infantry unit. |
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Hiroki not Takuya
 Posts: 2670 |
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samuelp
Industry Insider
Posts: 2248 Location: San Antonio, USA |
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Kim conducted the interview in Japanese. This is a translation of it. I should point out though that unlike a lot of interviews, almost nothing at all was cut or changed in it during approvals. It's basically 100% what she said. |
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crosswithyou
 Posts: 2899 Location: California |
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This was a very well-planned, well-written (translated) interview! The questions were engaging and the answers were insightful. Kudos to Kim! I can tell just from this interview that the book must be well-translated too.
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SaitoHajime101
 Posts: 285 |
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After reading the article with the excerpt and reading this interview, I definitely appreciate the fact that Mari Okada reiterates on the collaborative effort it takes to make an anime and her own appreciation for that.
Looking through her history of work, specifically in anime, there were shows that I liked and there were shows that I disliked, that she worked on however it isn't necessarily her fault that the show didn't work for me. There are multiple reasons why some individuals connect to a particular show and some who do, but ultimately to blame her for the failings of a show or movie when she only sat in the writer's chair, is a bit ridiculous to me. I specifically mentioned this mainly due to the mention in the excerpt where she saw a post online wishing she would die. The story of that and the response she received from the staff she worked with at that period of time is amazing on both ends of the positive/negative spectrum. This interview was a treat to read. It feels like she is definitely showing growth and experience that I'm sure she would've struggled with if she was interviewed 10 years ago. |
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we love lain
Posts: 145 |
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@SaitoHajinme101
*but ultimately to blame her for the failings of a show or movie when she only sat in the writer's chair, is a bit ridiculous to me.* I don't see how that it ridiculous. Sure, a large part of the anime community will blame the failings of an anime on whatever prolific name that is attached to it, but that's because a good portion of that populace are either quick to point fingers without doing any research or they don't have the educational background to discern whether it's the writing or directing that is to blame for the underwhelming nature of the show they are consuming. If the show lacks integrity because the writing is not up to snuff and you happen to see this continuous pattern in the writers other works, why would it be ridiculous to blame the writer for the failings of a show that well....sucks because of the writing? For me personally, if i've ever blamed Okada for the reason why i didn't like a show, it's because the writing of the show was weak; who else would i blame for that if that's the inherent problem? If it so happens that her writing elevated the show and its the directing stifling the show from reaching brilliance, then i have no problem pointing fingers at that particular source. I know that there are times where production committees can twists the arms of the creative staff on a show, trust me i know; but when you see a recurring pattern in the person's work, you can't always chock up their flaws to a matter of circumstance. At the end of the day, it all comes down to one's ability to think critically enough to understand what elements are making or breaking a show. If it's the writing; praise or blame the writer. If it's the directing; praise or blame the directing. It doesn't mean you have to disrespect the content creator, but they should be upheld for their flaws. I'm glad Okada wrote this autobiography because it allows anyone who is interested in reading it to understand her better as a literary artist. However, just because I understand her doesn't mean I'm going to go soft on her. |
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