Producer Toshio Suzuki explains why the film 7/14 hasn’t revealed the plot summary, voice cast yet
Kodoani.com – If you’re wondering why you’ve barely heard of Hayao Miyazaki’s latest feature film, How Do You Live? , despite the fact that it will premiere in Japan next month, Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki revealed the answer in a video interview with Bungeishunjū magazine last Friday. Suzuki commented that he had “completed” the full-blown marketing cycle, implying that neither he nor Hayao Miyazaki had any energy left for it.
“You get tired of doing the same thing over and over. This time we wanted to try something new,” he said.
Suzuki also cited other reasons for giving up marketing. He commented that if audiences wanted to see something, they wouldn’t need to see the trailer to be convinced of it. He mentioned that there are some movies that spoil their stories through the trailers themselves, pointing to a certain Hollywood movie that will be opening in Japan around the same time as How Do You Live?.
So far, the studio has not revealed a plot synopsis or even a voice cast. It revealed only one poster for How Do You Live?. Suzuki commented that, in Ghibli’s entire career in poster making and marketing, this was his first poster that Miyazaki raved about. This also influenced his choice of a minimalist approach to the film: no TV ads, no newspaper ads, nothing. Just this picture.
He emphasized throughout the interview that these are his true feelings and that he truly thinks of the interests of the audience, although he has frankly admitted at many points that his motives it’s self-interest.
During the interview, Suzuki revealed some vague hints about the genre of How Do You Live?. Personally, he thinks the film is very good, although it has very little to do with the story in Genzaburō Yoshin’s 1937 novel of the same name, which Miyazaki apparently drew inspiration from. Suzuki said that Miyazaki first read the story when he was in middle school, and it haunted him for years mainly because of the depth of the title.
Suzuki’s philosophy for marketing has always been nuanced and complex. Former Studio Ghibli president Kiyofumi Nakajima recalled that when asked how Spirited Away became a worldwide hit, Suzuki replied, “Every film director is interested in creating something There’s nothing cool about it. There’s no director who doesn’t think so. However, balancing that desire with a market of interest makes things difficult.At Ghibli, we’re focused on creating a something good first, then hire people who understand the content of the work best handle the marketing.”
Ironically, Nakajima later wrote in his recollection that he discovered that Suzuki was actually a pragmatist who paid close attention to marketing trends and poured 10 billion yen (approx. $71.6 million at current exchange rates) to promote Spirited Away. “What he told me about the unpredictability of the future and you won’t know until you try was a blatant lie,” Nakajima wrote amusedly. However, he notes that Suzuki is the kind of person who works practically to ensure enough money for the writers at Ghibli to achieve true creative freedom.
Suzuki also talked about its approach to funding its films and why the studio ultimately didn’t choose to seek permanent growth. As he puts it, the reason why Ghibli approved the streaming deal with Netflix was mainly to finance the production costs of How Do You Live?. At the time, Suzuki predicted that the film would take years to make.
Miyazaki officially revealed the film in 2017. Suzuki reported in April 2017 that Miyazaki had been drawing the storyboard for the project since July 2016. Miyazaki announced in 2013 that he would be “taking a break from production.” series”, but he later retired to do How Do You Live? .
Kimi-tachi wa Dō Ikiru ka (How Do You Live?) will hit theaters in Japan on July 14.