Shopping Guide
 2013, a stage event was held for the animated omnibus film *Short Peace* which will be released on July 20.)
On March 22, at Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF) 2013, a stage event was held for the animated omnibus film Short Peace which will be released on July 20.
Before the event, a long line of press was gathered outside the venue. The event featured a wonderful lineup of directors, including Katsuhiro Otomo, director of the movies Akira and Steam Boy; Hajime Katoki, mecha designer on the Mobile Suit Gundam series; Shuhei Morita, director of the anime Freedom; and Hiroaki Ando, co-director of the anime film Tekkonkinkreet.
Short Peace is an omnibus that is comprised of four short films: “Combustible,” written and directed by Otomo; “Tsukumo,” written and directed by Morita; “Gambo,” directed by Ando with character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, who is famous for his work on Evangelion; and “A Farewell to Arms,” Katoki’s first directorial work which is based on an original manga by Otomo. All four films share a commonality of portraying a changing of the ages in Japan, from past to future. In short, they are all about Japan. From its infancy, it was recommended that the work be broadened to a worldwide audience, sharing with the world points about Japanese people that they themselves find interesting.
Regarding his film “Combustible,” Otomo commented that from the beginning, he intended to make it a short film. He went on to say that what he was especially particular about was that the film not use CG. The fire during the pivotal scene where the city of Edo is engulfed in flames, the different patterns on each kimono, everything was created by hand. He also divulged unknown information about the film, saying that the reaction he got from the film was that it was too short at only being 10 minutes and that he thought about lengthening it by five minutes himself, but from a production standpoint, it didn’t work out.
On directing his first work, which is based on an original manga by Otomo that is highly popular and has a huge fanbase, Katoki commented, “I felt a very heavy responsibility.” On the other hand, he commented, “Because I had such stellar staff, I was able to trust their abilities on all fronts and put my all into making the film,” alluding to the profound talent behind the film.
At end of the event, Otomo responded to a question posed by a reporter, saying, “A plan for a full-length movie is warming up, and I would like it to take shape soon,” which elevated fans’ sense of anticipation even more. With this, the event came to a close.
Short Peace has picked up attention the world over. If you get the chance to see it, definitely capitalize on it. The emotions that the creators put into each film are well worth experiencing.
Short Peace Official Site:
http://shortpeace-movie.com/
© Short Peace Committee
© Katsuhiro Otomo / Mash, Room / Short Peace Committee
