Shopping Guide
The animated movie Saint Young Men has had a good start since it released throughout Japan on May 10. Its theater run is considered to be medium in size, with the movie screening in 75 theaters. However, the movie fought hard and ranked ninth for ticket sales during its opening weekend. Furthermore, it ranked second on Pia Eiga’s overall satisfaction ranking. It seems that viewers’ agreement on this point is connected to its ticket sales.
According to distribution, the secret to the movie’s popularity is its support from young people. During its opening weekend, theaters in Shinjuku, Shibuya, and other metropolitan areas were packed with high school students in their teens, women in their 20s, and young couples. Furthermore, before the movie was released, there were various promotions and tie-up projects held to raise people’s interest in the movie. Based on the movie’s success thus far, these strategies were successful in attracting young people and casual moviegoers.
Anticipation for the movie grew when it was first previewed in theaters. Starting with the “Angels Descend” and “Gods Descend” previews shown during the hugely talked-about movie Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo and continuing on to the “I will become a resident of Tachikawa!” preview shown during One Piece Film Z, previews of Saint Young Men were creatively done to match the movie they were appearing before. This novel idea led to works being spoofed left and right.
The comical and pun-filled story of Saint Young Men follows Jesus, a spendaholic who likes buying new things, and Buddha, a stingy penny-pincher who enjoys making silkscreen T-shirts, as they share an apartment in modern day Tachikawa, Tokyo while experiencing the seasons of Japan during their vacation on Earth.
This long-awaited anime movie also picked up attention for its cast, which includes actor Mirai Moriyama as the voice of Jesus and musician Gen Hoshino as the voice of Buddha.
Saint Young Men Official Site:
http://www.saint023.com/ (Japanese)
Source:
http://animeanime.jp/article/2013/05/15/14046.html (Japanese)
Source article written by Yuji Makkari
© Nakamura Hikaru, Kodansha Ltd. / SYM Production Committee