When I first heard that Studio Ghibli was going to base its next film on Hisaichi Ishii's "Hohokekyo Tonari no Yamada-kun (My Neighbors the Yamadas)" -- a must-read for millions in the Asahi Shimbun" -- I had my doubts.The best gag manga have a pinch of comic acid that often gets leached away in the transition from the page to the screen, leaving only harmless whimsy.
The reasons are various, top-flight animators would usually rather tackle the weighty themes and technical challenges of SF than animate the childishly drawn characters of a gag manga. The ones who take on the assignment tend to be literal-minded sorts with low budgets and tight production schedules, who think that simple drawings equal simple animation and that family manga equals bland sitcom for the masses. Thus "Sazae-san."
Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, whose directing credits include the incredibly sad "Hotaru no Haka" and the incredibly inventive "Heisei Tanuki Gassen Pompoko," had his own doubts: "Tonari no Yamada-kun" didn't fit the Ghibli image. Also, he knew it would be difficult to string Ishii's strip to feature length.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.