Shinobu Yaguchi
Filmmaking for me is just like boxing…
I always feel like I’m walking on a tightrope.
Depicting all-boy synchronized swimming in Waterboys (2001) and an all-girl big jazz band in Swing Girls (2004), writer/director Shinobu Yaguchi is now the most eagerly watched filmmaker in Japan. In his latest film, Happy Flight, his gaze is fixed on airplanes. With the eye of Yasujiro Ozu and the wit of Woody Allen, he tackles the upscale comedies that Japanese cinema has longed for. While visiting New York for Happy Flight’s East Coast premiere as part of the ANA “Nippon Eiga” Series, Mr. Yaguchi chatted with Chopsticks NY.
How would you describe Happy Flight?
A super-realistic portrayal of the people who work in the airport but don’t get any of the spotlight. Also, a suspenseful and humorous story.
It’s an ensemble drama, indeed. Why did you choose this style instead of letting one hero solve the problem?
In real life, there are tons of people involved in flying airplanes. It’s a mission no single superhero can accomplish, one that can only be achieved by all the staff. It’s truly a team effort. So I have multiple heroes in multiple sections to allow the audience to feel this reality throughout the movie.
You used a similar style in your previous movies Waterboys and Swing Girls. Can I say that is the “Yaguchi style”?
I guess so. But Happy Flight is different from those two movies in the way the multiple heroes do not share the same goal in the beginning. Each protagonist values his or her own responsibility over other sections’ responsibilities. Their ultimate goal, however, is the same: to fly airplanes safely and on time. Paradoxically, though, the more they use their own expertise to achieve this goal, the more they cause conflict. This is what I emphasized in the movie.
Aviation films are a popular genre in Hollywood. Have you seen a lot of those movies for reference?
Sure, I have. I do love Hollywood-made aviation films, but I’ve watched them too much and have come to notice misleading elements. In a scene that takes place in a cockpit, for example, you see a lot of switches and levers, and if a pilot lifts a flap lever, the flap should go up. But a lot of movies I’ve seen do not show what would happen if one of the switches is turned on–not only that, some show the wrong result. Such misrepresentation might deteriorate the reality and tension of the movie and even result in losing the attention of aviation-savvy audiences. So in Happy Flight, I simulate the aeronautical cause-and-effect actions as accurately as possible to satisfy experts in the aviation industry as well as to entertain the regular audience. Another important aspect of this movie is that there’s no villain.
That’s true. Is the villain a bird, maybe?
Well, the bird itself did not have malicious intentions, actually….
You often choose the young generation as your subject matter. Would you share some of your thoughts about the current youth culture in Japan?
Hmm… keitai (cell phones) and email are embedded in their lives too much, and they are obsessed with checking and exchanging the latest information by keitai and email. They cannot live without keitai anymore. That’s how I feel about the young generation. I don’t have any intention of criticizing that, but I did not use keitai as a driving tool of the story in Waterboys, Swing Girls, or Happy Flight.
That’s unusual in recent Japanese movies, I believe.
To tell the truth, keitai are not cinematic.
I agree. It’s less dynamic.
Get the f__k out of here! [Pretends to yell with rage and slam down the phone.] This action can’t be done if the actor is talking on a keitai. It’s just click and flip. [Demonstrates the action of pressing a button and folding the cell phone.]
That’s so lame. [laughs] You also direct J-Horror, which is quite a common genre in the U.S. What do you see as the current situation of J-Horror in Japan?
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this, but… the fact is it’s ending.
Oops. So what’s hot now?
Well, I notice a lot of jidai-geki (period pieces) are being produced these days. They are not conventional, grand types of jidai-geki, but contemporary ones directed by young filmmakers and targeted at the younger generation.
Such as?
Such as a female version of Zatoichi.* It’s called ICHI and is in theaters now in Japan. The legendary hero is played by Haruka Ayase, who is actually one of the main actors of Happy Flight. So, I think pop jidai-geki is “in” these days.
Suppose you got a $100 million budget–what kind of movie would you like to make?
I’d make movies just like the ones I have made.
Then you’d have a huge amount left over. What would you do with it?
It would be carried over to the next movie.
What if you got an offer to cast Brad Pitt?
I cannot write a script for a specific actor, so I would turn down the offer.
So you write scripts based on what you are concerned about at the time?
Yes.
What are you concerned about these days?
The success of Happy Flight!
Oh, does that occupy your mind so much that it keeps you from thinking about the next step?
It’s more than that. If this movie isn’t successful, I won’t be able to get my next job offer. Filmmaking for me is just like boxing.
You are in a cliff-hanging situation, aren’t you? [laughs]
Always! I feel like I’m walking on a tightrope.
This is the last question. Please pick a place in Japan you recommend for Chopsticks NY readers.
Shrines and temples sound too common. Hmm. . . . How about walking by the river? That’s my only hobby, so I can’t think of any other good suggestions. . . . Or visit Haneda Airport or Narita Airport after watching Happy Flight! Since many airport employees wear the same uniforms that you’ve just seen in the film, you can re-experience the joy of Happy Flight.
———– Interview by Noriko Komura
Shinobu Yaguchi Born in Kanagawa. He started making 8mm films when he entered Tokyo Zokei University. Once his commercial directorial debut Hadashi no Pikunikku was released in 1993, Mr. Yaguchi’s unique sense of humor became a signature of his films. After the smash hit Waterboys, which dealt with the establishment of an all-male synchronized swimming team, he has continued to create commercially successful films. Along with filmmaking, Mr. Yaguchi writes stories for manga series and directs TV dramas. His other works include Himitsu no Hanazono (1997), Adrenaline Drive (1999), Swing Girls (2004), and Tokyo Rhapsody (2007).
HAPPY FLIGHT
One ordinary day at Haneda Airport, international flight NH1980 is about to take off for Honolulu. Businessmen, families, honeymooners, kids, pilots, cabin attendants, ground staff, controllers—everybody is wishing for a happy flight. Contrary to their wishes, something unfortunate (with one-in-a million probability) happens during the flight. Who will fix the problem, and how? Will they survive?
Written and directed by Shinobu Yaguchi
Cast: Seiichi Tanabe, Haruka Ayase, Saburo Tokito,
Shinobu Terajima, Kazue Fukiishi, Tomoko Tabata,
Ittoku Kishibe
B-kyu Gourmet 
