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2018.03.20

Thank you!

Written by Mari Okada

It has been one month since Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms opened. I have received many heartfelt messages from people who have seen it on Twitter, in blogs, illustrations, and letters. I am so happy and thankful to see all their reactions every day. There are some who have seen it multiple times, too. Thank you all so much.

The other day I went to see it by myself, at Wald 9.

Sound director Wakabayashi said to me, “you should see it from these seats around here. This is where you can hear the ideal sound.” It was incredible. The voices, the music, the sounds. All the loud and quiet sounds were perfectly balanced, reverberating in my mind.

 

Wakabayashi and everyone on the music team created delicate, subtle, and gripping soundscape. They found the perfect sounds for everything. Ariel crying as a baby was an actual baby, even when he cried out “mama”. Of course, the baby was probably actually saying “manma”, for “food” … Oh, what an instinctive word!

thankyou

Kenji Kawai, who was in charge of the music, was introduced to the project by Wakabayashi. I totally admire Kawai, so I couldn’t believe he agreed to work on it. I was nervous at first, but he is so kind and easily responded to our silly requests. The music was perfect for every scene: sometimes bigger than the scene, sometimes taking a step back… the music brings out lots of emotion in the dramatic pacing.

The greatest thing I realized working with Wakabayashi, Kawai, and everyone on the music team was how flexible they all are.
It’s the same as with anyone in any section, but among people who are called “amazing”, there is no one that is haughty about it. As I worked with them, I started to understand why. Not only are they people of character, but they are always challenging anything before them. They are ambitious, and always uncovering more potential in themselves and the project. They never take the time to rest on their laurels. I really want to be like that.
To mention another movie for a moment, I’m reminded of a monologue I wrote for Ohana in another P.A. WORKS movie Hanasaku Iroha.

“Like the hotel manager taking pride in her work, working her hardest… kind of childlike… forever remembering how I felt at first, never forgetting my original dream… I want to be like that.”

So many on the staff were like Sui Shijima to me!

Even though this is the Maquia production blog, if you’ll allow me to drift off-topic for a bit… In Hanasaku Iroha, there is a ryokan called Fukuya that was modeled after a hotel called Shuhokaku. Shuhokaku closed on March 17th. It was a place full of wonderful memories for everyone who traveled to Yuwaku (hot spring). It’s a place I will never forget. Thank you so much for all the memories! They are my treasure!