"Twenty-Four Eyes": Reassessing a moving masterpiece

"Twenty-Four Eyes": A moving masterpiece depicting the mental landscape of the Showa era

■Overview of the work

"Twenty-Four Eyes" is a TV special based on the novel of the same name by Tsuboi Sakae, and was broadcast on Fuji TV on October 10, 1980. It is a single episode, 70 minutes long, directed by Yoshida Shigenori and Jissoji Akio. This work, which skillfully depicts the deep human drama of the original novel and the background of the Showa era, touched many viewers.

■ Story

April 1946. A boat was heading for Shodoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea. On board were Oishi Hisako and her son. Oishi began to tell his son the story of when he was first assigned to Shodoshima. It was April 4th, 1928. Having graduated from the normal course of a girls' school, Oishi was assigned to a branch school on the cape as a full-time teacher. Twelve first-year students with 24 sparkling eyes enrolled there. The "female teacher," who wore Western clothes and rode her bicycle to school, was shunned by the islanders, but the students came to support her.

■Cast

Professor Oishi: Chieko Baisho Misako Nishiguchi: Marika Okamoto Masuno: Keiko Toda Matsue Kawamoto: Tamae Shiraishi Sanae Yamaishi: Junko Takamiya Kozuru Kabe: Ako Asano Isokichi Okada: Kiyotaka Mitsugi Narrator: Tomoko Naraoka and others

■ Main staff

Screenplay: Sumie Tanaka Music: Takeo Watanabe Animation Director: Kenji Kodama Art: Noboru Tatsuchi, Masakatsu Ikeya Cinematography: Hajime Hasegawa, Masao Nakahori Assistant Directors: Yuzo Aoki, Zenji Shimomura

■ Theme songs and music

[OP] Song: Love is Shining Eyes / Singer: Baisho Chieko / Lyrics: Imanari Akiyoshi / Composer: Imanari Akiyoshi / Arranger: Ishida Katsunori [ED] Song: Your Eyes / Singer: Baisho Chieko / Lyrics: Shimomura Akihiko / Composer: Shimomura Akihiko / Arranger: Ishida Katsunori

■ Appeal and evaluation of the work

"Twenty-Four Eyes" is a masterpiece that depicts the real background of the Showa era, the tragedy of war and the warmth of humanity. In particular, the interaction between teacher Oishi Hisako and her students deeply touches the hearts of viewers. Baisho Chieko's acting perfectly expresses the teacher's kindness and strength, moving viewers. In addition, the script faithfully reproduces the profound human drama of the original work, and the art depicting the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea is also magnificent.

This work portrayed the horrors of war, but also portrayed people who never forgot hope and love, deeply moving viewers. In particular, the fate of the students torn apart by the war and Mr. Oishi's dedicated attitude towards education resonated with many viewers. In addition, the realistic portrayal of the Showa period makes it a valuable work that allows viewers to learn about the life and culture of that time.

■ Background and production secrets of the work

"Twenty-Four Eyes" is based on the novel of the same name by Tsuboi Sakae, which was originally published in 1952. The original is a moving story about the interactions between teachers and students set in pre-war Japan, and was beloved by many readers. The work was made into a film in 1954, and has been adapted into film many times since. The 1980 TV special version moved many viewers by faithfully recreating the profound human drama of the original while realistically portraying the Showa period background.

In producing the film, directors Shigetsugu Yoshida and Akio Jissoji worked together to faithfully recreate the profound human drama of the original work. Screenwriter Sumie Tanaka also wrote a detailed script that conveyed the emotional impact of the original work to viewers. Music composer Takeo Watanabe provided beautiful music that evoked the Showa period, deeply touching viewers' hearts. Animation director Kenji Kodama created beautiful scenes of the Seto Inland Sea that deeply moved viewers.

■Influence and evaluation of the work

"Twenty-Four Eyes" touched many viewers and was praised as a masterpiece that depicts the mental landscape of the Showa era. In particular, the interaction between Professor Oishi Hisako and her students deeply touched the hearts of viewers and evoked sympathy from many viewers. Also, while depicting the horrors of war, the portrayal of people who never forgot hope and love deeply touched viewers.

This work is a valuable work that allows viewers to learn about the life and culture of the Showa era by realistically depicting the historical background. It also moved many viewers by faithfully recreating the deep human drama of the original work. In particular, Baisho Chieko's performance perfectly expressed the kindness and strength of the teacher, which moved viewers.

■ Recommendation points

"Twenty-Four Eyes" is a moving masterpiece that depicts the mental landscape of the Showa era. In particular, the interaction between teacher Oishi Hisako and her students deeply touches the hearts of viewers. Also, while depicting the horrors of war, it depicts people who never forget hope and love, deeply moving viewers. With its realistic portrayal of the Showa era background, it is also a valuable work that allows viewers to learn about the life and culture of that time. Baisho Chieko's acting and the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea are also superb, so it is a work that you should definitely see.

■ Related works

"Twenty-Four Eyes" is based on the novel of the same name by Tsuboi Sakae, which was originally published in 1952. The original is a moving story about the interactions between teachers and students set in pre-war Japan, and was beloved by many readers. This work was made into a film in 1954, and has been adapted into film many times since. In particular, the 1987 film version, in which Baisho Chieko reprised the role of teacher Oishi Hisako, moved many viewers. The 2005 TV drama version also moved many viewers, faithfully recreating the profound human drama of the original.

■How to watch

The TV special version of "Twenty-Four Eyes" is currently available on DVD and Blu-ray, and is also available on streaming services, so it's definitely something you should check out.

■ Summary

"Twenty-Four Eyes" is a moving masterpiece that depicts the mental landscape of the Showa era. In particular, the interaction between teacher Oishi Hisako and her students deeply touches the hearts of viewers. Also, while depicting the horrors of war, it depicts people who never forget hope and love, deeply moving viewers. With its realistic portrayal of the Showa era background, it is also a valuable work that allows viewers to learn about the life and culture of that time. Baisho Chieko's acting and the beautiful scenery of the Seto Inland Sea are also superb, so it is a work that you should definitely see.