A thorough analysis of Kenji Miyazawa's masterpiece "Kaze no Matasaburo"! A detailed introduction to its appeal and reviews

Miyazawa Kenji's Works Collection Kaze no Matasaburo - Miyazawa Kenji's Works Collection Kaze no Matasaburo

■ Public Media

OVA

■ Original Media

novel

■ Release date

August 20, 1988

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

Kenji Miyazawa

■ Director

Rintaro

■ Production

Animation Production: Madhouse

■Works

©KONAMI 1988

■ Story

A boy with a mysterious aura named Saburo Takada transfers to a branch school in the mountains that has only one classroom. The shy village children believe that Saburo is the incarnation of the wind, and they nickname him "Kaze no Matasaburo." However, the friendship between Saburo and the children is short-lived...

■Explanation

This is a 30-minute OVA adaptation of the children's story of the same name written by author Miyazawa Kenji. The work was released as part of Konami's Baobab label/Miyazawa Kenji Masterpiece Anime Series. The actual production was handled by project team Argos, which was formed by Rintaro, and they attempted to create animation with screens that look like papercutting. Animator Kanemori Yoshinori was in charge of character design and animation direction, and also voiced the role of Saburo's father in the main story.

■Cast

・Saburo Tanaka/Mayumi Tanaka・Kasuke/Kazuhiro Shindo・Ichiro/Jun Gamou・Etsuji/Tatsuhiko Nakamura・Kosuke/Yoshihisa Hayashi・Teacher/Tatsuhiko Kabata・Saburo's father/Yoshinori Kanemori・Ichiro's father/Masato Hirano

■ Main staff

Director: Rintaro Animation Production: Madhouse Original Story: Kenji Miyazawa Screenplay: Rintaro Character Design: Yoshinori Kanemori Animation Director: Yoshinori Kanemori Art Director: Katsushi Aoki Director of Photography: Kinichi Ishikawa Editing: Harutoshi Ogata Music: Tomio Miyashita Sound: Susumu Aketagawa Narrator: C.W. Nicol Sound: Hitoshi Yamada

■ Main Characters

・Takada Saburo A mysterious boy who transfers to the village. He is a fifth-grader at an ordinary elementary school, but he is brazen enough to give his only pencil to a brazen friend and apologize first after an argument. He also has an attention-grabbing side, and is the kind of boy who will get revenge on someone who is mean, win arguments, and forget about holding back and drown his friends. He is described as the son of a mining engineer, but the other villagers suspect that he might be Kaze no Matasaburo. While the other children converse almost exclusively in dialect, Saburo speaks something close to standard Japanese.
A fifth-grader at Kasuke Elementary School. He is a humorous guy with leadership skills, and was the first to point out that Saburo was Mata Saburo.
・Ichiro: The only sixth grader in school. He is the class leader and is well respected by everyone. He is Kasuke's cousin. Ichiro also has an older brother. At first, Ichiro denies Kasuke's theory that he is Matasaburo, but in the end, he becomes unsure.
Etsuji is a careless person who forgets his homework book and fails at rock-paper-scissors.
・Kosuke is quick to make profits. He can be narrow-minded. He argues with Saburo about the wind.
・The teacher is an honest person. He also has some unexpectedly casual aspects, such as playing the mandolin.
Saburo's father may actually be an office worker, but his mining career and sophisticated Western hobbies make him seem like a worldly speculator.

■ Review

This original video animation (OVA) based on Kenji Miyazawa's masterpiece "Kaze no Matasaburo" was released by Konami's Baobab label in 1988. This work expresses Kenji Miyazawa's rich imagination and deep insight into humanity in the form of animation, and under the direction of Rintaro and animation production by Madhouse, it brings out the charm of the original work to the fullest.

The story revolves around a boy named Saburo Takada who transfers to a small school in the mountains. Due to his mysterious aura, the children in the village call him "Kaze no Matasaburo." His presence provokes a variety of emotions among the children in the village, and the story depicts friendship, jealousy, and growth.

The greatest feature of this work is the paper-cutting-like animation style that Director Rintaro attempted. This unique visual style is extremely effective in visually expressing Miyazawa Kenji's fantastical worldview, and has the power to draw the viewer into the world of the story. Also not to be missed are the detailed depictions by Kanemori Yoshinori, who served as both character designer and animation director. His designs vividly portray the individuality of each character, adding depth to the story.

The voice acting is also excellent, especially Mayumi Tanaka's performance as Saburo Tanaka, who skillfully conveys the complex inner world of Saburo, and Yoshinori Kanemori's performance as Saburo's father is interesting, as his voice helps provide a deeper understanding of the character's background.

The music also plays an important role, and Fumio Miyashita's beautiful melodies enrich the emotional impact of the story. In particular, the music in the wind scenes, combined with the visual expression, leaves a strong impression on the viewer.

This work faithfully reproduces the original work by Kenji Miyazawa, while adding a new interpretation that takes advantage of the characteristics of the animation medium. It delves deeply into the relationship between "wind" and "humans," a theme of the original work, and makes the viewer think. Through Saburo's existence, we will be forced to think about friendship, growth, and coexistence with nature.

■Recommendation

"Kaze no Matasaburo" is highly recommended for fans of Miyazawa Kenji, as well as anyone interested in animation artistry and storytelling. It is a must-see for anyone who wants to experience director Rintaro's unique animation style and Miyazawa Kenji's profound themes. It is also recommended for those who enjoy stories of children's growth and friendship.

This work is packed with many elements into its short 30-minute length, and no matter how many times you watch it, you will always find something new. Please experience the world of Miyazawa Kenji and experience his rich imagination and deep insight into humanity.