Kubo Wanted Name Removed as Executive Producer from HV

[http://users.livejournal.com/_debbiechan_/]

Kubo-sensei wanted his name removed as Executive Producer on the Hellverse DVD according to his message in the pamphlet included with the DVD. Translation by nacchan (credit was being given to Mel all over BA so I got it wrong at first, sorry) . I'm fairly shocked.





映画には｢製作総指揮｣として僕の名前がクレジットされていますか゛、
本当のことを言えば、この肩書はDVD化する際に外して欲しい、
というお願いをしていました。これは僕自身が本作に対して製作総指揮と
名乗れるほどに貢献できていない、と感じていた為です。


この思いは劇場公開時からあったのですが、編集部をはじめ、
映画の製作委員会側から説得に遭い、外す事はできませんでした


In this movie I was credited as "Executive Director"
However honestly speaking, for the DVD version I want that title to be removed
I already asked them to do so. This is because I feel I didn't participate enough in the production of this movie to warrant such a title.


I already have this feelings since the premier of the theatre version, however when I meet with the producer staff to persuade the movie was already in editing process so it can't be removed.






Holy shit, Sensei. This is a bit much. Going so far as asking for his name to be removed from a project? A far cry from his Fade to Black public declarations where he gushed about "I made a movie" and went on about his discussions about dialogue with director Abe. Dare I guess the feedback and lack of repeat box office and unspectacular revenue versus what was put into the picture was really enough for Sensei to distance himself from this project?


I'm hearing at the moment that 2chan is asking "Is Sensei trying to get away?" and some are wondering why the movie was promoted so heavily as his (if you'll recall one of the major HV CMs began with his image drawing Ichigo--Kubo the superstar manga-ka!) and yet now Sensei claims not to have been involved much? The Japanese are saying that they won't watch the movie if Sensei wasn't involved in it, but that's funny--the numbers show that not that many of them watched it when it was in theatres. Sensei may have just damned DVD sales.


Nonetheless, what I've seen of the film (haven't even peeked at the Chinese raw yet) has me looking forward to watching it. I want my Ishida, Ishida, Ishida. I don't expect naked!Rukia to be much. I've seen stills of the Orihime hug and it wasn't what I thought it'd be. Fanarts exaggerate--but still, I hope the fights are good. The Ulquiorra sequence I saw in trailers was amazing. Worth the price of box office. Maybe the DVD *counts cash* If only all this 10th anniversary stuff wasn't already draining me. But I feel guilty about watching the movie subbed online so I'd better order it eventually.


IchiOri shippers will buy the movie at least. I did hear tell of one of them saying yesterday after watching the Chinese raw: "See what happens when you let Kubo have a say in his own movies, kiddies?"


Kubo karma strikes again, lol.


Well, I honestly don't believe that Sensei is distancing himself from the movie because of the content, IchiOri fanservice or anything like that. The movie got bad feedback from viewers who were polled the first day they saw it and it got lousy return boxoffice and apparently didn't do as well as expect in revenue for all the huge amounts of money that went into it (the incredible promotion--I remember Spacecat saying all he saw were CMs, the hiring of TM Revolution for the song must've cost plenty yen, the building of that huge skull and crossbones movie set, etc etc). I still refuse to call the movie a flop ( because the numbers I saw weren't anything like what we in the US call flops) but I do believe it was an investment disappointment.


My guess is that Sensei didn't want to be associated with what is known in Japan as a poor film, financially-speaking mostly but perhaps artistically as well.


If it's just financial stuff, it's very curious to me that Sensei, who seems to value his artistic cred above all, would ACTUALLY WANT HIS NAME REMOVED FROM A PROJECT. I think maybe something unspoken is going on here. I wonder what truly disappointed him. I haven't seen the movie myself yet so I can't judge. But the difference from the Fade to Black liner notes where he just GUSHED about his involvement and this fairly upfront statement about not wanting his NAME on a project in the DVD message for Hellverse is really shocking to me.


It's not IchiOri vs IchiRuki to me. Unless maybe Kubo wants to send that message--but I don't really believe that he has shipping at the forefront of his mind like a lot of us do. I honestly wonder what's up. I don't really believe HV is an IchiOri movie. It's an action movie to me--I read the summary--and it clearly paints IchiThing as a monster that needed to be controlled and Rukia was the one who inspired and helped Ichigo control his Hollow form in this movie. All good stuff by my accounts. From the stills I've seen of the IchiOri "hug"--it wasn't even a hug and there was no "smile" like reported. Ichigo's face--. He looked like he was being attacked, and all Hime did was tug his shirt. His eyes were tiny-pupiled and he didn't look sexy there. Guys get big-pupiled when they're interested (note big-pupils and warm look like the close-up of Ichigo's sexy eyes in 460) and it was just a tug that was pretty IC for Orihime at the time (despite the "don't go"--which I didn't like for her--her not wanting Ichigo to go save their friends is a far cry from the Orihime who cheered Ichigo on to save Rukia in SS but it was IC, I must say post HM... and her worry). I really don't believe shipping is that big of a deal in this movie--I let you know more when I see it.


I want a movie FIVE. I've never been a big fan of predictable-villain-shallow-plot anime movies in general, but I like all things Bleach (ok, the Senna movie annoyed me) and THIS MOVIE I was looking forward to the most (one guess why? Ishidaaaaaaa). I hope the producers get the message as to what the audiences want (beyond just wanting Hitsugaya) and actually make a fifth movie that can bring in the $ and make Sensei proud. Against everything I feared, SP surprised the heck out of me and made this last anime filler actually interesting with its modsoul back story. A movie like that would be OK.


In other words, Studio Perriot and I can be together again. I've dug the ring out of the trash and put turned the photos around. Hellverse can't be as horrible as they say, right? So bad that Kubo wanted his name off it? More after I watch the sub.

Comments

[karenai.livejournal.com]

There's a time and place to say that kind of thing and I don't think it's in the special message from the creator that comes with the DVD. How sad it must have felt for the animators to include that kind of "NOTHING TO DO WITH ME" message with the movie they made.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the sentiment you're talking about - maybe he did feel a little used, maybe he did feel like he doesn't want his name on something he genuinely doesn't feel apart of, and I wouldn't either, but to say it on the letter that goes out with EVERY DVD is just so excessive. As hilarious as I find certain implications of what the statement means, I can't shake the feeling that it's not very classy.

[mezzo-marinaio.livejournal.com]

This.

The one thing I find really, REALLY strange is that he wrote this for the DVD pamphlet; I wouldn't even bat an eye if it were, say, in one of his many tweets.

I've never heard of such an uninspiring, almost-nonsequitur note being the author's only message to his fans inside a movie package; it sounds oddly panicky and defensive - not at all the kind of carefully prepared statement that usually goes with these things.

Honestly, I'm stumped as to why he felt it necessary to underline this so publicy and boldly... or why Pierrot didn't politely ask him to say something a little more positive about the movie, for that matter.

[karenai.livejournal.com]

Yeah, if he had posted it on Twitter, I would have snickered about it, as would most of the other hardcore fans that bother to follow his twitter. We all would have talked about it and that really would have been the end of it. When it goes out with the DVD... that's making sure any random fan of Bleach who has an interest in the DVD knows his complete unwillingness to take "credit" for the movie.

I do wonder why he's touting apathy towards the movie all of a sudden. There must be something sticking in his craw.