Her passion ? The movie theater. Where did he make his career? Animation. At 83, the Japanese Rintaro (Albator, Metropolis…) finally comes to terms with his status as the father of this discipline, embraced “by chance” more than sixty years ago.
Shigeyuki Hayashi, his real name, wanted to tell the story of a misunderstanding with a happy ending. This misunderstanding is his life, which he delivers to the French-speaking public in the form of a comic book published at the end of January by Kana Dargaud.
“My life in 24 frames per second” is, once again, a thwarted exercise: “The initial project was to make a film,” confides this energetic man with a sparkling look. Feature film not only about his life, but also, and perhaps above all, about the history of Japanese animation, essential today.
Indeed, there was indeed a time before the phenomena One Piece Or Naruto. This front takes the names ofAstro the little robotof King Leo — whose story probably inspired the Lion King from Disney — or even from the series with global impact Albatorwhich made Rintaro a star.
Made up of around forty episodes, it has rocked several generations of children. Anchored in XXXe century, it tells the story of a humanity threatened by an extraterrestrial race, the Sylvidres. The only one to take the scale of the threat seriously is none other than Captain Albator.
Metropolis? “An accomplishment”
Rintaro made his directorial debut at the Mushi studio, launched by manga master Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989). This is where he adapts the series Astro the little robot And King Leo.
Success is immediate. This is the birth of animation in Japan. A genre inseparable from another flagship product of Japanese culture: manga. “It’s because there are manga that there are animated series and films,” emphasizes Rintaro. From the outset, “animation is thought of as an outlet for manga,” he emphasizes.
Thanks to his productions at the Mushi studio, he made a name for himself. In 1979, he directed his first feature film, Galaxy Express 999also based on a manga.
Twenty years later, his film Metropolis — another adaptation of Tezuka, to whom he dedicated an animated series in 1989 — is an achievement for this man who dreams of cinema and who found himself in animation “by chance”.
“When I finished Metropolis, I felt like I had accomplished my mission. I could have stopped there and closed shop,” he says. Result, because “I understood, at least in part, what cinema meant”.
This quest today involves the making of films on figures of the 7e Japanese art. Less than a year ago, he directed a short film in homage to the filmmaker Sadao Yamanaka (1909-1938).
His latest work?
His name is, and will remain, associated with that of animation, of which he is considered one of the founding fathers. “If I am considered a father of Japanese animation, it is absolutely not my fault, but that suits me,” he says mischievously.
And to add, without resentment: “The opportunities were in the entertainment for me. Not elsewhere. »
As such, what is his view on the evolution of the discipline, today inseparable from the world of video games? “Japanese society, as a whole, is very influenced by video games. It’s not limited to animation,” he notes.
“For me, cinema reflects the current events of the times, and the times we live in are dominated by technology and video games. I have no opinion beyond this observation. »
At 83, Rintaro refuses to say if this autobiographical comic will be his last work.
“My biggest goal right now is to earn enough money to be able to buy a space in the Montparnasse cemetery. It seems that it is very expensive, you know [rires]. »