Shinjuku Legend: Nagisa Yoko Shinjuku Koma Gewa-gewa Recital

Shinjuku Legend: Nagisa Yoko Shinjuku Koma Gewa-gewa Recital

2009 · 73 min

Since she was a little girl, Nagisa Yoko had two dreams: one was to have a song written for her by Aku Yu; the other was to sing at the Shinjuku Koma Theater. Aku Yu had already had written an original song for her. When Nagisa heard that the Shinjuku Koma Theater was to close down, she decided that she would have to rent the hall herself, in order to realize her dream. The concert was a great success, aided by many of her friends, including Wakamatsu Koji, Yamaya Hatsuo, Naito Chin, and Mikami Kan, who grew up in Shinjuku. Director Kawanaka Nobuhiro has fond memories from decades ago, when he was delivering milk and had a chance to talk with the Shinkokugeki actor Ogata Ken in the Shinjuku Koma Theater dressing room. He returns to that room in this film.

Directed by Nobuhiro Kawanaka

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Writes Kawanaka, "Video is a medium of image as well as sound. Walking on a gravel road with a camera, the crunch sound is captured in real time. Such [an] observation seems obvious, but as a filmmaker, the ability to record sound in real time was very new to me. Referencing a can-kicking game I played as a child, I followed the rolling can and recorded the resonant sounds of the can hitting the ground."

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Video began as a medium that inspired discovery. This art documentary traces the expressive roots of “media art” in Japan — works of video, performances, and installations created using video technology that allowed for free and creative visual expression.

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In recent years, my older colleagues and friends have begun to pass away one after another. I wonder if I'm reaching that age myself, and I feel like time is chasing me. I had a brush with death when I was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2005, and I was able to enjoy that situation with more objectivity and acceptance than I thought. In 2011, I had major surgery and lost my vocal cords. Since then, I've had surgery almost every year, and this life on the edge is my "landscape." (Nobuhiro Kawanaka)

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Feedback · 1973

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