INDEX
Meaningless loud music is the symbol of “A Town Without Seasons”
Kudo： One of the things that left an impression on me in the discussion with Otomo was the concept of meaningless loud music that he mentioned.
Otomo： Indeed, I did say that [laughs].
Kudo： Usually, music stands out too much when it tries to say something meaningful. But this is the opposite. I thought it was the best way to symbolize “A Town Without Seasons.”
I think the interesting thing about the accompaniment for this series is that it allows for continuity and imprinting. This time I was in charge of directing episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, and 10, and if you establish a standard at the beginning, such as using a song for the ending of each episode, you can gradually induce the viewer’s image of the drama. Otomo’s concept of meaningless loud music was exactly what I wanted.
That’s why I used the same music for episodes 1 and 2, but Yokohama, the director of the third episode, completely ignored it, which was also great [laughs]. It is normal for serial dramas to keep the format, even if directors were different.
Otomo： Yokohama is really interesting! In my mind, he is as strange as Rok-chan. That’s why I thought from the beginning that the director’s selections for each episode were amazing [laughs].
Kudo： Naoki is also really talented as an assistant director, but when it comes to directing, I was surprised at how much persistence he puts into each cut.
Otomo： Naoki is very persistent [laughs].
Kudo： In episode 6, which Naoki was in charge of, there was a scene of raining, and I thought that scene must’ve been a hard one. After, I asked him, “I heard that it was tough.” Then, he said, “Yes, it was tough,” as if it wasn’t his fault [laughs]. In terms of music, Naoki used completely different techniques the other directors may not use. It was a unique team of directors.
Otomo： They are very much like people in the story.
Kudo： They are full of individuality! It’s not that they were trying to do something different from others, but they were naturally going their own way.
