World-Captivating Filmmaking and the Origins of Creativity at Keio

How does it feel to visit Keio after all this time?

I'm having flashbacks in little ways. Seeing the East Building and the campus walkway reminded me that I really did spend time here. Memories and afterimages of people from back then surfaced in connection with these casual spots. It feels very nostalgic.

How did you cultivate the perspective and viewpoint for making films that deal with distortion and a sense of the alien, as seen in your latest work "Chilled"?

I think it's because I'm easily distracted. I don't really immerse myself in one thing; because my attention is scattered, I notice very small gestures people make. My awareness goes toward things like cherishing the hidden imperfections of humans or their unconscious actions. I like to grandly reveal those things. It's basically just a hobby of mine.

Has that been the case since your student days...?

Yes. I'm very interested in scooping up the unconscious aspects of people, both good and bad. It's quite a twisted hobby, but there's a sense of cherishing those parts.

I cherish overlooked parts as charm points. When there's something that's a slight flaw or an obvious systemic failure but is being ignored, I'm the type to say, "Is that really so?" or "Is everyone really okay with this?" I have a loud voice and I don't really have regrets, so I just say it because I can.

I heard that while you were a student in the Aesthetics and Science of Arts major, you researched laughter. Could you tell us more about that?

I was interested in the kind of "strangeness" where people laugh at something even though it wasn't necessarily created for the purpose of being funny, like stand-up or comedy. I chose Aesthetics and Science of Arts because I wanted to research that.

If you don't have a specific point of argument, it becomes a difficult topic—like Bergson's philosophy—where you might just give up. So, I was advised to stay grounded and ended up researching things like shunga (erotic art).

So you weren't researching laughter directly in your seminar?

No, I wanted to research laughter, so I think I was exploring the roots of Japanese laughter in the seminar. I learned through art history about the transition of what people in the past laughed at and what brought about that sense of strangeness depending on the era.

What criteria did you use when deciding on your major?

I was interested in artistic things and "unnecessary things." Not from a practical standpoint, but my interest in art largely came from the perspective of why humans create things that aren't necessary.

Also, I might have vaguely thought that I wanted to live a life making things like art for a living. I'm not sure when that started. But it was around my third year of university when I decided I wanted to be a commercial director.

At the time, I was into "outsider art"—art made by people outside the professional art world. I was collecting things like paintings by people with disabilities who hadn't received formal art education, children's choirs, and amateur karaoke recordings. The extreme end of that was traditional local commercials from the Kansai region on YouTube, and I was really drawn to those.

I heard you were in a drama club. Was that your main focus during your life at Keio?

I was hopping from one rehearsal space to another, so I only have memories of theater. The club was called "Sozo Kobo in front of." It was the largest club at the university. It was more entertainment-oriented and didn't feel like it had a strong sense of authorship or ideology. I was constantly active there, mostly as an actor.

So, you didn't particularly have the intention of being on the side that takes command, like a director, from the beginning?

From high school through university, I wanted to be in the spotlight; I was actually a bit of a show-off. But then I realized that standing out wasn't really my soul's true desire. I wanted to make things together with everyone, and I aimed to be a director so I could create a utopia, even if it was a small one. I'm good at decision-making, so I thought directing might be a good fit.

That experience has led to your current career.

It's exactly connected. Theater is very interesting, but even if you work hard to create and rehearse, only the people who come to that specific theater see it. At the time, I felt a bit of emptiness about that and wanted to make something that lasts. I thought if I wanted to make something that lasts, it had to be video. Since I was an amateur in video, I decided to study it, and I figured the best environment to learn would be in commercials. I looked up commercial production companies, and that led me to a company called Tohokushinsha.

Please tell us about the people you met at Keio.

I met Kentaro Hayashi, the representative of NOTHING NEW—the label I'm making films with now—at Keio. We've been close since our first year of university. Hayashi is a man of soul; he doesn't care at all about his own presence or how people see him, and he works solely with the desire to create truly edgy works. I only made the film because he invited me; I wouldn't have done it on my own.

I see.

I wouldn't do it. It's hard work. For me to get motivated is super, super, super intense because I'm really slow to take action. Kentaro Hayashi is the one with a soul big enough to get me motivated.

Up until university, people are gathered mainly based on academic ability, right? So I never had the experience of creating a community and living within it based on my hobbies, thoughts, or what makes my soul tremble. I was able to experience that for the first time when I came to university. Moreover, people gathered from all over the country, and thinking, "Wow, there were this many people thinking the same thing as me," was a huge deal.

Finally, could you give a message to those reading this, Keio students, and those aspiring to enter Keio?

There is someone out there for you. With a place this big, there has to be. I want you to find someone like that, someone who is like a best friend. I have many people who pull me forward. And in the process of finding yourself, please make sure to value everyone around you. This is absolutely important.

Also, while you are a student, please be curious about everything and engage with things without closing yourself off. You have infinite possibilities.

And it would be great if you could find something you love enough to bet your whole self on in that process and make it your profession. I feel like job descriptions and industries are branching out into finer details, and the world is becoming more accommodating to individual interests. If that's the case, increasing your self-resolution becomes important. I think things will probably get better the finer the granularity of your understanding of yourself is—like knowing what kind of person you are, what you're interested in, and what you like. So, you should try to know yourself properly rather than just vaguely.