Director Mamoru Oshii’s epic sci-fi movie Garm Wars, which has 2 billion yen in production costs poured into it, will be released in Japan on May 20. The movie was previously released overseas with the title Garm Wars: The Last Druid.
The film had its world premiere in 2014 at the Tokyo International Film Festival and has since been screened at film festivals all over the world but is yet to be released in Japan. It was originally shot in Canada for an international audience, but this time the title has been changed to simply Garm Wars for the Japanese version, and it will be distributed nationwide by Toho Visual.
Serving as producer of the Japanese version is Studio Ghibli hitmaker Toshio Suzuki. This marks the first tag team between director Oishii and producer Suzuki since 2004’s Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Just like the animation and sci-fi masterpiece Innocence, the film is gaining great attention.
Director Oshii became known in the 1980s for directing Urusei Yatsura and Mobile Police Patlabor. His 1984 movie Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer is largely considered a masterpiece that left its mark on anime history. He also gained worldwide recognition in the film world largely for his full-length movie Ghost in the Shell released in 1995, topping the Billboard charts. He is said to have been an inspiration for many big-name creators overseas. Since then, he has continued to bring blockbuster works to the world including Innocence and The Sky Crawlers.
Garm Wars takes over the concept behind G.R.M. The Record of Garm War, which Oshii partially worked on in the ‘90s up to 2000. The story takes place in a faraway galaxy, in a faraway time, and depicts the mysterious fates of the Garm, clone soldiers who have been fighting an endless war for years. Oshii’s aspirations were too great for the technology at the time, so the project was scrapped. Garm Wars can be said to be the film Oshii had wanted to make. The film was realized 15 years after its conception with a massive stage, shot on location in Canada. It’s a film long awaited by fans.
New partners have also joined the team for the Japanese version of the film. In addition to Toshio Suzuki as producer, Ryoichi Uchikoshi is directing the dub, while in a supporting role as scriptwriter is Gen Urobuchi, whose work on anime and games includes Madoka Magica and Psycho-Pass. Dubbing for main character Khara is famed actress Romi Park, who is known for her roles as Loran in Turn A Gundam and Ed in Fullmetal Alchemist.
In a comment released by Suzuki, he says, “I thought about wanting to completely change the impact of the film without having to completely change the content of the dialogue. That’s a big reason why I decided to undertake this film.” He added, “We’re also taking on the film with the help of famed scriptwriter Gen Urobuchi who is a huge fan of Oshii. I wonder what Oshii will think of the Japanese version? I’m looking forward to seeing his chagrined face (laughs).” It seems this film will be enjoyed differently than its overseas counterpart. Look forward to its May 20 release.
■ Comment from Toshio Suzuki:
“The first time I met Mamoru Oshii goes back over 30 years. At the time, he was burning up with the dream of wanting to change Japanese films. We may have both gone down separate paths, but our paths have crossed on occasion.
“Unable to make it come true in Japan, Oshii filmed overseas his ‘dream’ 15 years in the making. How should the Japanese version be made? I watched the English version 2, 3 times, and I thought about wanting to completely change the impact of the film without having to completely change the content of the dialogue. That’s a big reason why I decided to undertake this film.
“For that reason, I thought it necessary to have actors who could express the typically Japanese emotions and a director able to direct them. Happily, a met actress Romi Park and director Ryoichi Uchikoshi and we were able to bring the project to fruition.
“We’re also taking on the film with the help of famed scriptwriter Gen Urobuchi who is a huge fan of Oshii. I wonder what Oshii will think of the Japanese version? I’m looking forward to seeing his chagrined face (laughs).”
– Japanese Edition Producer Toshio Suzuki of Studio Ghibli
Garm Wars
Japan-wide roadshow release on Friday, May 20, 2016
Distributor: Toho Visual
[Staff]
Original Work/Script/Director: Mamoru Oshii
Japanese Edition Producer: Toshio Suzuki
Music: Kenji Kawai
Cooperation: Studio Ghibli
Animation Production: Production I.G
Production: Bandai Namco Entertainment, Production I.G
[Japanese Edition Dubbing Cast]
Khara: Romi Park
Wydd: Haruhiko Jo
Skellig: Takanori Hoshino
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