Gedo Senki (Tales from Earthsea)

27th July 2006

Number 131 - Time Travel Back to a Year Ago

The nationwide campaign is over, and I've gone in to work at the studio for the first time in ages.

The production department on the second floor of the studio, has already switched over, and is now into preparations for Hayao Miyazaki's next film. The atmosphere made it difficult to believe that until recently I had been in there. It was like rewinding the clock back to a year ago.

It felt somehow difficult to set foot in there, so I snuck up to the third floor, and took up an empty seat in the producers room for a while.

Today, from mid-morning I had a number of interviews.
Out of those, the one that made an impression was the interview with Komiuri Junior Press. The reporters were a 2nd year and a 1st year high school students and a 3rd year junior high school student.[1]
There were very serious and I was impressed by them.

When I was the same age as them it was over 20 years ago...
I have the feeling that back then I was much more out of it.

The interview finished before 4 p.m.
After that, I intended to write thank you letters[2] to all the people who had looked after us on the campaign, but I couldn't concentrate at all.
I just couldn't seem to settle down.

3 days to cinema release.
No matter what the result is, I want, from the bottom of my heart, for the release day to come as soon as possible.

Translator's Notes

[1]: About 17, 16 and 15 years old. The Japanese high school system apparently copies the American one with 3 yrs of Junior High School followed by 3 years of High School (usually at separate schools). For Australians and others with a unitary 6 year high school system, the girls are in years 9, 10 and 11 (or 3rd, 4th and 5th form [I think]).

[2]: Or possibly 'thank you notes', but it sounds like he is talking about proper letters here.

Further Notes

American public schools typically run in one of two setups: K-5 (elementary), 6-8 (middle), 9-12 (high) or K-6 (elementary), 7-9 (junior high), 10-12 (senior high).