#FreeAgnes #OpinionArticle #Interview #LegalHigh #PsychoPass #Dojinshi #Platform

Notes from a Distant Past: An Interview with Agnes Chow

In 2017, when Agnes Chow was interviewed by Hong Kong anime and manga review dōjinshi Platform (プラットホーム), she said the following words:

//Reporter: Living in this era, we are facing fast-changing environments. For readers who love anime, manga, idols and other Japanese subcultures, how do they make good use of the skills they gained from pursuing their interests when they face different social and political issues?

Agnes Chow: For me, anime and manga are the same as film and literature works, they represent things that the authors wanted to express. Why do Japanese people watch works like Legal High and PSYCHO-PASS that are critical of the social system, but cannot realise that these stories and oppressions actually happen in reality? I remember asking Toru Kurata sensei from Japan before, and he replied that it was because most Japanese people thought that stories are stories and reality is reality, all separate and different. In addition, nowadays Japanese people are generally apolitical. It is difficult for them to draw and imagine the link between reality and stories.

So in my perspective, when watching a work, imagination is very important. Imagination is the connection between the work and reality. Reflecting on relationships, society and the world through the works is the whole point of anime and manga appreciation. To be honest, I am not doing too well on this either and I need more time to hone it (smile).

In 2017, Hong Kong will be facing more political events: the judicial review of lawmakers, the chief executive election and the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover. In this turbulent era, it is time to think about how we link the critiques in these works to the real society.//

Revisiting these words from 3 years ago now, everything seems like a distant past. “More political events”, “20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover”, “turbulent era” – at the time, who would have felt things were turbulent? 3 years ago, with this same magazine, I was just happily writing away with my friends, never once imagining what this era’s turbulence would look like.

Then, in 2019, the anti-extradition law amendment bill movement broke out. And then, Hong Kongers received the “mission of our time”. And then, the Hong Kong national security law was “passed” on 30th June 2020. On the same day, through her Twitter account with 45 million followers, Agnes Chow posted what was probably her last tweet, as a farewell.

On 10th August 2020, Agnes Chow was arrested for alleged offences against the “party’s security law”.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/444209758986030/posts/4217032908370344/ #Aug10

#ToruKurata #Anime #Manga #Japan

#Anime #HikaruNoGo #ChineseCharacteristic
China's Adaptation of “Hikaru no Go” Causes Controversy with Hong Kong's Handover Storyline

Source: Stand News #Nov9

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#Anime #HikaruNoGo #ChineseCharacteristic
China's Adaptation of “Hikaru no Go” Causes Controversy with Hong Kong's Handover Storyline

Hikaru no Go, a popular Japanese manga, was adapted into a live-action series by a Chinese film company, and has premiered recently.

The storyline was rewritten to be set in the 1997 Handover of Hong Kong, and the protagonist was portrayed to feel excited for the handover. However, these changes stirred up some controversy.

In an interview, Chinese director Liu Chang claimed that Hong Kong’s handover to China was “a collective memory of every Chinese”, and he chose this as the setting of the drama.

In addition to Hong Kong and Taiwanese netizens, many Chinese criticized the makeup of the character “Zhu- ying” (“Sai” in the original series) as "horrifying".

The director admitted that about 20% of the screen time was “a bit awful”, but it could not be helped due to technological limitations.

The adapted series was produced by iQIYI and broadcast online. In the first episode, the protagonist Shi-guang (“Hikaru”, originally) was out at night with Zhu-ying when they came across a TV news report about Hong Kong’s Handover to China, which said that “Hong Kong finally returned to her motherland after a century of hardships”.

Shi-guang was overwhelmed with fascination, and Zhu-ying asked “what kind of occasion is today?”. Shi-guang said it was “a special day when every Chinese should rejoice."

In addition to mentioning the Handover, the story's setting was also changed entirely to take place in China, despite being a Japanese anime originally.

Viewers had polarized opinions to the adaptation. Some said the drama was “neither fish nor fowl”, and “ruining my childhood memories”. Some Chinese netizens, complimented it, however, and said the “production team did a great job in recreating the setting”, and that “using the 1997 Hanover as the background made me satisfied as a fan to the original manga series and as a Chinese”.

Hong Kong netizens, on the other hand, suspected that the series “took a franchise cherished by a whole generation and used it as propaganda to the youngsters.”

On top of a “Sinicized” plot, another controversy of the live remake was Zhu-ying’s heavy makeup and horrifying appearance.

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Director: Handover could Strengthen Characters’ “Emotional Underpainting”

In response to these criticisms, Director Liu Chang gave an explanation in an interview with a Chinese media. He said that it was difficult to adapt a Japanese manga into a web drama, and thus he created a remake in his own way, localising certain parts of the plot while keeping the original storyline, popular lines and character relations.

He believed that his adaptation was more than 60% similar to the original.

As to the choice of the Handover as the period setting, Liu stated 3 reasons. First, “the story started with online Go, which is only possible when the Internet was a new technology in China”, which placed the time period around 1997.

Next, he called Hong Kong's Handover to China as “a collective memory to all Chinese”. He believed that this setting could impress the audience.

Last, Liu claimed that the Handover could strengthen the “emotional underpainting” of the characters, “making it more dramatic”.

Source: Stand News #Nov9

#ChineseWebDrama #Handover