2000 Interview 08/08

- In 1983, after Terayama passed away, Seazer founded Banyu-Inryoku (万有引力).

At that time, your old records were out of print and your CDs were no longer available. Then, in the early 1990s, I was surprised when you suddenly wrote the music for an independent anime called "MIDOIRI".

J・A・Seazer:
I got a call from director Ezu, who was feeling a bit nervous. Maruo-san had often sent me his books before.

-Maruo-san must love The Tenjo-Sajiki. By the way, was this your first time working on music for an anime?

Seazer:
No. Before that, I worked on an independent anime called "Cinderella."

-"MIDORI" didn't have much movement and was like a picture-story show, but Masami Akita and the other members were very maniac.
Did you compose the music after watching the video?

Seazer:
No. I composed after looking at the storyboard.

-Isn't "MIDORI" the first work with a "girl" theme? After that, you worked on "Revolutionary Girl Utena".

Seazer: I've used the theme of "girl collection" in a play. But I don't like to specifically express "eroticism".

-After "MIDORI", a lot of your CDs were released.

Seazer: I personally don't think I've changed much since the old days.

-The original slogan of "Tenjo Sajiki" was to restore the popularity of Misemono(見世物。Freaks Show).
What do you think about the freak show tent in "MIDORI"?

Seazer: Regarding "MIDORI," the idea of ​​making tents is interesting, and I'd like to see them continue to do more of it.
I just want them to extend a bit further out (into society).
Just running things behind closed doors does not make them the kidnappers and members of the underworld who turn society upside down they are. *1
People might think that you're just renting a place to run a haunted house.
The content is hard, but I would have liked the structure of the staging method to be more flashy.

-That's a harsh opinion.　*2

Seazer: I think (Kiryukan is) is aiming for a closed-room drama, but if they stay confined to a room, won't it lack breadth (into society)?

-Let's look forward to seeing what (to Kiryukan) does in the future.

*1 In the past, Shuji Terayama's Tenjo Sajiki has actually abducted audience members, and in Seazer's Banyu-Inryoku, he has put audience members in wooden boxes and taken them out of the theater.

*2 Those who know Seazer will immediately remember that Seazer always Damedashi (points out flaws) both in his own plays and in those of others. Perhaps this is a methodology for improving quality that has continued since the days of Tenjo Sajiki.