The view from a pint (vol 1.1)

Amidst all the world changing developments of the last few weeks, the most critical, in my opinion, sitting where I do - i.e. on a pint - was the filing for bankruptcy by Japan Airlines Corp. Japan's largest non-financial bankruptcy ever. Critical because one would have never expected the Japanese, with their heightened sense of pride led insecurity, to allow loss of face of this scale.

Its common knowledge that the land of the rising sun has an enormous task of pulling themselves out of the ever-ballooning debt problem & deadly deflation. Regressive policy making, corrupt politicians are the obvious culprits and nothing seems to have changed with the defeat of the Liberal Democratic Party. But pain, or truth, cannot be postponed for ever and thats precisely where JAL's bankruptcy can play a key role - in demolishing the cosy relationship between the corporate world & spineless politicians/bureaucrats. And while at it, it could also inspire a thought revolution amongst the people (Ahem! I could well be in a bar in Calcutta now).

Have always felt that in many aspects, Japan leads the world. The problems in Japan, which became quite evident in the early 90s, of slowing birth rates, aging population, general discomfort with immigration, huge public debt : are all quite common now in a number of western, developed nations. So its time for a Jake Sully to enter the scene - a person from another land to rescue a society that is falling apart. And what happens in Japan, like it or not, will hopefully help rest of the developed world to figure out their path to survival.

Heres a link to the story on the bankruptcy filing by WSJ's Tokyo correspondents.

Gekiga san

The 74 yr old man walked up to the table laid out for him and sat down facing us, who were waiting to hear him. He was alone as his minders were busy getting ready. In those few minutes he spoke in English - precisely 4 words - "I happy in Singapore". Or something like that.

Then the others, his minders, joined him at the table. One of them being Eric Khoo. Probably Singapore's most well recognised film director (not that I have seen any of his movies). Anyways, Mr Khoo's latest project is to make an animated film out of Yoshihiro Tatsumi's (the 74 yr old) autobiographical graphic novel - A Drifting Life.

So then the questions began: the origins of Gekiga? his feelings about the movie thats being made? his relationship with Adrian Tomine, the fellow responsible for giving him a second lease of life? his inspiration to become a mangaka? and why the Japanese, who are big animated film makers themselves, never approached him to make a film based on his novels?

He answered all of them in great detail and humour. And laced with all the graciousness that one would have expected. Tatsumi was overt in conveying his deep gratitude to Adrian Tomine for taking him global and also towards "Eric san" for taking on the challenge to take his characters onto the big screen. It emerged that he felt unappreciated in Japan - "In Japan, people always feel that only the new things are good"; "I was told that I am too old". Age was also a constant theme in his views: "You are fortunate that you are still young - draw your stories when you are young, at my age I get tired before I begin". He also spoke of the writers block: "When you hit a block, take a break and look around you and bring all thats around you into your work". Ahem. Right at the end, to a query on the city of Hiroshima's influence on his stories, he got quite emotional as he spoke about the bombs and the destruction.

And when the questions were done, and he stood up to do a sketch, it was quite clear that its spontaneity that inspires Yoshihiro Tatsumi.