Car Chases, Analog Technology, and Social Commentary: An Interview with BULLET/BULLET Director Sunghoo Park

Although by definition, it is often believed that anime was created by the Japanese, it is not always the case. by Sunghoo Park. In recent years, the Korean man has won very little praise as a director. Gallo: The disappearing line,,,,, The God of High School,certainly, Jujutsu Kaisen (Season 1 and movies). Recently, the Anime News Network met with him in Tokyo to discuss his new original anime coming this summer, Bullets/bullets.

Spoiler Warning: This interview contains two halves of the spoiler Bullets/bulletsincluding orgasm.

In its heart Bullets/bullets It is a doomsday heist animation that focuses very much on car chase action sequences. “I love cars, I love driving. I love the tension of acceleration,” Parker began. “When I was watching Hollywood movies in the theater, I was so excited about the speed that I felt I couldn’t breathe. I loved those moments. […] I made a lot of motorcycle scenes in other works, but I didn’t do any serious car action scenes. So I put all the excitement I felt into the soul of the anime. I want to introduce my feelings [while watching similar movies] For the audience, that’s why I made this movie with car action as the main focus. ”

Of course, when you think of the car chase after the revelation, you think of a movie series. “Mad Max It’s one of my three favorite movies,” Parker told me. “The first anime I directed was Gallo: The disappearing line– I included some Mad Max There. This time, the anime is also set on the wasteland, Episode 11 [in particular] A little bit Mad Max There is an atmosphere for this. I think the work and the atmosphere are suitable, so I want to go that route again. ”

But Hollywood movies aren’t the only car action inspiration Bullets/bullets– Especially in the visual direction. “I was originally PlayStation game Ridge Racer. At that time, this was a game that locked the camera angle [right behind the car]but the game still does a lot of different things about it,” Parker explained. “I want to introduce it. [locked-camera] From [Ridge Racer] Enter my anime too. ”

To have an exciting car scenario, you need some killer vehicles. The protagonist’s gear car bullets emitted a cool car and stole Noah’s vehicle. “About its design, I left it to [concept and mechanical] Parker said: “Designer (Hidetaka) Tenjin. The result is that it looks like a motorcycle, riding a Lockheed P-38 lightning bolt.

Noah’s vehicle is away from the only place Bullets/bullets A place where past and future technologies are mixed. Simulation techniques penetrate into walled cities where human survivors live, from VHS and cassettes to floppy disks (now used as keys). Part of the reason for the inclusion of simulation technology is simple nostalgia. “super Nintendo! Parker screamed, talking about how the robot character Q U-0213 had a cartridge slot on it, “at that time, it was part of the culture where kids cleared cartridges by blowing in cartridges and stuff like that.” This is something that young people don’t know about now, so I want to Bullets/bullets– The fun of simulation. ”

However, there is a deeper reason to incorporate simulation technology into animation. “I’m from a generation that I’ve been in contact with both analog and digital. I’ve gone through all the moments when analog becomes digital. In all of this, I don’t feel like everything that’s become digital is getting better. Instead, it feels like “human touch” has disappeared in the transition to digital.”

Furthermore, Parker believes that with the development of simulation to digital and the growth of automation that follows, one aspect of human connection has disappeared. This can be seen through various locations our heroes visited throughout the show. “The 80s of town equipment came from Japan or Korea, people lived next to each other, and when someone died, it was just a fact of life. Everyone was talking, everything was talking, everyone was understanding and getting along,” Parker told me. “The wasteland is the result of where I feel we are going – from analogs to numbers. […] We must assume that this is the path we are currently on. ”

The final position is the middle position, where separation between one person is in place, but things are not yet in destruction. “[It’s] A high-tech town, but a little like a town somewhere in Greece. Parker continued. Despite looking beautiful, there is evil in that world, and people there don’t know what’s going on. They also live their lives as if they were told.”

This is directly linked to one of thematic explorations in anime: the popularity of artificial intelligence and how it affects humanity. “As for the AI in this anime, the world is now dominated by the world,” Parker explained. “I don’t think AI should be like that. After all, the benefit of simulation is that it gives you a human feel-[…] It creates a society where everyone can communicate, but if the world is dominated by AI, people will stop listening to other human voices. They will rely too much on AI. If so, I worry that this loss of humanity will cause the world to collapse. ”

However, this does not mean that the park is totally opposed to AI, or that he doesn’t feel it plays a role in society, or even plays a role in artwork in anime. This is a matter of efficiency. “I’m very interested in the idea of using AI to create 80% of the work to complete the project faster. Here’s the rest [creative] The 20% question is whether it will be subject to AI control. This is the problem area. “So if we just set rules, I think AI can be a very useful tool in the world.” ”

Another theme explored in this animation is the rich use of the working class, which accepts their exploitation as it is easy and normative. “For everyone, that may be different, but I respect those who are unfair, even what they say and live their own lives and find happiness in it,” Parker said. “I think it’s hard to express your thoughts loudly even if you think the world is unfair. One of the topics [in this anime] Even if you just say one word, express how you feel now. ”

Another main theme Bullets/bullets Revolves around the role of entertainment in human life. In the story, it is used as a tool for some to soothe people and escape the reality of others. Parker told me: “Instead of simply escaping novels, it is about the inevitable sense of stability in humans, or relying on novels.” “So, in this anime, novels are used to exploit the world, but if you ask me, it is the natural theme in the story. This time, the protagonist destroys the novel [the people are escaping into]. ”

Of course, in the end, Bullets/bullets It is a fictional work in itself, and its creators hope that as many people as possible can escape. Parker is not only aware of this inherent contradiction. “I always say that, but isn’t the world a difficult place?” he smiled. “You have to go to work and deal with all kinds of people and have all kinds of family problems. If you’re just watching Bullets/bulletsThis is the animation in our reality today, you will be “exploited” by us. You’ll forget all these tough times – drinking beer, laughing, crying – and so, I think the audience wants to be exploited by the creators of this work. ”

Among all the topics explored Bullets/bulletsmost promising, even seemingly useless actions may inspire the ideas of the next generation. Parker explained: “Without roads, there will be no equipment, and without equipment, there will be no Noah.”[Even after the events of episode 8]equipment and friends change nothing. But if you ask me if the actions of the main characters are futile, they are not. ”

“In episode 11, after Noah’s speech, all the exploited people initially denied her words, saying they didn’t need them [the truth]. But when they see the main characters fighting [the government]they know that each of them has taken a step forward and said they don’t like being exploited. This is a big step forward in itself. “Park continued. I did the work and hope to convey this message, even if it’s only a little bit.”

To end everything, Park lists the morals of the story. “These three main characters Bullets/bullets Not that famous, not very good at fighting or something like that, but if they think there is something wrong, they take a step forward, solve the problem clearly, and crush it correctly in a straightforward way. Parker concluded: “That’s their role. [of most people]-or take action or something like that – after watching the anime. ”

Bullets/bullets Can be viewed in North America Disney+.