the-gnosis.com

[This is another translation of a conversation between Beat Takeshi and Takashi Murakami found in the book Two Art. Here Beat Takeshi talks about his thought process when making movies movies.]

I am a Lone Otaku

These days the otaku culture in Japan is getting to be really big. But I wonder, why is it that otaku are always looking for friends? None of these otaku ever come out alone. They probably do things in groups because they have no friends and I think they are just lonely.

But I think the things that we are doing are the same things that otaku are. Maybe the only difference is that we don’t have anyone to make a group with. There is just no one that can work with us. I am a lone otaku. But I’m not lonely. You see, I am an otaku of myself. Especially when it comes to movies, I am an otaku of myself.

I really don’t want producers who worked with me to hear this but, I don’t really care if my movies become hits or not. I start every project with that attitude. Of course, it is great if they do become hits. That’s how I work. Actually I really don’t know what to do if my movie becomes an overnight hit. When everyone is clamoring about how great my movie is I feel like somehow “they’ve got me”. Once everything that I want to say has been accepted, I won’t have anything left to do. The next thing I would make would only be greeted with a kind of “Yeah, I see what he is trying to do.” I think it’s best if my movies are half understood and half a mystery.

But it just feels sad if I have to sit down and plan it out so that it comes out that way. And it’s even worse if I just make it incomprehensible on purpose.

I do what I do because it feels right to me. And once that is done, parts will be understood, and some will naturally be not understood.