The JAPANESE FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE 2024 will be held from June 5, 2024. For the first time, Japanese TV dramas will be included in the festival, which aims to promote Japanese visual works to a wider audience overseas.

The two dramas are Downtown Rocket (2015) and RIKUOH (2017), which depict the dedication and passion for work of people working in small and medium-sized Japanese companies and have gained significant acclaim from a wide range of audiences in Japan.

Both works were broadcast on TBS on Sundays at 21:00. NAOKI HANZAWA(2013) was a record-breaking hit and a social phenomenon in the slot, and Downtown Rocket and RIKUOH were also popular. The three productions were all directed by the station’s director, Katsuo Fukuzawa. Last year, he also directed VIVANT, which was unprecedented in scope for a TV network-produced drama, and he continues to produce high-profile productions in Japan.

In this edition, we asked Fukuzawa why he focused on people working in Japan for the two dramas being distributed this time, as well as his thoughts on Japanese engineers.

interview / Text: Masaki Mugikura　Photo: Chiemi Kitahara　Edit: Miho Moriya(CINRA, Inc.)　Main Image: Scene cut from RIKUOH

The spirit of “manufacturing” by engineers is what sustains Japan

── Downtown Rocket and RIKUOH are both based on novels by Jun Ikeido and are dramas that focus on small and medium-sized companies in Japan. Could you tell us how you came to focus on these works at that time?

Fukuzawa:First, as an employee of TBS Television, I have been involved in more than 30 TV dramas, including GOOD LUCK!! (2003), starring Takuya Kimura, and Vessel of Sand(2004), starring Masahiro Nakai.

Fukuzawa:My career progressed steadily, and in 2007, I produced the drama The Family starring again Takuya Kimura, which also received high ratings. At that time, the author of the original novel, Ms. Toyoko Yamasaki, said to me, “You seem to be producing a lot of hits, but do you know what holds Japan together?”

At that time, I did not have a good answer to that question. Then Ms. Yamasaki said, “What sustains Japan is ‘manufacturing.’” In other words, this island nation with only mountains and few natural resources has been able to remain a member of the developed world because of the “manufacturing” spirit of engineers in Japan.

In the world of Japanese TV drama, there are “four major genres” (detective, doctor, lawyer, and romance) that tend to be successful, but I was told, “Can you really say you are helping people if you keep repeating these genres?”

──That’s pretty harsh……

Fukuzawa:Yeah, that’s right (laughs). But when I heard that, I had an “aha” moment. Up until then, I had been involved in drama production with the vague thought, “Let’s make something interesting!” It made me realize that I wanted to make something that would be useful and inspire others. So I bought a bunch of books on Japanese “manufacturing” and concentrated on reading them.

NAOKI HANZAWA, depicting a businessman who upholds justice and punishes evil, was broadcast on Sunday nights before the workweek begins

──Do you mean to say that the novels of Downtown Rocket and RIKUOH were among the books about “manufacturing”?

Fukuzawa:Yes. I enjoyed Jun Ikeido’s novel Downtown Rocket so much that I was inspired by it and thought, “This is it!” It was a fascinating depiction of Japanese engineers putting their pride on the line and dedicating themselves to “manufacturing”.

From then on, I read all of Ikeido’s works one after another. All of them were interesting, but Ore-tachi Bubble Nyuko-gumi (We are the ones who joined the bank during the bubble economy) was the only one that remained unread to the end. When I saw the title, I thought it was a story praising the past glory of the “good times in the bubble* economy,” and I was not interested in it (laughs). But when I picked it up after reading all the other works, I found it completely different from my first impression and very interesting.

── Ore-tachi Bubble Nyuko-gumi, depicting a protagonist who doesn’t overlook injustice in the banking industry and upholds his own righteousness, was renamed NAOKI HANZAWA (2013) and adapted into a drama series, which scored such a huge hit that it became a social phenomenon in Japan, didn’t it?

Fukuzawa:That’s right. After I became obsessed with Ikeido’s works, I immediately met with him and asked him to grant me the rights to dramatize the Downtown Rocket series, ROOSEVELT GAME and Ore-tachi Bubble Nyuko-gumi series together.

There was no guarantee that any of these dramas will be a hit because they fall outside the conventional “four major genres”. In addition, data showed that women watched more TV dramas than men in Japan, and it was believed that workplace dramas, such as those about banks, would not interest female viewers at all. So at first, everyone was very opposed to the idea.

However, the broadcast slot I was in charge of, called “Nichiyo Gekijo (Sunday Theater)” at 9 p.m. on Sundays, had more male viewers than other slots, probably because more people stayed home to prepare for work the next day. I thought there might be a possibility if I could broadcast in that time slot, so I tried repeatedly to persuade people around me, and I started with a drama adaptation of Ore-tachi Bubble Nyuko-gumi (NAOKI HANZAWA), which had a clear sense of good and evil and would make viewers feel refreshed. As a result, it became a huge hit, far exceeding our expectations. We hit it with a bang (laughs).

(*) Bubble: The economic boom period in Japan that lasted from December 1986 to February 1991. Dubbed so due to its rapid expansion akin to a bubble, ultimately bursting triggered by various factors.

Drawing inspiration from Toyota’s work, Downtown Rocket depicts the diligence of “manufacturing”

── At the time, a 20% rating was considered a blockbuster hit in Japan, but the final episode of NAOKI HANZAWA exceeded 40% (Video Research Kanto region, households), making it a work that will go down in the history of Japanese drama. After that, in 2015, Downtown Rocket, which you were deeply impressed by in the original work, was produced. It has a slightly different taste from NAOKI HANZAWA, which was a drama about the struggles of a banker.

Fukuzawa:Yes. Downtown Rocket is set in a small factory that develops small engines. It is an exciting story of “manufacturing” in which the president, who is proud of his company’s technological prowess, overcomes various difficulties together with his employees.

Fukuzawa:In the previous NAOKI HANZAWA, there was an element of “manufacturing,” but it was not the main theme of the story, so we thought that we needed a different way to depict the story. In this context, I referred to LEADERS (2014), a one-off drama that ran for two consecutive nights and was created by the same production team as NAOKI HANZAWA.

──What kind of drama was it?

Fukuzawa:This is a story about the life of Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation. In making this drama, I interviewed various people at Toyota, including Akio Toyoda, who was the president at the time, and I also had the opportunity to visit the actual factory.

Toyota is the world’s largest automaker in terms of sales. So I thought it would be a global environment, with a well-developed system, everyone speaking English, and so on. In reality, however, I found a factory that had been around for a long time and still had processes that were done by hand. It was surprisingly simple and steady work to make cars.

Seeing this scene, I asked President Akio, “Why don’t you automate this process?” He replied, “We pass on the technology by hand.” In other words, he was saying that there are parts of the process that he does not dare to automate in order to pass on the skills that have been cultivated.

Toyota has a history of developing its own technologies. To maintain its corporate culture and technological capabilities, important parts are still made by hand. There, I felt the spirit of Japanese “manufacturing”. Downtown Rocket reflects much of what I felt and learned at Toyota’s plants.

What happens to the technology of a declining industry? What we wanted to depict in RIKUOH

──RIKUOH, which was created after Downtown Rocket, is not only a story about “manufacturing,” but also a story about people using their skills in new fields.

Fukuzawa:RIKUOH reflects my experience at FUJIFILM Corporation, where I worked for several years after graduating from college. When I joined FUJIFILM, film sales accounted for more than 90% of total profits. However, this situation changed drastically after the introduction of digital cameras. People in upper management felt a sense of crisis, saying that once digital camera technology improved and became widespread, film would no longer be used, and they began considering the next business at an early stage.

Films are manufactured using chemical-based technology. FUJIFILM applied this technology and expanded into other fields such as printing and cosmetics.

──Now they’re not just a “film manufacturer,” but a “precision chemical manufacturer,” right?

Fukuzawa:That’s right. They have survived as a precision chemical manufacturer by taking advantage of their unique technology cultivated in the film business. The same is true for RIKUOH. “Kohazeya,” which originally made tabi (socks for wearing japanese traditional clothing, with a separation between the big toe and the other toes), fell into a crisis of bankruptcy due to declining demand. There, they began to make running shoes using the technology they had cultivated. I wanted to depict this challenge.

Fukuzawa:It is the same in the TV industry where I am now. Since the advent of video distribution and video viewing sites on the Internet, the nature of television has been questioned. So instead of being afraid, let’s take on new challenges like “Kohazeya” and use the technology we’ve cultivated over the years as our strength. That is how I felt when I created this drama.

The experience of becoming number one in Japan in rugby is shaping my work approach

──In RIKUOH and Downtown Rocket, we can see the fun and importance of working as a team with colleagues who are willing to take on challenges together. By the way, Mr. Fukuzawa, you played rugby from elementary school all the way through college, and during your university years, you even became part of the top team in Japan. Is your background reflected in the creation of the dramas?

Fukuzawa:I am sure that has something to do with it. The school I attended was a private school from elementary school through university, and it had a unique educational policy. From the time I was in elementary school, my teacher would say, “Find a job you can be proud of,” and “In any case, play rugby.” I continued to play rugby throughout junior high school, high school, and university, but it was extremely demanding every day, and at that time I had no idea what he meant when he recommended it. But after I started working, I think I finally understood. Rugby is a sport where the team fights together as a unit, covering for each other’s mistakes as everyone pushes forward.

──It is not a sport where one good player is enough. It really is about teamwork, I mean.

Fukuzawa:Even if one player runs very fast, you cannot win if you are pushed around in a scrum. The same is true in the world of drama production. Not only actors, but also camera operators and art staff …, each with their own special skills, must be brought together to produce a drama. On the other hand, if only geniuses come together, it won’t work very well. It would be suffocating (laughs). I am sure that this feeling is reflected in the dramas I create.

── So, finally. What do you think about the fact that TV dramas you have directed are being seen overseas?

Fukuzawa:Up to now, I have devoted myself first and foremost to making TV dramas that Japanese viewers would enjoy and be energized by. So, there may be some differences in the way of thinking from people overseas. But I hope that they will enjoy these differences as well, and especially with Downtown Rocket and RIKUOH, I hope that they will feel the underlying strength of Japan’s small and medium-sized companies and the “artisan spirit” of the engineers who support Japan.

It is hard to generalize, but I think Japanese people tend to be artisans. It is the same with cooking. Whether it is sushi or tempura, chefs devote their lives to a single dish. I think there are a lot of people who pursue deliciousness and quality to the utmost. I would be happy if you could experience the “artisan spirit” that can be seen in various aspects of Japan through these two series.

Downtown Rocket and RIKUOH is in the lineup for Japanese Film Festival Online 2024.

Japanese Film Festival Online 2024
https://www.jff.jpf.go.jp/watch/jffonline2024/
Streaming of TV dramas: June 19 (noon) to July 3 (noon), 2024

*Japan time. The number of films/TV dramas vary depending on the country/region.