Synergies between manga and auteur cinema: Sion Sono, Usamaru Furuya and Minoru Furuya

Abstract

Japan is one of the largest producers of comic book adaptations in the world. It is a well-known fact that the Japanese publishing industry and its most prestigious animation studios have a close relationship that is reflected in the release of anime film versions of every commercial manga that has been a hit with readers. After a successful animated adaptation, the next step in the process, in addition to the corresponding video game adaptation, is often the production of an adaptation to live-action cinema, a project that is generally problematic due to the conflicts of interest raised by the question of fidelity to the original, the budget assigned and the final result for the fans. Manga adaptations are not limited to this commercial cycle, as in their filmographies certain directors reveal an aesthetic and thematic interest closely related to certain works of the more alternative mangaka, generally restricted to specific genres. Thus, well-known directors, such as Sion Sono, have been allowed greater creative freedom to develop their relationship with the comic, with the manga as a source of inspiration or as an extension of the universe of their films.