Suzume’s writer/director, Makoto Shinkai, revealed his original all-female plan for his film and why he didn’t go ahead with the idea.
Shinkai recently spoke with Looper about his latest long-running project revealing that he originally planned for both main characters to be female. “At first, I wanted to turn this story into a movie about the journey of Suzume and another girl,” said Shinkai, “I wanted to revolve around a more sisterly romance.” However, his producer quashed the idea before it could begin, saying: “You might get tired of these romance stories, but your audience loves it. .”
The acclaimed director — known for creating projects like Your Name and Weathering with You — discussed further why he wanted to go in this direction. “Personally, I feel a bit tired of telling a very traditional romance story,” said Shinkai. He claimed that he did “everything that I could in terms of “boys and girls” and “they will, won’t they, they will meet.” In the end, he decided to turn Suzume’s main lover into a chair to avoid making it “too romantic” after being told he couldn’t complete his original woman-centered concept.
Shinkai wanted to focus on the human side of the story
Although Shinkai’s plans for a female double lead are not coming to fruition at this point, he has discussed his intentions for his future projects, stating, “In terms of LGBTQ commentary , it’s not something I’m actively trying to write or not.” He also said that he is less interested in ideas about gender and sexuality than “a person who overcomes something” and that he wants to “focus on that person’s story instead of commenting too much.” much about gender or sexuality.”
Suzume was released in Japan last November and was a critical and financial success, earning even more money in its opening weekend than his previous films. The film premiered in the US and Europe on April 14, 2023. It follows a popular young woman as she teams up with a young man, Souta Munakata, to prevent a series of disasters from happening. across Japan by going around the country and closing. mysterious doors.
Shinkai’s previous projects have been well received, with Your Name garnering a particularly notable amount of acclaim, even ranking as the third highest-grossing Japanese film of all time at the time. writing score. Suzume is also on that list, coming in at number four, with Weathering with You at number nine.
Suzume is showing in theaters now, with Your Name available for purchase on most digital services and Weathering with You streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Looper
