The director of the Lord of the Rings anime should make you emotional

Key points

• Kenji Kamiyama, known for directing iconic anime projects, is helming The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.
• Kamiyama aims to honor the original trilogy by blending practical effects with CGI in the animated film.
• The decision to focus on Helm's daughter doesn't have to be as big of a concern as some think, as evidenced by the new footage.

The legacy of The Lord of the Rings — and the high standard set by Peter Jackson's award-winning trilogy — casts a large shadow over any attempt to tell a new story in that universe. That same shadow now looms The Rohirrim Waran animated epic set nearly 200 years before the trilogy, but if there's anything that should make fans optimistic, it's the director of the new film.

Kenji Kamiyama is a visionary director with an impressive personal legacy, painted through some of the most important Japanese animation projects of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. The opportunity to direct an anime based on the world of JRR Tolkien was no doubt tempting to many directors of comparable skill, but it is for the reasons below that Kamiyama is the ideal choice.

The career of Kenji Kamiyama

For those more familiar with Japanese animation, Kamiyama's resume practically speaks for itself. His early career saw him as a background artist in films such as TMS Entertainment's Akira or Studio Ghibli Kiki's delivery serviceclassics commonly known even among non-anime watchers. In the 90s he joined Production IG (Ghost in the shell, Patlabor, Psycho Pass), a studio where he would soon thrive as a director.

For a time he continued to test his skills as an animator, background artist and writer. He worked as animation director on Hiroyuki Okiura Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigadeand wrote the screenplay for the 2000 cult classic, Blood: The Last Vampire. In 2002 he made his directorial debut with a series of short films Patlabor called parody episodes MiniPato. The biggest surprise that came from that show was the knowledge that by the end of that same year he would be directing something truly masterful.

When Kamiyama proved his worth

In 2002, Kamiyama directed Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complexan expensive and risky sequel to Mamoru Oshii's 1995 classic. It was a gamble that paid off, and no doubt Kamiyama's tutelage under Oshii prepared him to take on the challenge. Although series creator Shirow Masamune has stated that there is no definitive version of Ghost in the shellmany would consider Autonomous complex be the best in the franchise.

It's an almost frighteningly prescient sci-fi drama, elevated by Kamiyama's clever script. It was gripping and suspenseful, but grounded in deeply human characters who brought a healthy levity to what could be an occasionally upsetting experience. As a director, Kamiyama displayed excellent mastery of pacing, composing captivating action with an emphasis on building tension.

How to follow up a masterpiece

Kamiyama's next projects would receive similar acclaim for their scripts, characters, and overall aesthetic sensibilities. 2007 Moribito: Guardian of the Spiritis a fantasy adventure series that follows the mercenary Balsa as she protects Chagum, a prince hunted by the emperor to extinguish the spirit that dwells in his body. This adaptation of Nahoko Uehashi's novel series received praise for its characters and the story's exploration of cultural themes.

2009 Eden of the EastKamiyama's next science fiction series, follows Saki Morimi, who travels abroad to America, where she meets Akira Takizawa, a strange boy with amnesia. She will soon find herself embroiled in a deadly game with the fate of the world at the center of everything. Fans of the series view it the same way Autonomous complex in terms of writing quality.

Kamiyama continues to write and direct to this day, from Netflix Ultraman series for the relaunch of Autonomous complexboth animated by Production IG and Sola Digital Arts. He also directed Blade Runner: Black Lotus for Toonami. But one of his most impressive works in recent years has to be his contribution Star Wars: Visions. Its episode, “The Ninth Jedi,” was a captivating short that took advantage of the franchise's rich lore, both canon and non-canon, to deliver something fresh and exciting.

Why fans should believe in Kamiyama

As impressive a portfolio as this may be, skeptical Tolkien fans unfamiliar with anime may need something more convincing, and the lackluster marketing for The Rohirrim War it didn't help.

It's natural to be skeptical of anime's ability to capture the magic of such a legendary cinematic adventure, even with Peter Jackson's involvement as a producer. Thankfully, Kamiyama understands this skepticism, both as a fan and an expert storyteller.

“When I saw the live-action trilogy 25 years ago, I had the impression that it was a fantastic film and I felt that I had to protect that impression (with this film) at all costs”

In a press conference regarding the new film, he spoke about its affinity with the original trilogy. He recalled how some special effects were so good that “you couldn't tell it was CG, like Gollum and the battle scenes”. The decision to animate The Rohirrim War Primarily 2D was born out of Kamiyama's desire to honor the seamless blend of practicality and CGI seen in the original. He wants to capture the power of the original by translating that blend.

He certainly doesn't lack the resources to do so. WETA Workshop provided full collaboration with the production, even allowing access to props for reference. Not to mention the involvement of numerous producers and screenwriters who worked on the original trilogy, such as Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote the original films.

A little taste of what's to come

An 8-minute extended preview of the film was released on December 3. Compared to previous marketing that relied heavily on recognizable clips from the original films, this preview is a much more substantial preview of the narrative. Once again, Kamiyama's mastery of tension shines, even with the obvious editing to avoid spoilers. Just as Cate Blanchett narrated the original trilogy, Miranda Otto's reprisal as Éowyn to narrate this story wonderfully lulls the viewer into this fantasy.

A commonly cited concern by some about the film is how it will expand on the source material, largely out of necessity, and the quality of that original storytelling. Additionally, the choice to center the film on Helm's daughter rather than Helm himself was a point of contention, but as the preview above demonstrates, this may be much more of a blessing than a curse.

In the trilogy, Helm is a figure whose presence is also felt as a memory. Helm's Deep is a name associated with one of the greatest battles ever filmed. In a way, making his daughter the protagonist is almost a safe move, preserving the reverence the audience has for him by seeing him through the eyes of a loved one. At the same time, it allows The Rohirrim War doing what movies have always been great at. That is, telling stories of multiple characters.

The horn will sound again

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim hits theaters in North America next week, and it will be a truly special day, not just for this franchise but for anime theatrical distribution in general. Seeing a hand-drawn animated film released on a large scale and treated in its marketing like any other theatrical release (even if it didn't receive the best marketing) seems surreal. And if it succeeds, it would mean big things for the future of the medium.

Source: Oricon News