There’s no time more exciting yet poignant than the end of youth: when we weigh up what’s truly special to us and become aware of the wider world outside our humble hometowns. This fond farewell to childhood is at the heart of Goodbye, Don Glees!, a coming-of-age adventure that Anime Limited are excited to release in selected cinemas across the United Kingdom and Ireland from 30th November 2022 – with tickets on sale now! We had the absolute pleasure of taking to the film’s director Atsuko Ishizuka who previously directed A Place Further Than The Universe– One of my favourite shows of all time. It was a delight talking to Atsuko. We learned a lot about the film’s making, as well as the messages that are attached to. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Atsuko and her translator for the opportunity… It was quite a journey and we are so grateful. We really hope you enjoy our chat, and make sure you grab your tickets.
James: Thank you so much for letting me watch Goodbye, Don Glees! I had such an absolutely brilliant time. As a huge fan of A Place Further Than The Universe it was everything that I wanted. So thank you so much for bringing a story like this to us.
Atsuko Ishizuka: Thank you so much.
James: Can you tell us a bit about Goodbye, Don Glees! What can the audience expect from your upcoming film?
Atsuko Ishizuka: It’s about this moment where the world changes completely. I’m sure that everybody will be able to relate to those emotions that all of these characters go through, and I’m sure that everybody wherever you are can find something in there and I think we’ll be able to share all of these sentiments at the cinema.
James: Looking at the film itself, where did the idea and the story come from for Goodbye, Don Glees! Where did it start for you?
Atsuko Ishizuka: The idea was about… I wanted to do a story about boys growing up and I started to think about what kind of experiences I wanted them to have. Originally, I was thinking that the boys will be time travelling but then the story would be about that and that’s got nothing to do with these boys growing up at all. So I thought, okay, what can I do now? Then around that time my mom had a serious illness and she was actually told that she might not have long to live, then what she tried to do was do everything… Whatever she can do for me, she can talk to me, and she wanted to do everything that she can while she is in this world. Also… I’m her child and I was her only proof that she existed in this world, so that was a huge experience for me so I wanted these characters to experience something similar to that and I started thinking again what that actually could be in terms of experiences.
James: It was a real emotional journey for you then. Throughout the film, for the main characters, there is this pressure about growing up, finding a career path as quickly as possible, and just this idea of entering adulthood as a young teenager. Was there that pressure of figuring your life out at an early stage there for you? Was that something you had to contend with as a teenager growing up?
Atsuko Ishizuka: Not really, my life wasn’t that dramatic [laughs] and I think, you know, there are people who think their oh, my life is small and my life is boring, and I think I’m just doing what I wasn’t able to do back then and I’m able to use those things that I learnt as an adult, right? I wanted these boys to learn, and I think that’s the beauty of storytelling, you’re able to make a depiction.
James: This idea of self-discovery is a prevalent theme in Goodbye, Don Glees! and A Place Further Than The Universe, what is it about these transformative journeys that you think will reach audiences?
Atsuko Ishizuka: I think that what I want to feel as an audience is to have a good story that I want to see or read, right? I want to be able to feel when I look at a story. So then my conclusion is that I need something encouraging. When I come out of the cinema the world has to look different from what you saw before you went in… You feel somehow empowered, I suppose. I’m very interested in self-discovery and this idea of identity. You might lack in confidence a little, but that’s not a bad thing,,, You can look at it as a positive thing. When Don Glees! came out in cinema in Japan the mood felt very different when the audiences came in and then out of the cinema. It just felt so different.
James: Yeah, I definitely felt… A lot heavier after. I think that’s one way of describing it [laughs]. So, looking at your career which has been absolutely incredible. You’ve been the animator, storyboarding, and then of course taking the helm of A Place Further Than The Universe, what was that transition to screenwriter and director of Goodbye, Don Glees! like?
Atsuko Ishizuka: It was… Very isolating, actually, especially during the process of writing the script. If I wanted to talk to someone, I have to be able to add something. You have to be able to explain you choices, but sometimes there’s no logic in you head. Creating a story… You sometimes have to do it on your own and I found that really hard. It was very challenging. Sometimes it’s like… You had a great dream last night and you remember how you felt, and you know it in your head! But you have to somehow tell the world. Let them know how great it was, and… How challenging is that? It was a bit like that for me, actually.
James: That hard work definitely paid off because it was such a visual, and rather innocent story that dealt with a lot of different themes such as loss, growing up, consequences, and even this notion of being different… Standing out in a crowd. Why are themes like these important to you when establishing a narrative?
Atsuko Ishizuka: I just wanted to tell a story about these very interesting people. It doesn’t matter if they were male or female, I just wanted to do something more personal and that in itself was a big challenge, but I was blessed with having good producers and wonderful staff who were able to make what I had in my head come true. But once it got going, things became a lot simpler. As it turned out, I think I wanted teens to love this, you know? I wanted them to agree with it and I wanted them to relate to these characters, so the story became universal because of that.
James: One thing I’ve always loved about your stories and the way you present them is how these relationships flourish. They’re always so touching and sincere. But, in this film the characters are… Tested. They’re growing up and relationships can change. While creating these characters did you ever draw upon your own experiences?
Atsuko Ishizuka: I didn’t actually draw from my own experiences for this film. But I think, while being unaware of it, I probably drew from my own emotions and just wasn’t aware of it at the time. There are things that definitely impacted the story- people that I’ve met, for example. But it wasn’t my primary focus. I think also, especially for this one, I wasn’t looking at it as an animation so that may be why I focused more on building these genuine characters. By that what I mean is, and as you know, with animation it can sometimes be more stylised so that children and younger audiences can understand. But my influence is more from live-action movies, and things that have actually happened in reality, you know? I think that’s where I draw my inspirations from- the world.
James: When I was watching Goodbye, Don Glees! it reminded me a lot of some of the difficulties some of us face as teenagers. There are expectations and bullies to deal with, so looking at that, especially for the younger audiences, what do you hope people will take away after watching?
Atsuko Ishizuka: So… What you think is your limit, isn’t your limit. Your world isn’t your world… It’s so much bigger. People don’t decide that for you, there is always something else out there. There is always something next, and it’s bigger. You might have problems and you might not have that confidence, but that is something that we can all share in, right? Beyond that, there is always something else, or somewhere else you can go. I’m not saying you must go, but it’s important to be aware of that the world is much bigger than you think.
James: I absolutely fell in love with the characters, they were all incredibly fun and charming! They were also very grounded. What was the prcoess like trying to give these characters their voice?
Atsuko Ishizuka: So I made a shortlist of talented voice actors and I actually didn’t audition because as I said, it’s not the animation I was focusing on, rather the genuine dialogue that I had and I wanted it to feel real, like everyday people not like in the movies. It was about real teenagers. So I picked the top three- the top three voice actors in Japan, and they really helped us a lot, really a lot!
James: This one might be a tough one, but it was quite easy for me while I was watching, did you have a character that you were particularly fond of, a character that you… latched on to during the making of Don Glees?
Atsuko Ishizuka: It’s abit of a competition but I think maybe… Toto. Yeah, I’m glad he was there. He’s a very clever individual and the issues that he has are actually quite simple. He’s easy to understand in a way, you can really see what he sees. But he helped the story and was very supportive during everything.
James: He was my favourite as well actually! I saw a lot of myself in him. Actually, I saw a lot of myself in each of the characters in different ways. But it was Toto who really stood out for me. It was great to see that sort of representation.
Check out the trailer below:
Goodbye, Don Glees! will be released in cinemas from 30th November, 2022. The film will be available in Japanese with English subtitles, as well as an English dub. For more information and to book tickets, please visit dongleesfilm.co.uk
