The Man Who Sells Romance: Yoshinobu Nishizaki
Caption at far right:
He has been diving for five years and says, “When I’m underwater, it’s a completely different world from the one above the surface, and it’s a relief.” He is very pleased with the sea bream he caught.
Main text:
The idol of children today is neither Pink Lady nor King. It is the man who is said to have made the most money this summer, producer of the anime movie Farewell to Yamato, Nishizaki Yoshinobu (43).
The tragic battleship Yamato is transformed into a space battleship in this drama depicting the “love of space” in dreams and romance. “If I can’t cry at something myself, then others won’t be able to cry either. The fundamental idea behind making this story is that I want to convey to others the things that I’ve cherished in my own life. When you’re a child, you have all sorts of dreams about what you’re going to do in the future, and your first love is your first love. It’s essentially the same today as it was in our time,” he said, confident of his explosive popularity.
After a turbulent time as a coffee shop waiter, jazz commentator, and bartender, he jumped into this world as an orchestra manager, saying, “My job is to produce.” Now, in between his busy work, he enjoys scuba diving on a luxurious cruiser. However, for this anime boom man, even this seemingly elegant life is “to generate ideas for his next project,” and he is such a hard worker that he even turns leisure into business. So, what kind of project will he bring us next?
Caption at far left:
“The job of a producer is very stressful. When I’m feeling that way, going out to sea on a cruiser is the best thing,” he says, but he never forgets to think up ideas for his next work.