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Several years have passed since that chaotic day. During that time, I’ve been rewriting a half-written novel, throwing it all away and rethinking it from the beginning—and in between, writing the occasional short story. I’ve also been to Turkey, played Dragon Quest 8, made a movie, gone to Okinawa with a few other writers, had stories turned into movies, written a new short story called “My Intelligent Underwear,” been given hand cream as a present because my hands were in poor condition, spilled beer and been handed a pen that removes stains, and all kinds of other things.
Probably the biggest change has been the money I now have due to the success of GOTH. Because of that, I’m able to work less and spend more time enjoying myself.
I spent my teenage years writing stories and attending class, and I almost never did anything for fun. I’ve almost never been able to do things simply because I wanted to. And what I want to do involves making movies and games. I became a novelist despite wanting to do those things instead.
So I went and bought a video camera, and I’ve begun making movies. I’d helped with a friend’s film in college, but I thought it was time I directed my own. I’ve made two films now, but the results were much too horrible to show anyone else. I have a newfound respect for people who are good at this. I’ve been asked to write several screenplays. If asked which I like better, novels or movies, the answer is clearly movies, so of course I accepted immediately with all the passion of a drooling dog. I would be perfectly happy to change careers and focus entirely on movies, but I don’t know if that’s possible.
When I tell people I’m making movies, people often seem to think I would be able to get funding from somewhere. Good heavens, no. Certainly I’ve heard offers, but “funding” essentially means borrowing money from people to make a movie, and that is far too much responsibility. The movies I make cost only a few hundred thousand yen, so I can readily afford them without wasting anyone else’s money. They usually involve me, the camera, and the two actors, with no lighting or sound, and are absolutely unprofessional.
So, at the moment, I’m learning how to direct and continuing to write. If I were to spend ten or twenty years to make twenty-odd movies, would I be able to make something satisfactory? This is not the sort of luxurious challenge most of us are afforded. Everyone I know who’s over thirty and calls himself a director is always working horrible day jobs while filming and dreaming of someday working for a major studio. I have no need to work a horrible day job. And that is because of my publishers and readers. And I owe a debt of gratitude to GOTH for allowing me to begin making my own movies. Thank you very much. I began writing stories during the summer when I was sixteen. This year I am twenty-six, so we have been together ten years.
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—Otsuichi
June 2005