Halcyon Realms - Freedom Project/Otomo/anime

Okie...here i go again...

This is also a reason why I created a fantasy set in Japan. Though it is a fairy tale, I don't want to make it like a western type of story which allows many possibilities for escape, and it is likely to be taken as a cliche. However, I would prefer to say that it is rather a direct descendent of " Suzume no Oyada " ( The Sparrows' Inn - a trap in which sparrows lure people by food and pleasant surroundings ) or " Nezumi no Goten " ( The Mouse's Castle - similar to " The Sparrow's Inn "), which appear in Japanese folktales. Our ancestors had been dining at the Suzume no Oyada and enjoying a feast at the Nezumi no Goten.

I created a world where Yubaba lives in a pseudo-western style to make ir seem as if it is something that has been seen somewhere else and to make it uncertain whether it is a dream or reality. And also, Japanese traditional design is a rich source for the imagination. We are often not aware of its richness and the uniqueness of our cultural heritage - from stories, traditions rites, designs, and tales of the gods. It is true that " Kachi-kachi Yama " and " Momotaro" are no longer persuasive. However, I regret to sat that it is a poor idea to push all the traditional things into a small folk-culture world. Surrounded by high technology and its flimsy devices, children are more and more loseing their roots. We must inform them of the richness of our traditions.