17/03/2024, 18:11 Part 8 People who look back 100 years from now | No matter when the world

world might end – Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun | Yuzuru…

It all started when Yuzuru Hanyu said he was a MOTHER 2 fan on a TV

program. This brought about the kind of discussion you only dream about.
Not in a cliche way, but really and truly an amazing thing. Last
December, Yuzuru Hanyu and Shigesato Itoi met in a studio in Sendai and
talked about all kinds of things for two hours. We’re pleased to be able to
bring you that discussion.

＞Yuzuru Hanyu’s Profile

This article is available in Japanese, English and Chinese.

＞ Japanese（日本語）

＞ Chinese（中文版） weibo／REDBOOK

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Prev Index Next

Boyhood／Mirror Neuron／Heaven and Earth／Mr. Saturn／

Ballet／Timeline／Homesick／Universe／Johnny Weir／

Reset／Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami／Picasso／Sprain／

Parallel Universe／Heroic Sword and an Evil Sword／Produce／

Astro Boy／Music／Ness／Fifteen-year-old／

Romeo and Juliet／Goldfish／Nap／Athlete／Millennials／

Elder sister／A Beatles song, XXXterday／

Score／Vinyl／Death／Youngest child／

That／Hip hop／Mozart／Dilemma／Ice Show

Itoi No matter how much effort you put into your work, I think it’s

difficult to create something that will last through generations.

Nowadays everything is exchanged and consumed as

information, and I think there’s a certain kind of fear in creating

things in an era like this.

H a n yu I think at the very core of what I want to express is something

that remains untouched by time, so as long as I don’t waver on

that, I should be okay. I don’t think I’d be able to convey the core

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of my message if I was afraid of getting engulfed by a wave of

information.

Itoi That’s true. If you’re scared or hesitant, the parts that were good
could end up going bad from underneath you.

H a n yu Yeah. As long as I portray the core message. Even with music,

you’ve got sources of sound that provide an even better sound

than CDs, and you’ve got access to the entire collection with

subscription services. Even so, there are more and more people
who want that analog sound and prefer to listen to a vinyl record.

They probably appreciate whatever sound that can only come

from a vinyl record. So even with the amount of information we

have access to today, vinyls have a freshness that you can only
find in them. Time marches on, but I can see that not everything

fades away.

Itoi Yeah.

H a n yu So it seems more important to make sure we aren’t afraid when

producing our work. If, for example, I was figure skating in the

1960’s, I don’t think there would be any evidence of my

performances left behind. But if I continue to leave behind

images of my performances and stories I’ve told through my ice

shows, there will come a time when someone watches that video.

I want to be confident that I’m making something that ten,

twenty, fifty, even a hundred years from now, whoever watches it

really likes it.

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Itoi It’s nice that you’re recording these videos of your ice shows

while also having an audience watching in person. Not only will

the audience be able to say “I was there for that,” those who they

tell it to will say “You’re so lucky!”

H a n yu Ah, yeah.

Itoi So there’s a positive aspect to that permanence, and a positive

aspect to that transience. During a fireworks show, for example, a

brilliant flash of fireworks will fade away, but you’ll remember

it. There’s only so much you can do to photograph it. Sure, there

are ways to capture the image of the fireworks brilliantly

nowadays, but it doesn’t compare to being there in person. So

each side of it has its merits.

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H a n yu That’s true. There are still people to this day who tell me that

they feel blessed to have had the opportunity to be in this arena

back in 2015.

Itoi Oh, I’m sure of it. That’ll stay with them forever.

H a n yu And on that note, MOTHER 2 came out in 1994, right?

Itoi Ah, right. (Laughs)

H a n yu I was born in December 1994, so when MOTHER 2 came out in

August that year, I wasn’t born yet. So that game really did cross
over time and stay in my heart.

Itoi Oh, I see. (Laughs)

H a n yu It has been 30 years, but it’s still there. The Super Nintendo was

just so alluring with its pixel graphics and the roughness of its

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sounds that included all kinds of sampling. There’s a gentleness

and nostalgia to it that goes even beyond whether the game itself

is good or not, but has more to do with being an irreplaceable

presence in my life with so many memories piled up in it. Surely

it’s in part because the game itself still exists.

Itoi Yeah. If no one could play the game anymore, all we’d be able to
do is talk about the memories of it.

H a n yu Truly. So it really is important to have copies of something. I’ve

got those videos and things saving copies of all the things I

wanted to express over the years.

Itoi It’s nice having our own means of saving an archive of people’s

lives at Hobonichi, whether that be through Hobo Nikkan Itoi

Shinbun or the recorded videos of our Hobonichi School. For

example, if someone has gone down in history, sure they’ll show

up on a chronological table, but the details—what were they
eating back then, and what topics of conversation did they turn to

when passing the time—all disappear.

H a n yu Yeah.

Itoi So that’s why I mentioned that our interviews are probably the

most laid back interview you’ve been in, because that ease is one
of the most important parts for me. In standard interviews, that
light banter tends to be edited out in the end.

H a n yu Yeah.

Itoi But we don’t edit it out. We see that as an opportunity to

faithfully portray what was there at the time. I feel like that’s

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kind of the approach I’ve taken since the very beginning, too.
And it actually seems the same way with MOTHER. The kind of

nonsense that was in the game is just as nonsensical when

looking at it today.

H a n yu That’s what’s so good about it. Take that one pop quiz that one of
the NPC’s brought up in the game: “A Beatles song,

’XXXterday’. Yes or no?”

Itoi That one will definitely not make it to any chronological table.

H a n yu (Laughs)

Itoi But it will remain as a memory for someone.

H a n yu Yeah.

Itoi Talking to you today, though, I feel like you’ve taught me all

kinds of new things about MOTHER.

H a n yu No, no. (Laughs)

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OK, pop quiz! “A Beatles song, XXXterday.” / Can you fill in the blanks? / Yes - No

Boyhood／Mirror Neuron／Heaven and Earth／Mr. Saturn／

Ballet／Timeline／Homesick／Universe／Johnny Weir／

Reset／Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami／Picasso／Sprain／

Parallel Universe／Heroic Sword and an Evil Sword／Produce／

Astro Boy／Music／Ness／Fifteen-year-old／

Romeo and Juliet／Goldfish／Nap／Athlete／Millennials／

Elder sister／A Beatles song, XXXterday／

Score／Vinyl／Death／Youngest child／

That／Hip hop／Mozart／Dilemma／Ice Show

（To be continued）

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2024-03-08-FRI

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Photography: Toru Yaguchi

Clothing: tk.TAKEO KIKUCHI

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