John UM
Remember the 22-year-old cartoon “China’s Little Master”? “Magic Ma Po Tofu” “Big Universe Burning Wheat” “Golden Open Smile”… These “Glowing Foods” which have made countless 80s and 90s unforgettable, have finally reappeared!
Remember the 22-year-old cartoon “China’s Little Master”? “Magic Ma Po Tofu” “Big Universe Burning Wheat” “Golden Open Smile”… These “Glowing Foods” which have made countless 80s and 90s unforgettable, have finally reappeared!
The new version of the original “Cooking the Gods”, which was re-planned according to the original comic book of “Chinese Little Master”, was launched on October 12. In the iQiyi, 哔哩哔哩, Mango TV, Tencent video and other major platforms, the total number of two episodes of animation has reached about 7 million. At the same time, the changes made in the new version of the animation relative to the old version of the animation have also caused a lot of controversy. But there is no doubt that this work has become the most popular food animation this fall
So, what about the original author of “Little Master” for the new version of the animation and its controversy? Recently, the original author of the comic book, Ogawa Eiji, first accepted an exclusive interview with the Chinese media, unveiled the story behind the “small master” reappearance of the screen, and also responded to the questions of interest to the audience
(Figure: Ogawa Otsuka draws a congratulatory picture for the new version of the animation).
Initiation: The Chinese side restarted the “Little Master” series of animations, and Ogawa was very fortunate.
All beginnings are hard. Although the small master has become a classic IP, but the new version of the animation that has been restarted for many years can reproduce the glory of yesterday, it is still unknown. According to Xiaochuan Yuesi, in the past few years, Japanese animation industry people have also proposed to him the original comics “Chinese!” “” was again adapted into an animation, but none of them succeeded in establishing the project, which made Xiaochuan regret it
The reason for this is that the old version of “Chinese Little Master” was born in 1997. The style and expression techniques are more traditional, and it is not in line with the trend of the world’s popular and popular theme. In addition, the theme of the story revolves around Chinese cuisine, and the situation setting is also in China. Therefore, the works are more recognized in the hearts of Chinese people, and the heat in Japan is rather general. In addition, economic factors have also become constraints. According to the latest survey data from Japan, more than 30% of animation production companies faced deficits in 2019, the highest in the past decade. Against this background, it is difficult for Japanese production companies to restart an IP that is more popular in China than in Japan
In the original author Ogawa’s heart, the story of the small master was continued, and it became his wish. He said in an interview: “Although I have received many proposals to reorganize the small family into animations again, but every time I come and go quickly, this time I can finally achieve it, and I am filled with emotion. .”
It is reported that in order to put the classics on the screen again, the Chinese company has repeatedly sent invitations to Xiaochuan through the talks, eagerly showing that it is necessary to reproduce the classic wishes, and expressed the original IP in the hearts of the people. The important position finally made him see the hope that the dream came true. “Restarting the animation is a request from China to me. This is a thank you. I personally look forward to seeing the second half of the original, which was not possible 20 years ago.”
In fact, Ogawa’s wish is also the wish of the old animated audience for many years. Judging from the information currently known, the new version of the story revolves around the struggle between Liu Zhaoxing and the “Dark Cuisine” and the collection of “legendary kitchenware”, which is expected to end the regret that the old version of the animation only collected two pieces of kitchenware
(“Cook God Little Master” Stills)
Production: Return to the local materials, and strive to restore the Chinese customs.
The successful start of the project is only the first step. In order to give the fans the best viewing experience and let the audience appreciate the happiness brought by the food, the Chinese and Japanese teams have invested 100% in the animation production process. Ogawa himself also gave a lot of advice
According to Xiao Chuan, he started to create “China” because he likes Chinese cuisine very much! “Comic. When he created this work, he mainly learned about Chinese food by purchasing related books, or he took the editor to the familiar Chinese restaurant to get materials, consult, and let his mother help to make their own imagined dishes.Once in a shop, when Ogawa specifically asked the store to make a special bamboo dish for them, the head chef was very surprised. “Which guy made such a strange request?”
It is precisely because of the limited creative conditions that the original Chinese comics and old animations are not very accurate in depicting Chinese history, geography and style. Some of Sichuan’s practices are obviously not professional and rigorous. In this context, Ogawa and the “Kitchen God Little Master” production team hope that the new version of the animation can make some breakthroughs and improvements
For this reason, the “Cooking the Gods” is a special team for the Japanese and Japanese production teams to go to Sichuan, Chongqing and other places to shoot many materials, and strive to restore Chinese historical architecture and customs in the animation. It is not difficult to find the audience of the first episode of “The Kitchen Gods and Little Masters” “Dream of the Dream”. The Du Fu Caotang and Jiezi Ancient Town in “Chicken Town” are generally the same as the scenery in the real world
In addition, the Chinese team is also in the process of animation production to check the details of Chinese history and culture. At the same time, the team also hired a local professional chef as a food consultant to make the animation show the Chinese food part more professional and rigorous. All efforts are made to finally present a work that is more in line with the Chinese food culture and Chinese customs
According to Xiao Chuan, in the animation production process, he not only read the story outline written by the director and the screenwriter in advance, but also put forward some feelings after seeing the specific settings such as the mirror, character design and background. And suggested, even went to visit the dubbing scene
(“Kitchen God Little Master” trailer screenshot).
On-line: There are differences between the old and new versions, breaking through the audience’s “Psychological Comfort Zone”.
This year’s Spring Festival, the media just exposed the news that the new version of the small house animation is being prepared, there was a wave of discussion on the network. Many old animated audiences have expressed their views. I hope that the new version of the animation will be able to renew the childhood classics. Many people even hope that the new version will directly follow the classic BGM “Great Wall” in the old version
In this context, on October 12th, “Kitchen Gods” was officially launched on the video website
After the first episode of the animation was broadcast, immediately boarded the relevant list of animation channels of major video websites, and the number of broadcasts soared to more than two million after 24 hours. The welcoming audience contributed tens of thousands of comments and barrage, and the content was mixed. Many viewers pointed out that the new version of the animation is too different from the old version, making them feel uncomfortable. For example, in the new version of the animation, the main characters are “fat” and “have a low-spirited feeling”; the protagonist is renamed “Liu Yixing” and “Auntie” from the familiar “Little Master”; the exaggerated “Glowing Cuisine” special effects also converge. Less; the most “can’t bear” is that the most classic “Great Wall” music is gone…
In fact, the audience may have a sense of rejection when they come into contact with the new version of the work, which is also expected by the producers. In the animation preparation stage, Yao Xin, vice president of Jiewai Animation, revealed that the team decided to make innovations in the direction of being more loyal to the original and more localized, rather than making a direct copy of the old version. Works. “If there is no difference with the old version of the animation, this animation also lost the meaning of restarting.” “The difference between the old and new versions may be larger than many netizens expected.”
For the innovation of the new version of the animation and the controversy that arises, Ogawa admits that after the animation started, he also received many comments and suggestions from the readers. “The original series of comics “Chinese Little Master” is a story that begins with my personal strong enthusiasm for Chinese culture. I can get the opinions and suggestions from Chinese friends in the character design. I also feel that everyone is feeling this. The attention of the work is very honored.”
Ogawa also commented: “In terms of character design, whether it is animation 22 years ago or this new animation, I think that each has its own advantages.” In his opinion, the new version of the animation will be designed very much by Auntie and others. Cute, he is very interested. In addition, he also pointed out: “The soul of the work has not changed, and the audience who saw the film will be able to see at a glance.”
Yao Xin also agrees with the above viewpoint. He pointed out that the core of “Kitchen God is a small master” has not changed. I believe that after the stage of psychological exclusion due to strangeness, the audience will have a new understanding of the new version of the animation, and can also find a bigger part in the viewing process. Pleasure. It is understood that in addition to broadcasting in China and Japan, “Kitchen Gods” has also landed on streaming media platforms such as Netfilx and Crunchyroll, covering a wide range of countries and regions including Europe, America and Asia. The production team hopes to pass on and export the Chinese food culture to the whole world through this work, and also make the classic IP of Xiaodangjia more energetic