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Pattenrai!! ~ Minami no Shima no Mizu Monogatari
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Wikipedia article
is a Japanese anime biographical film directed by Noboru Ishiguro. The film premiered on November 15, 2008. Within Japan it was released via Joueikai and Oyako Eiga . Its tagline was "Don't Give Up on Your Dreams."
The film portrays the career of Yoichi Hatta, a civil engineer active in Japanese Taiwan, and his interactions with the native Taiwanese. It was financed as a commemoration of the 115th anniversary of the 'Hokkoku Shimbun', a newspaper in Hatta's hometown of Kanazawa, and produced by Mushi Productions. Preview screenings were held on November 11, 2008 at Hokkoku Shimbun's Akabane Hall and on November 20 at Meiji Yasuda Life Hall (MY Shinjuku Building), while the first public screening was held on November 15 at the opening of Kanazawa's Corona Cinema World. Afterwards, it was primarily screened in schools and public institutions in Ishikawa Prefecture and from May 8, 2009 in Cinemate Mini-Theater in Shinjuku. It was also released in Taiwan.
The film's title is derived from 'Patten lai-a', the Taiwanese term for "Hatta has come," .
Plot
In the early stages of Japanese colonization in Taiwan, the Chianan Plain in southwestern Taiwan was considered a barren land due to its low rainfall and lack of irrigation. Yoichi Hatta is sent to this area by the colonial government to develop plans for massive irrigation projects. At first the local farmers question Hatta's intentions and harbor feelings of hostility. But among them, a boy named Yingzhe is moved by Hatta's conviction in his project and comes to understand the necessity of a dam and wishes to become a civil engineer as well. Susumu, a boy who lives in a nearby community of Japanese laborers, has a dream of riding in an airplane. Yingzhe and Susumu are kindred spirits and discuss their dreams. But one day, over 50 people die due to a construction explosion, among them Susumu's father. There is talk of halting construction, and Hatta is distressed.
Staff
*Executive producers: Hidekazu Tobita, Aki Itou
*Director: Noboru Ishiguro
*Producer: Toshiyuki Morii
*Writer: Toshiyuki Tabe
*Composer: Reijirou Koroku
Cast
*Yoichi Hatta: Kazuhiko Inoue
*Xu Yingzhe: Junko Minagawa
*Susumu Tsuji: Fujiko Takimoto
*Miyo Aragaki: Yuko Gibu
*Kenkichi Tsuji: Atsushi Gotou
*Toyoki Hatta: Tae Hitoto
Release in Taiwan
'Pattenrai!!' was released on November 13, 2009 in Taiwan with a mixed Mandarin-Taiwanese dub (with some theaters opting for the original Japanese voices with Chinese subtitles). Preview screenings were held on November 4 in Xinying District, Tainan with President Ma Ying-jeou attending and on November 9 in Taipei with former President Lee Teng-hui and former President of the Executive Yuan Frank Hsieh in attendance. In 2010 it was shown in Tainan schools.
Reception
'Pattenrai!' won the 23rd Japan Society of Civil Engineers' Cinema Committee's Most Excellent award.
References
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