Director Katsuyuki Motohiro (hereinafter, Motohiro):
When MEDICOM TOY decided to collaborate with the film industry, I felt I could do something as an artist with this project.

So, I wanted to do what I wanted to do most.

What Godard and others in the Nouvelle Vague era truly wanted to do, which I'd thought about since I was a student...

Producer Takeshi Moriya (hereinafter, Moriya):
??

Motohiro:
Filming without a script!
Using the camera like a paintbrush!!

Moriya:
!!

Motohiro:
It was incredibly fun to be able to do as I pleased. My mind started racing.

I felt like this is how I used to make films when I was a student.

Izumi Suga (Executive Producer of 'Anniversary' / hereinafter, Suga):
How did you feel, Moriya-san?

Moriya:
My favorite film is 'Love Actually.' It turned out that Suga-san and President Akashi felt the same way. I thought it would be interesting if we could make something in that film's style.

Suga:
The story moves towards its climax, connecting...

Moriya:
Exactly.

Moriya:
That was an idea from the screenwriter, Masumoto-san. Since it's a film about 'Anniversary,' or celebrations, Masumoto-san wrote that line. I thought, 'That's brilliant!'

Motohiro:
That's a difficult statement, isn't it? Because some people don't celebrate at all. We don't celebrate in my family.

Suga:
You don't even celebrate Christmas?

Motohiro:
No Christmas, no New Year's. Not even birthdays. Because where does it end?

Suga:
That's true, it never ends, but...

Motohiro:
Birthdays, I find them annoying. The other day, my company celebrated my 50th birthday. All men. I thought, 'I don't need this' (laughs).

Suga:
But not being celebrated at all can also feel lonely.

Motohiro:
I really dislike celebrations. Getting all excited about them. I think it's enough to just think to myself, 'Ah, it's my 50th.' I believe we should just meet up regularly instead of having birthday parties.

But I do like watching fireworks.

Suga:
Focus on the content?

Motohiro:
Yes. Focus on the content. The idea of everyone gathering, baking a cake, and blowing out candles just because it's a birthday... it's creepy to think everyone does that (laughs).

Suga:
What about your children's birthday parties?

Motohiro:
We don't do them.

Suga:
Not even birthday presents?

Motohiro:
They request what they want about a week in advance. Then I ask them, 'What are you going to do for me in return?'

Suga:
You ask for something in return?

Motohiro:
If you say, 'If you get a failing grade, your life is over,' then you'll study hard, right? The idea that humans are celebratory beings... I think that's not necessarily true. So, for 'Anniversary,' there must be an anti-anniversary perspective too.

Moriya:
Director Motohiro's and Director Takahashi's films have a somewhat anti-message. Those two films are in the center. We agonized over the order.

Motohiro:
It's boring if you only show normal things (laughs). Isn't it okay to have something that makes you think, 'What is this?' Everything needs balance.

— What was the reason Suga-san wanted to produce a film from MEDICOM TOY in the first place?

Moriya:
Short films alone rarely reach theatrical release. 'Anniversary' consists of five short films, but by creating a narrative connection at the end, it became presentable as a film to be watched in theaters.

Motohiro:
If there's no one who does crazy things, it's boring if everyone is too good at organizing. It's like that with everything. Making something too perfect isn't that appealing. It seems to be the same in pottery; pieces with a slight quirk are better than perfectly smooth curves.

That final wobble, a little twist. That's what makes you want to pick it up.

Suga:
It might be the same with MEDICOM TOY. When I say, 'I want to do this,' or 'Let's do this,' President Akashi and the staff often make it happen.

Moriya:
That's absolutely true (laughs).

Motohiro:
But when you intentionally try to add a wobble, it becomes chaotic. It's funny, when you try to make a film based on that wobble, it falls apart. It doesn't work, like tropical fish starting to fight in a fish tank.

Moriya:
Even so, you are conscious of it, aren't you? Deliberately shifting things, or doing something a little strange.

Motohiro:
The lines in the script are finished, but I don't call cut (laughs). I tell them, 'Until cut is called, actors are actors!' I make everyone work hard.

Suga:
They improvise desperately.

Motohiro:
Then, new characters emerge. I praise those good moments. 'That improvisation was great!' I say.

Motohiro:
Since everyone did their own thing freely in the omnibus format, it must have been tough for producer Moriya to tie it all together at the end. Shiorin from Momoiro Clover Z and Marikka from Nogizaka46 appear. Just looking at the casting, I think it's amazing how they managed to film it, but there's more. When we were looking for someone to compose the soundtrack, the idea came up to ask Tortoise Matsumoto...

Suga:
If we could ask Tortoise Matsumoto, then I couldn't imagine anyone else.

Motohiro:
He lives near me. And we have a group called 'Gunpla Squad' where creators like Jin Katagiri from Rahmens gather, and we all build Gundam plastic models.

Motohiro:
While drinking. About six of us build the same model kit simultaneously. We line up the finished products and take tons of photos.

Moriya:
Whose work is the best?

Motohiro:
About nippers, or whether cutters are better. How to sand them. We do that all the time, so maybe Tortoise-san trusts me a little (laughs).

Moriya:
The recording period was only two weeks.

During that time, we had the music composed. We recorded as things were finished.

Moriya:
Probably over 60 songs.

Motohiro:
You'll cry at the end. It's that cool.

Moriya:
You can only hear this song after watching the movie.

Motohiro:
Will you release the soundtrack?

Suga:
I'd like to. It depends on the record company...

Moriya:
If there's enough demand, they say they'll do it. Shall we start a call for it?

Suga:
Once the film's release settles down, please release it on streaming!

Motohiro:
Considering how the film was made through this back-and-forth of unreasonable demands, people seem to be paying attention. The fact that five notable directors gathered and did something interesting.

Suga:
I want them to be interested, more and more.

Motohiro:
It's only showing in 5 theaters initially, but if people like it, I think it can be screened in other theaters too. So, I hope you'll go see it. It will make you feel warm and happy.

Suga:
By the way, I still can't read the title of your short film, Motohiro-san. The title...

Motohiro:
'Happy Birthday, Full of Happiness' = Happy Birthday.

Suga:
No one would be able to read that (laughs).

Moriya:
That's for you to find out by watching the movie!

This 'Happy Birthday' is a film that makes you laugh, cry, feel thrilled, and surprised.
It's a work where various emotions swirl within a short time.
The tense relationship between the lead actors, Ryuya Wakaba and Fuku Suzuki,
Please enjoy watching it gradually change.
Personally, I am truly grateful for the special guest appearances of Shiori Tamai (Z) and Satoshi Iizuka (03) (laughs).

I directed the only story in this film about celebrating anniversaries where the anniversary itself gets lost (laughs). Of course, I wasn't joking. Marika Ito and Rui Kurihara, the lead actors, and I had several conversations about how each day we live is a precious, unrepeatable anniversary before we started filming. I would be very happy if you could add the day you watched this film to your own 'anniversaries.'

I am Kentaro Hagiwara, director of 'Cinderella at 50.'
Can we depict 50 years, a long period, within the time-bound medium of film, and even more so within a short film? That's what I wanted to challenge this time. I depicted it by borrowing the lives of two legendary actors, Kazuo Nakamura and Chieko Matsubara, who are like dreams to me.
The four works by the senior directors are also beyond imagination (in a good way), making you feel excited, thrilled, laughing, crying... Your heart will move in many directions. Please enjoy 'Anniversary,' where you can savor the unique pleasure of an omnibus film, in theaters.