REVIEW / OPINION FILM – First feature film directed by Yûta Morano, “7 jours” attempts to transcribe in images the beauty of his eponymous novel, which was a bestseller in the 80s.
7 days: the first test of Murano
Yûta Murano tackles a big piece for his first film: 7 days. Indeed, the latter is the adaptation of the eponymous novel, written by Osamu Soda and published in 1985. The work has also aroused a real enthusiasm among young people, becoming a true generational bestseller. The film of Yûta Murano passes especially after a first live adaptation released in 1988. The latter was also very appreciated by millions of Japanese.
7 days follows the young high school student Mamoru who offers his neighbor Aya (with whom he is secretly in love) to run away for a week in order to celebrate his 17th spring. Thereafter, the two students will be joined by other friends. To avoid being found, the young people take refuge in an abandoned factory. However, there, they discover Marret, a Thai refugee child who tries to escape the police. Indeed, he is looking for his parents after having escaped immigration control. To protect him, Mamoru and his friends implement strategies to prevent the authorities from capturing him.
Alongside Yûta Murano, 7 days can count on Ichirô Ôkôchi (Code Geass, Devilman crybaby) to the scenario. The film is also distributed by the inevitable Eurozoom which has become in recent years the leading distributor of Japanese animated films in France. Note that in terms of dubbing, the animated feature film was able to count on the actress Rie Miyazawa, already present in the live film of 1988, to resume her role of Hitomi Nakayama.
An animation in the service of a beautiful story
Do not go there by 4 ways: 7 days is, first of all, visually stunning. Whether in the character design of his characters, the sumptuousness of its decorations and the liveliness of its colors, the film enchants our retina from the first image. However, beyond the visual, Murano also manages to seize the philosophy of its base material released in the 80s, in order to adapt it in its time. Indeed, if the Soda novel appealed to young people so much, it is because of its message of rebellion against any form of authority, whether institutional or parental. Therefore, if the characters are somewhat stereotypical, their actions take on a political dimension entirely in line with today’s issues (immigration, authoritarianism, etc.).
In the end, what seems to start off as a teenage getaway we’ve seen in many animes, ends up being a real struggle against an omnipotent power and without emotion. Moreover, the fact that it is also young people who defend noble values and ideals in the face of adult cynicism is not anecdotal. Indeed, the director and his screenwriter want to make it clear that the challenges of our contemporary world will not be resolved by today’s citizens, who have become too “adult” and too indifferent to their reality to be able to fight. This will mostly come from the younger generation of tomorrow, sometimes mocked and despised by the previous generation. Of course, this generation is naive, hesitant and clumsy. But she is an example of sincerity, courage, benevolence and altruism. In substance as well as in form, 7 days is a real wonder.
7 days by Yûta Murano, released on October 6, 2021. Above the trailer. Find all our trailers here.
