Premiere - Summer Ghost : We were at the premiere at the Grand Rex.

By Mulder, Paris, Le Grand Rex, 18 may 2022

"Through my work, I confirm my own feelings about life, and at the same time, I should leave behind a form of weakness and selfishness that is not as simple as a good argument, and cannot be tidied up in an orderly way." - loundraw

Summer Ghost (Hepburn: Samā Gōsuto) is a Japanese animated short film produced by Flat Studio and directed by loundraw. It was released in Japanese theaters on November 12, 2021 and was previewed today at the Grand Rex in the presence of its director loundraw. We suggest you to discover the Q&A that followed the screening of Summer Ghost on our official Youtube page

Summer Ghost was originally conceived and directed by the illustrator loundraw, who was making his debut as a director. Known for his illustration work for the novel Kimi no Pancreas wo Tabetai (I want to eat your pancreas) and for the picture boards of the movie version of the Detective Conan series, roundraw also participated in the actual production of this movie, including character design, background art and drawing. The script was written by writer and director Hirotaka Adachi (Otsuichi), who won the 3rd Authentic Mystery Award for GOTH: The Wrist-Cut Incident.

The film is a contemporary coming-of-age drama that emerged from a single illustration drawn by Loundraw, and depicts an unforgettable story about an urban legend known as Summer Ghost with high school students as the main characters.

The collaboration with Z-Kai, a distance learning company, was born out of an offer from Z-Kai to Loundraw: "We want you to make a film that will be a message of encouragement and support for young people living in the present while facing various problems and conflicts. As another existing story in the world of Summer Ghosts, the conceptual film The Closest and Distant Star was produced, with loundraw in charge of directing, directing, character design, drawing, art direction, cinematography and editing. This was Z-Kai's first collaboration with an animated film in nearly seven years, following Makoto Shinkai's 2014 short film Crossroads .

loundraw, a talented illustrator, is part of the new Japanese animation scene and explores with his first work, Summer ghost, a sensitive subject that he treats with remarkable delicacy. Summer ghost is the bittersweet story of three high school students who decide to investigate the existence of a ghost. When they come face to face with the spirit of Ayane Sato, a young girl who is said to have committed suicide, she tells them, "I don't see everyone. Only those who try to caress death...".  Tomoya, Aoi and Ryo each have their reasons for being dissatisfied with life, but what can they learn from someone who has experienced death?

loundraw started his career as a teenager as a digital illustrator. He stands out for his detailed conception of space, playing with depths of color and levels of transparency. Quickly, he convinces with his personal touch and contributes to many projects.  In 2018, he signed the conceptual illustrations for the feature film I want to eat your pancreas, a romantic film with strong dramatic resonance that was hailed by international critics. More recently, he renewed the experience by collaborating on the preparatory work for the studio's film Bones: Josée, the Tiger and the Fishes; or the science fiction series Vivy: -Flourite Eye's Song-, adapted from an original work by Tappei Nagatsuki (Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-).  In 2022, he directed his first film Summer ghost within Flat Studio which he founded in 2019. He thus signs his first great work both personal and world-oriented.

You can discover our photos on our official Flickr page

Synopsis:
Three high school students travel to an abandoned airport where a ghost is said to appear under certain conditions.  According to this urban legend, Ayane appears: "I don't see everyone. Only those who try to caress death...".  The three friends return home, but Tomoya decides to return to Ayane. A dangerous relationship begins that he tries to hide from his friends...

Summer Ghost
Directed by loundraw
Written by Hirotaka Adachi
With Chiaki Kobayashi, Miyuri Shimabukuro, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Rina Kawaei
Music by Akira Kosemura, Itoko Toma, Guiano, Hideya Kojima
Production companies: Flat Studio, Flagship Line
Distributed by Avex Pictures
Release date: November 12, 2021 (Japan)
Running time: 40 minutes

Photos and video: Boris Colletier / Mulderville