Noted Japanese author Haruki Murakami is happy with first animated adaptation of his short stories

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami expressed joy with how several of his short stories were adapted in American director Pierre Földes’ animated film “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman”, adding he wanted to see future interpretations of his work with filmmakers’ own spin. The Japanese language version of the 2022 film will be released for the first time in Japan on July 26. It is the first animated adaptation of Murakami’s work. The film, set in Tokyo in the aftermath of the March 2011 triple disaster, focuses on three main characters trying to find peace. The popular writer’s works previously inspired several award-winning works, including Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s 2021 “Drive My Car” and South Korean director Lee Chang-dong’s 2018 thriller “Burning.”