Originally reported by the Sanke Sports newspaper, the Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno will be providing his voice for the lead protagonist in Hayao Miyazaki’s latest directorial feature, Kaze Tachinu. The 52 year old director is no stranger to acting; his roles included Miyu-Miyu from Gainax’s FLCL and a guest role from Magical Shopping Arcade Abanenobashi. He also had both acting and cameo roles in various live-action films, including his own.
Anno had originally been requested by the director, Hayao Miyazaki himself, to provide the voice for the lead character after knowing him for a long time. Hideaki Anno first gained Miyazaki’s attention after submitting a storyboard during the production of Nausica of the Valley of the Wind in 1984. It contains the same raw visceral impact that would be realized in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water, and Gunbuster.
Kaze Tachinu is based on the real-life Jiro Horikoshi, who designed the WWII fighter plane, the Mitsubishi A6M. Belonging to a family of airplane manufacturers who built parts for the war effort, this film is demonstrates his family roots, his constant themes of flying, and his evident love for airplanes. The historical figure Horikoshi, who quoted the lines “Le vent se lève! . . . il faut tenter de vivre!” (meaning “The Wind is Rising… we must try to live!”) from “The Graveyard by the Sea” is parallel to Miyazaki’s emphasis behind the value of life.
The animated film shares the same title from the novel that it was based on, by Tatsuo Hori. Hayao Miyazaki had launched a two-part mini-manga based on the film in 2009. Kaze Tachinu will release theatrically in Japan at July 20th, and Yumi Matsutoya (Kiki’s Delivery Service) will sing the film’s theme song “Hiroki Gumo”.
