In ‘Kadono Eiko’s Colorful Life: Finding the Magic Within’ director Marina Miyagawa opens up a window onto the world of Japanese children’s book writer Eiko Kadono. We witness her daily (writing) routines, listen to her talk about her inspirations and her view on life and we meet some of her friends. In short, throughout the film, we get to know this colorful and interesting person.
Kadono Eiko’s Colorful Life: Finding the Magic Within is screening at Japan Cuts 2024
Miyagawa was born in Tokushima in 1970. She has been working for the program production division of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) since 1993, most recently as a producer. For her first documentary film she combined new footage with existing material that was filmed for a 2020 NHK Educational TV series of the same name on which she worked as well. As a result, film crews followed Eiko Kadono over the course of about 4 years..
The style used in this documentary is observational; the viewer is like a fly on the wall, an external observer. Most of the explaining is done by Kadono herself talking about her past, commenting on events. However there is also limited use of a voice over to explain what is shown. This is provided for by Aoi Miyazaki.
It is quite literally a very brightly colored film, not the least because Eiko is herself a colorful person. Her bright dresses and accessories stand out immediately as do her funky glasses. She buys a new pair every time she finishes a book and likes them as a distraction from her wrinkles.
Check also this interview
The music is light and playful and adds a suggestion of magic to the film. It was composed by Dai Fujikura, a Japanese-born composer of contemporary classical music who studied and lives in London.
Now what makes Eiko Kadono such a special person and why this documentary? First of all there is her career. Although she only started writing when she was 35 she has been active as a author of (children’s) books for over 50 years. Her oeuvre and popularity all over the world led to her being rewarded the 2018 Hans Christian Andersen Award, the equivalent of the Nobel prize for children’s books.
Outside of Japan she’s probably best known for ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’ thanks to Hayao Miyazaki‘s film with the same name that was based on the first of the 8 instalments. But she also conceived a long-running series about 3 little ghosts and has recently started to write more autobiographical books. Bringing her full circle to ‘Brazil and My Friend Luizinho’, her debut about Luis, a little boy she knew when living in Brazil.
Apart from a successful writer, Kadono is also an intriguing and colorful personality who leads an interesting life. At 88 she is still full of energy, but her life was not always easy. She lost her mother when she was very young, and is also very much a child of World War 2. During that time, girls lived a very sheltered life in the countryside but afterwards that changed. As Eiko says herself, they had nothing but they had their freedom. She studied English literature and in 1960, at the age of 25, she and her husband emigrated to Brazil where they spent two years. All this led to a unique view on the world.
Combining the spirit world her father introduced her to as a kid and Luis insight in following the rhythm of her heart when singing, dancing, living, Kadono has found her personal writing voice where the most important aspects are enjoyment and happiness. When you enjoy what you do, it will shine through in the results. But this idea goes further than just liking her work, her whole life is centered around the concept: joy in simple things, like seeing a tiny crab on the street or buying bright plastic jewelry. Experiencing joy when doodling in her notebooks, these ideas and impressions serve as inspiration for her stories. The joy of visiting friends, or, after more than half a century and by grace of modern social media, meeting up with Luis again.
But there is also the joy she brings to others, that of reading that she aims to bring to children not only through her own books but also in Kiki’s Museum of Literature, a museum based on her work where she brought over 10.000 children’s books from all over the world together for the visitors to read.
When watching ‘Kadono Eiko’s Colorful Life: Finding the Magic Within’ one realises there is a lot we can learn from this eternally young 88-year-old who manages to contribute to the world in a meaningful way while at the same time hanging on to her childlike and endearing way of engaging with the world.
