Pacific Rim is Guillermo del Toroâs big love letter to Japanese monster movies like Godzilla and anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion. Too bad Japan isnât exactly in love with Kikuchi.
Actress Rinko Kikuchi is Mako Mori, one of the filmâs lead pilots to battle the dreaded kaiju in one of this summerâs biggest Hollywood flicks. Pacific Rim is already getting good noticesâHideo Kojima and Kanye dig the GlaDOS infused flick. Now if only Kikuchi could turn that into popularity in her home country.
https://lastchance.cc/hideo-kojima-reviews-pacific-rim-in-eight-tweets-680304164%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Kikuchi didnât make a name for herself like many Japanese celebrities and actors typically do, which is either by appearing in numerous TV dramas, variety shows, or in a string of commercials. The Japanese film industry is a shell of its former self. TV is king. Even though she did appear in a few dramas, such as Liar Game, prior to Babel, and she did some car ads, Kikuchi never was really able to parlay that into becoming a huge star in Japan.
Even after Kikuchi was nominated for an Academy Award, the first Japanese female to get an Oscar nod in 57 years, and became the face of Chanel, Japanese success remained elusive. She did top an opinion poll about who Japan was most proud of internationally, but that seemed to flitter away.
A Livedoor News article from 2007 talked how in the wake of her international success, Kikuchi wasnât exactly in demand back at home and wasnât popular with Japanese housewives. When you donât have a fan base, being a talented actor isnât enough in Japan.
On 2ch, Japanâs largest bulletin board, a thread talked about why Kikuchi hadnât become popular in her home country. The thread is fairly brutal (actually, itâs really brutal), and some say her looks arenât appealing to Japanese, while others commented about the graphic nudity in Babelâsomething that seemed unbecoming. Then, some didnât even know who she was.
In 2010, Kikuchi appeared on afternoon variety show Waratte Iitomo!, which is an iconic Japanese program. Itâs an institution, like The Tonight Show. Her appearance went so poorly that people on Yahoo! Japan (here and here, for example) began saying she should never appear on variety or talk shows again. While she seemed stylish, Kikuchi didnât make a very good impression and came off as awkward. Perhaps she was nervous? Whatever the case was, she seemed to lose even more fans.
One of the main issues seemed to be how in Japan the mass media and the countryâs entertainment complex work in tandem. Her success was achieved outside of that realm. And then when she actually did appear on Japanese TV, she seemed somewhat awkward and not exactly quick with quipsâa necessity to survive in mainstream Japanese show business. For many Japanese itâs perhaps baffling why she, out of all the Japanese actors, has been successful abroad. For Americans, itâs probably akin to when particular entertainers become far more popular in foreign countries than in Hollywood.
That year, however, she appeared in two TV dramas in Japan. Since the countryâs television industry overshadows its film business. The following year, she appeared in a Japanese period drama. But since Babel, Kikuchi has done mostly foreign film work (though, she did do voice acting in a Mamoru Oshii anime as well as appear in a live-action Oshii flick). Then, she appeared in major Hollywood films 47 Ronin with Keanu Reeves and the previously mentioned Pacific Rim.
So far, her popularity hasnât really taken off at home. With the good buzz around Pacific Rim, perhaps Japanese fans can focus on her acting, instead of how good she can work the Japanese entertainment machine.
èć°ććăŻăȘăäșșæ°ăćșăȘăăźă [2ch]
The End of Gyaku-YuânyĆ« [Neomarxisme]
An earlier version of this story was posted in December 2012.
To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.
