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Contemporary Artist Takashi Murakami Discontinues Jellyfish Eyes 2 Film Project
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
World-renowned contemporary artist Takashi Murakami announced on his Instagram account on June 30 that he has discontinued production on his Jellyfish Eyes Part 2: Mahashankh (Mememe no Kurage 2) feature film due to his company facing bankruptcy. He will produce a series of videos that will "publicly announce" the film's discontinuation (the first of the videos can be viewed below).
Murakami (Superflat Monogram) made his live-action directorial debut with the first film in 2013, though the project was initially planned as animation. (It eventually became a hybrid live-action/CG film.) He was also in charge of the original story and character design, and served as executive producer. Jun Tsugida was in charge of the film's screenplay alongside Yoshihiro Nishimura, who also acted as producer and assistant director. Janus Films screened the film in the United States in 2015, and the Criterion Collection released it on home video.
While the first film debuted in 2013, Murakami had already started working on the sequel film in 2012.
In the first film, Takuto Sueoka stars as Masashi, an elementary school student who transfers schools after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. In his new house, Masashi discovers that he can see "friends," mysterious jellyfish-like beings that adults cannot see. The film incorporates more than 900 cuts of CG animation.
The first episode of Murakami's 6HP - Six Hearts Princess anime project aired in an incomplete state as a one-hour television anime special in December 2016.
Sources: Takashi Murakami's Instagram account, Cartoon Brew (Alex Dudok de Wit)