My First Experience ofAccessibility Service
Interview and Writing by Mitsuharu Nagai (Source:Website Home Theater CHANNEL)

1

"ONE PIECE FILM: RED"
A commentary by the original author, EiichiroOda, making it the most exciting in
HELLO! MOVIE history
Interview and Text by Mitsuharu Nagai( Home Theater CHANNEL )This is a series of articles introducing the “HELLO! MOVIE” service, a new style of movie theater
viewing. One of the features of“HELLO! MOVIE” is a “movie
soundtrack service. All you needto do is go to a movie theaterwith a smartphone with a dedicated app installed and earphones, and the smartphone’s
microphone will pick up thesound of the main movie, and thesmartphone app will play the predownloaded commentary audio.
This part introduces the commentary service that was implemented for the Japanese releaseof “ONE PIECE FILM: RED”
Author Eiichiro Oda’s commentary adds over 3 minutes of depth
to the main feature.
The latest anime film, “One Piece
Film: Red,” has been breaking records
since its release on August 6, 2022. It
returned to the number one spot at
the Japanese box office in its 13th
week of release and remained at the
top during the first week of November, with a total audience of 13.4 million people and a box office revenue
exceeding 125 million USＤ. This
places it in 9th position in the all-time
domestic box office rankings, while itcontinues to set records. (Note: As of
November 2023, the latest data indicates 1３７ million USＤ in box officerevenue).

Panel at the entrance of the screen announcing the HELLO
MOVIE! commentary

In celebration of the record-breaking
success of the movie, on November
5th (Saturday), the “Film Red on-thego version of SBS《Secondary Audio
Screening》” featuring the original author and general producer, EiichiroOda, as well as Director Goro Taniguchi, became available on HELLO!
MOVIE. “SBS” is derived from thequestion section - “Solicit Questions(Shitsumon wo Boshu Suru noda)” published in the “One Piece” mangacomics.
With the on-the-go version of the immensely popular SBS section, where
Eiichiro Oda answers questions fromreaders, you can listen to theater commentary using the HELLO! MOVIE
smartphone app with your earphones.
Through the interaction between Oda
and Director Taniguchi, behind-thescenes stories and secrets of the making of “One Piece Film: Red” that can2

now be shared are revealed. They also
respond to provocative questions collected on X (formerly known as Twitter).
As usual, you launch the HELLO!
MOVIE app, place your smartphonein the drink holder, and watch while
listening to the commentary with yourearphones. Surprisingly, even after theend credits of the film roll and the theater lights brighten up, you are still leftin awe of the commentary that extends
over 3 minutes beyond the end of themain feature. It’s the most exciting
commentary in the history of HELLO!
MOVIE. However, the direct relationship with the main video is thin, making it feel like you’re listening to a
standalone “radio program.”
The true essence of the One
Piece Film series is innovation inmovie entertainment.
In fact, this isn’t the first time that the“One Piece Film” series has used theHELLO! MOVIE app. In the 2019
theatrical release of “One Piece: Stampede,” they experimented with offering audio commentary through earphones by all nine voice actors of thecharacters from the “Straw Hat Pirates” that was in step with the progress of the movie.
At that time, the app wasn’t called“HELLO! MOVIE” but rather was offered under the “Another Track” service for smartphones. Back then, there
were still relatively few movie produc-3

tions that used the commentary service through “Another Track,” highlighting the forward-thinking approachof adopting it for the “One Piece Film”
series.
The forward-thinking approach of
One Piece doesn’t stop there. In “One
Piece 3D Mugiwara Chase” (2011),
they took on the challenge of producing the entire film in full CG and digital 3D. This was right after 2009,
which was considered the “3D year”
following the release of “Avatar,” and3D screenings were also implemented
for “One Piece Film: Gold” (2016).
Furthermore, “Gold” was even offered
as the first-ever 4DX and MX4D for-Figure of the character “Shanks

Comic book cover for replacement

Cheering goods for music concerts (balloons)Cheering goods for music concerts (rubber band)mat screenings. While Japanese cinema was generally hesitant about 3Dand 4D, One Piece has consistently
and eagerly pioneered new screening
formats.
It was also the “One Piece Film”
series that elevated “visitor bonuses” to a social phenomenon.
On the other hand, it was none otherthan the “One Piece Film” series thatpushed “theatrical audience giveaways,” which have now become commonplace in the screening of anime
films in Japan, to the level of a social
phenomenon. The “theatrical-version
limited comic” distributed with
“Strong World” (2009) was an initiative that paved the way for subsequent
anime works based on manga.
The latest installment also began witha theatrical-version limited comic. Every week, a different giveaway is offered. The seventh novelty item was
the “Wanpi-no-mi “FILM RED”
“Shanks”,” with a limited distributionof 200,000 units. The eighth was the“Special Shanks 104kan KakekaeCover,” the ninth was the “Yumekawa♡Uta Rubber Band,” and the tenth was
the “Pukupuku♡Uta Balloon,” withmore to come.
In recent years, the audience giveaways for Japanese anime works havebecome somewhat excessive, but it
was likely unexpected that “One Piece
Film: Red” would have such a longrun. When there are only few films
that continue to be screened for over
10 weeks each year, the sight of film
companies consistently rolling out
novelty goods to meet the expectations of fans is rather refreshing.
Miraculous balance of a musicalfilm showcased in this work
Now, the reason for the somewhat

4lengthy introduction is because Toei
has recommended “no spoilers.” I
can’t reveal too much about the HELLO! MOVIE commentary content.
However, even a month after the service started, I am still excited about
what it offers. I’d like to touch on thecharm of the commentary briefly.
The remarkable success of the 125
million USＤ in box office revenue forthis film is not solely attributed to thepreviously mentioned novelty service.
That’s because, while the previous
films in the “One Piece Film” series
were also big hits, they didn’t break
any all-time records for Japanese films.
The most successful film in the series
so far, “One Piece Film: Z,” earned abox office revenue of 47 million USＤ.
This didn’t even place it in the top 100
in terms of all-time box office rankings
for films released in Japan.
“One Piece Film: Red” has earned
nearly three times the box office revenue of “One Piece Film: Z.” There is
no doubt that one of the reasons forthis tremendous success is that it has
become an “unparalleled musical movie.” The character of the singing princess, UTA = artist Ado, with her seven-color vocal expressions, and thewell-crafted collaboration of songwriters who are currently at their peak,have created an exquisite balance.
“One Piece Film: Red” is different innature from the previous offerings in
the One Piece series. It is revealed in
the HELLO! MOVIE commentarythat “Luffy doesn’t utter the name of asingle technique!” (please listen to thecommentary to find out why).
To date, not only in the “One Piece
Film” series but also in other productions based on shonen manga (comics
for boys), there has been a tendency
towards clichés. While the visual andauditory impact has increased with5

each new release, audiences havegrown somewhat fatigued by the repetitive pattern where justice always
prevails (good triumphs over evil),
new challenges are followed by evengreater obstacles, or the disappointment of the “final boss not being thetrue final boss.” Against this background, the musical scenes in “One
Piece Film: Red” have elevated thisfilm into a high-quality musical movie.
In the commentary, it’s revealed that
Eiichiro Oda, the original author, commissioned for this project the sevenartists he personally admired. You cancatch glimpses of his fondness foreach artist. On the other hand, it’s evident that the artists themselves arefans of the “One Piece” manga and, in
response to Oda Eiichiro’s offer, theybrought their extraordinary talent, resulting in a collection of outstanding
songs that left no room for compromise. Audiences can immerse themselves in the music album entitled“Uta’s Songs One Piece Film: Red,”
which includes new compositions, andfind a meaningful reason to visit themovie theater.
In addition, it’s worth noting that theoriginal comic is approaching its final
chapters, generating high levels of anticipation. Furthermore, as a boys’ adventure tale, “One Piece” ultimately
centers around the stories of Shanks
and Luffy, or Ace, Luffy, and Sabo,
which serve as its foundation. “One
Piece Film: Red” opens a window into
the most delicate aspects of this narrative. As the series approaches its 30th
anniversary, readers who were originally elementary school students are
now in their forties, and even fans
who had moved away from the series
may find a reason to return and engage.
In the commentary, there are a few

hints about the final chapter of “One
Piece.” Those who know the conclusion (people to whom Oda revealed
the ending) include not only the assigned editor but also Director Goro
Taniguchi. Moreover, according to Director Taniguchi, the concept has remained unchanged for over 20 years.
Learn about the relationship between the original work and thetheatrical version in HELLO!
MOVIE commentary.
In the commentary, Eiichiro Oda
delves into his “theory of visual creation” and the “relationship between
the original comic and the theatricalversion’s story.” It’s very intriguing, so
it’s definitely worth listening to. Despite being the general producer, it
becomes apparent that Oda adheres toa strict division of labor and doesn’tinterfere much with the animation
production process. However, he focuses on preserving the world of “One
Piece” in the final stages. It’s also revealed that he takes great care to ensure there are no contradictions for
those fans who only read the original
comic. This is sure to please fans of
the original work.
Furthermore, during the planningstages of this film, Eiichiro Oda himself was initially hesitant to turn it intoa “musical.” The commentary discusses how this reluctance ultimately led
to the creation of a “high-quality musical” and the various twists and turns
involved in that process.
Let me introduce some of the questions from the digest of the commentary that is available on the official
website:・Were there any other candidates forthe line “You’re a sore loser!” in thefilm?
・In Chapter 1055, “The New Gene-

6sis,” of the Jump magazine, there is asilhouette. Is it Uta?
・Is Luffy’s constant desire for a musician influenced by Uta?
・Oda, please explain the “Figarland
Family”!

These are some of the questions that
Eiichiro Oda answered with his true
feelings or chose not to reveal.
Normally, HELLO! MOVIE commentaries are recorded with the cast shortly after a stage greeting event following the release of the film. Therefore,
it often takes 2 to 4 weeks after thefilm’s initial release for the commentary screening. In the case of “One
Piece Film: Red,” thanks to its mega-hit status, the recording took placearound the 10th week after the initial
release. Questions were solicited on X
(formerly known as Twitter), and therecording was approached with ample
consideration given to the market’s response. If you count the number ofquestions in the commentary, there
are around 35 questions, touching on
the essence of the film. It’s incredibly
comprehensive.
In typical commentary recordings, thecast watches the main film while
speaking. In that sense, there is a connection with the visuals, but it tends tobe a surface-level commentary that is
improvised. The commentary by Director Taniguchi and Oda seems tohave a prepared script for the session,considering which questions matchwith which scenes. However, theirconversation is so deep and rich that it
feels more like a radio program. It truly stands as the “most exciting commentary in HELLO! MOVIE history.”
Therefore, I recommend seeing anddigesting the regular version of thefilm before attempting a commentary
screening.

Blu-ray“One Piece Film: Red” (STANDARD EDITION)[UltraHD Blu-ray]
This Blu-ray is on sale only in Japan.
Director: Goro Taniguchi
Original work and general producer: Eiichiro Oda
Screenplay: Tsutomu Kuroiwa
Character design: Masayuki Sato
Chief animation director: Masayuki Sato
Music: Yasutaka Nakata
Theme song: Ado
In-movie song contributions: Yasutaka Nakata / Mrs. GREEN APPLE/ Vaundy / FAKE TYPE. /Hiroyuki Sawano / Yuta Orisaka / Motohiro Hata
Voice cast: Monkey D. Luffy: Mayumi Tanaka / Uta: Kaori Nazuka /Shanks: Shuichi Ikeda
2022 production / 115 minutes / G / Japan
Distributor: Toei
© Eiichiro Oda / 2022 “One Piece” production committee

7“One Piece,” which began serialization in “Weekly Shonen Jump” in
1997, has become a global phenomenon. In 2021, the total worldwide circulation of the comic exceeded “490 million copies,” thetankobon (independent books) reached the milestone of “Volume
100,” and the TV anime surpassed “1,000 episodes.” “One Piece
Film: Red” is the latest theatrical installment presented by General
Producer Eiichiro Oda. Directed by Goro Taniguchi (known for the“Code Geass” series), the film features the original character Uta,
voiced by Kaori Nazuka, whose singing voice is provided by Ado.
Kenjiro Tsuda portrays Gordon, a mysterious character who holds
the key to Uta’s and Shanks’ past. Furthermore, the world-renowned
songstress Uta’s music includes the theme song composed andwritten by Yasutaka Nakata, as well as in-movie songs (six in total)composed by Mrs. GREEN APPLE, Vaundy, FAKE TYPE., Hiroyuki
Sawano, Yuta Orisaka, and Motohiro Hata. This summer, Uta’s singing voice weaves a heartwarming story.

Experiencing audio guide for movie"Belle" with visually impaired person
Interview and Text by Mitsuharu Nagai( Home Theater CHANNEL )In this part, I would like to introduce another feature of "HELLO!
MOVIE", the barrier-free service.
In fact, I will have the opportunity
to go to the theater with a visually impaired person and experience the audio guide for the firsttime myself.
Common sense for barrier-freemovies changed by “HELLO!
MOVIE”The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games(August 24 to September 5, 2021) ended
with the Japanese national team winning the second largest number of medals in its history. I think the Paralympic
games became an opportunity not only
for me but also for many people to become interested in the characteristic
rules of various para sports, including
wheelchair competitions, blind soccer,
boccia, and goalball, simply by watchingthem on TV.
This article is one of a series of articles
presenting a theater service called“HELLO! MOVIE.” In the previous articles, I presented this service as a new
movie watching style that allows you toenjoy commentaries free of charge.
Meanwhile, “HELLO! MOVIE” originally became popular as a barrier-free
screening service which provides audio
guides, subtitle guides, etc.
The barrier-free services of “HELLO!
MOVIE” include “subtitle guide withglasses (smart glasses)” for people withhearing impairments and “audio guidewith smartphone” for people with visual
impairments. Movies for which either orboth of these services are available aremarked with a logo or logos (shown separately). Whichever service he or she
will use, the viewer is required to cometo the theater with a smartphone withthe dedicated app installed. As for how
to use the barrier-free content, the viewer can listen to the audio guide with earphones he/she brings, or if he/she wears
smart glasses that are available for rent
at some movie theaters, he/she can see
a subtitle guide superimposed on themovie.

Logos of subtitle-guide-compatible films (left). Logo ofaudio-guided film (right).

I would like to take advantage of thisopportunity to go to the theater with a
HELLO! MOVIE user who is visually
impaired and to experience an audio
guide for the first time.
Barrier-free works have a shorthistory, so they are few in number.
I have long believed a considerable number of TV programs with sign language
guides and supplementary audio guides
have existed for some time. However, according to barrier-free movie promotion
organizations City Lights, the history ofaudio guides, which are narrations for visually impaired people, can be traced backto supplementary audio commentary included in some TV programs such as theTuesday Suspense Theater, which started
in 1983 (quoted from their official website). As for movie works, the first limited
edition DVD of “The Green Mile” released in 2000 finally included an audio
guide for the first time.
Even just five years ago (around 2015),
there were only about 50 movies that included audio guides at the time of their
theatrical release while only about 120
commercially available DVDs included
audio guides. Considering that there are8around 1,000 to 1,200 new movies releasedin Japan each year, it is clear that there arestill very few movies that include audio
guides.
The barrier-free screening service createdby HELLO! MOVIE (including projects
with UDCast equipped with the same audio synchronization technology at the beginning of development) and started in2016 significantly changed the environment surrounding works with audio
guides, at which time there were only 50.
Approximately 350 movies with the barrier-free screening service have been released so far. This figure may not beenough to call the service a “full-scale barrier-free service”; however, it shows themagnitude of the role that HELLO!
MOVIE has played over the past five
years.
109 Cinemas Kawasaki started arental service for smart glasses
for subtitle guides
109 Cinemas Kawasaki, located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, cooperated withme in presenting the barrier-free
screening service at this time. 109 Cinemas started a rental service for smart
glasses for subtitle guides in August. I
interviewed Mr. Kazutaka Higashi,Manager of 109 Cinemas Kawasaki.
Mr. Higashi: “It has been a monthsince we started the service and we already have several users. We also receive phone queries at the theater.”He went on to explain: “The smart
glasses will be rented out free ofcharge; however, users are required toapply to use them in advance. They
apply by calling the theater’s main
phone number or by using the inquiry
form on our website. We only can rent
them out to four users a day due toXREAL Air / XREAL Beam

EPSON MOVERIO BT-40S

9

limited stock, so we ask users to makea reservation at least one day before.”
As explained, a subtitle guide refers to
the system where Japanese subtitles
are superimposed on the movie being
shown, through the smart glasses (EPSON MOVERIO “BT-300”), an eyeglass-type device, worn by the viewer.
As with the HELLO! MOVIE audio
guides which require the use of earphones, viewers need to bring theirown smartphones to the theater. They
can bring their private smart glasses;
however, only EPSON MOVERIO
BT-300 smart glasses are compatible
with the movies. Smart glasses supplied by other makers cannot be used.
It is expected that it will take sometime for smart glasses to become widely available, so rental will likely remain
the mainstream for the time being.
The smart glasses will be rented out
free of charge; however, a generalviewing fee for reserved seats needs tobe paid. Unfortunately, the smart
glasses are not compatible with 3D or
IMAX 3D screenings. And, in principle, people with impairments will beprioritized and non-impaired people
cannot use this service (this is a rule ofthe theater I visited for this coverage,
and similar rules may not necessarily
be applicable to subtitle glasses rental
service in other theaters nationwide.
Contact each theater for details.)
Joy of being able to go to themovie theater on the first day of
releaseNow, it’s time to experience an audio
guide for the first time with the movie
entitled “Belle.” Mr. Shunsuke Narisawa, visually impaired, kindly agreed towatch the movie with me. He is acompany manager and lives in Tokyo.
Mr. Atsushi Takigawa was also withme. He is President of Evixar Inc. andHELLO! MOVIE Inc., developer andservice provider of HELLO! MOVIE.
I asked Mr. Narisawa about the appeal
of HELLO! MOVIE straightaway.
Mr. Narisawa: “It is dangerous for me

to walk around in private and thescenery won’t change if I am alone. It
is not easy to walk with someone andthere are few things I can enjoy alone.
But a service like HELLO! MOVIE
enables me to enjoy a movie alone.”“Of course, I want to enjoy movies
alone while I sometimes want to enjoy
them with someone else. With my impairments, I couldn’t enjoy games andcartoons with friends when I was little,
so it wasn’t easy to make friends. WithHELLO! MOVIE, I can enjoy thesame movie with someone else. It’s
also good to share the same fun withsomeone and have the same hobby asthem.”“Everyone has opportunities to readother people’s stories and autobiographies; however, I don’t have many
chances to read books.”“If we say to an institution like Japan
Braille Library, ‘I want to read thisbook,’ they will convert it to Braille.
Roughly speaking, hundreds of books
are converted to Braille in a year.
However, those are usually novels.
Weekly magazines, etc. that are currently being published cannot be converted. Reading materials, such asmagazines, which are produced rapidly or have a real-time nature and seasonality cannot be converted given theamount of human labor required(transcription, etc. into Braille).”“Contrary to this, HELLO! MOVIE
offers many works with audio guides
from the first day of release. So, I canwatch new movies released on weekends with non-impaired people without any time difference. I believe thisservice saves several steps which involve human labor.”HELLO! MOVIE makes me forgetthe feeling of being blind
Mr. Narisawa continues: “We have audiobooks (such as Audible offered by
Amazon) nowadays; however, I do not
use Audible so often as I don’t feel
comfortable with it. It feels like thestory goes in one ear and goes out the10other. With an audiobook, I don’t really get the feeling of really getting into
the characters. Meanwhile, the audio
guides of HELLO! MOVIE give me afeeling close to the feeling of actuallyreading a book and it stirs my emotions.”
Mr. Narisawa: “You sometimes hearthat people shed tears or deepen theirunderstanding by remembering thepart over and over while they read abook, but I cannot do so with Audible.
Of course, this may be due to my personality. Anyway, the stories do not go
into my head.”“I think I have pretty good chemistrywith HELLO! MOVIE. I think the efforts of HELLO! MOVIE are reallyattractive,” said Mr. Narisawa.
I, author of this article, think that people often empathize with the characters when they read a book silently;
however, narrations of audiobooks
may be too curt and monotonous tomake people become empathic.
Furthermore, Mr. Narisawa described
HELLO! MOVIE as follows: “Intuitively, it is like the movie ‘Satorare’(see the note below). I think comparing it to Satorare best describes theimmersion I feel. In fact, I do not see
it with my own eyes; however, I feellike someone is accidentally adding
Note: It refers to the movie “Satorare
TRIBUTE to a SAD GENIUS” (Japan,
2001, directed by Katsuyuki Motohiro).
‘Satorare’ people have the ability toconvey what they think in their heart tothose around them, like a radio. This
movie is a human fantasy that describes the relationship between ayoung Satorare person who has recently become a surgeon and the people
around him. This story is set in Japan,
which promotes a thorough protection
policy to ensure that Satorare people
with an IQ over 180 will not be awareof their own Satorare peculiarity. Movie
director Katsuyuki Motohiro has adapted Makoto Sato’s popular comic into amovie co-starring Masanobu Ando andKyoka Suzuki. The main character ofthis movie is a young man who was a
supporting character in the comic of
the same title.

“Satorare TRIBUTE toa SAD GENIUS” (Japan, 2001）

109 Cinemas Kawasaki, located in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, cooperated with me in presenting the barrier-free screening service at this time. Experience an audio guide forthe first time with the movie entitled “Belle” (IMAX version). Mr. Shunsuke Narisawa, visually impaired, kindly agreed to watch the movie with me.

11words to the feeling I get when I feel
as if I were seeing it with my eyes. The
feeling of it echoing. This is marvelous.”“It may be an exaggeration to say I canforget the feeling of invisibility when I
watch HELLO! MOVIE, but it feels
like I’ve reached the point where I canalmost forget it.”
Animation is difficult for visually
impaired people to understandI had requested Mr. Narisawa tochoose a movie he wanted to see then,in advance. As a result, we settled
down to watch the IMAX version of
the animation movie “Belle.” This
movie is currently in theaters and is ahuge hit.
I asked him why he chose it. He said,“Because this movie is getting a lot of
attention and is also a hit. Actually,‘It’s a Flickering Life’ was also a candidate; however, the theme of internet
and real life sounds entertaining. I
heard about this movie from the movie trailer and wanted to see it.”
Readers of this article may think“Watching an IMAX version with aperson who is visually impaired?” Thiswas simply because the screening timeof the regular version of the movie did
not match the interview schedule, andaudio guides of HELLO! MOVIE canbe played in synchronization with
IMAX versions without any problems.
In addition, IMAX versions stress not
only the screen images but also thesound, so we took it upon ourselves totry the IMAX version.
Mr. Narusawa: “In fact, it is difficultfor visually impaired people to understand animations. This is especiallytrue of Ghibli works.”
Mr. Narusawa: “I have watched about
10 works with HELLO! MOVIE sofar. I would not have had these opportunities if I hadn’t become acquainted
with Mr. Takigawa. It’s all thanks togetting to know one of the people who
created HELLO! MOVIE. I thank him
a lot.”“When I wanted to watch a movie, I
had no other choice but to look forworks with audio guides first. It was
simply like the environment wentfrom negative to zero. However, withHELLO! MOVIE, most popular works
have audio guides, and I can engage
myself in a conversation like ‘Whichmovie are we going to watch today?’”
So we have the liberty of “choosing amovie we want to which,” which
non-impaired people take for granted.
This is spreading thanks to HELLO!
MOVIE.
I asked simple questions here: “Arethere any regulations concerning thegender of audio guide narrators? For
example, is it selected depending on
the gender of the main character? And
could a movie have more than one
narrator?”
Mr. Narisawa: “It depends. Basically, a
movie has one narrator, but there areno specific regulations. If there is morethan one, there will be two narrators.
It’s rare to have more than two narrators in a movie.”
Mr. Takigawa: “Recently, the numberof audio guides in which the actors or
voice actors of the works themselvesappear is gradually increasing.”

The number of describers has increased due to the spread of
HELLO! MOVIE
Mr. Takigawa: “The job of creating audio guides is called ‘describer.’ In theearly days of production, it was a volunteer job. However, the occupationof describer has been newly established due partly to HELLO! MOVIE.
The production side may still think‘audio guides need only be offered’and ‘the cheaper, the better,’ but the12situation has been considerably improved.”
Author: “The movie entitled ‘Radiance,’ directed by Naomi Kawase(2017, see the note below), was selected for competition at the Cannes International Film Festival, and it has adescriber as the main character. Like
subtitle translators, are some describers better than other? Will their names
be listed in the credits?”
Mr. Takigawa: “Yes. With our HELLO! MOVIE service, the audio guideis played on the smartphone app. I
think the describers’ names are now
more often mentioned at the end ofaudio guides.”Apart from those persons who can understand foreign languages like native
speakers, for many Japanese people,
subtitles or dubbing translations are
critical elements. The name of the
dubbing translator may not even belisted in the end credits depending on
the film distributor, which indicatesthat the evaluation of describers, thehistory of which is shorter, is still evenlower.
(Note) “Radiance”
Depicts how a woman who has been
lost in life (acted by Ayame Misaki)changes through an encounter with agifted photographer who is losing his
eyesight (acted by Masatoshi Nagase),
2017, directed by Naomi Kawase.
(C)2017 “RADIANCE” FILM PARTNERS/KINOSHITA, COMME DESCINEMAS, Kumie

Understanding of audio guides
depends on experience level
Mr. Narisawa: “My disease is called
retinitis pigmentosa. It is true that I
find it difficult to go to the movie the-ater by myself. The biggest weaknessof people with this disease is that they
have limited vision and are not goodin dark places. It is more difficult to go
to an indoor environment, such as amovie theater, museum, or planetarium, than to walk outside.”“There are several hundred thousand
visually impaired people in Japan. For
many of them, impairments are associated with aging – they develop symptoms as they age. Indeed, there are
only a few thousand visually impaired
people under the age of 20. There arevery few people who are born with novision at all. In fact, the visual acuity ofmany visually impaired people declines with age.”“In my case, there are some movies
that I was able to watch with my own
eyesight in the past. I was able towatch movies up to the Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke, with my own eyesight. So, I feel like I can now enjoy
movies thanks to my old movie-watching experience and the support of the
supplementary audio.”
Author: “Does that mean that yourunderstanding of the movie is supported not only by the audio guide but
also by your own experience?”
Mr. Narisawa: “I think that’s prettymuch the case. For example, the effects of audio guides change a lot depending on whether the listener understands the ‘concept of color.’ Interms of experience, for example,
whether you have experience riding abike will affect how well you can understand the audio guide. Even if
someone tells you that ‘a bike moves
forward,’ you won’t understand unless
you have ridden one. So, it can be difficult to convey to visually impaired
people the content of movies about
unknown sports.”“The same goes for local customs. For
example, it is difficult to make audio
guides about Japanese culture for foreign people. And considering today’schildren are born with digital tools
such as YouTube and SNS, I think

there is also a large difference in experience by generation.”
Animation is difficult for visually
impaired people to understand“In fact, animation is difficult for visually impaired people to understand.
This is especially true of Ghibli works.
There is no sound associated with motions.”“No sound associated with motions?”“In animations, there is almost no
sound except for the characters’ lines.
In a live-action movie, there are a lotof sounds from the people movingaround and environmental sounds. In
an animation, even if a train is moving, the sound of the train is often notincluded intentionally.”
This is a surprising and shocking fact.
It is true that there may be no art that
expresses events through the movement of images as much as animation.
When a non-impaired person thinksthat “there is a sound,” it means thatthey are creating the sound in theirbrain when they see an image.
The actual sound that is played may
be the background music (movie music), and sound effects are only added
to emphasize the characters or things
to which viewers’ attention is wanted.
They do not take the time to create
environmental sounds that do notmatter, and for visually impaired people, this means that “animation has nosound.”
Narisawa: “In addition, time may rewind in some scenes. And even if atime leap is made, it is difficult toknow it just from the sound. In animations, characters often recall. Animations often express whether the main
character is dreaming or going about
their daily life, through images alone.
This is why I’m not good with animation.”
Author: “I see. Then, in art-typeworks, the describer’s ability is tested
in a different sense, isn’t it.”
Mr. Narisawa: “That’s right. Particularly in art-type works, there are ele-

13

ments that can’t be understood unless
you put it into words, but once you
put it into words, it can come to an
end. There are scenes where they stareat each other in silence. Audio guides
are often created based on the voices
attached to the lines (characters’ lines),
so it is difficult to create them withoutlines in the first place.”“Even in live-action movies, some directors do not fully describe the meaning. I mean directors who insist on‘Read between the lines! This is amovie!’ (lol)”
Name of Suzu’s dog, learned fromthe audio guideOn the day of interview, I experienced
an audio guide for the first time with
the IMAX version of the movie “Belle.”
For comparison, I had already viewed
the regular version before the interview. This work has a beautiful synchronization between the very dynamic visual beauty of the virtual reality
world and the music.
As usual, I placed my smartphone in
the drink holder, inserted an earphone
into one ear to listen to the audio
guide and main audio at the sametime, before start watching the movie.
There was a delay in the synchronization of the audio guide at the beginning of the movie, but after that it
played smoothly without any problems. I assume that this occurred because there is no such thing as a startflag in HELLO! MOVIE, which is included in the regular version. HELLO!
MOVIE, which recognizes the audio
patterns of the work, can also be
played in the IMAX version.
At the beginning of the movie, I
learned from the audio guide for the
first time that the name of the dog
owned by Suzu, the main character ofthe movie Belle, is Fuuga. Fuuga does
not have a right front paw. Fuuga appears from the beginning of the movie, going for a walk with Suzu before
school. The sight of it balancing andeating food is impressive.

Suzu crosses the Asoo-chinkabashi Bridge, Ochi-cho, Kochi Prefecture, crossing over the Niyodo
River, to go to school.

According to the original novel, thedog was adopted by Suzu’s family as a“rescue dog.” It had lost its right front
paw after accidentally being caught ina wild boar trap. This indicates thatthe describer probably also acquired
information from the original novel
before completing the audio guide.
It is also extremely difficult to explain
everything that is happening onscreen, such as the characters’ movements, facial expressions, clothing,and scene changes. For example, if
you convey in words that someone is“angry,” we have to imagine how angry he/she is.
There are other things that become
clear for the first time through the audio guide. They include names of famous places and historical spots intown, the names of buildings and stations, and dishes.
Meanwhile, whether the viewer cantell that the story is set in Kochi Prefecture depends on his/her experience,
regardless of the presence or absenceof the audio guide. It is natural thatthe viewer can’t tell unless he/sheknows famous things, places, etc. of
Kochi Prefecture, in the first place.
Suzu crosses the Asoo-chinkabashi
Bridge, Ochi-cho, Kochi Prefecture,
crossing over the Niyodo River, to go
to school. A “chinkabashi bridge,” orsubmerging bridge, refers to a bridge
designed to submerge in water during
flood, and the audio guide also uses
the expression “crossing the stonebridge.” You do not need to be awarethat the bridge is a stone bridge if you
watch the regular version. I, the authorof this article, became aware of the
Asoo-chinkabashi Bridge for the firsttime through the information given in
the audio guide.
Actually, it would appear to be difficult
to know that the story is set in Kochi
Prefecture just from the audio guide.
Mr. Narisawa: “The word ‘slice (of bonito)’ came up several times, and I waswondering what it was until the end.
The name ‘Kagami River’ was used,
but this would mean little to you if you
weren’t familiar with Kochi Prefecture. The name ‘JR Ino Station’ is also
local. The line ‘Can’t go to Kawasaki
without getting on a plane’ said near
the end of the movie made me realizethat the story is set far away. In thelast 10 minutes or so, I became awarethat it might be Kochi Prefecture.”
It may be even more difficult for
non-impaired people whose source of
information is solely images to understand the setting for the story. “Making a pilgrimage to the holy land,” thatis, visiting locations where an animation story is set, is currently popular.
The viewers mostly obtain information of these locations by referring to
the Internet after viewing the movie.
The Kagami River, Ino Station, andthe dog’s name Fuuga can be learned
from the audio guide, which is very
interesting. I became aware that theprerequisite information is very different between the main story and theaudio guide.

14

Listening to the audio guide andthe main story at the same timeand blending the informationfrom both channels to understand the story
Author: “I think that this movie reflects the world to a great extent. Whatdo you think about the movie?”
Mr. Narisawa: “It was very entertaining. It has quite a social satirical element. It incorporates themes such as
the Internet, avatars, and DV (domestic violence), making the story enjoyable even though it is an animation.”“It is hard to understand the lines
which intentionally leave hints at thepossibility of something without clear
explanations. This movie has a difficult setting, but it was still easy to understand. Not just for this movie,
whether you can recognize the main
character at an early stage is generally
important.”“This movie was worth watching. This
work also had a flashback scene uniqueto animation (scene where Suzu’s
mother has an accident when Suzu
was young).”“As is also often the case with animation, it was difficult to understandwhat demonstrative pronouns such as‘here’ and ‘there’ refer to. I find it difficult to understand them unless specific names are mentioned. Rather, I
must listen to both the HELLO!
MOVIE audio guide and the voicesfrom the main story and blend themto understand.”
There are also needs of people
with impairments in online video
streaming
Author: “Do you also watch movies on
online video streaming services?”
Mr. Narisawa: “I usually do not watch
movies anywhere other than in theaters. For me, I like the fun of going to
the movie theater. I rarely drink Cokeoutside a theater (lol). It’s also fun tolisten to movie trailers. I want to watch“First Gentleman” next time.
“The way visually impaired peoplewatch movies varies from person toperson. In fact, many visually impaired
people may prefer to watch them infamiliar places (such as their home) attheir own pace. I think there is also aneed for videos that do not cause
problems even if you put your eyes too
close to the PC display. The functionality to pause the video is also usefulwhen it comes to video streaming.”
In video streaming services offered by
Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, audio
guides are provided through the supplementary audio functionality; however, these audio guides are provided
by the video producers. In otherwords, the number of audio guides for
streamed videos may not increase
without promotional activities such as
HELLO! MOVIE.
Services that visually impaired
people want from movie theaters
Mr. Narisawa: “HELLO! MOVIE
alone cannot fulfill all the requirements, so I think it would be nice tohave a screening where you can talk to
your companion viewers straightaway
when you miss something. It would begood to allow a free conversation
screening.”
This may be close to variations ofscreenings, such as cheer screenings
and screenings for moms raising kids,
which some theaters have already provided.
“In addition, people who find it difficult to see in dark places want theaters
to be more brightly lit. Theater toilets
are darker than toilets in other places.”“Non-impaired people often mistakenly believe that visually impaired people
can’t see anything. They do not thinkthat we can see things, albeit with difficulty. It’s not actually a matter of allor nothing. Very few visually impaired
people cannot even see light. There
are very few completely blind people,
who sometimes appear on charity programs on TV. In fact, not many impaired people can read Braille or sign
language when communicating.”
Lighting designs with an emphasis on
atmosphere could constitute a
non-barrier-free environment in highly public facilities.
Mr. Narisawa: “A player of blind soccer who I know says ‘On the pitch, I

15

can forget that I’m visually impaired.’It’s because everyone wears a sleeping
mask. When I watch a movie with theHELLO! MOVIE service, I could feela sense of joy that I can enjoy as otherpeople do or a sense of immersion in
the work if not making me forget I’mvisually impaired. I don’t have many
experiences like this in everyday life.”
This interview was an opportunity forme, the author of this article, to re-understand how the audio and subtitle
guides offered by the HELLO! MOVIE service play an important role. And
many of the perspectives of people
with impairments that became clear tome for the first time thanks to active
and honest talk of Mr. Narisawa were
surprising to a non-impaired person.
What a barrier-free environment
should provide can simply be things
that non-impaired people take for
granted. Unfortunately, existing barrier-free services are still full of excuses.
(Source: An article published on the“Home Theater CHANNEL” website
on September 30, 2021.)

Blu-ray“Belle” (SPECIAL EDITION)[UltraHD Blu-ray]
This Blu-ray is on sale only in Japan.
VPXT-71892 Price:9,680 Yen (tax included)
Disc:Full-length BD disc + UHD-BD (Dolby Vision® & Dolby Atmos®) Full-length disc + 2 bonus discs
Specifications:Main 121 min. + bonus footage / 4 discs / Main audio: 1. Japanese linear PCM 2.0 ch, 2. Japanese Dolby Atmos, 3.
Linear PCM 2.0 ch with barrier-free Japanese audio guide / barrier-free Japanese subtitles (main feature only)
Full-length Blu-ray: Single-sided dual-layer/color/16:9 CinemaScope<1080p High-Definition
Copyright: 2021 studio chizu

My First Experience ofAccessibility Service©HELLO! MOVIEHELLO! MOVIE inc.
https://hellomovie.app/