Novembre - Décembre 2017

Bonjour à tous, Dernier numéro de Taikenban pour l’année 2017. Nous terminons l’année en beauté avec les traditionnelles rubriques de Mila, Haryn, Kalyani, Guillaume et Tony. Nous vous proposons également l’interview de Charles Martinet, la voix de Mario, en version originale (une traduction est disponible sur le blog) en espérant qu’elle vous plaira. Nous vous souhaitons de bonnes fêtes de fin d’année et espérons vous retrouver l’année prochaine. Bonne lecture !

L’équipe de Taikenban

Kimi wa Petto

Japon / きみはペット/ 2003 / 10 épisodes / Avec Koyuki, Matsumoto Jun, Tanabe Seiichi, Sakai

Wakana, etc

En cette période de fêtes, pour beaucoup, c’est l’occasion de voir les gens qu’on aime, sa famille ou ses amis, bref, les gens avec lesquels on se sent bien, si on a la chance d’en avoir. Alors, pour aujourd’hui, j’ai sélectionné une série japonaise adaptée d’un manga d’Ogawa Yayoi, qui

parle justement de trouver cette personne avec laquelle on se sent bien, et de fonder un refuge, un foyer : ce n’est pas pour rien qu’on y entend des « okaeri » (« bienvenue à la maison ») et « tadaima » (« je suis rentrée ») tout le temps et sous toutes leurs déclinaisons. Kimi wa Petto nous raconte l’histoire d’Iwaya Sumire, une jeune femme douée et ambitieuse, mais qui a du mal à communiquer avec les autres, et rend autant les femmes jalouses qu’elle impressionne les hommes. Elle a beaucoup de mal à se faire des amies, et encore plus à avoir une relation amoureuse, la plupart des hommes se sentant trop amoindris par son autonomie, son éducation, sa grande taille, et son salaire conséquent. Un soir, devant chez elle, elle découvre un jeune homme blessé dans un carton, l’emmène chez elle, le soigne et le laisse passer la nuit. Elle pense qu’il partira le lendemain, mais au lieu de ça il semble vouloir s’installer, et Sumire lui propose alors un marché absurde pour le chasser : il peut rester, à condition de devenir son animal de compagnie. Et contre toutes attentes, il accepte. Je sens déjà venir les « mais c’est tordu ! » et… en fait, pas tant que ça. La relation entre Momo – le jeune homme - et Sumire est inhabituelle, et se heurte à l’incompréhension des autres, mais elle fait beaucoup de bien aux deux participants : Momo, qui fuyait la pression qu’on lui avait mise sur le dos, peut souffler dans une

maison où il a le droit d’être aussi incapable qu’il veut, tandis que Sumire peut baisser les armes. Dans Kimi Wa Petto, il ne s’agit pas de rabaisser la personne, mais plutôt de mettre à la poubelle absolument tous les masques, les carcans, toutes les attentes de la société, afin de pouvoir respirer. La relation centrale est douce, tendre, et pleine d’acceptation de l’autre, avec toutes ses faiblesses. Alors, la série n’est pas parfaite, on ne va pas se le cacher. Elle peut parfois sembler traîner, et surtout si la relation principale est réussie, leur entourage est moins bien développé, et moins attachant, agaçant même parfois. Il n’y a pas que du positif qui ressorte de cette série, que ce soit dans ses messages ou dans sa forme, car si le drama n’est pas *trop* daté et si certaines personnes adoreront l’OST entêtant, nul doute que d’autres finiront certainement par en avoir un peu ras-le-bol. Sans compter que la fin en frustrera certains (le drama, déjà bien différent de l’œuvre originale, a été produit et diffusé avant la fin du manga, donc il a dû improviser) encore que je la trouve très adaptée, pour ma part. Le message principal de Kimi wa Petto, tout de même, c’est que si quelque chose vous rend heureux (et dans la mesure où vous ne faites de mal à personne, bien entendu), alors l’opinion des autres importe peu, et cette chose, cette relation, cette personne, vaut la peine d’être chérie, et protégée. Et même si la famille que vous avez choisie peut sembler un peu bizarre, si vous vous y sentez compris, aimé, et libre, alors c’est l’essentiel. Quant à moi, fêter la fin de cette année et le début de la prochaine dans ce genre de foyer, c’est tout ce que je vous souhaite. Et Kimi wa petto aussi.

Mila

Les Mikan d’Izu.

La spécialité d'Izu, ce sont les Mikan (clémentines douces). On trouve souvent au bord de la route des endroits où l'on peut en acheter de manière autonome : on met juste une pièce de 100 yen (0,70€) dans le tuyau et on se sert, il n'y a personne pour tenir le stand...

Ichiban Japan

Charles Martinet, la voix de Mario

Taikenban est très heureux de vous proposer aujourd'hui l’interview de Charles Martinet, l'homme derrière la voix de Mario. Nous souhaitions vous proposer cette interview en version originale afin de ne pas en altérer l'esprit et le contenu. Pour les lecteurs moins à l'aise avec l'Anglais, une traduction est disponible sur le blog. Here we go !

Thank you very much for accepting this interview. You are very famous in France mainly as the man behind Mario's voice but this is only one aspect of your career. Can you tell us more about your career?

Well thank you for the opportunity to talk with you. First of all let me say -as Mario- "Salut a tous mes amis en France! C'est moi, Mario! Woohoo!!! Mama mia! Vous êtes número un!!!!"

I had the wonderful pleasure of living in Barcelona, Spain and Paris as a teenager. And grew to love French art and culture and of course the language. As well as the lifestyle and the people. I even tried to become a French citizen at one point.

Anyway, when I came back to America and went to college I thought for sure that I would become a lawyer and work in the diplomatic corps hopefully in the great city of Paris, or in London… Or somewhere in Europe. I never thought in 1 million years I could ever become an actor… Nor did I want to be! I was far too shy and timid. And though I was the class clown, I was also the guy that could disappear in a room of people. All I knew was that I wanted to be happy, make people smile, and do something good in life…

In my final year at UC Berkeley, when I discovered the professor of my dreams who taught political theory, I knew after one course that I had to do all of my work with him... graduate work with him, and write my thesis on the nature of man… because he was the only professor I had

ever had who asked me to think! He asked on the final exam what my opinion was on the nature of man after having read Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire. And that lit the passion in me! I wanted to do every class with that professor...but as fate would have it, I could not get into a single one of his classes when I went to finish up my degree. So, being stubborn and determined, I walked off the campus… I thought I would just wait a quarter until I could get my work back on track and study with this professor.

But another professor, who was a friend of mine called me up and asked "why don't you take an acting class from me?"… I laughed and said "Oh Les, there is absolutely no way I could ever stand up in front of people and talk. I'm way too shy "... but he convinced me to go to class by telling me that we would go to the special lunch room where students were learning to become chefs, and have a nice meal before class… And he tricked me by saying I didn't have to do all this work, or stand up in front of people if I didn't want to. I could just go to lunch, eat well, go to class, and if I felt like it, I could memorize the monologues and then see how I felt.

How can I say no to food and fun?

Well, the deception was complete when we had to learn our first monologue and I was the last person and Les said in a thunderous voice "Charles, You're up!" I was shocked, but couldn't say "no", so I struggled out of my chair and I walked up in front of the class trembling like a leaf… As I faced the class to start my monologue, I noticed my right foot was bouncing up and down it was shaking so much, so I put all my weight on it, then my left foot started bouncing up and down. So I spread my weight evenly, and they both were shaking… I was so terrified, I thought for sure I was going to die. And I was convinced that the only thing the audience could hear was jumbled words or sounds: blahgralugah blahblumegrupert, or some incoherent babble … But when I finished my monologue I got a nice little applause… and the comment was "How is it that you were the only person who wasn't nervous?". I think a butterfly could've knocked me over I was so shocked.... I almost died! And they couldn't even tell I was nervous?

That gave me enough confidence to study for another monologue, and then a couple of scenes, and I started gaining some real confidence in this class… And then, it was announced that auditions were to be held for the school play, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I love Shakespeare, and I devoured the play, and decided with certainty that I was going to play Oberon, The king of the fairies… And so I studied and studied and studied and memorized and worked on my voice and physicality and every aspect of the character… And we all went in and did our auditions and watched each other on the main stage… I watched the others auditioning for Oberon, and then, when I was last, I got up and did my monologue with great confidence, “There sleeps Titania sometime of the night”...And I left, absolutely sure that I had gotten the part I dreamed of – I just knew I was the best!

I called Les and said "I think I got the part. I was the best"... and he listened to my effusive review of my performance and said "That's all very good, but don't count your chickens before they hatch… you never know"… But I said "oh Les… I'm sure I got it, I am sure"…but I not only did not get Oberon, I absolutely failed to get any part....not even a hole in the wall!

And that failure lit the fire inside of me… And I became driven to become a professional actor… And so I studied and studied, different acting techniques, dialects and accents, and I did speech tournaments and competitions and everything I could that had to do with acting and public speaking…... and one day, a professional theater company, Berkeley Repertory Theater, came to the college and auditioned for an summer apprenticeship program… And I went in against all the actors who had just finished A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and I did my Oberon monologue – and I got the apprenticeship. So I worked at Berkeley Rep for a year and a half, and then went to the Drama Studio of London in England to become professionally trained… Came back to America and did theater for 10 wonderful years... but life at $200 a week working 12 hours a day six days a week was a bit of a grind. So I stopped for a while…

Then one day an actor I knew called me out of the blue and said "hey do you want to audition for a corporate video"? I said: "what's the corporate video"? He said: "it's a video that's corporate". I said: "what do I do?". He said: "act!". "Ohhhhh I seee!!!". So I went to audition for a corporate video and got the part… It was hilariously fun – being a Martian landing on earth and discovering the computer age... and I also got paid more in a day than I made in a week in the theatre… So I started doing corporate videos! Did about 600 of those in my career… And along the way, got a wonderful agent in San Francisco California, and started doing the occasional film and television roles, and commercials for TV.

Then I did a TV commercial for Orchard Supply Hardware… Playing the farmer with the pitchfork beside his wife in the classic American Gothic painting. After we finished the shoot, the director asked me if I did voiceover. I asked: "what's a voiceover?". He said: "it's a voice you put over the image". … I said: "well yes I do". And he gave me the script and I did it – as I thought that man in the painting would have sounded. " Orchard supply hardware, the right items at the right price, right now". He said thanks, and doubled my wage… And I said "I'm a voiceover actor!"... and started doing voiceovers for radio and television… And did several hundred of those…And along the way of doing the videos and the film and television and ads, I started doing trade show presentations… it was like doing the theater – Live, theatrical presentations… but getting paid a livable wage!

And one day between jobs, I was at the beach doing what actors do… Waiting for the phone to ring… And it rang! It was a friend of mine saying that I should go crash this audition for a trade show in Las Vegas… I said "There is absolutely no way I could ever go to an audition without being invited! I am a professional actor, not some hack! What's the address"?

And I have absolutely no idea why, but I got off the beach and went to this audition… Found a parking space, an amazing feat in San Francisco, and as I walked in the door, the director and cameraman were walking out the door… we met nose to nose half way through the doorway. And I waved hello and I asked if I could read for this part… The director paused, looked at me, and looked at his watch, looked at me again, wincing in pain… Hesitated… And finally said, "all right come in… We'll set the camera back up. Now look, you're an Italian plumber from Brooklyn, called Mario, for NINTENDO. They're going to do a live, real-time animation at a trade show called CES. You're going to have contacts glued to your face and when you move your mouth, that should make the cartoon character of Mario move at the same time on the TV set. Now, We have no idea if this is going to work or not… But if it doesn't work, I'm not gonna pay you to sit there and drink coffee all day… We'll have hidden camera and hidden microphone so you'll be able to see and hear people, but they will only see the cartoon character… Or who knows… Maybe just you… And look, you're going to talk to people all day… So make up a voice, make up a video game, start talking, and when you run out of things to say, that is your audition.

I thought for sure an Italian Plumber from Brooklyn should sound like mean and harsh and grumpy… But I thought, gee, if I am going to talk to people all day, I don't want to sound like that and scare the kids away. So maybe I'll just do an Italian voice, make it fun and light... And besides, I have an absolute rule about comedy and my performance work, that it should never harm anyone,

but rather that it should bring joy… So the comedy should fall back into the character instead of on to the audience…

Lucky for me, I had done an adaptation of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, placed in 1947 Italy, where Petruchio was an American G.I. going back to Italy to find a bride… And I played Gremio, Katherine's father… As the as the kindest, nicest, and oldest Italian man in the world…I was absolutely in love with that character…

I thought, I'll do that Italian voice, make him younger, a little bit more fun, with a more lilting voice… And I'll just talk about… Wait a minute! I don't know anything about video games. I've never heard of this guy named Mario. I've never heard of this company called Nintendo… I've only played Pong and whackawhackawhacka---Pac-Man. But, well, I suppose I could talk about my favorite subject… Food… And I'll just invent as I go…

Suddenly I heard "action!", And I turned to the camera and I said in the voice you hear today in the games, "hello, it'sa me, Mario! Let's make a pizza pie together… You go get some sausage, and I will get some spaghetti, and we'll put the spaghetti in the sausage in the pizza and bake the pizza… And then I will Chase you with the pizza… And if I catch you with the pizza, you gotta eata da pizza... and then we'll make another pizza and then you chase me with the pizza... and if you catch me with the pizza, Ima gonna eat the pizza…

Now I thought for sure the director would say "OK thank you"… But he said nothing... and I remembered he said keep talking until you run out of things to say… So I continued "and then we're going to make a lasagna, and Ima gonna chase you with the lasagna... and if I catch you with the lasagna, you gotta eata the lasagna…then we make another Lasagna and you chase me... And went through that one… Nothing. So kept going! "And then we gonna make spaghetti meatballs"… And then linguine… And then tortellini... and rigatoni… I was having so much fun… I love this voice… I love this character whose adventures I was creating moment to moment… Full of joy, and silliness, and fun… And after all… The director didn't say stop… And I thought well let's just see how much you mean don't stop… and I went through every pasta I could possibly think of and every Italian dish I could possibly think of chasing each other and eating everything...And by the end I think I was tobogganing down the hill in a lasagna dish, when I finally heard him say "Stop talking! Please!....Cut. There's no more tape. Thank you, we will be in touch…". I guess I talked for 30 minutes… but "we will be in touch" to an actor means "there's the door… Don't let it hit you on your way out"… So I hopped in the car and went back to the beach and watched the sunset and had a wonderful time and thought how fun that had been.

Well he got on the phone and called NINTENDO and said "I found our Mario. I got him!" And of all the actors, he only sent my tape up… And I guess the Nintendo people heard it, and Mr. Miyamoto heard it… And the next thing I knew, I was on the plane to go get custom fitted for a mask that would hold all these contact points and roller balls on my face… Woo hoo! I was about to become the very first actor to perform real-time animation! That was 27 years ago… 27 years of absolute joy and fun…

And I want to say, it's what I wish for everyone… I never knew I wanted to be an actor… I had never even heard of Mario. But I did know that I wanted to have fun in life, and be happy, and make people smile, and bring joy to the world... And maybe in life, you can't know exactly what you want to do… But if you follow your heart, and live your dreams, and explore your passions… And express yourself and your joy and your love in what you do, then maybe life just has a way of working out.

One thing I've learned is that life is short. And that the things that bind human beings together are very real. Everyone experiences joy and sorrow, love and loss. That which all of us feel is what makes us the same and brings the common experience of our own humanity into our daily lives.

So often in our world today we hear how terrible things are, and how bad people are, and how differences are reasons to stay separate and apart… but really, we are not different. We all have everything in common except for a few details, and those differences can create a wonderful part of our human experience. Life is beautiful. It is a wonderful gift that happens way too fast and needs to be cherished and loved... every moment.

Sometimes I think life is like a video game… You choose the character you want to be at the beginning of the day… And you go into the adventure of the day picking up rewards, and having little battles, making your choices and decisions… And after years of this game… You realize that you are the hero of your own game and your own destiny. So, you'd better make it a fun one!

I wonder sometimes. If we recognized that we are all one humanity, and recognized the beauty of our being… Opening our hearts to what we have in common, and learning how to appreciate differences in others… Not tolerating those differences, but respecting them… How much better off we would be.

Everybody laughs, everybody feels, everybody cries... everybody does everything in life a little bit differently… But the similarities and differences are what makes humanity great, and the respect for those differences is what makes us human. Well that's what I think, anyway.

What is your favorite movie of all time, and why?

You know often times for me, my favorite movie is just like my favorite video game… It's the one I just played! I remember walking in and seeing Super Mario 64 for the first time and the joy I had recording that game! And when I first saw Super Mario Galaxy how my skin tingled… And New Super Mario Bros. Wii, how I just laughed in awe at the music and the characters dancing, and Super Mario 3D World...Meow!!! So fun! Each one becomes my favorite of all time… One after another! And the same thing happens in movies…. When I saw Enchanted April, and felt the transition of the character of Joan Plowright from a bitter old woman to sweet loving mother to all the other character transformations… Just absolutely my favorite! When the character discovers their own humanity, or grows and changes inside … That is the magic I love! It shows the best part of life.

And that said, I happen to love sushi… And just watched the documentary on the Tokyo Fish Market called Tsukiji! Mama Mia!!!! Not a lot of character change… But what a gorgeous movie about the excitement of that market… The freshness of the fish… The magnificence of the passion… it became my favorite movie of all time too! Like so many!I was on the plane when I saw it… And when we landed I headed to the first sushi bar I could find!

What is your best experience as an actor, and why?

I have so many magnificent memories… Have a career that is 41 years long…

In theater, I loved playing Scrooge in A Christmas Carol… I love the character transformation from grumpy old Scrooge to life loving generous caring wonderful man… And every night in the theater for me that transition felt so real! I cried with joy every single night, and left the theatre glowing!

You know in acting everything has to be true… it has to come from the inner heart of the actor. It's a beautiful aspect of being an actor: you have to start learning about yourself… What makes you make your choices and decisions… Where your thoughts and feelings come from and what your motivation are… And you do the same with the character… You seek the very core truth of that being… The only difference between film and cartoon is the size of that truth... the magnification. A film actor only has to feel something for you to understand what's going on inside the character... A cartoon character has to let the energy burst out of him to touch the audience.

The love and joy and passion for life and positive energy of Mario has to be real in me, to come from my heart… And so of course for me Mario is absolutely the most fun character to play… Because I have to feel that joy and love and that passion…woohoo!!!!

So my best experience as an actor is to play this character that I love so much! And I feel like the luckiest guy in the world, because I get to work with wonderful people at Nintendo who share a passion and love for video games, and love making great adventures and fun for people… And beyond that I get to go to work with the PR department, and the Advertising department, everybody sharing in this great passion… And then I get to go to Comic Cons all around the world and meet wonderful Mario fans who enjoy the games... and I get to hear how the characters I play have touched people… That is a profound honor and a joy… I get to do what I love to do most of all in life, and I get to hear from beautiful people how much they enjoy what I do! It's so wonderful.... words can't describe it.

Of course the voice acting is just a few hours… In the midst of thousands and thousands of working hours to take a game from idea and concept to reality… And yet I am identified with this character that I love so much… Mama mia! What a joy!

Current video games are very different from the games we played 20 years ago. The frontier between some video games and movies is now thinner than ever. What is your feeling about that?

One of the things that I really love about Nintendo is that passion for video games… That love of the game… And I think that passion naturally creates a certain level of integrity in the game - so that if you play the very first Zelda game and the most recent one… Or the very first Mario game and the most recent one… yes they are very different… From the original platforms in 8 bits, to 3D… And yet the same sense of joy and fun and adventure is there… The characters are true to who they've always been… Even though they are evolving, the through line is there… And that passion and that joy and that desire to create the greatest game experience is what makes us go back for more and more…

I love how creativity inspires creativity… And I think it's really fun that people take a game that they love and decide to make that into a movie or some other creative project! … It's also so great when I meet fans at ComicCons who dress up as the characters, or make drawings or paintings… it shows their love and their passion for the game… And I think that's really social!

Do you play video games? if yes, what kind of games do you like to play?

Yes I do! I play almost every Mario game I've ever been a part of! And I love every one of them! Now how well I

play is another issue. This much I can tell you… I always find out that the princess is not in this castle… And I have to say I absolutely love Mario games… And Luigi games… Really they bring smiles to me! And I am somewhat silly on this… But sometimes I hear the voice and I can remember what take that was… In Super Mario Sunshine I completely forgot that I did the tour guide until I heard his voice… And then I knew exactly what take we had used!

And of course, the characters live in me… Sometimes I wake up in a very Wario grumpy mood when I spill the coffee and burn the toast… But more often I just hear the cheerful voice of Mario inside saying "here we gooooo!", or hear the music we all love so much... and my day changes for the better.

Can you tell us more about how you became Mario's voice (but also for other Nintendo's caracters as Luigi, Wario...)?

I told you how I became Mario's voice… By crashing an audition and just having fun… And you know we did Mario in that real-time animation as a one-time thing… But we had so much fun with it that they hired me to come back again and again… And one day they created a traveling unit that we used for touring… And all the computers and equipment were loaded into giant trucks and driven across the US… And I would fly to destinations, glue myself in and tape myself up… And start talking with wonderful people…

The Mario in real time system –MIRT- works so well! People suspend all disbelief and just talk to Mario as though that's what they do every day! And you know we still use this system… Without the glue and tape, and with two laptops now… At the Nintendo World Store in New York City and at special events around the world… And people can still come up and talk to Mario… It's beautiful!

So there we are doing Mario in real time, touring America… And of course children come up and talk to Mario… And occasionally one asks – can I please talk to your brother, Luigi? And of course we didn’t have a Luigi… So I had to figure out what to say, as Mario, that would be believable… And the sensors glued to my face track to my facial movement, so I had to think of something fast and to talk as Luigi without moving my mouth, and without admitting we didn't have the character. That could destroy the illusion entirely… So I looked to the side of the TV set and I look back at the child and I say as Mario… "Well I don't know… I'll ask him, but he's too shy… Besides, I think he's in the kitchen making spaghetti meatballs"… And I would look over to where I imagined the kitchen would be inside the TV set and say "hey Luigi!!! My friend wants to say hello to you… Can you come out?". And then I would respond as Luigi, not moving my mouth to say "oh no I'm too shy… Besides,

I'm in the kitchen making spaghetti meatballs… "And then I would turn back to the child and say "oh no, he's too shy. Besides he's in the kitchen making spaghetti and meatballs"… And the child would invariably say "oh please", and I would look back to where the kitchen was and say… "Oh please! "And Luigi would say "sorry"… And I would turn back to the child and say "sorry'"… But you can talk to me! So that's how I invented Luigi's voice…

I have to tell you… when I talked as Luigi, I moved my mouth a little bit. Sometimes kids would say… "Hey Mario, when Luigi talks…you mouth moves a little bit…". "oh, that's so I can remember what he says". "Oh". Explanation accepted. So cute!

And a couple of years into doing Mario in real time, I went to a consumer electronics show, and there in our back room on the TV said it was Wario filling the screen… This gorgeous giant Character… And we talked about the personality traits that he had of being grumpy all the time and angry… modeled a bit from someone we all knew… And I started just playing with the character and out came the voice … Ima Wario! Wahahahahaaaaa...oh prttttttt. We had WIRT.

Add another consumer electronics show, Donkey Kong showed up… And I got to play him!

And then one day I went to record, I think it was Mario Tennis… And there was magnificent WaLuigi… and I looked at the way he moved and the expression on his face and I just love the personality difference between him and Luigi… And I just started to play with the expression Wah!!!! Wa! Waaaaaa! WaLuigi! Everybody cheats but me…wa!

And it's fun because I view Mario and Wario as opposites… Mario full of love and joy and happiness… And Wario, angry, grumpy… And he can't see the light in anything… But of course the comedy always falls back on him…

And with Luigi… He is a little more fearful and trepidatious, and yet he always conquers his fear… Whereas WaLuigi is always full of self-pity… And always complaining…

I just love these characters!

And the babies showed up when I went up to record Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time – they are the younger versions of their namesakes… And so they carried the same personality traits… I made up the baby speech…

Just making sounds, and using words from the babies that I saw come into the world...And I made up the Mario and Luigi "Italian", on the fly. That was really fun!

Voiceover work is so much fun for me. And I love the people I work with! It's such a gift to enjoy your work and the people that you work with! It's certainly what I wish for everyone… that you do what you love to do and find your happiness. And that you get the opportunity to recognize your impact on the world… That's just the most lucky thing!

And I have to say, I am grateful every day! Nintendo has given me character after character to play… And trusted me to always maintain the integrity of those characters… Which I endeavor to do. And each one is so much fun to perform. I love them all!

Do you have an anecdote related to movies or video games to share with us?

You know… Every time I record a game, it feels like a magical experience to me… I love it so much! And I love going to E3 and Comic Cons...

One year I was on lunch break at E3… After doing Mario and talking with people… And as I walked to the lunch room somebody tapped me on the shoulder and said "excuse me, are you Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario? ". Even though I had done many interviews, I was surprised that somebody would recognize me… But I said "yes I am "… And he asked "would you autograph something for me?", and I said "sure. But, gosh, I don't have a pen or anything to write on", and honestly, I couldn't imagine why in the world he would want my autograph. But he said "don't worry I have a couple of games, and a pen"… And he pulled them out of his backpack and I thought… What am I supposed to sign? Anyway, I said something like "Mama Mia! You da best!" And signed Mario and Charles Martinet... and before I finished signing the second object I looked up, and there were 10 people standing behind him... and before long that grew to 20…

It was certainly fun, but I was so shocked!

And I was once at a Game store in Sydney Australia, and 5 Australian lads asked me to sign their foreheads! And I did!!!! Haha!!! Unforgettable moments!

What are your hobbies?

I love travel. I love going to places and experiencing different cuisine, different art, architecture, language, sounds, different light... I absolutely love travel! And I love beaches and sunsets… I love conversation! One of the things I love about Europe is that you can talk with anyone about anything… People seem to know so much about the world and have strong opinions, but in discussion they're willing to listen to what you say and you listen to them and maybe you will come to agree somewhere in the middle… And I love that! There is so much history in the world and so much human experience… And we can all learn so much from each other!

And to be simple, I love food…Fruits de mer... Mama Mia, I can't say it and not crave it! Sushi! Sashimi! Duck! Fish! Mama Mia... I'm getting hungry...

What is your favorite food?

Fruits de mer! Oysters on the half shell. Crab, Lobster. Oh, and in China, Hot Pot! In Japan, Sushi and traditional regional cooking. In every country I have the thrill of visiting, I fall in love with some food…

Vous parlez français, un petit mot en français pour nos lecteurs? (You speak french, could you say a little something in French for our readers?)

Oui, bien sûr! Vive la France!!! Et merci infiniment de jouer mes jeux! Vous êtes numéro un!!! Woohoo!!!! On se verra dans mes jeux!!!!

My father immigrated to the USA with his mom and dad and brother... My dad was born in Courbevoie, Paris, and my grandfather was from the Savoie, and grandmother from Lyon. My nana always would say "Merci infiniment"... there is something of her and of all the people I love in all of the characters I voice. My work is definitely a labor of love....

And thank you... I still haven't run out of things to say, I guess!

Very best wishes to all!

Les contes et légendes

La légende de Momotarô Momotarô est un personnage du folkore japonais dont l'histoire remonterait à l’époque Edo (1603-1868). Selon la légende, Momotarô arriva sur terre dans une pêche géante. Une femme, qui lavait ses vêtements dans une rivière, aperçut la pêche. Elle la rapporta chez elle et avec son mari, ils décidèrent de la manger. En l'ouvrant, ils découvrirent un petit garçon. Ce couple n'avait pas d'enfant et ils adoptèrent le petit garçon et l’appelèrent Momotarô. Momotarô (momo) veut dire "pêche" et Tarô est un prénom très courant pour les fils aînés au Japon. Momotarô était très fort mais plutôt paresseux. Connaissant sa force, les habitants du village l’envoyèrent affronter les démons peuplant l'île de Onigashima. Durant son voyage, il rencontra des animaux doués de parole dont un chien, un singe et un faisan. Tous trois devinrent amis et ensemble ils vainquirent les démons. De retour dans son village, Momotarô coula des jours paisibles en compagnie de sa famille et du butin qu’il avait dérobé aux démons.

La légende de Momotarô a inspiré bon nombre de jeux vidéo

Kaguyahime Ce conte est très célèbre au Japon. Un homme surnommé le vieux coupeur de bambou était renommé pour la qualité de son bambou. Un jour, il aperçoit une tige qui brille d'un éclat magnifique. Il coupe ce bambou et à l'intérieur, il découvre une petite fille, repliée sur elle-même. Le vieux coupeur de bambou et sa femme l'adoptèrent. Ils l'appelèrent Kaguyahime (la princesse lune), car son visage était délicat avec une couleur laiteuse qui rappelait celle de la lune. En grandissant, Kaguyahime devint magnifique. Cinq princes demandèrent sa main à son père. Plutôt réticente, Kaguyahime, demanda à chacun de lui apporter un objet légendaire mais impossible à obtenir. Elle épouserait le premier qui rapporterait cet objet. Les trois premiers princes essayèrent de la tromper en lui offrant des faux, le quatrième abandonna et le cinquième mourra en tentant de trouver l’objet désiré. L’empereur du Japon lui aussi finit par tomber amoureux de Kaguyahime mais celle-ci refusa sa demande en mariage. Kaguyahime commençait à déprimer et révéla à ses parents sa véritable identité: elle devait retourner sur la lune parmi les siens. Ses parents et l'empereur la supplièrent de rester mais des êtres célestes vinrent la chercher et la ramenèrent sur la lune au grand désespoir de ses proches.

Kintaro

Plusieurs légendes existent sur son enfance : dans la première, il est élevé par sa mère, la princesse Yaegiri dans le village de Jizodo. Dans la seconde, sa mère doit s'enfuir après son accouchement à cause de conflits entre son mari, un samouraï nommé Sakata, et l'oncle de celui-ci. Elle s'installe dans les forêts du mont Kintoki pour élever son fils. Dans une autre on raconte que la vraie mère de Kintarō l'aurait

abandonné dans la forêt, ou qu'elle serait morte, le faisant orphelin, et il aurait alors été élevé par la sorcière Yama-uba. Bien d'autres versions existent. Toutes les légendes décrivent Kintaro comme une sorte d'Hercule. Il possède une force surhumaine et vit dans la forêt où il devient ami avec les animaux. Ces histoires racontent ses aventures avec les démons et les monstres ou encore des combats sumo avec des ours. Bunbuku Chagama

Il s'agit d’une histoire issue du folklore japonais à propos d'un chien/tanuki. Celui-ci a des mystérieux pouvoirs et ils récompensent les personnes qui lui viennent en aide. Un jour, le tanuki tombe dans un piège et est sauvé par un homme pauvre. Le tanuki décide d’utiliser ses pouvoirs de transformation pour aider l’homme afin de le remercier. Il se transforme en bouilloire et dit

au vieil homme de le vendre. L’homme vend la bouilloire à un prêtre mais lorsque celui-ci la met sur le feu, le tanuki, ne supportant pas la chaleur, prend la fuite à l’aide des jambes qu’il a fait apparaitre sur la bouilloire. Il retourne alors chez le vieil homme et lui propose de l’exposer dans la rue en tant que bête de foire. L’homme devient riche et très ami avec le tanuki.

Shita-kiri suzume C'est un conte qui montre les conséquences de l’avarice et de la jalousie. Un vieux couple se prend d’affection pour un moineau, ils l'appellent Bidori et le nourrissent quotidiennement. Un jour leur voisine met de la fécule à sécher dans son jardin. Bidori, la mange. La voisine en colère attrape Bidori et lui coupe la langue pour le punir. Bidori part se cacher dans la forêt. Le soir, le couple est de retour mais Bodori ne vient pas les accueillir comme d'habitude. Ils commencent à le chercher pendant des heures, ne le trouvant pas, ils vont chez leur voisine. Elle leur raconte alors l’histoire en rigolant. Le couple va chercher Bidori dans toute la région. Ils le retrouvent enfin. Bidori les invite à manger avec lui. Avant de partir, Bidori souhaite leur faire un cadeau,et leur présente deux malles, une grande et très lourde et une autre plus petite et leur demande d’en choisir une. Le vieil homme choisit la plus légère, beaucoup plus facile à transporter au vu de son grand âge. Arrivés chez eux, ils ouvrent la malle et elle est remplie de richesses. Leur voisine devient envieuse et décide de rendre également visite à Bidori et lui dit être très heureuse de le revoir. Au moment de partir, Bidori lui propose aussi d’emporter une malle avec elle et la voisine cupide choisit la plus grosse et la plus lourde. Lorsqu’elle l’ouvre, des démons fantômes et des serpents se jettent sur elle et la dévorent.

Kalyani

Squareboy vs Bullies: Arena Edition (Switch)

Genre : Beat’em all Développeur : Ratalaika Games

Dans Squareboy vs Bullies: Arena Edition, vous incarnez un petit personnage cubique, souffre-douleur de brutes tout aussi cubiques. Bien décidé à ne plus vous laisser faire, vous décidez alors de prendre quelques cours d'arts martiaux afin de montrer à ces brutes de quoi il en retourne. Le jeu est donc un beat'em up à l'ancienne qui vous fera parcourir 14 niveaux, niveaux découpés en plusieurs zones que vous devrez nettoyer des brutes qui s'y trouvent, avant de progresser vers la zone suivante. Les possibilités de coups sont plutôt limitées et les animations, restreintes par l'aspect cubique des protagonistes, rudimentaires. En fait, le principal défaut

de Squareboy vs Bullies est le manque de fun. On enchaine les baffes de manière mécanique, se soigne et passe à la zone suivante sans réel plaisir. La version Switch propose un mode co-op exclusif et l'arena edition offre 4 arènes afin de se friter joyeusement. Mais là encore, le jeu ne parvient pas à provoquer le moindre interêt. Squareboy vs Bullies: Arena Edition est un titre à la réalisation sommaire et à l'interêt limité que l'on pourra facilement oublier.

Super Ping Pong Trick Shot (Switch) Genre : Arcade Développeur : Sims

Chaque jeu doit avoir sa chance, mais sérieusement... Dans Super Ping Pong Trick Shot, vous devez lancer une balle dans un gobelet. Oui, vous savez ce genre de jeu qui généralement vous mène tout droit à un coma éthylique. Si personnellement j'ai déjà du mal à voir l'intêret de ce type de jeu dans la vie réelle, pourquoi m'infliger cela sur console? Le titre est très austère graphiquement et musicalement. Le point positif, le seul dirai-je, est que le titre propose pléthore d'options de contrôle passant du mode tactile, au

mode gyroscopique en passant par les traditionnels boutons. Malgré quelques sous-missions du style faire rebondir la balle 2 fois avant qu'elle n’atterrisse dans le gobelet, on cherche à éviter l'ennui qui nous dévore très rapidementet qui nous empêche d'aller au bout des 80 niveaux du jeu. Le jeu à deux peut espérer vous faire tenir plus de 10 minutes avant de vous orienter vers un autre jeu. Pourquoi?

Tatsui

Le Japon selon Guimet

Ferdinand Jean Luigini. Émile Guimet dans son musée. 1898. Huile sur toile. Musée des Confluences, Lyon.

Émile Guimet (1836-1918) est un nom qui sonne familier à tous ceux qui s'intéressent à l'histoire du Japon. Il fut un industriel et grand collectionneur d'objets d'art. Parallèlement à ses activités d'industriel il entreprit plusieurs voyages en Afrique et en Asie où il commença à collecter des objets afin de comprendre et étudier les civilisations. Lors de ses expéditions il passa notamment par le Japon qui le marqua profondément et jusqu'à sa mort. Il participa au développement du japonisme en France, également en publiant Promenades japonaises où il relate ses impressions de voyage comme la suivante où l'auteur déplore l'abandon de certaines traditions : « Le Japon n'a pas assez confiance dans les mœurs du Japon ; il fait trop vite table rase d'une foule de coutumes, d'institutions d'idées même qui faisaient sa force et son bonheur. Il y reviendra peut-être, je le lui souhaite ». De retour de ses périples il décide de créer un musée pour y exposer ses collections. Ce dernier ouvrira ses portes à Lyon en 1879, mais faute d'affluence, le musée sera déplacé à Paris, où cette fois-ci il verra sa fréquentation grandir. Guimet sera nommé directeur à vie de son musée. Guimet sera également le cofondateur de la Société franco-japonaise de Paris. La peinture que je souhaite expliquer aujourd'hui est un portrait d’Émile Guimet réalisé par Ferdinand Jean Luigini (1870-1943), peintre de paysages (de canaux, de vieilles maisons) et de scènes rustiques. Luigini s'éloigna de ses scènes habituelles pour se lancer dans la portraiture et faire un portrait prestigieux de Guimet devant faire passer l'homme d'affaire et passionné d'art à la postérité.

Cette peinture représente Guimet dans une salle du musée portant son nom, portant la redingote noire, le nœud papillon et arborant à la boutonnière la fameuse rosette de la légion d'honneur (titre qu'il obtint en 1895). Légèrement adossé à une vitrine basse, il observe une statue de bronze japonaise issue de sa collection. Il s'agit d'une représentation de Gyoran Kannon, incarnation de la miséricorde et de la charité (cette statue témoigne de l'importance du culte bouddhique au Japon). La statue semble lui sourire et Émile Guimet, dans une posture académique semble profiter de ce tête à tête avec l'une des pièces de sa collection. À en juger par son regard passionné, il semble s'intéresser de très près au caractère religieux de cette divinité, à l’œuvre d'art qu'elle représente et à la question de la religion au Japon dans son ensemble. En observant cette peinture nous avons donc l'impression d'entrer dans l'intimité de Guimet et de sa relation si particulière avec le bel objet. En regardant attentivement cette statuette, il semble tenter d'en comprendre le sens : « Je sentais que ces objets que je réunissais, restaient muets et que pourtant, ils avaient des choses à me dire, mais que je ne savais pas les interroger. » a t-il d'ailleurs déclaré. On peut également reconnaître sur cette peinture, au fond, un peu plus en hauteur, le socle aux éléphants de l'image de Fugen Enmei (Enmei signifie « qui prolonge la vie », il s'agit d'une représentation du bodhisattva Fugen assis sur un piédestal en forme de lotus, lui-même supporté par quatre éléphants). Si Émile Guimet fut représenté auprès de cette sculpture, c'est peut-être qu'il appréciait particulièrement cette pièce de sa collection. Ce portrait élogieux d’Émile Guimet, exposé dans le musée parisien, avait pour but de rappeler aux visiteurs qui était le mentor et le créateur dudit musée éponyme.

Tony

Ont participé à ce numéro

Mila : http://www.milady-s-stuff.fr/

Haryn et Kalyani : http://dramaic.ek.la/

Guillaume (Ichiban Japan) : http://ichiban-japan.com/

Tony : http://webzine-leprodromot.weebly.com