The Making of Hatonosu's "Pica" [Part 4] My Encounter with the "Black Rain" Lawsuit
(*The top image is a photo of a lawyer taken during the premiere of "Pica" in 2024.)
"Pica" is a story based on the "Black Rain" lawsuit. While it might sound strange to base a play on a lawsuit, the "Black Rain" lawsuit is actually featured enough that a courtroom scene appears in the play.
His appearance here lasts only about 5 seconds.
Regarding the atomic bombing, the term "Black Rain" is very famous, perhaps due to Masuji Ibuse's novel "Black Rain," or because many testimonies recounting the experience of "Black Rain" have been preserved. The impact of the phrase "the rain is black" certainly has the power to convey the "abnormality" caused by the atomic bomb in an easy-to-understand way, so it seems appropriate that it remains in people's hearts.
On the other hand, the "Black Rain" lawsuit is probably not very well known. (Probably. Though it depends on what you compare it to. Probably.)
Actually, this was something I misunderstood at first. It's hard to put into words, but I even had a vague image that the "Black Rain" lawsuit must be a trial representative of Hiroshima, just because it's called "Black Rain."
The "Black Rain" lawsuit as I see it now does not have an image of being "famous."This is because it has become clear to me that this lawsuit is by "people who were about to be forgotten," which is the polar opposite of "famous."But even that, I feel, was not visible to me when I first encountered the "Black Rain" lawsuit.
My Encounter with the "Black Rain" Lawsuit (1)
The year was 2020. Having launched Hatonosu, I had become more interested in topics regarding "Hiroshima and the Atomic Bomb" than when I lived in Hiroshima, and the "Black Rain" lawsuit was a hot topic at the time.
I don't remember the details of that time, but according to records, it was after I had canceled a Hatonosu performance, so whether I was depressed or just had free time, in any case, with various activities restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I think I had the leeway to gather information about Hiroshima. I decided to look into the "Black Rain" lawsuit for the (in my case) superficial reason of wanting to check out what everyone was talking about.
What I felt most strongly at the time was that there was simply very little information available. I had been studying "Hiroshima and the Atomic Bomb" a little bit since university, but I was at a loss as to how to research this matter.
I happened to attend a study group centered on "Hiroshima and the Atomic Bomb" held by an acquaintance where they were covering the "Black Rain" lawsuit. I listened to the talk and felt like I understood it, but also didn't. As I researched the words and the background written in the materials I received one by one, I finally felt like I understood it, and I wrote the following article. (I had even forgotten that I had written such a thing...)
My Encounter with the "Black Rain" Lawsuit (2)
Do you know what "Yukkuri Kaisetsu" (slow commentary) is? It is probably more famous than the "Black Rain" lawsuit (not that they should be compared).
With theatrical activities restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hatonosu representative, looking for a new field of activity, set their sights on "Yukkuri Jikkyo" (slow gameplay commentary).I really think I was out of my mind.
Since the PC I had been using was reaching the end of its life, I splurged on a new one at the end of the year, which allowed me to edit videos smoothly. Then, I downloaded "Yukkuri Movie Maker 3" and "Aviutl," watched videos on how to make them on YouTube, and while using a video from a major Yukkuri commentary channel as arip-offsuper-duper reference, I tried making a video. The theme of that memorable first work was the "Black Rain" lawsuit.
It's a labor of love. Oh my.
My Encounter with the "Black Rain" Lawsuit (3)
As described above, I happened to encounter the "Black Rain" lawsuit in the flow of things and have faced it through my posts on note and YouTube.
The third encounter was not a place for broadcasting. At that time, I was on the "receiving" side. I was a reader.
I will continue this next time.
This is a rather uninteresting episode mainly summarizing the past. Personally, I enjoy the difference in my perspective then versus now on note and YouTube, though... I think I am trying to express what was lacking at that time in "Pica".