What is the secret to the successful “localization” of the Thai version of the BL work “Cherry Maho”? A thorough commitment to “transplanting Thai culture” and the difference in production stance from Japan
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“2024 TCCF Creative Content Fest” is a large-scale exhibition of the cultural content industry that Taiwan has been holding every year since 2019. In 2024, the fifth year of the event, it was held from November 5th to November 8th, with the three pillars of “Pitching,” “Market,” and “Forum.”
On November 6th, the second day of the event, TV Tokyo producer Kanami Honma, who worked on the drama and movie version of “Apparently You Can Become a Wizard if You’re a Virgin Until 30 Years Old” (hereinafter “Cherry Maho”), and Kazama, who served as the director, attended the event. Mr. Taiju and Mr. Nuttapong MONGKOLSAWAS, director of the Thai drama version of “Cheri Maho”, appeared on the “Forum” stage. He talked about the process and commitments that led to the popular BL manga becoming a live-action drama in Japan, a movie, and a remake in Thailand.
“Cherry Maho”, also known as “Apparently, if you are a virgin until the age of 30, you can become a wizard” is a BL manga by Yu Toyota that is being serialized on “Gangan pixiv”. The main character, Adachi, who reached the age of 30 while still a virgin, acquires the “magic that allows him to read the minds of those he touches” and accidentally learns that Kurosawa, a handsome colleague at work, has feelings for him. It depicts a 100% pure romantic comedy. The pure story development and the adorable characters portrayed have become a hot topic and resonated, gaining popularity among a wide range of people, especially women. It was chosen as number one in the “Recommended BL Comics 2019 chosen by bookstore staff nationwide,” and foreign translations have also been published in Asia and all over the world. It is a popular work that was broadcast as a live-action drama in 2020, and was also made into a live-action movie in April 2022.
The Japanese live-action version “cherishes the original fans”
At the 2024 TCCF Forum Stage, Mr. Honma first touched on the casting for the live-action adaptation in Japan.
In the live-action version, Kiyoshi Adachi is played by Eiji Akaso, and Yuichi Kurosawa is played by Keita Machida. Adachi has a ‘puppy-like’ character, while Kurosawa is someone who would be more suited to the word ‘handsome’ than handsome.’ The emphasis was on “the compatibility of the plays to create a contrast, and the height difference to be at least 3 cm.”
Although the drama was short, each episode being 22 minutes long, “While communicating closely with Mr. Toyota and the editor in charge, we were able to express the emotional steps,While placing the most importance on the steps in which the distance between Adachi and Kurosawa changes.we condensed the story.”
Director Kazama pointed out the difficulty of reproducing something that has already been created from a manga original, and said, “When making a live-action film, there is a balance between reproducing what is depicted in the comic and creating the original part.” It is said that it is the best part. Since it is a live-action adaptation of a work that has many fans of the original work,While valuing the fans of the original work, we are always looking at the differences between the original work and the live-action version.“I created it,” he said, looking back on the whole thing.
He also focused on the uniqueness of Adachi’s magic as a plot of the story, saying, “I focused on the process in which the main character learns the true feelings of the people he touches, and the process of coming to terms with the true feelings he receives.” “In order to create richness in the images, the entire staff decides on the grading (the process of producing the colors and tones of the images) before filming begins, and the art and production teams also discuss lighting color tones, set design, etc.” We had them make the decorations, etc.,” he said, revealing the ingenuity he used to create the video.
With the recognition that the Thai version is an “original work”
Next, director Natatsu Peng, who worked on the Thai version of “CHERRY MAGIC 30” (CHERRY MAGIC 30), talked about “localization techniques for Thai viewers” when adapting the drama into a Thai drama.
When adapting the story of “Cheri Maho”, which is set in Japan, into a Thai drama, we decided to eliminate the element that “it’s obviously based on a Japanese manga” and blend it into the Thai culture, so we changed the means of commuting to work by train. such as changing the character from a convenience store clerk to a temple priest as the person Adachi first listens to.Thai culture was transplanted everywhere.. Also, although Adachi and Kurosawa’s company is set as a Japanese company, the characteristics of Thai companies, which are less hierarchical and closer to colleagues than in Japan, and events such as the water festival “Songkran” are also included. Ta.
The Thai version had a total of 12 episodes with each episode lasting 50 minutes, and compared to the Japanese version, each episode had more leeway in the story.The image of the Japanese version was temporarily reset, focusing on the original manga and incorporating Thai elements.and talk.
Regarding the character design, rather than the Japanese version of Kurosawa being a perfect person, we added a comical aspect to the story, such as “a personality that keeps asking himself questions and is bad at singing.” Even people who appear to be perfect have their imperfections, which brings out their humanity, and I created a story in which Adachi is saved because Kurosawa is also not perfect. On the other hand, choosing the lines was a challenge, such as what kind of background does Adachi, who is Thai, have and what kind of words will he use?A balance between elements created through localization and the atmosphere of the original work.It is said that he paid careful attention to
When asked about the response to the Thai version of the drama, director Nada Peng said, “I was worried about whether fans of the original would like it, but there weren’t many comparisons.People recognize it as an original work, so there are no negative reviews.“At the time of writing the script, there were many voices calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Thailand, but discussions were underway in parallel with the broadcast of the Thai version of “Cheri Maho,” and immediately after the final episode aired, there was a desire to legalize same-sex marriage.” The “Marriage Equality Act” was passed to recognize marriage.It’s the magic of “Cherry Maho”!”He also revealed his joy at the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Editor’s note
When I visited the booth of “BIG ART Co., Ltd.” where Ms. Anita SUNG, who served as the moderator of this forum, was there, I found out that she is a screenwriter and producer who is praised as the “Queen of Taiwanese BL dramas”.Mr. Lin PeiyuI happened to have the opportunity to hear his story.
Regarding BL in Taiwan, Mr. Lin says, “Taiwan’s BL fan base is mainly female, aged between 18 and 49 (of which, the core demographic is between 20 and 36).If Thai BL is sexy and positive about depictions of the body,Many Taiwanese BL works depict warm emotional connections.” he says. He added, “We are focusing not only on works based on original works, but also on original works, and both are enjoyed by people.” He added, “As part of the drama production project, we prepare goods, photo books, and hold events in advance. “Because the drama includes the following, it is possible to smoothly develop surrounding areas from the drama broadcast,” he said, explaining the production situation.
There was no talk of producing a Taiwanese version of “Cherry Maho” at this TCCF, but I would like to keep an eye on future developments.
IP localization: From “Cherry Magic”, look at the key to overseas sales of BL comic adaptations and TV series
host:
Anita SUNG, Director of Asia Content Business Strategy and Chief Producer, Video Market Co., Ltd.Interviewee:
TV Tokyo Producer Kanami Honma
AOI Pro. Supervisor・Taiki Kazama
GMMTV Co., Ltd. Senior Director Content Production/Nuttapong MONGKOLSAWAS
