Synopsis

Marcus and Kara were born in a city where lies are billed as fundamental truths of society. The Predators and the Protectors of their world have switched places and now Wolves run media, education, politics, medicine and government. As Marcus watches his own father begin to evolve into a Wolf, he decides to risk everything and find out what lies beyond the perimeters of the city.

He discovers the forest is not haunted with violent predators, but has rather become a refuge for those who refuse to be enslaved.

When his actions lead to the violent murder of his parents, it becomes Marcus’ mission to rescue his sister Kara; a young and talented artist the Wolves are using to further their agenda.

Using various disguises to conceal his identity, Marcus rescues orphaned children and outcasts looking for a way out of the imprisoning city. Dressed as a homeless man, he meets Janey, a poor, street-smart girl with a big heart. Janey manages to get to Kara, and with the Wolves hot on their heels, they make a run for freedom.

Short Interview

In order to better position the screenplay on the web, I asked a producer I know if he would do a little interview. He obliged. Thanks, Joe!

So this is an Action Anime? And what do you think it’s rated?

I would guess PG 13 or R depending on the artists and how they depict the violence.

What inspired the story ?

Typically Animes come from Mangas. But this came from a dream I had 3 different nights in a row. Each night I was a different character in the dream in the same setting, dealing with the same issue of being shut into a city that was run by predators. It took me a while to write it down because one of the characters was male and figured out what was going on early on, one was female, poor and kind of stuck, and one was very gullible and fell for the lies and really paid for it. When I was writing the script I put together the characters and how they related to each other and turned it into a story involving three different people.

What would you say the visual tone of the film is. Is it darker or upbeat? Do you think of gray and gloomy, or bright colors, lots of motion?

I think of media, I guess. Like advertisements and you’re not sure what is true. So, a lot of color and overwhelming your senses with someone else’s message so that you’re not sure what is true or what you think.

How do you imagine the city? Is it a disguised distopia? Gothamesque? Broken down and rotting?

It’s both. It’s Gotham, but with the bright colors and advertisement telling you everything is great and you are fine. I’d say it has two layers. The upper, more obvious layer is bright and for those who aren’t looking too closely and want to be entertained, but underneath there’s a lot of darkness, despair and grief. But you don’t necessarily see that right away. You have to look deeper. And I would love it if the artists are able to present those two different levels in such a way that the viewer doesn’t “get it” right away, but as the movie progresses, they begin to see more and more.

If you had to say one scene in the movie that is your favorite, what would you say? What would it be? What’s the most important scene to you?

I love the ending, the idea of leaving behind a message and the truth, but also walking away to live your own life and not being bound by the lies. But I also love the character Marcus who kind of embodies an Anime-Scarlet Pimpernel type person who, without a lot of self-esteem or self-awareness, becomes a fantastic hero to a lot of people.

What would you say the underlying message of the film is?

I would say the message is to never trust the going-narrative of what is good, bad, true or false. But to always use your own senses, your eyes and ears, your ability to think and reason for yourself what is true. There are times throughout history when you have to risk everything to find out what is true. You have to be willing to drink the hemlock sometimes. Today, because of AI and social media and the advancement of everything–and I’m not saying those things are bad– I’m just saying that it’s more important than ever for people to think for themselves. I believe this anime screenplay really brings those ideas across.

Are there any specific Animes or Mangas that inspired you while you were writing this screenplay, Where the Danger Lies?

I really enjoyed “Weathering With You” and “Your Name” and an old classic, “Chihayafuru.” But, no, this script is very different from anything else I’ve seen. There are some I really love because they are deeper than most live action films. Weathering With You really brought across some deep human ideas. And I love that about anime – I love the potential.

Is the transition between human and werewolf more physical or psychological?

It’s hard to say. I left it vague so that the viewer especially would be able to interpret it by their own life-experiences. You know how you might grow up believing something that isn’t right, and then as you reach adult maturity and the moment when your realize this thing that you always believed was true or good is actually bad? It’s really like something turns on in your brain. So the werewolf idea is that all your life you saw these creatures as protectors and defenders and then it’s not a slow realization when you suddenly realize, no, they’re eating people. And you wake up suddenly, and it’s terrifying.

But you say they morphed from humans into wolves?

Oh, – so there are people in the story that begin human, and then develop wolf-like characteristics. Like, sideburns and wolf-like teeth. And you see people that began as human beings begin to prey on other human beings for their own benefit, and then they start to develop wolf-like characteristics. The idea is that if you live with human ideals, loving your neighbor as yourself, then you don’t turn into a wolf – you remain human.

So what about the transition from human to ostrich? Is that psychological or a super power?

That is more psychological in that the human guardians of the forest, in their homespun wool tunics in dim lighting, kind of look like an ostrich to someone who has grown up believing the propaganda of the city — someone that has grown up believing the news that the guardians of the forest are deadly ostriches. Then once they have gotten out of the city and meet the other survivors on the mountain, then they don’t necessarily see them that way any more.

Do you see where the story goes after the movie is over?

Yes, in my mind I see an upcoming battle between the guardians of the forest and the so-called protectors of the city. Violence will increase and more people will die. Some people will try to get out and the city will become more and more locked down until it’s surrounded with electric fencing to keep you from getting out. Ultimately it will come to a battle. But it would still be necessary for the people within the city to choose to leave. There is never a time when you can just be a victim that is passively saved by a hero. You are your only hope for a hero. You have to make that decision and leave. Someone might be there to help you, but it’s your move.

I see. Yeah. Is there anything else about the script that stands out or that you’d like to add?

Most Animes are written off of comic books or Mangas. When I started this project I didn’t realize how hard it would be to break into that industry – how little is out there for anime creators. There just isn’t very much material. I think that is a shame because so much can be communicated through anime and there aren’t the boundaries that exist in live actions. And I would just really love to get into that field and write more for the anime industry.