Nobody Dies (partially found Japanese film; 2008)

A promotional image for the film

Status: Partially Found

This article has been tagged as NSFW due to its risqué subject matter.

Nobody Dies (誰も死なない) is a thirty-eight-minute long short film directed by Japanese artist "Mr." and produced by Takashi Murakami. It was published by Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. and presented alongside other works by Takashi Murakami. While the film itself is not pornographic, many of the aesthetic elements and camera shots cater towards Mr.'s lolicon interests, even though the film is not animated.^[1] His painting "It Hurts When it Hits Bare Skin" was Mr.'s inspiration to direct a live-action adaptation of the piece.

Plot

The short film centers around a quintet of middle school girls part of a paintballing team nicknamed "Usagigumi." With teamwork and passion, the girls work together to defeat their rival team, "Young Specter's Star." One-half of the movie focuses on the everyday lives of these girls, and the second half focuses on the action between the competing teams.

A poster advertising The Complete Works of Takashi Murakami & Kaikai Kiki Video Edition. Usagigumi are on the cover.

Availability

The short film’s release was exclusive to galleries and art exhibitions. Even though there are multiple locations with confirmed past screenings, no recordings have surfaced online. Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd’s previous works had only been short animations and commercials, making this experimental film harder to publicize.

Exhibitions

Perrotin in Paris, France held Mr.: Nobody Dies, a solo show. It lasted from October 21, 2008, to January 10, 2009.^[2]
Tollywood held a screening of Nobody Dies from November 21, 2008 to December 18, 2008. It was a general admission event in Tokyo.^[3]
From November 29, 2008 to December 15, 2008, the Kaikai Kiki shop on Nakano Broadway presented:Mr. "Nobody Dies" Exhibition, which featured installments of the characters' bedrooms.^[4]
Along with many other Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd works, Nobody Dies was screened at Tollywood in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo from May 2, 2009 to May 22, 2009.^[5]

Reception

The online reception of Nobody Dies was mostly mixed, with many pointing out the uncomfortable camera angles^[6] and blatantly fetishistic visuals.^[7] However, Cool Hunting reports that the sexualized elements are artistic, as it represents the male gaze of an otaku.^[8]

Gallery

Teaser featuring footage of the film.

A shortened teaser around half-a-minute long

Left to right: Tampopo Momoyama, Konatsu Kyoto, Ichigo Hatakeniwa, Mizu Horyuji, Kaoru Haruna
A line-up of the girls' names, their actresses and illustrated counterparts
Three girls outside of a convenience store
A screenshot of Kaoru Haruna in a pool
The girls in a restaurant