Beloved artist Keita Kurosaka has fashioned an exquisite, sci-fi tale of dark desire and hunger. In anticipation of a coming food crisis, five scientists work to develop a “dream food,” one that is both meat and vegetable, but progress in the laboratory has hit a dead end. One day, in the wee hours of the night, a shaft of light penetrates the lab, the light of a starry sky that graces the Earth only once every 10,000 years. The scientists are overjoyed at what the light’s tremendous force has produced: the dream food they’ve been seeking, an animal/vegetable hybrid named Midori-ko. But Midori-ko has no intention of being eaten and flies away. Kurosaka has developed an adoring fan base through the breathtaking pace of his narratives and the tremendous power of his images. Completely hand-drawn in colored pencil and replete with Kurosaka’s unique sense of style and color, Midori-ko was accomplished nearly single-handedly, the culmination of a ten-year labor of love. Music direction is by Sakamoto Hiromichi, a cellist known for his phantasmagoric performances. Including some of Japan’s most celebrated musicians, the film’s avant-garde score is a striking accompaniment to Kurosaka’s images.


Japan 2010, 55 min. Written by Keita Kurosaka. Photographed by Keita Kurosaka. With Sayaka Suzuki, Rina Yûki, Chicapan, Miwako Mishima. Mistral Japan.