What is Tachibana?

DJ_Izumi · Post by **DJ_Izumi** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 9:33 pm

Tomorrow I lose my internet, I’ll be writing instead, back online once I move. So let’s talk about my creation.

Tachibana was birthed over four years age as an evolution in free form role-plays. Menzai Battlefield Academy, to Tokonatsu High School, to ‘Boukoukou Tachibana/ Tachibana High School’ Or ‘Tachibana Haisukuuru’.

The original role-plays? Chaos; giant robots, canon anime characters, giant robots and magical powers. True the laymen otaku has fun with this, but in reality it was an uncreative nexus of anime and rip-offs. Including Benshin, Kenshin’s clone brother with a light saber.

Evolution. The stories moved to be more dramatic and the highly unrealistic content was removed. I was in charge when I closed Tachibana as a role-play, however the ‘Anime High School’ continues under new names with new ideas. Tachibana has become my baby, my idea for a television series. Originally to be animated, then I thought CGI. Finally I realized that simplicity would be best. Live action with the target audience being Americans. Not American Otaku, just Americans.

THS is just on the outer edge of Sendai, about 150km north east of Tokyo. The school now holds an important place in the international student exchange program, this post war American designed boarding high school is the central point for exchange students, primarily Americans. 30% of the student population is foreign. Non-standard classes include the ‘Crash Course to Japan’ to help exchange students acclimate to a completely alien culture.

The idea now is that of an adventure drama, focusing on eight teenage characters, four Japanese and four American. No robots, no magical powers, no stolen anime characters. Immersed in a culture they have never experienced, surrounded by a language they don’t understand, and around every corner, people who look so unlike what they are used to. To make matters worse, an array of teenage dramas. A girl with hidden mental health issues, fearing segregation. In Japanese schools, there are no ‘special’ students; they attend ‘special’ schools instead. A boy who sea’s underlying problems around him, but in attempting to help he is only pushed away. A girl who questions her sexuality in a society that’s media makes it seem all right, but in reality it’s a subject few speak of. A boy finding himself in the land of dreams, where every TV show he watched was spawned from, only finding himself foolish in the face of the real Japan. A girl who finds her self accepting the burdens of others from a deep desire to make everything all right, only to realize she isn’t strong enough and can’t do it alone.

This is Tachibana High School. I can’t make a real television series, but I can write the stories and release them episodically.

Jonathan02us · Post by **Jonathan02us** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 9:59 pm

Hey it sounds really interesting .. i wanna hear more about it ...

DJ_Izumi · Post by **DJ_Izumi** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:01 pm

Well, I've got 4hrs to talk about it. What do you want to know? ^^

I already have the extesnsivly detailed world in my head, it's just a a matter of writing a 13 'episode' series for it.

DJ_Izumi · Post by **DJ_Izumi** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:19 pm

The hardest part has been researching life in Japan, since anime isn't exactly an accurate view at all. So it's mostly google research while trying to filter out what is just an urban ledgend and what is just a VERY small aspect of Japanese socioty. The more I learn, the more I don't wanna visit. Ha ha.

Like, those classic 'Bloomer' shorts girls wear at gym have been pretty much abolished since 1993. And LOTS of other little falseities.

Jonathan02us · Post by **Jonathan02us** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:22 pm

Well how are u gonna release the episodes ... r u gonna post them up o something and r u gonna send it of to be aired o something ... basically wat r ur plans for ur ideas ...

DJ_Izumi · Post by **DJ_Izumi** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:32 pm

I basicly going to copy the 'Fanfiction' method, except it's original works. I'll probabbly set up a site to host the stories, and keep them to adapt them into teleplays later if I'm ever able to MAKE a TV show. Or indie short films based on the ideas.

Our story starts with the 'Arrival' of the semisters new group of Transfer students, all primary American characters arive then, the initial Japanese students will be 'veterans' more or less and the helarity begins.

Lots of cute jokes roam inside my head. The American Otaku CONSTANTLY being a dork for comedic releif. Little practical jokes; including some Japanese students giving American students bloomer shorts for the gym uniform (Much to their disgust) only to accept the ordeal thinking it IS part of the uniform, and it is the rules. Emerging into the gym seeing all the other girls in normal shorts and the boys hooting and hawlering.

Jonathan02us · Post by **Jonathan02us** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:44 pm

Haha ...

... that would be a great practical joke, well its gonna be interesting to read more about it ... tell me when u got that site so i can read up more on the episodes ...

DJ_Izumi · Post by **DJ_Izumi** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:45 pm

What's sad is, I'm fairly certian my uniform designs are WAY off, they're the type used for middle schools... -.-;

Jonathan02us · Post by **Jonathan02us** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:50 pm

Haha ... middle school uniforms, i would go for the High school private school uniforms ...

... umm one more thing ... are these students in High school o wat ...

DJ_Izumi · Post by **DJ_Izumi** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 11:00 pm

Well, it's called Tachibana High School, so YEAH, it's HS. However, being a boarding school it can feel more like college or university between classes. Co-ed dormatory (Not co-ed ROOMS however)
With four types of rooms, 4D(Density), 3D, 2D and 1D. 4 Density house four, most likely younger students who couldn't afford greatest privacy. 3Ds are three people and so on and so on. One's room type is dictated by class, rank, and money.

The building itself was built under McArthur in the 50's and was U.S. Military Property, but was turned over to the city of Sendai just prior to the end of the American involvement in Vietnam. The school was overhauled then and fitted to be a boarding high school. In 1994 it entered as centerstage for international exchange and recive a 'top of the line' refurbishing agian. The school was deamed ideal since it was american to start with. (Actually, I made the building 'American' so it would seem less alien to American viewers.)