Innovative Animated Documentary Travels through the Tastes and Memories of Sake The Taste of Water" is now available! The Taste of Water" has been a hit at international film festivals!

There is a story in every cup." A father's comment that sake is "like water, A manga artist's journey to discover the meaning of this phrase...

2025.07.04 15:30

合同会社ズーパーズース

Zuper Zoos, LLC (located at 5-33-10 Narita Higashi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Ryo Nakajima) is pleased to announce the launch of "The Taste of Water," an innovative animated documentary.

Official website: https://taste-of-water.super.site

映画キービジュアル

Film Key Visual

Synopsis

The Taste of Water" is a "trip down memory lane" that begins with a cup of sake that the main character, Okado, shares with his father. What was the meaning of the sake that his father described as "like water"?

The manga artist, Kobo-kun, a spirit of sake yeast, travels around Japan, exploring the profound world of sake.

This is a brand-new documentary film that touches on culture, history, and memories of the land, and uses animation to visualize the "image of taste" where the senses and memories overlap.

Film Outline

Title: The Taste of Water

Format : Animated feature-length documentary (100 min.)

Genre: Culture, Travel, Sake

Description : A journey of discovery about the "taste" of sake,

　　　　　A road movie depicting the journey of discovery of the "taste" of sake with a unique imaginative expression.

Language: Japanese with English subtitles

Schedule ：Filming will begin in July 2025 and be completed in spring 2026.

Attraction: Art Style

Experience the "five senses of sake" through animation.

Sake is "as clear as water" in the video, but in fact, each cup of sake has a different taste, aroma, and texture, and each has its own distinct personality.

These "sensations," which are difficult to capture in live-action images, are visually expressed through the power of animation.

This illustration depicts the taste of drinking TANISEN, a Japanese sake, and the coolness of the gushing spring and the gorgeousness of being enveloped by a cherry blossom snowstorm, all expressed through watercolor animation.

With an expression unique to video, the rich world of sake is conveyed in a form that resonates with all five senses.

谷泉のイマジネーション

TANISEN's Imagination

The charm of sake is unraveled in five chapters, the most noteworthy of which is Chapter 4: The Sake Crisis.

This work is comprised of five chapters covering everything from how sake is made to its history, culture, crisis, and future.

Chapter 4, "Sake Crisis," leaves a particularly strong impression.

A sake brewery collapsed in the Noto Peninsula earthquake.

The story of a sake brewery that joined hands with a rival brewery to create a miraculous collaboration amidst the loss of "brewer's yeast" that had survived for many years reflects the spirit of "mutual aid" that the sake industry has.

In the midst of not only a disaster, but also the quiet crisis of a lack of successors, the sake industry is now facing a crisis of its own.

Through this film, we hope to appeal to people's feelings that sake, as symbolized by the "taste of water," is multifaceted and at the same time creates a simple "connection of the heart. The film will appeal to people's emotions.

International Presentation at Annecy Film Festival and MIFA

In June 2025, this film was presented at MIFA (International Trade Fair) held in conjunction with the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France, and received high acclaim from overseas animation industry professionals, investors, and distributors.

Selected as one of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Step-up Support Programs for Overseas Expansion, we are building a foothold for global expansion through local exhibitions and pitch presentations.

At the networking party during the event, visitors were treated to a variety of Japanese sake, including "Nanbu Bijin," a famous sake from Iwate Prefecture, and "Yamasake," a sake brewery from Switzerland, which deepened exchanges with many visitors. Interest in Japanese culture was high, and the communication through taste served as an opportunity to further increase interest in the films.

アヌシー映画祭・MIFAでの国際発表

International Presentation at Annecy Film Festival and MIFA

Message from the Director

As a foreigner who came to Japan at the age of 20, I was strongly shocked by my encounter with sake.

I was amazed at how multi-layered the taste, aroma, and cultural background of sake is, despite the fact that it looks like a transparent liquid.

This film uses the power of animation to visualize such "depth of sake". The strength of animation is that it can depict invisible things such as taste, memory, and emotion.

Having grown up in the U.S. and Europe, I hope that my "outside perspective" will help Japanese people rediscover values that are often overlooked.

Sake is not just a drink, but also a culture and a way of life.

Sake is more than just a drink; it is an experience of the culture itself.

That is the true meaning of "the taste of water" and the depth of sake.

Director Riki Ohkanda

[A collaboration of different talents created by three multi-creators!

Starring: Daimon Takeshi

A multi-creator who produces animations in addition to being an actor active in a wide range of TV, film, and commercials. His short animation "Manga Girls" was selected as one of the "28 Films for the Berlin International Film Festival" by VIPO and Festival Scope. He has won more than 20 awards and acclaim at film festivals in Japan and abroad.

In 2024, she will star in the animated feature film "CHERRY AND VIRGIN" directed by Masayoshi Kawajiri.

主演：大門嵩

Starring: Takashi Daimon

Planning/Director: Riki Ookanda

Moved to Japan from the U.S. in 2002.

She is a multi-talented film director, novelist, TV personality, and actress. His representative works, the film "Katsura" and the animation "Chibiham Juicy and Me".

In 2024, she won the Grand Prix (Best Film) in the feature film category at the Japan Indies Film Festival for her film "Chintong Shan. He is an expert in Japanese sake, tea ceremony, and kimono, and has a deep knowledge of Japanese culture.

企画・監督：大神田リキ

Planner/Director: Riki Ohkanda

Producer: Ryo Nakajima

Representative of Zuper Zus, LLC.

In 2012, his feature film "Who said Death is Beautiful" was selected for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

He has directed seven feature films, including "Natsuyasumi no Kyoasumi" (The Master of Natsuyasumi), and is working on filmmaking that uses AI to cross the boundaries between live-action and animation.

プロデューサー：中島良