It has been announced that "Tokyo Melody Ryuichi Sakamoto," a 1984 documentary that chronicles Ryuichi Sakamoto at the age of 32, will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 8 PM on August 7th.
This documentary was filmed in May 1984 by filmmaker Elizabeth Leonard during the production of "Ongaku Zukan," the fourth album overall and the first album released after YMO disbanded in December 1983. May 1984 was also the time when Sakamoto, who had gained international recognition as a composer for the soundtrack of the film "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" (1983), began to forge a new path after YMO.
The recording sessions and interviews for "Ongaku Zukan," which marked the first step in his career, are invaluable for understanding Sakamoto at that time. The interspersed footage of YMO's farewell concert, memorable scenes from "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," Shibuya's scramble crossing, the now-defunct Shinjuku Alta, and the Takenoko-zoku of Harajuku vividly portrays the atmosphere of Tokyo at the time and Sakamoto's authentic portrayal of creating music within that environment.
Additionally, related programs, "Ryuichi Sakamoto PERFORMANCE IN NEW YORK: async" will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand on July 20th at 2:00 PM and August 7th at 9:10 PM (tentative), and "Ryuichi Sakamoto GLENN GOULD GATHERING" will be broadcast and streamed on August 7th at 10:30 PM (tentative).
