Creativity is such a hard thing to determine its origins. What inspires a particular work of art? What did that individual experience that could have lead to this need to create? Just who is the artist? Toco Toco TV is a series of documentary-like videos that follows a Japanese creator to a place that inspires them. Completely unscripted, the artists choose wherever they like and the cameras capture their feelings. As viewers, we get to follow along in their footsteps on the journey of creation.
The process of creating video games has always fascinated me. Japanese game design has often been the centerpoint of my life, with games like Super Mario Bros, Final Fantasy, and Bloodborne quickly becoming the tools that shaped my very being. Now that I’m older and interested in the act of creating, particularly in the realm of story-telling, I have gravitated towards stories about developers, soaking up every biography or documentary I can get my hands on.
Most of the really detailed stories I’ve got to check out though were primarily of American origin. I tore through the pages of “Masters of Doom”, a book that told the story of iD Software. I stayed up extremely late on night to watch dedicated fans dig up old E.T. cartridges in Atari: Game Over. Unfortunately, I was rarely exposed to the stories of the developers of Nintendo, Square Enix, or Capcom, companies I primarily enjoy. Toco Toco has given me the stories I have always sought, told through a beautiful lens in a way that feels like peering into those brilliant minds.
Toco Toco is the Japanese onomatopoeia for footsteps, symbolizing the journey every person goes through. Each episode focuses on a particular Japanese artist, following them to a school, restaurant, or other important places to them. Truly beautiful camera work captures the artist exploring these spaces, recording their thoughts and their stories tied to them. Usually towards the end of an episode, the artist also chooses a single word that has the most meaning to them.
I started my journey through the archives of Toco Toco with episode 52 that focused on Kazutoshi Iida, the main mind behind Doshin: The Giant. He takes the crew to a couple places, the Rissei Cinema Project and the Kyoto Art Center. We watch him peruse old films and grab fliers of community events that are so local, they often don’t have listings online. Through it all, Iida shows us just how important artistic expression is to him in a way that feels tangible.
I also watched the episode starring Yoko Taro, the creative lead behind the Drakengard and Nier series. I’ve always wondered about the strange individual behind these dark works in the gaming world, ones that often use a meta-narrative to dive into deeper emotions and meanings. Our entire journey with Taro has him wearing his iconic mask, showing him at leisure with friends and getting some of his games signed at the Platinum Games office. Even though his face is obstructed, we are given a story that makes the man feel more human, a person who walks life to his own rhythm.
Both episodes I found well-edited and touching. The working conditions of Japanese game development is often taken for granted in the West, with many not realizing just how many hours are poured into each game. Many of these developers have to spend large portions of their lives in the office, slaving away often in disregard to their own health or well-being. Toco Toco gives me more appreciation for the games I’ve been playing throughout my life, elevating them as more than just a collection of polygons on a screen. These are works of art, created by extremely talented individuals.
Games are important; Toco Toco shows the people behind their creations in a truly illuminating light, painting a deeper picture of who they are and how they are inspired.
Find Toco Toco TV on Youtube, where there are tons of episodes featuring some of the most brilliant minds in Japanese art.
