Neighbors Rooms] 80's gallery in a 7-tatami-mat room｜FILMS WAKO

Neighbors Rooms" is a series of articles introducing the rooms of our tenants living in our social apartments. This time, we would like to introduce MAX's room, which won the judges' special prize in the "Room Photo Contest" held in December 2024!

This room was awarded based on three points: overwhelming originality, effective use of space, and attention to detail. We took the liberty of titling the room "Leave it to 80's".

Mr. MAX (male) has been living in FILMS Wako for about 3 years.
When he heard about this property, which is based on the concept of "living with a movie theater," on TV, he immediately decided to move in, thinking that this was exactly the kind of property for him.

Just by stepping into the room, he was overwhelmed by the world of 80's movies and pop music collection.
Autographs and limited editions of such 80s movie classics as "Top Gun" and "Mission: Impossible" are lined up everywhere, making the space look like a gallery of 80s culture.
We were introduced to some of the 80's culture collection crammed into MAX's room.

MAX

The world of 80's culture packed into a space of 7 tatami mats. We introduce a part of his precious collection!

--▲When we saw the photos of the rooms submitted for the contest, we immediately felt the passion for 80s culture! Your collection is overwhelming, but what was it that got you into the world of 80s movies and music in the first place?

MAX: It was "Rocky 2" that I saw when I was in elementary school. I watched "Rocky 2" when I was in elementary school, and I was inspired by the simple and powerful story of a fighter who works hard to win, overcomes challenges, and finally prevails. This simple yet powerful story resonated with me as a child. I watched "Rocky 1," but I was not impressed by the way it ended, with all the hard work not being rewarded, so I was more shocked by the story of Rocky 2, where he was rewarded in the end, and I became immersed in the world of the 80s.

--MAX: Which was the first piece of merchandise you purchased when you first started immersing yourself in 80's culture?

MAX: The first thing I ever owned in my life was the "Top Gun" soundtrack. I think I bought it 37 or 8 years ago.

--I was so happy that I still have it, and I treasure it to this day. I'm so happy about it that I still keep it in a safe place.

MAX: Yes, that's right. I especially love the bold and impactful melody lines of music from the 80s, which we don't have today. I have kept the tickets to the concerts I attended back then because I couldn't throw them away.

--I've seen a great number of them - a great number! I was amazed that they were like new. Are there any particular ones that stand out in your mind?

MAX: It was a ticket for the countdown concert that Bon Jovi performed in 1988, when the Tokyo Dome had just opened. The ticket price back then was 7,000 yen, which is unthinkable nowadays.

--Your collection of CDs and DVDs is also amazingly large. How many CDs and DVDs do you have in this collection?

MAX: I haven't counted them, but I think there are close to 500 CDs alone, and close to 200 DVDs and Blu-rays.
When you collect this much, you feel as if it is a part of you.

--I heard that there are about 200 CDs in the collection.......! You have a tremendous number of collections stored without a single gap, and you use the space very well.

MAX: I realized I had a huge collection (laughs).
When I go to the theater to see a movie, I take a pamphlet with me and read the details of the film. When I watch a movie with other residents, I enjoy talking about my own interpretations, behind-the-scenes stories, and impressions.

--I've seen the jacket displayed in the back of the room, but what movie was it from?

MAX: The one Tom Cruise wears in Top Gun Maverick. I love Tom Cruise in Hollywood movies.

This jacket is like a replica made to look like the real thing. This jacket is actually used by the U.S. military. I love this jacket because it was made by a company that actually supplies the military, so it's very comfortable to wear. I went to the U.S. military base in Yokosuka to buy this one (laughs).

--This painting on display on the shelf is amazing! When was this painted?

MAX: This is a painting I did when I was in high school. If you look closely, you can see the angular edges of the picture. This was done by drawing lines from the original drawing and assigning numbers to the density of the gradient, and then patiently painting over them. This took about a month to complete.

--So you completed it in one month. You must either like painting or Tom Cruise, or you would lose patience. (laughs).

MAX: I'm totally the latter (laughs).

When Mission Impossible 3 was released, Tom Cruise came to Japan, and I wanted to meet him at first sight, so I ran to an event in Odaiba with this painting, and he signed it for me, which I didn't expect.

By the way, Tom Cruise rented out Tokyo Bay and appeared at the event (laughs).

--I was surprised to see him there! It's true, you have his autograph in the lower right corner. You must have been so excited that you couldn't sleep on that day (laughs).

How do you interact with residents through 80's culture?

--I heard that you also hold screenings with the residents.

MAX:There was a resident who set a goal to watch three Back to the Future movies. I have all the films on Blu-ray disc, so I planned to watch one film a month to help him achieve his goal. I think the largest group we had was about 12 participants.

I have a lot of Back to the Future merchandise, so we lined it up in a row behind the movie theater and watched it together.

--It's nice to watch a movie together. And with MAX's commentary, it seems like you can get even more involved in the world of the movie.

MAX: We live in an age where we can easily watch movies through video distribution services, but there are only a limited number of masterpieces that can be watched, and sometimes it is not possible to watch them at the right time.

I thought it was quite luxurious to be able to watch them at home in a movie theater!

Yes, PlayStation5 was recently installed in movie theaters, and now we can watch 4K video, so we can enjoy images with higher picture and sound quality. Until then, I had to bring my own 4K player to watch movies (laughs).

(laughs) -- Since you are going to see a movie in a movie theater, you want to pay attention to the picture and sound, don't you?

MAX: Yes, that's right. We had people in their 20s, regardless of age, attend our screenings, and there is a man who is an avid fan of Michael Jackson, so we often talk about music with him.

-It's a luxury to see and hear Michael Jackson on the big screen.

MAX: I also had a resident in his mid-20s who said he liked action movies, so we watched two "Terminator" movies together. It seems that the 80's action movies stuck with him because of his parents' influence. After watching the movies, we would look at the movie pamphlets from the time of their release and discuss our impressions.

--I think that masterpieces and culture are timeless and never fade away. It is wonderful to be connected through the things we love.

Thank you, MAX, for sharing your wonderful room and episodes with us!

▲Back to the Future collection on display at the screening

Editor's Postscript
　　It was a wonderful space filled with the passion that MAX has carefully nurtured in his life.
It was hard to believe that all of his collections were concentrated in a space of 7 tatami mats, and he answered many questions about this and that! (Luxury).

In recent years, amidst the lifestyle of minimizing things symbolized by "minimalism" and the spreading "consumer culture" of buying things and then immediately consuming or discarding them, it is becoming more and more common for people to think that the things they have acquired are deteriorating at the time they acquired them,
I was impressed by the fact that the items I had acquired had been carefully preserved since that time without deterioration, and that each item had its own story, and was naturally drawn into the world of 80s culture.

In today's world of information overload, it is easy for our interests and concerns to become shallow while expanding into a wide range of areas, but I believe that the attitude of continuing to focus passionately on a single theme, saying "This is what I love," has the power to attract people.

We wonder how MAX's collection will continue to grow and how his rooms will change in the future. We are looking forward to following the process of his collection and how his room will change in the future.

(Interview: Hayashi/Photography: Suda, FILMS Wako tenant, MAX)