is a Japanese

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

directed by

Noboru Ishiguro was a Japanese anime director, anime producer, and animator. He was the founder and chairman of the animation studio Artland. Ishiguro is an anime director who has been active in the Japanese animation industry since the 1970s. His represen ...

. The film premiered on November 15, 2008. Within

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

it was released via Joueikai and Oyako Eiga. Its

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

was "Don't Give Up on Your Dreams." The film portrays the career of

Yoichi Hatta was a Japanese engineer, known for his contributions in hydraulic engineering in the Taiwan under Japanese rule, Japanese-ruled Taiwan. Hatta was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. After graduating from Tokyo Imperial University in 1910, he joined th ...

, a civil engineer active in

Japanese Taiwan The island of Taiwan, together with the Penghu Islands, became an annexed territory of the Empire of Japan in 1895, when the Qing dynasty ceded Fujian-Taiwan Province in the Treaty of Shimonoseki after the Japanese victory in the First Sin ...

, and his interactions with the native Taiwanese. It was financed as a commemoration of the 115th anniversary of the ''Hokkoku Shimbun'', a newspaper in Hatta's hometown of

Kanazawa is the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture in central Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Etymology The name "Kanazaw ...

, and produced by

Mushi Productions or Mushi Pro for short, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Fujimidai, Nerima, Tokyo, Japan. It previously had a headquarters elsewhere in Nerima. The studio was headed by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka started it as a rivalry w ...

. Preview screenings were held on November 11, 2008 at Hokkoku Shimbun's Akabane Hall and on November 20 at Meiji Yasuda Life Hall (MY Shinjuku Building), while the first public screening was held on November 15 at the opening of Kanazawa's Corona Cinema World. Afterwards, it was primarily screened in schools and public institutions in

Ishikawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu island. Ishikawa Prefecture has a population of 1,096,721 (1 January 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,186 Square kilometre, km2 (1,616 sq mi). Ishikawa Pr ...

and from May 8, 2009 in Cinemate Mini-Theater in

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

. It was also released in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. The film's title is derived from ''Patten lai-a'', the Taiwanese term for "Hatta has come," ().

Plot

In the early stages of Japanese colonization in Taiwan, the

Chianan Plain Chianan, Chia-nan, or Jianan may refer to: * Chiayi–Tainan Plain, also known as the Chianan or Jianan Plain (, ''Jiānán Píngyuán''), a large plain on Taiwan Island * Chianan Irrigation (, ''Jianán Dàzùn''), also known as the Kanan Irrigat ...

in southwestern Taiwan was considered a barren land due to its low rainfall and lack of irrigation. Yoichi Hatta is sent to this area by the colonial government to develop plans for massive irrigation projects. At first the local farmers question Hatta's intentions and harbor feelings of hostility. But among them, a boy named Yingzhe is moved by Hatta's conviction in his project and comes to understand the necessity of a dam and wishes to become a civil engineer as well. Susumu, a boy who lives in a nearby community of Japanese laborers, has a dream of riding in an airplane. Yingzhe and Susumu are kindred spirits and discuss their dreams. But one day, over 50 people die due to a construction explosion, among them Susumu's father. There is talk of halting construction, and Hatta is distressed.

Cast

Kazuhiko Inoue is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and singer. His notable works include Anthony Brown in '' Candy Candy'', Joe Shimamura in the 1979 iteration of '' Cyborg 009'', Jerid Messa in '' Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam'', Kakashi Hatake in ''Naruto ...

*Xu Yingzhe:

Junko Minagawa is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyo. Her best-known role is Ryoma Echizen, the title character in ''The Prince of Tennis'' anime series. She sang some of the show's theme songs, insert songs, and character singles, some of whic ...

*Susumu Tsuji:

Fujiko Takimoto is a Japanese voice actress. She has been married to her '' Mahoromatic'' co-star Hideki Ogihara on February 2, 2014. Filmography Anime *'' Mahoujin Guru Guru'' (1994) (Nike) *'' Captain Tsubasa J'' (1994) (Sanae Nakazawa) *'' Kiko-chan Smil ...

*Miyo Aragaki:

Yuko Gibu Yuko may refer to: * Yuko (judo) (''yūkō''), a score in judo competition * Yuko (Ukrainian band), a Ukrainian band * Yūko, a Japanese female given name (including a list of persons with the name) * Yuko, a Belgian band * Yuko people Yukpa i ...

*Kenkichi Tsuji: Atsushi Gotou *Toyoki Hatta:

Tae Hitoto is a Japanese actress, dentist and author. Her mother was Japanese, and her father was a Taiwanese businessman （顏惠民）. She graduated from Showa University with a degree in Dentistry. Yō Hitoto is her younger sister. External linksOffic ...

Release

''Pattenrai!!'' was released on November 13, 2009 in Taiwan with a mixed

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

-Taiwanese dub (with some theaters opting for the original

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

voices with Chinese subtitles). Preview screenings were held on November 4 in

Xinying District Xinying District () or Sinying District is a district and the location of the second administrative center of the Tainan City Government in Taiwan. Sugar production was the most important industry in Xinying. History On 7 January 1946, Tain ...

Tainan Tainan (), officially Tainan City, is a Special municipality (Taiwan), special municipality in southern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on its western coast. Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "Taiwan Prefecture, ...

with President

Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...

attending and on November 9 in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

with former President

Lee Teng-hui Lee Teng-hui (; pinyin: ''Lǐ Dēnghuī''; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China, president of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) unde ...

and former President of the Executive Yuan

Frank Hsieh Frank Hsieh Chang-ting (; born May 18, 1946) is a Taiwanese politician and former defense attorney who served as Ambassador of Taiwan to Japan from 2016 to 2024. A cofounder of the Democratic Progressive Party, he has served on the Taipei City ...

in attendance. In 2010, it was shown in Tainan schools.

Reception

''Pattenrai!'' won the 23rd Japan Society of Civil Engineers' Cinema Committee's Most Excellent award.

References

External links

* (Mushi Productions) * (''Hokkoku Shimbun'')
Information on Yoichi Hatta
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pattenrai Minami no Shima no Mizu Monogatari 2008 films 2000s biographical films 2000s historical films 2008 anime films Films set in 1917 Films set in Taiwan Japanese biographical films Japanese historical films Mushi Production 2000s Japanese-language films