Inamura Jane : Keisuke Kuwata and the Japanese Popular Consciousness

For over 17 years, the Southern All Stars has maintained its place as one of the most popular rock bands in the Japanese popular music world, continuously attracting Japanese youth with its unique musical style. The group has released ten albums, seven of which reached the top of the hit charts, and 35 singles which include 25 Top-10 hits. The force behind the Southern All Stars' enormous success is vocalist Keisuke Kuwata, who has written almost all the songs for the group.

Kuwata's songs, characterized by an eclectic musical style and unconventional lyrics, are the products of his exceptional abilities to sense the popular consciousness of late-twentieth-century Japan. This seems the reason for the continuous appeal of his music to Japanese youth. In 1989, Kuwata decided to apply his abilities to filmmaking.