Translated material
"The boundaries of the absurd have not yet been studied." Author "Masyani" Oleg Kuvaev about the war
At the end of March, a new series of the animated series "Masyanya", which was dedicated to the Russian war with Ukraine, was released. Masyanya, the main character, comes to the bunker to Vladimir Putin and leaves him a samurai sword with the words: "Chao. I hope, forever." The Wakyzashi series on the YouTube channel Masyani is one of the most viewed. In less than three weeks, she was watched more than 5 million times, and the website of the animated series Mult.ru blocked Roskomnadzor. Masyani’s father, screenwriter and director Oleg Kuvaev told the North correspondent. Real that he was thinking about the Russian war with Ukraine, whether the Russians have a happy outcome after the invasion of Russian troops to another country and Lee Masyan will move somewhere from St. Petersburg.
- War or special operation?
- The question is ridiculous. It’s like asking a “goat” or “four -legged creature with a tail and horns”. But if you need a formal answer: yes, this is a war, and the hedgehog is clear.
Wed to Yandex.Zen CR on Instagram SR in Telegram- How did that day go for you, February 24?
- It was a hard day. My wife woke me at 8 in the morning, which was abnormal, and said: "Get up, the war began." It was, of course, a very harsh awakening, especially since such a tense time was already ... I already had it twice when I was woke up with such words. We had a war with gas recently here: “Get up, the war in gas has begun” ( we are talking about the Arab-Israeli conflict.-SR ). And here again: "Get up! Putin attacked Ukraine, and explosions in Kyiv are already heard." She immediately dumped all this information on me, which was very cruel on her part. In fact, the story was long: the accumulation of troops, discussion, it will not be ... no one believed, of course, because there is no sense in this. Everyone said: "Putin, of course a goat, but not a moron." I have on Patreon ( a site where the authors can provide paid content for subscribers. - SR ) has already undergone a rather stormy discussion with cartridges about the plot of the future series of Masyani.
The February series was supposed to be released. The cartoon was supposed to reach the current topic, well, here, damn it, just the crash of the world threatens everyone, so it was impossible to be irrelevant. I had several scenarios, and we discussed everyone. At first there was a scenario about blackmail: like Masyan, he threatens with a divorce of Khryundel, up to that: "Raise the fork, otherwise I will divorce." There was such a metaphor for blackmail: harmless and cheerful, because at that time nothing bad actually happened. Then I see that something will be, ”wrote another script. He wrote his cartridges, they say, probably, it is necessary to make a series on an anti -war topic.
Then the news went that everything, we would not attack, there were evidence that the troops were allocated from borders. The cartridges write to me: "Look, nothing will happen, I said!" There were many people who said: "It's all bullshit, well, what are you, who are you listening to? We all know!" ( Oleg voiced them in the voice of Masyani. ) I have a friend with whom we worked, he is still in St. Petersburg. We even got into the point about this. He said: "Well, what are you breeding panic, well, this is absolutely impossible!" Naturally, after the 24th he wrote a long letter to me, they say, "how was I wrong." Well, of course, I did not ironize, because not before that now.
It was like that. That is, on the one hand, this ( war ) was expectation, on the other hand, a terrible surprise. Because, at least in my environment, most people thought that it was a fake, bullshit, a game, that it was blackmail, anything, just not a war. No one believed, because so far the Russian Fuhrer, I apologize for the expression, did not show any desire to fill up the whole world at once. All these were local skirmishes - Chechnya, Donbass. That it will be serious, that there will be a war, no one has fit in my head.
- How did work on the Wakyzashi series go?
- Usually I exaggerate, bring the situation to the point of absurdity. As, for example, a cartoon about prohibitions ( series "King@ru" ) is a cartoon that the king forbade everything. Conventional exaggeration is what is happening in animation, in a caricature and so on. This is, in fact, my position. And what is happening now is no longer brought to the point of absurdity. Reality has reached the point that there is absolutely nowhere to exaggerate. And naturally, it’s hard to work with this.
When the war began, the installation was immediately on the fact that the cartoon should be done relevant - you can’t get anywhere already. Any Hihikhah will look like foolishness and rejection of reality. This was the first task: it was necessary to do relevant. The second is to do it quickly. And the third, the most difficult thing we again discussed with cartridges: how to make a happy ending?
This was the main problem. Because no happy ends in this situation ... I had a scenario: Ukraine defeats and goes Ukrainian tanks in Red Square ( laughs ), but it was so, all [cartridges] admitted that it was unrealistic. Especially at the beginning of the war: everyone thought that everything would be completely bad. The Ukrainian troops, which were not basting, were a little pleased. This is the only positive result of this war that we realized: if people really protect their country, their house and their relatives, then it is difficult to fight with them all kinds of dictators there.
It seems to me that I found the only possible option that can be more or less called good ending. All other 99 options for the ending of the cartoon were horseradish.
Over the 20 years of my work, the impression was that Masyanya is such a source of eternal optimism in any situation. We ridiculed the most tragic, unpleasant things and managed to make people neighing over it. And again, all this is through the usual exaggeration. And when there is nowhere to exaggerate, it is extremely difficult to amuse people. But in this way I managed to cunningly get out, finding Harakiri-Kontsovka, when everything-in Russia, and in Ukraine, and in Belarus, and in Germany, and Israel agreed that this was a good ending. She united everyone.
- Why exactly the sword of Vakazashi?
-In human cultures, art, in particular in the Japanese one, thus you can solve a very bad situation for yourself, and at least somehow a little correct the reputation for yourself. When you finally ruined it. There is the only way how you can, well, not to fully clothe, but at least finish well. Here is the only option.
- After the outcome of the sensational series, Roskomnadzor blocked the Musani website Mult.ru, which collects 160 episodes of the animated series. The blocking was expected for you and how did it affect your income?
- Yes, expected. But this is rather a prize, a title, a passing pennant with a sign of quality. Firstly, no one really needs sites now, sites on their own-the time of the web 2.0 is already ending and goes to 3.0, where no one is particularly needed by anyone. At the end of the film, according to tradition, the Mult.ru link was already written. Nobody really went to the site - why the hell? Because there are still extensive videos with YouTube. Such a thing happened with income. Naturally, he fell because Russian cartridges fell off, but because of the translation system abroad. I wrote a post for them that I would still make cartoons, series, they will still go out once a month. Some still tried to use some cards, someone tried to pay through cryptocurrency. I said: no matter the guys, do not strain, I will still make cartoons. This caused such a reaction that the overseas audience had grown in a proportionally disappeared from Russia.
In principle, nothing has changed for me, so I will work the same way as before. Release. And many thanks to the guys who used to bring $ 5 earlier, and then increased a monthly donation to 10. Almost everyone who was from my zone with available cards just doubled their investments, and I am very grateful to them. People are trying to support each other. Those who were in difficult situations, and even me, which in a difficult situation is not at all. But they said: "Come on, do a cartoon, work on and we will support you. And not bug."
- In the Wakyzashi series, Khryundel appeals to Masyanya to justice, saying that "the Fuhrer had to fight more actively." Is there responsibility for what is happening between Russia and Ukraine today?
-Yes, yes, well, I'm not the only one. No one can be silent now. Although we all understand the situations of those that are in Russia, which are silent, and maybe we would have expressed in a different situation, but, as they say, they want to live. So we understand this. Nevertheless, everyone who can speak out should speak out, because silence is also a statement.
- Is there, in your opinion, collective responsibility for what is happening to the people of Russia?
- It exists as a fact, although it should not exist according to the logic of things, because not everyone is responsible for the actions of the maniac. In fascist Germany, people who opposed against were considered traitors, and now they are considered heroes and they, in principle, are. Time puts everything in its place. But, of course, this topic of collective responsibility will be raised, especially among the injured side. Ukrainians will largely blame all Russians, this is inevitable. As during the Second World War shouted the "kill the Germans", although there was a very large layer of the Germans-antifashists. This is an inevitable unpleasant effect, which, unfortunately, will all be a large load on us all many years after this war. This is a completely wrong effect, but psychologically understandable.
- The situation with the support of the war in Russia (building children in kindergartens and schools with the letter Z, stickers on cars, flash mobs with white ribbons on the sleeves) was brought to the point of absurdity, or do we still have where to grow? In the language of Masyani: Is this a pipets or is it still suck?
- Nuu, as they say, "when you think that the bottom is already, from below." You know that in the Russian Federation it is often an occurring effect. The fact that we think that this is the maximum does not mean that there is nowhere to go further. It was news that Russian troops brought to the border with Finland, or an article in RIA Novosti ( an article under the heading “What Russia should do with Ukraine” of the Russian political strategist and writer Sergeytseva, published on April 3 on the website of RIA Novosti, which is part of the State Holding MIA Russia Today. It is called into question about the right to exist Ukraine and its people. - SR ). The genocial article is not quite directly, but in a week it will be completely directly. The absurdity has the ability to be sometimes limitless. Our "beloved" Voldemort will always come up with much greater muck than he came up with yesterday. Therefore, the boundaries of the absurd have not yet been studied.
But yes, the military hysteria that is happening in Russia is completely unpleasant, but it is clear why it is happening. The truth that people begin to understand why this ( war. - SR ) is actually happening - this is the reason for even more exacerbation of hysteria. Because they ( Russians. - SR ) do not want to live in the reality that is existing at the moment. Therefore, they choose an invented reality, which is much more pleasant for their inner self -awareness.
Because those people whom I know from the so -called rashists - for the most part they lock themselves in their inner world, in which there is their own logic, their own terms and which has nothing to do with reality. And they even internally suspect that their world has nothing to do with reality. But they understand that if this world breaks, breaks, then they will be in complete shit. What do they, of course, do not really want - the person does not want to be in shit. Therefore, this is rather a protective psychological reaction, to stay in this invented world. But he, of course, collapses, and he will collapse very painfully for them. But they do not want to yet.
- Among your friends there are such "rashists"?
- Yes, of course, there are few of them, but there are. There is a couple of even very talented people, but in general these are not far -haired people. So I recently wrote about Viktor Sologub - this is the group "Strange Games", Deadushki. I was in shock ... I have at least such familiar heels. They strictly follow the path that I described above.
- What style of communication did you choose with them for this period?
- I do not communicate with them at all ( Masyani laughter ), because it is harmful to physical and mental health. When you see that a person is crazy, zombies - all, sorry, goodbye. I will come to save you when your world collapses.
- What are the connections: cultural, friendly, related ... Did you have or are preserved with Ukraine? Do you communicate with the Ukrainians now and how is this happening?
- Yes. A lot of friends and acquaintances there. At the very beginning of the war, I had friends who got out of Kyiv. Many Israelis, Petersburgers. This is the plague that this war could be made real, despite the fact that such close ties between the peoples: friendly and related - these are just a plague, fantasy and surrealism. Naturally, there were acquaintances, for whom we literally watched the online how they get out, how they get on the crossroads, buses ... I have a lot of acquaintances who help organize flights and evacuate people. All this is very densely involved in the personal.
- Question about Halcom ... Here is my uncle - he is in Kharkov with the whole family. He is a middle -sized businessman and secretly configured pro -Russian. He is now sitting in an unfinished house, escaping from bombing ... My aunt is in the Bryansk region, the woman is simple and discusses the phrases from Channel One. She seems to her Ukrainian Nazis in the Bryansk forests. Obviously, the soldier has no choice: they shoot at you - black, you shoot - white. And what about civilians, is it possible to leave the right to half -tones for them during the war? Many in Russia take a position: I am outside politics, we don’t know much, everything is not so definitely ...
- The phrase "not all so unambiguously" is now completely unambiguously interpreted as "rashism." There can be no halftones here. War is such a thing that differentiates everything very much and removes all half -drawings. If you are aiming at the face from the machine gun, there can be no half -draws. You have no other options. It is like life and death. A person cannot be partially dead or partially alive. Medically. There can be no half -tones. War is war. Either she is, or she is not. Now she is. Dot.
- Thanks to the Internet, we see a war on the actually direct broadcast mode. Has the role of the Internet changed?
- On the Internet now the same thing is the absence of halftones. As in life, polarization has occurred on the Internet. All were clearly divided into representatives of sanity and into full psychos and zombies. Therefore, the tactics of behavior on the Internet are now completely different: not to talk, but simply to ban all. You can’t talk with people whom you can’t fix it anyway, it is useless and, as they say, his life will not teach. But polarization is characterized by the fact that it does not last long.
- In the cartoons "Masyani" Putin often appears as a king. Do you think Putin is to blame for everything or, after all, “what is the people, such is the king”?
- Both that and the other is correct, in fact. Despite the fact that these are conflicting statements. And Putin, of course, is to blame - most of the fault on it. But the people simply never lived without a king, a Christmas tree ( laughs ). How can he know something else at all? We had a short period in the 1990s, when some incomprehensible crap was going on. But the people quickly returned back to their beloved king. An attempt in the 90s to change the overall concept to something else with a roar and dirt failed. Therefore, the autocracy has returned successfully, and now everyone is assented and everyone is happy. That is, the autocracy was so deeply rooted in the mentality that in order to drive him out of there, probably, a couple of centuries will be needed at least.
- If we assume that in reality the ending of the Masyani is realized, the people will immediately sober up, take off their T -shirt with the letter Z and see blood on their hands?
- Of course not. There are a bunch of options: Putin will die - they will plant a flap, who is exactly the same. That is why it is completely unpredictable, what will happen next, but the war is an unpredictable thing, unfortunately. Therefore, no one can predict on the way how it will end there: neither Masyanya, nor political strategists, no one. It all depends on how the heavenly luminaries fold. Естественно, мы сегодня очень хотим, чтобы все это закончилось хорошо, но хорошую концовку крайне трудно найти, особенно для России.
Хорошую концовку для Украины представить себе можно: когда просто выгонят на хрен оккупантов, всеми силами Европы восстановят страну и заживут счастливо. Хорошую концовку для России представить крайне трудно. Максимум, что можно представить: что как-то все это замнется, страна останется в изоляции, останется со слабой и хреновенькой экономикой продавать нефть – по крайней мере, не рухнет все это в гражданскую войну. Это пока единственное, что можно представить, но это мутная картинка – я не могу себе представить хорошей картинки.
– Что вы думаете о призывах запретить русскую культуру и о негативном отношении к русским?
– Тут уже есть аналогии, тут не нужно рассуждать. Великая немецкая культура, которая была известна на весь мир, особенно классического периода, здорово пострадала от того, что натворили политики, властители, идеологи в Германии начала 1930–40-х. Естественно, русская культура очень сильно пострадает от этого. Даже та, которая не имеет никакого отношения к наступательным, милитаристским операциям. Знаешь, я вот в детстве смотрел или читал Ремарка, Гейне, Фауста и невольно думал, а что делали их потомки в 1940-х годах? Смотря на современных деятелей немецкой культуры, тоже задумываешься: а че папа твой делал, дедушка твой делал в 1930-х? Невольно возникает мысль.
– Вернемся немного назад – в 2006 году вы уехали из Санкт-Петербурга. Вы говорили, что это связано с тем, что женились на израильтянке. Вы никогда не думали, что лучше бы вы перевезли свою супругу в Питер? Была ли вообще альтернатива остаться в России?
– Да, в моем случае, когда ко мне подкатывают: а расскажите о своем бегстве. Не было никакого бегства. В 2006 году из России никто не уезжал, это был очень хороший период, конец хорошего периода. Поэтому я уехал в какой-то степени против своей воли. Хотя этому факту я сейчас очень рад, на самом деле, что так получилось.
– Вернетесь ли вы?
– Не ко мне вопрос, а к тем людям, которые уехали действительно по каким-то политическим причинам. Смогут ли они простить свою родную страну, что она с ними так поступила. Вот те люди, которые могут так сильно обобщать, они не вернутся. А те люди, которые хотят просто вернуться к друзьям, родственникам, как только там повинятся, что называется, и начнут выплаты репараций, как только придут к здравомыслию – они, естественно, вернутся обратно. Невозможно жить в месте, где нет здравомыслия, поскольку это нарушает все биологические функции человека. Человеческое поведение в первую очередь основано на здравомыслии. В его отсутствие жить просто невозможно.
– Много ли ваших друзей, которые не решались до сих пор, уехали после 24 февраля?
– Ооооочень много, очень. Сейчас наплыв, везде наплыв, особенно в Европе, и у нас – очень много. Мы сейчас занимаемся чуть ли не каждый день тем, что советуем людям, куда пойти, как счет открыть, пятое-десятое – очень много людей рвануло после 24 февраля. Очень большая волна. Многие уезжают именно по той причине, что я сказал выше, – невозможно жить в стране, где абсолютно отсутствует здравомыслие. Мой старший сын тоже уехал. Он продолжает работать удаленно – он айтишник, они везде востребованы. А вот Россия осталась без айтишников.
– В каком состоянии сейчас эти люди, вынужденные уехать из России?
– У всех людей, которых я знаю, которые рванули после начала войны, все они сейчас, на данный момент пребывают в состоянии неопределенности. У меня есть знакомые на Шри-Ланке, в Турции. Да где только нету, куда только люди не рванули. А особенно если люди небогатые, они могли уехать только в какую-нибудь страну третьего мира, чтобы можно было там выживать какое-то время. Все они находятся в состоянии полной неопределенности. Все они сидят в телеграме постоянно, пялятся на новости, пытаются каждый день строить новые планы. Но пока вектора нет. Все думали, что это как-то быстро закончится, думали пару недель и все. Но вот фактор полной непредсказуемости на данный момент совершенно справедлив, и эти люди все сидят и не знают, что делать дальше.
– Где окажется Масяня в новой серии: в новой России или новой стране?
– Трудный вопрос. Если взять начало двухтысячных, то этот образ Масяни базировался на ком – на моих знакомых, на друзьях, на моих одноклассниках, на коллегах, на тусне какой-то, на обычной питерской средней прослойке людей, которая не самая бедная, не самая богатая, не какие-то политиканы, а музыканты, тусовщики, айтишники, программисты, хакеры какие-то. И дело в том, что сейчас практически все прототипы покинули Россию, понимаешь? Поэтому и возникла мысль: может быть, Масяню оттуда убрать? Но я этот вопрос для себя еще не решил.
И тем более те люди, которые остались в Питере, они на коленях умоляют не забирать Масяню из Питера, поскольку это их единственная отдушина. И вопрос находится в зависшей стадии. Естественно, мне хочется ее там оставить. Потому что это феномен чисто питерской культуры, по сути своей, хотя смотрят ее везде, но феномен именно питерской культуры, которая, как мне кажется, стала вполне самостоятельна в рамках даже русской культуры. Поэтому я туда Масяню отношу – к корюшке, к миноге, к Петропавловке. Убирать ее оттуда категорически не хочется, но если придет какой-то черносотенец с колом – то уже придется увозить.
– Скажите напоследок что-то позитивное для здравомыслящих людей в России.
– (Смеется). Жизнь пробьется через асфальт. Хехе, чего еще можно сказать? Конечно, все очень хреново. Всю нашу культуру и наши прежние достижения закатали в асфальт и в бетон, но, как известно, и через бетон, и через асфальт жизнь пробивается, так что дождемся, я думаю!
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