Miguel Wants to Fight director says anime changed his life

Miguel wants to fight, Hulu’s new comedy from director Oz Rodriguez (Vampires Vs. BronxThis film, which is a sequel to the popular movie “The Hero of the Year”, begins when a group of teenagers wonder out loud whether or not the hero from One-Punch ManIt would be difficult for a powerful man to defeat someone with just one punch. It’s a pitch-perfect bit of high school humor, not really The following are some examples of how to use funny, but also not delivered in a way that’s meant to get laughs. It’s just teenagers idly trying to amuse themselves, edging their conversation toward something sexual to stave off boredom.

That moment from Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion’s script also immediately signals what Miguel wants to fight is all about, for anyone who doesn’t believe the title. It’s not really a sexual movie, but it’s structured like a sex comedy, with the eponymous Miguel (Tyler Dean Flores) trying to lose his “fight virginity” before his family moves out of town as his anime- and action-movie-obsessed friends try to help him out.

Ahead of the movie’s release on Hulu on Aug. 16, we chatted with director Oz Rodriguez about Miguel wants to fight’s many anime references, the appeal of action movies to marginalized groups, and how to find just the right amount of humor in a movie about kids wanting to fight.

Polygon: Were you trying to create a film with the greatest number of anime references? You’ll find a ton of references!

Oz Rodriguez: Oh, man. But I’ll be honest. My expertise is in action movies. Talking to kids is a different matter. [in the movie], and the second-unit director, Chris Collins — he loves anime — slowly anime just started becoming a part of the process. Shea and Jason penned the One-Punch ManConversation in the beginning led to What if we go to the park? This is a good anime.?The studio we used was a great one. Invincible [to make an anime-style scene]. My education was slow too because I was only watching movies. But now I’ve spent hours of my life watching Naruto, I’m on Attack on Titan Now, who would have thought that an animated volleyball show could be so thrilling? My life is now completely different.

I’m familiar with this journey.

The whole thing was fascinating! The action scenes and the way we shot them were inspired by it. But also, it’s interesting how anime handles narrative scenes, and how you shoot people just talking. It was an amazing experience.

Fighting is very much a part of these characters’ culture — I think martial arts movies are a big part of growing up as a brown kid, and this movie reflects that with references and homages. Why do you think that’s such a part of so many cultures?

Maybe it’s like, just seeing someone that is an amazing hero, who maybe doesn’t look like the heroes you are presented with every day? This could have something to do. These are heroes who can do amazing things with their hands or feet. This underdog attitude is intriguing.

One of the fun hooks to this movie is that it’s a fight movie structured like a sex comedy.

That was a running joke, that he’s trying to lose his fight virginity. Those movies, they’re usually in the pursuit of losing your virginity. The best movies are funny but they have real characters. They have some sort of grounded place they’re coming from. Like, SuperbadThis main connection is between these two [friends]. We follow them as they’re trying to get liquor and alcohol for this party, but they have this big blowout fight.

Photo: Brett Roedel/Hulu

That’s something we talked about, just that idea of showing these kids, these teenagers, as what kids nowadays could really be like, and treating them seriously when they have real emotions and real fights. What does it feel like to be in that situation?

I’m curious about how you decided to portray fighting, tonally. In some teen dramas, a fight is a big deal, but here, it’s just part of the fabric of things: Some kids scrap as they grow up, some don’t. Do you follow a certain rule to maintain the appropriate level of humor?

It’s a combination of putting it in the textures of the films and world building. Like, [Miguel] is surrounded by violence and fighting, but it’s not necessarily acknowledged, you know? There’s no character being like, Violence is all around us — but he’s walking by a mural of boxers. So it’s in his world, in his element. And I think it’s important to find those moments of levity, but also find those real moments or real truth, so not necessarily everything lands with a joke.

Conversations with crew members and actors are a big part of the process. This is the world, it’s a world of fighting, but this kid just doesn’t want to — he wants to do things his own way. What are the best ways to convey that message? You can use a mural or a character to show this. [Miguel’s]He makes his living by fighting. He is a boxing coach, but he tells the kids, “If you’re going to fight, you have to do it at the gym.”

It’s also refreshing to see a Latino dad tell the kid at the end that it’s OK to just be you. That’s why we love you, you can be your nerdy self.This is fantastic. You don’t have to get in a fight.

Miguel wants to fightHulu is streaming now.