The Haunting, Ambivalent Olympics Opening Ceremony
The proceedings did anything but distract from the distressing reality surrounding this year’s Tokyo Games.
Five years ago, in the closing ceremony for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the then–prime minister of Japan popped out of a green tube wearing the red hat of the world’s most amusing plumber. The signified the handoff of the Olympics mantle to Tokyo, and the sight of Shinzo Abe as Mario gave a hint of what Japan might try to project in 2020: Its status as a cultural powerhouse whose innovations—such as Nintendo, karate, and anime—shape how people around the globe enjoy themselves every day. Later, a leaked for the 2020 opening ceremony, featuring references to and yet more Mario, hinted that the Tokyo Olympics would be a Games especially devoted to escape and play.
