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Directors Mahito Kimura and Yusuke Matsuda’s Japanese drama mini-series WOWOW “Strobe Edge, Season 1” was released in October 2025 and is a TV series adaptation of a Manga series of the same name. Having previously been adapted for a film in 2015, Rhuichi Hiroki, Japanese TV station production company WOWOW saw an opportunity to bring the popular story to television.
We caught up with Director of Photography Mr. Tamura to find out more about his creative style, challenges he faced on set and why the Cooke S8/i lenses were right for WOWOW “Strobe Edge”.
When discussing the initial storyboarding, Mr. Tamura reflected on his thought process in conveying the visual style he was after.
“In visualizing the world of WOWOW’s serial drama “Strobe Edge Season1”, we spent over a year refining the tone. Key challenges included: how to convey the shojo manga’s source material and express the sparkle and freshness of teenage years; and how to navigate the inevitable comparisons to WOWOW’s previous “Ao Haru Ride” series.
“The result was a visual style that felt refreshing yet somehow nostalgic, connecting the present lived by the characters with the memories experienced by viewers and ourselves. However, I didn’t want to describe the vibrant emotions of these young characters through an overly nostalgic filters, so finding the perfect balance became my mission.”
Considering these demands, selecting the right lens to tell the story became integral. Some key elements they required the lenses to have included:
Few lenses met the criteria that were within their budget, however production company WOWOW helped Mr. Tamura out: “Just as we were struggling, WOWOW provided us with the Cooke S8/i FF, which turned out to be an overwhelming success beyond expectations.”
“We had heard these lenses were exceptionally sharp, but we were unsure if it would suit the project’s aesthetic. Once we tested them, the S8’s incredible resolving power and distinctive halation completely changed our outlook—from uncertainty to excitement of capturing something truly remarkable. From the moment shooting began, breathtakingly beautiful shots accumulated day after day.”
“True to their reputation, these lenses deliver extraordinary resolution, rendering every single strand of hair with precision—often even more beautifully than the naked eye perceives.”
Although the lenses are sharp, Mr. Tamura praised their ability to render skin tones in a natural, flattering way. “As long as you shoot wide open at T1.4, the softness is preserved thanks to front and rear bokeh effects, avoiding any unpleasant harshness. Yet the in-focus areas remain strikingly crisp, with none of the softness typical of vintage lenses.”
“Because of these characteristics, I shot nearly the entire project wide open. The Cooke-specific rendering that makes subjects stand out from the background was also impressive, thanks to the slightly textured bokeh reminiscent of vintage lenses.”
“When used wide open, it wasn’t just about bokeh. Peripheral light falloff created natural vignetting, and the uncorrected distortion subtly guided the viewer’s gaze toward the frame center—almost as if compositions naturally gravitated toward a centered frame.”
A characteristic of the S8s that Mr. Tamura particularly liked was the flaring, which he felt was controllable to his taste. “Rainbow-colored ring flares from strong light sources within the frame. Shower-like flares from off-frame lights. Crack-like ghosts and soft flares covering the entire frame or half of it.”
“By actively incorporating these elements – from the sun itself, from mirrors reflecting sunlight, and lights – I aimed not just to depict what I saw, but to create an expression that felt as if it spoke from somewhere deeper. When flares became too intense and strayed from my intent, I could easily suppress them by slightly stopping down the aperture—a welcome advantage.”
When it came to selecting focal lengths, Mr. Tamura found that he leaned more towards wider lenses for Strobe Edge. “I consciously aimed to get very close for close-ups, and even for two-shots and group shots, I focused on shooting from a proximity that would make the viewer feel as if they were right there.”
“The S8 lens perfectly commits Cooke’s long-cultivated heritage to modern shooting needs, making it an absolutely superb lens that delivers the ultimate vintage-modern experience.”
More information on WOWOW’s production can be found here.
