Original interview from WEBザテレビジョン published on April 1st 2023, titled: “<Tengoku Daimakyou> Director Hirotaka Mori, ‘the anime’s responsibility’ is to make the appeal of the original work live on and to convey it without distortions“, original interviewer: Rum; genga by Shuuto Enomoto.

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— Please, tell us how you felt when you were asked to direct this show.

At first, I was worried whether or not I was fit for the position. However, I’ve known animation producer (Masafumi) Oohira-kun (from Production I.G.) for a long time, ever since I started directing episodes, and so I thought that together with him I could have done it. 

— The anime PV, and also the social media pages, are full with positive comments sent from the fans who are anticipating the show. 

I’m getting really nervous. All the expectations have strongly made me even more determined to create something of proper quality, and I hope I can live up to everyone’s expectations.

~ I payed special attention to the action scenes. ~

— Please, tell us about the appeal and charm of the original work. 

The first time I read it, I was struck by how mysterious and strange it was. Although Maru and Kiruko’s “Makyo” _{[“Makyō” (魔境) literally means “the realm of demons”, it’s used in Zen meditation to refer to a kind of self-delusion resulting from an individual’s clinging to an experience; Director Mori is using it here referencing the manga’s original title “Tengoku Daimakyou” (天国大魔境) to denote the separation between Tokio’s storyline and Maru and Kiruko’s storyline, one being the “Tengoku” (Heaven) side, and the other the “(Dai) Makyō” side of the story]} side and Tokio and the others’ “Heaven” side are two clearly separated settings, they both coexist in one work without feeling out of place. When you read one side of the story, you get more curious about the other. I think it’s amazing how despite the many elements that include foreshadowings, everything fits perfectly without any contradiction in one single work. You’re always curious of what will come next and want to keep reading more and more. 

— Which aspects did you pay particular attention to when adapting the original work into anime? 

First of all, I’d say the action scenes. I believe that by adding sound and movement they stand out even more, and that’s why there’s a point in making it into animation. So, I wanted to put my effort into it. Also, since a manga is fundamentally in black and white, I wanted to depict the ruined landscapes and the school facility, basically the world where they [the characters] live in, in an even more appealing way by adding color to them. 

— Each character that appears in this work has their own distinct personality. What kind of people do you perceive Maru, Kiruko and Tokio, the three main characters, as?

About Maru, I think he’s really pure and I feel like he doesn’t really know anything yet. He being comfortable and lighthearted is what makes his character appealing. I have the impression that, unaware of his past, meeting Kiruko he gradually developed a sense of self, and I wonder what would have happened to him if he’d never met Kiruko. I guess he would have just lived his daily life without ever experiencing any emotion.

On the other hand, Kiruko’s circumstances are very complicated, with a past too heavy to bear alone; so I believe Kiruko too, if not for meeting Maru, would have ultimately been crushed. It’s impossible to narrate these two characters separately, ignoring either one of the two. I think their relationship is mutually complementary. 

And, as for Tokio, she’s a purely adolescent character. Her purity is different from Maru’s; I feel like Maru, despite having experienced some pretty tough things, still retained his purity, whereas Tokio didn’t experience any pressure from the outside to begin with. I think her character represents the various interests and aversions that arise during adolescence.

— By the way, who is your favorite character, director Mori?

Personally, I like characters with a strong personality like the Academy’s Director and Juichi, whom Maru and Kiruko meet, simply because they’re fun to work with. However, I believe a lot of people like Mimihime; she feels like a heroine more than anyone else, and I feel like she’s loved.

~ I was inspired to become a creator by a university senior. ~

— What is it that made you pursue your current career? Please, tell us if there’s any work or creator that has inspired you.

Well, the reason was that the director of “Times of Eve” _{[“Eve no Jikan” (イヴの時間), 2008]}, Yasuhiro Yoshiura happened to be my senior at university. It’s not like we were actually in contact with each other, but I thought it was impressive that an individual could create something like that, so it might have been at that time that I started to think actually making it into my job. 

— Well then, is there any message you want to convey to the viewers through this work?

I believe the message (Masakazu) Ishiguro-sensei wanted to convey is already contained in the original work, and there’s nothing the (anime) production team has added to it, but this work really goes over plenty of topics, like calamities, technology, gender, and can be viewed from many different standpoints. I hope that, out of all these scattered elements, each of viewers will be able to pick one out and choose how to enjoy it themself, and I also believe this work has the capacity to allow that.Therefore, I believe that to convey all that without distorting it too much is my responsibility in making this anime. 

— Lastly, please tell us what to look forward to in the early part of the show.

As some foreshadowing is being set up from the first episode, I’d be happy if people could watch the show from various perspectives, like being interested in and curious about the mystery, or enjoying the storyline of Maru and Kiruko exploring the ruins, or many more. From the production-side of things, the first episode was the most difficult one to make. Since it’s the introduction to the story, I made it with the hope that people would fall in love with the world and the characters and would be intrigued to see what happens next. 

From episode 2 onwards, there will be action scenes and the story will move forward, so I believe each episode will provide easy to follow standouts. All of the staff has been working hard to make a show that won’t fall short of the expectations and that the viewers will be able to enjoy, so I really appreciate your support.