Monthly Archives: September 2024

Takahiro Obata – Interview on Shoushimin Series

2 Replies

Original interview from Newtype (September 2024 issue), original interviewer: Haruyo Igeta; genga corrections by Keisuke Hiroe.

Since the music is used sparingly, the moment the main theme starts playing is very impactful

~ I put meticulous care into refining each and every sound ~

— What led you to become involved in this project, Obata-san?

I’ve always been familiar with the concept of ‘background music enhancing everyday scenes’, and I had previously worked together with director Kanbe on several projects in the same daily-life drama genre as this show. Because of that, I received an offer from producer Endo (Kazuki)-san. I am truly honored to have been able to work on the music for such a wonderful work. 

— What were your impressions upon reading the original work?

At first, I thought it was just your usual school-drama, but the story of Kobato-kun and Osanai-san helping each other out in their mutually beneficial relationship, aiming to become ordinary, filled with enigmatic cases and a sequence of unfortunate events was something entirely different… I was shocked! (Laughs). 
The interactions between those two are charming and entertaining, and I was so captivated by them making such deductions that would easily put an adult’s to shame, that I ended up finishing all the volumes in no time!

— When producing the music, what did you pay particular attention to?

I wanted to use Celtic-like folk instruments for the main theme, and also put some vocals in it. The director instructed me that even if the setting was the suburbs of Gifu, a calm and quiet scenery with a serene river and a bridge, he wanted a slightly sharper component within it. While Kobato-kun and Osanai-san, who at a first glance appear to be ordinary people, are represented via the inclusion of the folk-like elements, in order to better suit the vision behind this work, I went through a trial-and-error process to compose the music, incorporating things like irregular time signatures and omitting a beat from the usual meter. While still retaining the idea of a peaceful suburban imagery, I paid attention to keeping intact the mysterious and enigmatic tone of the story. Additionally, I directly visited the real locations where the anime is set, and used the atmosphere I experienced there as a reference for composing the music.

— What kind of instruments were used in the soundtrack? Did you consider using different ones for each character?

While focusing on the idea of Celtic music, to convey the feeling of the suburban scenery I used instruments like a tin whistle, an ocarina, a 12-string acoustic guitar and a fiddle [most often a violin used for folk and country music, as opposed to classical and jazz] and depicted an imagery suited for this work. Additionally, I’m really fond of the bass clarinet, so I featured it in various tracks. During the recordings, I consulted with the saxophonist Suzuki Kei-san, and had him play in various styles depending on the tune—from low to high tones, including clarinet-like, bassoon-like, and free jazz styles. Also, this time, I thought up and composed the main theme with different instruments and arrangements to fit each character. For Osanai-san, while I used lovely and sweet-sounding instruments in the arrangement, in order to depict her inherent duality which we catch some glimpses of, I used two cello melodies layered on top of one another, with one of them eventually shifting in range to give the idea of two different voices playing at once. As for Kobato-kun, I opted for a straightforward melody. Since there are deduction scenes involving sweets, I was conscious of not making it sound too serious or stern. There are also tracks centered around instruments like the marimba and vibraphone. Additionally, the biggest contributor, who magnificently performed the main theme, is the amazing vocalist EUREKA REPUBLIC-san! Somewhere in her clear and pristine voice, you can feel a hint of mystery. I believe we were able to craft a musical piece in perfect harmony with this work. 

— Which episode would you say left a strong impression on you, Obata-san?

A certain scene in episode 5. Originally, it wasn’t intended to use any music, but it felt a bit bleak so we decided to try and add a store’s background music-like track. I thought that adding a cheerful sound like the mandolin’s would have made Osanai-san cuteness stand out more, so I proposed the idea during the voice acting session. Discussing ideas like this with the whole team, we decided together what would have worked best for every episode. Director Kanbe told me that in this work, he didn’t want to use music very often, but for the scenes where he did, he wanted the tracks to play for nearly their full length. Especially in episode 1, since the music is used sparingly, the moment the main theme starts playing is very impactful, it was a new discovery for me as well!

— What were the enjoyable and interesting aspects of composing the music for this work?

Rather than picturing the show as a whole while writing the tracks, I’d say that thinking up each and every sound and composing one song at a time was a really nice experience, since it was a first time for me. Above all, the members of the stuff were all great people, heavily invested in the project, and I’m deeply thankful I was to work with them. 

— Lastly, a message for the readers.

I hope that while watching this amazing work, Shoushimin Series, you’ll direct some of your interest to the soundtrack as well. 

Part 1 – Interview with director Mamoru Kanbe
Part 2 – Interview with scriptwriter Toshiya Ohno

Toshiya Ohno – Interview on Shoushimin Series

2 Replies

Original interview from Newtype (September 2024 issue), original interviewer: Haruyo Igeta; genga corrections by Keisuke Hiroe.

We have the visuals, so we should trust their power

~ A suggestive work that leaves room for imagination ~

— What were your feelings when you first came in contact with the original work?

I felt that the dynamic between Kobato and Osanai was really interesting, and that the fact that, despite being clearly eccentric people, they’re still trying to become ordinary had some cuteness and a hint of sadness in it. A subtle sense of humor is also distinctive of this work.

— Knowing you had to set up the script, what aspects did you pay particular attention to when reading the novel?

While I was reading it, I thought about how to portray the dialogue scenes and how to translate onto the screen the world as it was described in the text.

— The director said you are “really good at capturing the essence of the original works” [Part 1 of the interview with Director Mamoru Kanbe].

I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I suppose developed a certain knack for it. When it comes to a novel, the key is not just how well you grasp the main points, but how you shape them. As for the series composition, it’s also a matter of length and time, often the director asks what the of story is about in brief. Keeping that in mind, I start by outlining the essential elements that have to be included in each episode. 

— What are those essential elements in Shoushimin Series?

The peculiar character dynamics, the setting and the atmosphere. I carefully ladled these elements out while imagining the scenery and flow of time in Gifu, the city where the story takes place. Also, there are fine and subtle expressions unique to the novel, so I carefully considered how to translate them into visuals as well.

— What instructions did you receive from the director?

Since it’s the third time I’ve worked with Kanbe-san, I knew that he, as the director, wouldn’t use narrators and monologues, and he would avoid conventional flashback scenes. This means that he values leaving room for imagination and not over-explaining things, and even if it made writing the script more challenging, I tried to abide to that approach. Not only the director’s, but considering everyone’s opinions, every week we met and discussed how to come up with thoughtful and appropriate depictions within the given limitations.

— When writing the script, how did you interpret Kobato’s, Osanai’s and Kengo’s characters?

Kobato-kun is the one I relate to the most. I too, due to the nature of my job, have a tendency to overthink things and end up placing excessive importance on my delusions, so I was able to understand how Kobato-kun’s thoughts don’t always line up with reality and how he gets overconfident when solving a mystery. As for Osanai-san, I don’t get her at all… that’s what I kept thinking while writing the script. Since the story is being told from Kobato-kun’s perspective, I believe that I too, from my position, could write it without fully understanding her and relying on my imagination. Regarding Kengo, I thought that I had a classmate like him in middle school as well. He’s an incredibly good person, and even if his personality is the opposite of Kobato’s, they’re a really charming duo. I wrote the script thinking that they might admire each other in some way.

— When delivering the mystery parts in the script, was there anything you paid particular attention to?

The moments when the main characters are stuck in the thoughts or when they feel like something’s off had to be portrayed properly. But at the same time, I gave careful thought to how to make those moments feel effortless and unobtrusive.

— Was there anything you gained, or any new things you discovered, from being involved in this project?

The fact that, even without extensive narration and even without over-explaining things, a story can still be functional and solid. Nowadays, anime and TV dramas tend to be overly talkative and overly descriptive, whereas this work goes completely against that direction, and both I and Kanbe-san are pleased that’s the case. We have the visuals, so we should trust their power. That’s the awareness you generally should have. But watching the works that are actually airing, the style of Shoushimin Series may feel surprisingly fresh.

— Touching on the highlights from episode 5 onwards, please, leave a message for the readers.

This work is a mystery, but that’s not just about the cases. The story is full of other mysteries as well: what it means to be ordinary, what’s going on in Kobato’s and Osanai’s minds, what they think about each other, whether and how their relationship is going to change… so I hope you can enjoy it by finding a mystery you like and making your own guesses about it. Also, it’s a mild work set in a very quiet town, but there are some unexpected developments coming up in the future and the relationship between Kobato-kun and Osanai-san is going to evolve, so I really hope you will look forward to that.

Part 1 – Interview with director Mamoru Kanbe
Part 3 – Interview with composer Takahiro Obata