Category Archives: Interviews

Shuko Murase – Interview on Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash [Gundam Info]

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Original interview from Gundam Info published on June 25th 2021, titled: “Exclusive long interview!『Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash』director Shuko Murase on the ‘broken’ Hathaway and the ‘indecipherable’ Gigi“, original interviewer: Ryota Fujitsu; genga from the official Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash Twitter account.

— I believe that adapting the 3-volume novel written by Director Yoshiyuki Tomino into a movie trilogy calls for a lot of ingenuity and intuition. In the case of “Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash” Part 1, the opening features the sound of a ticking clock, and the film ends with a scene where the clock left behind by the protagonist, Hathaway, is in Gigi’s hands, creating the impression that “the time that had stopped started to move again”. 

Actually, the sound of the ticking clock at the beginning was an idea of (Koji) Kasamatsu-san [the movie’s sound director]. To begin with, the clock that Hathaway buys was introduced as a prop to remind Gigi of him as the two eventually drift apart. After learning about this idea, Kasamatsu-san decided to add the ticking clock sound in the opening. When I asked him if that [“creating the impression that the time that had stopped started to move again” t.n.] was his intention with the addition, he confirmed it. Kasamatsu-san wondered if he might have gone a bit overboard with it, but since it was such a great idea, I decided to use it as it was.

— So the cohesive feel of the addition was the result of that kind of exchange. By the way, had you already read the novel, Director Murase?

I read it for the first time after taking on the role of director. Short after the novel was released, I started working on Mobile Suit Gundam F91 [March 1991, Murase worked on the movie as an animation director and key animator] so I was aware of its existence, but I did’t read it at the time.

— What were your thoughts after reading the novel from the director’s perspective? 

(Reading through the novel) I could clearly picture the scenes. It felt as if it was written like a storyboard. Though, of course, the characters’ emotions and thoughts were much more detailed. There were parts where I actually felt that Director Tomino himself had written it with the same mindset he had when writing TV series. For example, early on, characters with names are introduced, but then they never appear again. I think that was probably the result of trying out many different characters and keeping only the ones that seemed interesting or had potential. I intend to follow along with that result in the movies, without changing the story too much. I want to make it clear that characters like Mihessia and Hundley Yeoksam were deliberately shown on camera in the first part,  but their relevance doesn’t go much beyond that. 

— Talking about the movie, the Davao air raid sequence around the midpoint, spanning from midnight to dawn, was truly impressive in many ways. For instance, in terms of the mecha direction, I was impressed by how many shots featured interactions between mobile suits and humans.

For the consecutive battle scenes about halfway through the movie, I explained to the mecha animators that I didn’t want them to depict the mobile suits, but rather to portray the phenomenon of their presence. The mobile suits themselves weren’t the focus of the sequence; instead, the real focus was on the people in the foreground and the reactions happening around them. The presence of mobile suits, which are far bigger in size than humans, involves things like trees being eradicated and falling to the ground, strong wind passing through… That was the kind of phenomenon I wanted to depict. I feel like we were able to somehow bring that out on screen.

― Did you place the emphasis there because you thought that you needed to go that far in order to make a mobile suit battle scene interesting?

No, it was because that’s how it’s written in the novel itself. The scene of the Gustav Karl landing on the rooftop of a building and then sliding off from there was also staged and arranged just as it was in the novel, and even the fireworks-like sparks flying around when mobile suits clash into one another and beam particles scattering around and damaging the surroundings are all portrayed exactly according to the novel. The previous works up until now hadn’t been able to bring all that to life, so I thought that if we adapted the novel faithfully, it would surely be interesting. After writing Hathaway’s Flash, Director Tomino went on to direct F91, and a similar scene was featured there as well. Coincidentally, I was the one responsible for the animation in that scene. I tried to achieve the same result in F91 but it didn’t work out, so I wanted to make sure to get it right this time. 

— Watching the movie, the way mobile suits like the Gustav Karl or the Messer were staged really gave them a “giant” feel, but personally, I thought the Penelope went beyond that and was portrayed almost like a “kaiju”.

That’s right. I wanted the Penelope to feel monstrous, something completely different from the other mobile suits. The way light flows and moves across the Minovsky Craft Unit of the machine was also influenced by the parts of kaiju that used to have a similar glowing effect when they moved. The novel also mentions the unique flying sound, but I thought it would be better if it left a lingering sensation after it flew away, as if it were moving by some mysterious force, so I opted for that chirping-like sound effect. For the Penelope, I intentionally created shots with poses that emphasized a bird-like image, such as the flight form, rather than the more conventional standing pose.

— On the topic of mobile suits’ advancement, the Gundam universe has a lot of setting constraints, what are your thoughts on that?

That is indeed a crucial point. The Gundam universe is so vast that even if you ask people who could be considered Gundam experts, each one of them would have a different individual tolerance for what is considered acceptable (laughs). That being said, if we don’t decide on some sort of foundation, those things will always be an inconclusive mess. Therefore, this time we decided to be very strict in regard to those aspects. For instance, the fact that communication isn’t possible under Minovsky particle dispersion is something we’ve strictly adhered to. The novel also includes a scene where Kenneth and Lane are unable to communicate, and we’ve made sure to follow that thoroughly. Fortunately, even with such strict adherence to the setting and constraints, there was no need to alter the story, so that was a relief.

— On the drama side, there’s a depiction of Hathaway, who, despite having to reunite with his comrades, finds himself unable to leave Gigi’s side. This development too follows the novel, but bringing it to the screen with a stronger emphasis really drives home the feeling that Hathaway is a character torn between “emotions” and “ideals”.

The sequence where Hathaway embraces Gigi while catching a glimpse of his comrade, Emerelda, is a bit chaotic in the novel. By condensing and rearranging it slightly, I believe the meaning of the scene comes across more clearly.

— In terms of adapting this work into a movie, how did you approach Hathaway’s characterization?

Why did Hathaway become Mafty? The novel does provide a reason, but I still find it somewhat unconvincing. Under the name of Mafty, Hathaway carries on Char’s ideal, but why would he embrace the ideology of an opponent he once fought against? The novel just skips over that part, doesn’t it? But I’m sure there must have been another layer to it. I believe that’s the key point of this work. That is the core of Hathaway’s character in the movie. 

— You mean, there must have been a turning point that led Hathaway to become Mafty.

Exactly. On the surface, we’re staying faithful to the novel, but I’m aiming to clarify the meaning and motivations behind Hathaway’s actions, presenting them as part of a coherent guiding principle for his character. As for what exactly happened, we’re going to concretely portray it in the future; the first movie doesn’t touch on it, and even at the recording sessions I didn’t offer any explanations. The only thing I explained was that Hathaway is a “broken person”, someone who “thinks of himself as integral but is, in reality, broken”.

— On the other hand, what about the heroine, Gigi?

Gigi’s a character with a dual natureーshe has an incredibly pure side and yet is also able to perfectly adapt to the adult world. But because there are hardly any people like that, the novel was my only reference, which made it extremely challenging. On the other hand, there was also the difficulty that if I portrayed her exactly as she was in the novel, she would come across as an unpleasant woman. Gigi is a character archetype that often appears in Tomino’s works, but if I portrayed her exactly as she is, I felt like it would make people wonder “why is everyone so drawn to this girl?”. So, I made sure not to have her come across just as an unpleasant woman. I believe she’s probably the kind of person who can get away with saying something unpleasant, not just because she’s beautiful, but because she has a certain charm to her too. In that regard, her design helped out a lot. 

— So Gigi was an even harder character than Hathaway.

That’s right. Director Tomino depicts these type of characters all the time, so it’s probably something he’s fond of. But for me, that’s not the case. However, I chose to portray her including all the sides of her character that I didn’t fully understand, and I believe that’s how the current balance was achieved. If I had made her into something I could fully understand, Gigi wouldn’t have been the person she is (laughs). Adding Ueda Reina-san’s acting to all that, I believe Gigi’s character came together with a great balance. 

— Personally, I found the orange accents in Gigi’s eyes very impactful. 

That was the work of (the character designer) Pablo Uchida-kun. It’s not something you’d typically think of, adding orange highlights like that. He said that it wouldn’t be really noticeable from a distance, but it definitely works well as an accent. It was very effective.

— In the movie, you used the scene where Kenneth rides a horse as a trigger to show the relationship between Quess and Hathaway as depicted in Char’s Counterattack. That scene was placed at the end of the Davao airstrike episode.

When I rewatched Char’s Counterattack in preparation for Hathaway’s Flash, I realized clearly that the moment when Quess rushes toward Char is the true starting point of Hathaway’s Flash. Perhaps one could say that a more concrete starting point would be when Hathaway killed a person on the battlefield, but that scene slightly differs between the movie and the novel versions [Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack — Beltorchika’s Children, 1988], and besides, I believe that was more of a “consequence” than a starting point. I believe that, after all, not being able to stop Quess there was the spark that started it all. For those who haven’t seen Char’s Counterattack, this scene might be confusing, but I felt it was a good addition, even just visually. 

— This is mainly related to the visual aspect, but when Hathaway is recalling his memory of Quess, his face becomes a silhouette and you can’t see his expression. Watching your past works, it seems like you, Director Murase, have a sort of fixation on dark visuals. Could you share the intention behind that?

Perhaps it’s because many of my works tackle that kind of themes. And using dark images is relatively easier. Also, I personally like staging scenes with silhouettes. 

— In this move too there are a few cuts where the ground crew is portrayed as silhouettes. 

There are indeed. When thinking about the balance between the backgrounds and the characters drawings, usually, you would make the characters brighter and keep the backgrounds from standing out too much, but personally I like to make the characters almost fade in and the backgrounds look cleaner. And by staging the scenes with silhouettes, it allows the imagination to expand, so to speak…

— Using dark backgrounds allows for a more effective use of light too, right?

By using light, you can create a sense of depth, or make the viewer feel the space. If you light up everything, the sense of scale disappears. If you depict  giant things like mobile suits as silhouettes and light up just one part of them, it properly conveys their dimension. Even a flat surface gains a sense of distance when light is cast only on certain areas. I made sure to pay close attention to those aspects in my direction. But I also understand the animators’ dissatisfaction when the screen is so dark that you can’t see their drawings and line-arts. In order to draw a clean silhouette, you need to make sure the interior is properly defined as well. The inner lines are still absolutely necessary. So, at first glance, they might look like silhouettes, but if you look closely, you can just barely make out the lines inside—I believe that’s the best balance. In that regard, there wasn’t much room for me to provide precise and detailed guidance this time, but I believe it turned out pretty good in the end. 

— For the production of this movie, I’ve heard you created color keys [colored illustrations of important cuts from the storyboard to convey the director’s ideas to the various members of the staff] for some of the scenes. What was the purpose behind them?

In anime, even though there’s a general plan and vision, it’s common to create the materials separately—the backgrounds are handled by one team, and the animation by another—and in the end, it’s up to the photography team to pull everything together. As a result, each section can easily become frustrated if the final use of their work doesn’t align with what they envisioned during the process. I figured that if I gave a general sense of direction by providing exact instructions like “I want this scene to look like this, so put a shadow there”, I could solve this problem altogether. 

— Earlier, you mentioned that there wasn’t enough time for you to provide guidance for the final visuals. How do you typically give guidance when you have the chance? Do you write notes, or do you use something like (Adobe) Photoshop to actually compose the screen?

I used to use Photoshop, but while working on Genocidal Organ [虐殺器官 (Gyakusatsu Kikan), 2017] I switched to (Adobe) After Effects. I usually show how I want things like perspectives, incident light, and subtle lighting effects to be handled.

— Do you end up handling the photography [combining materials such as background art, cels, and CG elements into a single piece of footage, while also adding elements like camera work and lighting effects; also referred to as “compositing”] yourself?

The final compositing is completely different. By adjusting the separately crafted materials during the photography phase, the level of completion of the images changes a lot. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that this time, but I did manage it in key moments, such as the teaser with Hathaway sitting on the beach, the sequence we were talking about earlier where he recalls Quess, and the final shots of Hathaway walking on the ship’s deck. In previous projects, I even joked about working on them just for the fun on the final compositing (laughs). So, it’s actually a very important process that I want to focus on, but since it’s the last step, we often find ourselves racing against the schedule.

— When did you first realize how enjoyable and fun the photography process is?

I guess it was after I became a director… When I was working on Witch Hunter ROBIN [2002], it was a TV production so I didn’t have much leeway to make major adjustments, but when I directed the final episode, I managed to do some compositing arrangements (compiling materials together). From that time on, whenever I direct episodes, I often handle the compositing arrangement work as well. There were also times when I handled it for all the cuts. 

— In this movie, there are many three-dimensional camera movements; did you find it difficult to convey certain ideas through traditional, hand-drawn 2D storyboards?

I did. We used video-storyboards (v-boards) this time, but v-boards themselves are 2D as well. I believe there are many scenes that might make viewers think they’re in 3D, but they’re actually 2D. Many things can be made to appear three-dimensional through camera work and the sliding of 2D materials. One good thing about v-boards in that I can convey the speed and timing of the camerawork myself, but tn the actual production process, we had no choice but to create paper storyboards at some point, and I thought there were various challenges in coordinating and connecting the two.

— Did you create the v-boards using some storyboarding software?

No, I used After Effects. I tried using specialized software too, but personally, I’m more familiar with After Effects so I prefer sticking with that.

— Looking back at Part 1, what do you think went especially well, Director Murase?

I’d say the overall balance. At first, I was concerned that it might drag on a bit. Even though I tried to cut and tighten it as much as possible, the first half still feels a little sluggish. However, when I look at the total picture, it didn’t feel that long, and with the battles scenes added in there was a good sense of pacing, so I was relieved. A big part of that is thanks to the sound team’s direction. Also, when it comes to “pauses” in the dialogues, I think the influence of Tomino-lines in the novel played a big role (laughs). Up until now, in dialogue scenes I would carefully structure the timing so that the characters make sure to listen to the others’ words before responding. But Tomino-san’s style is more like a rapid-fire back-and-forth (laughs). Keeping that in mind, I didn’t focus on my usual timing this time. There are very few pauses this way, but that might have helped making the dialogues feel more connected. Though, I’m sure it must have been somewhat uncomfortable for Director Tomino to have his own lines directed by someone else (laughs).

— The second part seems like it will have even more intense battle scenes compared to the first part…

When depicting battle scenes on a brighter screen, things that we could previously conceal in the darkness can no longer be hidden. The challenge lies in how to elevate those elements. As for Part 1, it may have ultimately been a technical blessing that the battles were set at night.

Takahiro Obata – Interview on Shoushimin Series

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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

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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

Mamoru Kanbe – Interview on Shoushimin Series

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

I hope it becomes something different from the usual

~ Incorporating new techniques to make this work’s world move ~

— Please, tell us the details on how you became involved in this project. 

I received the offer directly from animation producer (Masakazu) Watanabe-san. Since the original work is a novel, adapting it into a visual medium is difficult, so my first reaction was: “What do I do now?”, I was perplexed (laughs). 

— When you first read the novels, what were your impressions and your thoughts from the director’s perspective?

There were two points I felt I had to pay particular attention to when adapting it into an anime. First of all, the mystery approach that is crucial to this work. I thought I had to carefully depict the various elements typical of the mystery genre, such as the tricks and alibis. Second, the evolution of the relationship between (Jougoro) Kobato-kun and (Yuki) Osanai-san. I felt that that was the true charm of the story, so I had to portray it properly.

— Did you empathize with the characters or feel connected to them? 

Upon reading the original work, my honest first impression was: “I really don’t understand these two”. It was while working on the storyboards that I gradually began to grasp what it was all about, and I felt my understanding of them deepened. I’m sure that (Toshiya) Ohno-san figured out a lot of things while writing the script, but in my case, I start to see things only in later stages. There are things you can only understand by actually getting your hands dirty. 

— What kind of discussions did you have with Ohno-san? 

We didn’t have very detailed or thorough discussions. We’ve already worked on several projects together, and this is our second mystery work. Ohno-san is good at grasping the concept quickly, so I trusted him and left it to him. 

— Did you receive any specific request from Honobu Yonezawa-sensei?

When he said that “the novel and the anime are separate things” it left an impression on me. Also, we spent just one day scouting the locations together. In that occasion, I suggested making Kobato’s house into a traditional sweets shop, and he promptly approved of it. 

— What kind of conversations did you have with character designer (Atsushi) Saito-san?

I think I just told him not to feel bound by the designs on the cover illustrations. Ultimately, I asked him to draw the designs based on the impressions he personally had. 

— And what about art director (Akira) Ito-san?

Ito-san was busy and couldn’t participate in the location scouting, so I hand him over some pictures. It was an enormous amount, but he carefully inspected them and in the end, he became far more knowledgeable than us. Personally, I asked him to make the sky bluer than usual. 

— In regards to the recording sessions, what kind of directions did you give to the cast?

Above all, I focused on asking them to speak in a whispery tone. I asked (Shuichiro) Umeda-san [Kobato’s voice actor] and (Hina) Yomiya-san [Osanai’s voice actor] to speak softly, almost as if they were in a quiet library. I wanted their acting to feel as realistic as possible. To the other voice actors, I asked to adapt to the atmosphere between the two [Umeda and Yomiya] and express themselves naturally. 

— What did you discuss with sound director (Katsunori) Shimizu-san?

I’ve known Shimizu-san for a long time and I’m very familiar with him, so rather than the voice recordings, we talked more extensively about how to use the soundtrack. I wanted minimize the background music as much as possible… since it’s a dialogue-heavy work, I thought that the visuals would hold up well enough with just the dialogue alone. 

— So, what kind of instructions did you give to composer (Takahiro) Obata-san?

At first, I thought it would have been a nice idea to make a couple of songs with lyrics and have them playing during the deduction scenes. After discussing this, Obata-san made a demo and it turned out to be so good that we ultimately decided to go with just that one song. He also incorporated elements of folk music and suggested using a 12-string guitar. 

— You were in charge of the storyboard for episode 1. What were the key points you focused on, and what did you want to convey to the staff members who worked on the storyboards afterwards?

I had already decided to use the main theme song, so I made sure to draw the storyboard in a way the track would fit the climax well. Also, during dialogues, I made frequent use of a presentation technique where the location suddenly changes. For example, when in the mystery-solving scene Kobato reenacts the culprit’s movements. To prevent the dialogue-heavy drama from becoming tedious, I incorporated this technique as a unique element of this work’s presentation. 

— Was there any idea from the other staff members that stood out to you?

Many ideas came up when writing out the script. From the order of the scenes to the ways of omitting or replacing the lines from the original work, I found myself thinking “I see” every time we had a meeting. I’ve acquired many great ideas from the people who were in charge of writing the script. 

— What new things did you discover or gain from engaging in this project?

There are many things. The fact that using CinemaScope, which was a first for me, is surprisingly easy and convenient is one of them. I also think it kind of matches the atmosphere of this show. I experimented a bit this time, like with the technique to change the location in the middle of a dialogue, and I believe it turned out to be quite effective. I wanted this work to become something that differed from the usual imagery. I hope the viewers will notice in what ways it’s different.  

— Lastly, a message for the readers. 

From episode 5 onwards, this show becomes even more akin to a mystery. Especially between episodes 8 and 10, there’s a shift in the approach as the plot takes significant turns, so I hope you look forward to it. I also hope you’ll keep an eye on how the relationship between Kobato and Osanai evolves. 

Part 2 – Interview with scriptwriter Toshiya Ohno
Part 3 – Interview with composer Takahiro Obata

Tatsuya Ishihara – Interview on Hibike! Euphonium Season 3 – “Final Movement”

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Original interview from Febri, published in two parts, Part 1 on July 4th 2022 and Part 2 on July 6th 2024 titled: “「The Final Movement」that carefully depicted Kumiko’s story『Hibike! Euphonium 3』Director Tatsuya Ishihara Interview”, original interviewer: Daisuke Okamoto; genga from Hibike! Euphonium Season 1.

Part ①

The third season of the youth orchestra anime series “Hibike! Euphonium” (hereafter, just “Eupho”) has reached its final episode. This season focused on the struggles of Kitauji High School Concert Band club president Omae Kumiko, pursuing the long cherished dream of winning the gold prize at the nationals. Mixing in the many characters’ own stories, the series’ final movement ties up Kumiko’s three years of high school. Now that the show has finished airing, Febri had the pleasure to welcome in series director Tatsuya Ishihara, to speak at length, in two parts, about the thoughts and feelings he poured into the final movement. This first part covers the structure, direction and animation of all the 13 episodes.

~ Kumiko has “lost the battle but won the war”. ~

— At the time of this interview, the final episode hasn’t aired yet. What are your feelings at this point?

Actually, I’m still assiduously working on it and to be honest it’s taking quite long (laughs). Anyways, over the past 10 years of production, I’ve been going back and forth between the real world and Eupho’s world, so in a sense I have a feeling that the latter is about to end and disappear, which makes me feel both really moved and deeply desolate. 

— I’d like to look back at all of the 13 episodes of season 3 and talk about them. As for the overall structure, the first half depicts Kumiko’s struggles as the club president, and the second half delves into Kumiko’s inner mind. 

Focusing the second half on Kumiko’s story was an idea of scriptwriter (Jukki) Hanada-san. The overall flow in the anime has been adjusted a bit, such as moving the episode on (Tsukinaga) Motomu’s family problems, which in the original work happens a little later, in the first half. After all, it’s the “Final Movement”, so I too felt the same way about wanting to properly focus on Kumiko’s story at the end.

— In this season, the presence of the new character Mayu Kuroe has also become a topic of discussion. What kind of person did you think Mayu was? 

Even if she’s Kumiko’s rival, their personalities are not completely opposite, so for Kumiko, she’s like a mirror image of herself. In an analogy to a role-playing video game, I think Kumiko has steadily leveled up and, by working hard has acquired a lot of good equipment. And when it was finally time for the last boss battle, who appeared was a boss with the exact same equipment as hers, but also slightly stronger (laughs). That’s the impression I got from Mayu’s character. 

— Mayu was also the one who determined Kumiko’s future and career path.

That’s right. In the original work, Kumiko isn’t able to win over Mayu until the very end, but in the anime, we altered the final development of the original work so that their relationship evolves in such a way they ultimately respect and acknowledge each other.

— You mean the result of the final audition in episode 12, right?

Yes. To the fans who have read the original work, it might have been quite a surprise. However, for Kumiko, although she lost the battle called audition, in return she gained the powerful weapon known as Mayu, so to me she “lost the battle but won the war”. Since the moment she became the club president, rather than Kumiko growing as a player herself, I believe her leadership of the club was the aspect that grew stronger, so we made the ending even easier to understand. 

— When portraying this kind of relationship between Kumiko and Mayu, was there anything you particularly focused on?

To Tomatsu Haruka-san, who played Mayu, I asked to act “giving off a gentle motherly feel”. There indeed is the aspect of her being Kumiko’s rival, and she does have a bit of a dark side to her too, but fundamentally she’s a caring and kind girl. I wanted the viewers to like Mayu, and I tried not to make her appear as an unpleasant girl. 

~ I want to believe that Kumiko and Reina are still connected even after graduating. ~

— On the other had, how do you feel about the relationship between Kumiko and Reina that was portrayed throughout the series, director Ishihara?

I think the viewers should interpret it as they wish, but I personally believe they are complementary to each other. They’re two people with family backgrounds, talents, personalities and tastes that are completely different, so even if their connection through music were to be severed, I don’t think it will matter that much. Moreover, Kumiko became the Concert Band club advisor, so she and Reina still share the fact that they both have jobs related to music. I imagine their relationship is still ongoing even now, and I want to believe so.

— I see. This “future path” aspect was also an important theme of this season.

It’s something every high school student worries about. I personally decided early to get into the anime industry, so I don’t remember worrying about my future that much. Therefore, I can’t quite sympathize with Kumiko’s worries on this… I’m sorry (laughs). 

— That being said, I believe there are many people who are able to sympathize with Kumiko. 

I think you’re right. But even someone with so little sense of self-direction like Kumiko was able to grow into a proper adult, so I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’m sure Hazuki too was able to become a wonderful preschool teacher, so you’ll find your own path eventually.   

— Well then, by episode 12, one part of Kumiko’s story has come to a conclusion. What scene was the most impactful to you so far?

The last scene of episode 12 was really impactful. That’s the climax of Kumiko’s drama, and I wanted to portray it with more care than usual. Also, personally, I really like the scene (in episode 7) where Kumiko and Hazuki attend the university information session, and then have a talk at a cafe drinking melon soda or something. Between the many serious scenes and episodes in this whole season, at least that moment felt a little more relaxed. Of course, Kumiko and the others were worrying about their post-graduation paths and there was some seriousness about it too, but I feel like by going outside of school and meeting with her seniors, she was able to set aside her role as the “club president” and felt like the old Kumiko. It’s also rare for her to go out with just Hazuki, so I really like that. 

— In regards to the visuals, since Kumiko and the others are now third-year, they are all drawn to look more grown up. Was that done on purpose?

In terms of character design, since it was renewed in the movie “Hibike! Euphonium ~ Chikai no Finale ~” [劇場版 響け！ユーフォニアム～誓いのフィナーレ～ (Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day), 2019], there haven’t been many changes. I haven’t asked the animators to make them look “more adult” either, but indeed when you look at their expressions and mannerisms, it feels like they’ve grown up a bit. I think that’s probably because their words, behavior and manners have become more mature. Especially the three managers have had more responsibilities, and also Hazuki and Midori (Sapphire) have had more interactions with their juniors. They often say “the environment changes people”, and I think that was the case here. 

— Thank you. In the second part, I’m going to ask about the final episode in more detail.

Thank you.

Part ②

The second part delves deeper into the final episode, also touching on the secrets behind the storyboards director Ishihara has drawn himself. 

~ Listening to “Disco Kid”, the storyboard kept flowing. ~

— The final episode was one of the best, well worthy of being the culmination of the series. Having held back with the musical performances up until now, in this episode you showed it all in the best possible fashion.

To put it bluntly, the cost of animating a musical performance scene is on another level entirely, so it’s not that easy to include one, especially in a TV series. You might argue we already did it in episode 5 of season 2, but that one used materials from the first season and the movie, so it wasn’t all animated from scratch. In that respect, this episode’s musical performance scene was all made up of newly animated cuts. Rather than having the performances distributed between the Sunrise Festival and the regional qualifications, it was decided from the scriptwriting stage to have just a bigger one in the final episode. 

— It was clear from the early stages that “Hitotose no Uta” would have been performed, but the final episode was the first time it was played in its entirety.

I thought it would be difficult to empathize with a song if you’re listened to it for the first time, so I had the first movement play in episode 2, in the scene where Kumiko and Reina listen to the song sharing earphones, and then included in the eye-catches of each episode a short performance from every instrumental department, in order to make the song as familiar to the ear as possible.

— “Hitotose no Uta” is divided in four sections: spring, summer, autumn and winter, and it was staged in such a way that for each season, the memories of Kumiko and the others would flash back.

In the original work too, in this scene Kumiko is described to be remembering various things, and visually I felt that it would have been tedious to just show a musical performance for 6 minute straight. So, I had already decided from relatively early stages to portray it like that. 

— Director Ishihara, you drew the storyboard for the last episode. Did you have a hard time choosing which scenes from the past to reuse? 

I don’t remember having that hard of a time with it. I chose the scenes that I think are impactful and memorable not just for me but for the viewers as well. Also, like including sad and painful ones in the “Autumn” part, I chose scenes that matched the flow and mood of the song. 

— Did you have any difficulties with the storyboard for the last episode?

The main problem were the length and number of cuts. In the “Hitotose no Uta” musical performance scene, of course I couldn’t leave out the scene where Kumiko and Reina play “Ai wo Mitsuketa Basho” [“The Place Where We Found Love”] on Mt. Daikichi, and I also wanted “Disco Kid” to play in the epilogue, so I started drawing from there. Then, I went on trying to figure out what to prioritize in the time that I had left, but it was a rather unconventional approach, so you might say I had some troubles with that. 

— What’s the reason you wanted to play “Disco Kid” in the epilogue?

Sometime when I still hadn’t visualized the last scene of the final episode, I happened to listen to “Disco Kid”, and in that instant the image of the epilogue popped into my head. From that point on, the storyboard started to flow into my mind all the once, and I felt that that was the song I had to use. 

— That song was also played at the beginning of episode 1, right?

That’s right, but the order was actually reversed. After having decided to play the song in the epilogue, we decided to use it in the prologue of the first episode as well. The prologue and the epilogue link together different moments in the timeline, so it was a natural choice.  

— “Disco Kid” is a famous wind instrument piece, but that was the first time it was featured in the Eupho series.

That’s true. It was suggested by the producers, but I couldn’t quite find the right opportunity to use it. It’s not like I was saving it for the last chapter, but I think I was ultimately able to use it in the best way possible. In the scene of the epilogue where Kumiko walks, I made some minor adjustments like matching the rhythm of “Disco Kid” to her steps, so it’s very pleasant to watch. I like this epilogue so much I end up watching it over and over again. 

~ I wanted to make the world of Eupho a continuation of reality. ~

— That aside, what other aspects of the epilogue did you focus on?

I already said this in the first part, but since it’s a work I’d been working on for ten years, I felt a strong sense of desolation, as if one of my own worlds had disappeared. Therefore, I thought that it would have been nice if I could create some sort of continuity between the work and reality, even a small one, so the epilogues brings us to the Uji of the present day.

— What do you mean?

Kumiko’s third year of high school is set in 2017, but the epilogue of the anime depicts present day (2024) Uji. By doing so, I hoped it would make it feel like Kumiko and the others are living in this same world we live in. This work already featured a truthful depiction of Uji, but we scouted each location again and reflected the changes in the scenery of the epilogue. Kumiko’s favorite bench has been renewed, the JR railways have been double-tacked, the factory chimney visible from the Uji Bridge is now just one, the torii gates at Uji Shrine have been replaced with metal ones… many minor things have changed. And also Tuba-kun is extremely worn out (laughs). I don’t know how much of it was noticed, but a lot of thought was put into it. 

— Sounds like there are many things to discover rewatching the episode. One more thing, what was the difficulty related to the number of cuts you mentioned earlier?

The final episode has 500 cuts, and even excluding the so-called bank (reused scenes), it easily exceeds 300. I don’t think it’s a particularly high number compared to current anime standards, but it’s still a lot more than what it used to be, so it’s a source of troubles nonetheless. This isn’t just limited to the final episode, but I feel like drawing the storyboards was always a battle between the length and the number of cuts. 

— Once again, thank you so much for your hard work over the past 10 years. What kind of work has Eupho been for you, director Ishihara? 

Before I started working on Eupho, I knew nothing about wind instruments and concert bands, so I was basically studying everyday. In that sense, it’s a work I struggled with a lot, but depicting a real human drama set in a real, existing place was something I wanted to do, so I’m glad it allowed me to have this wonderful experience. Thanks to it, I’ve come to like wind instrument music, and I think that from now on I’ll keep listening to it as a hobby, outside of anime production.  

— Aren’t you going to play yourself?

I’ve tried before, but I was discouraged that I couldn’t get any sound out of the instrument mouthpiece (laughs). For the time being, I’ll just enjoy listening to it. 

— Well then, lastly, a message to the fans. 

Thank you very much for your support throughout this many years. Eupho as a work encapsulates a society that interweaves characters in many different positions, like seniors and juniors, and teachers. Therefore, I believe depending on your age and position, the way you feel about it will change. I’d be happy if you came back to it from time to time. I hope you’ll keep supporting us for many years to come! 

Shuko Murase – Interview on Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash [Febri]

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Original interview from Febri, published in two parts, Part 1 on June 18th 2021 and Part 2 on June 21ts 2021, original interviewer: Itsuki Mori; genga by Shuko Murase.

Part ①

The director of “Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash”, who also worked on the anime movie adaptation of “Genocidal Organ” [虐殺器官 “Gyakusatsu Kikan”, 2017] and participated in “Mobile Suit Gundam Wing” [1995] and “Mobile Suit Gundam UC” [2010], is Shuko Murase. What was his approach in adapting Yoshiyuki Tomino’s novel into a movie? This interview will be presented in two parts. 

~ Tomino-san told me not to ask him anything about the contents. ~

— Please, tell me the details of how you were appointed as the director.

It was a request from Sunrise animation producer Naohiro Ogata. 

— “Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash” (hereafter, “Hathaway’s Flash”), is a novel written by Yoshiyuki Tomino. What were your impressions when you heard this novel was going to be adapted into a movie?

Tomino-san wrote the Hathaway’s Flash novel without the intent of it being adapted into a movie by Sunrise. Then, times changed, and I think Sunrise spontaneously took the initiative to turn it into a movie. 

— What was the concept behind this movie adaptation?

First, I went to greet Tomino-san since I was appointed as the director of the movie adaptation. At that time, he told me not to ask him anything about the contents (laughs), and from that moment on, I haven’t really asked him a single thing. However, when I met with him, he showed me two movies, saying “I want it to be like these”. They were live-action movies produced in Asia; the first one had two male and only one female leads, just like Hathaway’s Flash. At first, I earnestly tried to adjust the movie around that same nuance and style, but the setting and genre were so different it really didn’t fit well. So, I discussed with screenwriter (Yasuyuki) Muto-san and together we decided to change it back and make it align better with the contents of the novel. 

~ The characters are reinterpreted in a Gundam-like style. ~

— This time, in addition to the design work by Pablo Uchida, color keys depicting important scenes from the storyboard were created. It’s a methodology that was never used in Gundam works before.

Regarding the color keys, I think Sunrise just didn’t actively make them. Even if we were to put together the ideas each section envisioned separately, the overall spatial lightning wouldn’t be unified, so we needed a single consolidated vision. Moreover, this time we had a genius designer by the name of Uchida-kun working with us, so we couldn’t not make use of his visual sense. However, there were still some difficulties in implementing this method on set, so I realized from now on we need to put in place a proper structure to accommodate for it. 

— Uchida-san, Naoyuki Onda-san and Shigeki Kuhara-san were involved in the character design, and like Kenneth for example, the characters were substantially redesigned. 

As for the characters, there’s a certain design style that’s typical of Gundam works, isn’t there? Haruhiko Mikimoto-san too, who designed the characters for the novel, had changed the taste between the novel and the game, so to some extent we reinterpreted the characters in a Gundam-like style. Hathaway’s about the same, whereas Kenneth was redesigned to fit the new visuals, and for Gigi, she’s in her teens in the novel but I found it difficult to portray her like that, so I raised her age a bit. I had Uchida-kun drawing the actual redesigns, I told him “you can bring out your own colors”. Including Onda-san’s animation design, I believe we’ve created well-balanced and realistic characters. 

~ The base for the mechs is in CG, and only the necessary parts are hand-drawn. ~

— The mechs are made using CG, right?

We decided to use GC because of some physics-related issues. I’m an animator too, so I understood that, compared to the Unicorn Gundam, it would have been impossible to freely move around the Ξ (Xi) Gundam and the Penelope, both of which have over than double the amount of lines. Thus we decide to use CG as the base. We then proceeded by touching up solely where strictly necessary, and only hand-drawing over the parts we really wanted to. Towards the end of the production, there were also storyboards that were developed using CG, so in that sense it was a new way of making anime. 

— It must have taken time to figure out how to make the CG models move.

Some of the designs for the CG models were delayed until almost the very last minute, so I regret that there wasn’t enough time to thoroughly finish the animations. 

— That being said, the production was handled by Studio 1, the same one that worked on “Mobile Suit Gundam UC” and “Mobile Suit Gundam NT”, including first rate mechanical designers and animators by the likes of Hajime Katoki-san, Seiichi Nakatani-san and Nobuhiko Genma-san.

That’s right. But on the contrary, because so many people were involved, it took quite some time to adjust the boundaries of what ‘shouldn’t be done when it comes to the Gundam’ [Murase is likely talking about the Gundams’ design, which apparently raised some discussions among the staff]. There was a proposal to change the design from the novel, but Katoki-san put forward the idea to create a design that combined the one from the novel and the one from the games, so we decided to proceed in that direction.

— The three main cast members performed the recordings together, and I’ve heard they were given a thorough explanation of the story beforehand.

Until now, I had never done such things as explaining the story before the recordings. When working on adaptations, I usually just make slight adjustments to the image [of the character] the voice actors have already envisioned themselves. However, in the case of Hathaway’s Flash, its prequel “Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack” has different, parallel storylines between the movie and the novel versions, so when making this movie adaptation we had to make several choices and rearrangements. Therefore, I told Kensho Ono-san how I imagined Hathaway’s character to be in the movie. Initially, we were supposed to talk for just about 5 to 10 minutes, but before we knew it we had been talking for about an hour and a half (laughs). Gigi is also a character that’s hard to grasp, so I explained to Ueda Reina-san the direction I wanted for her character to take in the movie, and I did the same with Suwabe Junichi-san, who plays the role of Kenneth. I explained to each one of them the plan of action of their characters by going backwards, starting from future developments. 

~ The contents can be enjoyed even by someone who’s watching Gundam for the first time. ~

— Having overcome such complex adjustments, you were able to complete the first episode of Hathaway’s Flash. What are your thought now that it’s finished?

Including the CG part and the hand-drawn part, there were delays in digitalizing the drawings, and there were many difficulties and problems on set. The compositing and editing processes have transitioned to digital, so I think it would all flow more smoothly if the environment could be unified a little more. As for the story, the first episode is nothing but the beginning of it all, so it’s still unknown how the relationships between the characters and the story will develop. Also, the most difficult part of adapting a novel into a movie is that I was constantly thinking about how the people who haven’t read the novel will perceive it. I wondered how to make it enjoyable also to the people who have never watched Gundam, or more importantly Char’s Counterattack, before. The original request was for the content to “appeal to both Gundam fans and those who have never experienced Gundam before”, so we aimed to appeal to both audiences. 

— So, to make it enjoyable to those who have never watched any Gundam work before. 

Therefore, I structured Hathaway’s Flash in way that those who first met Hathaway Noa in this movie would still be able to follow the story. Now I’m really interested to see how people like that will perceive this work. 

Part ②

“Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash” has finally been released [the movie was first released in Japanese theaters on June 11th 2021]. Differing from the previous iterations, this new Gundam is characterized by a more true-to-life look. In this second part of the interview with director Shuko Murase, we delve into the use of lighting and 3D for the visuals, as well as the support for Dolby Atmos for the audio and music. 

~ Adapting the carefully detailed depictions that only novels can provide. ~

— What really impressed me upon watching the movie was the true-to-life and realistic use of light. The direction really emphasizes the ‘darkness’. 

Rather than consciously deploying it for Gundam, many of the works I’ve been involved in before make use of dark scene compositions, so it’s more of a continuation of that. However, this time I thought it might have been bad to emphasize it too much, but following the opinion of mechanical designer (Nobuhiko) Genma-san, we made it darker. I was worried it was a bit too dark, but when I checked it out at the theater, contrary to what I thought I didn’t find it that hard to see, so I was relieved. This may have in part been due to the fact that it was produced to Dolby Cinema™ standards. 

— And it also looked clearer in some scenes. 

The darker parts are a bit brighter, or rather the range is wider. But I think we could still have improved the accuracy a bit.

— The three-dimensional visual direction of the battle scenes is a benefit of using 3DCG? 

Although CG was used, the actual visible elements in the footage were made with analog methods. I believe the parts that look three-dimensional largely look so due to the camerawork that we tried to keep as dynamic as possible, as opposed to fixed and static angles. This doesn’t mean the camera is just rotating around in CG though. We did of course make use of CG models in the process, and we used 3D guides for the background, so I believe there is definitely some synergy in terms of the sense of speed and the perception of depth. 

— The characters are also staged in a very subtle and careful way. Perhaps this is also part of the typical pace of “adapting a novel into a movie” you talked about earlier. 

For me, it’s easier this way. I had in mind the very different pace at which TV shows are produced; the speed at with Tomino-san usually creates animation is so fast that it just flies by.

— It really is quick.

Instead, we adapted the carefully detailed depictions that only novels can provide.

~ This version of Gigi was created by Ueda-san’s performance. ~

— The very expressive Gigi Andalucia performance by Ueda Reina-san was also one of a kind.

Gigi is a girl that’s quite hard to understand even when reading the novel. Anyways, I really didn’t want to depict her as an unpleasant one. I wanted her to be that kind of girl that says unpleasant things but since she’s cute you end up forgiving her (laughs). So, if her design too wasn’t incredibly beautiful, it wouldn’t have worked. I’m really glad Pablo Uchida-kun was the one working on that. He’s also designed many costumes for her, and I believe that’s something beyond the scope of what a usual animator could create with just their own sense and intuition.

— I see. 

Still, if I’m being honest, there were parts [of Gigi’s character] that I didn’t figure out until I heard Ueda-san’s voice. Actually, the type of voice I had in mind for Gigi was completely different to begin with. 

— Is that so?

I thought her voice would sound slightly more cool, but during the auditions, Ueda-san’s acting was different from everyone else’s, and something inside me clicked. That’s when the image for Gigi’s character came into view. Her [= Ueda’s] sense of rhythm when acting created a version of Gigi that’s in some ways different from the novel’s.

~ The visuals are retro, but the sound was made in quite a modern way. ~

— With the introduction of Dolby Atmos audio, the sound department has also been renewed this time. The sound director is (Koji) Kasamatsu-san, right?

Kasamatsu-san was in charge of the sound effects for “∀ Gundam” and also had connection with this movie’s producer (Naohiro) Ogata, so he was appointed as the sound director.

— Including the sound of the beams, several changes were made this time.

I discussed with Kasamatsu-san on how there wasn’t really a necessity to remake every single sound effect. There already is a sound that’s typical of Gundam, and swapping it out for something completely different would be wrong. As a result, he was able to create new sounds while still respecting the identity of the past Gundam series, which I’m truly grateful for.

— How was it decided to implement the support for Dolby Atmos audio?

It was decided during production, and Kasamatsu-san too definitely wanted to do it if possible. Up until now I’ve been making things with support for standards like 5.1 surround, so I too am particular about the spatiality of sounds, the sense of ambience and things like that. Kasamatsu-san handled that aspect perfectly this time. In theaters that support Dolby Atmos audio, the sound can also come directly from above, so after watching the premiere, I had a talk with Watanabe Shinichiro-san, who helped with the storyboard, about how we’d like to use this effect again when directing for future productions. 

— The soundtrack is composed by Sawano Hiroyuki-san. Was there anything you particularly asked for in regard to the soundtrack? 

Sawano-san’s melodies are quite impactful, aren’t they? However, for this work my request was to slightly hold back in that regard. I consulted with Kasamatsu-san about how and where in the story to use the soundtrack that was submitted. There were actually more tracks with vocals other than the two that were used in the final product, but considering the overall balance, we asked for some adjustments such as removing the vocals. 

— What are your impressions of Sawano-san’s soundtrack?

Watching through the movie, it’s noticeable how some common phrases are cleverly used throughout multiple tracks, and I think the overall balance is really good. 

— I heard that Sawano-san himself wanted to create a soundtrack in line with the current trends.

That’s right. The things we did for the visuals of Hathaway’s Flash are retro, or rather, analog, but the sound, including sound effects and the soundtrack, was made in quite a modern way.

— Having now completed Episode 1, do you have a clear direction for Episodes 2 and 3?

I believe there still are some improvements in terms of production organization that we must address. Apparently, producer Ogata-san has also something to say, and it seems that Tomino-san got to know about it too. 

— I see.

I’ve heard several different reactions (laughs)… but I think the overall structure as it stands now will be fine.

Hirotaka Mori – Interview on Tengoku Daimakyou (Heavenly Delusion)

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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.

— 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. 

Tatsuya Ishihara & Taichi Ogawa – Interview on Hibike! Euphonium Season 3

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Original interview from Animate Times published on April 13th 2024, titled: “Including the new character Mayu Kuroe, I want to portray each charcater as a human ―『Hibike! Euphonium 3』Director Tatsuya Ishihara x Assistant Director Taichi Ogawa Interview｜The interesting aspect of 『Eupho』is that, since many different situations are portrayed, it’s relatable from any perspective.”, original interviewer: Daisuke Marumoto; genga from Sakugabooru.

“Hibike! Euphonium 3” began airing on Sunday, April 7th. It’s the final installment of the greatly popular series about the youth of high school students devoted to the school’s Concert Band. It’s also the first TV series in 7 years and 3 months, since “Hibike! Euphonium 2”, and has already attracted a lot of attention with its first episode. 

In this second part of the Animate Times Interview Series [the first part consisted of an interview with Tomoyo Kurosawa, Chika Anzai and Haruki Ishiya] we present you an interview with Kyoto Animation’s Director Tatsuya Ishihara and Assistant Director Taichi Ogawa! We asked Director Tatsuya Ishihara, who’s worked as a director (chief director and supervisor in some other works), and Assistant Director Taichi Ogawa, who directed “Hibike! Euphonium: Todoketai Melody” and worked as the assistant director for “Sound! Euphonium: Special Edition ~Ensemble Contest~” which screened in theaters August of last year, about the highlights of the series from now on, while also touching the contents of the first episode that just aired. 

~ We can finally portray Kumiko properly. ~

— In this installment, Kumiko and the other main characters are third-year students, and the series is finally heading towards its conclusion. What are your feelings in regard to that?

Ishihara: It’s something I’ve experienced several times up to this point, but when I’m working on a project, I start to feel like I’m living inside its world, so when a series I’ve been involved in ends, I feel like it’s almost the actual end of the world; it’s like a real sense of loss. But well, my work is still ongoing now, so I don’t feel like this yet (laughs).

Ogawa: I, rather than feeling desolated, once a work is over, instead of just being consumed by it, I’m concerned about whether or not that work was able to leave something in the hearts of the people who watched it. I’m sure everyone has those kind of works that always remain in their heart, and I think there’s a reason, or some deciding factors behind that. What that is differs from person to person, but I’m working hard to create works like that, and hope that I’m able to convey that “something” to the people who watch them. 

— Oumae Kumimo, Kato Hazuki, Kawashima Midori and Kosaka Reina, who entered Kitauji High School in the first installment, have finally become third year students in this one. What kind of image do you want to portray of the four of them, now that they have grown?

Ishihara: I believe that growth is not about a person trying to change, but rather the changes in the environment around them. This time too, I believe that Kuimiko, Reina, Midori and Hazuki will change depending on the position each one of them will assume. It’s strange to say this when we’re the ones creating this work, but I don’t want (their growth) to feel artificial or contrived. I think to me it’s ideal when it’s like a simulation of sorts, where you have a particular setting where you throw in some characters with their personalities, and they start to act on their own. So it’s not like “I want to portray this character like this…” or something. But of course, everyone has grown. 

Ogawa: The third year of high school is a time when everyone has to think of their future and other various things, so it was interesting depicting that aspect of it, and I think that’s one of the highlights. 

— Compared to the change in transitioning between first and second year, the one between second and third year feels even more significant. 

Ogawa: That’s right. When you’re a first-year, you only have seniors [“senpai”], then in second year you have both seniors and juniors [“kōhai”], and in third year you only have juniors. I think the differences between these states are fascinating and make you think. 

Ishihara: I thought that the school system was a strict and stiff place, but if you look at it that way, it’s surprisingly not that bad, or rather it’s an interesting system. When you enter higher education like a university, even though you’re still a student, you’re basically almost an adult. As I was depicting the third year of high school, the period exactly prior to that, I felt that this time the relationship between Kumiko and Taki (Noboru)-sensei was pretty significant. 

— So, her relationship with Taki-sensei, the advisor of the school Concert Band, as an adult who’s close to her, will be featured in the series.

Ishihara: Perhaps because she’s about to become an adult, Kumiko’s eyes are turned towards him. Anyways, if I say anything more about the four main character’s growth, it would end up being a spoiler (laughs).

Ogawa: That’s because you let everything out, Ishihara-san (laughs).

— Then, out of these four characters, which one’s growth was particularly easy to figure out, or which character would you like to draw the attention to?

Ogawa: In think the one I want to stand out the most is Kumiko, after all. 

Ishihara: Yeah, you’re right. 

Ogawa: Now that we’ve reached the third season, we can finally portray Kumiko properly. I believe that’s the biggest thing. 

— At a roundtable discussion held before the first episode aired, Kurosawa Tomoyo-san, who plays the role of Kumiko, also said that this time too there are a lot of things to work hard on.

Ishihara: We really have to work hard all the time (laughs).

Ogawa: Kurosawa-san was really worried this time around, wasn’t she?

Ishihara: I was watching her as well, and felt that way too. Saying that Kumiko is feeling down would be misleading, but as the club’s president there are many things she has to worry about.

Ogawa: Kurosawa-san too seemed to feel exactly that.

Ishihara: I’d like to talk directly with Kurosawa-san and ask her how she actually felt about that (laughs).

~ Mayu Kuroe is not just a plot device. ~

— At the end of Episode 1, the new spotlight character Mayu Kuroe also made her appearance. Without entering the spoiler territory, tell me about her appeal or some aspects of how you’re depicting her. 

Ogawa: As the creator of the work, Mayu is a very difficult character. 

Ishihara: I, for starters, wanted to portray her in a cute way. 

Ogawa: That’s a unanimous feeling (laughs). Though, the same goes for every other character… Actually, it may not be appropriate to use the word “character” here, but I wanted to portray “Mayu Kuroe” as a proper, independent and self-reliant person. There are times (in other works) where a new character suddenly appears, seemingly to rival the protagonist, but as things go on, ultimately they end up being no match for the main character at all (laughs). 

— There are times where it feels like their [= the secondary characters’] presence is long gone by the middle-point of the story (laughs). 

Ogawa: I believe that kind of development is possible at times, due to the structure of a story, but that’s not the case for Mayu Kuroe. She’s a character that’s supposed to taste more strongly the more you chew it, so I hope you look forward to her. I think it’s gonna be a pretty controversial part, or rather, the way people who watch it will feel about it, will change depending on their standpoint and experiences. So, personally, I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone will feel about it.

Ishihara: Well, personally I like Mayu. 

Ogawa: She’s gentle and cute, and her temperament is pretty tender. But I think just learning that the transfer student plays the euphonium is enough to make people a bit nervous (laughs). To put it simply, she’s a mysterious character, and I believe that how all that will unravel, and also how Kumiko will receive it, are one of the highlights of this story. 

— Director Ishihara, you mentioned that you like Mayu, but what exactly do you like about her?

Ishihara: Well, a lot things (laughs). At first, I thought she was just a rival character to Kumiko, a mirror image of her. However, as he just explained, Ogawa-san really valued the human side of Mayu Kuroe, so I think she’s no longer just a plot device. 

— At last year’s “New Information Presentation” when it was announced that Haruka Tomatsu-san would have played Mayu’s role, Tomatsu-san said that before the recordings for the first episode, Ishihara-san said to her that “Mayu truly is a difficult character”.

Ogawa: You brought up this topic pretty roughly (laughs). 

Ishihara: I simply meant that, even though I said she’s a difficult character, if you try putting yourself in Mayu’s state of mind, you can understand her.

— So, she is not an alien-like incomprehensible person? 

Ishihara: Yeah, exactly. How Club President Kumiko will deal with her is one of the main aspects, I think.

— Including the four close friends Suzuki Kamaya, Yayoi Kamiishi, Kaho Hariya and Sari Yoshii, new first-year students have joined the club. Tell me about their appeal and the way you depicted them. 

Ishihara: I can’t help but empathize with Kumiko, so I end up seeing them from her perspective, but in that sense they’re a “somewhat troublesome and cute group” (laughs). 

Ogawa: Troublesome but cute, that’s exactly it (laughs). Also, the four of them are often together, and when it comes to each one’s personality, it’s just like how I said before with Mayu, I wanted to portray each one of them as a proper human. 

— Their relationship and interactions, with Suzume and Yayoi’s incomprehensible gags and Kaho easily laughing at them, is really cute. Is it difficult, on the contrary, to portray as entertaining gags that are confusing and hard-to-get?

Ishihara: But Kansai’s laughter is so infectious, isn’t it.

Ogawa: They’re like slip gags [すべり芸, basically, gags not meant to be “understood”, but rather to create an awkward atmosphere]. But Yayoi and Suzume are not making gags in order for others to get them; they simply let the words flow out as they feel. And then, to keep a good balance, Kaho’s there to laugh at them. Yayoi and Suzume sure are happy to make her laugh, but it’s not like they’re deliberately trying to achieve that result. 

— So, Kaho too isn’t doing that for them either, she genuinely finds them funny and that’s why she laughs, right?

Ogawa: Exactly. And then there’s Sari, who, being well used to that situation, is there to put things back in order (laughs). The balance between these four is very interesting, and I’d like people to simply enjoy this indescribably joyful space. 

~ I wanted the first episode to focus on the joy that “Eupho has begun!”.  ~

— Tell me what important points and aspects you wanted the first episode, which aired the other day, to mainly focus on. 

Ishihara:  After all, since this is the beginning of the story, we placed great importance on the relationship between Kumiko, Shuichi (Tsukamoto) and Reina, who are now the leaders of the Concert Band. 

— Assistant Director Ogawa, you were in charge of the storyboard and episode direction for the first episode. 

Ogawa: Personally, it was my first time storyboarding and directing the first episode of a TV series, but above all, I wanted to make an episode I myself would have been exited to watch.

Ishihara: First episodes are tough; you also have to properly introduce the characters. 

— First episodes tend to have lots of tasks that need to be addressed in them.

Ogawa: Sure enough there are those kind of tasks, or rather there are some aspects like the one of introducing the characters, but beyond that, I think the most important duty to me was to make it so that people would get immersed into its world. That’s where an episode director can really show off his skills… I did my best (laughs).
As Ishihara-san said, the positions of Kumiko, Shuichi and Reina have changed significantly from before, so while properly showing their relationship, I also personally sought to convey the joy that “Eupho has begun!”. 

Ishihara: Episode 1 had a special opening, and I think that it starting off with brass instruments was extremely exciting. 

Ogawa: Thank you very much. Also, third-year high school students are somewhat special, but at the same time they really aren’t, don’t you agree?

Ishihara: Huh? I think they are pretty special? I did feel special, like “ah, I’m already a third-year”. 

Ogawa: Well, of course there’s something special about it. I guess it’s that since it’s your third year experiencing high school life, you’re well used to it at that point. So, it’s indeed a special year, but in terms of school life and club activities, you’re the most used to it and can naturally fit in. I feel like at that point I was a little more conscious of that aspect as well. 

~ Even for those who have never seen Eupho before, the third season will still be interesting.  ~

— Was there a scene in particular you were especially focused on, in regard to the storyboard and direction of Episode 1?

Ogawa: I really put a lot of effort into the opening scene, which Ishihara-san also mentioned. Since it’s the very beginning of Season 3, I wanted to make something compelling that connected to a feeling of excitement. This kind of things are not decided or included in the script, so figuring out how to structure it by myself was the most difficult aspect of it.  

— I heard that for the regular opening that will play from Episode 2 onwards, Director Ishihara was in charge of the storyboard and direction, just like for the ones for the first and second seasons. 

Ishihara: I feel like that, when I was making it, I focused primarily on how to show Kumiko’s position. However, looking at the finished product, it felt like a look back at the past, it was a little heartrending. I wasn’t really conscious of this aspect (laughs).
Also, if you watch the opening again after watching every episode up to the last one, I believe you’ll realize what it’s all about. 

— You’re saying that if you watch it again after the final episode, the way you feel about it will change?

Ishihara: I think so. Also, TRUE-san (whose real name is Miho Karasawa) who wrote the lyrics for the opening song (“ReCoda”), as always, truly understood what this work is all about. That’s why I feel like, compared to the lyrics of all the Eupho’s songs up to this point, this time they have a little different perspective, and it might be fun if you watch the series while thinking what this thing I just said means. 

— Lastly, I ask you to give a message to the all readers who love “Hibike! Euphonium”, hinting some highlights from Episode 2 onwards.

Ogawa: I think you will enjoy it even more if you pay attention to the growth of every character. Also, I have the feeling that if you watch the episodes two or three times, you’ll be able to see different sceneries each time. I think there are many different ways to look at it, but there are also some things that you won’t be able to understand until you watch it to the end, so I’d be glad if you could watch it without missing anything. It’s been like this with all the previous series as well, albeit not always being about fun things (laughs). All in all, I think we were able to create a really good depiction of youth, so I hope you enjoy it until the end. 

Ishihara: As I said at the beginning, I feel somewhat sad thinking that a work I’ve been working on for nearly 10 years has reached its first chapter. However, I’m grateful that I was able to depict this story all the way to its end, and since I think the viewers too feel the same way as I do, to all the people who have been watching since the first season, I hope you enjoy it till the very end.
I also think that even for those who have never seen Euoho before, the third season will still be interesting. Anyways, since there’s the opportunity to watch the previous works on many different platforms, I believe you will enjoy it even more if you watch the first and second seasons first. As mentioned earlier, the third season becomes more interesting the more times you watch it; talking out of our experience, the dubbing process started around the time we finished making (the storyboard etc. for) the final episode, and during the recordings I ended up crying at scenes I didn’t expect to (laughs). So, I’ve first-handedly experienced how it gets more interesting when you watch the beginning again after knowing the ending. I’m sure everyone will feel this way too.

Ogawa: It’s like, being supplemented with many different information, you’re able to understand some things better by yourself. There are times when things unexpectedly come to your mind. So many different situations and positions are depicted in Eupho, and at times I thought that if I were to put myself in some of the characters’ shoes, I would have been to see things the same way they do. Eupho has been this kind of work since Season One, and in the making of it I was once again reminded that that’s what makes it such an interesting work. 

Keiichiro Saito & Shoji Hata – Interview on Sousou no Frieren (Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End)

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Original interview from Animage (April 2024 issue), genga by Yoshihiko Matsumura.

~ We crafted it together while figuring it out. ~

— I’ve heard from the members of the cast that they tried to feel more natural in their acting, how did you decide on this direction for their performance? 

Saito: I didn’t specifically request for them to act in a more natural way; personally, I listened to what they proposed, and we crafted it while figuring it out. It wasn’t necessarily a direction I gave, but I remember saying something along the lines of “I don’t know who these words are gonna resonate with, so I want you to do it conscientiously”. Rather than having direct and powerful lines, I felt it was a work whose words could smoothly move you. 

Hata: That’s right, the original work itself has a superb choice of words, so there was no need to exaggerate the acting to convey the message. I think that’s what the cast interpreted as “to act naturally”.  

Saito: All the cast members were people with great sensitivity, so I was the one to learn a lot from them. 

— I would like to ask you about what you particularly paid attention to when directing the main characters. Let’s start with Frieren.

Saito: Frieren isn’t a very expressive character, and her lines too are rather abrupt most of the times; I think that’s because she doesn’t want to give off a bad impression and just wants to be liked. So I told (Atsumi) Tanezaki-san that Frieren conveys more human warmth through her mild voice than her facial expressions. 

Hata: Because of Frieren’s personality, and the fact that, being an elf, she lives much longer than humans, I thought she would end up sounding detached and cold. But she was well conscious of the balance in her output, despite her expression being a poker face all the time she does have emotions, she wants to express them but she’s certainly not a character that puts lots of effort in talking. 

— How about Fern? I think she’s a character who carries human potential and possibilities on her shoulders.

Hata: Stark is like that too, but Fern lives with the human perception of time and is present in the show since she was little, so, while casting, we looked for someone who could express her growth in a realistic way. I had the impression that (Kana) Ichinose-san’s cool and determined voice was really in sync with Fern. 

Saito: I’ve worked with Ichinose-san several times, and I believed she could really fit into Fern’s character. To Ichinose-san and (Chiaki) Kobayashi-san, who plays the role of Stark, I didn’t give any direction on how to craft their characters. 

Hata: During the recording, Kobayashi-kun payed attention to Tanezaki-san and Ichinose-san’s performances as he acted, and thanks to that, I feel that the balance between the three of them was really good. 

Saito: He himself said that as they started recording he could feel that the right atmosphere between Frieren and Fern was already present in the recording room. I think Stark too has a caring side, or rather, he’s good at reading the room, so they too were a good match. 

— What did you pay particular attention to when directing Himmel, who appears in almost every flashback scene? 

Saito: Himmel is not only cool, but also an interesting and approachable person, and that’s how I wanted to depict him, representing these characteristics of him. 

Hata: To Frieren, her journey with Himmel’s party is the basis of her current journey understanding humans. In a sense, Himmel is the representation of humanity. Most of the times when he appears in Frieren’s memories, he doesn’t look like a hero or a savior, but rather, he feels human. If one’s heroism can been switched “on” and “off”, she remembers only the times when Himmel’s was “off”. That’s why we asked (Nobuhiko) Okamoto-san to soften his acting a little.

— It is true that when Frieren recalls Himmel, it’s often in mundane and everyday contexts. 

Hata: There are some scene where he’s actually actively working, like fighting demons (laughs). However, Frieren is currently becoming aware and realizing the meaning of all her interactions with Himmel when he was “off”; I think this is a key aspect of this work.

Saito: Also, I think Himmel’s vanity for his handsomeness is a complex feeling, on one hand, it’s something that he lets out because he’s aware of his position as a hero, and on the other, he’s also saving himself by doing do. 

— You mean that he’s saving his actual self?

Saito: Himmel himself said something similar to this, living an honest life and helping others is something that will return back to you and connect you with the future; I think this is what he really feels and holds on to. Then there’s also the part of him that just wants to look cool in Frieren’s eyes (laughs). But I believe that’s just his way of showing himself in public, and not some mere narcissism. He clearly understands that his and Frieren’s perceptions of time are different, and there’s a hint of sadness in him as well; I think he’s a character that can’t be taken too naively. 

— In the currently airing “First-Class Mage Exam Arc” a lot of new characters have made their appearance.

Hata: I think that in the Exam Arc there are a lot of characters that stand out for their symbolic meaning, but as the story progresses, it becomes clear how every one of them is carrying their own life on their shoulders. I wanted to carefully portray these characters in a way they won’t just end up standing out for being flashy or funny. 

Saito: They appeared all at once, so at first I had a hard time grasping all the characters; there are also some of them who play an active role in episodes beyond what this anime will cover, and the more you dig into it, the more flavors you get out of them. It was fun thinking of how to depict the way they act now, taking into account their future developments.

Hata: All the cast members actively looked deeply into their roles, and I feel they really got into their characters. 

Saito: There weren’t many characters we had trouble casting for, it went quite smoothly. Kanne is the type of character (Azumi) Waki-san is known to be good at, so I didn’t have to give her that many directions for her dubbing. (Sayumi) Suzushiro-san usually acts the roles of lively characters, but on the contrary, I thought she was a good fit for Lawine. Lawine’s cynicism is kind of defiant, or rather, she gives off the impression she’s like a child being a little too hard on herself. I thought Suzushiro-san might be able to bring out Lawine’s bold front. 

Hata: When it comes to casting, I believe Serie was the most difficult one.

Saito: It was rather troublesome.

Hata: Serie is a character full of mysteries even in the original work, you know. It’s that type of character you even wonder whether it’s male or female, or neither of the two. We couldn’t quite figure out who Serie was, so it was a difficult character.

— What was the deciding factor in casting Mariya Ise-san?

Saito: While we were looking for candidates for the role of Serie, Hata-san proposed the name of Ise-san. 

Hata: Among the staff members everyone had their own ideas, we couldn’t agree even on the type of voice. We didn’t know what kind of person Serie was, but on the contrary, that meant she could have become any kind of person from that point on; that’s why I thought Ise-san might be a good fit. 

Saito: It’s the same for Frieren, elves as characters have an aloof side to them, but also are a bit inattentive, it feels like they do have a weak spot somewhere. Serie too is by no means flawless, there’s a cute side to her too. I believe Ise-san’s acting is the perfect for that compromise. 

~ It’s a show with some not-so-realistic breaks in it. ~

— I think the comedy in this work is also impressive, it makes you giggle, and the more lively gags are exquisite too. Are there any aspects in this regard you particularly focused on when directing? 

Saito: Hmm, I wonder… (laughs). It’s hard to put into words, but it’s not like I consciously tried to make it funny, it’s intrinsically amusing and that’s what I tried to do. Also, when I’m directing comedic scenes, I always think of my sister, or rather, I always feel that “if it makes my family laugh, then it is funny”.

Hata: Generally speaking, I believe the behaviors of characters in this work are very conscientiously thought, and they feel real. The comical scenes too are not symbolical, and don’t disrupt the natural flow of the play. It’s not like we intentionally hold back with the direction to make it funny in the little details, but it feels like that’s what happened as a result. 

Saito: There are scene where we made Stark raise his voice to make the gag stick out, but fundamentally it’s funny because everyone is so worked up. I think what makes the gags funny is that the earnest feeling behind them usually results in unexpected outcomes. 

— But that time in Episode 3 when Fern says “Gulp” out loud was a direction you gave on set, wasn’t it.

Hata: Yeah (laughs). 

Saito: Well, it was sort of a gamble. I didn’t know whether it was fun or not, but I wanted to do it. Frieren [the show t.n.] could have been made in a more realistic way perhaps, but I wanted to make it a work with some breaks in it. I wanted to show the audience a work where you could hear “Gulp” said out loud. 

— I heard that the soundtrack for the first four episodes that aired as the 2 hours special and for some of the other episodes as well, was composed in film scoring [composed while watching the footage t.n.] to match the images on screen.

Hata: That’s right. For the whole first special episode, I had the soundtrack composed in film scoring, and after that, as an extra, I had it done that same way for some other crucial scenes too. As a result, the soundtracks for the final stages of Episode 8, the scene of Himmel’s ring in Episode 14 and the dance scene in Episode 15 were all composed that way (laughs).

Saito: (Laughs). In Episode 8, Frieren, Fern and Stark take action separately, so, in order to reach the climax, I had them composing a pretty long track.

Hata: I asked to arrange it in a way that, when it changes tracks adapting to the scenes and dialogue lines, it would feel like one big flow.

Saito: For Episode 14, we were thinking of making it play along the flashback between Frieren and Himmel, but then I decided to build up the climax from the moment Frieren goes up into the sky, so that’s where the soundtrack starts playing. 

Hata: For the dance scene in Episode 15, I didn’t want a usual ball-like track; I wanted to depict the sense of distance between Fern and Stark. Considering all these subtle and complex adjustments we requested for, (Call) Evan-san was the right person for the job. Even for the initial film scoring, he did a great job of depicting Frieren’s slight change in mood and Fern’s body temperature changing.

— Is there any track composed in film scoring for the “First-Class Mage Exam Arc” as well?

Saito: No. In the second cour the drama has more continuity to it, so instead of using film scoring to make a single episode memorable, I chose to use single tracks in order to convey the flow of the story. 

Hata: In the Exam Arc, a lot of mages make their appearance and battles are more frequent, but that’s not what I wanted to emphasize, in fact, I thought of it in a way not to make it too catchy. Even in the first cour there were some bloody episodes and battles with demons. What I wanted to focus on was the story of Frieren, Fern and Stark’s journey, or that of Frieren becoming more caring of humans. 

— I see. Then, what aspects did you consider when selecting the tracks? 

Hata: The emphasis on following the scenes’ mood and feel might have been a little different from what you see in other works. I think Evan-san’s speciality is writing songs that are able to touch people’s heartstrings, so this time too I asked him to write tracks to fit not what was happening, but rather the emotions and feelings of the scenes. Even from Episode 5 on, I chose the tracks that were in sync with the emotions I felt. and used the same track for the other scenes that made me feel the same way. 

~ Direction techniques not to depict emotions in a tasteless way. ~

— Anime original scenes, like the cut in Episode 1 when Frieren looks at her ring during Himmel’s funeral, or in Episode 14’s when Frieren makes a surprised expression when Himmel kneels, have become hot topics. 

Saito: There are a lot of elements scattered throughout the original work, and all these points are often connected in a line. And in the anime adaptation as well, I wanted to convey the feeling of these points being connected, I wanted to make it so that not only were the episodes enjoyable one by one, but the series as a whole formed one single story. Adding the ring cut in Episode 1 was also meant to hint at the development in Episode 14. 

— This was already brought up in the cast interview, but by paralleling the key visual for the first cour to the cover of the first volume of the original work, I had the impression that making Himmel look towards Frieren in the KV depicted his feelings for her in an even more powerful way.  

Saito: Rather than making it feel more powerful, the idea was to make it more “noticeable”. Personally, I think that anime, unlike manga, is fundamentally more fleeting, it’s a one-shot deal. Unlike manga, that you can read at your own pace and re-read over and over, I believe that with anime, that cannot be watched at one’s own pace, the opportunities to go back and watch it again aren’t that many. That’s why, while making it, I wanted to include things that would catch people’s attention and stick out to them when they watch it. The design of the KV too is one of these things. 

— The sound of the bells when Himmel puts the ring on Frieren in Episode 14 was impactful as well. 

Saito: That was an idea of Episode 14’s episode director and storyboard artist (Shinya) Iino-san. 

— What was the intention behind it?

Saito: It’s just the chime of the city’s time signal, so I think the interpretation is up to the viewer. This is something that Hata-san has mentioned but, there aren’t many words that hint at romantic elements in this work to begin with.

Hata: I noticed this while reading the original work, but the kanji for “love” is never used even once. The same goes for expressions like “I love…” [in a romantic way t.n.]. 

Saito: Just the time they explain that the meaning of the mirrored lotus in the flower language is “eternal love”, and that’s about it. 

Hata: That’s right. Personally, I hope it’s because there’s something planned for the future in relation to that. 

Saito: Therfore, whether or not Himmel has romantic feelings for Frieren is, after all, up to interpretation. For the scene where he gives her the ring, I focused on what was happening rather than the emotional side of it. To expose those feelings in the anime adaptation seemed tasteless.

Hata: The original work isn’t concluded yet, it’s still in the process of building things up. Considering Frieren is the main character, the story may go on many hundreds of years in the future. I believe the contrast between the different perceptions of time of elves and humans too is an interesting aspect of the original work, so, as I was getting involved in this work, I internalized an elf-like perception of time and might have slowed down the tempo a bit in some parts.  

— In a scene in Episode 17, whereas in the original work Stark carries Fern on his shoulders, he carries her in his arms instead, why was it changed that way?

Saito: That was because Stark carries his axe on his back, so… (laughs). 

Hata: (Laughs).

— So, it wasn’t a depiction of Stark’s growth or something like that (laughs). 

Saito: I just thought Stark would do it that way, I didn’t mean to add any particular meaning to it. Well, it’s more gentlemanlike of him to carry her that way, isn’t it (laughs). 

— Also, it’s a minor detail, but I think in the anime, the farewells convey more a feeling of gratitude.

Saito: Like at the end of Episodes 11 and 17, right? I made those scenes focusing on the flow of the emotions, not for the sake of drama. Besides, in Frieren, encounters and farewells with people are something that’s constantly being depicted. I think that in a sense, it’s right, or rather natural, to end things with a farewell. 

— Lastly, a massage to all the readers that are supporting the anime? 

Hata: This work has a lot of static and dynamic parts, and it feels like the words and lines are chosen very carefully. I think that lines that become cues to notice something, or subtle changes in facial expressions, or the drama where, at first glance, nothing seems to be happening, but underneath, the emotions are moving greatly, are the fascinating and appealing aspects of this work. I believe we were able to gain this much support thanks to the viewers carefully paying attention and not overlooking all this.  

Saito: In the original work, you can understand and notice new things as you re-read it, so as the creator of the anime, there are several things I’m really glad I haven’t failed to notice. I was quite nervous that if I was missing something, it would have been some serious trouble (laughs). 

Hata: (Laughs). There are some scenes where the lines can be conveyed properly without necessarily playing a track in the background. Also, another feature of this work is its loose and relaxed portrayal of the passage of time, and I think that too is an aspect people will enjoy. 

Saito: Earlier I mentioned the connections between past and present in this series, and Fern’s growth being one instance of these. Up until now, Frieren has passed many things on to Fern, but the climax shows Fern achieving something by herself. I put effort into it, and hope it will be an emotional ending for those who have watched over Fern since her childhood. I’d be really happy if you payed attention to what Fern has gained as she grew. 

Mobile Suit Gundam Char's Counterattack - Genga (Amuro)

Yoshiyuki Tomino – Interview on Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack

Original interview from the 1988 MOVIC Cinemabook, transcribed from “Char’s Counterattack Complete Collection of Official Records —BEYOND THE TIME—” (2022).

This translation is pretty outdated and may contain some inconsistencies or inaccuracies! It might get a revision sometime in the future…

~ It became a story where I didn’t like Beltorchika to appear in any way, so I chose to leave her out. ~

— “Mobile Suit Gundam” is, as of now, composed of three series; where is this new movie “Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack” placed in relation to the aforementioned shows? 

Of course it’s not unrelated to them. It’s the successor to “Mobile Suit Gundam” and “Mobile Suit Z Gundam”. However, it does not inherit “everything” from them, “Char’s Counterattack” is a story that was constructed step by step. “Not everything” means things like why Beltorchika Irma, a character introduced in Mobile Suit Z Gundam, is not present in Char’s Counterattack. Basically, I can’t say it inherits everything in terms of how the characters were arranged. 

Why doesn’t it? Originally, it should have inherited everything, but when I initially wrote the script that way, it was rejected. If I had more freedom with that, and Beltorchika would have appeared as Amuro’s significant other, the two of them would have ended being married. Basically, if they were married, perhaps they also had lived together for a long while, and at that point the sponsoring company was doubtful that a protagonist like that could have worked in a robot movie. I thought it was a very reasonable doubt. But while I was actually working on the plan and writing the script for “Char’s Counterattack”, I couldn’t think of that much myself. Basically, because I imaged “Char’s Counterattack” to be the sequel to “Z Gundam” which was the sequel to the first “Gundam”, I was sure Beltorichika had to be there. However, when I realized it wasn’t appropriate to make her appear in this movie due to the aforementioned developments, I removed her from the story, and I also made sure not to mention any information about her character. If I still included things like that in the movie, it would have quickly exceeded the 2 hours limit. 

However, that wasn’t the only reason I stopped her from appearing in this movie. 

When I finished writing the first script, I realized there was another major problem: it ended up becoming a story where the human power was so strong that Mobile Suits weren’t needed anymore. This too would have been a critical issue for the affiliated company that kindly sponsored “Char’s Counterattack”. And for me as well, it was something I didn’t like. After all, it is “Gundam” because it has mobile suits, like the Gundam itself. 

Eventually, it became a story where I didn’t like Beltorchika to appear in any way, so I chose to leave her out. 

— It sounds like the result of really hard work.

Nevertheless, on the other hand, it’s also natural to wonder why I had to leave her out of the story for a reason like that. However, to me, a movie should fundamentally be a one-episode self-contained story. You might ask what the previous “Mobile Suit Gundam (I, II, III)” movies are then, but the difference is that they’re the remaking of the tv series. So, if you ask me if it’s ok for movies like that to exist, since I too make them, I’d say it is (laughs). But it’d be a problem if every movie was like that. Also, for me personally, I wouldn’t like people to think that even if, for example, I divided “Char’s Counterattack” in “Part 1” and “Part 2”, it would have still been profitable, and since I was making a movie to be the conclusion to the first “Gundam”, I wanted it to be a one-shot episode no matter what. 

In other words, if I had those claims on my part, and the affiliated company that invested in the project acknowledged them, I instead think that the story I proposed, in which Amuro may be married and the Mobile Suits are not needed, must have been suppressed. This isn’t a give-and-take situation, rather a requirement that must be met in order for the movie to succeed. 

I fully accepted all these things as I was realizing them myself, and I’m glad it turned out to be a lighter movie this way. If Beltorchika made her appearance in order to have more natural-feeling dialogues throughout the movie, it would have been a little different from the kind of movies you simply watch and enjoy, it would have been something more true-to-life. However, there are two editors currently publishing the novel versions of “Char’s Counterattack”, and I know that there already are a lot of opinions that the version of the story in the novels, where Beltorchika is present, is better. I think it’s a good thing. Now you might ask why I didn’t forcedly do it then, and that is because if I did, “Gundam” as a product wouldn’t have been able to go on. It’s not just for practical reasons like investors not putting their money in it; if I possessed the power to do that myself, and actually made that happen, I would have become unable to write anything about Mobile Suits at all after that. If you’re wondering whether a story that denies the role of Mobile Suits would still be good or not, after all, the answer is no. Basically, what needed to be included in the novel adaptation was the first version of the script I wrote. 

After all, a movie should not be made solely based on the ideas from a single staff member. For a movie, first you have to think of the audience, then come the investors and the director. Then many more people need to be involved, like animators, art directors, voice actors, and the people who took the recordings. If it was to be based on the preferences of only one person, then creating a movie wouldn’t need to involve that many people. But even so, ultimately, a movie is still influenced by its director’s intentions, so it can be said that it does belong to the director. The work of balancing these aspects is what makes a move so interesting. 

— You’re saying it’s the result of the intentions of many people, but it must also be the result of one single person’s will. 

There’s often debate about whether it’s right for directors to convey their egos into their movies or not, but the answer is no. If you look at successful movies, they’re made with the collective effort not to let individual egos shine. Those movies feel like actual movies because they’re made oppressing the director’s ego and accepting many different opinions. It’s when movies are made that way that I think they’re successful, and I believe “Char’s Counterattack” is like that too. At least, I believe it didn’t turn out to be that kind of heavy and painful works that just conveyed their director’s ideas. 

That’s why, in my case, I can only say that I couldn’t think of “Char’s Counterattack” as something to watch after the previous tv series, but I could only create it as a one-shot story that just inherited something from them. It’s not something to compare to the tv series, and at the same time it does not have incongruences with everything that has happened until now. It’s the only result of all these things. 

— New characters, like Quess Paraya, made their appearance in “Char’s Counterattack”, can you say something about them?

After deciding Beltorchika wouldn’t have appeared in the movie, I thought it was necessary to add something to spice up the film, and after all, a female character to shoulder the protagonist was what was needed, that’s why I made Chan Agi to be Amuro’s partner. 

Also, since “Char’s Counterattack” is the story between Amuro and Char, the characters are arranged in a very particular way so that they’re not simply divided into enemies and allies. In order to achieve that, when I was thinking of Char and the antagonist-side, I thought a character to form a connection between the two sides was necessary. When I was thinking of that character’s disposition, I couldn’t think of anything different than someone like Quess Paraya. So I made her a supporting character, so that even though the parties are divided into allies and enemies, there’s a connection between them. For that reason, if Beltorchika was to appear in the movie, she would have ended up covering the roles of both Chan and Quess by herself. Under such circumstances, a new character had to be introduced. And what I came up with after that was “Char’s Counterattack”.

— Besides Beltorchika, what about the other characters from the previous “Gundam” and “Z Gundam” that didn’t make an appearance?

While making “Char’s Counterattack” I didn’t think at all of the other characters. As for why I didn’t consider other parts, this is also my personal opinion but, movies should have a good pacing, and if I had to expand on other parts as well, the pacing would have gotten worse, and on top of that, considering I knew for certain that drawings and animation wouldn’t have been completed in time, I removed most if not all of the parts that felt superfluous.  

Well, the running time of the movie was exactly as I planned. The cuts that got removed were about 300, all originally prepared because they were necessary to explain things like the human relationships between characters in the movie, there was no element [that got removed] other than that.

~ I believe that if they work hard and get their job done, and gain experience from that, truly amazing animation can be produced. ~

— What do you think about the production staff? 

The fact that there are seven animation directors who worked together is clear to anyone who watches the movie. As for why there were seven of them, it’s simply because no animation director alone was able to do as good as Yoshikazu Yasuhiko did with “Gundam”. At the same time, creating something like “Gundam” after Yasuhiko, would require a tremendous amount of strength. The reason for this is that “Gundam” has a certain volume to it. Expecting people who are barely 25 years old to be able to handle that kind of work would be a pretty cruel thing. As the production process continued, what made an impression on me was that especially in the first four months, to put it bluntly, not a single cut was completed. Supposing things were going smoothly, over these four months I believe even the after recording and dubbing processes would have been completed to a good extent. 

As for why it ended up like this, there are many other reasons. Anyways, regarding only the “Gundam” part, it had a “certain volume” to it, meaning it was pretty demanding work, and because of that the staff must have been nervous and even if they tried their best, they couldn’t make it. That one cut took a lot of time and even when it was finished, the end result wasn’t really great. 

In short, the desire to work harder made them waste more time. It’s the same thing I said earlier, when I wrote a version of the story in which Beltorchika appeared as the first script. I wanted to do my best and I had to, so I ended up writing a story in which Amuro had become like an old man, all to be told in the end that that kind of thing couldn’t have worked in the movie; in this exact same way, everyone was burdened with that cut and couldn’t move on at all. In other words, this proves that wanting to do your best only by yourself will never bring good results.

If that wasn’t the case then, someone experienced like me should have seen this situation coming and prevented it, and I deeply regret I didn’t. As a result, I felt that young people were put under undue pressure. I am sorry for what happened. When I saw all those young staff members of today being stuck trying to do their best, I thought they must have been all very nervous. However, feeling this nervousness when doing business is extremely troublesome. It becomes a negative factor. All this nervousness creates is a loss in terms of time and money, and these inconveniences end up affecting even other aspects like the post-recording and dubbing, creating even more inconveniences to other people. My message to all staff members is to try to maintain a good balance in this regard. 

And also, when it comes to work, it is also a problem to take things too seriously. In other words, I think that all the staff needs to be trained in order to become able to skillfully handle this middle-of-the-road aspects, and if they got trained like that, most of the staff members that worked on “Char’s Counterattack” would become able to effectively utilize their skills in the field to complete their works. There are some exceptional individuals, but most people already possess really good skills and understanding of the fundamentals of animation. I believe that if they work on two or three more projects like this one, and gain more experience, truly amazing animation can be produced here in Tokyo. This isn’t just cheap flattery. That’s why I want them to take real care of the power they have right now. 

— Moving on to another topic, did you as the Director draw designs or rough sketches for this project? 

No, I don’t do that kind of work anymore. That’s because it’s no longer at a level an amateur can handle, so I don’t get my hands on it anymore. However, as I said earlier when we were talking about the staff, the main trouble was that, although the skill level of each individual has improved greatly, unfortunately, they neglected the more fundamental issues and focused only on the less relevant and smaller details. That’s no good. Because of that, they had hard times especially with the mechanical design. To the point they felt genuinely angry. 

I recognize that the animation, or rather, the drawings that form the animation are really good. But the essential thing is that this is animation, you don’t have to draw with an illustration-level finish. That’s not animation, that’s illustration. You can’t make drawings like that move. That’s why they’d come to a point where almost no one could think of the action lines for the animation. Moreover, even if you know how to depict the movements that have been popular in tv animation for the past two to three years now, that’s not animation. There are a lot of people who, in order to learn just that technique, have forgotten how to do ordinary animation. 

Even when it comes to mechanical design, I know they’re supposed to draw mobile suits and mechs with a new and fresh feel to them, but when I look at the designs, I feel I’ve already seen them somewhere before. The details on the exterior are drawn in a cool and meticulous way, but in the end if you remove everything on the surface, it’s just the copy of another character. That’s why I want people to understand not to let details fool them, and that a design detailed like an illustration can’t be made to move around in animation. 

The end result is that the animation of the last few years, especially the one that comes out of the world of video editing software, all looks the same. It’s not an independent work. 

However, I’m not doing any design work myself. It’s all done by the individual designers. Anyways, because we had to spend so much time just to get to that point, the finish ended up being a bit sluggish, and the fact that it wasn’t really an independent work was painful.

— Going back once more to the work itself, it looks like “Char’s Counterattack” brings a breakpoint in “Gundam”, did you feel something in this regard?

Unfortunately, after finishing editing this film, I realized I didn’t really hit a breakpoint with it, so I don’t have that kind of feelings about it. To be honest, now that the prologue is finally over, I’m just looking forward for “Gundam” to start all over again. 

I’ve come to the realization that I myself have been living inside of “Gundam”. 

— What do you want people to see in “Char’s Counterattack”?

The reason I made this movie is that I wanted the audience to see it and I had something to tell them through it, so all I can say is please watch it. And whether they like it or not, it’s not just the audience’s business. As the creator, I can only ask “I made the work this way, what do you think?”. If it was just to say “I made the work this way, so please understand it”, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to make a whole movie, I would have just written a publication or a novel, and a pamphlet with dozens of pages explaining what I meant to write in the movie. But if I did that, there would have been no reason to make the movie at all, and if there’s no movie, there’s no pamphlet either, so that would have been a contradiction (laughs). 

Also, those who have already watched “Char’s Counterattack” will understand, but I really don’t know whether the things I did in the movie, like withdrawing Beltorchika or the last scene with Amuro and Char, are good or bad. I’m not saying I just summed it up and made it that way. The screening time was limited to at most two hours. If I wanted to add more details, it would have exceeded that time limit. It might have been possible to create a great work even exceeding the time limit, but I didn’t have the self confidence to do so. 

Anyways, it’s not related to the main body of the work, but there’s something on a technical extent I would like people to notice. My approach in direction for this movie was to make it look like a regular animation movie. I can say with total certainty that there’s no basis to say this is a just regular movie, however, I thought this kind of baseline would have worked, so I made “Char’s Counterattack” this way. This type of technical attention, like how the drawings are connected to each other, should be reflected on the screen. 

If possible, it would really be educational if, instead of thinking “why does it look like this?”, you thought “what did the director do to make it look like this?” and tried to figure out the answer. However, this is something highly technical that cannot be really put into words. Even if I explained it, it would be really hard to understand, instead I would really like you to learn it by looking with your own eyes. If, while watching “Char’s Counterattack”, you felt something was strange, like how it looked or didn’t look like a regular movie, that’s what I’m talking about. Also, if you wondered how the story of the movie seemed to fly by so quickly, if you pay special attention to it, you will understand how to connect the moving drawings together [to make it feel so quick T.N.]. When you’ll have the chance to make a movie in the future, that will become some very remarkable knowledge to have. 

~ If I were offered to make a live action robot movie, I would want to create a work that doesn’t let the animation say anything. ~

— Except for your own works, what kind of other works do you like?

Speaking of movies, I don’t like them to a point I can actually say “I like it”. However, if it’s just a matter of preference, I would say I like the black-and-white version of “King Kong” that was produced in the United States in 1933.

— Did “King Kong” have any influence on you as a movie creator?

I wouldn’t say so. And that’s because it’s a movie with a low degree of perfection. However, I like it because it conveys something that makes me feel like saying “I love King Kong”. I guess that’s what movies are all about, that feeling of having fun. Also it’s because I think the stupidity of the people who created such movies, still in black and white, at the time when talkies (vocal films) began to spread before World War II, might be the true spirit that animates filmmakers at their core. 

Accordingly, that’s why I really hate the color version of “King Kong” that was shot on 70mm film. As for why that is, [in the b&w 1933’s version] their true intentions were unusually apparent and the unhinged nature was on full display, if it were me I would think that was great, and their attitude towards their work was totally positive. In other words, now that color film has become commonplace and anyone with the right financial backing can set up such a large location, arrange a 70m camera and do it, I can’t stand hearing the staff from that movie saying that was the real “King Kong”. 

— Is there a recent movie that caught your attention?

I told you, I don’t really like movies, so I think that last year (1987) I haven’t watched a single one…

Oh, I forgot to mention, when it comes to movies, horrors are absolutely a no go for me.

— Is that because they don’t personally suit your personality? 

Rather than not suiting my likings, I just can’t bear them. So when I accidentally went to watch “Alien”, I was so scared that I closed my eyes for about an hour (laughs). I’m just that kind of person (laughs).

— There’s quite the difference in genre between “Alien” and “Alien 2”, the latter being more of an action movie. What’s your opinion on “Alien 2”? 

“Alien 2” is kind of a stupid movie (laughs). At least I’m glad it wasn’t that scary. The first one was really scary… I want to whack whoever makes it air on tv. Don’t you think? But when it’s broadcast on TV, it’s not that scary. Isn’t that callous approach the same as the callousness of the color version of “King Kong”? 

Anyways, I really don’t watch many movies. Of course I do have interest in the ones I work on and I’m glad if they do well, but generally I hate even my own films. That’s because if I end up liking my own movie and get absorbed into it, I always have the fear somewhere in my heart that I won’t be able to come up with the next one. 

And yet, when I watched “Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space” about four or five years after its release, I was moved (laughs). “There really are people who can make such great movies out here, that’s remarkable”, I thought (laughs). Basically it’s because I hate them for a while, that somehow I don’t see them as my own work. In that sense, I am a relentlessly forgetful person (laughs). 

— Lately, “RoboCop” has been a hot topic when it comes to movies, it’s a shame that robots, a speciality of animation, has been stolen by live action movies, don’t you think? 

I knew this was going to happen three or four years ago already. I’m angry at myself for not making “Live Gundam”. Perhaps if the talks for “Live Gundam” had been concluded well, it could have been released around fall of last year.

— Do you think animated robots can break out of the current difficult situation?

No, they cannot. There’s no clear reason why. But it’s definitely the case. For example, if I were offered to do a live action robot movie, I would want to do it. If that happens, I would like to create a work that doesn’t let the animation say anything. I think I’ll have that kind of opportunity sometime before I die (laughs). 

There’s a part of me that foolishly believes that. It’s also true that I would like to believe that even right now, from a practical standpoint. I would like to think about what the mechs would be like in such situations. Maybe not right now that “Char’s Counterattack” just got released, but when summer comes I would love to forget about my current job and think more about that. Maybe this joke will turn out to be true in the future (laughs). Even though I don’t know how far in the future it may be, since I believe it, I’m already starting to make plans. 

In that sense, if the staff who helped with “Char’s Counterattack” works on several other animation products over the course of, say, three years from now, and doing so also learns the skills to create real animation, and becomes able to make a real movie, then, when that time comes, it’d may be possible to create an [animated] movie that can silence the live action robots produced by Hollywood. 

Actually, I do believe that’s possible. In fact, I would love to make an animated movie that even makes people want to see a live action adaptation of such a movie instead. And this means that if you don’t believe in this like the joke I talked about earlier, you have to seriously plan a route to this end. If you just have a vague idea to do something, you’ll get nowhere. I believe it can be done. 

— After all, if you don’t start thinking about it, it’s not fun. 

It’s not that it’s not fun, it’s that you won’t be able to take it seriously unless you think about it. It is because we believe in this that we are able to create things.

~ If Char was really a lolicon, he would have teased Mineva and it would have been a rotten story. So, let’s assume he forgot about her. ~

— Let me change the topic back to “Char’s Counterattack”; I would like to hear something about the voice actors.

Well, I had no freedom in that regard anyway. I mean, some of the voice actors were already an obligatory choice, right? A lot of them, actually. As a filmmaker, when creating a new movie I want to refresh things a bit. And first of all, there were a lot of characters that appealed to me in that sense. On top of that, to select the voices for the new characters, I had to listen to about 80 audition tapes, but I had the impression that the new aspiring voice actors sound all the same, they all act the same way. But for this movie, we had no choice but to use this kind of cast. It really bothers me from the bottom of my heart. 

However, this does not mean there is something wrong with the people who performed in “Char’s Counterattack”. On the contrary, there isn’t anything wrong at all with the people who played the roles. What I’m trying to say is that new options have become so narrow. Also, I would have loved to work with a young, fit-looking girl (laughs). However, I couldn’t abuse my authority to that extent (laughs). In other words, the pool of voice actors has become narrower. It’s the same thing I talked about before regarding the animators. Well, it made me realize that the nature of various things has become narrower nowadays, and also that we need to create a world where we can work with people with different tastes and characteristics. Compared to about 4 years ago, it seems like there are fewer options, and it really came in as a surprise to me. 

After all, the cause of this are the new tendencies like to have a predetermined image of what animation is, or for production companies to bring in cute girls, and I would want this to stop immediately. I would like to say that animation is not a place as narrow as this. Anyways, this is not a problem for the individual voice actors to solve, but for the animation industry as a whole.

— It’s similar to the idol singers being all the same type of cute girls, isn’t it? 

Yes, it’s exactly the same. Whether they’re good singers or not is a problem that comes after. This kind of thing depend on the horizons and personal fondness of the people at the top who select these girls.

— For this movie, the dubbing process lasted for three whole days, right? 

If you ask me, three days were not enough. But there are many practical issues regarding budgets and guarantees in the Japanese television and animation industry, so we could not ask for any more than that. That’s the current state of things, and I hate it. However, I also think I understand that everyone else too isn’t working under ideal conditions.

— Not to ask about the parts of the story that weren’t depicted this time, but I’m really curious as to why Mineva Lao Zabi wasn’t there alongside Char. She would be already 14 years old, so she should be old enough to express her thoughts on her own now, right? 

Well, about that. I didn’t make her appear because of my personal preference, so I didn’t mention anything about her. If I did that, it would have ended up becoming the story of Char and Mineva. And that’s an entirely different story. If Amuro were to interfere in such a story, it would have only become more complicated. It would have ended up in a similar fashion as that feeling of intricacy and confusion when Haman Karn appeared in “Z Gundam”. So I instinctively avoided writing a story like that. 

So then, in response to the question of what kind of relationship is there between Char and Mineva in “Char’s Counterattack”, ultimately, Char solved his issues with the Zabi family, so even making him kill Mineva wouldn’t have made sense as any kind of vengeance story at all, so think that he just let her be or forgot about her. Otherwise, the story would have easily focused on how tragic of a character Mineva is, and I didn’t want to dive into that kind of thing. 

It’s briefly mentioned in the movie, but if Char really is a lolicon, for better or worse, he would teased Mineva. She would have been harassed and tormented, or even molested. But either way, it would have been a torture for her. I personally don’t like stories like that. This kind of desire to portray the inherently sadistic side of humans doesn’t really suit robot stories. So, let’s assume that Char forgot about her. Otherwise, it would be a rotten story…

Obviously, I completely understand your interest to know about the story of the two of them. Maybe it’s because “Char’s Counterattack” has finally left my mind, but the truth is that I could create another story about both Mineva and Char. 

— Mineva too is a character with a considerable weight in the story, isn’t she?

For this very reason, isn’t it okay for at least one little girl to be forgotten for once? In Beltorchika’s case, I had plans for her but then withdrew them, so it’s fine. I guess it’s because this aspect of choosing which character to pick up is an inherent trait of “Gundam” as a work. That’s why I think I shouldn’t always use every single character. I feel like if I did everything too methodically, it would become an unhealthy practice. I think I’ll definitely include Mineva in the extra edition and deal with her… no, I won’t (laughs). 

Anyways, if I were to deal with her, I would probably do it with an adult Mineva. Otherwise it’ll end up naughty and I’ll feel bad, so I’d wait for her to come of age and not be a child anymore. Once you become an adult, it’s okay for you to decide things by yourself. Now that I have this idea in my mind, I’ll use it for the next “Gundam”… (laughs).

~ Even if Amuro and Char died in “Char’s Counterattack”, their existence will never disappear. ~

— Well then, lastly, I wanted to ask about Amuro and Char in “Char’s Counterattack”, which of these two characters do you personally prefer?

Well… as their creator, I shouldn’t answer that; I know them both very well. Anyways, Amuro is an ordinary character, while Char is more like a recipient for the desires and ambitions of many people. However, everyone knows that to become something like Char is highly dangerous, so I have the feeling that if I have to choose which one I prefer, Amuro would be my choice. Also, Char as a person is what I tried to become myself, and since I couldn’t, sometimes I feel like I can’t stand that bastard. This is just a comparison between the two, but I really cannot say which one of them I like the most in my heart. 

However, as a deep emotion I feel towards both of them, I do feel both Amuro and Char did a great job until now. I also think there is some problem with the meaning of “Counterattack” in this movie. 

— I believe that at their core, their personality is the same for both of them. Did you make them with this in mind? 

If that’s what you feel, there’s nothing I, as the creator, can say. But it’s not like I made them with that intent in mind.

— There have been moments when I figured it wouldn’t be strange if the two of them were swapped. 

I see, I too totally understand that. That’s why Amuro and Char should be able to become good friends. Yet, people with the same “character” can never become one. Especially in a community, whether it’s a nation or a company, only one person can stand at the top. The remaining people have no choice but to become their assistants or subordinates. But Amuro and Char are both men who stand at the top. And that’s exactly why they can’t exist simultaneously. To make that possible, it would take the world to change. 

Ultimately, “Gundam” is a war story because mobile suits are there; if I were to depict only Amuro and Char in a different way than the others, it would no longer need to be a war drama. That’s right, “Gundam” has created a world that led to characters like those two to appear, in other words, it gave life to characters whose personality even I cannot change. In that sense too, it was impossible for me to deliberately mess with them.

— It often happens that characters become independent from their creator. 

Yeah, it’s like that. It’s not as easy as it sounds on the surface, but it’s definitely as you said. They exist as humans with actual personalities. That’s why even if Amuro and Char died in “Char’s Counterattack”, their existence will never disappear.

— Thank you for your time.