– Did you have a target audience? Like people of the same generation as the characters, or maybe adults who would feel nostalgic watching them?

Minami: Both. I want the children of today to enjoy it, and I also want the adults with money to enjoy it as well so that they would feel it was worth buying. And also, as we included the perspective of both Kotarou and Akane, it would be nice to get fans of both genders. Furthermore, if men in their thirties think “Akane’s so cute”, then at the same time I also want them to think “Kotarou’s so cute”. I also want women to think Akane’s cute. In fact, I also think Kotarou’s cute (laughs).

Kishi: Oh, he’s pretty much like a nephew (laughs).

Minami: I’d really like to hear what younger people really think of this anime.

Kishi: From what I’ve heard, middle schoolers are responding. It’s a really good thing, isn’t it? We were trying to depict adolescence in real time, so that means that for them, it’s like they’re looking at themselves through a mirror. I’m sure you’ll understand if you remember yourself back then, but even if you’re shown yourself in an objective manner, you can’t quite accept it. If they managed to identify with the show despite that, it means that it affected them enough to overcome that rejection. So in other words maybe this work has managed to be entertaining in one form or another, so I’m very grateful.

– You can also through the picture feel how amazing the animators were depicting the two. In creating this, what areas were difficult?

Kishi: First at the stage of storyboarding, I ask for there to be no instances of the typical anime style. In other words, I wanted to very normally follow the emotions of the cast and keep the camera properly fixed on the main couple. Some of the layouts were done in 3DCG, and for some we were using photos pretty much just as they were, taken by myself and the assistant director. The very real-sounding conversations from the prescoring also went on. When I’d receive this, I would edit the storyboards by adding movements to fit in with the conversations. The main objective of this animation was to align it with more realistic pictures and sound, so though I might not be using the right words, in this way I think there wasn’t much freedom for the animators. But the main aim of this of work was to properly show how middle schoolers lived and how their romance unfolded, so in this way, I don’t think we strayed from the focus of the anime. The feeling produced by it being an anime was very much there and so it would be nice if that feeling of the picture being of high quality was a result of all this.

– Was there any room for animators to add in their own ideas?

Kishi: Of course. If the acting was done for a longer time than expected, it’s up to the animator how to express this in the characters. So for this I ask them to show their ability and do their best. With everyone trying their best, by looking at the picture you’d realise that it has been made properly and well.

– Lines varied in strength creating a sense of warmth in the anime, but was this also done when processing the image?

Kishi: Yes. We wanted some warmth from the picture, so we asked them for incredibly analogue lines that showed some variation. The painting is done while processing the picture, but we had a slight watercolor-like treatment added to make the picture more soft. On top of this, as we are writing a drama on adolescence, we decided to set up the picture in a relatively brighter way, so keeping the picture more fresh through all the episodes. With this, I think it has become a very consistent film.

– I also think a big reason for this warmth are the designs provided by the original character designer loundraw-san.

Minami: Actually we did have another candidate other than loundraw-san. Their designs were, so to speak, more anime-like.

Kishi: At the time, I was thinking of going with designs that would be easier to animate. The size and body of loundraw-san’s designs are very lifelike, you see. In other words, if we were to choose these designs there would be no escape in respect to the animation. We would be entering a situation where it would not hold up unless we thoroughly drew their daily life. …….so that’s now our current situation (laughs).

Minami: The final nail in the coffin were your easygoing words “But this one looks better doesn’t it?” (laughs).

– Did character designer Kazuaki Morita have any trouble adapting the designs for anime use?

Kishi: Even if so he’s, as expected, incredibly skilled. He produced something of such quality in one shot. He made something that takes full advantage of loundraw’s designs, whilst taking into account that they will be moving in an animation. All that was left was the fine tuning. In this sense, the designs had no faults.

Minami: This time we made the anime by deciding on the designs and methodology beforehand.

Kishi: If we didn’t do this we wouldn’t have been able to achieve that same feeling, and it wouldn’t have held up. The bar is set incredibly high. The other day, a veteran director who rarely ever compliments people said “People say that it’s like a live-action. But it’s because this is an anime that you can be moved in this way. In this sense it’s very much suited to anime. This is the real thing”. I was very happy.

Minami: Yeah, that was very moving.

Kishi: Certainly the bar is set ridiculously high, but along the same line, maybe it was a work more suited to anime. This is something I think whilst making this anime.

– Now the story has passed the middle point, there are only 5 episodes left.

Kishi: As the story continues, I feel that I’m at the point where I’m beginning to fully understand what sort of a work it is. And then this flow continues. For the middle schoolers concerned it may feel like a causal and uneventful sort of thing, but I want to show that everyday life can be this dramatic. The world is narrow and options are very limited. Within this I want them to watch the choices Kotarou and Akane decide to make, and how their romance unfolds. And the older you are, I hope you will be able to watch it with your heart beating quickly. Saying “ahhh~” whilst holding your head in agony is the right way to watch it (laughs). For those who have missed it, please watch the recap or the episodes, and if you could enjoy the second half I’d be very glad.

Source: https://akiba-souken.com/article/30166/?page=3

Image: https://tsukigakirei.jp/goods/blu-ray/