AG-ON Premium, a Japanese web portal for pop culture news including anime, video games, and voice actor-related information, will open on March 17. To drum up anticipation for the website's launch, it has released a preview: the first part of a video discussion between Yoshiyuki Tomino, creator of the Mobile Suit Gundam series, and Sunao Katabuchi, director of In This Corner of the World.

Tomino had expressed interest in speaking with Katabuchi because he loved his film, which was adapted from a 2007 manga.

The first time I saw it there was standing room only in the theater, and I thought [it was burdensome] to stand for more than two hours at my age...... but I didn't feel any pain. It's a heartbreaking but well-done movie. Heck, it really makes me feel jealous [laughs]. It's something I thought I'd like to make.

Tomino thinks Katabuchi's style was "normal" but felt "very happy" that it was made that way. Katabuchi appreciated Tomino's praise, but said his producer told him that "many others" were interested in adapting the manga and Katabuchi came to feel that he didn't want to let them do it.



Tomino and Katabuchi with the program's hosts, Masayuki Wada (left) and Yuki Nagaku (right)

Katabuchi also elaborates on the film itself. He explains that Suzu, the protagonist, comes to feel as if she's fighting the war due to being backed into a corner.

What's wrong with war? Those who were ordinary citizens only yesterday are conscripted into the army. That means people commit crimes they wouldn't have dared to before, and even if they're not crimes, they're burdened with a sense of guilt. In the end, Suzu comes to feel that she is fighting too.

When Tomino asks Katabuchi why he didn't animate the kimono digitally, Katabuchi says that his crew didn't have the money or the time to learn how. Tomino was also impressed with the film's depiction of incendiary bombs, which he thought improved on Grave of the Fireflies. Katabuchi goes on to describe how bombs crashed through roofs and set houses on fire from the inside, while their jellied petroleum stuck to clothing and made the fires hard to extinguish.



Katabuchi imitates Suzu's expression.

If you're interested in watching, the discussion is viewable here (log-in required) until August 20. The second part will be posted on March 10.

Tomino has a reputation for being outspoken and blunt by Japanese standards; he's also shared his views on The Wind Rises and Attack on Titan. Neon Genesis Evangelion director Hideaki Anno also expressed his views on In This Corner of the World, but... well, he wasn't quite as nice as Tomino.

Sources: Anime! Anime!: Kōtarō Nakase and Rensai.jp: Eiwa Ishijima; Images from Netlab Enter