This next translation is of an interview by Chika Umino and Akiyuki Shinbo on the anime adaptation of ‘March comes in like a Lion’. This is a very long interview consisting of 14 parts, so will take some time to translate in full. I will try to put out 2~3 parts per week. Translation of this piece was more difficult so please be aware of any possible inaccuracies. This first part isn’t too informative but later parts will, I hope be more interesting.

– Before the announcement, Shaft, Shinbo, Aniplex, Umino and ourselves, Hakusensha – who work on the side of the original work – had already started the scenario meeting. Production of the work had already been progressing, when on the 7th January it was announced. Can you please tell me how you are feeling at the moment?

Shinbo – I’m sure I shouldn’t be saying this, but I’m curious of the reaction to the announcement (laughs). But I shouldn’t really be saying this, right?

Umino – But, I think it might be interesting if you said so.

Shinbo – Well anyway, I wonder whether we will be good enough (laughs)

– Starting very modestly, aren’t we?

Shinbo – Just my honest thoughts, you see (laughs)

Umino – I also really raised the bar with my comment for the announcement (laughs).¹

(The comment in question: I really, really loved Shinbo-san’s² Bakemonogatari, Madoka Magika, Arakawa under the Bridge and Zetsubou Sensei, so I thought “I want it done by Shinbo-kantoku and Shaft!”. If this dream can’t be granted then it doesn’t need to be adapted… I am very happy! I would like to do my best in supporting and helping the anime adaptation!)

– It was certainly a comment with a lot of impact.

Umino – But with that, I was worried that I may have driven the staff at Shaft into a corner (laughs). I thought that Shinbo-san or Shaft may be troubled by my comment instead.

– Receiving such a message from the writer of the original work provided great encouragement, so the staff at Shaft were very happy.

Umino – Now that it has been announced, I wonder what everyone is saying about it. If people are saying scary things about it, I plan to post an illustration on twitter. It will be of me becoming the elder of the Mani tribe from Nausicaa’s second volume and saying “Go my friend!” (laughs).

– Though we’re just talking, I expect that illustration to go up if that is the case (laughs). Shinbo-kantoku, what did you think of the comment?

Shinbo – No, I thought it was amazing.

Umino – It was all stated clearly.

Shinbo – Of course, the staff for ‘Arakawa under the Bridge’ will also be working on ‘March comes in like a Lion’.

Umino – I thought the art for the ending for ‘Arakawa’ was very sweet. It was less like an anime, and more of a rough sketch. I thought that that sort of thing was very sweet. It really felt like a modern girl’s illustration. Suneohair-san’s music was also very good.

– Shinbo-kantoku, you said that you were curious of the reaction to the announcement, but why is this?

Shinbo – I thought we might again be criticised for this (laughs)

Umino – If you are criticised for this, I’ll write a 4-koma manga to convince them (laughs)

– But then we might get people who criticise it because they wanted to see the adaptation (laughs).

Umino – That’s not an option (laughs), we must say beforehand that people mustn’t do that…!!

Shinbo – But, receiving such a reaction, was it really all right for us to adapt the work? It’s a possibility isn’t it (laughs)?

Umino – No, but, I was really thinking that (if not for Shaft or Shinbo) it didn’t need to be adapted into an anime. I already had ‘Honey and Clover’ made into an anime – which was very nicely done – and was thinking of living on with just this memory (laughs)

Notes

1. After this she says ガッシャン！って。Perhaps she’s describing the sound of ‘raising the bar’ as a joke, but I’m really not sure so it was left out of the translation.

Source: http://3lion-anime.com/special/interview/vol01/?p=3

Image: http://3lion-anime.com/special/endcard/