– It was your first time working with character designer Masayoshi Tanaka wasn’t it?

Yes. J.C. Staff were able to assemble some excellent staff, and so this was the first time I met Tanaka-san. I was very grateful.

– The designs are very faithful to the original work, aren’t they?

Yes. Speaking honestly, I thought there was no option but to be faithful to the original designs. For example, if the original work was 10, 20 years old then I would think that it would be possible to arrange the designs to look more modern, but with a work that is still running, I basically just want to stay close to the original designs. This is the case not just with ‘Joshiraku’, but with other works as well.

– The SD characters dancing in the ending are very cute. Was this based on the ideas of animation director Ryoichi Oki-san?

SD deformations also appear in the original work, you see. I got Oki-san to base the ending on these.

– With the energetic sakuga, it’s very fun isn’t it?

It did take a lot frames (laughs). At first we didn’t have a schedule so we were planning to just go with a still image.

– What, really?

But the music prepared for the ending (Momokuro Tei Ichimon ‘Nippon Egao Hyakkei’) was so energetic that we couldn’t really make the ending a still image. I asked J.C. “Sorry! Please let us do a bit of work on this”, and so it became something like this. Of course there was the retort that “it’s not just a bit” (laughs). It took more frames than the opening.

– The opening is very orthodox isn’t it?

As I have said already, this was because the main premise this time was to ‘show girls in a cute manner’. The opening was made by Masami Shimoda-san. I thought it was good it wasn’t me that made it (laughs).

– Why is that?

When I do it myself, I think I tend to run away and rely on jokes. I wanted none of this, and had an opening made where the ‘cuteness’ of the girls wasn’t upset. I thought it was very good.

– Is it a challenge for you to single-mindedly depict girls cutely?

I’ve done it a few times, but they haven’t gone very well (wry smile). Well, I don’t want it to be about the challenge and such but rather I want to be able to draw girls cutely in a more natural manner. I was thinking that if I couldn’t do this then I might stop receiving jobs.

– Other directors might say things like “this isn’t a moe anime but an adolescent drama!” or “this is a broad work with an ensemble cast”, so it’s very refreshing to hear clearly from a director that “this is a moe anime!”.

Oh no, I think other people just have more confidence in ‘moe’. Me talking about it so earnestly maybe suggests I don’t have that much confidence.

– (laughs)

Even in the scenario meetings, we end up using smaller jokes. This time we can include jokes related to anime as well; it’s quite fun so it ends up getting bigger and bigger until we wake up and come to our senses again, saying “no, not like this”. That’s why I’m always telling myself not to spoil the cuteness in the anime.

– From the viewer’s point of view, I think there are many expecting the jokes to become more and more surreal.

I wonder. Are people expecting something like that… I don’t feel that myself. In regard to the jokes people will just irresponsibly say “do more, do more”. But I’m not going to fall for that one (laughs). In reality, it’s me that gets the blame for it all.

– Series composition was handled by Michiko Yokote-san who has been acquainted with your works for a long time. The scenario of episodes 1~3 was done by Yokote-san, then episode 4 was done by Reiko Yoshida-san.

Yes. Then episode 5 was again done by Yokote-san.

– Will this rotation between the two continue?

Yes. In the second half, I will be writing just one episode. The post scoring that was being done just now was from my script.

– Oh right. I had a little look at the B part, but the characters were going to quite the place (laughs).

With the area it’s set in, speaking of important places, it has to be there.

– Does the writing of the B part happen smoothly each time?

Yes, the scenario meetings never take too much time and progresses smoothly.

– When making the anime, what have you found more enjoyable or worthwhile?

At the moment I just don’t have enough leeway to find it enjoyable (wry smile). Though finding that the cuteness of the characters has been retained when doing a rush check does make me happy, thinking “Oh good, they’re still cute!”. Otherwise I can only find enjoyment out of small things like “The goods have arrived!”, or “I haven’t been asked to do retakes!”.

– (laughs). Does the post scoring take some time?

Ah, well the recording time is getting shorter and shorter. It’s a work that has a lot of dialogue so it did take some time to record episodes 1~3, but it is getting shorter. Everyone is adept and is excellent in their flexibility.

– It’s definitely a work that depends completely on dialogue to get by.

There are no breaks at all, so it must be a lot of work. Once the cut changes, it moves straight into dialogue, you see.

– Master Shinpei Hayashiya was credited as a supervisor, but in what way was he involved in the production?

We visited Master Shinpei at Suehiro Tei and asked about the ins and outs of rakugo. We were taught very much at a beginners level like how the opening act doesn’t wear a haori, or in rakugo the words “that’s all from me, and now the next speaker” aren’t normally used. We were taught about these more fundamental aspects of rakugo.

– Ah, that’s right. They usually just end with the punchline and bow rather than saying “now the next speaker”.

That’s apparently something used when the next person is still busy getting ready. So after they confirm the person is ready, they then say “now the next speaker” and leave the stage.

– I see. So though it’s not a genuine rakugo anime, you’re still making it whilst staying faithful to the more basic principles of rakugo.

Well, it’s not faithful 100% of the time, so I’m sure that someone very knowledgeable in rakugo can point many things out. I just wanted to capture the basic principles of rakugo.

– Did you do some location hunting at Suehiro Tei?

Yes. I learned a lot; they even showed us the place where they get on stage from the dressing room.

– You show the backstage in episode 1, don’t you?

That is something that had been faithfully reproduced in the anime from a video we took whilst location hunting. But the phrase used as a gesture of politeness “pardon me for studying first” is a bit different. You’re actually meant to thank them whilst getting on your knees, but I cut this bit out.

– Right, as we approach the end of the interview I would like to ask, are there any future developments in the show you are particularly excited for?

We have reached the middle point of the series, but the lazy feeling in the anime will be continuing to the end. No ups or downs at all (laughs). I’d be happy if you could enjoy this lazy feeling to the end.

– So with this one, you wouldn’t mind at all if it just ended like this?

Oh, of course. This time, though I have said this already various times, I think it would be more than enough if you could enjoy the series like a side dish to your sake, and so perhaps this is the ideal outcome. Though, I do want the show to get more attention. Anime magazines haven’t come at all for an interview (cries).

– No no, this is a work that will show the world that Mizushima-kantoku can indeed do moe!

I hope so. Well, I’m always very careful as to not take a misstep, and to not completely remove the more spiteful side of the material, as this will cause some of the appeal of the show to be lost.

– At any rate, from the very first episode this is clearly stated isn’t it?

That wasn’t put in as justification at all, but rather just states our true intentions.

– In truth, the girls are depicted very cutely. On top of this, there’s never a moment when a character is pushed into the background; they’re all equally well defined characters.

‘To be equal’ is something I was very careful with. As someone involved in making the anime, you do end up feeling attached to all 5 characters, so I do feel from my heart that I want all of them to become popular.

– This time it seems more suited for the general public, doesn’t it?

I want people who enjoy watching anime to watch it, but I also want people who like things that are a bit weird and of course people who like comedy, people who don’t watch anime normally to watch it as well. Though this can be said for all my works.

– Whatever the work, you make it with a broad audience in mind?

Well, that is something that I have always thought when working. If you restrict yourself to somewhere like anime town, it’s kind of boring isn’t it?

– Indeed, ‘Ookiku Furikabutte’ was a work that appealed to the average viewer and various types of anime fans.

Yes. I wanted people who liked baseball, or people who are actually in a baseball club to stay up late and watch it. In this way, I do want to widen the appeal of ‘Joshiraku’. If the show manages to catch the attention of someone who just turned the TV on by chance, I couldn’t be happier.

– Looking forward to the second half!

Thank you very much. I’ll do my best!

Source: http://animestyle.jp/2012/08/29/2201/

Image: HMV jp