In the newest entry of “Usopp’s ‘This is True’!” Kappei Yamaguchi, the Voice Actor for Usopp, sits down with Series Director for the One Piece anime: Hiroaki Miyamoto.

What follows are some highlights from the interview. These are, for the most part, not quotes from the interview, but a summary of what was said by Miyamoto (and sometimes Yamaguchi):

What does a series director do?

It’s a bit difficult to explain, but I guess you could say I bring the series together as a whole. Toei Animation’s way of making anime originally came from live-action movies, that’s to say, each producer has a certain amount of episodes they’re in charge of, but they also have their hands full with their allotted episodes so I kind of have to fine-tune some things so there’s a balance as a whole. It’s like being a teacher and having to keep an eye on the individual episodes’ directors, the voice actors . . . everyone, despite everyone having their own way of viewing how things should go. I can allow some amount of freedom from certain problem children (gleams at Yamaguchi), but you sometimes also have to put your foot down. Though it’s really fun when it all fits into place in the end.

Who is your favorite character?

I’m a big Kalifa fan, with her Bubble-Bubble Devil Fruit. Especially when she’s charming Sanji and we get those close-ups on her breasts, legs and the special effects added in that part. I also like Baby Five a lot, but I’m especially a fan of Tom! Even side characters say some amazing stuff from time to time! Like, when I’m having trouble with something, I’m reminded of the episodes I worked on when Tom says “a man should take pride in the ship he built!” He’s completely right though. Tom’s definitely become an important part of me now.



Is there a memory of a certain episode that still lingers on inside of you?

Well, there’s that one episode where Ace dies. Actually, I was shocked to hear about it when Oda told me Ace was going to die while talking talking about where the story was going. I actually brought the episode’s storyboard with me! I put a lot of effort into it; especially his accessories. This isn’t actually in the manga, but when Ace’s chest is pierced through, his accessories go flying around all over the place, something the previous episodes’ director had done, and I thought it was interesting so I used that as well. Considering the situation, it’s pretty ironic, but I believe this part is the part where he shows the most amount of spirit. With anime, you’re able to portray certain things in such a way that, even when something isn’t very flashy, you can still convey the mood through line, or details like the accessories falling at Whitebeard’s feet. That’s part of the animation’s strength.

Any final thoughts?

I’ll be sure to do my best and make sure the Dressrosa Arc — which will have a lot of new story developments and information — doesn’t lose to the manga!

Soon, there will also be an interview with the Chief Animation Director. Stay tuned!

Source: ONE PIECE OFFICIAL WEBSITE