[EN]LoveLive! Sunshine!! TV Animation Official Fanbook - Interview with Director Sakai Kazuo

Credits:

Original TL: Here

CN Weibo: Here

Original TL： Nyamazing’s zegao and 南條小鹿



Disclaimer: This is a Chinese to EN TL, there would be things that would be lost in translation between the languages. I REALLY TRIED MY BEST!!

Please refer to my policies for more details and do not use the translations for commercial use.

The contents are under the cut.



I highly recommend everyone to read this.

Lastly, huge thanks to @yujachachacha for her hard work with the QC for this article and astrobunny for some additional TL.



A “pure desire” is the engine for the soul. It’s akin to letting one’s passion run freely… if it weren’t for this, we wouldn’t be able to talk about the story.







Director Sakai Kazuo

​Born in Kumamoto. Both an animation director and an assistant director. In the “Love Live!” TV anime series, he took on the role for each episode’s performance and scenes. In the TV anime “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, he took on the role of director. Outwardly he appears to be tough and serious, but in reality he likes interesting jokes. As an assistant director, he is often entrusted with scenes needing very expressive emotions.



(TL Note: The term “演出” that is used to describe Director Sakai is a term unique to anime production where his role is equal to that of an assistant director. His role is to take part in the storyboard and production for a particular episode while following the directions of the overall director. This TL will use “assistant director” for all related roles.)



​

If you diligently depict the activities in your heart, you’ll be able to nurture scenes filled with tension even more than before.





There’s smiles, there’s tears, there’s anger, there’s admiration, there’s thoughts, and there’s dreams…

Experiencing the emotional ups and downs of the young girls,

Director Sakai Kazuo held on to the entire story until the end.

Using everything he had, from the initial soul-searching phase on Chika’s “pure desire” = “soul”,

To Aqours taking their first real step in Episode 13,

Taking on the role of the one right at the front lines of directing “Love Live! Sunshine!!”,



what kind of experience was it…? And what brand-new future does he see?



From now until the TV anime second season begins airing,

Let us return to those days.





Hoping to depict people’s feelings

The recollections of learning from a renowned script writer





Q: First of all, could you talk about your “backbone” - that is, what works have influenced your projects? You can treat it like you are introducing yourself.







Sakai Kazuo: Sure. I was influenced by shows like “Urusei Yatsura” during my childhood. I really like slapstick (plotless comedy shows), after all. When I was still a child, at my home in Kyushu the TV would always broadcast dubbed versions of family comedies. After that, there was a Sunday comedy movie called “Acchi Kocchi Decchi” that I really loved by Shin Yoshimoto Comedy. There was also Kamogawa Tsubame’s gag manga “Macaroni Houren Apartment”, and I was greatly influenced by that show. During my childhood, there were lots of unreasonable and inexplicable things going on throughout the world as well. In addition, I have a sister who is two years older**, so I did read shoujo manga series like “Crest of the Royal Family” with much interest. These experiences from my childhood had lots of influence on the projects that I have created.

**(TL Note: This part might have some inaccuracies)





Q: That is to say, rather than mecha action anime, you were more interested in stories that had human ties?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. I would still prefer to see the up and downs of human lives. I am very interested in works that involve the interactions and emotions between people, as relationships become a tangled mess due to minor things, don’t they? After I entered the professional world, I still had to closely observe the works of famed anime director Sato Junichi, who is famous for his depictions of characters… The method of creating anime is different from works where they use actual actors. I would like to take the liberty to say that, in grasping these miniscule differences, I learned a lot.



(TL Note: Sato Junichi is a famous anime director that took part in the production of shoujo anime where girls are the main characters. Examples of his work include “Sailor Moon” and “Kaleido Star”.)







Q: Director Sakai, you started off as an director, right?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. I started off as a director. In the very beginning, I worked under the supervision of Sato Junichi-san in the original anime “GATE KEEPERS” that was broadcast in 2002, and also in the TV anime “Kaleido Star” which aired in 2003. I was responsible for the original art, or the art director, and at that time the most fun I had was in drawing and reading the storyboard analysis of Junichi Sato-san. And I was the first person in the world to be able to read it (laughs). At that time I garnered a lot of experience, and this was something that influenced me the most in the professional field. It was also the start of when I began to direct things myself.







Q: So, could you talk about how you landed the role of director for the TV anime “Love Live! Sunshine!!”?







Sakai Kazuo: Although I did take part in performances and storyboard work, I really didn’t think that I would become a director. At that time, I was helping out as an assistant director in the movie “Doraemon: Nobita’s Space Heroes” for Director Yoshihiro Osugi. Lantis’ Producer Hirayama (Tadashi)-san called me to a cafe near the production studio and said, “Sakai-san, I need to ask you for a favor.” He didn’t talk about what kind of project or what job it was. At the start, I guess that it was a production work or storyboard about “Love Live!” or something similar, but in the end he said, “Actually, we decided to create a sequel to ‘Love Live!’”. And so I replied, “Is that so? Then let me work on some production work or something like that.” “No, this time I would like to make you the director.” — On one hand I was shocked, and on the other hand I felt that this challenge was just too huge. Honestly speaking, at that time I was preparing to turn this down. This is because when you look back, the TV anime “Love Live!” can be considered a completely finished work. To make a sequel out of something like this was not something I could do. Furthermore, I couldn’t understand why making a sequel meant changing the director as well. “Love Live!” was an exceedingly popular project. To create a sequel would definitely result in huge pressure along with the expectations of the audience. Honoka and the rest have already created a miraculous feeling that has sucked reality along with it. Can such a feeling really re-emerge in this reality once more? …… At that time, the world of μ’s had been created fully. At that particular timing, to ask me to take up a new title, a project where the story and the cast had not even been set, to direct starting from zero — I just couldn’t agree like that.

In the end, I couldn’t accept it on my own, so I sought my wife’s opinion. She told me, “It would definitely be very difficult, but participating would definitely be very interesting, right? As that project is great, right?” She also said, “The more difficult it is, the more fun it would be.” These exceptionally positive words enlightened me… I really have to thank my wife for her encouragement. If it was just up to me, this job would have been turned down - as in my heart at that time, this proposal was that difficult.







Q: If the offer to be director wasn’t what you expected, then did you wonder why were you nominated?







Sakai Kazuo: Speaking frankly, I have no idea at all why they chose me. I felt that perhaps it was because the episodes that I was in charge of were more well-received? It is my opinion that creating a project or story is a job where one “finds something out of the ordinary and boring daily life”. Using the eyes of the characters, you find something particular that you would normally not notice and make that into a story. The morals and principles within the girls’ hearts, as well as their points of view, are the bedrock of the story. As for growth, I feel that regardless of it being live-action or animation, that is where the fun lies. Or perhaps, that was one of the reasons that made them nominate me as the director?







The world hasn’t become kinder; rather, it’s Chika and the rest whose worldviews have changed, their ways of looking at Uchiura have underwent a change.







Deciding on Uchiura as the Stage



The reason for it was the scenery around the junior high school that was the prototype for Uranohoshi Girls’ High School.







Q: Next up, please share the things that happened after joining the project. It was said that the story of “Love Live! Sunshine!!” was deliberated together with the series creator Hanada Jukki-san. Why was Numazu, Uchiura chosen as the setting of the project?







Sakai Kazuo: At the very beginning, there was the suggestion that it be set in Izu-Oshima. The original creator Kimino Sakurako thought of an idea where there was “a southern island where there are only 9 students”, and we felt it was very interesting, and said that it would be great if only we could actually go there for fun… And thus, we navigated the Tokaido Line, and went to the area around Manazuru and surveyed it for a while. Numazu, Uchiura was one of those areas. Uchiura by itself already has many movie productions going there to film scenes, like the “Tora-san Stories / Otoko wa Tsurai yo”, and so on. So I knew there were mountains and seas, and we could see Mt. Fuji, thus the scenery was spectacular. However, whether it could be a place where 9 girls could form a strong bond with each other like in “Love Live!” was a totally different matter. But the biggest reason we made the decision to produce there was the original prototype for Uranohoshi Girls High, Nagaisaki Junior High School. That school was situated in a cape where you need to climb for a small amount of time. I still remember the feeling and atmosphere there — I could feel the distance between the surrounding homes, and looking at the tranquil scenery, all of us said, “Uchiura is really suitable, right?”. For “Love Live!”, the school is the center of the world, so the school’s location is really important.





Q: A school built on the cape besides the sea… the scenery is indeed beautiful, that’s really surprising.







Sakai Kazuo: I was shocked, too. As you can see a great view of Japan’s Mt. Fuji from the windows of the school every single day, for us it literally is something that’s just too incredible (laughs). Seeing that junior high, in my mind there was a scene of a girl running up the slope with all of her might, which I then used in the initial animated PV**. People frequently say, “Aqours seems to be running all the time, huh?”; well, since the bus only occasionally makes its rounds, they have to run, right? (laughs) Near the school was a convenience store, and for everything else you have to go over the mountain. If you go a little further, Izu-Mito Sea Paradise and Awashima Island are full of charm too. So after we decided on Uchiura as the stage for this project, I too could gradually feel the energy from the 9 girls who live there.

**(TL Note: For the 1st Aqours single “Kimi no Kokoro wa Kagayaiteru kai?”)









Q: It feels like compared to μ’s, Aqours is closer to the townspeople. Is this because Uchiura was chosen as the stage for the series?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. As the residences in Uchiura that they grew up in are built close together, it would be natural for them to take part in activities organized in the district. Conversely speaking, it’s also easy to imagine that the residents of the district would come and see performances by Aqours. As the 9 members would mostly know each other from a long time ago, compared to μ’s, the gap between the seniors and the juniors would initially be very small. Speaking of which, the prototype for Uranohoshi Girls, Nagaisaki Junior High, has a very small population of students: it has roughly 70 students. It’s precisely because I took part in the production of this project that I could encounter such a beautiful school built on a hill overlooking the sea… With regards to the children who grew up here, their character, their passion, their atmosphere, their reality - when I was storyboarding, I hoped that I could do my utmost to make it all appear in the project. Actually, when I went to collect inspiration at the very beginning, every time we met the students they would greet me and say, “Hello”. Perhaps that was something quite natural, but that was the kind of place where Chika and the rest live.







Q: So, in the progression of this project, what were your relations with the series creator, Hanada Jukki-san?







Sakai Kazuo: Hanada-san really helped me a lot. What we first discussed internally was Chika’s “pure desire”. When the producers first met face to face, I spoke about this with Hanada-san and the rest: we had to finalize Chika’s motive in “Love Live! Sunshine!!” first, as that is the engine of the story, since otherwise the plot wouldn’t have a thorough sense of nervous tension to it. In summary, I felt that if we couldn’t decide on this point, we ourselves wouldn’t be able to run either. With regards to the previous work’s main character, Honoka, her “pure desire” was “to let this small theater be filled with seats”. If that desire was a falsehood, the story would lose its sense of reality. Regardless of who was in the cast and no matter which corner of the universe it’s in, as long as there’s a desire (soul), the existence would have flesh and blood rather than being hollow. Thus, the key is that this thing that can be said to be the soul’s “desires” - could it be found in Chika’s body? So all of us producers debated vocally about it for a long while, so you could say that the journey to find this part was the most difficult one. To not let the characters fall into the thousands of tried and tested models of anime characters, I spent a lot of effort on her. I remember that after Chika’s seiyuu was decided, I went to meet Inami (Anju)-san face to face, and slowly, bit by bit, I drew out Chika’s charm naturally. The phrase “From Zero to One” was the same, the yearning for μ’s was the same…in that way, Chika’s motive was finally finalized. The series creator, Hanada-san, used a very solid base and wrote a definite “Love Live!”-style story, and the foundation of this project was finalized.







The child that Chika and the rest met at Otonokizaka is a materialization of something that only this generation can hear, something akin to a “sound”.







On the main characters in “Love Live!”

The root of one’s individual and their motives cannot be falsified.



Q: Before Chika’s motive was confirmed, there was so much pressure on you that you couldn’t write the story, right?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. I feel that the nature of “Love Live!” lies in how “emotions aren’t faked”. The motive at the root of one’s origin, this must definitely be “real”. The dreams and thoughts of Chika and the rest, along with the wishes of Inami and the others, must be one. I feel that to express those things on film is really a charm point that has carried on from the time of μ’s to now in this current project. In my heart, I feel that the exploration of this topic continues, and will continue to do so, for me from now on.







Q: Next up, let’s talk about this project’s story. We talked about the secret stories behind several episodes in the story’s introduction. From here, could you please go through the story in full, and bring up some parts worth a special mention?







Sakai Kazuo: I paid special attention to the way Chika and the rest created bonds. With Chika and Riko at the forefront, among the members there would be some signals that only the two of them would understand. My hope was to be able to express these things properly. I was not standing in the viewpoint of a man; rather, I felt that for girls in their teens, there should be ways that they create “bonds” that only they know about. So when depicting the interactions between the members, I was especially meticulous. And there’s something else I paid close attention to: regardless of what Chika and the rest do, the world might not ever change. However, as long as there are changes in the things inside of them, the world will change along with those things. The world has not progressively become gentler; rather, it’s Chika and the rest whose mental states change as they group up, and it changes the way they view Uchiura. It is my opinion that this way of thinking has been firmly entrenched in the producer’s consciousness. Although μ’s is a legend right now, at the very beginning, they were just ordinary girls. There is just one huge difference between them: for μ’s, they gathered fans slowly when they started off in real life, and were able to shine after that final performance. Regardless of whether it was in the anime or in reality, they truly created a miracle. Then, what about Aqours? What will they be creating? At that time, everything was a “Zero”. Of course, that includes me as well… but, “from nothing” itself is something that belongs to them. Aqours was born from the vision of the group. From the theme of the first single, where does the light comes from? I will always keep this question in mind at all times.







Q: In this project, Aqours grew while in the process of chasing after μ’s, right?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. The story begins with them seeing μ’s shine after all, along with their vision of “I want to shine too”. So I pondered, rather than making them become like μ’s, what was it that they saw? … Then, I thought that “to be at the angle of μ’s, and to see what μ’s had seen” was a type of growth. The result of depicting that growth is in Episodes 12 and 13. I hope that in the story, Aqours can use it as motivation to take a new step forward. In Episode 12, there’s a line for Chika that goes something like, “We shouldn’t compare, we shouldn’t chase - whether it’s towards μ’s or towards the light.” And in Episode 13, they announced the answer they found on stage. To spend an entire 13 episodes to achieve this mental stage expresses the importance that the existence of μ’s has in the member’s hearts.This is because in the anime, μ’s is the top school idol group that everyone looks up to, and in reality, many seiyuu were also affected by μ’s.







Q: For μ’s to be loved so much, the existence of Honoka and the rest was as important as expected, right?







Sakai Kazuo: The more you create TV anime, the stronger this feeling gets. This was particularly true for the 12th episode, where they took the first step from looking up to them; producing it was especially difficult. Chika became aware of the truth, that chasing after μ’s wouldn’t make them closer to them. The girl that they met at the front of Otonokizaka was indeed in the style of “Love Live!”. It’s like your feelings themselves went through time and space, and appeared in front of everyone’s eyes. (TL Note: In “Love Live! The School Idol Movie”, there was a mysterious singer who appeared in front of Honoka and gave her advice. Was this actually real, or…) Perhaps only they can see it, so I tried using something that feels like a “sound” that I feel only the teenage generation could hear. This doesn’t really count as a reason, so it is difficult for me to explain in detail clearly (laughs). In Episode 12, we were finally able to see one of the defining motifs of “Love Live!”: the white feather. Before this, Chika had never paid attention to this feather. One such case would be in Episode 1. If this feather was something that μ’s had seen, then that scene in Episode 12 would have been the first time that Chika saw it, which is why she felt that she could grab it herself. But, searching for it, discovering it, grabbing it… is really the true beginning.







Q: There were feathers falling at the end of “Love Live! The School Idol Movie” as well. Did someone ever think, “This is echoing that scene, isn’t it?”







Sakai Kazuo: My personal interpretation of it is that if the “dreams” that μ’s grants exist in the feathers, then these feathers would be carried by the wind and drift everywhere. There would probably be many school idol groups just like Aqours throughout the country, and the feathers should evenly land among them. We might never see when it actually happens, but there would be that one instant where it would get them all eager to try, to start feeling that “I need to do something! I want to do something too!!”, and that motivation is those feathers. “To not chase after μ’s, but rather to see what μ’s saw!” Chika said that as she raised her head up, and finally discovered that feather. I feel that it isn’t limited to just one feather - for however many dreams there are, there would be that many feathers. Even in Uchiura, a place far away from Akihabara, there was one that landed. However, if I gave such an explanation, I’d limit the thoughts of the audience, and this made me feel very uneasy.







Q: In other words, you want the fans to freely interpret the story??







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. Many of the products that I mentioned in my childhood were interpreted by the audience itself. So I feel that everyone’s discussions of “I like this part”, “I dislike this part”, “That scene is quite interesting”, “That line doesn’t mean this way?” are the most interesting when they have the freedom to imagine.







I feel that it isn’t limited to just one feather - for however many dreams there are, there would be that many feathers. Even in Uchiura, a place far away from Akihabara, there was one that landed.





Cheers for the just-departed Aqours!!



In Episode 13, the final lines were injected with precious emotions.







Q: In the full 13 episodes, we heard that the most difficult in terms of directing was Episode 13. The particular scene where Chika briefly started running from the stage left a very deep impression - was that a metaphor for the start of their journey?







Sakai Kazuo: My personal opinion is that if Chika and the rest, who were born from the light from μ’s, had to embark on a new journey from then on, they would have to first leave the stage of “Love Live!”. What I emphasized was the mental aspect of Chika, where her “thoughts” were that she was going to rush out of “this place”. Since they couldn’t walk on the path that μ’s had paved, they instead had to walk on a road that Aqours themselves created towards the future. Using a metaphorical example, running out through that large door had a similar meaning to: “Next up, we’ll be jumping to a story that’s beyond the current ‘Love Live!’”. It is hard to say where it is starting from, but at the latter half of the live, it was going further and further from reality. For the fans who were immersed deeply in the story and who sent their warmest support, there would be those who felt let down that the results of the “Love Live!” preliminaries were undisclosed. What I did in Episode 12, at the scene when the members of Aqours thought about μ’s, was have the girls consider that perhaps in the hearts of Honoka and the rest, they didn’t want to be number one, nor did they want to triumph over anyone… For Chika and the rest, their feelings of wanting to shine shouldn’t have been this, either.





Q: I see. So that is to say, this became their emotional support? Could I interpret it like that?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. And the performance in Episode 13 would encompass the celebrations that we would give all the Aqours seiyuu who had grown together with this project. This is especially so for the lines that Chika said at the beach, as they would definitely be the actual thoughts that Aqours carried with them at that time. The members and the seiyuu… I added this portion in the storyboard while praying for the future of the 18 members of Aqours.







Q: Yes… 18 people?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. Those lines were made after interviewing the nine seiyuu, gleaning their state of mind and listening attentively to their inner thoughts. The nine seiyuu who are the closest to Chika and the rest, and who had grown together with them, had their “feelings of that moment” added into it too, and became that statement. I feel that a culmination of everyone’s feelings could then be called “Love Live!”.







Q: Adding on lines that Chika originally didn’t have - was it due to you feeling that “something is lacking”?







Sakai Kazuo: I feel that this even if the product “Love Live!” has some changes, there would be huge criss-crosses between reality and the animation. We ended the the story with the tiny, tiny miracle of the number of school applicants changing from “0” to “1” at the very end on the computer screen of the director’s office. It should have ended like this. But, is it all right to make this their ending? After a long deliberation, I added that scene together with that set of lines at the very end.







Q: The seiyuu and the members in the script having a resonance, writing the story together, is also the fun that comes from inheriting the previous “Love Live!”, right?





Sakai Kazuo: Well said. I really am filled with thanks for all the seiyuu. “Love Live! Sunshine!!” drew open its curtains while the fever from the previous project hadn’t subsided. For all the individuals taking part in this project, not a single one was spared from pressure. While under this pressure, they put in their all to understand the characters, and went all out in the voice-acting process. I myself lost count of how many times I was saved by that wholehearted passion of theirs.



More so than the injection of life, there should be “something” else that exists. And that “something” should be expressed in the last lines in Episode 13… That is also what I put in my all to express.

Next up, the second season is beginning soon, which I hope is eagerly anticipated due to its continuation of the 1st season’s story, and finally satisfy all the fans at its end.





Walking closer to the emotions of the cast,



The thanks that should be expressed to the composers who supported the universe of the project with music!







Q: Let’s change the topic here and talk about things related to the accompanying music. Director Sakai, in your eyes, the dialogue portions were very appealing, and after adding the accompanying music, it would highlight the casualness even more, right? The method of adding the music was really something that was worth applauding….



Sakai Kazuo: That was all because Kato (Katsuya)-sensei was able to understand my direction. Usually, the music recording teams wouldn’t really meet with the composing teams, but after I told everyone, “Let’s have all the members play baseball!”**, we sat together from the beginning to the end. We carefully studied the directing and the intent of the scenes, and we deliberated on the appropriate matching music… this time we created music that matched the moods of the cast. This was especially so for Hanamaru and Ruby in Episode 4. The feelings of those two were revealed through the BGM alone, so it really was a tearjerker. To be able to obtain such an extravagant work, I am deeply thankful to Kato-sensei. It is the same for the music director, which had started with the previous project Nagasaki (Yukio)-sensei. The timing where the BGM of “Love Live! Sunshine!!” was added in was simply amazing. As expected of the famous “Nagasaki Timing”, huh? During the dubbing, he would also graciously listen to my selfish comments, and was very responsible for the work he was tasked to do himself. Including the two of them, it is because of the sound production teams supporting the project’s universe with their music, that the animated project was able to be showcased in such high quality. I am deeply thankful.



**(TL Note: This is a metaphor for cooperation.)







Q: Speaking of feelings, there are lots of close-ups in this project. Was it your intent to express feelings through the eyes?







Sakai Kazuo: That’s right. This project intentionally added a lot of close-up sequences. The saying goes, “The eyes are the windows to the soul”. I would like to properly draw and animate the sequences of the eyes… In an animated project, the “eyes” are really very important. In a single instant, an expression wouldn’t be simply expressed with the four emotions of happiness, anger, sadness, and joy, but rather how close it is to the character’s emotions. This is what I thought of during the story boarding process. Looking at it on a certain level, how the eyes are handled in animation, including the interpretation of the line of sight, is very important. What did that character see, what is she thinking, what is she worrying about? I would consider all of these things and work it out on the face. This is totally my personal preference, so I would push aside a lot of other additional messages or viewpoints. Although using only the facial close-ups to depict the imagery of the 9 characters was a huge challenge, I believe this was the interesting part of “Love Live! Sunshine!!”.







When Chika ran out those large doors, it did carry the intent of: “Next up we’ll be jumping to a story that’s beyond the current ‘Love Live!’”.





“Something new” compared to before,

Is truly the nature of “Love Live!”—

The one that let me notice this is Kyogoku Takahiko sensei





Q: Next up, let us ask about the Live portions. Using dance sequences with a different method from the previous work filled with charm.





Sakai Kazuo: The storyboarding for the dance and live portions were directed by me. Something worth taking note of in Episode 3, “First Step”, is the initial live footage. Facing the pressure along with how the art team bogged us down, we put in a lot of difficult hours into it. What was great was that the A-Team of Sunrise’s number 8 production studio was there. We frequently depended on Takahiko (Kyogoku) sensei to direct the dance portions in the TV animation.**



I have deep admiration for him. To describe it in a positive manner, his storyboard could be said to be risky. I myself started off by directing, so in the storyboard I would have a certain degree of damage control. But in normal animation projects where they would avoid using 3D imagery, in this you’ll actually use even more. I feel that this is what makes “Love Live!” really amazing. If I can hand this over to seasoned animators, I would be able to take this risk, but as I was on a site where I did not know who could take on this role, I would avoid making a very complex storyboard. I would become timid, and afraid of the results….

I had to not feel afraid, but rather force myself to once again reproduce a scene that I wished to create again. While in that same situation, I would become unable to start from a base again, and would rather switch naturally to an established model. But to the fans, this would definitely not be a surprise because “simple things would only become bland”. Having “new things” that were different from those before was the core of “Love Live!”. I had to spend quite a long time before noticing this truth. I guess I am able to say these words because I finished the production of the first animated PV… In 3D as well as direction, we used an art style that was never seen before. For me, I wouldn’t want to forget the core of this and continue on.

**(TL Note: He is the director for “Love Live!” PV portions in the singles, Seasons 1 and 2 of the anime, and the movie as well).







Q: With Murota Yūhei-sensei as the lead, including the many capable artists that had joined from the previous work, if there wasn’t an illustration team that understood “Love Live!”, this project wouldn’t be completed, right?





Sakai Kazuo: Very much so. And in the TV anime “Love Live! Sunshine!!”, we added the chief animation director Tomoyuki (Fujii)-sensei, and in Episode 9 we were able to obtain new strength with arts director Miyazaki (Hironori)-sensei and Nagatomi (Koji)-sensei, so I am very thankful for them starting a new trend. Actually, if you compare it with the earlier work, the composition of the art style is a little different, so I hope that everyone notices this part.





Q: The Live portion has even more 3DCG scenes as compared to the previous work. Were there differences in the CG quality as well?





Sakai Kazuo: You can see see this from this project’s ambitious performances. Compared to switching camera angles, I much prefer shots where I pull away…. Like the types in Episode 9’s “Mijuku DREAMER”, we used lots of techniques like those. We only used the movements of going up and down when 3D was utilized, so I think that the fans too would definitely like to see scenes unique to Aqours. We thought about the plans of the filming angles at the same time that we were trying out new things. The sublimation studio who was in charge of the CG for Episode 9 was very patient - they produced high quality products, and made the Live portions appear even more attractive. In the previous work, there were many areas where they used celluloid to replace CG, but the current work hasn’t had much areas where we did so, so I guess this portion should be the biggest difference? If I wanted to use CG to do a close-up scene on the face, the CG designers would follow my train of thought to design a “model which would be able to hold up in a close-up”, so even when on a big stage, a close-up on the face would also have it’s own aesthetics that would not lose to celluloid. It is the same for the scene where I really wanted to design as well: the changing of the costume for the third years, the facial close-up scenes of Dia were made with CG. At the very beginning, when I said that the third years would be wearing the clothes that they were wearing previously for the performance, the CG-ers were very surprised. It wasn’t possible to change clothes, and so on and so forth - there were many different kinds of reasons. Because of this, they needed to make new models, which is not suited for a TV series with a shorter production time. But if we do not think outside of the box, “Love Live!” would become bland and uninteresting. All the while until Episode 9, we seemed to be asking ourselves along the way, “What exactly is ‘Love Live!’?” as we put in our all into the production, and what was expressed through Episode 9 should be the answer that we have inside our hearts.







Q: So with regards to Episode 11’s “Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare”, what are your thoughts on it?







Sakai Kazuo: Episode 11 was created to express in full for everyone the emotions that had been building up ever since Episode 2. The artist was drawing as if possessed, and completed scene after scene of moving artwork. The dance movements were also completed by Yumi-sensei only after she had learned what her own requirements for it were. Like the movements from playing the piano, and while singing the lines “Doko ni itemo onaji ashita o shinjiteru” (No matter where we may be, we believe in the same tomorrow), the idea where Chika and the rest stretched behind them towards the direction towards Tokyo, where Riko would be, were all Yumi-sensei’s ideas! It was just spectacular to the max. No matter which episode it is, the Live portions were all done thanks to the staff who put in their all to complete it. It’s all thanks to this song (“Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare”) that I was allowed to once again understand how wonderful it is to create a product that gathers so many feelings into it.







Q: In terms of completion, the Live portion at Episode 13 was very exciting too!







Sakai Kazuo: Thank you! The Live portion of Episode 13’s “MIRAI TICKET” could be said to be a huge production, and I think the 3DCG staff who took part in that portion’s production had a very hard time. I was even worried that if we added too much aspects to it, we wouldn’t be able to make it to the broadcast. The animation and Live portions would be completed, on average, 3-4 weeks before. However, the progression of the story up until the halfway mark for this project was only completed roughly a week before (the broadcast). As the episode numbers started moving, the production date line became even tighter, sowe ended up having to engage a battle with time itself. Although this was due to me… the closer it was to the deadline, the more my nervousness would increase, until even the max. I lost sleep due to the worries about the job; rather, it was easier for me to put in my all into the work instead. Also, after going to the studio I would have a feeling of, “Now I’ll be able to continue my work”, thus I would be able to sleep peacefully (laughs). The storyboard of the dances will be recreated by the seiyuu on a real stage in a live performance. During that time at that scene, if not for Producer Hirayama and Music Producer Ookubo-sensei (Ryuuichi) making a wise decision, the performance of “MIRAI TICKET” at the Aqours 1st Live performance would never have been achieved. I am very thankful for that.







Q: Next up, we would like to talk about something that is irreplaceable during Lives: the costumes. Is there any costume that left a deep impression on you?







Sakai Kazuo: Mm… all of them were paid for in blood, so to choose just one is a little difficult. If I had to choose, it should be Episode 6’s “Yume de Yozora o Terashitai”? A dress just like the sunset, and the lanterns that gently float up into the sky, it’s akin to them depicting the feelings of Aqours. The color was chosen to have a feel to ease and integrate with the lights of the lantern. The one responsible for the costume design was Kawake Masaki-sensei. The costume design of “Aozora Jumping Heart” was also done by her. Kawake-sensei finished designing the outfit with a feminine touch.Through things such as the positions of the waist, along with the length of the skirt and so on, you can really see the personality of the original designer. Morita-sensei also has his own unique design style, and he and Nishida Asako-sensei have slight differences as well. Speaking of which, to find styles and designs that μ’s hadn’t used before while still being attractive was quite difficult. Basically, we had to take suggestions for the costumes from Nishida-sensei (laughs). So, we would often go to idol costume exhibits to research, and we drew directly from clothes in the real world for inspiration.







Express your feelings fully in its original state, even if you got the delivery wrong it’s fine, do something that you wish to do!





The Charm of Aqours

Isn’t “staying inside the lines” -

Rather, it’s going outside those lines!





Q: The interview is almost over, so please do say something to the fans of “Love Live! Sunshine!!”





Sakai Kazuo: I was very fortunate to be chosen as the director, and it was only with everyone’s support, and help from the reliable production team and the seiyuu, that I was able to smoothly complete the story of Season 1. I am really thankful for everyone. At the same time, I would like to thank the friends who finished watching all 13 episodes even more. There’s nothing happier than having you willing to watch the animation. In the second season, it will be about the story of Aqours as they take their steps forward. From now on, they will be going ahead with all of their might, please do look forward to it. “Everyone, let’s shine together” is one of the main themes as well. I ask everyone to run through this period of youth together with us.







Q: In summary!! At the time when the 2nd season of the TV anime is almost upon us, what do you, Director Sakai, think is the charm point of “Love Live! Sunshine!!”?







Sakai Kazuo: As expected, I guess it would be its “live feeling”? It’s something that you can only experience right this instant. This includes the characters in Aqours along with the seiyuu: to express one’s feelings as they are. Even if the method was wrong, it’s fine as long as you finish something that you wanted to do. This “live feeling” is everything. All of us would be able to feel that in somewhere, and you would have seen this before. It’s exactly because of this that there are places where you wish to support, and would wish to go against, and places where you’ll worry… I admire the fact that the nine of them do not follow the rules. After one grows up, every action would need to have a reason; the rules of society are as such. However Chika and the rest do not search for reasons, nor do they seek rewards - they are just doing what they wish to do!! They would not look for excuses for themselves, so the fact that they are not boxing in themselves themselves is very appealing. I feel that this is the face of reality. Since they found the light, and a wish of “I want to do something!” grew in their hearts,regardless of distance and time they would act on that wish. I myself wish to do that too, and if I succeeded in changing, that would be great. Although expressing it is a little difficult, every fan would have the charms that each of them feels “Love Live!” has, so they’ll definitely have many different answers.



(Source: weibo.com)