New Jersey anime convention AnimeNEXT has a bit of a love affair with anime studio TRIGGER, the creators of hits like Kill la Kill (Netflix, Crunchyroll) and Little Witch Academia , as well as cult favorites Inferno Cop (YouTube, Crunchyroll) and Space Patrol Luluco . Though shows like Inferno Cop tend to attract a particular sort of fan with their oddball sense of humor and lo-fi visuals, TRIGGER packs panel rooms year after year at AnimeNEXT. This year, as usual, their events were the centerpoint of the convention; those who were lucky enough to attend regaled their jealous friends with stories of exclusive Inferno Cop episodes and marshmallow guns (the artists have made a tradition of shooting marshmallows at their New Jersey fans).

As AnimeNEXT wound down, I sat down with the four artists — a mix of TRIGGER staffers and associated freelancers — in a hotel suite high above the Atlantic City Convention Center. Akira Amemiya, director of wacky animated shorts like Inferno Cop and Ninja Slayer , conveys nothing of his work in his quiet answers and reserved body language. Megumi Kouno, who is both an accomplished animator (works include The Idol Master and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt ) and the wife of Amemiya, is similarly shy, and only chimes in when prompted by her co-workers. By contrast, writer/director/idea guy Hiromi Wakabayashi has an almost American swagger, with his head cocked back, arms folded behind his head, and a mischevious glint in his eyes. Shigeto Koyama — the director of Animator Expo short "Obake-chan", a concept designer for Inferno Cop and Big Hero Six , and the character designer for Heroman — gives off the vibe of an aloof artist, but occasionally an interesting subject prompts a wide grin beneath his white-rimmed sunglasses.

It's clear from the way these four interact that they are longtime friends. Wakabayashi refers to Amemiya as "Amecchi" at one point, a nickname for the animator/director. TRIGGER PR rep and interpreter Tatsuru Tatemoto jokes around with the artists in between providing English versions of their responses. Rarely in my interviewing experience have I met anime creators whose passion and camraderie is as clearly evident as it is at Studio TRIGGER.

I'd like to thank Chris Barber for organizing the interview and of course Tatsuru Tatemoto, Akira Amemiya, Megumi Kouno, Hiromi Wakabayashi, and Shigeto Koyama for sitting down with me.