It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but my anticipation levels keep rising for next month’s airing; thus I felt writing this would help get some of that energy out. In May 2012, I translated the first Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! light novel and thought it was a cute read, but nothing I would grow immensely attached to. After a little break, I finished translating the second novel in July of that year and something kept gnawing at me. I couldn’t get someone out of my head. Throughout the last year and a half, I’ve been involved in many other franchises, but my mind keeps coming back to one character from the novels, specifically the second novel. Her name: Satone Shichimiya. This post will delve further into exactly why I like her so much and why she’s on the same level as Itsuki Koizumi in my favorites. Of course, novel 2 spoilers await.

Satone Shichimiya is mentioned in the first novel as being the person who hooked Yuuta onto his Dark Flame Master persona. Unlike a lot of people, she’ll fully acknowledge that she’s just making things up and will make stories go against what she does so it’s more fun when she wins. She and Yuuta have fun together, but then one day she’s gone from his life. She ends up transferring to Nibutani’s middle school and puts her in a chuuni mode while constantly telling her about this Dark Flame Master from her previous school. She mentions him over and over again until Nibutani can instinctively point him out at her next school. We’re not told what high school she goes to, but it’s a different one than the main cast attends. Yuuta grows up and doesn’t want to act like the Dark Flame Master in public anymore. He meets Rikka Takanashi in class and the two grow into a relationship together through studying for Rikka’s math re-take. And then chance happens…

“Well, if it isn’t Hero?”

Shichimiya heard of a girl in high school wearing an eyepatch and claiming to have the power of the “Wicked Eye” (though I still like my “Devilsh Truth Stare” TL). She goes to investigate and calls out “Angel” through the loudspeaker. She gets confronted by students and teachers, causing her to run away. By utter chance she enters the same room that Yuuta was in.  She chats with him for a while before Rikka comes in and begins treating her like a rival. They have a battle, which she lets Rikka win, before she dashes away.

After appearing the next day and sparking some tension between Yuuta and Rikka, they have a bit of an argument on Wednesday before ending up eating in the classroom after school. Shichimiya ends up seeing them eat and realizes how close they are. She couldn’t bear to see them together and leaves without saying anything.  She goes to Yuuta on Thursday and tries to stay in his life, but he wants to go to Rikka instead.  Rikka sees her hold onto his arm and gets the impression he’s cheating on her. She even comments “I knew it.” What she does next is a stroke of genius and is why I like her so much.

Shichimiya finds Rikka and creates a chuuni situation where she takes something hostage for a game. If Yuuta finds them, she can have it back. If he doesn’t, they’ll break up. She sets up the pieces (missing bag, tying Rikka up as a kidnapper) and phones Yuuta at the right moment. Yuuta, with Nibutani’s help, figures out her puzzle and meets her quickly. Shichimiya answers his question of “why?” with the obvious reason: she’s still in love with him.

“It’s all right if you can’t say anything. I already know what you’d say… Hero, back then I couldn’t tell you my feelings, so I made up things. But in the end, they were just fake stories. Love is much more difficult than delusions.”

She stages a mock battle with Yuuta over where she hid Rikka, but continues to act as though she’s going to lose the battle. In the end, she lets out her feelings of pain by hitting Yuuta in the stomach, and confesses again for him to reject her again. She gives up and tells Yuuta that Rikka’s in the storage room, where she was able to hear everything. They untie her and Shichimiya apologizes and returns the hostage. Everyone goes outside and then Shichimiya says “bye bye.” She means to leave fully from their lives so this situation wouldn’t happen again, but Yuuta catches up to her and convinces her that he still wants to be friends. This encourages her to transfer schools to their high school where we end with her and Rikka agreeing to chuuni battle in the future.

So why do I like her? Like Koizumi, Shichimiya knows she won’t be in a romantic relationship with the person she loves and has loved for a while. She gets her heart broken multiple times over the course of two days, and yet she thinks of a plan to ensure that the boy she loves and the girl he loves know that and know that she’s not going to break them up. She also makes it believable in the chuuni universe so Rikka fully understands what’s going on. She does all of that, to be rejected twice in person and once by actions. She admits to being jealous and cruel, but she sacrifices her own happiness for theirs; even going to the point of leaving out of their lives forever to ensure this situation wouldn’t happen again.  Those actions really spoke deep to me beyond what a normal character does in a story.

Director Ishihara has commented multiple times how he plans to use Shichimiya as a character to push Yuuta and Rikka further together, not to break them apart in a triangle; just like how Torako did that in the novel.  Many people “read” the novel and saw her comments about being jealous and wanting to break them up, but even Yuuta said “that’s not what she meant.” I’ve seen mutliple comments blasting her for even “thinking of breaking up the [main couple].” (in the anime) To me, that’s insulting how difficult of a job she did to solidify that relationship while she herself was heartbroken. I’m not sure of many people who could pull of what she did with that emotional pain.

Additionally, I really love her design. The twin curls/rings look fantastic and provide a new look different than pigtails. The magical girl outfit is cute and works well color-wise. I also love the cat hair ornaments and the pouch. Overall, Ousaka did a fantastic job designing her character from scratch. Even the middle school version is cute! Everything works well to say “this person is chuuni” and give off that fun atmosphere she brings. It helps solidify that part of her who knows she’s just playing along.

To conclude, that’s why I really love the character of Satone Shichimiya. She’s playful, wise, and is willing to do the hard things for the people she cares about. She’s chuuni, but knows when she needs to be serious. Overall, there’s no better character to add for a sequel! (proving why it’s likely taking Torako so long to write v3!)

With the second season of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! coming up soon, I thought it would be a good idea to refresh our memories of the characters and recall where everyone is at the beginning of the second season. Thus, I’ve translated the character summaries on the official site.

Yuuta Togashi

Voice: Jun Fukuyama
This story’s protagonist. 2^nd year high schooler.

Still holding onto his dark history of being infected with evil eye type chuunibyou during his second year of middle school, Yuuta successfully moved on and made a fresh start in high school. Since he’s the kind of person who looks after others, he’s always revolving around Rikka.

Rikka Takanashi

Voice: Maaya Uchida
This story’s heroine. 2^nd year high schooler.

Self-claimed wielder of the Wicked eye.  A small and fair-skinned cute girl. Numerical subjects are her weakness. Outside of sewing, her feminine charms are near level 0. An awfully pitiful girl.

Shinka Nibutani

Voice: Chinatsu Akasaki
2^nd year high schooler.

During her first year, she was the classmate of Rikka and Yuuta and was a member of the cheerleading team. She has the personality of a class leader. One of those new tall beautiful girls.

Kumin Tsuyuri

Voice:  Azumi Asakura
3^rd year high schooler.

An easygoing girl who loves to nap. She’s lost a lot of items that fell off of her clothes, but she’s never forgotten a pillow.

Sanae Dekomori

Voice: Sumire Uesaka
A new high school student who’s an underclassman to Rikka and Yuuta.

The (self-claimed) wielder of the Mjölnir Hammer, she serves as Rikka’s disciple. She has a bit of a complex regarding her height, but she dislikes to drink milk.

Satone Shichimiya

Voice: Juri Nagatsuma
A friend of Yuuta’s during middle school; she was the cause of him becoming chuuni.

Currently infected and titles herself “Dark Magical Girl Sophia Ring SP Saturn the 7^th”. Known to talk about the “rule of the world – Everyone’s connected.”

Yuuta’s Mom

Voice: Yuri Amano

An easy-going mother who enjoys playing with her children. As she’s very busy at work, she’s not around the house very often. Her husband is working in Jakarta now.

Kuzuha Togashi

Voice: Kaori Fukuhara
The older of Yuuta’s sisters. 2^nd year middle schooler.

Reliable and good at cooking. She and Yuuta divvy up the chores since their parents are rarely there.

Yumeha Togashi

Voice: Mami Shitara
The youngest child in the Togashi family. One of the oldest in Kindergarden.

A precocious child who wants to play a more realistic version of house.

Makoto Isshiki

Voice:  Souichiro Hoshi
2^nd year high schooler.

Yuuta’s friend since they met in their first year. Straight, not easily discouraged, and someone who wants to be cool. He’s always checking out girls and won’t stop at anything to become popular.

Nanase Tsukumo

Voice: Kikuko Inoue
Yuuta and Rikka’s homeroom teacher.

A gentle airhead… or so she seems. She’s unexpectedly crafty. She tends to stretch out the end of her sentences.

Toka Takanashi

Voice:  Eri Sendai
Rikka’s older sister.

Expressionless and doesn’t let her emotions show. However she’s a bit overwhelming in her requests despite sounding un-interested in them. Others can’t say anything against her wishes.

Preview

When we last left off in the TV-run, the series was occurring in November of Rikka/Yuuta’s first year in high school. The OVA takes place in late December while the movie occurs in March of their first year. The new season starts at the beginning of April in their second year, thus everyone’s moved up a grade. What waits us in their second year? We’ll find out in 1 week!

This is a translation of the comments from the seiyuu for Rikka/Shichimiya regarding their characters and valentines that was published in the February 2014 issue of Animedia. Image can be found at:
https://yande.re/post/show/278211/chuunibyou_demo_koi_ga_shitai-eyepatch-ikeda_kazum

Rikka Takanashi role: Maaya Uchida

Q. What does Rikka think about when she contemplates the word “Valentine”?
A. A valentine would be…… an important ceremony used to further strengthen her contract! Unfortunately, I think she’d be just a bit too embarrassed to actually…..hand over chocolate. (laughs)
Q. If Rikka were to give chocolate to her desired partner (Yuuta), where would she give it and what kind of chocolate would it be?
A. It’d be nice if the four girls made some together♪. Rikka would make some while Mori-Summer instructed her from a book. She’d fail the first time, but try again and again. On the way home from school the next day, she’d gather up her courage and shove it to him when they’re walking in the park. That would be lovely～♪
Q. What would Rikka say when giving her chocolate?
A. She’d say something cute and frank like she always does when ordering Yuuta around. “If you eat this….the bonds between us will be further strengthened. It’d be awful if the Dark Flame Master, Yuuta, doesn’t eat it.“
Q. Would Rikka give out obligation or friendly chocolates?
A. I don’t think she would. She wouldn’t have enough to give out. More and more just for Yuuta!
Q. Please give some advice to the fans of Rikka who would love to get some chocolate from her!
A. Rikka is still infected with chuunibyou, so saying something like “If you would hand over some chocolate to me, this world would become amazing!!” would make her eyes light up and you’d probably get some. (laughs)

Satone Shichimiya role: Juri Nagatsuma

Q. What does Shichimiya think about when she contemplates the word “Valentine”?
A. Though she still has chuunibyou, I think Shichimiya would understand what a valentine means. However, I think she’d be under the impression that she’d get chocolate from her female friends. (laughs)
Q. If Shichimiya were to give chocolate to her preferred partner, where would she give it and what kind of chocolate would it be?
A. She’d put on a cool face and perform a majestic ceremony on the school rooftop with lots of people looking on at her. I think she might not realize it’s a bit too majestic for the person she likes thought…. (laughs) Of course she’d give homemade chocolate!
Q. What would Shichimiya say when giving her chocolate?
A. She’d say something Dark Flame Master-ish like “I bestow upon thee this chocolate which will boost your fighting strength!!” (laughs) It’d be more cute than cool with her case.
Q. Would Shichimiya give out obligation or friendly chocolates?
A. I don’t think she understands the concept of obligation, but I can’t see why she wouldn’t give chocolate to those who hold the same beliefs as her as a mark of fighting. She’d happily hand over chocolate to her friends.
Q. Please give some advice to our readers who would love to get some chocolate from her!
A. Since she’s still ill with chuunibyou, the best way to approach her would be fast and straight to the point. (laughs). Say something like “I’d like to get some chocolate from you!” She might unexpectedly reply “Then give me some “crystallized angel tears” (candy) in return please!”

A bit short and sweet this time. Thanks for reading!

During the airing of the first season of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! (Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions), I translated the staff comments and production materials for each episode. Unfortunately, the staff at Kyoto Animation have not uploaded any production materials and reduced the staff comments to the episode director/animation director for the second season’s information. Thus I will be posting three episodes’ worth of comments per post. I’ll also caution that some of the terminology may differ between my translation and the “official” one provided by TBS (via Sentai Filmworks). Without further ado, here are the comments for the first three episodes of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren!

Episode 1: The Revived….Wicked Eye

Director Ishihara:

Deathly yours, Ishihara here!
What did everyone think about the first episode now that you’ve seen it? Personally, I’m glad to see everyone in our cast return for another season.

Now then, the one aspect I’m very pleased with during this broadcast is the clip played behind the sponsors message. You know, the short clip that’s played behind the opening where the narrator says “This program is brought to you by…” That clip. This one has Rikka spinning around to her death. (Note: not included in overseas materials. See the beginning of the Lite episodes or look at the picture above.) In our shows up until now we’ve used a cut from the episode itself for this clip, but we prepared this one just for broadcast. It even has a counter like you’d see from a movie.

I’ll talk a little about how the counter drops down 3,2,1 at the very end. I originally wanted the numbers to be visible at that part, but since it’s used as a sponsor clip, the letters for their names would interfere with your ability to see any number, so I wanted to avoid using actual numbers for this spot. Thus after consideration, I decided to have little ticks drop off for 3, 2, 1 instead.

Personally I think it’s really cute. What do you think?

Animation Director: Kazumi Ikeda

So that was Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren episode 1.
We start with spring of their second year in high school… but with three other people assigned for this job in the first episode, this restart feels different than usual. We hope you continue to enjoy it onwards.

Almost all of our characters reappear in this episode. I think it’s nice to look back and see how the distance the characters have moved since the first episode of the first season.  I looked back at my comments at the start of the first season and realized how relaxed I am at drawing everyone now compared to then.

Everyone reading this as well, please relax while watching the show!

Episode 2: Dolphin Ring Striker

Episode Director: Ai Yukimura

Nice to meet everyone, I’m Yukimura, the director for this episode.

Rikka, acting like the true younger sibling she is, is causing lots of issues in the Togashi residence. Unintentionally, you start to think about all the problems she caused for Touka-san now that she’s not living with her anymore. When I see Yuuta’s coolness as he knows exactly how to interact with Rikka step-by-step, I’m reminded that he’s definitely the oldest in his family.

This work contains eyecatches (the title cut on each side of a commercial break). Some of you may have noticed this, but Rikka’s date attire originally had glasses and a cap, but in the end they weren’t used in the episode. After great pains, I was able to get her to wear the glasses in the eyecatch.

So with these two once again renewing their contract to each other and with Shichimiya appearing at the end, I hope you enjoy what’s yet to come in the ensuing episodes.

Animation Director Chiyoko Ueno:

This is Ueno, the animation director for episode 2.

As the second season begins, though Yuuta is starting to retort to Rikka like he does with Nibutani, it was fun to depict the still innocent relationship between the two.

I really put some fighting spirit into the casual clothing and the date attire for this episode.

With the new character also appearing in this episode, be sure to continue to watch to see where the story goes from here!

Episode 3: The Dark Magical Girl’s…Pursuit

Episode Director Eisaku Kawanami:

＼（　回c_　゜　）Hello everyone. I’m Kawanami and I had the pleasure of directing this episode.

Now then. Episode 3. Shichimiya. Ren. At last she’s come to bang on the wall that Yuuta and Rikka’s easy-going life had put up like so many people who don’t live normally put up. After watching this episode the female staff felt a little sad. “Yuuta’s awwwful!” Life is complicated indeed.

Though she’s in a position where people would dislike her, I think Shichimiya, at her core, is pure and sensitive to others. She has her own way of thinking, but I think that she’s the kind of girl people will be happy for and grow fond of. Nice to meet you, Satone Shichimiya.

Normal life, serious drama, and battles. It was fun to work in this world which fluctuates between them.

ヽ( 回д｀ )ノ Please fall ill to chuunibyou following your viewing ＝３

Animation Director Shouko Ikeda:

This is Shouko Ikeda and I had the pleasure of being an animation director on episode 3.

For episode 3, I checked the layouts for the A-part, Takahashi-san checked the layouts for the B-part, and Kadowaki-san was the primary checker for the key frames. Though I wasn’t involved in checking nearly all of the B-part where she appeared often, this was an episode where Shichimiya appeared lots. Since she’s so cute, it was quite fun working with her.

In the A-part not only does Yuuta’s magical girl scene take place, for some reason Kumin-senpai also dresses up. I also had fun designing her outfit. I designed it thinking it would be composed of parts that seemed to have been used at one time to create Yuuta’s outfit.

Please watch this episode over and over again while enjoying the many highlights inserted.

And there’s the comments for the first three episodes. See you all again in three weeks for another set at the mid-way point!

During the airing of the first season of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! (Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions), I translated the staff comments and production materials for each episode. Unfortunately, the staff at Kyoto Animation have not uploaded any production materials and reduced the staff comments to the episode director/animation director for the second season’s information. Thus I will be posting three episodes’ worth of comments per post. I’ll also caution that some of the terminology may differ between my translation and the “official” one provided by TBS (via Sentai Filmworks). Without further ado, here are the comments for episodes 4-6 of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren!

Episode 4: Innocent… Student Council President Election (Queen Maker)

Episode Director Yasuhiro Takemoto:

Nice…..
Very nice…
DekoxMori-Summer is my personal number 1.

Ah, I don’t mean something like a yuri relationship. What I love most about them is their love/hate game of chase like how T○m and Jer○y acted in their old cartoon. Above all, I loved how their relationship dramatically (!) changed this episode. I hope you all did too.

Even without the main couple, the world continues to turn. Please enjoy this change of pace where Yuuta and Rikka are busy props instead of inching closer in love.

Animation Director: Seiichi Akitake

This is Akitake, the animation director for episode 4.

This episode was a tale focusing on Nibutani and Dekomori where we realize Nibutani still holds onto Mori-Summer!? It was enjoyable to see new looks on Dekomori in the locations we usually see her in.

When constructing this season, we focused upon each character’s expressions when drawing the key frames in order to make them even more charming. This was the first time I worked as an animation director on Chuunibyou, but I had a lot of fun drawing my personal favorite character, Nibutani. I was really pleased with the sense of violence you felt when she was putting Deko in a hold or forcing her to drink milk. And I wonder where Isshiki went off to…

Rikka only appeared a few times in this episode, but she’s got a lot of developments ahead. Definitely continue to watch!

Episode 5: The Illusive… Siesta Labyrinth

Episode Director: Taiichi Ogawa

Ogawa here. I was the director for episode 5.
Though I think we always put a lot of love into our minor characters… at last, a Kumin episode has arrived! Thank you so much!

We got to see Kumin’s thoughts and her passion for napping that we usually don’t see!! Treating this “nothing special” event seriously with an adolescent passion made for a delicious episode. And then I worked on her nonchalant gestures while her body twisted. So cute! So filling!

I hope that, while it was short, everyone began to love Kumin… Please continue to enjoy Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren after this!

Animation Director Futoshi Nishiya:

A siesta showdown between the “Oriental Napping Society of Summer” and the “Siesta Association” has started!!
How will this turn out?!

The Siesta club’s Sui Nemuri-san is a young miss with curled hair like a sheep’s as her attractive point. I asked the key animators to draw her gentle yet refine to bring out her charm.

And this was a big feature episode about Kumin-senpai! Please bake the serious expressions (different than usual) and napping goddess appearance into your eyes!

Episode 6: Hesitant… Tsukushino Island Travelling

Episode Director Noriyuki Kitanohara:

Kitanohara here.

Did this bring up fond memories for everyone of their school days? Then how about what you wished for? How about envious?
Anyways, that’s what I’m feeling. This episode was about Yuuta and Rikka making great memories.

A school trip feels special. You’ll relive it time and time again after it’s through. I really hope they think fondly of this trip after they become adults.

Their bonds with their other classmates was depicted really well in this episode.

Animation Director Nao Naitou:

The first half of the school trip.

This time a lot of classmates appeared. Everyone’s so simple….
Well, they may be simple, but they have such difficult names. You definitely want to memorize them all!

Look forward to the second half too!

And there’s the comments for episodes 4-6. See you all again in three weeks for another set as we head down the second half of the show!

The Tamako Love Story official website posted the first part of an interview with the director of the film, Naoko Yamada, on 2014/03/07. This is a translation of that part. I’ll add the second part to this post whenever it is posted on the website. Thanks to violaxcore for editing assistance.

Director Naoko Yamada Interview (first part):

The Movie digs inside Tamako

-Let’s start by talking about what you wanted this film to depict.
I wanted this movie to show the character Tamako as a girl. This movie could be used to delve inside who Tamako is. I wanted to show her during the time where she’s 17, a fantastic time where the sweet aroma of adolescence is in the air.

-So did you choose this theme in order to delve into Tamako?
That’s right. Tamako’s mother passed away early in her life, so there was a strong part of her who grew up to replace her mother in the shop. But, rather than becoming a full adult, there were some weaknesses to that process. Therefore she finds herself in the same places looking at things the same way as the other girls. It’s very difficult. You have to take care not to draw her too mature.

The Love Story is completely a “defiance”

-How did you decide what the movie would be about?
Assuming that the movie would depict Tamako, all sorts of ideas started to come out. Like a tale about her mother or when the shopping district was lively, so we started to think of how to tell a story that would completely show Tamako. All sorts of ideas came from that like a Mother’s day episode or Dera’s family showing up. (laughs)

- I want to see that!
That may happen. (laughs) The one consistent requirement was that it had to dig into Tamako. If we were to depict a 17 year old girl, then where would her change occur? The school became a focal point.
This time, there are a lot of points where the audience will feel the the movie’s theme, love. Personally, I’ve been immensely bothered by the nature of Tamako and Mochizou’s relationship status. (laughs) Or perhaps I should say depicting her as being in love feels taboo…. I thought I might have to tell a dark story to dig into her character. But that doesn’t seem to be the case here.

- Because she did fall in love.
Yes. It may be a bit rude of me to talk about her in this manner, but she handles love as something unique.
I don’t mean pessimistically; a 17 year old girl taking her steps forward in life would surely think that “love” is a good thing, however I was extremely particular about how to to depict a girl that was close to falling in love. Though love itself is an extremely charming topic, it’s something that slowly, bit-by-bit, begins to bud in people in real life as they don’t sense it coming. It was quite troublesome to dig that out. It’s like trying to make a light pink color when mixing paints. Add a little too much or not enough of this color and it’s immensely wrong… Kinda like that. A love story is an immensely difficult challenge.

-I see. So what kind of love does Tamako have?
That emotion is a very delicate portion of her, so before we could depict her love, we had to grasp the core of Tamako; what kind of girl is she, what is her philosophy. From the time we talked about it at the scenario meeting until the storyboards stage, I thought about many things, but I came to realize that it had to be that nearby person “Mother.”
Up until now Tamako hasn’t changed at all in the series, but this time, Tamako has scenes where she wants to be a “mochi-like person.” This movie allows her to relate that concept together with the concept “Hinako” (her “mother”) and come to an understanding. Furthermore, that doesn’t mean that she wants to become a mother, but that she wants to become a woman like Hinako-san and, at that time, the girl named Tamako becomes even more innocent. Tamako is awfully fulfilled during the time she was in contact with Hinako-san.

-How were you able to engage those emotions into the storyboards?
Tamako is a charming young girl, but because there are some awfully delicate portions in the movie, there were certain scenes that I couldn’t depict.
Even when I had meetings with the animation directors, those Tamako parts were the only portions missing from the very start.

-How were the animators able to insert her feelings into the images?!
It has been quite troublesome for the animation directors and key animators. I’m quite grateful for all the help they’ve been. (laughs) Let’s say the scenes have been pieced together like a puzzle. I was the only person to draw the storyboards this time so perhaps everyone has been patiently waiting on me for the storyboards to go to the next stage….

- They must be frustrated they can’t see inside your head or understand what to draw.
That’s a pretty cool way to say something like that. (laughs) Ah, but if you push me, I’d say it’s more the opposite; I’m able to work and feel things from the people around me. I’ll say that’s how I’ll get through every odd and end. But it’s a bit painful for things I’m not great at like math. I have to always consciously be aware of people unconsciously when I direct.

Making a film that gives off a lovely sensation

-Though the project is diligently in production, how is everyone feeling when working on it?
Everyone is working on something in the studio. Right now a certain senior animator would say something like “Everyone read this! I’m too embarrassed to read it!” in order to give everyone a bit of relief. (laughs) There’s many different projects at different points of production in the Kyoto Animation studios. There’s also a difference in the temperature at how each section feels when they’re in progress in a work despite the difference in when they’re released. Following that statement earlier, the staff would writhe in agony reading the scenario. Then I would have meetings with the animation directors, followed by them instructing the animators with my wishes. My “I want to depict this scene this way” atmosphere would be passed down to them. The Tamako team is firey!

-You’re able to wrap that passion into the visuals.
I was very conscious that this project was a “movie.” I didn’t think about any troublesome topics for the TV series, so it was honestly a fun project to draw. The screen also had that sensation, especially emphasizing a particularly “euphoric” feeling. This time however is fun plus sweet, heartbreaking, and cute. When we put those feelings into the colors and layout, it feels like it unconsciously affects those working on this movie. I wanted to attach a lot of colors to emotions. This time I honestly feel this is made as a “movie.” I think people who watch this film will find it feels lovely.

- What did you obsess over when making this movie?
An obsession? Probably depicting the atmosphere around Tamako and the girls. They were honestly depicted according to the theme in the TV series, but I wanted to depict them inside the world this time.
Also there were a lot of layouts I specifically wanted to use a telephoto lens with. To give a kinda love story at a distance feeling.
And then I also thought about how to express the characters’ emotions so that the viewers wouldn’t be confused. While each piece is small, I depicted the segments bit-by-bit in sequence not leaving any riddles behind.

-Thank you very much!

The next interview will be the second part to this interview. As mentioned earlier, I’ll combine that with this interview when it is posted.

This month’s edition of the magazine Newtype had an interview with the director of the upcoming film Tamako Love Story, Naoko Yamada, this month. This is a translation of said article. Thanks to violaxcore for editing assistance.

The television series Tamako Market aired from January until March in 2013. As the tale moves to the big screen, the new title is Tamako Love Story. What did director Naoko Yamada pack into these letters? Also, what’s this about Tamako falling in love?

- The movie’s title has “Love Story” in it. Many fans were also surprised to see that title.

Yamada: I definitely think you have to have courage to stick that particular noun onto something. It’s definitely a title that sets the bar high with multiple meanings behind it. In contrast to the TV series, which had “Tamako Market” depicting “The place where Tamako lives”, I wanted to choose a title that was more refined since this was a story that focuses on Tamako herself. And so I searched for an appropriate title. I read over the finalized version of the scenario over and over and then thought “isn’t this a love story?” And so it was.

-　In the movie, Tamako has become a third year in high school. How does that influence the story?

Yamada: It also has an effect on the tale; being seventeen is a big moment in anyone’s life. From the very beginning, I wanted to depict that point in life where you’re looking forward to becoming an adult, a bit uncertain about what’s going on, and where countless possibilities await you. I think you’ll be able to see that in this movie as Tamako is seventeen.

- How does Tamako look when she’s in love?

Yamada: When I was reading the scenario, that part was quite enjoyable to read, but as I moved to the storyboards, they became a bit embarrassing. Nothing you can do about that. (laughs) People in love act differently than they act around their friends; they’re more emotionally impressionable. You don’t want to refuse anything that person asks… you take their side of things… (laughs) It’s so difficult never being able to relax for a moment.

- And so that “their side” would be Mochizou’s, right?

Yamada: Well, you’ll have to watch and see. A rival may show up. (laughs) This movie takes place in the spring of everyone’s third year in high school,where they all can’t avoid looking at their futures. Each of them have their own thoughts in mind they clutch close as they take a step forward. It’s not just Tamako who notices the situation; Mochizou makes a big decision and it becomes an adolescent drama.

- With Tamako and Mochizou in a love story, it doesn’t look likely that Midori will be able to calm her heart!

Yamada: I was very particular about how to treat Midori in the film. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings; everyone is in the middle of finding themselves.  Kanna’s more energetic than she was in the TV series, I also worried about Shiori-san from the very start, but everyone feels like they’re about to leave the nest and become adults one step at a time.

- The key visual and image used elsewhere of Tamako also gives the impression of becoming an adult.

Yamada: The movie is something not part of the TV series, so the image depicts something like an adolescent urge that greatly matched the atmosphere of the film.  However, Tamako doesn’t get her hair cut in the film, so I had to quickly tell everyone “She doesn’t cut it!” (laughs) She does change in the movie though.

- Were there any alterations to the character designs?

Yamada: The main girls have had some minor alterations. Tamako’s eyelashes have been spruced some to make her look more beautiful. Since it is a movie, I asked (Yukiko) Horiguchi-san to add a few things from other works since she’s a girl who’s in love. Also the hues have been heightened to add a more realistic feeling.

- By the way, will the island characters be appearing….?

Yamada: There’s a short film with the movie that takes place after they’ve returned to the island.  Something like a Chuunibyou Lite short. (laughs) I wanted to depict Tamako advancing in life, so that short could fit them. It should be a fun tale to start the movie.

- So does that mean the main story will have some sad portions?

Yamada: Tamako hasn’t changed from her usual smiling manner. The serious portion has increased, but there’s still a strong comedic sense in the film. However, looking at Tamako and Mochizou will make you think of being young. Everyone on the team now has been plucking their heads from all the embarrassment. (laughs) It depicts a naive, embarrassing, but yet important step forward for all the characters. You won’t want to miss it.

And that ends this particular interview. It had a lot of juicy portions, so I felt a lot of people would like to see it. Other magazines will be done on a case-by-case basis.

ultimatemegax: I’ll be working on translating the interviews from the guidebook for the next couple of weeks. This is the first in the series. Thanks to irrevilent for editing assistance and OliMcGown for help with swimming portions.

Director Hiroko Utsumi Interview

Free! was Director Utsumi’s first role as a series director. In this interview, she passionately talks about the enthusiasm she put into this work as well as the thoughts she had during the creation of the characters.

Director Utsumi’s obsession with Free!’s staff

-The original novel, High☆ Speed!, took place in elementary school. Why did you decide to make the characters into high school students in Free!?
To start, I felt the manuscript was an awfully charming work when I first read it. At the same time, I felt the same as our judges; “They sort of feel like adults in children’s bodies.” High☆ Speed! takes place when the main cast are elementary school kids, but wouldn’t it still be entertaining to see a tale when they’re high schoolers? That was how I began thinking about having the anime set in high school. I was in a swimming club when I was in high school, so I could use my experience and help people understand the characters. Even now I can’t remember how I felt in elementary school despite having thought about it over and over… (laughs) And there’s also another more personal reason for it to be in high school… I like to draw beautiful bodies. (laughs) And so when I replied that I’d also like for the anime to be set in high school, Free!’s production began.

-I’m told that the character designer, Futoshi Nishiya, was designated by you.
Yes, I had truly wished to have him join, so I proposed to him. (laughs) I’ve been watching his work since a while ago; he’s an artist I’ve been quite fond of. Our company has been involved in many works over the year that focused upon female characters, but you can catch a glimpse of male characters in there as well. The way he draws males is so charming;  to put it in one word, they’re sexy. This would be the first time I ever directed a show, so I just knew the only one who would be able to listen to my wishes regarding the boys’ appeal and also be able to firmly draw their beauty would be Nishiya-san. I thought it had to be him and so I requested he work on this show.

This is an illustration drawn by director Utsumi which was posted on Animation Do’s home page. From left to right is Kaede, Nagisa, Haruka, and Makoto. The character in the background is Rin.

-How did you create the designs for the characters? Also, were there any characters that gave you difficulties?
At the very beginning, I created image boards of all the characters based off of the image I got of their appearance, ambiance, and physical shape based from the novel. So thus this project started with Haruka, Rin, Makoto, and Nagisa. At that time, it wasn’t certain that Free! would be made into an anime, so I asked Nishiya-san to draw some temporary designs. They were a step below what the current designs are. As for the anime original character Rei, his name nor personality doesn’t match what I had originally imagined when I first started creating him. Originally he was supposed to be a very cheerful and energetic boy, but as series composer Masahiro Yokotani and I progressed through the story, he pointed out that overlapped with Nagisa’s character. Surely not….. Then what type of character should I make? A frank and serious character? A committee chairman? As I began making suggestions, Rei’s draft started to form. And then that character completely changed and the Rei we know now doesn’t match names or personalities with those drafts. His design and ambiance was completely original as I left it up to Nishiya-san to create that. My only request was to ensure he wore glasses.

-Besides Nishiya-san, would you please introduce us to the important staff you collaborated with on this show?
First, I’ll talk a little about the veteran staff I asked to direct how the water looked. I avoided the water and stayed out of it during the production of Free!. After all, water is very difficult to draw and yet when it came time to draw the swimming scenes in the water…. these people were able to wipe away their anxiety and aggressively show the wonderful form and motion the water took. They allowed me to focus on the drama portion of the show.

Next will be Joji Unoguchi, the art director for the show. I can’t speak at length about the background process, but the setting materials he drew were a bit different than reality; I really liked how they created a very gentle atmosphere that I had definitely wanted to depict in the show. And rumor has is that if you want to depict a rural location, Unoguchi-san’s the best choice in the company! (laughs) My favorite scenery has to be the streets around Haruka and Makoto as well as the older style of Haruka’s house, both inside and out. He also lived up to the minute details I had requested about the pools’ scenery. The color key Yuuka Yoneda also had senses that were close to mine and helped me out in so many various ways. She’s the one who decided on the beautiful shade of blue for Haruka’s eyes. They’re so fitting for him! Though I also made her work so much on thoughts for casual clothing and the like….

I actually didn’t work that much with prop designer Seiichi Akitake, but I felt that the tiny details for all the props he drew felt so natural for all the characters in our company’s previous shows. When he was designing the goggles, he actually wore a pair so that he could thoroughly draw them from each and every angle. He was a real life-saver.

Finally, I want to highlight the director of photography Kazuya Takao. I’ve sparingly worked with him before, but I was charmed by how entertaining and expressive his ad-libs were during production. I’ve heard he also had a lot of disobedience during production too. (laughs) I was always worried that the directions I gave for the many difficult portions wouldn’t be transmitted to the photography process, but they always knew what I meant and delivered visuals beyond my imagination. One of those scenes was the night scene at Samezuka’s pool where the water swayed back and forth when Haruka was swimming. It was Takao-san’s job to film that scene and he surprised even me with it. “You could do something like that?!” And then when I handed over the first pieces of the first cut from the ending and told the photographer “Good luck☆” expecting disappointment, I came back and was met with this amazing sight. “Who did this?!” “I did,” said Takao-san with a satisfied smirk on his face. (laughs)

-That Samezuka pool scene was really pretty.
I thought the pool would look really beautiful in the night setting. With moonlight reflecting on the water surface and the glass ceiling above reflecting the water, it looks soooooooo gorgeous! This was why we created a glass ceiling for the pool in the academy. I really like outdoor pools where you can see the blue sky above, but indoor pools have charming points like this as well.

The cast brings out the appeal of the characters

- Please tell us about the casting process. I’ve heard that you didn’t hold auditions.
That’s right. I requested to receive various voice samples from different actors that read for the show and chose the ones that matched the image I had inside of the character. For example, Haruka’s main premise is a cool character, but that doesn’t mean he’s cool all the time. There’s times where he’s emotionally elevated or depressed as well. He usually doesn’t speak, so when he does speak up, it’s important that his words carry a certain power. I don’t think just anyone would be able to perform this role; it’s required to get all the minute details out in your performance. When I heard Nobuanga Shimazaki-san’s voice, I immediately thought “Ah, it’s Haruka!” His fearlessly clear voice completely slipped into my image of Haruka.

-Were there other impressions you could share from the remaining casting processes?
Actually, casting Makato was a surprise when the role was determined. I had requested the opening song by OLDCODEX and I was listening to Tatsuhisa Suzuki-san’s voice sample as a reference and thought “It’s Makoto!” It must have been fate. (laughs) I immediately requested “Suzuki-san has to play Makato!”

-Please tell us your thoughts during the live recording sessions.
I thought everyone in the cast brought out the appeal of each of the characters. They shared a tight bond with their character; I was moved by how strong it was. Shimazaki-san came with good questions about how to appreciate the succinct Haruka, Suzuki-san proposed several suggestions for Makoto, and there were a lot of great ideas and ad-libs to change scenes as well. My chest grew hot as I heard Miyano-san speak Rin’s role from the delicate scenes to the violent rage scenes. Yonaga-san gave us several ad-libs for Nagisa during recording. The way that Hirakawa-san’s Rei spoke so fondly about Haruka was so cute it melted my heart! I have a lot of gratitude to everyone for how they played their characters.

Wanting to create Free! to be a realistic drama

-Free! obviously was a swimming anime, but other than that, were there any points you fixated on or were difficult to work on?
At the beginning of the production, the decision to make it occur in either fantasy or reality was a big selection. I wanted to depict it as a realistic drama, so I chose to base it in reality. I dislike it when people think the swimming races were a bit fake when they watch it. I personally have a lot of experience swimming, so my utmost desire was to never give off a false feeling when people watched it. On the other hand, there are many different frames that were hard to draw and maintain a sense of reality. For example, when you’re swimming front crawl, you need breathing spells where you breathe out through your nose and in through your mouth. I think people who may watch would have a different impression, so while I think you do have to include a few fibs, I did my best to apply the rules of reality in this series.

-This show has a lot of comedic elements interweaved in; were those determined during the series composition?
That’s right. I’d tell Yokotani-san “That’s one part I won’t give you!” I personally love comedy, so I wanted to include it in this series; however the original novel had very little comedy, thus I initially left it out while I decided if it was alright to include it in the anime. Yokotani-san weaved it so well into the composition, so gradually the comedic direction and impression began to match its image. One example of that is Haruka’s stripping upon seeing water. If you just look at that, you’d think he’s just a strange boy, but there’s actually a reason for it. Haruka loved to swim, but he stopped swimming when Rin left, so the stripping is an unconscious reaction when he sees water. Underneath the comedy, we show a reason for things to happen so you get a greater appreciation for the characters, or rather understanding them better after seeing the whole tale.

On the animation side, one of the adlibs was in episode 1’s scene where Haruka and Rin take their clothes off before their race. In the storyboards, they had the same style of undressing, but the key animator changed Rin’s style to be very aggressive and showed me the rough drafts. “Would this be alright?” I felt it really contrasted with Haruka’s cool image, so I replied “It would!” and so it became what you saw.

-By the way, who’s idea was it to have Haruka’s eyes flutter once he sees water?
That was my idea once I saw the video footage. In the scenario, the directions says his eyes show “his trembling soul” but I thought more about what to do when I saw it on video. Since Haruka doesn’t speak much, having his eyes throb once he sees water would easily communicate his feelings to the audience. Video is great to communicate feelings through actions and expressions. In the studio we called Haruka a “waterdere” since his heart starts to beat once he sees it. (laughs)

-Speaking of comedic scenes, the fashion show in episode four was a shock.
We had already decided that Rei would show off his swimsuit in a flashy manner during the scenario planning, but was it alright to have him wear a butterfly suit? (laughs) Haruka’s eyes not changing a lot was Yokotani-san’s idea while the obsession with tightness was mine. In a race, you’re also competing against the water, so it’s important to lose resistance as best you can. I don’t have any professional swimsuits; since they’re so tight, people wouldn’t want to put one on voluntarily. Haruka unconsciously feels like that too…. right? (laughs)

-This show has a lot of female fans, so what points did you keep in mind when handling the female characters?
At first, it was very difficult to determine where the female characters stood; I even said the show should take place in an all-boys school back then. But since I went to a co-ed school, I had girls appear in this show. Gou is Rin’s sister, so she was allotted the role of in-between for the Iwatobi team and Rin. From Gou being around, Haruka and Rin were able to meet again in episode 1. Besides that, I also gave Gou the role of being the person to explain about muscles. (laughs) If Gou was only Rin’s sister, she would be a rather weak character, so that’s why she was given that depiction. However cooking or the like being her strong point was too ordinary for a manager, so she grew to love muscles. (laughs) Her outward appearance was something we paid attention to as well. When she’s next to Makato, she looks incredibly small, but her height is 160 cm, which is by no means small. If you compared any of the guys to a girl in height, they’ll be bigger; I thought that would give a better sense of the guys having masculine bodies. And so, looking back, Gou was assigned these various roles. If she wasn’t there, I don’t think a lot of things would’ve happened.

-What about Amakata-sensei?
Compared to Gou, who’s the more beauty type character, Amakata-sensei is the cute type of character Nishiya-san requested to insert in. She also has a cute tale to go along with her looks, but to economize the cast, she was also put in as an adult. Having an adult woman was also important too since we also knew that women were also attracted to stories with a woman in the core.

The final image was determined from the start

-What scene from the entire series continues to leave an impression on you?
Definitely Rin’s crying scene in episode 12. I’d always wanted to make him cry! (laughs) Perhaps that’s due to me wanting to say what happens to him, but I couldn’t say it until now! At last I can! And I wanted to hold him tight in that scene. (laughs) That scene means so much to me; it’s what we worked for this whole time since the very beginning, so I won’t forget it easily.

-The series started with a scene from their elementary school days, didn’t it?
Yokotani-san did a wonderful job weaving in the memories of their past throughout the series. We deliberately planned scenes so that the audience would keep in mind their youth and that spectacular relay race from that time and how everything tied together in the final episode.

-Besides the pools, this series also had a lot of focus on the sea as well.
Originally the swimming club only swam in the pool, but we inserted the storm scene in episode 6 because I wanted to show a different image of water. Swimming in a pool has a very safe image of water: there’s no waves, you can touch the bottom easily, and it’s totally clean. In contrast, the sea has the situation where the weather can change to make it a dangerous place. I wanted the audience to experience that feeling of danger and thrill from violent water.

-It felt like the entire second half was a full rush to the final episode.
The episodes after episode 7 were very condensed down. We also had to re-do the scenario many times. There was also a very strict schedule to follow.

-How did you come about deciding what to do for the final episode?
I had decided on those events at the very beginning. I wanted to show Rin swimming in the medley with Haruka and their friends, especially that joy of holding your teammates. While I had easily decided that Rin would replace Rei in the race, I was very troubled about how to get there. During the scenario meetings, we went over many ideas and I couldn’t agree to any of them. We thought of everything we could during those meetings.

And then, since I’m not great at thinking about series construction, I began to put myself in Haruka’s position. Suddenly, at last, I could see the story unfold in front of me. At first, Haruka said he didn’t want to swim any other way than free, and then he couldn’t see other people besides Rin. So how did his friends get him to want to swim in the relay? I noticed that was the turning point in the story. If he never said he wanted to swim with everyone else, he wouldn’t have grown. After seeing how Haruka felt, I next went to how Rin felt. Rin had the same problem: how would I get him to notice other people besides Haruka? Shortly after I came to a decision on what he would go through and told the general gist to the staff about what would happen and they gave their understanding of the situation. Yokotani-san said “Let’s proceed with that,” and we started once again.

-Please tell us a little about the opening.
Since this was a sports series, I requested my desire to have an opening song that had a very upbeat tempo from the music producer. At the same time, I also wanted it to have a painful melody to reflect the moments in the story that pulled at your heart. And then the song I received, Rage on, was so beyond what I had imagined, my hands stopped moving. “What should I do….I don’t think I can make cool visuals to match this song.” (laughs)

I listened to the song many times over when making the animation. I inserted swimming cuts during the portion of the hook when the song reaches its peak. My favorite cut is when Rin is crying. Though that only appears at the end of the tale, I wanted to suggest it in the opening so people would get a hint at it throughout the series. His crying is so beautiful! It’s still an opening that gives that “cool” feeling until the very end.

-Please tell us a little about the ending.
I wanted the ending to be completely different than the main story. The opening and main story give away a large serving of water but the ending dried up. (laughs) To do that, I thought it would be interesting to detail something you’d never see in it: a world parallel to the main story. While Haruka and the other characters are in there, he still searches for water, showing there are things that haven’t changed.

-Looking back over production, what comes to mind?
It felt so fast. I frantically crammed all that I could during the limited time we had. I greatly love these boys and grew fond of treating them harshly (though lovingly of course!). I think everyone was able to catch what I wanted to show after having stuffed it all in. (laughs)

-Finally, please give a few words to the fans.
I’m truly grateful for all the viewers who watched to the very end. Thanks to all of the encouragement of the viewers, we staff were able to give our best efforts in this dash to the end. I’m happy to think that the viewers and I were surely tied together like the bonds I wanted to describe in Free!. What makes me happiest is that everyone also loves the boys like we do. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and maybe… you’ll have fond memories of them when you see people diving into the pool come summertime.

Truly, thank you to everyone who watched! During production, the gentle and fiery cries from all the fans gave us strength. Thanks to your encouragement we were able to make this show happen. If asked to say one thing to everyone who loved the boys, to everyone who felt the same coolness I did, to everyone who doesn’t swim, but was inspired to, to those who enjoyed the summer sensation, it’s that I’m truly happy you enjoyed it. From here on, I think we’ll always be looking at Free! together.

Profile:
Hiroko Utsumi (内海紘子)
Her previous accomplishments include co-directing K-On! The Movie!, as well as episode director/storyboards for Hyouka and Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!. This work was her first time as a series director.

WARNING! THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE WHICH WILL BE APPARENT IN EPISODE 1 OF SEASON 2! If you do not wish to be spoiled to these events, I have uploaded a spoiler-free version to Pastebin. Out of the three articles in the monthly magazines this time, I chose this one due to its content regarding the new character, Satone Shichimiya and more content in the second season. The illustration for this article is posted below, but this clean image comes from the poster included with the magazine, not the exact article image itself. Thanks to my good buddy superdry for editing this.

Rikka! Rikka Night Fever!

Adorned in a red cap, Rikka Takanashi is proud of her explosive popularity since her debut last year.  At the end of the movie which premiered this September, she and the fated partner bound to a contract with her Wicked Eye, Yuuta Togashi, are now living together.  January starts a new stage in their lives as the embarrassing cohabitation of these inexperienced lovers begins…
HOWEVER! There is a however! Peace and harmony are never present for inhabitants of this chuunibyou romantic comedy.  For Rikka and Yuuta, who have pinky-touched as much as they can, developing their romance is an unseen area even more obscure than the Ethereal Horizon. One example of this strange development is the extra episode broadcast on Christmas Day. Definitely watch it so you can get a glimpse of their emotions in January.
And furthermore,  the hurdle of love has been raised even higher. Yes, we mean the twin curled pink haired girl who appeared at the end of the movie, Satone Shichimiya. Will the arrival of Yuuta’s middle school partner invite disruption into their relationship?! A new stage begins in the chuuni souls adorned with a Black Raison d’être!

Shinka Nibutani:
Once upon a time when she was infected with chuunibyou, she was known as the mage Mori-Summer. What does she plan to do in order to return to a normal high school life upon moving up to 2nd year?

Sanae Dekomori:
Rikka’s prized servant, the user of the Mjölnir Hammer, has finally moved up to her first year in high school.  While she and Nibutani only quarrel, are they actually really close?!

Kumin Tsuyuri:
This easy-going young miss helped construct Rikka’s circle so she could nap. As she’s moved up to third year, she hasn’t changed at all as she pours all her love into napping.

Rikka Takanashi:
At one point she had been rehabilitated from her chuunibyou, but, thanks to Yuuta, she’s made a great relapse! How will her life change now that fate has set her in the Togashi residence?

Satone Shichimiya:
This chuunibyou girl calls herself a dark lord magical girl. During her time as Yuuta’s friend in middle school, she called him “Hero.” Bright with an affable personality, she has a habit of clinging to people.

About this girl, Satone Shichimiya:
During her second year of middle school, she disappeared in front of Yuuta, changing schools. She was also influential to Nibutani at her new school. Will Mori-Summer have a new enemy?

Words from the board!

Imaginary Affair!
Speaking of one of the highlights, plans are for Shichimiya to participate in the chuuni battle action scenes. You can’t miss seeing how the self-styled dark lord magical girl and the Wicked Eye fight! Also, pay attention as the number of appearances of the Dark Flame Master will also increase.

Black Raison d’être!
ZAQ continues to sing the opening song like the first season; this time titled “VOICE”.  With the visuals being a delusional battle, what will the final result be?! The ED will be sung by the four girls’ unit, Black Raison d’être. Conversely, this song gives a cute feeling to it. Looks like the footage as well as songs will be a point to talk about this season too.

Forget me not!
You can’t forget about the supporting character who got his head shaved in episode 6 of season 1, Isshiki Makoto. His tragedies, like having no one recognize him after his haircut, are further accelerated in the second season.  The audience will be tempted to cry when they see them like how his first meeting with his unrequited love, Kumin, doesn’t go as he expects.

Director Tatsuya Ishihara Interview:

The story’s world becomes wider and brighter than before.

-With the new character Satone Shichimiya appearing in S2, we’re curious what developments will occur.
Ishihara: While we were certain that Shichimiya would appear, I had many many conversations with composer (Jukki) Hanada-san regarding how Riika and Yuuta would change and where she would appear at in the story. I want all three to be happy at the end of the tale.

-Will Rikka also become worried with Shichimiya appearing?
Ishihara: But Shichimiya would say that Yuuta is going out with Rikka in the first place. I don’t know how she would feel in her middle school days, but she wouldn’t want to insert herself between two people. She’s just not that kind of character. She’d say “Good for you,” “I’m cheering you on,” to Yuuta.  Though Shichimiya being around does have Rikka feeling depressed… and then in the second half of the story… that kind of thing. (laughs) Though things may get serious, there’s still a lot of comedic moments. Be sure to see how Shichimiya’s presence causes a chemical reaction.

-What do you think her charm is?
Ishihara: It’s hard to put into words, but she’s the kind of girl who decided “that’s how I want to live” in her second year of middle school. Personally, I can empathize with her easily. Perhaps her chuunibyou may not be chuunibyou after all. She’s a cheerful girl who’s able to take a large view of the world around her and who feels somewhat heartrendering.  I’d be pleased if we were able to show that type of subulty in her character through visuals.

-Shichimiya’s a self-called dark lord magical girl. How did you come up with her outfit?
Ishihara: A chuunibyou patient typically feel a school uniform would be very cool to wear as a battle costume. This time we wrapped it together with a magical girl feeling. (laughs) We made something like that for when she has a delusional battle.

-Has Rikka and Yuuta’s relationship more-or-less advanced?
Ishihara: It hasn’t advanced much; it’s become more or less non-complicit. (laughs) Yuuta will chop Rikka like usual and she’ll speak to him familiarly.  Though they’ve become closer physically, it’s more like “Grandpa and granddaughter” than lovers.  But that’s how Nibutani would describe it in episode 2. (laughs)

-Will Nibutani, Dekomori, and Kumin have their own unique tales?
Ishihara: When making this season, we also wanted to add new components. We brought up these characters in the first season, so we wanted to capitalize on their development in the second season. Nibutani makes her debut as a second year, Kumin starts to love puns and starts to battle in her naps.  Their main episodes are quite entertaining if I can say so myself. (laughs)  Among all of them, I really think the episode where Dekomori becomes emotionally attached to Nibutani is a must-see.  It’s so cute, so cute. Dekomori wanting to become an ally is so cute, but she’s still a nuisance to Nibutani. (laughs)

-On a side-note, you guys were a bit too harsh on Isshiki last season. (laughs)
Ishihara: Season 2 is more oriented towards gags, and Isshiki is handled like a gag in this one too. (laughs) Well, be sure to check out his disastrous relationship troubles in the main story.

-It seems you wanted this story to become even more bright and fun in the second season.
Ishihara: While certainly fans of Rikka will enjoy it, I think fans of Nibutani, Dekomori, and Kumin will also enjoy this season. We’ve prepared separate episodes for each of the girls in a series that’s become downright foolish, but still very entertaining as well. The number of classmates for Rikka also grows in number, so the world is bigger than before. Please enjoy it until your shoulders pop.

Toradora! Special Roundtable

Director Tatsuyuki Nagai X Series Composer Mari Okada

In this feature, we’ve asked these two main staff members stories related to production, thoughts about the show now that production has finished, and stories that haven’t been told before.  It’s a must read for Toradora! fans!

Tatsuyuki Nagai: Anime director. In addition to directing this show, Nagai has also directed Honey and Clover II as well as Idolmaster Xenoglossia. He is currently working as director on A Certain Magical Railgun, which will begin airing this October.

Mari Okada: Screenwriter. In addition to composing this show, Okada has served as series composer for true tears, Black Butler, Mamoru-kun ni Megami no Shukufuku o!, and Kodomo no Jikan. Her latest work, CANNAN, is scheduled to begin airing in July.

Until it became an anime

- To start, when did you first hear that Toradora! was being adapted into an anime?
Nagai: It was around the time volumes 2 or 3 were released. At that time, I wasn’t told that it was being animated; a producer handed me the book and said “read this.” When I inquired about why I had read it, he replied “Oh, we’re planning to animate it.”

- Was Okada-san involved in this project at that point?
Nagai: Not at that point.  I requested her on this show in order to harden the anime’s story to some extent. One of the producers introduced her to me as one of those young women with tons of spirit.
Okada: Thank you (laughs). As for when I was involved, it was around when the fourth volume came out.

- Would you please tell us your impressions when you first read the novels?
Nagai: The end of the first novel was outstanding. It felt like one of those new shojo manga, yet it felt like the story had concluded fantastically with just one novel. I enjoyed reading it.
Okada: In my situation, I went into the novel knowing it was to be animated. While I felt it was enjoyable, I also felt it was a difficult story at the same time. I kept asking, “How is this going to look?”

-This isn’t your first time adapting a light novel, is it Okada-san?
Okada: Right. I’ve been involved with Mamoru-kun ni Megami no Shukufuku o! and Kyo Kara Maoh!.

-How different is it to adapt a light novel compared to a manga?
Nagai: For a light novel, as well as a normal novel, the movements as well as expressions are left for the reader to imagine instead of depicted like they are in a manga. Sometimes it’s difficult to continually envision that in the animation’s scene. However, Toradora! takes place in a world that’s similar to our own, so illustrating that normal life was relatively easy. It’d be more difficult if magic or things that don’t appear in reality were present.
Okada: In regards to the scenario, light novels are easier to write. The psychological descriptions and stage directions are already written, so I focus on attaching the expressions that will be displayed. It’s a bit different from manga; we’re given a hint as to those expressions. Toradora! is especially well characterized with the psychological states minutely described in the novel, so it was really easy to imagine what the characters would be showing.

Episode 3 is full of Minori’s charming attitude. There’s a story in there.

Original Episodes

- Episodes 3 and 4 were original stories for the anime. What caused you to insert them in the story?
Okada: Everyone was thinking that “Ami’s a bit intense,” so we inserted these episodes before she shows up. We could help support Minori as a character. She’s a very charming character, so we were able to bring out that charm she has in that episode.
Nagai: In addition to that, we wanted to introduce a new component to Ryuji and Taiga’s relationship for the viewers since Ryuji and Taiga are always together.
Okada: Right. As soon as Ami is introduced, the story begins to move forward, so it felt right to put these episodes before that. We wanted to solidify their relationship since it’s the foundation of this tale.

Ryuji and Taiga relaxing inside a 6 tatami mat room. This image symbolizes Toradora!.

- After those episodes the story continues along the original novels. What did you think of the progression towards the ending?
Nagai: Thinking of how it ended now feels like a happy memory for me.
Okada: It was great!

- Toradora!’s novels and anime finished at around the same time. Have either of you had that experience before?
Nagai: I have with Honey and Clover. Every week I’d get a storyboard and then the next day it felt like I’d have to cut half of it due to what the scenario had changed to. I was surprised at how it came together.
Okada: For Toradora!, Takemiya-sensei’s kindness was immense. She left everything up to us and said we didn’t have to follow the novels exactly. I was so impressed. It made everything much easier for us.

Ryuji cries out “I’m a Taurus!” during the climatic penultimate episode. What?

- Talking about the finale, I started to suspect that Ryuji had been held back a year.
Okada:  In the final novel, there was a portion where Ryuji cries out something to Taiga on a bridge in the plot summary we received from Takemiya-sensei that was used in the scenario. He proposes eloping by saying “Next week I’ll be 18!” That’s somewhat…
Nagai: I was also thinking “this is a nice story, we’ve got to do this,” when it hit. Huh? Isn’t it strange for a second year high school student to be 18?
Okada: Lots of things could’ve explained that like being held back a year. Right before that he says “I’m a Pisces!” I thought “It’d be alright to change this to a Taurus, right?” and wrote that into the scenario.
Nagai: But that nearly seemed like a mistake in the recording script. He wouldn’t have said “Aries,” so it had to be “Taurus,” but the “sheep” in “Aries” was related to Genghis Khan, which was part of a previous line, so “Taurus” had no relation to anything in the script.
Okada: But it looked so powerful visually I felt it’d be alright. (laughs) That kind of vigorous push really felt like Toradora!. In any other work, that might cause problems, but Takemiya-sensei said to make it entertaining. I’m incredibly grateful for her to allow us to make it that episode more exciting.

Deciding Episode titles and Preview Lines

-The episode titles for Toradora! feel poetic. How did you decide what to call each episode?
Okada: We discussed them at the script meetings and yet there were a lot that we found lacking… But we were about to look back and find them in time. The final one was decided on the way back from recording as well.
Nagai: Up until that point we couldn’t decide what to call it.
Okada: Episode 15’s title, “The Stars, are Distant” was originally “The Stars are Distant” but the director wasn’t pleased with that. Then he decided “what if we add a ‘,’?”
Nagai: Although that line was impressive from the start.
Okada: For the previews, we would take portions from the main story and inflate their importance while removing the lines.
Nagai: You wouldn’t think those scenes would feel so violent until you take those lines away. (laughs)

-When did you decide the script for the previews?
Nagai: I would send e-mails with Okada-san during recording for the previews.
Okada: They were done at the last minute.

- Yuri-sensei’s preview was considerably meandering. How did you decide that?
Nagai: The moment where she turns 30 wasn’t included in the novels, so we wanted to do that type of preview from the start. We even made an extra cut for it.
Okada: And yet somehow I forgot about that. (laughs) I wrote the preview as usual and sent it before I realized “Oh, now that you mention it…” I hadn’t rewrote those lines and I was in a hurry, so the script was longer than usual. However Tanaka-san was somehow able to fit all of that in with her super fast talking voice.

Concerning the Cast

- I’d like to ask about Inko-chan. Previously I did an interview with Takemiya-sensei and Okada-san where it was mentioned that Inko-chan had been cut. What happened?
Okada: That’s right. At first we had no idea how to use Inko-chan, so whenever the bird showed up in the novel, we removed it. In the end though, Inko-chan is a character you can’t get rid of.
Nagai: Saori Goto-san was really good as it. A seiyuu idol coming close to saying such dangerous things. One time we discovered that one of Inko-chan’s “lines” was banned from broadcast…

-Why did you both think “that’ word was suitable?
Nagai: Not like that! It was in the original novel! (laughs)

-What special direction did you give the cast members for performance? For example, Kugimiya-san’s performance is a bit different than usual.
Nagai: That is simply Kugimiya-san being a great actress. I think she removed part of her usual voice since her audition like a play so that Toradora! wouldn’t get lost in her roles and in order to match the novel.

A splendid performance breathes life into Taiga’s soul. This scene where she calls Ryuuji’s name is quite impressive.

- How about for any other of the cast?
Nagai: The rest of the cast had read the novels extensively, so there was no need for special instructions. I chose the cast based on the impression I had in mind for each character during the auditions; truthfully, I was blessed to have everyone.

- Was there anyone who changed your mind about a character?
Nagai: As we moved along the novels, I felt like Haruta became more like the novel character.
Okada: He was in the novels, but he was altered a bit.
Nagai: Also, I thought Noto-kun would be a more calm and composed role, but he became surprising and frantic. Over time, Nanako also became one of those “you’d never know” type of characters. (laughs) I asked that everyone perform just like the staff imagined the characters.

- Did anyone’s voice for a character influence you?
Nagai: During the entirety of this show. I would finalize how their character would be expressing those lines while I was listening to the recording. It was a lot of good feedback for me.

-Speaking of expressions, wasn’t Taiga and Sumire’s fight scene very violent? Did you change that after listening to the recording?
Nagai: Yes. I had wanted to make it tattered from the very beginning, but after hearing Kugumiya-san’s voice, we had to make it moreso or else it wouldn’t match the voice acting.

The cast’s performance boosted the emotional impact of the impressive visuals in the fight during episode 16.

-You could say listening to the cast really left an impression on you for that scene.
Nagai: I also owe a large amount of gratitude to character designer Tanaka-san. He loves that scene so much he says that without it, Toradora! loses its meaning.

Favorite Scenes

-Okada-san, what is your favorite scene?
Okada: There’s so many I could call my favorite; it’s so difficult to choose one.  If there’s one I’m attached to, it’s gotta be the kiss scene. (laughs) We have this big finale episode and then we inserted this amazingly embarrassing scene. I was weirdly sweating while writing it.  When I presented it at the script meeting, I was anticipating bashfully playing the scene…. But it wasn’t just me; director Nagai stopped the storyboards and also played along. (laughs)

The kiss scene in the final episode that embarrassed everyone. No one will forget those repeating “One more” lines.

Nagai: You weren’t embarrassed when you were writing it. You only became embarrassed when you had to show it to anyone else after it was done.
Okada: Right, right. (laughs) On the elevator after recording Kugumiya-san said “That was so embarrassing.” If I have to comment on her performance afterwards, the way she was able to show the closeness between Ryuji and Taiga on the train going to and from Yasuko’s parent’s house was really amazing. I was surprised that my impression of Taiga changed from how it was going to the house.
Nagai: Speaking about scenes with closeness, the one in episode 9 after Ryuji and Taiga eat curry was also good. You really feel how close they are together. And in Toradora!, you have to have barefoot Taiga…… She was also barefoot in the end of episode 19. It’s such a wonderful feeling….. wait, that’s not a scene at all.
Okada: In episode 9 and 19, Taiga’s guard lowers when she’s barefoot. It’s a pleasant feeling.

Ryuji and Taiga on the way home from Yasuko’s parents’ house. Look how different they are compared to heading there in episode 24.

- You also drew half the storyboards for episode 19, didn’t you director?
Nagai: That’s right. I loved that part in the novels.
Okada: When I read that part, I said “we have to do this.” Since we were working while new novels came out, even though someone would comment how “this was a great scene” or “I love this volume,” everyone got excited for that volume.  Looking back on it, it was exciting to work on the scenario as new volumes came out. I was always working on something fresh.

Taiga and Ryuji are sticking together even in Ami’s mansion. She’s also barefoot in this scene too.

Toradora!’s fixations

- You two covered the series thoroughly in your discussions. What were some of the easier points of the series?
Okada: We quickly decided where we wanted to go with this show, the direction that the anime would head, so all we had to do was knead our plans together on how we would go there. (laughs)
Nagai: The novels show portions where emotions are incredibly vague, so I wanted to portray those moments just like the novels, but explaining those moments was extremely difficult. I wanted to make something where it didn’t just state “feeling like this.” For example, if I wasn’t able to clearly show how Ryuji likes Taiga, but that he’s not in love with her at this point, Toradora!’s good points would disappear.
Okada: There’s a lot of girls around the protagonist, and while the mood is somehow good, there’s signs all around that everyone likes him equally. However Toradora! doesn’t negate those signs; it subtlety shifts the story along, much to its credit. We had to discuss how we would repeat the same.

Taiga crying and Ryuji looking at Orion. This scene feels like it’s in a shojo manga.

- Earlier you talked a little about how Toradora! feels like a shojo manga. Did you consciously make the show with that in mind?
Nagai: That’s right, we were aware of that interpretation. We were going to make with the impression it’d feel like a light novel, but this story is something different. Near the beginning, we talked and decided to make it feel like a shojo manga instead. Honestly, I’ve read a few shojo manga myself. I quite like them.

-Okada-san, what kind of image did you have in mind regarding shojo manga?
Okada: Though I never told director Nagai this directly, I had the same impression when reading the novels. Personally, I love the atmosphere in a shojo manga, so I wanted to bring that atmosphere to the screen with Toradora!.

- At first, how did you think men would feel about the shojo manga atmosphere of the show? Do you think they may be more or less frightened at certain points?
Nagai: No, we never thought that. Generally guys like shojo manga! (laughs)
Okada: Right. I’ve also recommended some to guys. Some of them have the ability to make everyone want to read it. That’s why I thought “ah, let’s do it like that.” I didn’t think there would be anything in particular scary.
Nagai: Also, shojo manga have been used as the source for TV dramas too. Don’t you think men also watch them and think they’re normal shows?  I don’t think there’s anyone who watches a drama and thinks “this is a shojo manga.” There may be some who would watch the show, but keep the manga at a distance, but I think they would watch something like Toradora!. Thus, if it’s a good work, I want to make it entertaining.
Okada: Right. Alongside that, we made it thinking “will they (not) like this?”

Taiga’s farewell letter. It peacefully conveys her intention to look towards the future.

- In the final scene in the final episode, the main actors’ performance felt like the characters had moved forward to becoming an adult. Was that your intention in making that scene?
Okada:  That’s right. We created that aware of that meaning.  Originally, I didn’t have the line “so I can love you,” in Taiga’s letter to Ryuji, but director Nagai wanted to insert that, sensing that there was a scene where that kind of emotion was already said. It’d be a lie to say that it was just about romantic love.  In a show like Toradora!, where familial love, friendly love, and romantic love are intertwined, a line like that can be born.

- Incidentally, did either of you include some feedback from your own high school days?
Nagai: No, there was nothing like anything in Toradora! when I was in high school. (laughs) Though there may be a crude portion saying “don’t do your best.”
Okada: Agreed. There’s nothing surprising like “it was heading towards something else” in the tale. However, high school students have this “delicate impatience.” As I worked with Minori and Ami and everyone spending their days in that delicate impatience, it felt like I was writing high school students.

- Finally, what were your thoughts as Toradora! came to an end?
Nagai: The story fully came to an end. I felt immensely satisfied. There were some trouble spots, but there wasn’t anything I disliked or felt was wrong. As I look back, I only have fond memories.
Okada: I was very happy to hear thoughts from the enormous amount of people around who watched this show. I was truly glad to have been involved in this show.
Nagai: More than just the variety of people who saw it, it was a show that everyone spoke great things about. “Ah, is this a death sign? Am I going to die here due to how happy I am?” (laughs) We’re truly grateful to Takemiya-sensei.

- Thank you both. We’ve received a ton of fan letters saying “I saw the anime and it caused me to read the novels.”
Okada: That’s the best news for me. Takemiya-sensei’s work is incredible too. I’m very pleased that it stands up to the novels.
Nagai: Everyone is happy.
Okada: It’s just as Ryuji said. It doesn’t mean anything unless everyone is happy.
Nagai: Oh, that’s perfect to end on.
Everyone: (laughs)

Recorded one day in June 2009 at JC Staff.

In order to hype the upcoming release of Tamako Love Story on Blu-ray/DVD this week in Japan, I’ve taken the liberty to translate a couple of interviews with the director, Naoko Yamada. Here’s the first of them!

Tamako Kitashirakawa is the daughter of a mochi shopkeeper in the Bunny Mountain Shopping District. Tamako Market, the TV series which aired in 2013, begins when Tamako meets a talking bird from a southern island. The heartful comedy depicts people’s connections and love between Tamako’s friends as well as the shopkeepers in the shopping district. Coupled with the thorough work Kyoto Animation is known for with a warm story, the series was valued quite highly.

And so the sequel work, Tamako Love Story opened on April 26th. The orthodox adolescent love story is a new tale that shows a slightly different mood than the TV series. In order to find the highlights of the film as well as discuss production secrets, we went to speak with the director, Naoko Yamada.

- Firstly, can you tell us how this movie’s creation began?
Yamada: Once the TV series ended, I was told “the format isn’t determined but it feels like we’re not done yet with this.”

- It felt like the time between when this was announced it’d be a movie and when it would open was quite short. How long were you in production of the film?
Yamada: ….. I can’t say. (laughs)

- This is an entirely new film, right? How hard was it to make?
Yamada: Though I can confidently say it’s truly a brand new work, the production on it was super hard. (laughs)

- What about it was particularly troublesome?
Yamada: The times where multiple things at once wouldn’t progress was very horrible. The staff affected by it were able to lift their spirits and felt like they could get through it though.

- Having been able to take a look at the script for the movie, it feels much more serious than the TV series.
Yamada: During the planning stages, we also wanted to lean towards something comedic and fun like the TV series, but when I thought about what we didn’t do in the series, I came to a conclusion that “I want to properly delve into Tamako.”  Wouldn’t it be nice to draw her as she’s a truly life-sized girl, when she’s a third year high schooler? The movie could focus on her relationship with Mochizou and dig deeper into herself as the highlights. That’s when I became serious about it.

- In recent years there haven’t been any straightforward love stories, haven’t there?
Yamada: That’s, that’s right! This time, I innocently stuck to a “not bashful” motif. When I drew the storyboards, I wanted the camerawork to not make the audience feel bashful or make you avert your eyes in embarrassment. “Watch this without feeling embarrassed!” I also talked with Yoshida-san and the music team about working straightforward without feeling bashful.

- The title Tamako Love Story feels perfect for the film. What made you decide on that particular title?
Yamada: It was originally the temporary title that Yoshida-san had chosen for the scenario.  Calling something a “love story” adds a certain weight to whatever it’s attached to, but when I read the finished scenario, it felt like it had become a work that could be burdened by that title. Additionally, there were a lot of other titles I thought about, but since it was important to be straightforward, I came back to that title.

- Understandable. So, what in the story or direction did you take careful notice of?
Yamada: In addition to being uneasy about the production, I took note of my “conveyed direction.” This isn’t a long film, so I wanted to make the messages conveyable and simple to understand so that the audience wouldn’t be left with any questions.

- What scene is your favorite?
Yamada: The point where Mochizou is spending time with his friends in the movie research society room. I was aware that his scenes in the TV series were almost always being brought along with Tamako, but that isn’t the case here. This is a Mochizou who is calm and down to earth. It feels fresh.
Also the scene where Tamako talks to Midori in a monologue about the secret between them that she holds. I love how you’re able to look into the secret between the two girls.

- That reminds me of something. I read on the net that “Tamako’s eyebrows may have been straightened (from the TV series).” Is that true?
Yamada: The Tamako in Tamako Love Story is a girl who has grown to be without any slack. Along with that her eyebrows were straightened.  Don’t you think the change looks splendid?

- Then which character is your favorite?
Yamada: The florist Kaoru-san (of the Florist Princess shop). The shopkeepers’ appearances were more reserved in the film, but I wanted to develop more the way she advises Tamako like an older sister.

- Continuing from that, I have a question about the recording. What kind of orders did you give the seiyuu as they were performing?
Yamada: I requested that Tamako, Midori, and Kanna be performed as they usually are, 17 year old girls. While this was a movie, it’s better if it doesn’t become a drama.
Aya Suzuki’s Tamako and Atsushi Tamaru’s Mochizou were really refined and compacted many emotions in them to earnestly feel like a couple of naive 17 year olds. During the confession scene, we in the booth started to blush and said “There’s no way we could judge this objectively, but that’s alright, right?!” (laughs)

- Do you have anything to say regarding the music of the film?
Yamada: Since the love song that Tamako’s father (Mamedai) sang for her mother (Hinako) is very much intertwined with this story, there’s both the father and Tamako versions of the song as the OP and ED of the film.

- Wait, the father’s song is the opening?
Yamada: Tamako Love Story opens with Mamedai-san’s singing voice. (laughs) Along with Mochizou’s narration, I wanted to insert the point of view from the boys falling for the girls. Since Mamedai’s song is about the time he fell in love (with Hinako), I put it as a theme song for the film.

- That is astounding. (laughs) By the way, you mentioned earlier that at first the film leaned toward the more comedic side of things. What kind of things were you envisioning?
Yamada: Dera-chan had been planned to show up. I thought about a small scale, but big slapstick comedy like if Tamako and the other characters were going to the southern island… but  if we went that route, how would I be able to properly depict Tamako? We wouldn’t. (bitter smile)

- That reminds me, Dera had the role of pulling the story along in the TV series yet he doesn’t appear at all in the movie.
Yamada: There’s no way that Dera-chan would be that kind of hindrance. (laughs) This movie focuses on fully seeing Tamako, so since there was a problem of how to fit him into that theme, it became what you will see.

- Since we’re talking about him, what kind of work is the short that’s being shown before the movie, Dera-chan on the Southern Island?
Yamada: It shows Dera-chan living peacefully after the TV series on the Southern Island. Though it differs from the movie in that it doesn’t have any serious parts at all, I think it shows “Dera and Tamako are connected.”

- Any developments along the Choi-chan and Prince Mecha relationship?
Yamada: There’s none in the short, however that is shown in the novel version in a Choi-chan Love Story short.

- I look forward to reading that! Let’s return to Tamako Love Story. What are some highlights we should look forward to seeing in the movie?
Yamada: The embarrassment, darkness, and light of adolescence is very important. I kept that in mind as we made the visuals. It wasn’t just the layouts or the character positioning, but the coloring was also very important to display that motif. I thought about various ways to make the audience be absorbed in that sensation while discussing things like how the lens focus and the atmosphere with the characters alongside the background staff, color coordinators, and photographers.
Regarding the backgrounds, in Tamako Market, we drew a bright and cheerful image, but this time we wanted it to feel heavily realistic. Due to that, I think the images shown have changed quite a lot for the film.

- What would be the theme of the movie in one sentence?
Yamada: “The courage to take a step forward.” Sometimes taking that first step can be quite difficult, but all the teenagers in this film take a step forward in their own ways. Though it’s Tamako’s story, I think it’s great to appreciate everyone else’s growth.

- Finally, would you give a message to all the fans waiting to see the film?
Yamada: This is an important film that I gave my all during the making process for people to see. For those seeing the film or somehow getting dragged along, I hope you enjoy it!

- Thank you very much for today. Please look forward to seeing the film!

Tamako Kitashirakawa: the daughter of the “Tamaya” mochi shopkeeper.
Mochizou Ooji: the son of the “Ricecake Oh! Zee” mochi shopkeeper.
The movie Tamako Love Story depicts the love between these two teenagers who grew up across from each other in the overly warm Bunny Mountain Shopping District.

The film, a sequel to the TV series Tamako Market which aired from January to March 2013, has had a long run in theatres due to the support of both Tamako fans and anime fans. Even over a month following its opening weekend, the film is still increasing the amount of theatres its screening at.

Thus we’ve come to interview the director of the film, Naoko Yamada, in order to thoroughly investigate Kyoto Animation’s newest masterpiece from when it was first planned until the ending.

(UMX warning: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE FILM!)

My interest in seeing how the love-ignorant Tamako would fall in love immensely grew

- How was the reaction at the studio after the movie opened?
Yamada: The production staff went to see the film on opening day. The next day I kept hearing “It was so good!” That was the first time I had ever experienced that reaction. I was so happy to hear them.

- The staff are the people who are supposed to know how it looks and yet they really wanted to see it in a theatre. Director Yamada, did you secretly go see it in a theatre too?
Yamada: Secretly or rather blatantly. (laughs) I wanted to see the film in different theatres, so first I went to Nagoya and then I saw it in Itami. I’ve not seen it in Kyoto yet though.

- When I went to see the film, there were a lot of couples and women seeing the film. The variety of viewers was impressive. Did you want to make the film appeal to a greater amount of people than just anime fans?
Yamada: I think that’s just limited to what kind of work we made Tamako to be. We wanted it to have many emotions and also go in a direction that was very universal when making it. That’s why I’m really happy that women also went to see the film.

- Were there a lot of women seeing the film when you went in Nagoya and Itami?
Yamada: There were a lot of them. Couples were also very welcome at those screenings. The boyfriends were making somewhat scary faces as they were crying as the movie ended….

- The boyfriends were really crying?
Yamada: I felt like “I did it!” (laughs) They looked like they came just to accompany their girlfriends, so I’m glad the movie was able to touch them.

- Those boyfriends may not have seen the TV series and yet this is a film that even they could enjoy without any problems. I’ve also recommended it to my friends who know nothing about Tamako and heard rave reviews afterwards. Were you consciously making a film that you could enjoy by itself?
Yamada: Yes. When I see a movie and there are things that I don’t know in the plot, it leaves me behind and feeling confused so I focused on that aspect when making this film. Also, there’d be people who love the series recommending it to everyone around them and those new viewers would be confused when watchin.  It was very important for me to make the movie something for people who haven’t seem Tamako or aren’t familiar with anime.

- In Tamako Market, Tamako herself daydreams about mochi and the shopping district. It seemed unlikely she would fall in love. And yet this film is a straight love story like the title says it is. Was a love story a theme that interested you beforehand?
Yamada: Honestly I wasn’t interested in it beforehand, but when we were making the movie my interest in seeing how the love-ignorant Tamako would fall in love immensely grew. This isn’t a story about how two people meet for the first time. I think anyone who sees 10 minutes of the film would understand that.

- However, did you have troubles making the shift from “Mochi-life” Tamako and “Lazy, Loving Tamako” Mochizou to develop the love story plot?
Yamada: At first I felt the plot was all a jumble, but as it began to be sorted out, I noticed that the gap between Mochizou and Tamako was incredibly fascinating. Things like their houses facing each other, being childhood friends, and sharing a string phone in their rooms might seem annoying, but it felt so charming instead. Still, it was incredibly to think how Tamako would react to Mochizou’s confession. How would a girl who’s been watching and working in mochi fall (in love)…… I talked about so many topics with scriptwriter (Reiko) Yoshida-san about it.

- It feels like the story starts to move forward once Mochizou says “Tamako, I really really love you!” Did you ever feel imagine that expression from Mochizou during the TV series or did the lazy Mochizou grow up too?
Yamada: Well… Ah, right. I never thought of Mochizou as being lazy from the very start. That’s why I didn’t think his confession was out of the ordinary.

-He did take the direct approach a few times in the TV series though Tamako completely ignored those attempts.
Yamada: Right. They were quite splendid approaches too. This attempt was a much more easier to understand approach. That’s why it made me really happy.

- Does it feel like you’re saying “Sorry Mochizou~” for the TV series?
Yamada: Both the surrounding staff and I were really getting impatient. People were worrying so much they started to recommend he start a relationship with Anko (Tamako’s sister) instead. (laughs)  However I consistently supported Tamako and Mochizou, so it felt good to carry out my original intentions.

After getting close to the characters, what’s the best option for them?

- Did anything change from the TV series in how you depicted Tamako?
Yamada: I think you get closer to Tamako and sense that she’s a girl through and through. When thinking about it, we were able to display what her philosophy on life is.

- Philosophy? Like what’s important to her?
Yamada: Like the aesthetics of Tamako. How do you make her into the type of girl who’s important to everyone around her and yet not make her unlikable. We had to dig again and think how to make Tamako into that kind of girl. Tamako’s important not just to Mochizou, but to (her friend) Midori as well.  Not showing why she’s important to those two wasn’t an option.

- So it was important for you that the audience didn’t ponder “why does everyone like this girl?”
Yamada: Yes. Along with the images, that was the most important part I worked on. Of course, excluding the scenario.

- When Mochizou confesses to her, Tamako’s eyes go googly, her speech becomes cluttered, and she runs away. Was this the image you had in mind previously when he would confess to her?
Yamada: I really thought about it a lot. It took a really long time to discover what Tamako would do. The storyboards for that scene just wouldn’t advance any other way than little by little. “And what is Tamako’s reaction?” “Now how does Mochizou react?” Little by little I pieced the scene together while choosing my options and crunching on Yoshida-san’s messages in the scenario. What’s the best option for each of the characters as the audience gathers close to them? I considered how to depict the two without making fun of them both.

- Was it Yoshida-san’s idea to stick in older movie lines like Tamako’s “I’m very flattered”?
Yamada: We talked a lot about that during the scenario stage. Regardless we seriously contemplated what Tamako’s reaction would be to being confessed to. Obviously she wouldn’t be cold to Mochizou, but she was already running away. (laughs)  At that point we wanted something that she could run away with and yet leave some fear. She was raised among all the people in the shopping district, so there’s probably some pieces of information she picked up randomly.

- Still, that’s quite an old way to say it. (laughs) After that, she runs back through the shopping district engulfed in their lights without any greetings to the shopkeepers. She greets them without fail everyday though. I thought that direction was splendid.
Yamada: I considered what was the best way to show that this was a major event for Tamako.

- Tamako didn’t go through any major events in the TV series, right?
Yamada: During other people’s big events, Tamako would just say “It’s alright.” But even when her own event is going on, she’s still a normal girl, so even as her emotions are fluttering, she still has that happiness inside.

-It felt like happiness was tucked inside the lights around Tamako. Even though she wasn’t aware of it, it felt like a happy mood was alive inside her.
Yamada: Tamako is always tucked inside many signs of happiness. I thought it’d be nice to show that kind of scenery.

- Though the film depicts a love story between Tamako and Mochizou, there’s probably a lot of fans who were worried about Midori…. who seemed to have feelings more than friendship for Tamako. Or perhaps it’s just me. (laughs) But it seemed you handled Midori quite carefully in the film.
Yamada: Midori’s part was very important. She’s a girl with very very very complex emotions. I absolutely wanted to have something that showed her feelings given word.  Yet… What was it, Midori-chan only fans? (laughs)

- They love Tamako, but they’re Midori-chan fans. (laughs)
Yamada: Thank you very much. What was the question?

- It seemed like there was going to be no way for Midori-chan’s feelings for Tamako to have an outlet but that wasn’t the case. There was a new path and an outlet appeared for her. We felt like “Good for you Midori-chan.”
Yamada: That was excellent! We planned it like that. We wanted Midori’s emotions to be involved, but furthermore, we wanted to be able to do it without messing up our development of Tamako. It seemed like if we worked on Midori, then we couldn’t develop Tamako. I wanted to rescue her…. And then Tamako’s depiction worried me.

- Was the development concerning Midori important to you?
Yamada: It was really really good. In the past Tamako strangely didn’t think very much about Midori at all; she was worried about her own things. Midori also saw that and understood how she felt.  It was good in various ways…. Ah, when I thought about Midori, the scenes finished. (laughs)

- Midori-chan says at the beginning “if you confess to Tamako, it’ll just trouble her” like she’s somewhat shaming herself. Now that I say it, it feels kinda painful to think of it like that…
Yamada: It feels very rough like it’s a thorn from adolescence that she’s carrying around. She’s very much the kind of girl who would carry around something feminine like that. Very humid. That’s really the most charming aspect of her. She’s gloomy. Sharp. And yet cheerful. That’s what’s so fascinating about her.

- There’s a certain emotion inside her, yet she doesn’t know how to express it.
Yamada: Right. She doesn’t know. Not one bit but….

- She doesn’t appear to be disagreeable!
Yamada: Right! It was very important that she never appear to be disagreeable.

- Sorry. Earlier I mentioned that I was already a Midori-chan fan. (laughs)
Yamada: That’s perfectly fine. (laughs) I’m happy to hear it.

There was only one way Mochizou could react

- In the first half of the film, Mochizou looks at Tamako. After he confesses, Tamako starts to watch him. Mochizou doesn’t seem to change any of his actions after he confesses.
Yamada: When I hear it summarized like that, it sounds like such a simple story. He confesses and then got that strange response of how she feels. Of course he becomes anxious after what she did. (laughs) I’m really happy I got to produce that kind of work.

- Since it’s simple, you wanted to create a straightforward love story?
Yamada: Personally, I love very simple tales but I felt there’s times you can’t have a movie without some kind of tricks and turns for the audience to enjoy the ride. I was constantly worrying about how to fit them together. In the end the producer and Yoshida-san helped guide me towards the simpler story.

- It was a bit shocking to see that her grandfather was hospitalized while Tamako was sorting through her feelings after being shocked after Mochizou confessed.
Yamada: When I saw that he had fallen I was also surprised.

- Was it like “What?! Yoshida-san wrote this?!”
Yamada: My nose was dripping as I was reading the scenario. (laughs) But as I was thinking about Mochizou and Tamako’s relationship up to that point, there really hadn’t been any big events happen or any changes. Also I wanted to show a strong and cool moment for Mochizou too. Something that would have the right timing for Tamako to finally see Mochizou.

- There were a lot of props that returned from the TV series like the string phone between Tamako and Mochizou’s rooms, but they became key items in the story.
Yamada: If we were to go back to Tamako Market, I think there’d be a lot of small items that show that hint of love between the childhood friends. There’s many items that could be used here that weren’t used to their full potential in the TV series. The string phone is one of them. It had a different motif originally, but now we advanced its meaning to build upon the older analog, not digital, way for the two to communicate between each other.

- So, was the story behind why Tamako began to love mochi the same as the image you had in your head during the TV series?
Yamada: Yes. As I thought about various things, I began to like the events we had constructed for their pasts. There were events that got the character designer (Yukiko) Horiguchi-san excited as well.

- Were there any parts of Tamako’s home life or in the shopping district that changed from the TV series?
Yamada: They’ve pretty much stayed the same. The colors for Tamako and her family have been slightly altered to bring out the depth in the characters, but nothing’s changed color-wise for the shopkeepers. The artwork (backgrounds) have also been altered (in order to fit the bigger screen) to give it more of an amusement park feeling. I wanted people to realize the balance between the important school portions and the happy euphoria from the shopping district.

- There was nothing changed about the characters?
Yamada: Right. The shopkeepers haven’t changed a bit. It’s because of that that Tamako can pass time comfortably in the area. However, after she was confessed to, she becomes worried and starts to stroll through the shopping district where she gradually hears some married conversations she never heard before.

- In the TV series, there weren’t any kind of intimate conversations going on in the area.
Yamada: There probably were those kinds of conversations constantly going on in the area and Tamako likely heard them, but didn’t give any deeper thoughts or meanings to them. Since a new room in her has been opened, she now starts to hear them.

- Near the end, there’s a scene at the train platform when Tamako conveys her feelings through the string phone to Mochizou and the screen turns dark black while the audio plays her “I love you Mochizou” through the cup. I think there’s a lot of guys who felt their heart skip during that part. What was your aim during that scene?
Yamada: Probably to do whatever she could at that moment. When she thought about Mochizou, that’s the feeling that came to mind for her spontaneously.

- During that scene, after hearing her confession, Mochizou casts his head down where his hair covers his eyes and mouth. That’s the same action he did in episode 9 of the TV series where Tamako gives him a birthday cake, isn’t it?
Yamada: Ah, you’re right!

- I thought him not striking a pose or holding her felt very much like Mochizou. When you think about Mochizou, doesn’t that image of someone who couldn’t do those things come to mind?
Yamada: It definitely feels that way. (laughs) His reaction in episode 9 was something drawn by the storyboarder/director (Ichirou) Miyoshi-san though. When I first saw it, I felt that gesture was incredibly Mochizou-ish. It shocked me. I very much love that scene.

- So you used that gesture here?
Yamada: Yes. I don’t think Mochizou would react any other way to being confessed to.

Feeling like a very important work

- Does it feel like that last scene where their feelings are communicated between each other, Mochizou’s endurance, Tamako’s worrying, etc, was something you had solidified early on?
Yamada: It surely feels that way. My main interest in this particular project was the process by which Tamako fell in love. This ending felt like it was inevitable.

- After seeing the film, I would guess that you would prefer shounen manga over shojo manga. Would I be correct?
Yamada: I’m certainly not that familiar with shojo manga. As I was collecting data for this theme, it was called “shojo manga-ish” so I had to ask over many times “what about it feels so shojo manga-ish?” (laughs) I’ve read a lot of shounen manga. My older sister keeps a lot of them.

- Ah, then it definitely feels more like a shounen romantic comedy. It follows the trend of slapstick up until the point where it stops at the end as they overcome their struggles and become a couple.
Yamada: Now that you say it like that, you’re right.

- While shojo manga have the couple begin to go out as well, there’s also more disagreements/missed points depicted….
Yamada: Like when a rival shows up? You’re right. I’ve definitely read a lot of shounen romantic comedies. That might be why I had so much fun with Mochizou. Ah, but people watching him may think of him acting somewhat feminine.

- I kept thinking “Just do it Mochizou!” personally. This movie was written by the series composer for the TV series, Reiko Yoshida. Were there any scenes or lines that made you go “That’s so amazing Yoshida-san!”
Yamada: There were so many of those. I truly loved each line she wrote from the scenario she drafted. I even loved the between the line information as well. For example, it would give Midori and Kanna’s words and development of motions. It was not only amazingly detailed, but amazingly timed as well. I truly think Yoshida-san knows just how to make girls incredibly charming. So each one of those points were incredibly charming for me. The scene where Midori flares up at Mochizou is like that. Shes good at showing both children hiding behind your knees and the adolescent stage right before adulthood. Thus her scenario was amazing to read and I truly love all of it. (laughs)

- So what do you feel is the special part for character designer Yukiko Horiguchi-san?
Yamada: I’ll say something I think she’ll really hate me for saying and try to run away from it, but I think she’s truly a prodigy. I think the way she makes her characters act is so amazing. They never get caught up in mistakes. The way she draws her hands and their actions are incredible. Her fingertips aren’t useless in the slightest.

- I understand what you mean.
Yamada: I’ve thought she’s been amazing for quite a while, but I wasn’t able to say what was amazing about her until now. Once I came to the conclusion that her charm was “the way her characters are so supple” it finally hit me.

- With the story being very simple to make, was it a pre-requisite for you to have Horiguchi-san’s image abilities to complete the tale?
Yamada: Yes. I have absolute trust in her.

- One of the important characters in the TV series, the talking bird Dera Mochimazzi doesn’t appear in the movie itself, but he does appear in the short “Dera-chan on the Southern Island” that screened with the film. He’s as goofy as ever. Though he’s important to the story as a whole, it was a marvelous idea to keep the movie as simple as possible by splitting him off. Was this your idea as well?
Yamada: Disney movies have that short cartoon at the beginning of their works, so I thought about those images in my head. However the movie was constructed without Dera-chan appearing in it. As I was thinking of how to get him to appear, it suddenly occurred to me, “Ah, we can make a short!” I was so happy we could make both stories into one piece so he’d appear.

- Was there anything related to this film that you absolutely wanted to include since it was going to be a movie?
Yamada: There were a lot of things I wanted to include in this film, or more specifically into a love story itself. From the viewer’s side, there’s a lot of emotions that are jumping around that they have to feel, so I felt it had to be a single movie in order to tell it in one go. For this film, I constructed the visuals in order for the audience to feel those wavering emotions/thoughts. Thus I wanted to do everything: the layouts, the direction, each single cut, everything. It was a long process ever since we started drawing, but I think there were some amazing drawings this time.

- Now that it’s finished, how does it feel to have finished your “love story?”
Yamada: Right now it feels very refreshing. It was incredibly fun to depict how love starts to bloom in someone and to experience that for the first time. I never thought I would’ve become a love story author previously, but this has been a very good experience.

- You weren’t aware of them previously and yet you were able to create such a straightforward love story. Looking back, were there any surprising moments for you?
Yamada: There were certainly some “ah” times. (laughs) A while ago I helped direct a show, CLANNAD, that was fully a love story, but at that time it was so much fun directing.

- Is that so?
Yamada: I was worried throughout working on Tamako Love Story, but I had drawn storyboards for CLANNAD. When I first saw them, I was shocked. “I can do something like this too!” I never thought I would be able to direct/storyboard.

- And then you became a full director in a blink of an eye. Was it embarrassing to work on a straight love tale?
Yamada: Yes because I kept saying “Idiot! What are you doing? Stop putting your own memories into this movie!” (laughs) From that I ended up thinking that it would be a good thing when I was embarrassed working on it. I’m glad that I was able to miraculously draw those storyboards from long ago. For some reason I became overly self-conscious during this, so because of them I was able to thoroughly depict how Tamako and Mochizou fell in love.

- It’s definitely that kind of work. Finally, what kind of work is Tamako Love Story to you?
Yamada: It feels like it’s a very important work. It feels like everyone; Mochizou, Tamako, Midori, Kanna, Shiori, Anko, takes a step forward and you’re always there to see it happen.

- For 83 minutes long, it’s quite a dense movie.
Yamada: You wouldn’t think everything could happen in that length of time. Even the onlookers don’t think it was possible, but I’m truly glad we could fit everything in it.

In 2005, Kadokawa Shoten greenlit an anime adaptation of an increasingly popular novel series that was thought to be nearly unadaptable. While the series was critically acclaimed, there were issues adapting a series that had many short stories and basically had the climax of the series in the first novel. Planners Wada and Udagawa were able to convince Yoko Hatta to sign on and adapt the set of novels into a TV show, inking director Tatsuya Ishihara and series director Yutaka Yamamoto to lead the production with the author Nagaru Tanigawa providing assistance. Tanigawa proposed from the start to adapt it in achronological order, which was combined with Ishihara’s desire to finish with the final portion of Melancholy. Yamamoto made the decision to lead with a student-made film and the hit was born on April 2, 2006 when The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina: Episode 00 started the first series of the Haruhi Suzumiya anime.

2013 was the anniversary marking the tenth year the Haruhi Suzumiya novel series first went into print. Likely, Kadokawa wanted to release two items during that year: a pachinko collaboration with Sankyo that had been in the works since 2009 at minimum, and a re-release of the 14 episodes that aired in 2006 as they were broadcast (which had never been released before in Japan). Due to circumstances that weren’t made public, both of these were pushed back to 2014 and on August 29, 2014, Kadokawa finally gave the 629 Japanese fans what they had been waiting for.

This Blu-ray Box set contains all 14 2006 episode re-encoded/mastered for this box on three discs (2 2-layer discs containing 5 episodes each and 1 1-layer disc containing 4 episodes). Also included in the box is a set of two postcards featuring the newly drawn box/cover art by Shoko Ikeda, the character designer/chief animation director for the series, and the soundtrack for the series on 2 CDs.

I’ve talked about the series at length before. Despite the issues that arise in the first three Melancholy episodes, I still have a soft spot for this franchise and really like the series as a whole. Seeing the episodes in the broadcast order for the first time in years made me re-appreciate the direction that was used to tease “future” events so that audiences would have an idea yet not be completely lost when watching it.

Kadokawa Shoten’s video division put the same encodes on new discs with the addition of the next episode previews in different files (examples). While it’s not re-mastered/re-composited, it’s quite possibly the best the series will look barring Sony PCL taking a swing at it. This show was made in 2006 and yet I find it holds up well visually to many shows produced years later (though nothing in the current year). The direction was immensely wonderful with many creative angles/portrayals of material. It’s simply a joy to re-watch.

Like last time, Kadokawa included the Japanese and English audio. These are the exact same tracks as in the previous box, so I can’t comment more on them. They also included the English subtitles produced by Bandai Entertainment and Bang Zoom. After learning a great deal of Japanese since my last watch with these subtitles, I realize how much I dislike a lot of the translation (even moreso than “futuremen”). It’s not worded well IMO.

Included on disc 1 are some bonus features. Firstly, we finally have the opening and ending used for the 2006 episodes without text. These were recomposited by Kyoto Animation in 2010 and look utterly fantastic. Upon futher investigation, these appear to be the first productions that KyoAni did in full 1080p HD. Additionally, we have the special dance version of the ending, which is kept from the previous upscale and doesn’t look as good as either the main feature or the newly composited ending. Finally, we have two versions of promotional commercials: the “pre-airing/now airing” version with Yamamoto and Hirano on a train while she states Haruhi’s famous line from Melancholy and a “pre-release/now on sale” version with Hirano and Ishihara on top of a roof with Ishihara in make-up to look like an alien.

The soundtrack sounds like it always has: fantastic. Kousaki is one of my most underrated composers if only because his music compliments the show moreso than other “name” composers without overtaking the show on its own. These are wonderfully composed/arranged pieces and perfectly compliment the scenes used. There’s a great variety to mimic how diverse the show feels in tone from episode to episode. It’s nice to finally have these on two CDs instead of on 8 split with radio pieces.

To sum up my feelings on the box, I initially felt it was a cheap cash-grab to get some yen from the pachinko hype, but came to vastly enjoy this box release. I can’t say enough how nice the show looks visually now and the gimmicked re-airing helps highlight the better stories that were chosen to be adapted in this season. It’s easily recommended for any fan, but highly recommended for any Haruhi fan to own.

The television anime series Tamako Market aired from January until March 2013. Though it was a pleasantly charming series, the director of the show, Naoko Yamada, felt she wasn’t done with the franchise once the final episode was finished. One of the interesting points of the TV show was that it focused around the main character, Tamako Kitashirakawa, but it never focused on her as a character; rather it detailed about the shopping market as a whole instead. Director Yamada wanted to delve into Tamako herself, and given that the theme of the franchise is “love”, what better medium than an adolescent love story? Thus, Tamako Love Story was brought to life. The film opened on April 26, 2014 and was released on video disc October 10, 2014 (mochi day and Mochizo Ooji’s birthday). This is a review for the Japanese Blu-ray release of the film. My thoughts on the film itself can be found elsewhere.

Front cover

Back Cover	Inside Contents	Booklets
Mochizou Photo Collection	Film Bookmarks	Disc at Bottom

The film is sold by Kyoto Animation and the “Bunny Mountain Shopping District” production committee with Pony Canyon distributing the discs. It comes inside a memorial art box packed with physical extras. The first thing you see when you open the box are two lovely “film” bookmarks (made of translucent plastic) featuring stills from the baton performance on one and stills of the confession scene on the other. Next is a set of three newly drawn illustrations called the “Mochizou photo collection” featuring the girls on one, the Kitashirakawa sisters on another, and Mochizou taking a selfie with Tamako on the final one. An ad for the franchise guidebook is present above the “Tamako Love Story Special Booklet” and the “Noteworthy Scene Storyboard Collection.” I’ll delve into those later.

Beneath all that is the disc (BD for BD, DVD for DVD). The film itself exceeded my high expectations for it, making me cry multiple times through the story. Director Yamada truly made a fantastic love story that doesn’t go through the many trials and tribulations that so many stories want to include for artificial problems. Instead we have a straightforward story that delves into Tamako’s past and fleshes her out as a character. I cannot recommend the film enough; even if this set was only the disc it would be worth it.

While I wish I could say everything was utterly perfect, it would be a lie. This release’s biggest flaw is in the video encoding from Pony Canyon. There’s a few times the video has some banding due to color changes in the picture. None really detract from the experience, but it’s the one blemish in this release. Otherwise the video looks incredibly crisp. Pony’s team encoded it with an average around 40 MB/s. The film itself is visually stunning and that carries over very well on the disc.

The movie itself had a stereo soundtrack, which remains in LPCM format.Some decry a stereo mix in favor for a 5.1 (which is utterly stupid IMO), but this mix allows for wonderful effects to be present on either side. Everything (and I seriously mean everything) is crisp, clear, and easily digestible. It made me appreciate the sound direction, which not many works allow you to do.

Included on the disc are two audio commentary tracks. The first is from the main four cast members: Aya Suzuki (Tamako), Atsushi Tamaru (Mochizou), Yuuki Kaneko (Midori), and Juri Nagatsuma (Kanna). The second commentary is from the main staff from Kyoto Animation: Director Naoko Yamada, art director Ikuko Tamine, color coordinator Akiyo Takeda, and director of photography Rin Yamamoto. Each track was encoded in LPCM, which is quite rare for a commentary track.

Promo video 2

Stage Greeting

Additional bonus features include the textless opening (minus a few things), textless ending, promotional videos, trailers, commercials, and a stage greeting from the opening day greeting at Shinjuku Picadilly. The greeting had the four cast members above with director Yamada and was hosted by Takumi Yamazaki (Dera). An enjoyable greeting with Yamada being so flustered she goes “Good morning” instead of “Nice to meet you all.”

Special Booklet

OP/ED Storyboards

The special booklet is a tiny let down, though the paper used is very nice and textured. It covers a short introduction to each character, a collection of staff messages to the characters, Midori’s notes regarding the baton club’s performance, a full credit listing, and a newly drawn illustration at the end. The storyboard booklet collects the storyboards for the opening animation, the confession scene, the final scene, and the ending animation. (These were chosen by producer Sezaki according to the stage greeting at Movix Kyoto)

KyoAni Booklet

KyoAni Booklet Contents

Everything listed above is included in each retail set of the BD. However, I chose to order (through a middleman) from the KyoAni Shop, which offered another bonus book with purchase of the movie. This “Love letter collection” adds additional comments (and illustrations) from the main staff of the film along with key frame correction points from the animation directors. A lot of these illustrations are quite cute.

Overall, this is a fantastic release from Kyoto Animation and Pony Canyon. It’s worthy of the film itself and is an easy recommendation (even without the KyoAni book). I highly suggest seeing the film as soon as you can as it’s one of the best films or works I’ve ever seen.

HTT Airlines, Flight JL401:

Boarding seat 1:

Director Naoko Yamada

Though the atmosphere is the same as the TV series, K-On! The Movie’s coloring, photography, angels, and other various components were upgraded. What did director Naoko Yamada have in mind for the visuals? Here we talk with her regarding what she had in mind for K-On!

K-On! The Movie’s visuals had a “real” feeling that was obsessed over

- Were there any big differences in how you constructed the images for the movie compared to the TV series?

The theatre screen appears much bigger, so my utmost attention went towards making images that would look like a movie. I thought about how each scene’s layout would look in live-action. There are a lot of fine calculations for the lens angle and the distance between the camera and subject that affect the atmosphere of a shot. The screen itself tends to have a bigger influence on the image for a movie than it does for a TV series. Thus I had to take into consideration things like where the characters would be placed, their size, and furthermore the amount of space above their heads.

- What was your goal when constructing the images differently than in the TV series?

I was quite particular in making it feel “real.” For that, I asked Yoshiji Kigami-san (A famous animator working since the 1980s who has become a staff member at Kyoto Animation) to supervise the layouts of the film. But I didn’t want it to be too different from the TV series; it was important to keep it feeling like K-On!. The balance between the two was something I obsessed over.

- The movie felt more like the audience was a photographer than the TV series did.

I wanted to continue pursuing the third years in a documentary-like setting throughout their third years, much like I had for K-On!!. As the TV series felt like the audience was a photographer getting closer to their subjects, the movie strengthened that feeling more. I thought about how a real camera would be placed in live action while making scenes.

- That kind of direction was seen in scenes like the one at the end of the A-part where all the characters are on the phone at the same time. It really feels like a camera was just set up.

There is a way I planned for the viewer to move their eyes, but with everything on the screen moving, it feels like the viewer is watching something realistic. I like that aspect of my direction there.

- Could you please talk to us about some easier to understand portions of the film where you obsessed over that realistic feel?

Well, the school scenes in the A and B parts were easier to understand like the hallway scene or the scene where Yui and Tsumugi meet Ritsu and Mio while walking to school. In order to bring out the atmosphere better, we altered the color of the sunlight and the lens through filters in order to give it a sensation that felt realer. We also did the same for the D-part when the girls come back to Japan from London in all the school scenes. I was extremely focused over the layouts and lens angles in order to best represent the girls’ growth and breathing.

A truly different luxury of producing images in comparison

- What did you speak to the director of photography about regarding creating the visuals?

We talked together about how to make the girls appear better to the audience and what steps the photographers would take in order to make that. During the TV series, we went through various experiments with inserting light into scenes, but for this movie, I asked Rin Yamamoto-san, the director of photography, to research into different techniques to make our subjects look their best. Additionally, we also had meetings discussing how to make the movie feel like it was one singular work rather than a series of stories.

- The TV series also had some gorgeous scenes created by the use of lighting.

With a TV series, there were a lot of times we could only greatly alter the lighting usage during each scene, but for this movie we were able to alter it to better fit the camera orientation for each cut. It’s quite luxurious to be able to do that. Even more for all the minute color alterations done by the color designer, Akiyo Takeda-san.

The scene where Tsumugi and Yui meet while walking to school in the A-part was one that was obsessed over. Wintery blue photography combined with the warm light of the sun as it starts to rise makes it feel real.

- Then comparing the TV series to the movie esthetically, they look very different, don’t they?

Absolutely different. Not just the color usage, the layout of the screen is completely different even if it may appear similar in some instances. Personally, if I had to compare the two, I’d think “they absolutely look different.”

- The movie pamphlet mentions altering the shade of colors.

I think lowering the shade of colors makes it look more refined. It’s a movie, so I thought doing those kinds of things would make it feel like we were giving it our all to make it look special. Usually, all I care is that the colors appear uniform on the screen, but this was a bit stronger than that.

- The storyboards were done by just you and Tatsuya Ishihara-san, right?

With Ishihara-san in charge of the C-part, we both worked hard to “properly make this into K-On!” and to get close to the girls from the start until the end. However, the length of the storyboards was starting to feel incredibly intense. I handed over two portions asking him “I can’t trim my own scenes down anymore, could you trim the A-part” and “I don’t want to ask this of you, but could you handle the C-part?” (laughs) But in the end both of us felt completely burnt out after trimming it down as far as it could go. (laughs)

- Speaking of the C-part, that scene with Yui and Azusa going around entering and leaving the hotel rooms was immensely entertaining when I saw it.

I asked him to make the storyboards dynamic so that he could create something that would be an enjoyable highlight and which felt movie-esque. With the girls having connecting rooms, I absolutely wanted to do a gag like the room gag. I thought about how to create the scene while maintaining that “realistic camera” feeling, but I couldn’t create a scene that felt gratifying to me, so I was going to cut it. Handing the C-part to Ishihara-san was the right idea after all.

- Could you talk a bit about Hiroko Utsumi-san, the director for the B-part?

Utsumi-san works at Animation Do, which is located in Osaka, but she came to Kyoto for the duration of the production. I was really happy she did that so we could talk about the fine details of the film in meetings. She herself has a very entertaining direction style, and since she had always continued to work on the TV series, I felt a sense of relief leaving it to her. She’s also such an enjoyable person to be around; it was wonderful to work with her.

- Did you have any important discussions with art director Tamura-san?

We primarily talked about what to do about with the London part. I mentioned it in the booklet, but I wanted to bring out the lovely side of something foreign once the girls finally make it to Europe.  However, London has that stylish scenery side of it, so we talked about how to draw out that sweet European mood and tone that’s inside the city. There were a lot of discussions about the tone of the city, because the audience’s first impression of the backgrounds is very important whenever the girls would appear ecstatic about a sight and it appears on the screen. The hotel room the girls stay in was quite important. We even talked about “if it suits the story, how about remodeling the real room?”

- With the door’s peephole and doorknob situated so high, it really feels like they were made for foreigners. It felt very realistic.

When I went into the washroom at Heathrow Airport, the sinks were so high I thought I was about to be baptized. (laughs) Those doors are foreign, so you’d have to stick your head high to see out. Though Ritsu could peek out through that hole, Yukiko Horiguchi, who went to London with us during the scenario hunting, said she couldn’t see out of it at all. (laughs) Also, since foreigners have big hands, of course the knobs would be thicker than the ones in Japan.

- The beds are tall too, aren’t they?

They’re tall, very tall. Whenever I went to London, it felt like I had to jump onto my back to be able to go to sleep. Ritsu and Azusa have such small bodies, it feels like they’d have to climb onto them. Creating that feeling was quite important.

- How were Kazumi Ikeda-san and Miku Kadowaki-san chosen to be animation directors?

Chief AD Horiguchi-san and I both thought about asking them from the very start. Both of them did wonderfully for the TV series as ADs, and both draw such wonderful illustrations. Horiguchi-san’s illustrations have such wonderful balance between practical and loveliness, so I wanted to pick people who could get as close to that concept as possible. Additionally, Horiguchi-san put her trust behind both of them, so we chose them to help. As for me, I finally chose them due to the flexibleness, delicateness, and cuteness that female ADs have in their works. Also, I personally really like the pairing of Ikeda-san and Ishihara-san. (laughs)

Materializing the K-On! image in the movie

- With the movie completed, what do you think of K-On! now that the series has reached a stopping point?

I wanted to create something where it felt like the girls were real beings. Like the sound of Yui’s foot hitting the floor when she’s wearing her tights, or the sound of the girls’ breaths. It’s a work that obsesses over having those realistic sensations.

- Their hands and expressions among other things are finely depicted.

It’s those kinds of details that create characters’ natures. It feels like they were spontaneously there in the K-On! characters from the moment you meet them.

- It feels like there’s a lot of profile shots in scenes with delicate emotions or atmospheric scenes.

It’s that respect for the character’s emotions in that shot. “There’s no way they’d want to be shown head on at this time!” Also I felt like unintentionally people would get caught in their dazzling eyes if they were to look at them straight on and share their emotions. I also may feel what they’re thinking when meeting their gaze.

Often you’ll see profile cuts at times of delicate emotion depictions. This cut is packed with the director’s desire to get close to the characters’ thoughts and feelings.

- From that desire, it feels like a home movie.

Ever since the first season started, I thought it’d be wonderful to create something like an album for the girls. Something that they could look back on after they’ve grown up and say “that was fun.”As I thought that, I created something that made you want to continue getting closer and closer to the girls. The TV series also made you want to get closer to the girls and kept people glued to what was happening. Though I didn’t explicitly write directions in the film to bring out that aspect, the desire to want to continually get closer to them comes out strongly.

- What are your thoughts on the visuals you created in the movie?

Speaking as a third party observer, I love the visuals and want to make something like them. I also feel the sensations from the original manga as well.  A third party not only has to feel the excitement rising in them, there also has to be those moments of good cool down too to balance the temperature. If I wasn’t able to control that temperature throughout the entire film, I question if it would lose that feeling the original work had and if K-On! would be shown here.

Profile:
Naoko Yamada
Director/Animator working at Kyoto Animation. Additionally she has directed Tamako Market and worked as episode director/storyboarder on CLANNAD After Story, Kyoukai no Kanata, and Free!

HTT Airlines, Flight JL401:

Boarding seat 2:

Scriptwriter Reiko Yoshida

Yoshida-san worried whether it was feasible for the girls in the light music room to head to London and still have the work be K-On! in nature. During the scenario writing stage, she worried that the London part wouldn’t come to her. We came to hear about these troubles and devices to get through the film.

The degree of difficulty connecting a London trip to K-On!

- Would you mind telling us how the idea for the girls to take a graduation trip came about?

Producer Nakayama (Nakayama P) made the suggestion “how about a foreign trip?” He also mentioned some other ideas such as “telling a story in the gap between their second and third years that hadn’t been animated.” In the end, Nakayama-san made a strong request, “I really want something with that special feeling that makes you feel like it’s a movie,” and so the scenario became what it is.

- Creating something with that special feeling of a movie and mixing it with the everyday feeling of K-On! sounds like it would be incredibly difficult.

Until we went location scouting, the girls weren’t going to be in the music room at all; they’d just be heading off in the airplane to start the film. I was very worried that it wouldn’t feel like a K-On! work, but once I saw London in person, it surprisingly fit the franchise’s feeling. After that I was able to work without any worries.

- What parts of the city seemed to fit the franchise?

The different districts’ appearances were rather cute and I felt that the girls would match if they were in them. There were other things that I was delighted upon seeing all the districts. Various conversations came to mind upon seeing the locations.

- The secret tale behind the creation of “Tenshi ni Furetayo!” was inserted into the film. Whose idea was it to insert that?

Director Yamada’s. It was something to make the story beyond simply a graduation trip. We wanted the girls to accomplish something, so we stuck that tale inside the story of the graduation trip in order to give it meaning. It’s something we thought about when frantically trying to combine the producer’s special feeling, the world of K-On!, and the TV series into one work.

- What did you three talk about in your meetings that you later inserted into the scenario?

How we should depict Yui and how to tie together the creation of Azusa’s song with the London trip. We reaffirmed everything. At the beginning, I would present a scenario to be used as a chopping block and then we would talk about it. The most difficult part of all had to be how to construct the tale so that the trip and the school parts didn’t feel disjointed.

- Included on the 9th DVD/BD volume was the extra episode “Planning” where the girls went to retrieve their passports. Was that foreshadowing for the movie?

At the time I wrote that episode, they hadn’t decided to do a movie yet! (laughs) Perhaps this was fated so that it would somehow match, but I wonder if Nakayama-san didn’t have that story in mind when he proposed “how about a trip overseas?”

- The climax of the film isn’t the gradation trip; instead we’re brought back to the school parts. That really feels like K-On! Was that in one of the early versions of the scenario?

The organization itself didn’t change much until the final version. Conversely, we wanted to have performances. We had down from the “sketch” stage (a note listing the general events that would happen in order before the scenario is written) that we wanted to do a concert. Thus I can say we went on a trip searching for a good place for the girls to perform during the scenario hunting.

- And as a result of that, it was decided to have performances on the stage by the London Eye and at the revolving sushi restaurant.

The revolving sushi restaurant was created from a time when I went to London previously. On top of a department store there was this performance that really left an impression on me. So when the time came to make the scenario, there wasn’t any kitsch locations where that kind of a performance could be found. As a result, it moved there.

- There was a model Sushi Ranchu restaurant too, wasn’t there?

It’s not as decorated with goldfish, but the image is similar. You could see some sushi you’d never see before there. (laughs) There were a lot of mysterious sushi dishes like ones with blueberry sauce, so we decided to go there since it’d be entertaining to see the girls in such a weird place.

Things never changing regardless of locations was the movie’s theme

- It seems very difficult to have a movie depicted in just under two hours while not tarnishing the appearance of the TV series.

These girls talk so much, the scenario kept getting longer and longer as I kept writing. After I finished writing it, my first thought was “would all of this fit?” When I actually saw the completed film, I thought “It all fit perfectly.”

One could say pointless chatter is a symbol of K-On!. Since the girls continued to chatter around, the scenario was bigger than planned.

- Since the director is poor at cutting as well, the finished movie feels very dense and deep.

Even in portions where the scenario went overboard in pages, and since it could be condensed into visuals, I think the amount of information is so dense in the film. No matter how many times you see it, don’t you enjoy seeing new fine details and enjoying it all over again?

- Speaking of compressed, the English translating of “Gohan wa Okazu” was much longer in the scenario. Was that something you were very particular over?

That was the assistant producer Fujino-san’s incredibly hard work to create an English draft. It was very entertaining. It really feels like a high school gag.

- Were there any other gags that other people elongated?

The director was incredibly obstinate over the scene with Yui and Azusa changing rooms. So I inserted that scene where they go around and around for her.

- I was astonished at the amount of foreshadowing that was hidden in these impressive gags and nonsensical conversations.

I tried to keep in mind that even though these conversations may seem pointless, there has to be a point to them. Especially for the reason they head to London; I didn’t want people to forget about the episode with writing a song for Azusa. So I considered what everyone would say while keeping that in mind so the audience doesn’t forget about the song just during that portion.

- What portions and devices did you stick into the scenario so people wouldn’t forget?

The portion where for some reason Azusa would see Yui’s thoughts for lyrics and misunderstand their content. Though it was a trifling joke inserted in the film, it was my plan to have the movie move forward with Yui enjoying her graduation trip, but never forgetting that it’s more important to write the song for Azusa.

- The film itself is an original story; were there many difficulties in creating such an original story?

Since the film was after the TV series had come around, the characters had already been established, so there weren’t any difficulties for that part. The problems were with creating something that wouldn’t feel unnatural with the TV series. I made sure that the girls would look the same going to such a far far away place.

- Surely, even though they’re in London, they would act just like usual, right?

This movie’s theme, or rather core, is that there are things that don’t change regardless of where they are. No matter where, those girls will always be Afterschool Tea Time. Probably after this, after graduation, sometime in the future, that still won’t change. Somehow I wanted to put that kind of image in the film.

Creating the movie’s scenario to make Yui the main focus

- There’s many moments in the TV series where it feels it’s being told from Azusa’s point of view, but the movie really feels like it’s from the third years.

The TV series feels like each episode has someone else standing out, but for the movie, I created it wanting to make Yui the protagonist so that she would stand out. The director also wanted her to be the protagonist so the story wouldn’t be spread out. Instead of “there were a lot of jokes, but I don’t understand what the story is” we wanted to make something with “there’s a lot of jokes, but it really touched me.”

- Though it revolves around Yui, it feels like all of the characters appear in the movie nonchalantly. I would think that was quite a chore.

I worked hard at fitting them all in while watching the length. It really troubled me as to creating a good reason for Sawa-chan to somehow get to London. (laughs) Before that I thought about having the occult club appear as a joke. “Perhaps they could run into the occult club there.” I think everyone loves them.

- I wonder if there weren’t a lot of people surprised at the opening with the girls pretending to be Death Devil.

That idea was born with the desire to make them want to be cool, but the girls wouldn’t really seem that cool at all.  It was meant to be a character introduction as soon as you catch onto what was happening. This section introducing them as the girls who aren’t the kind that enter lots of contests or perform a lot of concerts, but the kind that enjoy themselves while playing music, was down in the sketch stage.

- What other stories do you have about the director?

She was incredibly particular when we went to London on making it feel like the girls. Though there’s a lot of places to visit in London, she had no interest in visiting anything that was different from their world. There was a scene when we were buying snacks at the supermarket where she went “Look at how cute these snacks are! And the packaging!” that was probably born from her interest in what the girls would think.

-  Who was the person to suggest the concept of changing the lyrics of “Tenshi ni Furetayo!” to exclude “kitten” and change it to “angel”?

That was me. Originally I had it at the end of the C-part where the girls see snow falling outside their taxi on the way to the airport, but the director said why not hold off a little while and make it at the climax of the film? So while they would watch snow fall in London, Yui would say “like our angel” and there the part would end. Not wanting to leave that out, I moved it a bit after that and inserted it in the point after the classroom concert.

- What is your personal favorite scene?

I really love the scene in the beginning where Yui is taking out the trash. The school is starting to feel like graduation and feeling a bit prickly. AlsoI really love the K-On! feeling in scenes like the concert in the revolving sushi restaurant. That slightly stupid, pitiful feeling. (laughs)

- The story from the graduation trip until graduation not only feels oriented towards the hardcore fans, but it feels aware of people watching that haven’t seen anything K-On! until the movie.

I always wanted to spread the gates as much as possible. Though it is an extension of the TV series, it’s also a movie in its own right. For the fans who saw the TV series, it’s the graduation of the third years that created the light music club. For the people seeing the series for the first time, it’s a graduation film.

- Was it your intention to make the final scene, and the climax before that as well, feel as though they were the ending?

Right. The director also wanted it to feel like it was a promise with the TV series, where the tears wouldn’t end.

- Finally, please give a few words to the fans.

With the final part being the movie attached to it, K-On! feels amazingly finished to completion. It’s thanks to everyone who saw the series that we were able to make the movie. I feel incredibly grateful for all the fans. Thank you for all your support.

Profile:

Reiko Yoshida
Scriptwriter. Notable series composed include Saint Seiya Omega, Maria-sama ga Miteru, Kimi to Boku, Girls und Panzer, and Tamako Market.

HTT Airlines, Flight JL401:

Boarding seat 3:

C part Storyboarder/Director Tatsuya Ishihara

The veteran director who presided over a variety of works served as the C-part director and storyboard for the film. Ishihara-san also worked as an adviser and storyboarded/directed episodes of the TV series. Here, we talk to Ishihara-san about how he observed director Yamada’s work.

Creating something entertaining and moving is marvelous

- What were your thoughts when you first saw the manga?

I felt that the characters were very cute, wouldn’t you agree? I remember very well that I questioned if I could work on this title when I saw Mio on the back cover of the first volume.

- Ishihara-san, you were credited as “adviser” for the TV series. Could you please talk about what kind of job that was for the series as a whole?

Since this was Yamada’s first time as a director, I was her support. When I was studying to be a director, other directors would convey how to do something to the best of their knowledge, so that was my plan as well.

- When you were working on the TV series together, what did you and director Yamada talk about?

I recall her asking me about how her direction would appear from a male point of view. Since the work was meant to be seen by men, she worked to make it that way.

-Please tell us about your direction plans and thought process for the series.

I wanted to meet the director’s feelings for the characters; that they not be “dolls” conveniently placed in scenes. She wouldn’t like for them to be in “service scenes” like in a bathtub. This was especially true for episode 6 of season 1 with Mio’s panties. I had to handle a conflict brewing up for that episode since I was the director. (laughs) There were people who wanted to use an erotic image (like the ending) and there were others who dislike a simple “audience service scene.”

- What were your thoughts when you first heard that the series was being made into a movie?

Having felt a strict schedule before, I felt that the timing had to be then for it to work.

- During production of the movie, what did you talk about with director Yamada?

The desire for them to be Afterschool Tea Time no matter where they were going.  Also we didn’t want this to become something of a sightseeing tour. Rather we wanted it to be a section where the girls look at the city’s sights anew. Usually, you want a majestic story when making a movie, so I imagined that it would just head overseas in a grand adventure. I was truly shocked when it wasn’t a grand affair in going to London and that the girls’ everyday life would also be depicted.

- How did heading to London for scenario hunting influence your work on the movie?

How could we convey to people who have only seen the movie to feel like, when they watch the Blu-ray again and see things like the airplanes flying, the atmosphere of the districts, the markings on the roads, and the garbage cans, “Ah, it was like that…”? Japanese people may not instantly get that, in the scene where Yui sticks her hand in the poop container, there are actually poop containers like those in England. Being able to obtain just a bit of that sensation was meaningful to put those experiences in the film.

- Please tell us about how you were elected to handle the C-part of the film.

There really aren’t many particulars to say. I remember Yamada wanting to handle the “everyday” portions, so when it came time to divide up the movie, she took the first and last parts in Japan while Utsumi and I took the foreign parts.

- Were there portions of the film where there were differences in things like the tempo and layouts?

I love being able to pull back the camera from the characters, but even though you increase the amount of information on the screen, it’s not feasible for a TV series. We used it often in the movie.

- You were in charge of the C-part. What did you keep in mind or focus on when working on it?

The girls acting like themselves…right? Though each episode’s directions could differ, the movie is a bundle of scenes put together, so I worked so that my touch wouldn’t differ from what the director wanted.

- Please tell us about your favorite scene(s) in the C-part as well as the scene(s) you obsessed over.

First the scene with the girls sending the e-mail saying they would participate in the concert in London. When Ritsu sticks her cell phone in the air and everyone adds their hands, it was in the order they joined the light music club. Though it’s a trifling scene, it makes me tear up. Actually, the order was different in the storyboards; I thought of it when the key frames were being drawn. I also like the scene when the girls are sightseeing around London while the insert song is playing. As for a technical scene that I obsessed over, it would be the scene after the concert when the girls are riding in the taxi to Heathrow where the camera pulls back from the characters. I wanted it to look like in an automobile showroom, but I question if that was carried over into that location. There were a lot of re-takes for it.

- What are your favorite scenes outside the C-part?

The silly give and take in the conveyer sushi restaurant and the staring in the classroom after the concert scenes as well as the scene where they’re running on the rooftop. Those are the first scenes that come to mind, right? I was very moved when Yui and Mugi started jumping around during the classroom concert too. There are sad scenes that bring you to tears in movies, but being able to be entertainingly moved was wonderful.

- You’ve worked with director Yamada for 3 years. What type of director do you see her as?

Though she may say some absurd things, she’s not blemished by the business world and is able to make entertaining ideas outside the mold. She wants things to be pure in a great way. She’s someone who values her characters greatly; K-On! feels like she’s photographing her closest friends.

- Please give us your thoughts on K-On! after this third year period.

It’s been a very memorable work for me from the time Producer Nakayama brought this work to us and the instance where Yamada was decided as the director. I’m very happy to be involved from the very start until the very end.

- Please give a comment to the fans.

Please continue to take note of director Yamada’s works.

Profile:

Tatsuya Ishihara Director who works at Kyoto Animation. Notable works include serving as director for Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, the CLANNAD series, Kanon, and AIR.

HTT Airlines, Flight JL401:

Boarding seat 4:

B part Director Hiroko Utsumi

Utsumi-san’s B-part has a very high number of events from the airplane leaving Japan until the conveyer belt sushi restaurant. We talked with her regarding how she directed this highly informative part.

The highlight was the scene in London’s Underground waiting for the train

- Please tell us your impressions of the original manga.

I thought Mio was very cute (though now I’m a Ritsu fan….). I was in the light music club when I was a high school student, so I felt I would be reliving those days, but it was something else entirely. (laughs)

- You participated in the series since the second season. Would you mind telling us your direction plans and way of thinking? Also, what did you talk to director Yamada about at that time?

The “life-sized girls” was a very important theme for her, so I focused on the detailed portions such as girlish motions, gestures, tenderness, etc. Whenever I would meet with her, like during our preparation meetings, we would talk on and on about constructing it from the girls’ point of view, the atmosphere of real high school girl life, how to display them in pictures, and so forth. I gratefully accepted the image she had in mind for that atmosphere as it resembled some movie.

- What were your thoughts when you heard it was being made into a movie?

I honestly never imagined the girls’ silver screen debut would ever happen….

- While working on the movie, what did you talk about with director Yamada?

Basically the usual atmosphere of K-On! She told me “even though it’s a movie, the girls aren’t going to change. They’re going to feel the same as they head to London, so enjoy the many events in the B-part!” So I enjoyed working on it along with the key animators and AD.

- What part were you chosen to direct?

The B-part.  It’s a long chain of events starting from the scene where Yui and Nodoka have tea, encompassing the back and forth in the airplane, and finally the happening concert at the conveyer belt sushi restaurant.

- Were there any parts of your direction that you changed between the movie and TV series or any parts that you put in more effort into?

While it’s important to maintain the mood of the TV series, a movie has to have that special feeling.  I made sure that the important portions of the movie (Azusa’s gift) would look impressive by making them longer than usual and adding more frames.

- When you were working as a director on the film, what steps did you take to be cautious for your work?

I did my best to scoop out the intentions, thoughts, and aims from the storyboards the director drew since she was a unit director herself. I moved to be in the same studio as her so that we could always chat back and forth and so that if I was lost over something, she would be right there.

- Please tell us about your favorite scenes or any scene that you were particular over in the part you worked on.

My favorite scene is with the staff at the conveyer belt sushi restaurant with Mugi getting upset that there wasn’t a keyboard and Ritsu kept trying her best to speak English ……but she was mostly speaking Japanese! For a scene that I was particular over, that would be one I gave my all so that it would be the most important in the part and one of the highlights, but one I couldn’t let slip away. That would be the scene where everyone is eating snacks while waiting for the train in London. That might seem like a nonchalant scene, but it’s the scene that most symbolizes the girls. I was very particular about the direction, of course the animation, shading, and focus so that everything matched.

- Would you tell us your favorite scenes that were not in the part you worked on?

I love the girls pretending to be Death Devil in the A-part. Mugi’s disheveled hair and Ritsu’s red light slippage was just too much! The concert in the C-part was too cool and I cried during Sawako’s flashback in the D-part…

- You’ve worked with director Yamada for the second season and the movie. In your opinion, what kind of director is director Yamada?

She’s just her own Yamada World!! I can’t really classify her; she’s really got her own peculiar sense and expressions no one else can do. She’s able to scoop out things that I’m always awful at doing. (laughs)

- Please tell us your impressions of the K-On! series that you worked on.

This was the work I did the storyboards and directing as a set for the first time, so I have a lot of attachment to this series. Personally, I think I struggled greatly at it. (laughs) This has been a valuable work for me learning a lot of girlish characteristics such as ambiance, cuteness, sweetness from the director and at the same time I feel I’ve grown a lot too. And then after being around them so long, there’s this huge amount of love for the girls! Everyone’s so cute! If I can sum it up, it’s love!

- Please give a comment for the fans.

It was thanks to the reactions from everyone that these three years were possible. Of course I’d like to say production was easy, but honestly, it was tough to properly make something with instruments. You can’t use ordinary techniques for performance scenes. They were tough, but thanks to knowing everyone would be watching, we persevered.  Knowing so many people watched something we created makes us all very happy. It’s the source of our power! It really makes me happy knowing that everyone who watched the series had that same love for the girls sprout up that we did. Truly, thank you all very very much!!

Profile:

Hiroko Utsumi Director and animator at Animation Do. Notable works include directing Free! and episode director of Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai! and K-On!!

HTT Airlines, Flight JL401:

Boarding seat 5:

Character Designer/Chief Animation Director Yukiko Horiguchi

Horiguchi-san designed the characters and checked the TV-series drawings as chief animation director. Here we talk to her about how she upgraded the fine details of the drawings while maintain the same atmosphere of the TV series.

Making the girls more beautiful, but keeping them beautiful girls

- Please tell us your thoughts when you first heard that K-On! was being made into a movie.

Honestly……it really scared me. (laughs) The director had to tell me many times “It’s alright Horiguchi-san!” My anxiety over my own abilities won over my excitement for it to be a movie.  Though it’s a pitiful story, I was a nervous wreck from when it was determined until work was completed on the movie. (laughs)

- While you were working on the movie, what did you talk with director Yamada about?

The director and I both loved having our various strategy meetings regarding patterns, designs and other things. We had many talks about what would be best for making the series into a movie.  There were various ways we came up with to not lose the atmosphere of the TV series, but to not nonchalantly upgrade the artwork. Things like slightly increasing the body proportions or adding shadows…. We really changed it to feel like you’re watching real girls. Incidentally, though this isn’t about the drawings, the color of the girls’ blazer changed to be a bit blacker than the TV series.

- As you were working as chief animation director and as a unit animation director, what did you keep in mind while working?

It was my plan to make through corrections as time allowed and to keep in mind even though it would feel like a movie, don’t make it feel so much of an upgrade from the TV series that it felt gaudy! I definitely had to thoroughly construct the images much more than the TV series. Also, and this isn’t limited to the movie, one other thought I kept in mind was to not spoil the atmosphere that the director drew in the storyboards, but to keep it as-is in the drawings. It was so important to me during that time that I couldn’t get out of that mood. My heart was always sparking. (laughs)

- What changes did you make to the character designs and the drawings between the movie and TV series?

Fundamentally the designs weren’t that changed, but they felt redone for the movie. If you change them too much, the fans wouldn’t be happy. I was always worried while working about how much seasoning they should get with the additional lines. If you improved the quality of one drawing too much, then the work itself would feel different. They’re more beautiful than before, but still beautiful girls…like that?

- The movie had a lot of foreigners appear in the story. Could you tell us what points you focused on while designing those characters?

I had the privilege of going location hunting and I was shocked at how taller the foreigners are and how big their feet are! It’s a huge mystery to me how humans can be so different in body shapes and we’re still the same. (laughs) If they were to be lined up with the girls, you’d see the difference in face length and body length. I wanted to pin the dimensions so that there wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling when you see them. Going on the location hunting trip was a good experience because it allowed me to maintain that atmosphere and put it as it is.

- What were the objectives when designing the clothing and suitcases for the light music club members?

Yui has that strangely cute style, Ritsu is lively yet fashionable, Mio has that simple and secure look, Mugi has refined fashion and Azusa feels like a cute girl. Incidentally, the designs for Yui and Ritsu’s clothing on the second day were really drafts from the director… Definitely the fashion for delinquent leaders. (laughs) The suitcases and other small items were designed by the accessory designer Takahashi-san to match the characters.

- How were the animation director assignments organized?

The movie was divided into 4 general parts: A-d. I was in charge of the A and D parts, both in Japan. By the way, the B-part was Miku Kadowaki-san and the C-part was Kazumi Ikeda-san. Both are animation directors well familiar with the TV series, so I felt safe leaving it to them.

- What are your favorite scenes or any that you particularly focused on?

It definitely had to be the concert scene in the D-part. As we were heading to the end of the D-part, the director spontaneously said “Wait, the D-part is way too important!” for some reason I didn’t understand. (laughs) I worked on that part with an “I’m not dying here!” enthusiasm for that part alone. I really like the portions where Yui dives into the crowd of classmates and when she and Mugi hop at the end of the performance.

- Please tell us your other favorite scenes outside those parts.

I really love that nervous excitement you feel, but can’t put into words, that was in the air when they were leaving their houses until they got on the plane to London. Also how about that scene in the conveyer belt sushi restaurant? Ric-chan’s Japanese-English and Yui’s comebacks were so cute. So cute. The London part was so fun and I love it so much.

- Please tell us your impressions over the three years working on K-On!.

When you say three years, it feels like it’s been a long time, but the experience feels like we’ve been with the girls for much much longer. Both the director and I look back at all the events we’ve had related to K-On! and think it must have been fated somehow (though not greatly fated). I really can’t think of any regrets I have on the series. It feels like we’ve separated ourselves from this work. And also I feel thankful. It wasn’t just full of fun things; naturally there were a lot of difficult moments, but they’re all fond memories. It was definitely fun. Thank you for letting me work on it!

- Please give a few words to the fans.

K-On! was planned to end after one cour, but thanks to the love from all the fans, we were able to make a second season and a movie. It would make me truly happy if all the fans continued to feel warm and happy about the series 20 or even 70 years from now. Thank you all for watching!

Profile:

Yukiko Horiguchi Animator at Kyoto Animation. Notable works include working as character designer/chief animation director for Tamako Market and Lucky Star.

HTT Airlines, Flight JL401:

Boarding seat 6:

C part Animation Director Kazumi Ikeda

The well versed animator Ikeda-san, having served as character designer and chief animation director for many works, worked to prop up the base of K-On! The Movie’s drawings. What points did the trusted Ikeda-san focus on for the drawings?

The London part was difficult due to high amounts of information

- Please tell us your initial impressions upon reading the original manga.

It’s a story about a light music club and yet there’s no musical performances…… Though it’s a story about light music, the tale about becoming friends and playing around is more important.

- What kind of planning and ways of thinking did you use during the K-On! series? Additionally, what did you talk with director Yamada about during your work?

I sought direction for phrases like “softness” and “atmosphere.” I could draw girls well, but it’s essential to obtain codes like that in order to properly draw with the right temperature.

- What were your thoughts when you first heard K-On! was being made into a movie?

We’ve done a first and second season and so it’s come this far…… A movie is a very important event and has big events, so for the normal-life K-On! to get one was beyond what I could imagine. I looked forward to seeing what it would be about.

- What did you talk to director Yamada about while working on the movie?

Continuing from the last question, I jokingly told the director I expected the story to be something like “Guita was placed on the bed of a moving truck and the girls went on a trip after it….” and she replied “Other people have told me the same thing…..” Besides that, I had various discussions with her about the facial expressions continuing to feel like the girls and about what she wanted to draw and to have done.

- What part of the movie were you over as animation director?

From when they arrive at the hotel in London until the part where they return.

- The drawings in the movie changed a bit from the TV series. What portion did you put a lot of effort into?

Though the movie and TV series are different, I personally can’t tell a difference. Ever since the first season started, the drawing style of K-On! changed over time so I was always conscious of trying to keep up with Horiguchi-san’s real time drawings.

- What were you conscious of while working on the movie and what parts were you focused on?

The London part was content that was not the usual for the girls. It had a lot of settings created just for the movie and the information content was greater, so my focus was to help out the key animators.

- What is your favorite scene(s) in your part and what scene were you particular over?

The scene where Yui and Azusa chase each other around and come back in a comedic fashion is my favorite scene.

- Please tell us what scenes from the other parts that you like.

There’s a lot of scenes in the movie that I like, but if I have to pick some that I like, it would be the scenes where there’s a lot of people clamoring around. I really like the scene where there’s a lot of discussion over where they should go. “Europe” is a masterpiece.

Yui’s Europe face has impacted a large amount of people. Though it wasn’t in the scenario, director Yamada added it to the storyboards.

- You’ve worked with director Yamada for three years now. What type of director would you say she is?

Outside of specializing in ending visual images, when the time comes to depict a story and how it’s told, she definitely puts a simple and warm sensation into the story somewhere along the line.

- What are your thoughts on the K-On! series, now that three years have passed?

Three years…. We’ve been involved with them since matriculation until they graduated…… It feels like that. Truly they feel like their own generation to me.

- Please give a comment to all the fans.

Thank you very much for continuing to support us for this long period of time for the first season, second season and the movie.

Profile:

Kazumi Ikeda Animator working at Animation Do. Her notable works include character design and chief animation director for Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!, the Clannad series, and Kanon.