#atsushi wakabayashi

[silvadour]

"Bankai: Kinshara Butodan" BLEACH: Thousand-Year Blood War Ep. 18 - "Rages at the Ringside" Episode Director: Itoko Nagai (長井 惟杜子) Chief Animation Director: Kumiko Takayanagi (高柳 久美子) Screenplay: Masaki Hiramatsu (平松 正樹) Storyboard: Atsushi Wakabayashi (若林 厚史)

[daitsuu]

I see no difference. ~

  (They have the same Seiyuu, Suzumura Kenichi.)

[canmom]

Animation Night 122: The Hakkenden

Good evening everyone! Tonight... we’re going to be checking out a supernatural samurai drama from the early 90s... (look, they’re threatening to take my weeb card, I can’t keep showing American stuff..!)

Why this? Well, it’s an animation landmark! It brought together many great animators of what would later become known as the ‘realist’ school, and gave them an opportunity to experiment with new styles and approaches... but more on that anon.

The Hakkenden is a story set during the bloody Sengoku period, when Japan collapsed into warring fiefs ruled by various samurai lords.

At the outset of the story, we encounter the Satomi and the Anzai clan, with the Satomi starving and losing a war against the demonically enhanced Anzai. The Satomi clan have a dog called Yatsufasa. One day, while petting Yatsufasa, the leader of the Satomi promises that if Yatsufasa could kill the leader of the Anzai, he would give the dog his daughter Fuse’s hand in marriage. Yatsufasa obliges, and carries the princess away. Satomi’s other children and Fuse’s original husband-to-be give chase, and kill Yatsufasa Fuse gives birth to eight special souls, each associated with a bead indicating one of the Confucian virtues which fly away.

This leads to the birth of the eight dog warriors, the central characters of the series! As the story goes on, we see them embroiled in various samurai shenanigans, many of them revolving around the cursed sword Murasame. Our dog boys are thrown together by fate and torn apart, suffering various schemes and misfortunes, but gradually the cast grows until the eight dog warriors can return and revive the Satomi clan...

So what of its significance in animation history? The Hakkenden represents a series of experiments: each episode was directed by a different animation director, who brought their own particular flavour to the design and animation.

In an excellent article on the history of the ‘realist’ movement, Matteo Watzky introduces it thus...

Just a year after Akira, Gosenzosama Banbanzai demonstrated that the potential of realism went beyond serious, high-budget movies: it was basically ready to take on any kind of animation and register, from mecha, to children’s shows, to absurd comedies. And, one more year after that, the realists took on yet another genre: action, with The Hakkenden. As many other OVAs from that period, The Hakkenden is very uneven, with sometimes minutes of just stills or awkward animation, and then just after that instances of amazing motion. But here the amazing animation was handled by some of the best; most notably, episode 1 had Shinji Hashimoto and Shin’ya Ohira as animation directors, and episode 4 had Takashi Nakamura in the position. Nakamura’s episode was truly unique, as he went so far as purely and simply changing the designs in order to fit his style better.

Yes, this is the same character. On the left, under Nakamura’s animation direction, on the right, under Atsushi Okuda’s

In terms of character design manipulation, The Hakkenden also set the stage for the new revolution of the 90s, which would be heralded by Norio Matsumoto, Atsushi Wakabayashi and Tetsuya Nishio. Indeed, in an impressive sequence that probably inspired all of them, Shinji Hashimoto followed in Iso’s footsteps and decided to prioritize the flow and motion above all else. But he went even further than Iso, in that he in turn decided to completely disregard the character designs and their consistency: the shapes of the bodies became exceedingly round, the movement of the characters was exaggerated and all over the screen, the hands and mouths were much larger than in the original designs  and the layouts have an impressive sense of complexity.  This was, in my view, one of the first major instances of “flow animation”, an offshoot of realism that went for fluidity first and consistency second.

This ‘flow animation’ current within the realist movement, would rise to become a dominant style as the 90s went on, paving the way for Mitsuo Iso’s ‘full limited’, the impactful animation of Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the modern style of sakuga animation represented by people such as Yutapon. It combined the best features of the Kanada school and the realists.

As far as I know, the coinage is Watzky’s, so let me quote his explanation of it...

I already mentioned the concept in previous articles, notably when I talked about one of Shinji Hashimoto’s sequences on The Hakkenden, but now is the time to look at it in depth. It was, as the origins of some of its animators will show, the synthesis between the Kanada style and the realism of the late 80s, and it focused mostly on character animation. From the Kanada school, it took the playfulness and systematic use of framerate modulation, and from the realists, it borrowed a sense of weight, detail, and nuanced expression. What it added were three things: a priority put on fluidity, a disregard for rigid character designs in favor of motion, and a generalized use of the smear, which slowly overtook the impact frame as the queen of anime techniques. If I call it “flow” animation it is because, in contrast to the angularity of late Kanada-style animation and to the sculptural volume of Takashi Nakamura-inspired realism, its emphasis on motion creates an almost liquid impression, as if the characters were made not of flesh but rather of a shapeless, ceaselessly moving kind of matter.

What of the story? The Hakkenden is based on a sprawling serial epic novel Nansō Satomi Hakkenden (roughly, The Tale of Eight Dogs) written in the later Edo period (you may wanna jump back to Animation Night 24 for some history of the samurai!). You can read it in translation on this website. Compared to the animation, the novel procedes in a brief, almost summary style; its packed with names and lineages, which makes it a tricky subject to adapt to animation emphasising character and action. Even in adaptation, it’s pretty fast paced and there is quite a lot to absorb.

But it’s all tied together through moments of incredible animation, which means even if you’re confused, there’s generally something cool to look at.

The first episode - the ‘prequel’ segment in which we learn the background of the eight dog warriors and witness the fall of the Satomi clan - is especially notable, because it brought together a lot of especially talented animators with a wildly varied style. Here’s Watzky once more.

It’s where Hashimoto produced the seminal sequence of the flow animation style, but even Iso was going in the way of more spontaneous and liberated motion, while Okiura was putting out increasingly complex fight scenes with more and more characters moving simultaneously.

More generally, the fantastical setting and the atmospheric direction were the perfect fit for what Ohira and his team seem to have been trying to achieve: realistic and detailed movement, but also a feeling of uncanny, of something so natural it becomes strange and somewhat frightening. This is probably best achieved in Osamu Tanabe’s sequence, in which the ugly face of the crying child takes on an almost terrifying aspect, with its overly large tears and expressions.

But Ohira - one of two animation directors on this episode - was by no means done with that. When he came back for episode 10, he had something truly spectacular in mind.

I’ve talked about Ohira before, e.g. when we watched Junkers Come Here and of course The Animatrix, but maybe not in as much detail as I could have. Ohira is one of my animation heroes.

Ohira has been described as a ‘full animator in a country of limited animation’ by Pelleas, a ‘relentless pursuer of true movement’. His work went through a series of phases; early on he emphasised effects animation, with a crazy level of hard work - one time drawing an impossible-to-film 1000 drawings across 14 cel layers for a single cut on Project A-Ko. And he went for a new level of “I can’t believe it’s not rotoscoped” natural movement on his take on Junkers Come Here, spending six months to make just three months of animation - getting fired from the project for his trouble.

Over time, his style morphed, and he became renowned for more experimental animation such as Wanwa the Doggy in 4C’s Genius Party anthology, to his ‘expressionistic realism’ phase of rough, dynamic pencil-strokes and crazy perspectives as seen in the Animatrix segment Kid Story. His style is recognisable even under the pen of Hayao Miyazaki. And not just in flashy effects scenes either. Hell, here’s a sakuga MAD:

Watzky wrote about him in even more detail, and I encourage you to read that article! Hearing about his episode of The Hakkenden is the whole reason for this move night, if I’m honest. I want to see this famous episode for myself, but we need context first.

An OVA series, The Hakkenden is about a cour in length - albeit with 30 minute, not 22 minute episodes, so we probably won’t be able to manage the full thing tonight but will split this one into two parts. Such a mammoth project took, indeed, a good half a decade to complete, with the first part running 1990-91 and the second 93-95. (For historical context: Patlabor 2 came out in between these two parts! Ghost in the Shell and Junkers Come Here would follow it shortly after.) In terms of realist animation in a period setting, there is nothing really like Ohira’s episode - and unlikely to be anything like it again, either. (Though we can definitely see echoes of it in e.g. Heike Monogatari [AN 91]).

So, should you fancy joining me, we’ll be embarking on this story of eight dogs of Awa province tonight - going live now, beginning in about half an hour (1400 PDT/1400 BST) at https://twitch.tv/canmom ! And then we’ll catch the second part on Monday! Hope to see you there~

[3starjammies]

I started reading Naruto and I’m just gonna watch all the episodes Norio Matsumoto, Atsushi Wakabayashi, and Atsuko Inoue worked on as I get to them

and maybe some others too but there’s no way I’d ever want to watch the whole anime.

[marshmallowgoop]

Studio Trigger Live Drawing with Mago (03/13/19): Transcript (Non-Verbatim)

Studio Trigger streamed their fourth Twitch live drawing at 19:00 JST on March 13, 2019. The stream features Space Patrol Luluco character designer Mago drawing Trigger-chan from Trigger Girls and Luluco from Space Patrol Luluco, as well as a Q and A with producer Hiromi Wakabayashi and translator Tatsuru Tatemoto. A full video of the stream is available on Twitch here.

I’ve put together a transcript of the stream for anyone curious about the Q and A. While the transcript is not verbatim, all the meaning should still be captured.

Transcript

Tatsuru Tatemono (Tattun): Okay. Thank you for joining us on our fourth live-drawing session. We have Mago as our guest tonight. I’m aware that it’s very late for a lot of our followers. Thank you for stopping by. It’s 3:00 am in Seattle. Thank you very much for stopping by.

Again, Mago is our guest animator or guest illustrator today. As usual, Hiromi Wakabayashi is here as our MC. I, Tattun, will be doing the translation and moderation for the stream tonight. Tonight, we are having Mago draw Studio Trigger’s mascot character, Trigger-chan. I believe we had a special request from Mago that she wanted to draw Luluco as well. So, I think, uh, we would like…

Mago says that it’s a pleasure to meet you. She says that her name is Mago the Illustrator, and she’ll do her best today. Hiromi Wakabayashi says konnichiwa, as usual.

I’m sorry if it looks dark. It’s our camera. We’re going to be focusing on the illustration part a little bit more, so hopefully, the darkness won’t be too bothersome. I guess Hiromi brought a pre-release item from Promare that he was quality checking.

I’m very sorry. We’ll have our audio pumped up a little bit more.

So, we noticed that there’s a little glare on Mago’s tablet. We’re going to try to get rid of the glare so that you have a better view of how she is working with her illustration. Today, Mago is working with SAI 1, the first version of SAI. I believe she’s using the Cintiq 16, the newest tablet by Wacom. Otherwise, she’s using a wireless keyboard and mouse. When we upload the video on YouTube, I’ll make sure to cover all the specifics in the comments section.

Okay. So, I think we will get started with the Q and A session like usual. However, before we do so, note that this stream is brought to you by all the lovely support we receive from Patreon. Thank you. If you’re interested in becoming a supporter as well, the link is provided on our Twitter page. Please check it out if you’re curious. We try to provide digital rewards as frequently as possible, so if you’re interested in those things, do definitely give our Patreon a glance when you have some time!

So, for the people who are unfamiliar, Mago usually works on a lot of Studio Trigger’s SD character designs. She’s been a part of every single project except for DARLING in the FRANXX, which doesn’t really count because DARLING in the FRANXX is a collaboration work and not a 100% genuine Trigger show. Mago wasn’t part of Inferno Cop, either. Inferno Cop is a prestigious Trigger title, Hiromi says, so she needs more experience with Studio Trigger. We’re receiving some comments that Mago’s not a part of Turning Girls as well.

Well, that was the introduction. Let’s get started with the Q and A session. Again, if you’re a part of our Patreon, you will have the opportunity to cast a vote on what kinds of questions will be asked and what kinds of illustrations will be drawn during these streams.

Hiromi and Mago are explaining that Mago’s drawing is an interesting line-up of characters. You don’t usually see these two characters together because they’re obviously the same character.

I have a question from Paul Schmidt: “Mago-san, I noticed you're only credited as the character designer and with ending illustrations on Space Patrol Luluco in Anime News Network's (ANN) encyclopedia, yet on your Twitter profile introduction, you list Kill la Kill, so I was wondering how you were involved with Kill la Kill? The reason I ask is because I personally submitted the staff and company credits to the ANN encyclopedia page for Kill la Kill, and your name (まご) is not credited in any episode, at least according to the corresponding page on the アニメスタッフデータベース [staff database].”

So, Mago says that she wrote Kill la Kill on her profile because she was responsible for one of the back illustrations for the Blu-ray/DVD jacket and was also in charge of the small SD characters for merchandise. That’s why she wrote about her involvement in Kill la Kill on her Twitter profile.

What is an SD character? I think SD stands for “Small Deformed” or “Super Deformed.” I’m not too sure. If that’s not the term used in English, I’m very sorry. Please tell me the term used in English. It’s Super Deformed?

So, Hiromi says that it’s called Super Deformed or SD in Japan because it started out originally from Gundam or Macross, which had a mini-mech series called “Super Deformed.” Hiromi suggests that you should stop calling the designs “chibi” and use the term “SD” because that’s the term that the proper anime industry uses! [Laughing.]

I guess Mago is going to take her time on the color and make a very Canvas illustration.

We have a question from Chen Luohan (I’m sorry if I mispronounce your name): “Hi Trigger! The production of anime fascinates me. What is the pipeline in the production of an anime series? What do you consider first when starting out with the ideas? Story? Character? Settings? Thank you very much!”

Wakabayashi says that they come up with a concept and foundation for what kind of series they want to make first. The concept might be something very, very broad, like family love or family bonding. Imaishi might be simpler; he might just want an anime with drills and that’s it. Once Trigger has that keyword—for example, Gurren Lagann would be “drill”—Trigger gets together to brainstorm how to make an interesting story from the one keyword, like “drill” in the case of Gurren Lagann.

Mago says she’s never put too much thought into her style formation. She generally likes drawing illustrations with very few shadows and lines. Before she knew it, she came up with her current style.

Hiromi noticed that Mago likes to clean up or refine her lines. She says that she cleans up where she feels like it! Mago says that she thought it might be more interesting for the viewers if she’s working on various parts of the illustration rather than concentrating on one part.

Mago and a few of our studio staffs went to Comic Fiesta, a decently large event in Malaysia. The event was a few months ago, I believe, during the Christmas season, but we were talking about how it’s actually summer during winter in Malaysia, so the event was very warm.

All three of us are saying that if we’re invited to a local event, we’ll most likely come out if it’s not conflicting with our schedule. This year, we want to try various places and go outside of the States more, to anywhere in Europe, Asia, etc.

We have an interesting question from EiGi696969: “Mago, do you have any interest in directing? Would you like to direct an anime one day?”

Mago says that she has no interest. She is a manga artist as well. She explains that when she draws a manga, she has to do everything; she has to come up with the story and concepts, which is like directing. It’s a lot of work. She doesn’t think she enjoys it too much.

For example, Mago says that it’s hard to motivate herself when she’s coming up with a story because she wants to... If she’s told to draw a manga, she tries to draw a character she’s currently interested in drawing. It’s hard for her to draw a pre-existing character that she’s told to draw.

A while ago, Mago was drawing a series of manga that featured Studio Trigger. The manga was about the daily nonsense of Studio Trigger. I think it was published through Utek Magazine [sp?]. Mago likes doing that kind of diary-type manga, she thinks.

We have a question from reportas1: “What are your favorite characters that you have drawn?”

Mago enjoys drawing Luluco the most. She also enjoys drawing Mako from Kill la Kill.

Wakabayashi says that they receive a lot of questions about DARLING in the FRANXX, asking if they are satisfied with the story and ending. 

Studio Trigger’s general stance, as a studio, is that they basically try to give an idea to the director. The director, Nishigori Atsushi, usually comes up with a concept or idea that he wants to do. The studio gives him feedback and sees if he likes the feedback. The director obviously makes the final call. It’s very hard to say if Studio Trigger “liked” the ending sequence of DARLING in the FRANXX or not, Wakabayashi says.

Sorry, there was a misunderstanding! We’re not talking about the ending sequence. Wakabayashi did the production for the ending sequence of DARLING in the FRANXX, so he’s super satisfied with that! If the question is about the how the story was wrapped up, Wakabayashi says that the ending is the director’s choice, and he doesn’t think that it’s right of Studio Trigger to comment on how the story wrapped up.

There’s a question from Patreon’s Bill Erak: “How involved is Trigger in the dubbing process of their shows? I've heard of directors that sometimes get involved in dubs, but that's more of an exception. I ask because KLK had an amazing dub, Luluco's was pretty dope too, while LWA's sucks. Are those things left to whoever distributes it on the west? Can't you, Tattun, maybe check the dubs, and if they suck, tell them so that they change them?”

So, I thought this was a pretty interesting question. To this day, I don’t think many Japanese studios or production committees give much thought into this matter. Studio Trigger obviously doesn’t check or even receive a notice for a revision of the dubbing process. Wakabayashi says that he thinks that, if they made a request to the dubbers and distributors overseas to check on the dubbing process and auditions, they might be able to comment. However, distributors don’t even ask if the studio is satisfied with their work, so Wakabayashi guesses that it’s just very unnatural—or there’s no previous incidence—for a studio or production committee to comment on the dubbing process.

If given the opportunity, Studio Trigger would like to direct their dubbing as well, though, Wakabayashi says. Wakabayashi says that he would like Inferno Cop to be dubbed by Leonardo DiCaprio! [Laughing.]

tigermac from Twitch asks: “Mago, how many sketchbooks have you filled up since the start of your art career?”

Mago says that she doesn’t have a sketchbook! I guess she doesn’t really practice. She likes to doodle on her PC, and if it turns out well, she’ll share it on her Twitter. If not, she’ll usually toss out the files.

Whatever illustration or doodle Mago feels satisfied with is updated on her Twitter, so please check out her Twitter. I’ll post her Twitter on the YouTube upload as well, so please check that out if you’re interested, but I’m sure it’s not too difficult to find Mago’s Twitter if you just Google “Mago.” We have a couple of viewers posting Mago’s Twitter now!

I guess Mago is having a little trouble drawing Trigger-chan. Mago doesn’t draw Trigger-chan too often. She’s going to redo the drawing from the rough draft portion, she says.

There’s a question from Patreon, from Harry Bonyari (very sorry if I mispronounce your name): “I know you’re a big fan of sneakers. How do you let your interest in fashion inform your work?”

Mago says that she’s not too keen on fashion, but she does like sneakers. When she feels like drawing particular sneakers, she’ll usually draw the character in some kind of cool clothes to go with the sneakers. However, she doesn’t know if she lets her choice of fashion affect her work too much.

There’s a question from Cesar A. Morillo: “Is Inferno Cop Season 2 coming either this year or next?”

There’s no ETA for Inferno Cop, says Wakabayashi. It’s ready when it’s ready. If Studio Trigger focused on Inferno Cop, they would have to delay Promare, and Wakabayashi is sure that you don’t want that! He’s sure that you’d prefer to watch Imaishi’s and Amemiya’s new actual series instead!

Wakabayashi says that the studio has a lot of ideas for Inferno Cop 2, though. In every creative meeting for other projects, they usually get derailed and talk about Inferno Cop. They are waiting for the opportunity to utilize their ideas. Maybe Mago’s SD designs will be featured in the new Inferno Cop season, Wakabayashi says! [Laughing.]

There’s a question from Ben Veltri: “For Mago: In terms of drawing ability, how do animators and illustrators differ? Do you think illustrators are better?”

Okay, so we got some pretty interesting answers! This was a question from Patreon, again.

So, I guess, the question was, in terms of drawing abilities, how do animators and illustrators differ, and which is better? Hiromi and Mago said that the two jobs are different and can’t be compared; different skills are involved. An animator has to draw a character or object from every angle and in motion. An illustrator is meant to express with one single illustration, which might be hard for an animator to do—to convey a message with a single illustration. It’s very hard to compare. Mago says that she feels like it’s harder for an animator to acquire their set of skills, though.

EiGi696969, your question is interesting. It doesn’t hurt to answer your question twice. The question is, “What is your stance on piracy? Does it cost the studio any money when people pirate their anime? Do you think it’s a necessary evil? Do you think it’s something that will go away or get worse in the future?”

I guess Hiromi is saying that nowadays, there are so many different streaming services that everyone can watch what people in Japan can watch. In the past, that wasn’t the case, though. A lot of anime weren’t made available for much of the anime community. Those people had to illegally download, view, or stream anime elsewhere. Also, those people supported the community. Hiromi does agree that piracy is a necessary evil (or used to be).

Hiromi is speaking about an ideal situation, but even if you did watch Studio Trigger’s works illegally, he says to please watch it on a legit streaming service as well because it leads to success for the general industry.

We got a question from faux_wizard from Reddit, I believe. By the way, thank you for your help a while back. The question is: “How did Mago end up working alongside Trigger?”

Okay, so this goes pretty back in the days. Wakabayashi was working on... There’s this idol unit called Emitsu Private Middle School [sp?]. Uh, I’m sorry. There’s this talent, named Ai Ai [sp?]. There was an offer to do an illustration on her; Wakabayashi had an offer to draw her, and Wakabayashi talked to Nishigori Atsushi, the director for DARLING in the FRANXX and character designer for Gurren Lagann, about how this person named Mago draws really cute girls.

So, Wakabayashi and Nishigori thought that Mago’s illustration style was cute, so they asked Mago to do a comic spin-off about Ai Ai. Mago agreed. Two months later, the studio started working on Kill la Kill and asked Mago if she was interested in creating the official SD designs for Kill la Kill. Ever since then, Mago has been working on various Studio Trigger titles.

It’s been maybe roughly seven years, Hiromi says, that they’ve been working with Mago. They’ve been working with Mago since before they were making anime series. It’s been a long time! Mago is the studio’s go-to person when they need a cute design, Wakabayashi says.

Wakabayashi says that when they were coming up with Space Patrol Luluco, which was their fifth-year anniversary anime title, they approached Mago. It was kind of a joke series at the same time as well.

There’s a question from cataphractz: “Do any of you have a particular anime character you like outside of Trigger?”

Mago’s favorite character outside of Trigger works is this pirate character from Nintama Rantarou. Have you ever heard of Nintama Rantarou? The series is about these little ninjas in training. The anime is very, very… it airs every day on NHK. It’s a longtime-running series in Japan. Mago’s favorite character’s name is Atoi, the pirate. He only appears about once a year in the series. Mago made a lot of doujin.

I guess Hiromi is going to Google some fan illustrations that Mago posted.

So, we were discussing that it’s hard to come up with a character that we like. We have so many characters that we like! We thought it might be easier to think of a character we that we like from a series we recently watched. Hiromi didn’t know! He couldn’t think of any off the top of his head, so he told me to go first!

The studio boss, Masahiko Ohtsuka, bought Porco Rosso on Blu-ray recently, and I watched it. That film has always been one of my more favorite Ghibli films. It’s like waifu wars! You guys get new waifus every month. I don’t get new waifus that frequently; it’s hard to choose from all the numerous waifus. I recently watched Porco Rosso. I liked Fio. Porco is awesome as well, but Fio is smashing cute. At the moment, I like Fio. That’s what I was trying to say to Hiromi.

Mago says that she likes SpongeBob because it’s such a cute and funny show. She likes Gary, the cat-like snail!

Hiromi says that he likes Gwen more for Spider-Verse.

All right, this question is from Kuribo4: “Did you know Luluco would turn into Trigger when you designed her? Love your characters!”

So, Wakabayashi says that this goes a little bit back. They kind of neck-wrote their mascot characters 5-6 years ago. They wanted to do an April Fools’ joke. At the time, the mascot characters didn’t have names, but they just went with “Trigger Girls” for the joke. The joke was about making a new anime series about the Trigger Girls. The illustration for the joke was drawn by Mago.

Then, a few years later, they had the opportunity to do Space Patrol Luluco. Hiromi personally wanted to link that series with Trigger Girls. That’s also the reason why he wanted Mago to be the character designer for Luluco. Wakabayashi says that he wanted Luluco to transform into Trigger Girl in the end. He made a special request to director Imaishi and pushed for Mago to be the designer.

Luluco has a weird pigtail, Wakabayashi says. Hiromi says he made the request specifically to Mago because he wanted the pigtail to turn into… I don’t know how “ahoge” translates. It’s like a bad hair day? I don’t know what it is! We call it ahoge! I hope that answers your question, Kuribo! I see the term “cowlick” for “ahoge.”

Mago is currently doing a stage performance in Osaka. The script is done by Nakashima Kazuki. I’m assuming it’s doing well. It’s a pretty popular title.

This question is from Patreon. The user name is Grandpa: “Waka-Sama, when are we getting another Promare trailer?”

Wakabayashi is explaining that you can expect a new trailer in the near future, very soon.

[In response to unvoiced questions on the chat log about pizza.] So, Wakabayashi likes pizza and coke. Mago doesn’t really have a favorite type of pizza. I wondered if she supported pineapple on pizza. She’s indifferent, so I’m guessing she’s okay with pineapple on pizza.

So, everybody says that Galo from Promare looks really close to Kamina from Gurren Lagann. Wakabayashi is curious if people really think that way. Why don’t people think that Galo looks like Mikisugi if we’re thinking about half-naked guys with blue hair, Wakabayashi asks?

Wakabayashi says that Galo’s hairstyle is very natural if you think about his profession, which is firefighting. When running into a fire, there is a lot of hot air coming up, and that’s why Galo’s hair is always spiked up. There’s almost a buzz on the side because the hair on the side burns off!

So, no_04, I’ve seen your name on Twitter a few times. I think you follow me on Twitter. You strike a good point. Galo is basically Panty’s hair with Kamina.

So, again, no_04 made a good point, Wakabayashi says. Panty is the main character of Panty and Stocking. Galo is obviously the main character of Promare. If you notice, when Ryuko gets her Kisaragi outfit in the final episode, her hair is kind of spiked upwards, too. In all of Imaishi’s work, his main characters have this spiky hair. Even before Imaishi was a professional, he had a fan manga with a character whose hair spiked up as well. The hairstyle is an icon for a main character in Imaishi’s work. The hairstyle represents Imaishi’s stance to rebel against whatever is oppressing him. That’s why a lot of the characters—especially main characters—have spiky hair in Imaishi’s works.

I have a question from maxie721 who asks, “What about Mago? Any special features in her characters?”

Mago answers that she doesn’t really have any special features in her characters. When she tries to think too deeply, things don’t work out; she feels like she restricts herself too much, and it kind of kills the illustration on a whole.

There’s a question from Tony on Patreon that asks, “Would Studio Trigger ever do a “Basics of a Trigger Animation” tutorial on a live stream?”

Wakabayashi says the content in a Trigger animation tutorial would be pretty lecture-like and might not be too entertaining. There is a producer at Trigger who likes doing tutorials, though, and goes to colleges to do so. They would need a different line of staff to do a tutorial, however.

For those who want to know how to draw in general, Wakabayashi says, these kinds of streams are basically a cheat guide for you guys, which is why we do it. We make the streams available for later. If you don’t have time to watch a 2-3-hour stream, we make an edited version available for later. We should upload the stream within a few days. However, we haven’t uploaded the March stream yet because the tech staff has been too busy. We’ll hopefully get to it soon. If you’re a Patreon supporter, we provide .psd files for these illustrations, which is even more of a reference to work with for those who are interested. Please do check it out!

There was a question earlier on our Twitch chat log. The question was something along the lines of, “I saw one of the rougher illustrations or rough takes on Lalaco Godspeed. Why did you decide on short, bob-like hair for Lalaco?”

Wakabayashi says the answer is that Lalaco had a big fur coat and didn’t want the hair to overlap with that coat. Also, in terms of the design process for animation, Wakabayashi says that shorter-haired girls tend to be perceived as more energetic or active. Girls with longer hair tend to be perceived more as… I have to choose my words properly. They’re not docile. That’s a bad word! [Laughing] “Calm” or “reserved” would be what I’m thinking of. Short hair was used, Wakabayashi says, because Lalaco’s obviously a very aggressive person, and they thought the short hair would better portray her personality.

There’s a question from no_04: “Was it difficult for Mago-san to adapt Gridman or the kaiju to the SD style for the line stickers?”

Mago says that the kaiju was not very hard for her. She had more trouble redesigning Gridman and his other mechs. So, Mago can draw monsters and kaiju because they’re basically animals, she says. However, she has trouble drawing mechs and robots.

So, Hiromi was asking if Mago was having trouble redesigning this black object that the studio asked her to draw (and of which he can’t give too many details about).

So, this was a question from berikpo: “What are Mago’s favorite accessories to wear and to draw?”

Mago’s answer was sneakers. She likes Nike Air Force 1 in particular. However, the one she owns most are Air Jordans.

We have a question from Kikoman589: “Has Mago’s childhood or upbringing influenced her art in any way?”

When Mago was very young, her first manga she ever bought was Urusei Yatsura. She feels like she was pretty heavily influenced from that series. She used to copy from that book a lot and drew her own illustrations.

I asked Mago about why she doesn’t draw any male characters. I was curious if she doesn’t like drawing males. She doesn’t! She likes drawing girls! Hiromi asked about Nova, who is a guy. Mago says that that’s the reason for there not being much passion.

I guess I got it a little wrong, but Mago doesn’t like drawing male characters. Old dudes are out of the question. Luluco’s father was actually designed by another of the main animators.

This question was from k3shanberk. They ask when Mago committed to a career of drawing.

Mago says she hasn’t really committed herself to drawing yet. If she gets offers for her illustrations or her designs, she thinks she can get herself into another line of work immediately.

Last year, Mago felt she needed to take a little break from drawing to gain a bit of sanity. She worked part-time at a shoe store for a while.

Mago’s nickname was “Mago” when she was younger. She just picked that up as her penname or handle for illustration. I don’t think she feels comfortable sharing her full name.

Ex_trident asks, “Any kind of media you guys are into lately? Like a specific movie, a song, novels, or even games?”

I guess Hiromi is into Legos right now. Hiromi bought some kind of kit for Lego Movie 2. The film isn’t available in Japan right now. He’s too busy to build it because he has to work on Promare. If Hiromi has time, he wants to make vehicles or mechs from Promare with his Lego kits.

I guess Mago was playing Fortnite on iPad. I didn’t even know you could play that on iPad! I’m surprised! Again, I’m surprised that Fortnite is playable on iPad.

Hiromi says that maybe they’ll do some streaming on the Kill la Kill game when the game is released. Maybe Mago can stop by and play as well, he says!

There’s another question from no_04: “Is Wakabayashi planning to continue Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt: CEMETERY HILLS story where Nova means Panty and Brief in the end?”

By the way, Hiromi would like to inform everyone that CEMETERY HILLS is not a Panty and Stocking series. There is no relation with Panty and Stocking, but he would like to continue.

Sorry, there is a relationship between the two. In Panty and Stocking, the main character is Panty, but in CEMETERY HILLS, the main character is Geekboy; that’s the distinction. Hiromi would like to make a sequel. In the next sequel, Hiromi would like to introduce gun morphing like in Space Patrol Luluco in Panty and Stocking as well. He would like to see Panty transform into a gun!

There’s a question from evsanata: “Does Mago have any favorite artists? Who are the artists that have inspired her and influenced shaping her art?

I think we answered the later part of this question already. We’ll answer the first half now. Mago’s favorite illustrator and animator is Akiman. Mago’s first encounter with Akiman was over the Internet. There was a special forum where Akiman regularly converses with his fans, and that’s where Mago first met him. At that time, Akiman was looking for an assistant to help him with his series. Mago took that job and was helping Akiman for quite a bit.

Mago doesn’t remember how long she had that job. However, ever since she helped Akiman out, they have been in contact with each other. As such, Akiman has been a good moral support for Mago ever since the job.

totallynotnameddan says, “It was unclear from your phrasing. Is this supposed to detail the origin of gun morphing ‘cause that would be cool?”

I’m sorry if it was unclear. Hiromi wanted to make Panty able to transform into a gun with gun morphing as well.

How many of you have visited Comic Market? Have you visited Mago’s booth for Comic Market?

InfectedAdri asks, “Mago-san, how’s your dog doing?”

Mago says her dog is doing well. I guess she took her Chihuahua grooming, and now the dog is looking like a baby. There are two types of Chihuahuas, she explained. The one that I’m familiar with has short hair, so I wondered if Chihuahuas really need grooming. She says there are two types: one with long hair and one with short hair. Her Chihuahua has long hair, so if she doesn’t take her dog to grooming every once in a while, he has dingleberries, where the poop gets stuck in the hair. He needs regular maintenance.

ThexIncinerator asks, “What are the next conventions lined up for you guys? Will Mago be appearing at any of them?”

Wakabayashi says that he doesn’t think they’ve announced any of their 2019 events yet. They haven’t visited many conventions because they’ve been working on Promare. As soon as they finish Promare, they’ll probably make their presence at various cons. Mago is planning to appear at Comitia, which is a lot smaller than Comic Market and only allows original titles.

Personally, I like Comitia better than Comic Market.

It is Mago’s birthday in April, so she plans to do a birthday event! She will probably announce that. She wants to be pampered once in a while.

PraQnickstream asks, “Where can we find the dates of those comic events?”

Just Google Comitia. It takes place four times a year, so it’s a pretty frequent event.

Mago’s birthday is on April 11th. It might be on a different date! Mago doesn’t have too much of a pleasant memory… in Japan, you change your grade level every April. In April, you have a new class with new classmates. It’s hard to have a welcoming environment even if it’s your birthday. Mago didn’t have a very cheerful experience.

Ulric10 asks, “Idk if you’re gonna answer this, but could I have some tips for drawing like you?”

Mago says to draw what interests you and what you want to draw. So, if you just simply want to draw for your own entertainment, Mago says, draw just what pleases you. However, Mago says that if you want to get good at drawing, you should draw your own manga. You’ll be forced to draw various angles and backgrounds that you probably wouldn’t enjoy drawing otherwise, so you’ll gain experience.

There’s a question from NeoCoill from Patreon: What is Trigger's stance when it comes to creators making profit through fanworks of Trigger’s characters and shows (e.g. Doujinshi sold at Comiket or digitally)?

So, Hiromi thinks that it’s similar to cosplay...

Mago finished drawing! This is the final illustration! The illustration will be available on our Patreon page. If you’re interested, please do support us. All of the money goes to our creators, illustrators, and character designers who make guest appearances to our streams. None of the money goes to the studio. The support is appreciated.

Let’s finish up the question. Hiromi was saying that it’s similar to cosplay. If they shut out every aspect of fan community activities, it kind of halts the growth of their content as well. Even though they came up with the designs and concepts of these characters, for people who sell doujin and fanart, they are ultimately the ones drawing the individual art pieces. He doesn’t think that it’s right to say that it’s not their work to sell. Hirmoi personally doesn’t have anything against doujin or fanarts. He’s genuinely happy about people drawing their characters. If that’s what people do, they should continue to do it, he says.

Mago is happy to see her characters on other people’s doujins. She thinks that if you draw, it would be awesome to draw more of her characters in your doujins and illustrations.

We would like to ask Mago what her selling point for her illustration today is.

So, when Mago usually receives a commission or request for illustration, there’s always an offer from the client talking about the proportions of the characters, and these proportions are made pretty specific. It’s hard to organize these proportions. Today, Mago drew two characters who are basically the same character and have the same proportions. Mago is proud that the two characters are in the same proportion and will pat her own back!

This will be our last stream until maybe June. We need to concentrate on the production for Promare. We will take maybe two months off from our stream activity, but we will continue our smaller activities on Patreon. We upload the monthly shikishi for our supporters to see and will continue to do that. The livestreaming will have to wait until June when we finish Promare, though.

Thank you for coming to our stream. I bet it’s like 5:00 am on the west or east coast. 

Would you guys watch if we streamed like random people from Studio Trigger playing games? We were curious. For example, would you like to see me and Hiromi play Apex? We might be able to do those kind of stupid—not stupid; I mean non-creative—streams in the near future. We’ll have to stop on the illustration streams until June, but there’s a big response for these gaming streams, so we might have to do that!

All right. That will be it for tonight’s stream. Thank you for your participation. Have a good night, everyone.

[retro-vgm-revival-hour]

                                      STAGE 66: YAKUZA

Yakuza, known in Japan as Ryū ga Gotoku (Like a Dragon, Japanese), is an action-adventure beat ’em up video game franchise created, owned and published by Sega.

The series originated from Toshihiro Nagoshi’s desire to create a game that would tell the way of life of the yakuza.

The series primarily focuses on the yakuza Kazuma Kiryu from the Tojo clan.

While Kiryu often assists the Tojo clan, the series has also featured him searching for another way of life in the form of raising orphans and helping those in need. The gameplay of Yakuza has the player controlling Kiryu and various other characters depending on the story, in the city of Kamurocho, a fictionalized version of the real life Kabukichō district in Tokyo, where he can encounter an enemy, perform an activity or participate in its various available sub-stories, which often complement the main game story and reward the player with extra EXP to better enhance your fighting style, resilience and gameplay.

This game is also well known for its various mini-games, which range from things like bowling, darts, and arcade games, to much more involved things like hostess club management which can take a number of hours over the course of several sessions in themselves to complete, all to some hilariously amusing results.

The franchise has become a commercial and critical success, and as of 2017, Sega has reported that the Yakuza franchise has sold a combined total of 10.5 million units in physical and digital sales since its debut in 2005. Strong sales of the games in its original Japanese market has led to the franchise’s expansion to other mediums, including film adaptations.

A great Beat ‘em up series that not only has had popularity over its home country of japan, but has gotten a big following in the united states and in Europe.

So it is why this STAGE of the Retro VGM Revival Hour, you better set up which fighting style works better as you are about to journey through the streets of Kamurocho taking down some thugs with these selected tracks from the Yakuza game series.

                                          Full track listing:         =======Game – Composer – Title - Company========

1.) Yakuza 0 – Hidenori Shoji, Zenta Tsuchihashi , Kensuke Inage, Yoshiji Kobayashi, Karasuya-sabou, Saori Yoshida, POPHOLIC, Yasuyuki Matsuzaki, Hiroaki Watanabe, Sachio Ogawa, Fumiyoshi Shimohara, Yuri Fukuda, Keisuke Hattori, Takehiro Mamiya, yuyoyuppa, Hirotaka Kumagawa & Kiyo – “Force Addiction, La-Di-Da, Ultimate Road Rage, One-Eyed Slugger, Oath of Enma, JUDGEMENT (w/ vocals by Takaya Kuroda) & 24 hour Cinderella (w/ vocals by Hidenari Ugaki)“ – March 12, 2015 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega – Windows PC, PS3 & PS4

2.) Yakuza – Hidenori Shoji, Sachio Ogawa, Keitaro Hanada, Fumio Ito, Yuri Fukuda & John Newton – “Funk Goes On, Scarlet Scar, ID & Poison Pill” – December 8, 2005 – Sega – PS2, PS3 & Wii U (Japan Only)

3.) Yakuza 2 – Hidenori Shoji, Hideki Sakamoto, Franz Gruber, Norihiko Hibino & Takahiro Izutani – “As a man/As a brother, Push Me Underwater, Blockhead Boy, Face To Face & Evil Itself“ – December 7, 2006 – Sega – PS2, PS3 & Wii U (Japan Only)

4.) Yakuza 3 – Hidenori Shoji, Kentaro Koyama, Takahiro Kai, Hiroyoshi Kato, Love Sound System, Yoshio Tsuru & Hideki Sakamoto – “Fly, Bruise, Ryu-Kyu Humming, Crush and Strike, Test Your Imagination & D 2 A (w/ vocals by Chihiro Aoki)” – February 26, 2009 – Sega – PS3 & PS4

5.) Yakuza 4 -Hidenori Shoji, Kenichi Tokoi, Yuri Fukuda, Yoshio Tsuru, Ryohei Kohno, Mitsuharu Fukuyama, Yasuhiro Takagi, Yuichi Kanatani, Chihiro Aoki, Takashi Izeki, Takahiro Kai, Minako Seki, Flarewave Sound System, Eiji Kawai, Shigemitsu Goto, Love Sound System & Hideki Sakamoto – “Underground Dazzling Star(Neo), The Myth, Fighting Fighter & MachineGun Kiss” – March 18, 2010 – Sega – PS3 & PS4

6.) Yakuza 5 – Kyosuke Himuro, Yukihide Takekawa, Mitsuharu Fukuyama, Hidenori Shoji, Chihiro Aoki, Yasuyuki Matsuzaki, Hiroaki Watanabe, a-fei, Takeshi Isozaki, Zenta Tsuchihashi, DIG, Yuya Saito, Junya Tanaka, POPHOLIC, Yuri Fukuda, Atsuhiro Watanabe, Shunsuke Minami, Atsushi Yamaji, Gioachino Antonio Rossini, Akiko Akiyama & Saori Yoshida – “Hailstorm, I believe in you, Receive and Slash You, The COOL GUY SOSUKE, Comin’at ya/My girl, Noodle shop Ryuya & Loneliness loop (w/ vocals by Rie Kugimiya)“ – December 5, 2012 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega – PS3 & PS4

7.) Yakuza 6: The Song of Life – Chihiro Aoki, Hidenori Shoji, Yuri Fukuda, Saori Yoshida, Fumiyoshi Shimohara, Kenichi Tokoi, Tatsuyuki Maeda, Teruhiko Nakagawa, Zenta Tsuchihashi, Yasuyuki Matsuzaki, Hiroaki Watanabe, Kiyo, Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Shunsuke Minami , Shunsuke Yasaki, Masahiko Iida & Akiko Akiyama – “Bonds, Seakillers, Town Bully, Bloodstained Philosophy, Lots of Lights & Like A Butterfly (w/ vocals by Takaya Kuroda & Saki)“ – December 8, 2016 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega – PS4

8.) Yakuza Kenzan (Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!) – Hidenori Shoji, Hideki Sakamoto, Hiroyoshi Kato, Keisuke Ito & Yuri Fukuda – “Water and Melon, Blood Maker, Immortality & Masochism“ – March 6, 2008 (Japan Only) – Sega – PS3

9.) Kurohyō: Ryū ga Gotoku Shinshō – Mitsuharu Fukuyama, Hidenori Shoji, Yasuyuki Matsuzaki, Hiroaki Watanabe, Yukie Sugawara, skankfunk, Itsuki Onagi, Kentaro Ishii, Kouji Kinoshita, Heigo Tani (wall5) & Eigo Natsui – “Die anyway, DIGITALIZED, Kill city, YOUR KNIFE FEELS GOOD & SO UNUSUAL“ – September 22, 2010 (japan Only) – Sega & Syn Sophia/Sega – Playstation Portable

10.) Project X Zone 2 – Yoko Shimomura, Masami Ueda, Thomas Parisch, Laurent Ziliani, Kinuyo Yamashita, Masakazu Sugimori, Kohei Tanaka, Hidenori Shoji, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yuzo Koshiro, Rio Hamamoto, Akihiro Namba, Chikayo Fukuda, Hiroyuki Kawada & Takuya Hanaoka – “Funk Goes On“ – November 12, 2015 – Monolith Soft/Bandai Namco Entertainment – Nintendo 3DS

11.) Yakuza: Dead Souls (Ryū ga Gotoku OF THE END) – Mitsuharu Fukuyama, Takahiro Kai, Takeshi Isozaki, Yuri Fukuda, Susumu Tsukagoshi, Chihiro Aoki, Yuichi Kanatani, Daniel Lindholm, Hiroshi Furukawa & ABOTTO Leo – “Inescapable Battle, Cry, Akiyama Battle Theme & Gary’s Boot Camp“ – June 9, 2011 – Sega – PS3

12.) Yakuza Ishin – Chihiro Aoki, Hidenori Shoji, Daisuke Anayama, Keitaro Hanada, Takatsugu Wakabayashi, Sachio Ogawa, Saori Yoshida, Zenta Tsuchihashi, Yusuke Sawai, Yasuyuki Matsuzaki, Hiroaki Watanabe, Ryohei Kohno, Yuri Fukuda, Shunsuke Yasaki & Tsuyoshi Kaneko – “Shika Flower, Sad sword, Roar, Willow’s Riff & Destroyed“ – February 22, 2014 (japan Only) – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega – PS3 & PS4 (Both Japan Only)

13.) Judgment (Judge Eyes)- Hidenori Shoji, Yuri Fukuda, Saori Yoshida, Rio Hashikawa, Chihiro Aoki, Hiroaki Watanabe, Yasuyuki Matsuzaki, Tomoyuki Tanaka, Jin Senbonmatsu, Hideyuki Ono, Shunsuke Yasaki , Yuki Kobayashi, Kiyo, Charles François Gounod, Johann Sebastian Bach – “Drumfire, Moth, Line of sin, Final decision, BUZZY, Darkness & The Last Assassin XIV: Symphony of The Judgment“ – December 13, 2018 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega – PS4

14.) Yakuza Kiwami – Hidenori Shoji, Yuri Fukuda, Saori Yoshida, Keitaro Hanada, Sachio Ogawa, Syunsuke Minami, Shunsuke Yasaki, Zenta Tsuchihashi, Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Kiyo – “Funk Goes On, Flirt With Bomb, Ideal For Violence, The End Of The Dogma & Cherry blossoms 2000“ – January 21, 2016 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega – PS3, PS4 & Windows PC

15.) Yakuza Kiwami 2 – Hidenori Shoji, Yuri Fukuda, Saori Yoshida, Keitaro Hanada, Sachio Ogawa, Syunsuke Minami, Shunsuke Yasaki, Zenta Tsuchihashi, Tsuyoshi Kaneko, Kiyo – “The End Of The Dogma, Amusing Octagon, Update With Gunfire & The Wicked“ – December 7, 2017 – Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega – PS4 & Windows PC

Edgar Velasco: @MoonSpiderHugs www.patreon.com/nostalgiaroadtrip Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/NostalgiaRoadTripChannel Official Site: nostalgiaroadtrip.com/ FaceBook: www.facebook.com/groups/nostalgiaroadtrip/ Official Twitter: @NRoadTripCast

[recentanimenews]

BLACKFOX - Crunchyroll Fall 2019 Spotlight

  Crunchyroll's Fall 2019 Simulcast Lineup is upon us, so it's time to get hyped for BLACKFOX! The original science fiction / action anime kicks off its futuristic ninja theme in October, so read on for more about the Studio 3Hz production.

    Navigation

Launch Info

Official Trailers

Synopsis

Characters and Cast

Staff

Additional Info

    Launch Info

Launch Time: TBA

Territories: Worldwide excluding Asia, France, Germany, Italy and Russia

Show Page (coming soon!)

  Official Trailers

      Synopsis

Living in a ninja residence tucked away in a corner of a futuristic city is Rikka, the eldest daughter of a Ninja clan, who looks up to her father --a researcher--very much. Carrying on with her life normally, Rikka's home came suddenly under attack one day. Driven into a corner, what would she do to overcome this crisis?

Rip darkness to pieces and become "BLACK"!

Characters and Cast

  Rikka Isurugi / Lily

VA: Ayaka Nanase (Yoshino in Sakura Quest)

Born into the Isurugi ninja clan. Though she is expected to succeed her grandfather as the head of the clan, she looks up to her father very much and wishes to follow in his footsteps to become a researcher.

  Mia

VA: Haruka Tomatsu (Naruko in anohana)

A powerful psychic with a sharp mind. Also skillful in chess.

Melissa

VA: You Taichi (Kenya in ERASED)

Rikka’s roommate. She takes care of all the chores while Rikka makes a living to support both of them.

        The girl in the fox mask

VA: ???

A mysterious figure who wears a fox mask. She appears in the streets in the dead of night dressed in all black and is often the talk of the town.

Allen 

VA: Hiroshi Tsuchida (Nakarunado in Log Horizon)

Rikka's father. A researcher who builds animal droids. He is peace-loving, kind and laid-back.

Hyoe 

VA: Eizou Tsuda (Lay Dawn in fairy gone)

Rikka's grandfather and 17th head of the Isurugi Family. A stern man who values ​​tradition.

Lauren

VA: Nobuo Tobita (Adelheid von Schugel in ISEKAI QUARTET)

A researcher who once worked for Gradaheim Tech Corp., engrossed in research involving potential abilities.

  Brad

VA: Hiroki Touchi (Pantherlily in Fairy Tail)

CEO / President of Gradsheim Tech Corp., a major corporation in Brad City.

Harold

VA: Rikiya Koyama (Yukichi in Bungo Stray Dogs)

Owner of the detective agency Rikka is working at.

Oboro

Madara

Kasumi

  Staff

  General Director

Kazuya Nomura (Run With the Wind, Robotics;Notes)

  Director

Keisuke Shinohara (A3!)

  Character Design

Atsushi Saito

  Script

Naoki Hayashi

  Mechanical Design

Fumihilo Katagai

  Animaidrawn Design

Kenji Ando

  Prop Design

Ryo Akizuki

  BackGround Design

Yuho Taniuchi

Moriyoshi Ohara

Atushi Morikawa

Ju Ishiguchi

Kou Kawamura

  Art Director

Yuji Kaneko

  Background Art

AOSHASHIN

  Colorist

Yukie Noguchi

  3DCG Director

(Flying Ship Studio）

Shunsaku Usui

  3DCG Production

Flying Ship Studio

  Director of Photography

Yu Wakabayashi

  Compositor

T2 studio

  Graphic Art

Hirofumi Araki

  Editor

Go Sadamatsu

  Sound Director

Jin Aketagawa

  Music

Masaru Yokoyama

Kana Hashiguchi

  Theme Song

fripSide

  Sound Producer

Good Smile Film

  Producer

infinite

  Production Studio

Studio 3Hz

  Additional Info

   Official website

Twitter

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox. 

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[kuribo4indahouse]

Part 2

[ljaesch]

Anime NYC 2022 Announces Hiromi Wakabayashi, Shigeto Koyama, and SUSHIO as Guests

Anime NYC 2022 Announces Hiromi Wakabayashi, Shigeto Koyama, and SUSHIO as Guests

The staff of Anime NYC 2022 has announced that the event will host Studio Trigger staff members Hiromi Wakabayashi, Shigeto Koyama, and SUSHIO. Wakabayashi worked on the Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt anime at Gainax. He also worked as assistant episode director for two episodes of The IDOLM@STER anime alongside Atsushi Nishigori and many other Gainax alumni. Wakabayashi…

[korolevskiy-sekret]

Listen I know Atsushi Wakabayashi is just about the most obvious animator everywhere but I’m still very proud of the fact that I was able to pick his key frames/directions out of an anime that WASN’T Yu Yu Hakusho.

[marriedmillennials]

Review Film Chugakusei Nikki

chugakusei nikki  - Sebuah kontroversi tengah menghantui sebuah drama baru Jepang yang berjudul “Chugakusei Nikki (Junior High School Diary)” yang dibintangi oleh Arimura Kasumi, lebih-lebih sebelum saat rilisnya film ini sesungguhnya udah memperoleh banyak kritik layaknya respon para pemirsa yang udah berekspetasi bila film ini bakal buruk. Film ini sendiri menceritakan kisah cinta terlarang pada seorang guru perempuan dan seorang siswa sekolah menengah pertama, sejumlah kritik terhitung berkunjung bila tema cerita kisah cinta guru dan murid sesungguhnya lumayan kontroversial.

Chugakusei Nikki Review

Artis cantik Arimura memperoleh peran menjadi guru perempuan, sementara aktor pendatang baru Okada Kenshi yang baru berumur 19 th. memainkan peran sebagai muridnya. Namun sejumlah pihak mengimbuhkan kritik tambahan sesudah memandang postur tubuh Okada yang amat tinggi agar tidak cocok layaknya seorang siswa sekolah menengah pertama. Drama ini ditayangkan formal terhadap tanggal 9 Oktober bersama dengan memperoleh rating memadai rendah disejumlah lihat di Jepang, apalagi sebuah feedback menuliskan “Junior High School Diary amat aneh, saya cuma menontonnya 20 menit dan kemudian berhenti”. Namun tidak semua tanggapan negatif mampir untuk film ini, beberapa termasuk nampak menikmati scene-scene cerita yang diberikan berasal dari drama ini.

Banyak faktor yang sebabkan drama baru ini memperoleh tanggapan jelek berasal dari para pemirsa di Jepang, layaknya alur cerita dan penokohan yang banyak diakui tidak masuk akal dan aneh. Pamor Arimura dalam dunia perfilman Jepang memang sempat meningkat berkat drama berjudul “HIYOKKO” yang capai keberhasilan dalam penayangannya, dirinya senantiasa menjadi artis bersama dengan rating rendah dalam dunia entertainment Jepang sebab beberapa drama yang dimainkannya senantiasa memperoleh rating yang rendah, bisa saja bersama dengan drama kontroversialnya kali ini pamor Arimura akan ulang negatif.

Chugakusei Nikki Asianwiki

Dorama ini mengisahkan Seorang guru Cantik nan lugu yaitu Hijiri Suenaga (Kasumi Arimura) yang mengajar di sebuah sekolah menengah pertama di suatu perdesaan saking cantiknya doi sering kali dibercandain oleh muridnya sendiri. Doi mempunyai tunangan yang bekerja di suatu perusahaan besar yaitu Shotaro Kawai (Keita Machida) tapi mereka jarang untuk bersua karena terkendala oleh pekerjaan mereka, tapi kadang kadang Shotaro sering mengunjungi tunangannya waktu hari-hari libur. Suatu hari Hijiri bersua bersama dengan Akira Kuroiwa (Okada Kenshi) siswa yang sering mempunyai masalah dikelasnya dan sering tidak masuk kelas. Karena Hijiri merupakan walikelasnya maka ia harus untuk membimbing doi biar sering ikuti kelas Namun pertemuan mereka menumbuhkan benih cinta satu diantara mereka berdua.

Dorama ini adalah dorama pertamaku nonton yang bergenre romance guru x murid dan dorama ini mirip banget bersama dengan dorama jadul majo no jokken tahun 1999 tapi aku belum nonton itu sampe beres jadi dorama ini jadi dorama pertamaku genre romance guru x murid yang sampe beres wkwkwkwk. Dengan balutan alur dan cerita yang lebih menarik dan pastinya resolusi tahun 2018 lebih mantul daripada 1999 menyebabkan dorama ini amat kerasa ceritanya walaupun alurnya masih sanggup aku tebak jalan ceritanya tapi dorama ini tetap aku recomendasikan ke kalian andaikata pingin nonton bergenre romance guru x murid.

Namun dorama ini mendapat kecaman selama penayangannya di Jepang karena berani mengangkat kisah cinta guru dan murid, aku termasuk bingung kenapa hal ini berjalan karena pada mulanya genre yang layaknya ini termasuk sudah banyak di produksi di Jepang layaknya Close Range Love, Sensei!, dll, tapi menurutnya dorama ini dianggap dapat mempunyai pengaruh negatif bagi kehidupan di Jepang terlebih anak anak muda. Akhirnya banyak kritikan yang melayang dari para

pemirsa menjadi dari segi ceritanya maupun para pemerannya. Salah satu kritikan yang paling banyak dan menarik perhatianku adalah sang Pemeran utama yaitu Okada Kenshi yang dinilai tidak cocok untuk memerankan bocah SMP karena posturnya yang amat tinggi. Dan karena kritikan ini Kasumi Arimura jadi artis bersama dengan rating yang sendah tahun itu. Disini aku ngga mau berkomentar apa pun perihal kejadian ini. Namun panduan aku adalah jikalau kalian pingin nonton ini, maka kalian harus di dalam suasana good looking, anggapan terbuka bersama dengan mengesampingkan percintaan guru dan murid jadi enjoy aja toh cuman dorama doang kok buat mengisi waktu luang doang wkwkwkwk.

Dari segi peran, fungsi Kasumi Arimura gak usah diragukan lagi, apalagi kalo genre romance tuh menurutku Kasumi sanggup menjiwai dan mendalami perannya dia. Cuman kurangnya itu menurutku Kasumi belum sanggup membawakan sosok guru di dalam dorama ini. Terlalu lemah lembut untuk sosok guru jadinya muridnya termasuk pada manggil Hijiri-Chan kek bocah wkwkwk. Yah mungkin itu termasuk merupakan pembawaan Hijiri. Dan sebaliknya, aku termasuk sepakat bersama dengan kritikan para pemirsa Jepang bahwa Kuroiwanya amat tinggi dan amat mapan untuk ukuran SMP njir wkwkwk. Setiap kali Kuroiwa mirip Hijiri berpapasan tuh ngeliatnya Hijiri sudah kek pacarnya Kuroiwa. Tapi aku sih lebih bahagia lihat Hijiri mirip Kawai daripada Hijiri mirip Kuroiwa tapi ya... nasib wkwkwkwk.

Untuk soundtrack termasuk enak didenger dan amat cocok untuk dorama romance ini dan. Aku termasuk sampe rada hapal gitu bagian reffnya wkwkwk. Dan overall walaupun memetik kontroversi, dorama ini cukup bagus untuk kalian penyuka genre romance.

Meet Me After School

Hijiri Suenaga (diperankan oleh Kasumi Arimura) bermimpi jadi seorang guru. Lulus kuliah, ia pun terasa bekerja sebagai pengajar di sebuah SMP yang tersedia di desa terpencil. Sementara itu, Katsutaro, tunangannya, bekerja di sebuah perusahaan besar. Mereka udah berkencan sejak Hijiri tetap kuliah. Kondisi waktu ini memaksa keduanya untuk menekuni hubungan jarak jauh. Di sisi lain, Hijir terasa tertarik bersama dengan salah satu muridnya di sekolah.

Drama ini diadaptasi dari manga “Chugakusei Nikki” karangan Junko Kawakami. Majalah manga “Feel Young” yang pertama kali mempublikasikannya di tahun 2013 lalu. Untuk sistem adaptasinya jadi naskah film dilakukan oleh Arisa Kaneko, yang terakhir menulis skenario untuk “Final Cut” (Fuji TV-KTV, 2018).

Bagaimana bersama dengan sutradaranya? Tiga orang sekaligus yang dapat menanganinya. Mereka adalah Ayuko Tsukahara, Kentaro Takemura, dan Toshio Tsuboi. Ayuko dan Toshio dulu berkolaborasi di awalnya di dalam “It’s Not That I Can’t Marry I Don’t Marry” yang terhitung tayang di TBS tahun 2016 lalu. Kentaro pun bukan orang sembarangan karena sejak membesut “Bewitched in Tokyo” di tahun 2004, ia udah berpengalaman mensutradari banyak serial drama.

Profil Pemain / Daftar Pemeran Utama

Berikut ini daftar pemain utama dan pendukung dari serial “Chugakusei Nikki”. Untuk profil pemeran dan cermat peran masing-masing pembawaan menyusul, ya

Kasumi Arimura sebagai Hijiri Suenaga. Seorang guru SMP di sebuah desa terpencil. Menjalani hubungan jarak jauh bersama dengan tunangannya.

Kenshi Okada sebagai Akira Kuroiwa

Keita Machida sebagai Shotaro Kawai

Yo Yoshida sebagai Ritsu Haraguchi

Tomochika sebagai Chizuru Niwa

Yui Natsukawa sebagai Aiko Kuroiwa

Makita Sports sebagai Shigeru Jofu

Rina Ono sebagai Runa Iwasaki

Jiei Wakabayashi sebagai Junichiro Kokonoe

Marin Nishimoto sebagai Atsuki Shiraishi

Kazuna Kawaguchi sebagai Michiru Ebihara

Seina Nakata sebagai Yuu Kosaka

Mari Natsuki sebagai Michiyo Shioya

Masaki Kaji sebagai Tadayuki Tanabe

Atsushi Korechika sebagai Nobuhiko Irie

Nobue Iketani sebagai Mayumi Katsuya

[kentootv]

クローンベイビー (Clone Baby)

Dorama Details

Title: クローンベイビー

Title (english): Clone Baby

Broadcast Network: TBS

Genre: Science Fiction / Thriller

Episodes: 11

Release Date: October 8 - December 17, 2010

Runtime: Friday 24:20

TV Ratings: 2.2%

Theme song: Stay by HURTS

Plot

Cloned human beings who have same DNA compete each other to get one chair. No matter how far they are away, the cloned persons can attract each other. If they meet they try to kill each other. These clones with same the DNA are born to fight.

Cast

Ichikawa Tomohiro as Masamune Aoyagi

Matsuzaka Tori as Hiro Kikuchi

Fujimoto Kanata as young Kikuchi

Taki Yukari as Marika

Yamazaki Kento as Okabe Jyotaro (Okajo/Jotaro)

Kikuta Daisuke as Mikumo Futoshi

Inaba Yu as Satoshi Ozu

Kikuchi Akiko as Higuchi

Miki Honoka as Kanako Aoyagi

Suruga Taro as Haruki Wakabayashi

Sakurada Dori as Eita Tsubaki

Makita Tetsuya as Shyogo Katsushika

Shiga Kotaro as Shoichirou Hazuki

Matsushige Yutaka as Kazuma Aoyagi

Fujimoto Kanata as young Kikuchi

Kabe Amon as young Futoshi

Production STAFF

Director: Kawashima Ryutaro, Okamoto Shingo (岡本伸吾), Yuasa Noriko (湯浅典子)

Screenwriter: Nakayama Tomohiro (中山智博), Miyuki Nodaka (野高みゆき), Ikeda Natsuko (池田奈津子), Obayashi Rieko (大林利江子)

Producer: Iyoda Hidenori, Sugiyama Tsuyoshi, Kawashima Ryutaro, Sato Atsushi

Music: Nakanishi Kyo

WEBSITE 

Official Homepage:

www.tbs.co.jp/clone-baby

source : AsianWiki + DramaWiki

SPOILER

Yamazaki Kento played the role as a God of Hacker. He's currently attracted & followed a murder case. He then met the real murderer & found out that he's a clone baby. What would he do next? Find the full story by download or stream here:

[DOWNLOAD LINK]

RAW

SUBTITLES

STREAM (with engsub)

*ALT = alternative

[amerimemedia]

The head of Otakon 2019 Guest Relations, Ethan Kick, has taken the time out of his busy schedule to provide us a list with some highlights ahead of this year's event, which also marks the 25th anniversary of Otakon. Otakon List of Awesome! by Otakon Guest Relations Head Ethan Kick 1)            We have so much music this year, everyone! Come check out the amazing funk rock band Bradio, followed by the Tribute to Nujabes Concert later that evening in our Main Events room. That’s not all, though.  We also have an exciting and new project, “RPG National Anthem Variations” Guitar Concert with Sam Griffin and Eric Roth. But that’s not even our final form. Make sure to check out TAKU from M-Flo, who will be performing Saturday night at the Otakon Dance. Then to round it out, check out both Diana Garnet and nano perform on Sunday. 2)            That’s not all for music, though. We have incredible composer Kaoru Wada joining us to talk about his works over the years. You may know him best for composing music in "Inuyasha," "Ace Attorney," "Princess Tutu," "D. Gray-man," and "Ninja Scroll." 3)            With a Tribute to Nujabes, you can’t ignore his contribution to "Samurai Champloo." Make sure to check out our panel with Kirk Thorton and Kari Wahlgren, the voices of Jin and Fuu, respectively. We also have a panel dedicated to the music of Nujabes, with a few artists that worked on the music for "Samurai Champloo" or with Nujabes. This includes Marcus D, Substantial, EyeQ, MINMI, and Shing02. 4)            Switching gears from music for a minute, we obviously have a ton of amazing animation guests and events for you, as well. Check out designer Shigeto Koyama, director Hiromi Wakabayashi, and director Hiroyuki Imaishi from Studio Trigger as they premiere "PROMARE," their new animated movie. Also, join their panel during the weekend, where they will be doing Q&A and doing live drawings. 5)            Fire fighters from "PROMARE" are cool, but sometimes you want a bit of fantasy and goofy antics. Well, lucky for you, Bandai Namco Arts is bringing us some of the amazing team behind “That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime,” with character designer Ryoma Ebata, director Atsushi Nakayama, and voice actor Chikahiro Kobayashi, whom you may know from the show as Ranga but also Saichi Sugimoto in "Golden Kamuy." Come join their panels on Friday and Saturday as they have some fun stuff planned at their events. 6)            That’s not enough anime for Otakon, you say? Well, good thing we are far from finished. We also have FuRyu joining us, presenting the team behind "Laid Back Camp." Voice actress Sayuri Hara, whom you’ll know as Chiaki Ohgaki; producer Shoichi Hotta, whom you may also know for his work on "Kakegurui - Compulsive Gambler"; and director Yoshiaki Kyougoku. Yoshiaki Kyougoku has worked on several awesome projects such as "Seirei no Moribito," "Sengoku Basara," and "Eden of the East," as well as "Kuroko’s Basketball" and "Tokyo Ghoul" as episode director. 7)            We also have producer Michihiko Suwa and voice actress Kikuko Inoue, who are both veterans of the industry. Suwa-san you will know for his work as producer of "City Hunter," "Case Closed," "Detective Conan," "Inuyasha," "Lupin III," and "Magic Knight Rayearth." Kikuko Inoue has acted too many amazing roles to count, but you have probably heard her as Belldandy, Lust, The Boss, Aina Sahalin, Nurse Joy, and I-No. Kikuko Inoue with be joining Suwa-san to talk about their work on the anime "Mix," originally written by legendary manga writer Mitsuru Adachi. Inoue-san plays Mayumi Tachibana and Suwa-san was the producer. 8)            Still not done, though! We are also joined by the incredibly talented Hiroshi Nagahama. He was director on "Mushishi," "Detroit Metal City," and "The Flowers of Evil." He also worked on "The Reflection" from 2017, which was co-created between Nagahama and Stan Lee. Nagahama-san will be discussing the differences between comics in Asia and North America, as well as discussing his own works. 9)            We are also joined by the incredibly talented voice actor Toru Furuya, who you may know as Amuro Ray in "Gundam," Yamcha in "Dragonball," Tuxedo Mask in "Sailor Moon," Pegasus Seiya in "Saint Seiya," and Sabo from "One Piece." He’ll be out talking about his work over the year and being an all-around incredible person. 10)          Our next amazing individual has worked on too many projects to count and needs no introduction. Masao Maruyama is joining us for the first time in Washington, DC. You will know Maruyama-san for his work on "Summer Wars" and "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time." Over the years, he has worked at MADHOUSE as president as well as at MAPPA and M2. 11)          We couldn’t talk about veterans without mentioning Hirokatsu Kihara, who will be joining us again this year. Kihara-san worked at Studio Ghibli on some of its most legendary projects. While you’ve no doubt heard of "Laputa: Castle in the Sky" and "My Neighbor Totoro," he will be here to celebrate the 30thAnniversary of "Kiki’s Delivery Service." He’ll also be discussing ghost stories and all his adventures. 12)          Of course, we couldn’t have an Otakon without amazing North American voice talent, as well! While we already mentioned Kirk Thorton and Kari Wahlgren will be joining us, we also have the amazingly talented industry veterans Richard Epcar and Ellyn Stern. We also have the superbly talented Erika Harlacher, whom you may know as Ann from "Persona 5"; Jason Leibrecht, whom you will know as Dabi in "My Hero Academia" or Hei from "Darker Than Black"; and Elizabeth Maxwell, who, you’ve heard as Midnight in "My Hero Academia" or Arisa Uotani in "Fruits Basket." 13)          Speaking of "Fruits Basket," how could we forget about the Japanese voice cast of "Fruits Basket 2019," who will be here? Makoto Furukawa (Hatsuharu Soma), Manaka Iwami (Tohru Honda), and Nobunaga Shimazaki (Yuki Soma) will all be at Otakon. You’ll know many of them for their other roles, such as Saitama from "One Punch Man" (Makoto Furukawa), Maquia in "Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms" (Manaka Iwami), and Haruka in "Free!" (Nobunaga Shimazaki), along with countless other fantastic roles. 14)          With enough music and anime to shake a stick at, we can move to some of our other amazing programming. Roxanne Modafferi and Serena DeJesus will be joining us again this year to show us some martial arts moves up close. They are both incredibly accomplished athletes, and we are so exited to have them back. 15)          We also have the fantastic costumer designer Jez Roth. Make sure to see Jez’s Lip Synch for your Cosplay, as well as his new event, Project Cosplay live. Have you ever wanted to work on cosplays at a convention in from of an audience? Well, maybe it is a bit exciting for some, but we can't wait to see what everyone creates and to see people jam on stage at Lip Synch for your Cosplay. 16)          Our video rooms this year are getting in the anniversary spirit by showing some of the most influential movies and shows of the last 25 years, right up to today, including "AKIRA," "Penguin Highway," a "Lupin the 3rd" double feature, "Bubblegum Crisis," and so much more. Be sure to check out one of the Saturday Morning Cartoon shows to check out fun episodes of some of the best retro anime in both subbed and dubbed theaters. 17)          Our Workshop spaces are hosting the return of the ShoeString Scientists.  Come build a pokemon terrarium, or learn about paper crafting, armor building, or some of our other totally interactive hands-on events. 18)          Speaking of hands-on, we have a dedicated space again this year hosting the Otakon Makerspace.  Drop in anytime over the entire weekend to do a quick project that you can either take home, or contribute to our Makerspace art exhibit. 19)          Do you like puzzles?  The Otakon Break-in room is returning for 2019, with all new devious, and tricky puzzles and games.  Swing by Room 304 to check it out.  Sessions will run continuously during open hours. 20)          Do you like to dance?  We have three different formats for dancing this year.  First is the Lyra's Formal Ball, an opportunity to dress to impress, and waltz the night away on Friday.  Second is Hiro's Lounge, a swing lounge, running lessons all day, and hosting two live bands during open dance hours, the later night lounge is 18+ with a cash bar.  Third is our Otakon Rave, with DJs pumping out the beats into the early hours. 21)          Cosplay more your thing?  Come check out the Otakon Masquerade on Saturday night, starting at 7:30 p.m.  Many entrants from the Hall Costume Contest participate in a catwalk fashion show, and the Masquerade entries skits will make you laugh, cry, and cheer! Things To 

http://www.amerimewire.com/2019/07/21-things-to-do-at-otakon.html

[roseillith]

Going back to Ninku episode 29, but it seems like the way you tried to insert action scenes is the same as what you did for Naruto.

Wakabayashi: Both feel the same, don’t they.

Perhaps, I thought you changed the setting considerably along with the storyboard.

Wakabayashi: Yeah, I changed it. (laughs)

I could see what kind of action you wanted to show in the process.

Wakabayashi: Obviously Ninku‘s action format was transferred over to Naruto. Still it wasn’t fully formed, but I started to notice something at that time. How to set up action or the amount of cuts, I guess? I think that it was about time that I was finally able to figure it out.

So that’s how it got finalized on Naruto. The reason why those three episodes are called ‘divine episode’ even by anime fans who aren’t familiar with animation.

Wakabayashi: (Laughs) Thank you very much. (Interview Note: On Naruto, Wakabayashi handled directing, storyboarding, and animation supervision on following three episodes: episode 30 (The Sharingan Revived: Dragon-Flame Jutsu!); episode 71 (An Unrivaled Match: Hokage Battle Royale!”; episode 133 (A Plea From a Friend). These are absolute must-watch episodes for Sakuga Obsessed.)

How did you end up getting involved with Naruto?

Wakabayashi: With Ghost in the Shell, we had discussions about working on subsequent episodes. As I kept working it, I found it would be troublesome to others,  so I let it drop to one episode. Around the time, I was thinking about what should I do next, then Naruto got started. There was opening available at Pierrot, so as I wobbled back there and Naruto‘s director (Yuto) Itachi suddenly handed me a scenario with a ‘here-you-go’ manner. That was episode 30. I thought I was more suitable for characters like Rock Lee, so Sasuke’s Sharingan story didn’t click with me. However, it seemed like an important episode, so I passed back my intention directly to the director (laughs). And that’s how it happened. Because I still had some time in my schedule, I tried to do storyboards, direction and animation supervision. Therefore, with the reaction I got from the Ghost in the Shell action-construction method as basis, I wanted to put a serious consideration on assembling the action sequence. I put my heart and soul into how to make that part of the manga really awesome.

Did you personally pick out animation team for this episode?

Wakabayashi: That’s right. I couldn’t leave out (Norio) Matsumoto and (Atsuko) Inoue. With three people, including myself, I had this crazy idea that we could pull off one episode by ourselves. Nowadays, I don’t know any joe could pull it off, but even in the past, Nakamura drew key animation with three people in Urashiman. (Interviewer Note: Norio Matsumoto is super animator of realist school. He handled many key animations of Wakabayashi’s action sequences. He and Wakabayashi met during Tatsunoko Lab days. The subject of Nakamura is about Future Policeman Urashiman episode 26 (From Neo Tokyo to Hell). In this episode, Takeshi Nakamura handled storyboard, animation supervision, and key animation.

That’s right, isn’t it. He did draw half of the act.

Wakabayashi: Yeah. That’s what I remembered. I thought that I should be able to do that too. It was quite difficult, but I had feeling that I could do it if I tried.

Even in the parts where Matsumoto’ key animation is drawn, there are detailed instructions densely packed in the storyboard’s fight scenes.

Wakabayashi: Everything was pretty much set in the storyboarding stage. When more key animation comes up for check, I just accept them with ‘yep, looks good’ manner. There are parts where I did corrections on expressions, timing correction during editing, or touch up here and there, but I left most of them alone.

On episode 30, Matsumoto’s key animation starts off in the middle of Act A?

Wakabayashi: Nope, it never started in the middle. It’s Act A all around.

So he worked on all of the Act A? Did Matsumoto work on half of episode 71 and 133 as well?

Wakabayashi: He did all of the Act A of episode 71. On episode 133, he worked on various parts in Acts A and B. After that, I, Inoue, and (Tokuyuki) Matsutake filled in whatever was left over.

So Matumoto’s key animations took up the most in episode 133.

Wakabayashi: That’s right.

In short, Matsumoto drew key animation on parts where Naruto shoots off.

Wakabayashi: That is Matsumoto’s. When he came aboard, I felt that I should give him the kind of storyboard he deserved.

Was it Matsumoto who worked on the tree branches that grow out in episode 71?

Wakabayashi: Yep, I know he’s good at it and because he himself was willing to do it (laugh). He knew how to arrange effects well, so I drew storyboard in consideration of bring out the best of it. We only made one episode of Naruto per year though.

You’re right. Just one per year (laughs)

Wakabayashi: Otherwise, the producer will not let you do it. Due to fact that it uses up tons of paper, so it would end up going over budget. We approached (the project)with a ‘it looks like the excitement is dying down, shall we kick it up the notch’ feel. (Translator note: Unlike typical copy paper, professional animation paper costs about 10 Yen/10 Cents per sheet. So using a lot of paper means drawing tons of frames thus costing millions of yen/thousands of dollars spent on extravagant scene(s). One reason why some anime studios disclose how much sheets used on their feature film or TV episode because they want to show off production value)

How long does it take to make one episode?

Wakabayashi: Animating takes about two and a half months. Storyboarding takes six to seven weeks. In order to build an action sequence, it requires considerable blending.

That’s because you were doing never-seen-before action sequences in your Naruto episodes.

Wakabayashi: That’s right. I thought such a situation was my life line. If this is something that other people can’t imitate, then this is probably where I think it should be.

Are such action sequences an accumulation of movies and other things you’ve seen?

Wakabayashi: They’re accumulations, all right. There was a lot of bizarre and strange stuff on air, especially when I was a kid. Simply put, it’s like saying, ‘you’re eccentric’, even though I didn’t knew what that word meant. To be specific, I like quirky things. I certainly have a desire to make up crazy situations.

Maybe I’m being too nosy, but it’s not good for your personal finances when you take six to seven weeks on a stroyboard.

Wakabayashi: You end up being broke. So I took the risk of becoming poor working like that. But I would get an immense satisfaction by doing it. It’s like living for that satisfaction. Once I finish directing episode, I take up a normal job temporarily. So I saved up money a year after, then I spend time on directing an episode afterwards.  That’s gist of it.

Oh, I see.

Wakabayashi: My point is, I wanted to make history. I wanted to leave a mark that says, ‘this kind of stuff is made by this guy’. When it takes time, it’s like trying to prove that nothing like those three episodes have ever been made.

Your episodes are in the same level as Takeshi Nakamura’s Gold Lightan episode.

Wakabayashi: Oh, thank you very much! It’s meaningful to make stuff like that. Lately there are young animators who’ve told me that they entered the anime industry after watching those episodes and I was very happy. I’m happy that I could influence people in such a way.

You have clearly have a different personal stance between doing direction and doing storyboards.

Wakabayashi: I do. When I’m doing storyboards, I try not to cause problems for the production. I draw storyboards by following the scenario and not try not to make it look complicated from a director’s point of view. For direction, I still want to put my personal touch.

Do you have one ideal when doing storyboard, direction, and animation supervision?

Wakabayashi: I do; I cannot do it without a schedule. I can’t pull it off if I don’t get three months. Although such an ideal is impossible with a normal TV series, right? Because a company like Pierrot is generous enough to allow such a method, I think I was able to pull it off.

As you imply, there was no separate schedule for your team or special budget put aside or early draft scripts as other people assumed.

Wakabayashi: There was no such thing. It was just like all the others. About the script, other episodes were already written in advance. Since they’re based from manga, so they’re already written ahead of time. Other people were also under the same situation. It’s just that other people were already working on prior episodes, so that’s why the scenario was in dormancy for a long time. (Translator note: Wakabayashi is implying that he had early start with episode 30.)

Earlier you’ve said that episode 30 was dumped on you by director, however you chose episode 71 and 133 on your own?

Wakabayashi: That’s right. I thought only I can do them myself and I asked to him to let me work on them. Actually, I told him that I also wanted to do the Naruto vs Orochimaru fight, but I was working on the pilot of Guin Saga, so my schedule didn’t allow it. I was thinking of making that sequence as a final finishing touch. But I now I regret that I couldn’t do it.

Do you think you might get another chance to work on “Naruto” in the future?

Wakabayashi: Only if Naruto continues on after the Guin Saga is over. Because I absolutely have not given up on Naruto yet.

[recentanimenews]

TRIGGER's Hiromi Wakabayashi Answers Burning DARLING in the FRANXX Fan Questions in Reddit AMA

TRIGGER took to Reddit, hosting an AMA on the /r/anime subreddit to answer questions about all things TRIGGER and DARLING in the FRANXX. Studio mainstay Hiromi Wakabayashi, with translations courtesy of Tattun, spoke about collaborating with A-1, mecha, favorite Western cartoons, and potential future projects. Here are the highlights of the Q&A!

DARLING in the FRANXX is a co-production between A-1 Pictures and TRIGGER. Has there been any significant benefits or drawbacks to having two anime studios working on one anime?

I like to think that we're (TRIGGER) decent when it comes to creating original contents. For Darling, TRIGGER was mainly in charge for concept planning and development. On the other hand, A-1's got the capacity to produce multiple titles throughout the year, and they're also known for their quality so we got a lot to learn from them when it comes to actual production. I wouldn't say this is a demerit, but since Darling was produced between two studios, the amount of staffs involved were also doubled. The project was more difficult to manage compared to others.

  What are your main reasons for choosing to produce your new animes in co-production with other studios?

We've decided to work in collaboration with A-1 pictures since the director specifically requested to do so. TRIGGER was mainly in charge of pre-production since coming up with original content is what we do best. A-1 on the other hand handles most of the actual animation process. However, there are few episodes that we were responsible for, and few designs did come from creators of A-1 as well.

    While studio TRIGGER is relatively young compared to most anime studios, I've noticed half of TRIGGER's TV anime works are 24-25 episodes long compared to most studios following 12-13 episodes. Is there a reason for that and does the episode length have any direct impact?

We're a very fortunate studio to receive so many opportunity to produce original contents. Compared to adaptations, original series takes a lot longer to produce. We simply want our audience to enjoy the characters we took so long to create as much as possible. It also works in favor for the production committee since they have a longer span of time to market and sell their merchandise.

  Between Trigger and A1, which is the Stamen and Pistil?

I guess TRIGGER would be the Stamen? Our studio's got that rowdy, rascal like vibe.

    What happens to the girls when they are in the Franxx? Do they have plenty control over it or they just relay on the boys? Can a boy be in their place?

  The girls are mainly responsible for the ignition while the boys pilot the Franxx. The girls also hold the initiative for the Franxx's functionality since they can technically activate the machine without the boys (the stampede mode). Although, Zero Two is the only female character known to be capable of this. The boy and girls role in piloting the Franxx are not interchangeable.

  In Evangelion, Diebuster, and Gurren Lagann, the mecha have their own consciousness. Would you say that this inspired you to take it even further with the DarliFra, which blurs the line between character and robot with the Pistils and the Franxx being extensions of each other?

I'm surprised that you've caught on to that. You've definitely studied the concept for GAINAX mech series. DARLING in the FRANXX definitely follows this trend. I cannot disclose any information, but I hope you enjoy the rest of DARLING in the FRANXX!

    Who was responsible for the character design for Zero Two from DARLING in the FRANXX, where did they get inspiration to come up with such a beautiful design?

That will probably be Atsushi Nisigori (Director) and Masayoshi Tanaka (Character design)

Since there are already many questions, I will ask a simple one. Who do you prefer more? Zero Two or Ichigo? And why? I find it hard to pick a favorite because they are both so amazing!

  Hmm... If I had to choose, it'd be Zero Two. She's however not a waifu material. I guess I'm attracted to her charismatic personality.

    As a creative producer, your job is to make this unique premise works. So, how did you or your team come with all this idea? Did you just one day say "How about we make this and see how it goes" jokingly and somehow make that project come to life later?

Let's take Kill la Kill as an example. Kill la Kill's story/premise will probably make sense even if it took place in modern day Japan. However, by using a fictional setting, we're able to visually supplement the premise as well. In the opening scene of Kill la Kill, we see Ryuko looking up to the mountain, which is the Honnouji Academy. The viewers can then assume that Ryuko will be going through many hardships throughout the series.

  Even if it may sound absurd on paper, it's important to come up with ideas/concept that will visually compliment the premise.

The animations done by TRIGGER, whether they be originals, adaptations, or even "non-anime" like the "Battlesaurs" segment from Toy Story 3, are always incredibly expressive and full of motion! This seems to carry over to even your most recent show, DARLING in the FRANXX, despite the fact it is a collaboration. What are some of Trigger's philosophies in regards to animating, and why do you think you guys emphasize having so much motion and expression in your animations?

I believe the most important aspect of animation is the process of characterization. For example, the simple act of turning around is enough to portray one's character. The direction might be simple, but the animator must think what the character's motive is, how would the particular character react when he/she is animating the scene. With the above noted, we aspire to express our animation boldly. We will be loud for our actions, and we're not shy to show emotions as well.

    What would be your favourite work when it comes to animation?

  If we're talking Japanese animation exclusively it'll be FLCL for OVA, DIGIMON ADVENTURE CHILDREN'S WAR GAME! for feature film, and Kaleido Star for TV series.

  What are some of your favorite Western cartoons?

That's a difficult question. So many to choose from... I think my top favorites are Simpsons, Billy and Mandy, Kim Possible, Drawn Together, Gravity Falls.

    Out of all the TRIGGER shows my absolute favorite has to be Space Patrol Luluco, so when I discovered that it was the origins of Trigger-chan it made me curious whether this was always supposed to be her backstory or if this was just a neat idea added after the fact?

  I actually made the pitch to the director to have Luluco transform into Trigger-chan. If I recall correctly, I made this presentation fairly early in the production phase. I hope that I can produce another series that features all 3 Trigger girls in the future.

  Are Gurren Lagann, Little Witch Academia, and Kill la Kill all set in the same universe at different points in time? My fan theory is that Akko's using spiral energy, and Croix will be the founder of the Anti-spirals.

  Technically they exist in a different universe. However, we have few characters such as Trigger-chan and Inferno cop with the ability to cross between these walls and limitations.

I love Space Patrol Luluco, it's one of my favorite series. Do you guys have plans for other short anime (besides Inferno Cop)?

Both Imaishi and myself really love Space Patrol Luluco's format, so hopefully we'll be able continue with the series in the future.

  Mascots like Muzzle and Spring will receive their own anime? We'll be able to see Trigger-chan again in one of your future works?

  I almost view it as a duty to deliver the other 2 girls at this point.

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Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com