#atsushi wakabayashi

[roseillith]

Naruto #30 ‘Yomigaere Sharingan! Hissatsu: Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu!' (2003)

Directed By: Atsushi Wakabayashi

[kyouka-supremacy]

BSD Official Guidebook Gongeroku - Uemura Yuto & Ono Kensho interview

※ As usual, I'm heavily relying on automatic translators for this, so if you notice any mistake, please feel free to bring it to my attention! I'll be posting the original text in reblogs.

Thank you for your hard work in recording seasons 4 and 5. The story has now come to an end, with the story left “to be continued”¹.

Uemura: In “Two Hours Later,” Atsushi (Nakajima) and Ryunosuke (Akutagawa) trust each other; the exchange “Just the two of us?” "Do we need more?” also occurs in episode 53, but this time Atsushi is smiling a little. He says “Let's go, Akutagawa”, and takes on the challenge. I think it was a very hopeful ending, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the relationship between the two will develop. Also, I'm curious about Akutagawa's outfit. He had something on his head… Ono: That's right. (Akutagawa) looked strong. It seems like he's regained his sense of self, so what will happen next? What are Akutagawa and Atsushi fighting against? I'm curious about it all. I felt like the 5th season ended on an interesting note.

The story ended with Atsushi and Akutagawa fighting together, but looking back at the first season, what do you think has changed about Atsushi and Akutagawa?

Ono: I think the biggest thing is that now they're able to have a conversation. Uemura: That's right. At first, the two of them couldn't have a conversation at all. Atsushi said “I don't understand you at all” (Episode 23). Ono: The relationship started out with each saying “this is what I think'”, not listening to what the other person had to say, and then fighting, so that's where the biggest change happened. I really felt this change during the conversation on the ship² at the end of Season 3 (Episode 37), where they say: “Don't kill anyone for six months. Then you will come to see the truth in its simplest form”. Uemura: Atsushi started out thinking “I can't survive like this”, but then he joined the Armed Detective Agency and found himself in a position to save people. In the process, he made various choices, thinking about what Dazai (Osamu) would do, and what his colleagues at the Armed Detective Agency would do. He was finally able to accept himself and think that maybe there was a meaning to his life. In particular, the movie Bungo Stray Dogs: DEAD APPLE and the conversation with the headmaster (episode 31 part 2) were major turning points for him. He was able to face his inner self. I think that it was through these experiences that he was eventually able to make that “promise” with Akutagawa. Ono: Akutagawa is always one step ahead of Atsushi. But Atsushi is grows up really fast, right? He is the main character after all (laughs). So I think that Atsushi is gradually beginning to see Akutagawa³. Uemura: That's right. I think Atsushi originally had a very narrow vision. But after going through various experiences, his vision has finally broadened. And I think he's now able to see Akutagawa clearly. If you have a narrow vision, you can't accept any way of thinking different from your own; but as your vision gradually broadens, you start to accept that there are other ways of thinking, too. I think that's why he was able to have a dialogue.

On the contrary, what do you think remains the same about Atsushi and Akutagawa?

Uemura: Atsushi has grown and become more confident, but he still panics when he hits a wall. I've been playing Atsushi for a long time, so I'd like him to be to take a decision more quickly, but Wakabayashi Kazuhiro (sound director) would tell me, “It's too early, not yet” “It's not time yet”. When you can see what's ahead, you just want to move forward, but Atsushi takes many detours and puts his full effort into each step. I think that's what makes Atsushi unique, so I always try to cherish it. Ono: One thing that remains unchanged about Akutagawa is that he is always aware of Atsushi. I think that the relationship between Akutagawa and Atsushi, with Dazai in the middle, has not changed at all, and Akutagawa is the one who is acutely aware of that. In Season 5, Akutagawa says that fighting alongside Atsushi is “a trial (that was given to him by Dazai)”, but even though he says that, the fact that he's also aware of Atsushi has not changed.

The “trust” between the two was evident in their deadly battle against Ochi Fukuchi (episodes 53 and 54).

Ono: When Akutagawa was wounded by Fukuchi Ouchi's Amenogozen, and he says "You fool, get out of here" as he lets Atsushi escape, in the original comic Akutagawa has a sad expression on his face. However, in the anime, he has a desperate expression during the fight. The difference is very striking. I felt like the expression in the anime was an expression that matched the visual flow. That left a strong impression on me.

Afterwards, Akutagawa, who has turned into a vampire, faces Atsushi at the airport (Episode 60).

Ono: By this time, Akutagawa had completely become a vampire. I was able to record the scene with Uemura-kun, but… Uemura: Ono-san seemed to have a hard time. Atsushi tries his best to talk to Akutagawa, saying “It's me, don't you recognize me?”, but he can't get the conversation going. When he called out “Akutagawa!”… Ono: “Shhhh”. Uemura: That was all. But there was a moment when he regained a little sense of self. Ono: That was the toughest one. I put a lot of thought into how to express it. Uemura: In that scene, Atsushi was hoping that he would regain his sense of self. I think that was a kind of dynamic that had never existed before.

Having performed for so long up to season 5, what does “Bungo Stray Dogs” mean to you two?

Ono: This is a project that I'm putting my life on the line for. Akutagawa also puts his life on the line, so I feel like that is something we have in common. I think there is something I can learn from Akutagawa's desperation and his approach in facing challenges. When Akutagawa first appeared in the first season, Wakabayashi-san told me: “He doesn't sound strong”. It's a statement I still recall. The recording of Akutagawa started from there, so I hope I have been able to improve on that now, and I would like to continue to do my best without letting my guard down. Uemura: After recording the scene with Atsushi and Akutagawa, Wakabayashi-san said: “It looks like both of them have a lot more to scream”⁴. Ono: Oh, did he say that? Uemura: That's right. I'm so grateful for receiving such words. “I want you to go even further”, isn't that what they meant? I feel that if Bungo Stray Dogs will continue from now on, I will have to do something even further than that. Ono: I see. I guess I'll have to give it my best as well. Uemura: Personally, I would like to see what happens to Atsushi in the future, so I'm looking forward to the next developments.

In the fifth season, Dazai refers to Atsushi and Akutagawa as “the soukoku of a new era”⁵. In season 5, there was a scene where the soukoku duo of Dazai and Nakahara Chuuya played an active role; do you think the two of you can lead a new era?

Ono: Uhm, neither Akutagawa nor Atsushi are as smart as Dazai (laughs). Uemura: Right. I would like to see more of Atsushi and Akutagawa joining forces… But Chuuya and Dazai are both still very active (laughs). Ono: Yes. Both of them are still amazing. I don't think Akutagawa and Atsushi can realistically compete. Well, let's try our best to achieve that goal. Uemura: As the story progresses, I think it would be great if the two of them could become a duo known as Soukoku. It's different Soukoku from Dazai-san and Chuuya, it's a Soukoku that is unique to the two of them.

¹ The 「未了」 of the episode 11 ending ² This bit confused me, but they are indeed using 「船」 ship. They're probably referring to how the scene was showed as flashback while Atsushi was on Fitzgerald's ocean liner. ³ 「それでだん だん敦にも、芥川が見えてきたんだ なと思いますね。」 not sure about this one. Began to see Akutagawa in his own eyes? Began to see Akutagawa in himself? ⁴ 「まだまだ2 人とも叫べそうだな」 not sure about this one either 😔 Is it “it looks like both of them can scream even more”? ⁵ Unless I'm widely mistaken, this is a misattribution; Dazai says this in episode 24, not in season 5 (please correct me if I'm wrong). I don't remember Dazai saying anything similar in season 5.

[letsgo242]

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~

[demifiendrsa]

Godzilla: Singular Point PV. It’ll premiere in April 2021.

Key visual   

Staff

Director: Atsushi Takahashi

Series Composition: Toh Enjoe

Character Design: Kazue Katō

Kaiju Design: Eiji Yamamori

Music: Kan Sawada

Military Researcher: Keigo Koyanagi

Art Design: Akihiro Hirasawa

Art Director: Norihiko Yokomatsu

Color Key Artist: Azusa Sasaki

Compositing Director of Photography: Yu Wakabayashi

Editor: Rie Matsubara

Sound Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi

Animation Production: Bones, Orange

[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

[roseillith]

Naruto #30 ‘Yomigaere Sharingan! Hissatsu: Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu!’ (2003)

Directed By: Atsushi Wakabayashi

[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.