A little update on where I’ve been…

If you’re wondering where I’ve been the last few weeks…well, the picture above just about sums up how I’m feeling at the moment. I usually take a one or two week break from posting after finishing up my 12 Days of Anime posts…but the start to this year has been crazy. The immediate reason, of course, was the Rakugo Shinjuu interview that I translated—and in some ways, it’s kind of fitting that I’m talking about it again this week, given what happened in episode 5.

I had been looking forward to having a rest after that, to recoup and catch up on a long backlog of anime and translations. But then Lauren Orsini published a piece arguing that screenwriter Okada Mari’s work on the latest Gundam is entirely in keeping with what we’ve seen in the franchise so far. And that’s how my 15th post on Anime ‘Writing’ came to be. I had to do a fair amount of research for the piece—Iron-Blooded Orphans is NOT “Mari Okada’s Gundam”—but it worked out, since I was long overdue for another editorial on screenwriting in this medium!

But putting aside the Okada interruption, I’d actually planned to have the Ishida x Hayashibara interview translated before starting on my 12 Days posts. So why did I find myself still wrestling with it on the night before the second season started? Well, if you follow me on twitter, you’d know the answer to that. For those of you that don’t, however, here’s what else I’ve been doing over the last few months:

Rakugo Shinju: Ishida Akira x Hayashibara Megumi on the challenges they faced

And here’s the second half of the interview from Febri vol.34. Once again, please do not copy and paste more than a sentence or two elsewhere, though feel free to link to it if you wish. And if you happen to spot any careless mistakes i have made, please let me know! Otherwise, please enjoy!

Interview and text: Maeda Hisashi

—Thinking back over the entire show now, are there any scenes that have left a deep impression on you?

Ishida: In the end, the most daunting and difficult scenes were the rakugo ones. Having to perform famous stories like “Shinigami” and “Kajika-zawa”¹ right from the start, and do them well, no less…I was like “These aren’t stories that an amateur can pull off just like that!”

Rakugo Shinju: Ishida Akira x Hayashibara Megumi on our tragic trio

This two-person interview appeared in Febri vol.34, which was released in April of last year, after the first season of the show. I had originally planned to have the entire interview translated and checked before the second season started, but unfortunately, a certain anime about figure skating derailed just about all of my translation plans in the fall season. Hence, this is just the first half of the interview; it is also the more controversial half. Since these two seiyuu are people that I’ve never translated or even read interviews with before, and haven’t had the chance to ask anyone else to check it, there may be a few mistakes here and there, which I hope you will forgive me for (if you happen to have read the interview in Japanese and spot any, please let me know!). As usual, please do not copy and paste more than a sentence or two elsewhere, though feel free to link to it if you wish. And even if it suggests something that goes against your interpretation of the show, I hope you’ll find it as interesting as I did.

Ishida Akira (Yakumo/Kikuhiko) x Hayashibara Megumi (Miyokichi)

A fateful bond¹ is a strange thing… Ungoverned by logic and reason, such are the relations between men and women. The relationship between Kikuhiko and Miyokichi, too, is filled with incomprehensible matters. How did the actors behind these characters portray such an afflicted relationship? In this discussion, we ask the two of them to share the depth of their feelings towards the show and their characters.

Interview and text: Maeda Hisashi

Kenji Miyamoto: from Choreography to the Rink!

Two more days until Yuri!!! on ICE 9! To help tide us over, here’s another interview with Kenji Miyamoto, from the December 2016 edition of Pash! I’ve also added quite a few links to the Masterpost, so be sure to check it out!

Kenji-sensei with Yuzuru Hanyu on Kenji’s Room

From Choreography to the Rink!!!

Here, we talk directly to Kenji Miyamoto-sensei, who choreographed all of the programs that appear in the show! Just what kinds of emotions and toil did he go through in order to complete those 20 songs?

Kikuchi Yasuhito on making Macross F: The False Diva

Interview with Kikuchi Yasuhito (Technical Director¹), from The Macross F The Movie Official Guidebook: Perfect Triangle.

“Turning those strange ideas into reality is what my work is all about.”

Profile
A director and episode director, Kikuchi Yasuhito’s association with the Macross series began with The Super Dimensional Force Macross Flash Back 2012, where he was an in-betweener. As a director, he’s worked on titles like El-Hazard: The Alternative World and The Legend of Black Heaven.

Putting together all the materials to produce new visuals

Kikuchi Yasuhito: Remembering Love via Macross Frontier

From the Macross F Official Fanbook.

“Basically, we just go at it right from that first chord. If there’s a problem somewhere, we’ll think about it later.”

The vivacious and rhythmic scenes unfolding on the screen, which words cannot describe. Be it the battles or the concerts, the life in the imagery is unmistakable! We speak with series director KIKUCHI Yasuhito, who has brought us this extravagance, about the ideas behind the direction of Macross Frontier.

Kawamori Shōji on conceptualising Frontier: gut feelings and cyborgs

Continuing my exploration of the creation of Macross Frontier, this week, I bring to you Kawamori Shōji’s interview from the official fan book. Here, the director delves into the real-life concepts that he drew upon, including some surprising elements of scientific research and the complex ecological systems of the Amazon. He also discusses the fold bacteria that are now featuring in Macross ∆, and how they are relevant to the core theme of communication and discommunication in Macross.

“What matters when you want to change something is whether you can come at it from a different angle.”

Love triangles, singing and variable fighters. Along with the Vajra and implant network that support these three elements from the ground up. These are the background settings that give rise to the immense depth of the story before us. In this interview, we probe into the origins of this fantastic world.

Masterpost: On Anime ‘Writing’ Project

Since I’ve managed to pick up all the interviews I was looking for, it’s probably time I set up a Masterpost for this On Anime ‘Writing’ project of mine.

As many of you will already know, I’m currently carrying out a blog project about the role that anime screenwriters—such as Okada Mari, Urobuchi Gen and Yoshino Hiroyuki—play in the anime production process. All related posts can be found under the tag, but this is where I’ll keep a record of all the editorials and translations that I’ve published as part of it, along with links to any other relevant translations I’ve done in the past.

If you’re new to this project, I recommend starting with my first editorial, where I compared the ‘writing’ stages of the typical anime production with that of Avatar: The Legend of Korra. A more comprehensive collection of links to behind-the-scenes resources can also be found on ‘White Box’ Treasure. I hope you find this project interesting and informative, and that you will join in the discussion on anime production here and elsewhere!

Director Yasuda Kenji on Macross ∆

I’d been planning to take a break, honest. But then Bandai Channel published their next Creators Selection interview, and it turned out to be Yasuda Kenji, director of Macross ∆. In the second half, he talks candidly about developing the new Macross series with Kawamori Shōji, and I felt that I just had to share.

Do note, however, that Yasuda does give a few light spoilers about what’s going to happen in the series from here on out. So if you’d rather not be spoiled, please stop once they start discussing the Aerial Knights. If you read on, don’t say I didn’t warn you! And without further ado, please enjoy.

Bandai Creators Selection #32: Yasuda Kenji (2nd half only)

Interviews where creators reflect on themselves and the shows they’ve worked on.

This week, we speak with Yasuda Kenji, the director of Macross ∆, which is the talk of the town and whose theme has topped the music charts. ~~ Together with Director Kawamori Shōji, who’s renowned for his fantastical ideas, he has developed the world views, characters and story of a new addition to the franchise. And idol unit, a rune sparking on the head of the heroine, and dancing valkyries—all this and more in a new development in Macross. How did these ideas come into being? This month, we press yet another creator for the reality behind his work.

Edit: Interview conducted and written up by Ryūsuke Nagakawa

Okada Mari on the people who’ve made her who she is

(source)

Here’s the other half of Okada Mari’s bandai channel interview from March 25 of this year. In it, she discusses the anime, directors and screenwriters that have influenced her on the path to developing her own style as a creator. Among these luminaries are Dezaki Osamu and Kawamori Shōji, the latter of whom she regards as an inspirational genius. What I found particularly interesting was what she said about how she works with the other staff to bring these stories to the screen.

I forgot to mention this for the first half last week, but the interview was conducted and written up by Nagakawa Ryūsuke. Also, this is the 6th post in my “On Anime ‘Writing’” project, so if you like it, feel free to check the others out.