Absolute Fanboy

Continuation of the previous post, this month’s issue of Animage has an amazing volume of information for both Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei and Bakemonogatari. The magazine also interviewed Shaft’s company director whom revealed a little surprising history. Totally satisfy. (More content after the break!)

Zan Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei:

• While there are two assistant directors in the series, Tatsuwa Naoyuki “Assistant Director” is mainly controlling the layout (stage composition) while Miyamoto Yukihiro “Chief Director” is in charge of direction.
• They have been experimenting on directly using manga frame as storyboard since Goku, this resulted in closer atmosphere to the original manga. (Thus, Tou Fuyashi is credited as Series Composition.)
• “I like Kaga Ai but recently I’m starting to like Nezu Miko more and more. But in all characters, it is Kino Kuniya. He’s cool. (laughs)” said Tatsuwa Naoyuki
• The director’s demand from the beginning is to have all characters appear. The method used is not randomly adding their roles but arrange the original manga chapter used in the episode (e.g. Part A as Kafuka’s → Part B as Kaga Ai’s → Part C as Kino’s). Tatsuwa Naoyuki is responsible for chapter organization.
• Nozomu’s and Matoi’s “You were here?” “Yes, always.” is also director’s idea to have it in all episodes.
• Shinbo’s favorite character is Kafuka and Kamiya Hiroshi’s is Komori Kiri.
• The first season’s visual methodology is the “basis”, the second season break that basis and “experiment”, the OAD expand the experiment throughout all episodes and everything in the third season will be “turned over”.
• There will be no more experiment part in the third season. The visual methodology for the series is already completed in itself, but the director just doesn’t allow that so he added some “disappointing” ingredient to it.
• “Because if you completed it, it is the end.” said Shinbo
• All the casts thought “is the video tape broken?” when they were in a rehearsal.

Bakemonogatari:

• The director appointed Kamiya Hiroshi as Araragi Koyomi by himself although he worried at first because it airs in the same season as Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei but later thought in order to make a good series, same season or not doesn’t really matter.
• The director also worried about character’s visual since Koyomi has no single image in the original novel but after his character design is completed, he thought this must be Kamiya Hiroshi role.
• Kamiya Hiroshi tried not to think about the character’s charming point, because if he does that, the acting would be unnatural.
• “While Koyomi’s line is really long just like Nozomu’s, he is not a very high-spirited character. No matter how critical the situation is, he will just calmly interpret the whole situation. This role is hard on its own.” said Kamiya
• “Yes, a type that alway hiding his true nature.” said Shinbo
• Kamiya’s favorite character is Hanekawa Tsubasa. Shinbo: “If you watch it, you will know that she is really cute.”
• “Hitagi is also cute, but she is a suspicious girl. (laughs) But that’s why she’s the main heroine.” said Kamiya.
• “Hanekawa Tsubasa, class president of class presidents, heroine of heroines… but she is not the main heroine…” said Producer Iwakami. (Animedia)
• “Please think of the show as having five first episode and five final episode.” (Animedia)

Looks like the whole production staff loves Hanekawa Tsubasa, even though Hitagi is the main heroine! Well, after reading Kizumonogatari, I think I can see why they are (but obviously, I still like Hitagi the most.)

Shaft’s company director interview is also interesting; the fact that their in-house digital composition group (DIGITAL@SHAFT) was formed because their deep involvement with Lain’s Ryutaro Nakamura or how Shinbo positioned himself inside the company. Really good read. Write-up later. (If ever.)