The TV anime "Dandadan" is based on the popular manga by Tatsuyuki Shinnobu, which is currently being serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine app "Shonen Jump+". It began airing in October on MBS/TBS's late-night anime slot "Super Animeism TURBO", and has been a hot topic for its innovative visuals, including powerful battle scenes, psychedelic color usage, and breathtakingly fast-paced development. The anime is directed by Yamashiro Fuuga, a member of Science SARU. He has worked on "Inu-oh", "The Tale of the Heike", "Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!" and more, and this is his first time as a director with "Dandadan". We asked Director Yamashiro about his particular production style.
◇Sprinkled with "little tidbits" of the occult and special effects
"Dandadan" is the story of Momo (Ayase Momo), a girl who doesn't believe in aliens, and Okarun (Takakura Ken), a boy who is obsessed with the occult and doesn't believe in ghosts, who encounter an overwhelming strangeness. Okarun encounters Turbo Granny in a haunted tunnel and is cursed to become able to transform. Momo, who comes from a family of mediums, is attacked by the Serpo aliens and awakens her hidden psychic powers. The two of them activate their special powers and face the strange phenomena that appear one after another.
Director Yamashiro said that he was shocked when he read the original work.
"I found it stimulating. The two pillars of stylish action and romantic comedy are firmly established, and there is a sense of speed that moves back and forth between them at an incredible speed. There are gaps in various places, and I felt that this creates a sense of quick tempo. It depicts what Ryu-sensei likes as it is, and although it looks messy, it is cohesive. Various things are mixed in a good way, and the work felt very lively."
Director Yamashiro's priority in adapting "Dandadan" into an anime was to "reproduce the density of the original work in the anime." To that end, he thoroughly researched the monsters and aliens that appear in the story, and sprinkled in all sorts of "little jokes."
"Since the original work is sprinkled with little jokes, I thought it would be good to have a similar style in the film. For example, Acrobatic Sarasa has a self-inflicted scar on his left hand. In the main story, he injures himself in that part of the story, and it remains with him as if he has regrets forever. It is hidden by his costume, but it becomes visible due to the effects of the battle. The Flatwoods Monster, which emits mist, has black as its theme color, and the mist it emits also dyes the screen black. Also, since it has the ability to float, I decided to have its body filled with gas and have it appear stuck to the ceiling, or I could make it look like it is heavy but have its body made of gas, and I tried to pick up on it in that way. The original work was given time to be adapted, and for better or worse, the meaning between the lines was decided, and the realism The lines are raised and the story becomes three-dimensional, so if you don't fill in the gaps between the lines accurately in a way that suits the story, it will feel like the compressed density is stretched thin. To avoid this, I hope to be able to reproduce the feeling and impression you get after reading the original work in the video. I will use the playfulness and characteristics unique to video to properly complement the world view of the original work. I will mix in the characteristics and related things of each monster and alien as inevitable shapes and gimmicks, and add things that Ryu-sensei would add as little jokes or descriptions that would be natural to the main story of "Dandadan," and I hope to contribute to the three-dimensional world view.
Furthermore, Director Yamashiro, who felt the influence of special effects works such as Tsuburaya Productions in the original work, also added those elements to the anime.
"I read in a past interview that Ryu-sensei admires Narita Toru-sensei, so I thought it would be good to have the nuances and scents of the visuals of early Tsuburaya works such as Ultra Q, Ultraman, Ultra Seven, and Operation Mystery. By incorporating such past expression methods into the new style of today's visuals, I think it might look fresh to young people today. I also thought that the visuals could convey the jumbled feeling and mixed impression that is characteristic of the original work."
Director Yamashiro said that he also referenced works written by Kudo Kankuro such as Kisarazu Cat's Eye and Unubore Keiji for the tempo of the comedy, and explained his commitment, saying, "I thought that mixing various things together would suit the work 'Dandadan.' I wanted to fight with the number of combinations and drawers."
◇To incorporate the original's frame layout and amount of information into the anime
In order to sprinkle in various elements and to express the appeal of the original in the anime, Director Yamashiro placed importance on "gaps" and "a sense of tempo." For example, in the original work, the scene where the Flatwoods Monster appears is preceded by a small frame with handwritten text saying "Zushin," and when you turn the page, the Flatwoods Monster appears in a powerful figure on a double-page spread. In the anime, the Flatwoods Monster appears by falling from above.
"When I thought about how to express the 'Zushin' in the original work, having it fall from above gives it movement, makes it easy to understand, and also gives it a more dynamic feel. I think the original work also wanted to show it as a dynamic, large impression, which is why they had the Flatwoods Monster appear on a double page spread. In the original work, the frames get smaller and smaller on the previous page, limiting the information presented and speeding up the tempo. With the next double page spread, the field of view suddenly widens, and I think they are trying to express the feeling that time stops for a moment as information flows through the reader all at once. However, in a film, some frames are set, and it is difficult to properly express the feeling that you get when reading the original work by simply converting the same depiction into a film. I thought it would be better to have it stick to the ceiling. That's why I had it appear in the video. It's consistent with the gas coming down from the ceiling, and I thought it would create a similar feeling to the original, with a sense of inversion from having a heavy object stuck to the ceiling, a situation that is different from our physics and ethics, and time stopping for a moment. The subsequent fall emphasizes the size and dynamism. I'm trying to recreate the impression of the original by breaking down the order and elements of the information in the original and reconstructing it in a way that fills in the gaps between the media. That's the way I'm trying to create it."
He says he's trying to create gaps in various scenes, and explains that he's "valuing the tempo of the characters' conversations."
"I also asked the voice actors to make their acting more dynamic and emotionally unstable. It's okay if they think it's a comedy, then suddenly it becomes serious, then it becomes a comedy again, and their voices crack. Basically, all the characters speak quickly, and they exchange dialogue at about 1.25 times the speed of a normal anime. When a conversation ends, we immediately cut to the next scene. The comical dialogue is fast, but the dialogue that delves into the inner world is read slowly, so that there is a difference. The aim is to create a difference in the dialogue, but I also want it to be like you're laughing at a comedy and then suddenly get stabbed. I think it's effective because the scene stands out."
The tempo and visuals show a gap. Director Yamashiro's goal is to express the "atmosphere" and "smell" of the original work in the video.
"As a medium of expression, video has more information than manga. Since physical movements, sounds, colors, and time can be freely manipulated, I think it is important to organize and balance the information. If you get one button wrong, the "atmosphere" and "smell" of the original work will be destroyed and you will have a completely different impression. However, if you can manipulate these things well, I think you can make the work more vivid and vivid while still keeping the impression of the manga, and that is what I am aiming for. Of course, the video is made possible by the cooperation and efforts of the majority of the staff. If you feel that the atmosphere and impression of the original work has been successfully conveyed in the video, it is thanks to all the staff who understood the direction of the work and performed beyond what was expected of them in their own sections, and that is clearly evident in the work, so I would be very happy if you could pay attention to the work of the staff in each section."
The anime "Dandadan" is sprinkled with direction to maximize the appeal of the original work. You won't want to miss how the famous scenes from the original work will be expressed in the anime.
