The first feature film in 13 years of the popular anime series "Nintama Rantaro", "Nintama Rantaro the Movie: The Dokutake Ninja Team's Strongest Strategist", was released on December 20th. This is the first film adaptation of the novel version of Amako Soubei's original manga "Failed Ninja Rantaro", which is highly popular among fans. The director of the feature film is Fujimori Masaya, who was in charge of the original character design for "Nintama Rantaro" and also directed the feature film "Nintama Rantaro the Movie: Ninjutsu Academy All Out! No Dan" released in 2011. We asked Director Fujimori about his commitment to the production, saying that he wanted to portray "a ninja that has never been seen before" and "a ninja that is different from usual". (※This interview contains spoilers for the main story)
◇ The first serious "Nintama" film
The main character of the movie is Mr. Doi, also known as Hansuke Doi, a subject teacher for the first-year class at the Ninjutsu Academy. After heading off to a duel with the Tasogaredoki ninja Moroizumi Sonnamon, Mr. Doi goes missing. As Yamada-sensei and the sixth graders begin searching for him, a cold-hearted strategist from the Dokutake Ninja Corps, Amagi, who looks just like Mr. Doi, appears before the sixth graders... This is the story. Rantaro, Kirimaru, Shinbei and others struggle to get Mr. Doi back.
The first movie in about 13 years will feature serious developments different from the usual "Nintama", such as the disappearance of Mr. Doi and the attack of the strongest enemy. Director Fujimori, who also worked on "REVENGER", which depicts the exploits of assassins to be broadcast in 2023, said, "I wonder if they nominated me because the content of this "Rantaro" also requires a serious story."
"However, I had been away from 'Rantaro' for a while, so there were many things I had forgotten. In that sense, I felt that it was a job with quite a high hurdle. The world of the work is detailed in terms of historical accuracy and the relationships between characters, so there is no way I could get through it without studying it all over again," he said, adding that he spent time preparing by looking over setting materials for "Nintama Rantaro," materials on ninjutsu and the Warring States period, and related books that had been released up to now.
◇ "Nintama" is for adults with less comedy.
The original novel, "Novel: Failed Ninja Rantaro: Dokutake Ninja Corps Strongest Strategist," was released in 2013 and became a popular work that was talked about among fans. Director Fujimori said he felt that "it's a novel written specifically for adults, or rather, for fans."
He explains the appeal of the story by saying, "I thought carefully about how the fans who have always loved 'Nintama Rantarou' would be thrilled if there was a sequence like this, and wrote it with that in mind."
However, when it comes to releasing the film in theaters as an animated feature film, "I also felt that it might be difficult if we didn't broaden the audience," he said. "I was very conscious of not wanting to leave out people like children who aren't very familiar with the characters, or the parents who come with their children."
Director Fujimori also said at the production announcement, "This is a Nintama Rantaro like no other before. Please look forward to it." The production team took on various challenges in this production. One of them was placing emphasis on the drama of the story.
"Nintama Rantaro is a comedy anime. The idea was to add laughs, so even if it interrupts the story or emotional flow a little, a gag can be added. This time, we gave top priority to the emotional flow of the characters and the drama, with the gag flow being on the side. The priorities are different from how we usually make Rantaro. Usually in Rantaro, if an idea comes to mind, we'll just add a gag, but this time, we thought, 'I had an idea, but if I add it here it will ruin the story, so let's not do it.' That was the first time I'd done that while making Rantaro."
Although he prioritized drama, director Fujimori explains his commitment by saying, "I didn't want to make a monotonous film."
"For example, we included elements of music scenes, such as dance, and made heavy use of split screens, which we don't usually use. We wanted to include lots of footage that would serve as a hook for the film. There were some heavy parts in terms of content, so it was difficult, but I think we were able to show images that are unique to film."
◇ The appeal of Professor Doi "Is there actually something like a heavenly demon lurking here?"
One of the highlights of the movie is the action scenes that only a ninja can do. In the scene where the sixth graders confront Tenki, who looks just like Mr. Doi, the director was conscious of "showing Tenki's strength."
"I tried to portray the sixth graders as excellent up until the moment they faced off against Amaoni. Even though these excellent sixth graders went out fully prepared, they were no match for Amaoni. I wanted to show that contrast at the beginning."
It is revealed that the true identity of Amagi, the cold-hearted strategist of the Dokutake Ninja Corps, is Doi-sensei. For some reason, Doi-sensei became the strategist of the Dokutake Ninja Corps. Director Fujimori tried to portray the gap between Doi-sensei and Amagi.
"Doi-sensei has a good personality and is kind. He's also very caring and has a cute side to him that likes to work hard. I think it's those aspects that make him loved by fans. I tried to depict the gap between the characters of Doi-sensei and Amaki very clearly, but at the same time, they are actually one and the same person. I was conscious of the fact that they are connected on the inside. Amaki is a character who simply harbors emptiness, while Doi is a character with eyes that look very satisfied. However, I tried to portray the idea that maybe something like Amaki is actually lurking inside Doi-sensei as well. I created a contrast between Doi-sensei with kind, satisfied eyes and Amaki, whose eyes always seem to carry emptiness."
On the other hand, the "movements" of Doi Sensei and Amanoki are the same, and he explains, "Doi Sensei's way of throwing chalk and Amanoki's way of throwing bo shuriken are the same. The masks may look different, but the martial arts that have permeated their bodies are the same. I try to keep these things in mind when drawing them."
Continued in interview (2).
