Continued from interview (1) 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 time that the novel version of Amako Soubei's original manga "Failed Ninja Rantaro", "Novel Failed Ninja Rantaro: Dokutake Ninja Corps Strongest Strategist", which is highly popular among fans, has been adapted into a film. 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 him about the attention to detail in the production and the appeal of "Nintama Rantaro", which has been loved for many years. (※This interview contains spoilers for the main story)
◇The upset sixth graders: a new side to the characters
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.
This movie has a different atmosphere than usual, with some serious elements and elements for adults. Director Fujimori said that he tried to express new aspects of not only Mr. Doi, but also Rantaro and his friends and the other sixth graders.
"This time, the sixth graders appear surprisingly shaken. In the regular TV anime, the sixth graders are usually very reliable, but in this episode, especially the martial artists Ushioe (Bunjiro) and Shokumin (Tomesaburo), and the most reliable Nakazaike (Chojiro) are very shaken. This is one of the big changes in the way the characters are portrayed in 'Nintama.' Kirimaru is usually on par with Shinbei in the comedy, but this time he hardly does that at all. In this movie, I've been thinking about how I can express a different side to him than usual, and although it's different from usual, I hope it will become part of the range of the characters. I hope that viewers will feel that 'Oh, I see this side of him,' and that it's new."
◇Asiado's "Nintama Love" - A charm that has been loved for many years
The first movie in about 13 years will be produced by the same anime production company, Asiado, as the TV series. Director Fujimori said that during the production, he felt the "love for Nintama" of the Asiado creators.
"Some of the animators at Asiado just love Rantaro, so the quality just improves without them even realizing it. Even though we're tight on the schedule, we give them the OK thinking 'you don't need to go that far', but they insist, 'No, I'll fix it' and won't listen. To be honest, and this includes a wry smile, I feel they're really reliable. They work so hard that they're completely worn out, and it's a great pleasure for me as a director, but it makes me nervous from a production perspective. It's not going to end like this! (laughs) Schedule-wise we were working right up to the very last minute, but when you look at the film you don't get that feeling. It's a carefully finished film, so I really think it's the result of the perseverance of everyone on set."
"Nintama Rantaro" continues to be loved by many fans, including the creators. We once again asked Director Fujimori about the appeal of the work and what makes it "Nintama-like."
"It's a school story, and it doesn't just feature a specific grade, but all the first through sixth graders, plus the teachers. Each character has a family, so it can be viewed from a variety of perspectives. Some people empathize with the first graders, some with the sixth graders, and some from the parent's perspective - I think the wide scope of the show, which accepts a variety of different perspectives, is one of its charms."
He also says that adult characters such as Mr. Doi and Mr. Yamada are appealing.
"It's like the adults are acting like adults. That's why I think that people who watched it as children, when they watch it again as adults, may see it differently, or they may understand, 'Oh, so that's how they felt.'"
Finally, we asked about the highlights of the movie version.
"I think it would be good if viewers could pay attention to the fact that the relationships between the characters are not one-sided, but that they are relationships in which each needs the other. The same is true of the relationship between Doi-sensei and Kirimaru. It's not a one-sided relationship for Kirimaru, but Doi-sensei is portrayed as someone who needs Kirimaru. The same can be said for the relationships between Yamada-sensei and Doi-sensei, and (Yamada) Rikichi and Doi-sensei. To put it simply, the sixth graders care about Doi-sensei just like the first-year class. I think that if you can keep this in mind, you will be able to become more immersed in the world of this movie."
