The original short movie "Lycoris Recoil Friends are thieves of time." of the popular anime "Lycoris Recoil " will be distributed on Aniplex's official YouTube channel and other distribution platforms every Wednesday from 9:00 pm on April 16th. "Lycoris Recoil " is an original TV anime directed for the first time by Shingo Adachi , who was in charge of character design and general animation director for the " Sword Art Online " series and "WORKING!!" series. The TV anime will be broadcast from July to September 2022, and is a huge hit that has been adapted into novels, comics, and stage plays. A total of six short movies will be distributed from April 16th, and various creators participated, including Imigimuru, who is in charge of character design for the anime, who wrote the name script. We asked Director Adachi and Imigimuru about the thoughts they put into the short movies while looking back on the TV anime.
◇It gets interesting when the characters start talking
-- " Lycoris Recoil" is a work that combines various elements such as science fiction, gun action, and buddy stories. What was your awareness as a director when making it?
Director Adachi: I think I want people to enjoy this entertaining simulation of what would happen in a world that exaggerates some of the problems that the world we live in has. What would the characters think? I think it's important to have a good balance between the absurd and the realistic parts of the stage design, but more than that, I want to depict how the characters in the world of the work observe the world they live in. We are alive, and each of us has a different philosophy of life, so even if we see the same situation, we have different impressions, right? Even in a fantasy work, we are in the same place, each of us has our own feelings, and we clash with each other. I like to see that kind of thing (laughs). What would we talk about in this situation? When I imagine that, the characters start talking about all sorts of things, which is fun.
--Chizoku and her friends are living in a dystopia and have accepted the situation.
Director Adachi: Many people don't fight against the policies of their companies or society. I think that when people understand that there are unreasonable things in the world, they become adults. They come to terms with it somehow. I wanted the protagonist's thinking to have the same basis. On the other hand, there are people who become activists who fight against unreasonableness, but I'm not that kind of person, so I can only imagine how they feel... I think it must be tough... when a politician stands alone in front of a station on a hot summer day, talking about their views through a megaphone. Do they really think that they need to correct the world? Or do they just want people to see them working hard and get elected? Why didn't they choose to accept the world, go home and eat ice cream with their families? Can humans really do this for free? I wanted the protagonist to be someone who has the same simple questions as me. Chisaku is the protagonist, so I want her to feel angry at things like "evil," but I hope that her reasons are down to earth and understandable.
--The terrorist Majima also appears as an enemy.
Director Adachi: He's my enemy and I need to defeat him, so it's fine if he says things I don't understand. But he eats, has friends, and watches movies. He's not a devil you can't talk to. It's interesting to ask an activist like Majima, why he's doing what he does, from the perspective of an ordinary person, as Senzoku has a relatively normal way of thinking. Senzoku also has her own strange side, so by having a person from a different position join in, something is brought out. I like the conversations that arise in this way, and I'm thinking about how to make them more interesting.
◇Imigimuru's turning point
-How did Imigimuru come to be involved in Lycoris Recoil?
Director Adachi's character design went through many twists and turns, and was once a blank slate. Just when I was at a loss, I met Imigimuru.
Imigimuru is so lucky.
Director Adachi and I had a mutual acquaintance who was selling doujinshi at Comiket.
Imigimuru- san was helping me sell doujinshi. By chance, Adachi-san happened to be passing by and called out to him. I had never met Adachi-san before, so he introduced me to him.
Director Adachi : I never thought I'd be able to meet Imigimuru... so I asked him, "This is it! (laughs) Can you do an anime job?" He said, "Okay, I'll call you in the new year."
That's where it all began . I'm glad I was at Comiket then. It was fate.
-What do you think is the appeal of Imigimuru, Director Adachi?
Director Adachi I've always liked Imigim's drawings. Maybe I felt something similar (laughs). I draw pictures too, and if I see something I like, I incorporate it into my own drawings, and I'm always looking for it. There aren't that many people who have it, and no matter how popular or beautiful a picture is, it doesn't really resonate with you... right? There's something about it that I like that's hard to put into words, but there's something about it. Imigimuru had that part. My wife also said, "You seem to like it!" Even from an objective point of view, there must be something I like. The first picture I saw and thought was nice was the cover of "Dengeki Maoh."
Imigimuru: I admired Adachi-san. I bought the setting reference book for his work and imitated his drawings, so I was influenced by him. I admire his simple yet attractive drawings with few lines. His compositions and poses are also amazing.
--What did you feel while making the anime together?
Imigimuru gave me free reign to draw, so it was very easy to work with him.
It was all up to Director Adachi .
Imigimuru is a kind person. Before I joined "Lycoris Recoil", I was only working on manga, but after that, I started getting more work outside of manga, and it was a big turning point for me. Now I can't call myself a manga artist, I call myself a manga artist (laughs).
Director Adachi 's own manga has been made into an anime, he has designed characters for original anime, and he has worked as an illustrator for light novels, which have then been made into anime... That's a triple crown! (laughs) That's an incredible amount of work.
Imigimuru-san : No, that's the way I put it (laughs). I'm grateful to everyone. Everything about "Lycoris Recoil" was a learning experience. I went into the production not knowing anything, and while Adachi-san taught me, I tried to absorb everything I could. I was like a sponge. When I saw the finished anime, I felt like I'd grown. Before I became a manga artist, I wanted to be an anime artist, so I was grateful to have been able to be involved in it.
◇In addition to short movies, there will also be new animations!
-How did you proceed with producing the short film?
What can we do to make Director Adachi happy when developing a new work? We are thinking about this. It is an original work, and there are many options. What did the people who watched this film find interesting about this work? We want to understand it properly as the creators and develop a work without mistakes. Aniplex has people from various sections, so we ask them about the reactions to the work that the creators do not know, and confirm the direction. What kind of goods are popular, what kind of impressions are received, etc. (laughs). It is stimulating to see perspectives that are not visible from the production side, and there are also discoveries.
--Were there any unexpected reactions?
Director Adachi: I found it interesting how different generations, such as men and women, felt about the characters. I'm interested in what parts of the characters people loved. What makes a person cool or beloved changes rapidly with the times, and it's hard to judge from one person's perspective.
--There are six short movies in the lineup. There is also an episode in which Imigimuru participated as the "original scriptwriter."
It all started when I was chatting with Imigimuru, "If you're going to do a few episodes, can I do one?" There's an episode where the scriptwriter hasn't been decided yet, so I said, "Please do it!" That's how it started.
Director Adachi: Initially, we were only planning to make one 90-second video for testing, but we decided to do more. Imigi-san is a manga artist and a story-maker, so there was no way I could miss the opportunity! (laughs). I was happy. So I thought, why not have various people suggest things they want to do and find interesting? Ultimately, I can guarantee the uniqueness of this work, so I just wanted people who want to do it to find it interesting and get to work on it. I tried to do what I could because it was an original.
I heard that you wanted to use the art settings from Cafe Ricorico because there were some that you hadn't used yet. I heard that, but I didn't use them much in the episode that I was in charge of (laughs).
Director Adachi : That's right. Actually, there were two back doors, and we only used one of them. The camera didn't go into the loft area of the hall very often.
--Are there any expressions that you feel are unique to Imigimuru?
I also included manga-like expressions in the draft script. The director will make various adjustments to the final expressions, so I wasn't sure how much would remain, but they kept quite a lot. I drew it while thinking, "Maybe there are some expressions that only a manga artist can use?"
Director Adachi was interesting. I was thinking about what to do while keeping this element. Is it well done?
Imigimuru made it look amazing, it was fantastic!
Director Adachi: Well, it's a short film, so please feel free to watch it.
--The production of a new animation has also been announced. Is it being made separately from this short movie?
Director Adachi: You may think that this short movie is a new work, but I am also making a "new animation". I will start working on it carefully as soon as the TV anime ends, so please wait a little longer. I would like to continue with the short if it is well received.
If you could invite me again, Imigimuru , please do!
Even Director Adachi is very popular (laughs).
Imigimuru, what are you talking about!
