Continued from interview (1)
The original animated film "Fureru" is the latest work by the three creators who worked on the youth trilogy set in Chichibu, and is now in theaters. As with the youth trilogy, the team has reunited, with director Tatsuyuki Nagai, screenwriter Mari Okada, and character designer and chief animation director Masayoshi Tanaka. Set in Takadanobaba, Tokyo, this work depicts the friendship between three young men who live with a mysterious creature called "Fureru," and is said to be a "challenging work" following the youth trilogy that depicted adolescent boys and girls set in Chichibu. We spoke to Director Nagai and Tanaka about the behind-the-scenes production.
Director Nagai: The idea of a mysterious power was there from the beginning to create a relationship, but the COVID-19 pandemic occurred during the meeting stage, and I thought about this theme a lot later. With each meeting, the image of X's marshmallow function and other things came into my mind, and I think it gradually slid into the theme of the story.
Director Tanaka: That's certainly true. There are lines in the script that contrast it with social media, so I thought, "That's a very clear conclusion."
Director Nagai: I don't use social media at all, so if you don't explain it clearly, I myself wouldn't understand it.
--"Fureru" has fantasy elements, such as the mysterious creature "Fureru."
Director Nagai: I always wanted to make something that felt like a movie, and in that sense, I asked them to add elements that would liven things up, or make the screen flashy, and make the movie more exciting, and they kept piling them on until it took this shape. Conversely, I also asked for fantasy elements to make it more flashy. Tanaka: In terms of fantasy elements, I've tried to go all out in my previous works, but I ended up not being able to do it. So where do I settle on the balance? This time, I had the impression that we had a hard time even in the general meetings. How far should we take the ability to "touch"? If it's too amazing, it will be a mess. In the end, while there are fantasy elements, I somehow knew that the story would eventually settle on the real parts of the three main characters, so I think we just kept having repeated discussions about how to make it acceptable after that. I think I finally understood that the fantasy works we create have this much strength.
--So you base it on reality?
Tanaka: Yes. Since the story is based on a real 20-year-old boy in Takadanobaba, Tokyo, anything that would destroy that would just be noise. That's why I was really nervous when I was shaping "Touch." Would "Touch" stand out? Would it be okay? It was difficult to get the balance right, but the first idea was OK. I argued a lot after that and came up with other ideas, but they were all rejected and they said "this is good" (laughs).
Nagai: It was good.
◇ "Touch" links to the relationship that the three of us can't compromise on
--Set in Tokyo, with three young men as the main characters, and the existence of "Touch," "Touch" was a work with many new challenges. After working on "Tureru," what do you think is the appeal of the team of Director Nagai, Okada, and Tanaka?
Director Nagai: I feel like I've become quite dependent on the two of them. With Okada's script, I tell him the nuances I want to do, and he responds to that and I draw the storyboard. Then I tell Tanaka just the nuances of "I want the play to be like this," and he puts it together.
Tanaka: In a sense, this team is an environment where we can't compromise. Nagai has a vague idea of what he wants, and Okada and I come up with ideas, saying "Nagai must be thinking of this," and then we keep saying "That's not it," and "No, that's right," and that's how we always create. We've known each other for a long time, and we're work colleagues and friends who know each other's private lives, so it's a relationship of trust that comes from that. There's no pride in us, like "we know this guy better than anyone," and we can't compromise, but in the end, it works out well. So it seems easy to make but difficult, but at the same time, it's easy to make.
--Just as the three main characters are connected by the power of "touch," do you think Director Nagai and the other three understand what each other is thinking?
Director Nagai: That's right.
Tanaka: After "Touch" was completed, I was talking to Okada and he said, "We also have a great sense of 'real touch'" (laughs). The lines of the three main characters also feel real and usable, and it feels strange. Even though we're talking about each other, somehow it feels synchronized with the story of "Touch.", which I don't think has happened much in previous works. It's a straightforward theme of communication, so maybe that's why I think so.
--It's like the on-site production of the anime by the three of you and the theme of "Touch." are linked.
Director Nagai: That's what happened in the end.
Tanaka: I don't think it was done intentionally or with any planning, but that's how it feels.
"Touching" is filled with the various challenges faced by the three directors, Nagai, Tanaka and Okada. I'm sure it will "touch" the hearts of those who watch it.
