The TV anime "CITY THE ANIMATION", based on the manga "CITY" by Arawi Keiichi, who is also known for "Nichijou" and other works, has been airing since July on ABC TV, TOKYO MX and other stations. Like the anime "Nichijou", it was produced by Kyoto Animation, and it has been a hot topic as it is the first time the company has worked on a new TV anime project in about six years. The director is Ishidate Taichi, known for "Violet Evergarden" and other works, who worked on "Nichijou" as assistant director. How did they try to express the surreal yet meticulously constructed work in the anime? We spoke to Director Ishidate about the behind-the-scenes of the production.
◇ Comedy, not gag
"CITY" is a manga that was serialized in "Morning" (Kodansha) from 2016 to 2021 and is currently making a comeback. It depicts the lives of the somewhat fun people who live in an ordinary "CITY", including college students Nagumo Mitori, Nikura, and Izumi Wako.
Director Ishidate said, "The more you read Arai's work, the more interesting and flavorful it becomes. As I read on, I came to realize that the main character of this work is 'CITY'... and I read on in amazement, thinking, 'Amazing!'" and enjoying the work purely as a reader.
When adapting this into an anime, I thought a lot about "humor."
"The original work is one that makes you chuckle, so I thought it would fail if I placed too much emphasis on making people laugh. There is a way of presenting things that is unique to manga, and when it is made into an anime, there may be times when it loses out to the manga. People who like Arai's work, including myself, want to experience and immerse themselves in this worldview. I see it as a comedy, not a gag."
What does Director Ishidate think about the difference between gag and comedy?
"If I had to differentiate between the two, I'd say that comedy isn't something that makes you laugh out loud and makes you laugh until your stomach hurts. It makes you chuckle, and there's also a sense of intelligence in the laughter. It makes you think, and stimulates your intellectual curiosity. As I've gotten older, I've come to understand how to enjoy Chaplin's silent films, and I think there's something similar running through Arai's works. You can enjoy them simply by watching them on a Sunday night and chuckling, but I also want to stimulate the sensitivities of the viewer, asking them if they find them funny."
◇ Carefully reproduce the original
"CITY THE ANIMATION" gives the impression of a manga come to life.
"Arai and I were talking about how since the medium is different, manga is manga and anime is anime, we could make it even more interesting. In a sense, the staff, including the art director and character designer, were being challenged by Arai, and we wanted to surprise him. For example, the background went through many twists and turns before arriving at the current look. We tried various things, such as pasting textures and adding patterns, but we couldn't achieve the flavor of Arai's worldview, so we decided to make it a manga! We changed course and steered in the direction of carefully recreating the original work. I was thinking about how much we could surprise Arai, so it's a bit frustrating (laughs)."
"Carefully recreating the original work" must be difficult in itself. Arai's work is made up of an exquisite balance, and if that balance is disturbed even a little, it doesn't work at all.
"We decided to thoroughly recreate the worldview of the original work, so we thought about what it is that makes up that worldview, and we created rules for it. For example, although it may be hard to convey, we made a rule that the lines of the background must always be thinner than the characters. Animation production is divided into separate tasks, so it can be difficult to strike a balance in some areas, but we were thorough about it. Just like in the original work, we expressed the shadows on the ground with lines. When we turned it into animation, there was movement, so it was difficult in some areas, but we created rules for that. There were lots of rules like that, so there were some parts that we were able to do without hesitation. It's hard to convey to viewers, though."
◇If you're going to do it, you might as well do it the most fun one!
In fact, "CITY THE ANIMATION" is a challenging work, with the overall length varying depending on the episode. The attention to detail may be too minute and difficult to convey. However, there is no doubt that the unique world of "CITY THE ANIMATION" is born from the accumulation of attention to detail.
"In episode #1, Nagumo says, 'If I'm going to do it, I want it to be the most fun one,' and I think that's the answer. I just need to embody that in the work. I told the cast that Nagumo's line is the concept of this work. Nagumo says, when asked about 'fun things,' there are 'too many to choose,' and we tried to challenge ourselves to try out those 'many.' The challenges increase as we get to the second half, so I hope you enjoy it."
He also said that he focused on having fun, so "there weren't that many difficult things."
"It was a combination of the fun of many different people, including our own staff, the cast, the music, the sound... We were saved by the open-mindedness of the production, which accepted it all. The fun outweighed the difficulties. I think it's a production that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, from children to the elderly."
"CITY THE ANIMATION" is an anime that allows you to feel various "fun". Just like the original work, the more you watch it, the more interesting and flavorful it becomes. You can enjoy it even if you empty your mind, but you will notice something if you pay attention to the details.
