The TV anime "Witch Watch" is based on the popular manga by Kenta Shinohara, which is currently being serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha). The anime's appeal lies in the well-paced comedy, with unique timing and the tension of the tsukkomi (comedian's quips) being exquisite. Episode 14, "Uron Mirage, Episode 119: Defeating Fuzzy -4," which aired on July 6th, also drew attention for its adaptation of the manga "Uron Mirage," which appears in the show. The series is directed by Hiroshi Ikehata, known for works such as "Kiratto Pri☆Chan" and "Tonikaku Kawaii." How did Director Ikehata, who has worked on numerous comedy anime, adapt this popular work into an anime? We spoke to him about the behind-the-scenes production.
◇Focus on the tempo of the dialogue
Although director Ikehata has also worked on serious projects, he is well known for his comedy anime.
"I wasn't particularly fond of comedy or comedy animation as a child, but when I was in college I made an independent film and saw the audience at a screening event laughing out loud. That was a formative experience for me, and it made me realize how much fun it was to make people laugh. Gags are sometimes seen as inferior to serious works, but I don't think so. Gags require a lot of thinking, and that's what makes them fun."
The series is a comedy manga by Shinohara, known for "SKET DANCE" and "Astra Lost in Space." It began serialization in February 2021 in "Weekly Shonen Jump." It depicts the life of Wakatsuki Nico, a girl training to become a witch, and her childhood friend Morihito, a high school student with the powers of a demon, living together. Morihito is given the mission of protecting Nico from a prophesied disaster as his familiar, and so begins a mysterious and difficult journey.
Director Ikehata said, "It's more stylish than regular comedy manga in some ways, and easier to understand in others. Rather than adapting it using the techniques of other comedy anime, I thought about how to adapt it in a way that properly captures the feel of the original. If it's too over the top, it might not be quite right. It's important to not go overboard and not make the seasoning too strong, so I'm thinking about how to strike the right balance." He also said, "I place importance on the tempo of the dialogue."
"It's not the usual anime-style comedy routine of straight jokes and punch lines, but rather the pauses more like manzai or comedy sketches. I wait for the punch line and then immediately make the punch line. It's not a punch line based on a reaction, but rather a tempo where if there's even a slight boke, I make the punch line right away. It's fast, but you can still clearly understand what's being said. Gag anime often has jokes that are told in rapid succession, but this is a little different. I make it easy to understand and then adjust the timing of the punch lines and punch lines accordingly."
The voice actors' performances and editing create a unique sense of tempo.
"Compared to other works, I think the dialogue is given priority in the editing. After the recording is finished, it's almost like re-editing, adjusting the pauses between lines to improve the sense of tempo. I'm really helped by the talent of the actors."
Speaking of tempo, the scene in episode 5 in which Masuku-sensei confesses his secret manga otaku status with a super long line also became a hot topic.
"I wanted the viewer to wonder how long this person was going to keep talking. I wanted them to feel a bit uneasy and wonder how long it would last, but if it was too long it would get boring. I adjusted it so that it would end at a point where they would start to wonder if it was too long. It's not a visual joke, it's a sound joke."
The episode in episode 8 where Kanshi moves at 10 times the normal speed also became a hot topic. His speaking speed has also increased, and in the original work he speaks as "Kyaru Kyaru", and this "Kyaru Kyaru" has also been recreated in the anime.
"When I read the original manga, I had the images in my head, so it wasn't that difficult to recreate, but I had to use my brain for the lines. I had Kohei Amasaki(who plays Kanshi) speak normally, and when I sped it up twice, it sounded more animated than I expected, so I used that. It was important that it actually sounded animated."
◇Nico's hair color is important!
The charm of the heroine, the clumsy witch Nico, is also a factor in the series' appeal. This is the first time that Rina Kawaguchi, who plays Nico, has been cast as a heroine in a TV anime, but she has been praised for being a perfect fit for the role.
"Nico can move quite freely, but in the original work, the character doesn't deviate much from the original, so I try to move her ahoge and have fun with her movements, within the limits of not destroying the image of the original. Basically, Kawaguchi's acting is fantastic, and just that alone makes Nico cute, so it's been a big help."
One thing we focused on to express Nico's charm was her hair color.
"It took a long time to decide on Nico's hair color. In the original, it's kind of blonde, and kind of anime pink, so when I thought about what color would suit her best, I finally decided on a salmon pink with a hint of orange. If I went anime pink, she'd look like a typical magical girl, and blonde or brown hair wouldn't give her a special feel. Once I decided on the color, I was able to see Nico's character, who is cute but also a little bit absent-minded. Once I decided on Nico's hair color, I considered the balance and gradually decided on the colors for the other characters."
Nico's magic scenes are also a highlight.
"I tried to make the magic appear as if it were a quick scene. In other anime, they use a bank to show that they're going to use magic, and at first I wondered if it would be better to have a scene like that, but Nico uses magic as if it were a snack bar. I thought that just making it glow would be enough, so I tried to create a structure where she uses magic casually and then something commotion ensues. She uses magic casually, but I made it clear that it's actually a dangerous magic."
The parody scenes, which seem to push the boundaries, are also a unique charm.
"I've worked on quite a variety of projects, so I've developed a sense of how far I can go without getting in trouble, and I do it pretty quickly (laughs). I think I understand it myself, but it might be difficult for the producer. But basically, I check everything to see if it's okay before putting it into shape."
The various "playful" elements, including parody scenes, have captured the hearts of fans.
"In episode 18, Morihito transforms into a character from a manga he drew as a child, and we had a hard time deciding how to recreate that in the anime. In the end, we pulled off a power play by asking Tamotsu Ogawa, an animator who is good at this kind of thing, to draw the whole thing for us. I think we were able to create a more scribbled feel by filming the rough sketches that preceded the original drawings."
◇ "Uromira" - a Jump tradition
In episode 14, it was also discussed that the manga "Uron Mirage" that appears in the story was not produced "roughly" but "fully" with great enthusiasm. In addition to a key visual, a theme song was also created for "Uron Mirage", with the opening theme "Bitter end" by the music unit "Who-ya extended" and the ending theme "FLASHBACK SYNDROME" by singer-songwriter LEO's solo project "ALI". It was a special episode as Geso Ikuo was in charge of the storyboards.
"At first, we were talking about whether it would be okay to do the entire 30 minutes of 'Uro Mira'. There was talk that it might be split into two cours, and if it was split into two, we thought about doing 30 minutes of 'Uro Mira' in the first episode of the second cour to scare the viewers, but since it was going to be a continuous two cours, we thought about the structure and decided to do only Part A, and then make the second half a doujinshi episode. Because it's a special episode, we wanted to ask someone special to do the storyboard, so we asked Geso Ikuo, and he gladly accepted."
"Let's make it in the style of a traditional Jump anime about boys fighting," he said, and the style was completely different from the other episodes. He also paid particular attention to the background.
"Recently, anime backgrounds tend to be very crisp, but I wanted to create a vague background like that of Showa-era anime. The buildings are clearly drawn, but it's a bit of a blurry feeling, like the boundary between the ground and the sky. Today's anime has a very precise system, so it's hard to convey the vagueness, and everyone in each section had a hard time bringing it to the finish."
"Witch Watch," including "Uromira," is a challenging anime, and Director Ikehata says, "I'm really happy that it's being enjoyed by fans overseas as well. There will be more and more interesting stories to come, so I hope you'll watch it all the way to the final episode without missing a single one. I want to see more, not just two seasons, so please support us!"
What on earth will pop up?! The challenge of "Witch Watch" continues.
