Interview with the producer of the movie You and Idol Pretty Cure

The movie version of the 22nd installment of the popular anime series "You and Idol Pretty Cure with You and Idol Pretty Cure The Movie: Thank You for Waiting! A Sparkling Live for You!" is currently a huge hit. The motif of "You and Idol Pretty Cure" is "idols," and the theme is "Because of you, we can shine and become stronger!" The movie is an ambitious work that makes you think about what "you" are, and with an idol motif, the spectacular live performance scenes are also a hot topic. We spoke to producer Minagawa Hidemi of Toei Animation, which is in charge of the anime, about the behind-the-scenes production.

◇Drawing "you" through Terra

In "Kimipuri," the legendary saviors, Idol Precure, sing, dance, and give fan service, making "you" - the people they love, the important people, the people who support them, the people next to them, and the people in front of them - sparkle brightly. "You" are what make Idol Precure shine brightly and strongly. The TV anime is broadcast every Sunday at 8:30 AM on ABC TV and TV Asahi.

The movie tells the story of Cure Idol Sakura Uta and her friends who take part in the Super Miracle Idol Festival held on the mysterious Aiai Island, but end up traveling back in time. Original characters from the movie also appear, including Terra, a girl who hates idols, and Amas, the legendary goddess. Through Terra, you'll also be made to think about "you."

"The title includes the word 'you', and in the TV series they don't say 'everyone' but 'you', so we really value 'you'. We've kept that in mind in the movie as well."

The film depicts the relationship between "you" and "idols" and asks the question, "Why are idols idols?" The TV series also uses the word "oshi," which has become commonplace in recent years, and the film also makes you think about the relationship between "oshi" and idols. The character Terra plays an important role.

"Tera-chan is a girl who hates idols. I tried to convey the charm of song through Tera-chan. Idols have a mutual relationship with 'you' who support them. I tried to portray that through Tera-chan as well. Tera-chan first appears as someone who rejects idols, but I don't want people who watch her to hate her. I also portray her caring and kind side."

◇A live performance scene where the determination is made

The live performance scenes are also a major highlight, and the balance between the storyline and the live performance scenes is excellent.

"We also worked hard on the live performance scenes. Since the motif is idols, we tried to include in the film the things that only idols can do. From the planning stage, we wanted to make a work that children could enjoy the experience of a live performance at the theater, so we tried to include as much music as possible. However, if you try to include too many songs in the script, it becomes too heavy. It's difficult, but it's something that only KimiPuri, which has an idol motif, could do, so we were determined. It was only possible because of director Ogawa Koji and screenwriter Yoshino Hiroyuki. The two have worked together on other projects and have great teamwork. I think that's why the script was able to stay coherent even with all that music included."

The movie will feature PreCure characters from "Wonderful PreCure!(Wanpuri)" and "Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure! PreCure (Hiropuri)," and you can also enjoy a live scene in which PreCure from "Kimipuri" sings the theme songs for "Wanpuri" and "Hiropuri."

"If the theme songs from 'Wanpuri' and 'HiroPuri' were played during the Pretty Cure action scenes, it would surely be exciting. The director thought so too, and since 'Kimipuri' are Pretty Cure who can sing, we wanted to make it a live performance scene. The idea came up during a meeting to discuss the script, and everyone agreed, 'Let's do it!' So we went ahead and did it. It was something that was only possible because it was a 'Kimipuri' movie."

The camerawork in the live performance scenes conveys the Pretty Cures giving their fans "service." The live performance scene with all 14 Pretty Cures gathered together is also a highlight.

"Since Pretty Cure from 'Wanpuri' and 'Hiropuri' will also be appearing, we wanted to have a stage for everyone at the end. The CG staff worked hard to create it so that they could give the fans perfect fan service on the screen."

◇With this lineup, it will definitely be great.

Nishiki Itaoka participated as character designer and chief animation director. Itaoka has worked on numerous transformation scenes and key animations for the "PreCure" series, captivating fans with his "superb techniques."

"Director Ogawa and Itaoka have always had a relationship of trust, and when Ogawa was chosen as director, Itaoka said he wanted to do it. There were hardly any retakes for the designs of Terra and Amas. As a planning producer, I can mainly staff the main staff, but I was able to get people I wanted to participate, and I felt that with this group of people it would definitely be something good. I think we were able to create something that was the best we could." The film was completed thanks to the passion of the staff, including producer Minagawa.

The "Pretty Cure" series began with the first installment, "Futari wa Pretty Cure," in February 2004, and has since become a beloved, long-running series for over 20 years. Finally, we asked Producer Minagawa about the appeal of "Pretty Cure."

"I think the appeal of each work is that the themes change. Idols have been around for a long time, but I think KimiPuri exists now that the word oshi has become widely accepted, and I think it's because the themes change with the times that it has lasted this long. The image of not giving up and getting back up is also universal, and that is what KimiPuri depicts. Getting back up no matter how hard it is. The image of everyone getting back up, not just one person, is something that should be universally touching."