The animated film "Aikatsu! x PriPara THE MOVIE - The Miracle of Encounter!", a collaboration between the popular anime and game series "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara," will be released on October 10th. This "miraculous collaboration" commemorates the 10th anniversary of the two works, and teams up the Aikatsu! Akari Ozora generation with "PriPara." It's a "miraculous collaboration" that has created such a mysterious sense of unity that it almost feels like the meeting of the two works was "destined." We spoke to director Okawa Takahiro, who worked on the collaborative film, about the behind-the-scenes production.
◇Director Okawa was a fan of both films
The TV anime "Aikatsu!" began airing in October 2012. Ozora Akari is the protagonist of the third season of the TV anime, which began airing in October 2014. The TV anime "PriPara," part of the "Pretty Series," began airing in July 2014. The "Aikatsu!" series and the "Pretty Series" have collaborated across different work boundaries in the past, but this time, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of "Aikatsu!" Akari Generation and "PriPara," an anime movie will be produced.
Director Okawa has worked on "Aikatsu Stars!", "Aikatsu Friends!", "Aikatsu on Parade!", "Aikatsu Planet!", and "Kiratto Pri☆Chan" from the "Pretty Series." In fact, he was a fan of "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" before he joined the team.
"I entered the industry around the time of the original 'Aikatsu!'. I wasn't involved at the time, but I loved watching it. I'd been watching the 'Pretty Series' since 'Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live', which came before 'PriPara', and I was a fan. But that was over 10 years ago, and I'd forgotten some things, so I decided to rewatch it."
"Aikatsu! x PriPara" is an anime that is easy to understand why it was produced by staff who were fans themselves. It hits the spot for fans. The charms of each series are condensed into one animated movie. What do they think about the appeal of each series?
"Aikatsu! is positive and earnest. Everyone is purely aiming to become an idol, working hard, and although they face practical problems, they don't give up and keep moving forward. That really struck a chord with me when I watched it. If the appeal of Aikatsu! is the strength of their unity, then the appeal of PriPara is the strength of their individuality. In PriPara, the characters express their individuality in order to become the person they want to be, and they move forward naturally, expressing their opinions to each other without crushing each other's individuality. Looking back on it now, it does seem to depict diversity."
◇There is no sense of incongruity when they are lined up
"Aikatsu!" was produced by Bandai Namco Pictures, while "PriPara" was produced by Tatsunoko Productions. Although they share the commonality of being idol anime, the different production companies result in different character designs. However, for some reason, "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" coexist seamlessly.
"I really wanted people to feel nostalgic for the character designs, so I didn't want to change them. I used the settings from that time as they were. When I put them side by side, I realized that it actually worked. The balance is slightly different, such as the size of the faces, and it wasn't decided on in a strict setting, but was adjusted depending on the scene. I asked Masumi Otsuka of 'Aikatsu!' to do the color design, and I made the colors of 'PriPara' closer to 'Aikatsu!'. 'PriPara' gave me a more vivid impression, and I thought they would be completely different, but when I put them side by side, there was no sense of incongruity. That's why it was just a minor adjustment. It's strange."
Even though the production companies are different, there is a mysterious sense of unity, as if they have somehow resonated with each other.
"Aikatsu!'s Akari Generation naturally accepted the individuality of the PriPara characters. Scriptwriter Tsuchiya Yoshitaka also said that it was because of the Aikatsu! characters that it came together so well. If it had only been PriPara characters, I don't think it would have been possible to create a natural flow of unity within this length. Rather than suppressing and mixing the individuality of both, the story of PriPara progressed as normal. The script was also smooth, and it was amazing even for me to do it. It comes together with an exquisite balance. Aikatsu! and PriPara may have different stances, but they share the same desire to entertain everyone at their live shows. They're both heading in the same direction, so that's one of the reasons they were able to come together."
It's a "miraculous collaboration," but it also looks like the pieces of a puzzle have beautifully fit together. There are a lot of characters, but each one has their own moment to shine.
"It's difficult to handle this many people in this amount of time, and I was a bit worried before writing the storyboard. But once I started writing, I was able to imagine the characters' lines and actions, and I thought, 'This is it!'" As I rewatched the anime while writing the storyboard, the number of ideas I wanted to include kept increasing, so I just added as many as I could into the gaps. After considering the balance of each character, the number of scenes with large numbers of people increased, which put a strain on the animators, but..."
◇Everything is for the fans
The live performance scenes are also a major highlight of "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara." Yoshihiro Otobe of Tatsunoko Productions, known for the "Pretty Series," serves as the CG director.
"We left the CG to them, but at the time we received models and motions from the team that was in charge of CG for 'Aikatsu!', and Tatsunoko Productions added to them. As for the character models, we had them adjust each model so that the characters from both works would blend in when they were on the same stage. It was an amazing feat considering the number of people involved. As for the direction, we made use of the camera work we've used up until now for the existing songs, but there are some changes as well. This was the first time I had the opportunity to work with Otobe-san, and he's really amazing. When I said, 'Is this difficult?' he replied, 'No, I think you can do it.'"
There are also said to be many surprises planned for the live performance scenes.
"There are live performances that you wouldn't expect from the trailers before the release. We haven't reused any of the footage. It's all new."
"Aikatsu! x PriPara" was a collaboration full of surprises and excitement.
"Fans all have their own thoughts and feelings, and I aimed to create a production that would allow them to return to the feelings they had at the time and enjoy themselves. I also portrayed the audience as fans, and I hope that they will enjoy the show as if they are one with the characters and helping to liven up the performance together."
"My only goal was to make the fans happy," said Director Okawa, who created "Aikatsu! x PriPara" entirely for the fans. We hope you enjoy this "miraculous collaboration" filled with love.
