Aikatsu! x PriPara Producer Interview | MANTANWEB(まんたんウェブ)

Aikatsu! x PriPara Producer Interview

「アイカツ!」と「プリパラ」がコラボした劇場版アニメ「アイカツ!×プリパラ THE MOVIE -出会いのキセキ!-」(c)Aikatsu,Pripara 10th Project
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「アイカツ!」と「プリパラ」がコラボした劇場版アニメ「アイカツ!×プリパラ THE MOVIE -出会いのキセキ!-」(c)Aikatsu,Pripara 10th Project

The animated film "Aikatsu! x PriPara THE MOVIE - The Miracle of Encounter!", a collaboration between the popular anime and game series "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara," was released on October 10th. This "miraculous collaboration" commemorates the 10th anniversary of "Aikatsu!" Akari Generation and "PriPara." Bandai is developing the arcade card game for "Aikatsu!", while Bandai Namco Pictures is producing the anime. Meanwhile, Takara Tomy Arts is developing the game for "PriPara," while Tatsunoko Productions is producing the anime. While "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara" are supposed to be rivals, this unprecedented "miraculous collaboration" has a mysterious sense of unity. We spoke with Bandai Namco Pictures producers Kimura Dai and Shimizu Ryota, and Tatsunoko Productions producer Yoda Ken about the behind-the-scenes story of the production.

◇An interesting project that no one has ever imagined

- "Pretty Series" and "Aikatsu!" have collaborated on events in the past, but how did you come to create an anime?

Kimura: When we were thinking about the next step after "Aikatsu! 10th STORY ~STARWAY to the Future~," we wanted to do something for Akari Generation's 10th anniversary. It's in the same direction as "10th STORY," but could we surpass it? It might be difficult. We were exploring a different direction, and after the "Aikatsu! Series" and "Pretty Series" events, the business division came up with the idea of ​​a joint live concert. Since "PriPara" is also celebrating its 10th anniversary, I casually suggested we try a video. I'm not sure if it will actually come to fruition, but it's an interesting idea that no one had ever imagined, so I spoke to Tatsunoko about it. Since "PriPara" is also celebrating its 10th anniversary, we decided to work together, and Tatsunoko then approached Takara Tomy Arts. Takara Tomy Arts gave us a positive response, and we spoke to Bandai. The four companies came together early on and the project moved forward.

-Was it smooth?

Yoda: I'm not sure if it was actually smooth (laughs). I'm the type of person who wants to do something interesting without being bound by common sense, and I think Takara Tomy Arts' producer, Oba (Shinichiro), is the same. I told Oba that there might be some difficulties due to adult circumstances, but I really want to make it happen! However, on the anime front, there are times when studios cooperate beyond their own walls. Although we are rivals, for example, Tatsunoko is helping out Bandai Namco Pictures with their new October show, "Shabake."

--Bandai Namco Pictures is a company established by spinning off part of Sunrise. Director Moriwaki Makoto of "PriPara" has worked on Sunrise productions, and director Masakazu Hishida of the "Pretty Rhythm" series also hails from Sunrise. Is the relationship not as distant as people think?

Mr. Kimura: Director Okawa (Takahiro) and chief animation director Akitsu (Tatsuya) of "Aikatsu! x PriPara" have both participated in the "Aikatsu! Series" and "Pretty Series." If you think about history, Kunio Okawara also originally came from Tatsunoko.

Yoda-san is surprisingly close.

Kimura: We also have something in common in that we are both companies that try to create original works ourselves.

-What are your impressions of each work?

Yoda: The basic style of "PriPara" is that it's based on gags, with some serious elements thrown in, but "Aikatsu!" is the complete opposite. It's based on seriousness, with the occasional joke thrown in. Kato (Yoichi), the series composer, has also worked with Tatsunoko, and his planning skills are incredible. I felt that it was made with great care.

Including Kimura-san's Akari Generation, the three and a half years of "Aikatsu!" have been dominated by both Kato-san and director Ryuichi Kimura. I think there's definitely a seriousness to it. "Aikatsu!"'s Data Carddass is targeted at 7-9 year olds. Many children over the age of 10 move away from anime, and Bandai's "PreCure" is targeted at 4-6 year olds. It's hard to put it above or below, but I felt like "PriPara" was aimed at a wider demographic.

Yoda: The 7-9 age group is difficult, isn't it? PriPara started out targeting 7-9 year olds, but as the anime continued, it gradually expanded to older and younger age groups.

Shimizu: I was enjoying watching "PriPara" as a viewer. I was impressed by how catchy the songs were. We were also producing the anime for this "Aikatsu! x PriPara," and someone started singing "Kono Uta Toma Reihi," and everyone was hooked and started singing along too. Maybe I was just tired (laughs).

◇Maximizing the best of both works

--The planning seems to have gone smoothly, but what about production? Bandai Namco Pictures is producing the animation, and Tatsunoko Productions is in charge of the CG.

Yoda: I'm sure it was difficult on both sides until the very end, but there were no disputes over how to proceed. I think it was easier to work on the project because we clearly separated the CG and animation production. There were a lot of "Aikatsu!" fans on the CG side, too, and they wanted to work on it.

Shimizu: At first, I wondered if we could really do it, but things came together smoothly and smoothly. It was a fun project, so even on set, I felt that I absolutely wanted to give it shape. - The character designs are different in each work, but did you intentionally avoid changing them? They seem to coexist naturally.

There was talk of completely redesigning Kimura-san , but since it's a 10th anniversary celebration, and the first priority is to make sure that fans from back then can enjoy it, it's best not to change it. I asked the animation director, Akitsu-san, to make some adjustments, and although there have been some minor adjustments, we basically went with the original settings.

I think Shimizu-san and Akitsu-san had a very hard time. At first it didn't work out, but they seemed to get the hang of it as they worked on it.

-Did you feel like everything was for the fans?

Shimizu: That's exactly right.

Yoda: We ourselves are fans of each of their works, and we feel that it would be great if they did something like this. We value that.

Kimura: The concept was to officially show something that hadn't been seen before but that people wanted to see, and I thought the only thing we could do was deliver something fun to the fans. When we thought about making sure that people could enjoy the best parts of both works to the fullest, the two different works ended up blending together in some ways.

-Was it also important that Director Okawa was a fan of both films?

I've worked with Shimizu-san and Director Okawa before, and I knew they were fans of both works. They paid attention to the smallest details, and even in the storyboards they skillfully added elements that would please fans without leaning too heavily towards either film.

All of the elements that Yoda-san added to the storyboards are things that fans will love. The balance is excellent. It has the best of both "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara."

-Did the personalities blend well together without clashing?

Yoda: That's true. There are many differences from "Aikatsu!" in terms of how the characters and music are made, and as I watched, I realized, "Oh, that's how it is!"

Shimizu: Although our songwriting methods are different, the new song was created by staff from both "Aikatsu!" and "PriPara," and the unique characteristics of each have been combined.

Yoda's music team is also really good. They've taken the best of both worlds and the balance is great.

Kimura, who has not previously participated in either "Aikatsu!" or "PriPara," has a solid understanding of both and was able to express the best parts of them.

Yoda: The music has a lot of power, with a strong "PriPara"-like sound and a strong "Aikatsu!" melody line. We also had someone who wasn't involved in either work introduce us to the choreography, and they were able to objectively look at it and ensure a good balance.

◇What are the future developments for the "Aikatsu!" anime?

--Is this collaboration a once-in-a-decade event, or will it continue?

Kimura: This was the first time, so it was fun, but I don't think there's any point in not doing something new. Even if we combined characters from different generations, it would just be the same old thing over and over again. I still don't know if that's fun. If it's fun, then we should do it, but if the fans don't want it, then we shouldn't do it. This time, we were able to do the most fun we could, so the right answer hasn't been found yet.

Yoda: I totally agree. It was a forbidden move right from the start, and I don't think I'll be able to go any further than this. But, aside from the collaboration, the team I worked with this time was fantastic, so I'd like to try something different again. I discovered a lot by coming into contact with a different culture.

- Will there be an anime adaptation of the "Aikatsu! Series" in the future?

Kimura: I have no plans to stop the Aikatsu! series. I will continue to think about how to continue it.


This site uses machine translation. Please note that it may not always be accurate and may differ from the original Japanese text.

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