Zombie Land Saga Director Interview

The film version of the TV anime "Zombie Land Saga," a zombie x Saga x idol x comedy series, "Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise," was released on October 24th. Set in Saga, this original anime follows the adventures of "Franchouchou," an idol group of girls who have become zombies. The first season aired from October to December 2018, and the second season aired from April to June 2021. A film adaptation was announced for October 2021, but it has finally been released after nearly four years. The film features a shocking plot twist in which aliens attack Saga and "Franchouchou" must fight back. The only character who has yet to regain her sense of self, the legendary Yamada Tae, finally awakens, creating a buzz. Why did the film pit zombies against aliens? We spoke to directors Konosuke Uda, Takeshi Sato, and Takashi Ishida.

◇The reason it took so long, four years since the announcement

--The three of you are participating in the TV anime series. How did you end up participating in "Zombie Land Saga" in the first place? Director Uda has worked with the TV anime series director, Munehisa Sakai, on "One Piece" and other projects.

I've been working with Director Uda Sakai for a long time. We ended up working together at MAPPA, but it was a coincidence. Sakai joined MAPPA to make "Zombie Land Saga," but I joined to make a different work, and neither of us knew we'd be joining MAPPA, so we were like, "What are you doing here?"

Director Sato and Director Sakai were in a teacher-like position. When they were making a new original anime, they gathered people who wanted to get into directing and had them teach them, and I was able to participate in that.

Director Ishida: I was working on CG and photography at another company, and when I joined MAPPA, I was also interested in directing, so when I heard about "Zombie Land Saga," I decided to take part.

-How did you try to express the appeal of "Zombie Land Saga" in the movie?

When we decided to make a film directed by Uda , it started with just me and two other people (Director Sato and Director Ishida), but we had no plan at all. There were two mysterious scenes at the end of the second season, and those were Sakai's only parting gift. We started by asking ourselves what to do with them, and it became a promotional video! We could have just said that, but after discussing it together, we decided to tackle it head-on. In "Zombie Land Saga," the events that Franchouchou faces become bigger and bigger, and so does their presence. At this point, the only option was a space invasion. We developed the idea while keeping in mind that they would leave Saga and become global idols.

Director Ishida: I don't have much experience as a director, so it's difficult to compare it to other works, but I feel like "Zombie Land Saga" has a warm fan base and was nurtured by the fans. It's a work beloved by fans, and we kept them waiting for the movie, so I wanted to make sure we didn't disappoint them. We all discussed this and that as we made it.

Director Sato : "Zombie Land Saga" is a story that is funny, tear-jerking, and sometimes very emotional, so I tried to express all of those aspects in the film.

--It's been about four years since the announcement, why did it take so long?

It started with Director Sato coming up with ideas, and ideas kept piling up until it finally took this form, but it took a long time.

There are also some ideas that Director Ishida rejected.

Director Sato : There are tidal flats in Saga, so there was also an idea from Takenaka (Producer Nobuhiro Takenaka) that aliens would come to Earth in search of those tidal flats. The tidal flats suit the environment for the aliens, and they invade the Earth as part of a plan to turn the whole planet into tidal flats.

Director Ishida: One reason the aliens came to Saga was because the shape of Saga resembles the Americas.

--There was live-action footage released about four years ago announcing the decision to make it into a film, but what is its relationship to the main story?

Director Uda has absolutely nothing (laughs). That's also what makes it "Zombie Land Saga." It's a bit of a stretch, but there are scenes that are related.

-Was Yamada Tae's awakening planned from the beginning of the project?

Director Uda: It wasn't there at first, but it came about as we brainstormed ideas. Tae actually has a lot of detailed settings. There are some things I can't say here, and when you watch the film, new mysteries will emerge, but it's best not to give away too much.

◇A thorough examination of sci-fi anime

-What is the division of roles among the three of you?

General Manager Uda: I supported the two of them so that they could work comfortably.

When we decided to divide up Director Sato's parts, we each said what we wanted to do, and it all naturally came down to division.

Director Ishida : That's right. It just so happened that what we wanted to do didn't overlap. Uda-san seems to be an unwavering voice of opinion, and although the storyboard ended up being about two and a half hours long, he helped me adjust it.

Both Director Uda and I were very reliable. Each of them had their own unique qualities, which they really brought to the table. That's why I left it up to them to do their thing. Sato-kun is particular about everyday acting. Ishida-kun was very persistent in creating the sci-fi style images and the live performance scenes.

--It seems like all three of you are from different generations.

Director Sato: They're about 10 years apart in age.

Director Uda: I'm a little further away (laughs). When we're brainstorming ideas, we talk about movies, and it's interesting because different generations watch different movies. They even come up with ideas that I wouldn't have thought of.

Director Ishida : I've always loved science fiction movies, but I rewatched this one again.

Director Uda: For example, there was talk that we wanted to avoid making the designs of the aliens and spaceships look like "Star Wars." We asked Romain Thomas to design it, and it had a lifelike feel to it, so we got the OK in one shot. We also wanted to design the spaceship in a different shape than usual, so we asked Romain to design it like a shaver. It was a series of interesting ideas that came together.

-Did you pay particular attention to it as a science fiction anime?

Director Uda also did extensive research. He actually borrowed a thermal camera and conducted technical studies. He also got some hints from people at the Thermography Association.

Director Ishida is seriously considering this.

◇ I gave it my all

--The live performance scenes directed by Director Ishida are also a highlight.

Director Ishida tried to show Tae's transformation through the two live performance scenes. The first song was made to look like an actual idol live performance, and the second song was structured to get closer to the character.

-What are Director Sato's particular concerns?

Director Sato : Tae awakens, and how will she interact with the members of "Franchouchou"? There is a scene where she is terrified when her true identity as a zombie is revealed. I am trying to express the emotions of the characters as well. There was a scene in the TV series where her true identity as a zombie was revealed, but this time it may feel a little different.

--It seems like there are plenty of little details that fans will enjoy.

Director Sato tried to complete everything, including the TV series.

Director Ishida : That's right. He gave it his all.

Director Uda: It's a small detail, but we've included a lot of things, such as characters making strange movements in the corners of the screen, so much so that you might miss it on first viewing.

-What was difficult?

Director Ishida: It was the live performance scene. I thought a lot about how to express the emotions.

Director Sato initially planned for one song, but Ishida said, "This scene absolutely needs two songs," so it became two songs.

There was also an idea to shorten Director Ishida 's song, but there are some things that cannot be shown without length, so we decided to make it longer.

Director Uda's live performances are an important element of "Zombie Land Saga," and we wanted to make sure that the volume was sufficient to satisfy fans. There were plenty of live performance scenes in the final episode of the second season, so we wanted to make something that would not lose to that.

--Many fans are looking forward to further sequels.

Director Uda: I've done my best this time, so I feel like an empty shell now (laughs). But, seeing everyone's reaction, I'm sure I'll want to make another one in about six months.

Director Ishida: That's true (laughs).

Director Sato: It's empty right now (laughs).