Shinji Saijo's manga "Tetsunabe no Jan!", which ran in Weekly Shonen Champion (Akita Shoten) from 1995 to 2000, is set to be adapted into a TV anime in 2026, and there's been a lot of buzz about it. While the series is popular, boasting a total circulation of around 10 million copies, this will be the first time it's been adapted into an anime. The series will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2025, so why is it being adapted into an anime in the Reiwa era? What kind of anime will it be? Many questions arise, but expectations are high as it will be directed by Ei Aoki, known for his work on numerous popular titles such as "Fate/ Aldnoah.Zero," and "The Garden of Sinners." We spoke to Director Aoki directly.
◇Heels but refreshing Chinese cuisine precision
"Tetsunabe no Jan!" is a manga depicting an unprecedented cooking battle. The protagonist Jan, who is willing to do anything for the sake of winning, and the innocent heroine Kiriko, whose heart is in cooking, unleash their magical, deadly weapon (cooking). This is a "cooking battle" between these fierce warriors.
Director Aoki is a fan of the original work and has always wanted to turn it into an anime.
"I've been reading it since it was serialized and I thought it was interesting. Ever since I entered the anime industry, I've always had a vague idea that I wanted to turn it into an anime. I didn't really say it out loud, but a few years ago, when I was doing a manga-themed interview with Director Akiyuki Shinbo in an anime magazine, I said about 'Jean' that 'I've always loved it, so if possible, I'd like to turn it into an anime.' Once I put it into words, I really wanted to turn it into an anime, so I looked into it in various ways and had a few opportunities, but it didn't work out. This time, I was fortunate enough to be able to make it into an anime."
Given that it was popular when it was serialized, it's surprising that it hasn't been made into an anime until now, and Director Aoki said, "I completely agree. I wonder why it hasn't been made into an anime before. Personally, I'm grateful that it's being made into an anime for the first time."
"The series began serialization in 1995, so that's 30 years ago. Even if there are people who want to make it, it can be quite difficult for creators to do so. This time, the producer liked the original work, and it was a coincidence that it was made into an anime, but announcing it on the 30th anniversary was just a coincidence. I feel that if you make a statement, it can sometimes come true."
What was it about the original work that attracted Director Aoki?
"Jean is the main character, but he's vicious and a total villain. But he's not a nasty guy. It's refreshing. For a manga of that time, the depictions of Chinese food are precise, and the latest Chinese cuisine of the time is well depicted. It's not about unconventional characters doing unconventional things, but rather the Chinese cuisine at the base is solid, and the way these two wheels work together beautifully was refreshing. For example, XO sauce appears in the story, and although it's now sold in supermarkets, it was rare at the time. The manga incorporates cutting-edge technology, and I learned a lot of Chinese ingredients and dishes from this work. It influenced me so much that I went out to eat Chinese food."
By the way, Director Aoki himself doesn't cook Chinese food, but he says, "I like Chinese food."
◇Fried rice made with care, drawing each grain of rice one by one
I'm also curious to see how cooking scenes will be portrayed in the anime.
"There have been many cooking anime produced in the past, such as 'Oishinbo' and 'Mr. Ajikko.' The characters in 'Jean' are outrageous, but the depiction of the food is precise. The movements are flashy, but the food itself can be recreated, so the depiction of the food has to be done carefully and seriously. We have actual chefs recreate the dishes in the show, and we take videos and photos, which we then use to create the animation. It's very difficult. All the staff on set are working hard to make the food look as appetizing as possible."
If the food doesn't look delicious, it won't be convincing.
"When you actually try it, it's really difficult. Fried rice appears in the first episode, but how do you draw fried rice in the first place? In anime, you abbreviate it as a block and draw a silhouette. The standard way to draw it is to show the rice piled up and looking bumpy... but that doesn't make it look appetizing. It looks soggy and doesn't have the crispy texture. When it came to the fried rice in the first episode, all the staff got together and discussed how to draw it so that it would look delicious. After looking at various cooking scenes in anime, we concluded that you need to draw each grain of rice individually to get the crispy texture. That's actually the hardest part. Hats off to the animation staff."
◇Like cel animation from the 1980s
The passion and intensity of the characters is also a major attraction of the work.
"In recent anime, the trend is to make the main lines and character lines a little thinner, but while that makes it look neat, it loses a little power. I'm trying to create a style that is similar to 1980s cel animation by making the lines thicker and adding blurred pencil lines during filming."
In addition to lines, the production also tries to express the passion and power of the work through directing. "Tetsunabe no Jan!" is a Reiwa anime, but its down-to-earth expressions also seem to be part of its appeal. TROYCA, the anime producer, has many stylish works such as "Aldnoah.Zero" and "Idolish Seven," but this time it seems to have a slightly different taste...
"That's true. In that sense, this time it may be different from previous ones. Of course, it's a work that women can enjoy, but it has a masculine feel to it. The other day, the first episode was dubbed and I saw it with the dialogue, music and sound effects added, and it was really interesting. I'm saying this myself (laughs). The original work is really interesting and wonderful. We are trying our best to express the impact that Mr. Saijo created. For the sound effects, we researched Chinese restaurants and recorded a variety of sounds to express the realistic sounds of cooking scenes. On the other hand, there are also scenes that are made to look flashy even if they are fake, and realism is not the goal, so we have included flashy fake sounds that are characteristic of this work."
"Iron Pot Jan!" is a work filled with universal appeal. Director Aoki and the rest of the staff have paid attention to every detail, creating an unprecedented cooking battle. Even as times change, the heat of an "iron pot" will surely be conveyed. I can't wait for it to air. (Anima Mitsuru/MANTANWEB)
