The TV anime "Kirio Fan Club," based on the manga by Earth's Fish Pon-chan, will begin airing on MBS/TBS's anime block "Super Animeism TURBO" from April 2nd. "Kirio Fan Club" is a strange anime. The two main characters are high school girls who are not typical pretty girl characters. Its charm lies in its unique atmosphere, where laughter and sadness coexist, and its surreal dialogue. How will the anime portray this "strangeness"? We asked the anime's director, So Toyama.
◇I deliberately refrained from overacting.
This is a one-sided romantic comedy about high school girls Aimi Miyoshi and Nami Someya, who engage in endless fantasies and exchanges of love for their classmate Ken Kirio. The original manga was serialized in "COMIC RUEL" (Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha) from 2022 to 2024. It gained popularity by ranking in the top 10 for two consecutive years, coming in 6th place in "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2024" (Women's Edition) and 10th place in "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2025" (Women's Edition), and was also adapted into a live-action drama.
"It depicts everyday life, but the dialogue is wild and unconventional. It has the fast-paced rhythm of a stand-up comedy routine or skit. There's a one-way vector of someone's unwavering feelings for someone else. This is depicted as an indescribably peaceful world. An ideal world flows beneath the surface, and their youth is portrayed within that framework. That's what I found so appealing."
The conversations between high school girls are surreal, yet strangely refreshing. I tried to capture that unique atmosphere in animation.
"I was captivated by the atmosphere of the original work, but adapting it into an anime is quite difficult. It's a very profound work, so there are countless ways to express it through animation. What I focused on was 'what not to do.' I decided to avoid the symbolic, over-the-top actions typical of anime. That's because this is their everyday life. It's not unrealistic; it's their reality, so I thought that if I could convey that this is normal, it would make for a really interesting work."
The decision to deliberately refrain from using anime-style expressions might be a courageous one.
"That's absolutely right. We have talented actors perform the scenes, and then we add the illustrations, so when we get stuck, we go back to the voices. That's how we come up with solutions. Also, we've accepted that. Because we can't do over-the-top acting, there are moments when the illustrations freeze. But we're trying to make those moments into 'pauses.' We want people to feel the surrealism in those moments, or to feel that this character is carrying some kind of burden. We've adopted the philosophy that it's better for the illustrations to be quiet and still than to have over-the-top acting."
In the anime, Nene Hieda voices Aimi Miyoshi, and Shion Wakayama voices Nami Someya. The voice actors' performances were key to the story.
"The interplay between the two is the lifeblood of the work, so I thought it wouldn't make sense to choose them separately. I considered various combinations, and unanimously, Hieda and Wakayama were the perfect match. They are the same age and good friends in their private lives, but strangely enough, when they stand in front of the microphone, a wonderful tension is created. It's a comfortable tension that elevates each other precisely because they are good friends. This perfectly matched the atmosphere of the work. The way they respond to each other's words is truly wonderful. It's something that can only be achieved through their interplay. I'm really glad I took a gamble on the chemistry between the two of them."
◇Kirio is like "Waiting for Godot"
The use of color also conveys a mysterious atmosphere. It has expressions unique to animation, yet it also has a sense of realism.
"Haruko Nobori, who was in charge of the color design, really liked the work and said she wanted to do it herself. The only color information we have from the original work is actually from the comic book cover. We had to translate that into the anime's colors, and I asked her to 'cherish the feeling of everyday life.' There's also the option of going for an anime-like vibrancy or an artistic expression like a watercolor painting. In the anime, we sometimes put the characters in flashy uniforms, but I thought it would be better to have a simplicity that makes people think, 'Yeah, uniforms like that exist.' I heard that the original author, Chikyuu no Osakana Pon-chan, also models her drawings on real-life shoes and things like that. However, realism can sometimes get in the way, so it's important to get the balance right. She did a great job of expressing that."
Aimi and Nami are just ordinary high school girls. They're not what you'd call "pretty girl" characters.
"Nami Hayashi, the character designer, is a huge fan of the original work, so I entrusted a lot of the design to her. However, she seemed to be struggling quite a bit. Neither of them are typical anime characters. Nami has a slight anime-like quality, but Aimi is very unique. I had the image of her being like a character actor."
The presence of Kirio, whom both characters have feelings for, is also important. Although his name is in the title, he doesn't appear very often.
"He's a mysterious being, elusive and hard to pin down, whether he exists or not. When I thought about how to portray him in the anime, Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' came to mind. As Aimi and Nami converse, the image of Kirio as a character is formed in the viewer's mind. You don't know if that's the right answer or if you'll be surprised. That's what I'm trying to express. In terms of design, his eyes are not visible. I don't have him act in an exaggerated way. He's simply there, and Aimi and Nami create the character for him. I wanted to thoroughly show that aspect."
◇Actually there's a "trick"
The original author, Chikyuu no Osakana Pon-chan, also provided full cooperation for the anime adaptation.
"The director showed a deep understanding of anime production and was present at every stage, from script meetings to voice recording. He fully understood our intentions and gave us innovative ideas. For example, in the stage directions of the script, he would specify, 'Here, use the intonation of the 'au lait' in café au lait...' His attention to detail is evident throughout. Chige-o, who stands out even in the original work, was initially left out of the script because he was deemed irrelevant to the main story, but I suggested that we include him because his presence, which could easily be seen as noise, is what makes the work so appealing. This was only possible because of the director's understanding."
I can't go into details because it would be a spoiler, but there's a "trick" that will make you want to rewatch from the first episode once you've seen the final episode.
"That's exactly what we were aiming for. I can't go into details, but we've scattered clues throughout that you might not notice on your first playthrough. We paid particular attention to the characters' perspectives. If you watch it a second time after knowing the ending, you'll discover new things. Try to understand the relationships between the characters and follow their gaze once again. Seira is also important. Even in scenes where she doesn't have any lines, she's sometimes visible at the edge of the screen. Please enjoy that as well."
The TV anime "Kirio Fan Club" depicts everyday life with meticulous calculations and attention to detail. However, there is a sense of "mystery" that permeates it. If you watch until the end, you might catch a glimpse of the true nature of this "mystery." (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
