"Fist of the North Star," a completely new anime series, was created to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the hugely popular manga "Fist of the North Star," which was a massive hit in the 1980s. "Fist of the North Star" is a popular manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara, which was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 1983 to 1988, with over 100 million copies of the comics sold. Although it has been about 38 years since the end of its serialization, it remains a beloved masterpiece. What is the significance of adapting "Fist of the North Star" into an anime in the Reiwa era? We asked director Hiroshi Maeda, who is working on the Reiwa version of the anime.
◇ Don't settle for being too reserved
"Fist of the North Star" was a television anime series produced by Toei Animation (formerly Toei Doga) that aired from 1984 to 1987. Since then, it has been adapted into various media, including theatrical films, OVAs (Original Video Animations), games, and musicals. The new anime series, "Fist of the North Star," is currently airing on TOKYO MX and BS11 every Friday at 1 AM, and is available for worldwide exclusive streaming on Prime Video.
Director Maeda had previously worked as a cinematographer on projects such as "Macross Zero" and "Genesis of Aquarion." This was his first time directing an anime. His primary goal was to "faithfully adapt the original work into anime," aiming to create a Reiwa-era version of the anime.
"There are many important things I've received from 'Fist of the North Star.' We've been deeply moved by the way Kenshiro and Raoh lived, and by the way Rei died. However, I don't think Mr. Hara or Mr. Buronson intended to create those kinds of reactions. It's because these universal themes arose spontaneously as the core of the story that their way of life has become a part of us. At the heart of it all is my desire for young people today to know about that."
"There are many important things I've received from 'Fist of the North Star.' We've been deeply moved by the way Kenshiro and Raoh lived, and by the way Rei died. However, each person's feelings are different, and it may not be in the way that Mr. Hara and Mr. Buronson intended. Nevertheless, the emotions we feel are real. It's something universal, and their way of life has become a part of us. At the core of it all is that I want young people today to feel that as well."
The Reiwa-era anime inherits the spirit of "Fist of the North Star" while challenging itself with dynamic visual expression unique to the Reiwa era.
"Mr. Hara told us, 'You can completely deconstruct the original work.' He said, 'I want you to aim for something interesting as an anime and as entertainment,' and since manga and visual expression are different, we tried to express the fun of the visuals as much as possible. However, we didn't want to break the flow of the original work. While firmly inheriting the message and story of the original work, we aimed for dynamic visuals that would show something new and interesting as a visual expression. We made sure to create a sense of realism, like being thrown into the desolate world of 'Fist of the North Star' or being caught up in the battles. The entire staff is working hard to achieve that. For example, we make sure to show the depiction of the person who is hit. When Rei of Nanto Suichoken slashes, the effect is directed so that it seems to come rushing towards you. By including the perspective of the person being hit, we are making it so that viewers can empathize more, and the entire staff is working through trial and error to create it."
There are scenes that are like direct adaptations of famous moments from the original manga. Old fans will be moved, and those experiencing "Fist of the North Star" for the first time will find it refreshing.
"One of the themes is to recreate the feeling of reading a manga. We want people to experience the feeling of following a weekly serialization and thinking, 'It's already over. What will happen next? I can't wait for next week.' The original 'Fist of the North Star' has a lot of different elements packed into each chapter, and the pace is faster than modern manga. When you turn the page of a manga, Kenshiro's signature pose jumps out at you in a double-page spread or a large panel, and we wanted to express that coolness and impact, so there are scenes where we've directly incorporated the layout of the manga panels."
"Fist of the North Star" contains brutal depictions, such as blood splattering and bodies being blown apart. The Reiwa-era anime version differs in some aspects of its direction between the Prime Video streaming version and the television broadcast version, with the uncensored streaming version retaining the violence and grotesque elements.
"We're trying to create a balance between flashy scenes and more subdued scenes. While arcade games and pachinko machines often feature flashy and spectacular special moves, these can sometimes become overly dramatic in anime. However, this time we're deliberately not holding back and are trying to make things as flashy and exaggerated as possible. We're also not setting any restrictions on the brutal scenes from the start, and are proceeding with the goal of creating them to the fullest extent. Filming and editing techniques have also advanced, so we'll think about restrictions after we've finished making it (laughs). The brutal scenes are one of the great appeals of 'Fist of the North Star.' Rather than holding back and keeping things small, we're trying to go all out."
◇Fusing the secrets of Japanese animation drawing with 3DCG
It's difficult to dynamically animate characters with a lot of lines in a dramatic, graphic novel style using hand-drawn animation. In recent years, to express the latest "Fist of the North Star" characters drawn by Hara, the Reiwa-era anime was produced primarily using 3DCG.
"Some people overseas are resistant to 3DCG animation, but Japan has a rich tradition of traditional Japanese animation techniques that have been cultivated for decades since the Showa era. This time, we're trying to translate those techniques into 3DCG while also fusing them with expressions that can only be achieved in 3D. A prime example is the Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken (Hundred Crack Fist of the North Star). Trying to recreate that barrage of punches solely through traditional animation would be incredibly difficult (laughs). However, both 3DCG and traditional animation have their strengths and limitations. In 3DCG, close-ups of faces can sometimes look stiff, so we're using traditional animation to compensate for that, trying to mix the best aspects of each. However, the audience shouldn't be aware that 3DCG and traditional animation are mixed. On the other hand, if we make them completely identical, the good points will disappear. We're constantly experimenting to find the right balance—how much of a sense of incongruity to create, or how little to create."
While the dynamic action sequences utilizing 3DCG are a unique charm of this Reiwa-era anime, the creators also paid close attention to the delicate expression of emotions.
"We're making it true to the original story, but in the anime, we're conscious of conveying emotions. For example, when Kenshiro gets angry, we don't keep showing his angry expression the whole time. We have him pretend to be calm, and then at the very last moment, his emotions explode in an instant, and he throws a punch with a demonic look on his face. Kenshiro is a character whose expressions are hard to read, so we aim to create a dramatic change so that viewers can sense his feelings. In the episode where Kenshiro and Rei fight each other as allies, Rei attacks, but Kenshiro doesn't lay a hand on him at all. Only when it becomes absolutely necessary for them to fight does Kenshiro intervene. At that moment, we want to convey Kenshiro's feelings towards Rei. We've also incorporated a moment when Kenshiro acknowledges Rei. After going through the emotional process of trusting someone he had been wary of and putting his back on, his attitude changes completely. Of course, the power of the actors' performances was also a big factor in being able to construct these emotional changes."
To express the subtle nuances of the characters' emotions, we paid meticulous attention to the lighting. Director Maeda, having a background in cinematography, has an extraordinary dedication to lighting.
"Generally, anime often uses front lighting, meaning the light shines directly on the character to make their facial expressions clearer, but there are many scenes where we deliberately avoid this. Half of the face might be in shadow. This is often avoided because it makes it harder to see the expression, but we wanted to express the visual interest that comes from shadows. We also actively incorporate rim lighting (light wrapping around the character) to accentuate the character's outline. There are many works that use rim lighting, so it's not particularly new, but we're trying out special lighting techniques to bring out the coolness of the expressions through contrast."
When I watched the first episode, I was surprised by how dark the screen was. However, as the story progressed, my impression changed.
"The beginning of the story is dark. Until Kenshiro appears, it's a hellish world of despair, with no sunlight. But as Kenshiro gradually becomes more active, the screen slowly brightens. In the flashback scenes, the world before the war, a world full of hope, the sky is blue and bright. We're trying to express through the contrast of light and shadow that Kenshiro's very existence is a source of light. This also connects to the lighting in the ending. In the opening of the Showa-era anime, Kenshiro was impressively depicted facing the darkness with the setting sun behind him. However, the ending of this Reiwa-era version is based on the image of the rising sun. We wanted to express hope through the rising sun behind Kenshiro."
Shunsuke Takeuchi voices Kenshiro, and the film has garnered attention for its star-studded cast of voice actors, including Wataru Takagi as Jagi, Tsuguo Mogami as Toki, Taiten Kusunoki as Raoh, and Yuichi Nakamura as Rei.
"This time, we're doing pre-scoring, where we record the voices first, and then we create the animation to match the cast's performances. The power of their voices is incredible, and it really draws us in as we create the animation. Everyone's performances are simply amazing, and it's incredibly satisfying, like puzzle pieces falling into place. I can only express my gratitude."
The extraordinary passion of the staff and the latest technology have come together to create the Reiwa-era "Fist of the North Star." We hope you will fully experience the soul-stirring cries and passion of the staff and cast poured into every single shot and every single sound through this film. (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
