Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Interview: Director Tatsuya Yoshihara×Assistant Director Masato Nakazono

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We sat down for an interview with the director Yoshihara Tatsuyawho supervises production Chainsaw Man – Movie: Reze Arc together with Masato Nakazono Serve as assistant director. The two shared their thoughts with us, from the appeal of the original comics to the dedication that went into the making of the film.

Directed this film as a director Yoshihara Tatsuyahe also served as the action director for the TV series and was responsible for directing and storyboarding episodes 4 and 10. The assistant director of the film was Masato Nakazonohe also serves as the TV series’ general director and oversees series direction. What kind of animation vision did the two main creators bring to the theatrical adaptation?

First, we asked the pair how they felt about taking on the roles of director and assistant director on the theatrical version of the global hit show chainsaw man.

——How did you feel when you accepted the role of director and assistant director of “The Movie”? Lei Ze Arc?

director Yoshihara Tatsuya (hereinafter referred to as Yoshihara): I struggled with the decision, but I also thought it was a huge opportunity. Most importantly, I wanted to live up to the expectations of my fans, so I decided to accept the challenge and give it my all. I just love chainsaw man And really wanted to make it more exciting.

assistant director Masato Nakazono (hereinafter referred to as Zhongyuan): Mr. Yoshihara and I have worked on this series together since the TV adaptation, so I wanted to step in as a teammate and support him. I was appointed assistant director. I hope to both help Mr. Yoshihara’s vision for the film become a reality and to help facilitate smooth communication and collaboration among the staff.

——How are the jobs of the director and assistant director divided?

Yoshihara: before we start production Lei Ze Arcwe sat down with the animation team to discuss whether we could better capture the essence of animation chainsaw man Things like how we present the characters, how we deal with timing and pacing in the direction, and how we really bring out the best elements of the original comics through animation. While working in these fields, I am still figuring things out on my own. So I asked Mr. Nakazono and the character designer for help Kazutaka Sugiyama for guidance. Mr. Nakazono even went out of his way to provide support and feedback on everything from reviewing materials and editing to recording and sound.

Transfer: I want to be a good sounding board for him. I think my role is to support him whenever he gets into trouble.

Highlight the advantages of original works

——What do you think is its appeal? chainsaw manand what you find persuasive Lei Ze Arc?

Yoshihara: Personally, I think Denji’s shameless behavior puts not only the characters around him on guard, but us as readers and viewers as well. While his actions evoke feelings of anticipation, unease, and fun, the way the series explores the backstories and traumas of Denji and other characters feels incredibly profound. Weekly Shonen Jump.

For example, when you learn about Denji’s past and his life with Pochita, you find that he also has a sweet side amidst the chaos. Even Maki, who rarely shows emotion, has moments where he shows surprising depth. These characters all have a lovable side and a contrasting heavy side, and I think that duality is what makes this series so appealing.

Transfer: From the beginning of this series, I felt like it had a very different tone than most comics. Weekly Shonen Jump. Although it has the edgy tone you’d expect his Magazine also has that unique sense of pride and momentum Jump. I think this is a fresh, innovative comic.

exist Lei Ze Arcour unpredictable Denji falls in love with a woman named Reze, causing the story to feel more approachable than in previous episodes. The new heroine Razor is very charming. Because I fell in love with this episode chainsaw man More importantly, I was honored to be a part of the production team.

Yoshihara: Lei Ze Arc Have a clear beginning, middle and end. I found it really beautiful how the other characters’ stories were so cleverly intertwined around the core story of Razor and Danji. This is probably the main attraction.

——Considering such demands, what kind of animation do you plan to create?

Yoshihara: We first spoke with the animation team led by Mr. Sugiyama. For example, we discussed adjusting the way the characters are drawn to more closely match Mr. Tatsuki’s artistic style. Emphasizing the artist’s style changes the expression and density of the lines.

Additionally, we felt that by using a more casual expression we could broaden the range of directions and include more anime-style techniques, so we decided to take a unified approach as a team.

Transfer: It was the same for me, after finishing the TV series, I wanted to take it a step further and try to capture the feeling you get when you flip through the comics. The unique feeling that remains after reading is an important thing to retain in the animation. Therefore, I think it’s best to use fast-paced anime-style direction only where needed. Of course, we drew on developments from the TV series, so we created balance by exchanging ideas with the staff.

Yoshihara: There are many memorable scenes in this movie, such as the swimming pool and fireworks. Even in those moments where the structure is the same as the original, we wanted the film to create a new feel that’s unique to animation.

-What does it mean to make things more true to the style of the original painting?

Yoshihara: In terms of character design and animation, we made a conscious effort to reflect the expression of the original comics. For details about the character design, we created notes and shared them among the team. Examples include removing highlights from eyes, reducing the amount of shadows, and giving instructions on how to depict clothing wrinkles and seam textures. For the character colors, we slightly increased the saturation of Makima and Power’s hair. In particular, we adjusted the color of Makima’s hair so that the red color leaves a stronger impression on the audience.

Transfer: We didn’t make changes just because it was a theatrical version. After Mr. Yoshihara became director and revisited ideas with Mr. Sugiyama, the challenge was to determine a single direction chainsaw man keep going.

One of the things we realized about the theatrical version was that CinemaScope gave us a lot more background space. We build around every scenario bambooDetailed but open-ended backgrounds and carefully deciding how to pair them with animations and which colors best tie everything together.

Yoshihara: We have invited Mr. Shigetsu Souta as operations director Lei Ze Arc. When I asked him to make the scale of the Typhoon fight even more epic, he delivered an amazing sequence with ideas two or three levels above what we expected. But unfortunately, some action scenes had to be cut during the editing process.

Transfer: The staff love it chainsaw manso a lot of ideas naturally arise from this passion. Sometimes, it can be challenging to put it all together. I worked on the opening sequence, which I thought was really exciting and an incredible animation experience. Hope you all are looking forward to it.

movie adaptation, Lei Ze Arcextracting content from the fifth and sixth volumes of the original manga. The script also closely follows the comics. Director Yoshihara said that the original work was incredible and we should keep it as it is. The story unfolds in about 100 minutes, vivid and gripping.

——Finally, what would you like to share with the audience before the show starts? Lei Ze Arc Premiere?

Transfer: I know a lot of fans have been waiting for this for a long time. We took the time to really reflect on the source material and focused on doing the best we could. Chainsaw Man – Movie: Reze Arc It represents the culmination of all our efforts, so I was nervous about showing it to the world.

Yoshihara: Every staff member put their heart and soul into it chainsaw man. I’m excited for people to see it in theaters and I hope to grow the impact of the series even further.