Tatsuki FujimotoThe two-volume anthology comes to life in eight separate animated episodes, each narrated by seven different directors and six animation studios. adaptation Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 World premiere at Global Stage Hollywood Film Festival, guest director Seishiro Hase (“Two clucking chickens are still kicking on campus”), director Nobuyuki Takeuchi (“Love is Blind”), and iBex Films producer Koyama Liang Share insights into the filmmaking process. While the limited theatrical release in Japan was split into two separate four-episode parts, lucky fans in attendance were able to watch all eight episodes in one episode. While the audience watched the screen, the guests also watched the reaction in the room attentively. Following the premiere and Q&A session, the three guests spoke with Anime News Network to further discuss the creative decisions that went into bringing the adaptation to the big screen.
Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 The film will have a two-week limited release in Japan on October 17, 2025, while its world premiere is scheduled for November 7 on Prime Video.
how and when iBex Films Participate in adaptation Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26?
Producer Ryo Koyama (iBex Films): I have read anthology books before review. Although these projects were not launched at the same time, we began planning Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 when we work review.
How are the directors chosen for each story, or do directors choose the episodes they want to make?
Hill: Since this project involved many different studios, we didn’t start all work at the same time. It depends on the project. Sometimes directors pick short stories they want to do, and sometimes producers come to them and ask if they would like to do a particular piece.
Fujimoto Taki’s first film when he was 17 years old. You were responsible for the script and director. What was your first impression of this story?
director Seishiro Hase (“There are still a few clucking chickens kicking around the campus”): It’s an unconventional story, but in a good way.
Did you choose the first story?
Peace: Yes, I did it.
What attracted you to this?
Peace: First of all, this is my favorite story out of the eight. I felt like my strengths would work better with the story. Since I don’t usually write action-packed stories, I thought I could give a more realistic take on the alien’s vision and emphasize the uniqueness of the story.
Considering the theme of humans being eaten by aliens, the atmosphere of the anime could have been darker and scarier. Why did you decide to go in a colorful (in terms of lighting and bright tones) comedic and exciting direction?
Peace: The Japanese title is convoluted, “Niwa ni wa Niwa Niwatori ga ita”. This is an interesting title. This one-shot isn’t a serious alien movie like Ridley Scott’s [Alien]this is my original intention. As you know, this is Fujimoto’s first work. I wonder if he fantasizes about being a human being surrounded by aliens, or if he is an alien among humans on Earth. It occurred to me that he might have been inspired to write such a story as their first published work.
Maybe he has some interpersonal problems, I think the work itself is ironic. I’d rather have people relate to work in a more subjective way rather than an objective way. If this was a scarier shot, the audience might feel more alienated from these characters. So, I want fans to feel closer to them.
In the one-shot story, we don’t see as much action or fighting as in the animated one-shots. Why were action sequences an aspect you wanted to showcase in animation?
Peace: While I wanted to show the aliens going about their daily lives, I wanted to reward the audience with action sequences. This is more interesting. The comic ends with a dark scene that sparks our imagination as to what happened there. This story was created probably over ten years ago, but since the room is playable, it was fun for me to adapt the story into an anime.
You also directed a 2024 Pokémon The episode “Diary of an Angry Prosimian Observer”, which also has a lot of action scenes. How did you take the lessons from that special and apply them here?
Peace: Although a bit behind the scenes, “Niwa ni wa Niwa Niwatori ga ita”/”A pair of clucking chicks are still kicking around the campus” is Pokémon episode. I’ve always liked a balance between daily life and action, and that comes through in this work.
You mentioned in the Q&A that you were offered work on Love Is Blind. This movie was also directed by you fireworksthis is a love movie. Did you draw on your experience making this film to make this romantic comedy?
director Takeuchi Nobuyuki (“Love”) is blind”): Experience always helps. fireworks This was the first film I directed and I applied what I learned after reflecting on the experience and learning from it.
Because the student president is often interrupted, the atmosphere is always tense, but if it is not expressed well, it will appear repetitive. How do you keep conversations from getting boring?
Takeuchi: Fujimoto’s original manga deliberately used this repetition to make the scenes interesting. I think it works on its own, like when new characters come in they interrupt Ibuki in the same way. So wherever there is a possibility of duplication, I’ve included it. An example of this is when Hayasaka-sensei and the bandit put their hands on the wound on Ibuki’s shoulder. In addition, voice actors Horie Shun and Wakayama Shion Execute these repetitions very skillfully and add variation to prevent them from becoming monotonous.
What was the biggest challenge in showing Ibuki’s confession?
Takeuchi: This is more of a technical issue, but I’m having trouble matching the character’s mouth movements with voice actorperformance. The close-up of Ibuki’s face when she admits “please go out with me” was the biggest challenge.
Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26 It will premiere worldwide on Prime Video on November 7th.
