Look Back Director Discusses Artistic Struggles, Anime Adaptation Philosophy, and AI’s Role in Creativity

Durian StudioMovie adaptation Chainsaw man Creator Tatsuki FujimotoA comic with emotional resonance, reviewIt can be said that it is one of the most moving works of art in animation for some time. Judging from its booming box office success Japan and North America and many award tours, review It is a proof of the hard work of love Work hard to draw the movie by hand.

In the Anime Center 2025, Durian Studio and director Oshiyama Participated in a special guest appearance, providing his animators with insights into his career and the journey to start his studio in 2017. During the panel discussion, Oshiyama gives viewers a glimpse into the next step Durian Studio– Ambitious full-length adaptation Short film,,,,, Shishigari.

In a sit-down interview with the anime news network, Oshiyama reflects on his experience reviewsharing his approach to anime adaptation, explores the widespread impact of artificial intelligence on traditional art, and provides the latest impact on the scope. Durian Studio.

review About two close friends, with a heartfelt love letter, the emotion of the ruthless life of becoming an artist, separates the two close friends into a poignant narrative. As a director, which scene in the movie resonates with you the most, depicting the complexity of the creative art?

Oshiyama: In the climax of the movie, there is a scene where Fujino loses her friend Kyomoto and enters a room where Kyono is no longer there. That room in Fujino was a very comforting space for them. As I read the comics, the whole scene, the step she went away from that room to continue to move forward really resonated with me. I really emphasize this scene.

In the alternative future, Fujino may stay in the Kyoto room but not move forward. But for me personally Shawshank Redemption– It’s a very classic movie – Morgan Freeman portrays the main character Red, and after leaving prison, you can choose not to move on and end it all. But he keeps moving forward [and] Go to meet his friend. I believe in the scene and the climax review There are similarities. I think the step Fujino earns from a room in Kyoto is important.

Art style review It closely reflects the loose and expressive aesthetics of the comics. Durian Studio hopes to find and emphasize the advantages of Durian Studio so closely with the comic style through hand-painted sequences?

leave: From the comments, the movie feels very loose and I personally think the description is not accurate. Compared to his weekly serialization review As a hit, there are more details on the author’s drawings. When we made the movie, we didn’t emphasize one point, but instead tried to translate all the details drawn into the movie – especially because these details seemed to be lost in terms of animation adaptation.

That being said, we also want to make sure that the hand-painted look is not lost when we animate the movie. We try our best to make sure that all the above details are kept in animated films while maintaining the draw-in nature of the original work.

Like discussing the power of hand-drawn animation, there are many debates on the West’s good anime adaptations online about anime. Some believe that anime must follow its original material framework in order to frame it in a dogmatic way in a non-biased manner, while others believe that adaptability must breathe new life into a work in a way that only animation can. Do you have a specific camp as a director on good adaptation, following things before, or trying to bring new things to the table, or do both arguments have the truth?

leave: exist reviewyou might get the impression that it is more suitable for the original work. But for me personally, I think I’m in the latter camp. When it comes to manga and anime, they are just two completely different mediums. Some [things] What is depicted in the comics is impossible to portray in the form of an anime. If you work in anime, your opinions will naturally fall into the latter category. It is totally impossible to convey exactly what is depicted in the comics.

Obviously, there are some series that have very poor adaptations [because they’re] It is far from the original work. Maybe these examples may be somewhat mixed with the latter camp, but I firmly believe that when it comes to anime adaptations, you should make sure that the animation uses the advantages of using an animation medium when it is adapted. So, I’m definitely in the latter camp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkrr2vuswfu

review When the art of AI-generated becomes more common, it is released. In the West, AI-generated art was used to replicate the style of famous animation studios Studio Ghibli. This leads to a wide range of online discourses, namely how it reduces the human element that makes art unique. How would you respond to those ways in which AI-generated images are viewed as “democratic art”?

leave: I believe technology will keep people from going back to old ways, like washing machines. Washing machines are a major example of technological advancement. At that time, people washed their clothes with their hands. Now, washing machines are already there, and it is impossible to tell people that going back to do laundry. I wasn’t there at the time, but maybe some people complained about the machine being taken away from the laundry work. I totally agree that this AI technology or this AI art will take away the work of people working in the creative industry. I firmly believe this is something to be talked about.

On the other hand, as you said, the latter said the camp of people who created AI art “democratization” makes people more reliable for ordinary people who cannot express creativity through art – I don’t want to take it away from it. When I do review As a film, the story itself is about the creative efforts of these artists and how their efforts are integrated into the creative arts. This story depicts and celebrates the growth of art. I didn’t let the film deny the possibility that people gain creativity or that AI art can enable them to master their own creativity.

When it comes to illegal usage of AI, whether it is copying the voice of a voice actor or an actress, making AI learn and produce it, and possibly profit from it, making AI learn Studio Ghibli– Model animation and production Studio Ghibli– Style of animation and some kind of profit from it – I believe this is beyond the scope of technological advancement. This is a completely independent question.

I think it’s totally good to use AI to learn about the realism of the natural landscape or make it learn about the surroundings to make some more creative art. But when it comes to illegal, illegal, malicious use of AI, I will make it loud and clear that this is not what you should do.

Switching gears, I want to talk about Shishigari. What’s the motivation Durian StudioDecided to expand Shishigari from short films to novel projects?

leave: From the beginning, Shishigari was more than just a short film. It was made as a pilot movie, a movie ready to make a feature-length movie. We want to get government support, especially funding for Shishigari. To do this, we need to make a pilot movie to make sure that the movie can be made as a full-length feature film first. So when we made this pilot movie, we had already planned to make a feature film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sidvt-jdwwo

How is the project going since Durian first announced plans to expand Shishigari into a feature-length film five years ago? Can you share any updates? Will the full-length version be faithful to the core elements of the short film, or will the creative direction have undergone major changes since 2019, leading to major changes?

leave: When we first announced the news, we worked with foreign producers to find a client that fits the movie’s vision. However, over the past five years, we have not been able to find a solution that can agree on the film with the producer or other clients. During this period, production review Started, so we had to focus more on reviewso there is not much progress in the work. But now, we have cut all contracts with Shishigari. Shishigari became our own independent project, so we no longer rely on external sources. Currently, in Shishigari, we have our own creative freedom. That is probably where we are.

If the time is correct [and] If the opportunity arises, we want to do more work on the production of Shishigari. But since we are a small studio – we are a relatively small team – we have to spend a lot of time and effort when making movies for feature-length movies. It does depend on whether the opportunity arises and then we will continue. We are just waiting for that time at the moment.

and review Do you have any other comics or novels in the rearview mirror Durian Studio Is the problem solved as an anime adaptation, or is the studio trying to explore making more original works?

leave: We won’t deny the opportunity to do the adaptation, but our current focus is on the original work.