This is similar to The Tale of the Heike'' and Keep your hands off Eizouken!” The same animation production company, known for works like “”, produced four original 90-second short animations by three directors, and MBS broadcast them on a weekly basis. They are all ambitious projects that take on challenges that are not possible in regular anime, and many young staff members participate.
We interviewed the participants, director Akitoshi Yokoyama of “Ookuninushi to Sukunabikona,” director Eri Kinoshita of “MOON,” and co-director Asami Murakoshi of “Tori of the Pantheon,” about their commitment to each project and these challenging projects. I was able to hear about SARU’s corporate culture and other aspects of the science it creates.
[Each director profile]
Akitoshi Yokoyama
: Director of “Ookuninushi and Sukunabikona”
Started his career as an animator at Studio Gallop, and then worked as a freelancer. He has participated in many works as a director, storyboard, character designer, director, animation director, original animation, etc. Photokano'' was his first directorial role, and he went on to demonstrate his skills as a director with Cutie Honey Universe,” The Ultraman,'' and The Moon, Laika, and the Vampire Princess.”
Eri Kinoshita
…Director of “MOON”
Joined Science SARU as an animator in 2016. If I ride the wave with you'', Don’t mess with Eizouken!” He was deeply involved as an original animator, flash animator, animation director, and storyboarder for such projects as ” In “Inuo,” he was not only an assistant director but also responsible for the prop design.
Asami Murakoshi
…Director of “The Birds of the Pantheon”
Joined Science SARU as an animator in 2019. “Don’t touch Eizouken! ”, “Inuou”, “Yojohan Time Machine Blues”, etc., as original illustrations. He also served as the animation director for The Tale of the Heike.
–First of all, how did you all decide to participate in this short story project?
Yokoyama : I had previously submitted a project to SARU about the Kojiki, and I thought it might be possible to do it in a short story, so I wanted to do it.
Kinoshita : I submitted a draft idea to an internal competition for proposals around the summer of 2022.
Murakoshi : In my case, the project belonged to our company’s representative, Eunyoung Choi, and I was originally planning to participate in character design and direction. As production progressed, I was asked if I would be interested in becoming a co-director due to the amount of work involved, and I ended up working with the film as a director.
–There are works from a variety of genres, but please tell us about the particularities behind each work.
Yokoyama : If the subject is the Kojiki, it might give the impression of an old Japanese folk tale, so I tried to make the screen as bright as possible so as not to look old-fashioned. The character design was based on Hisashi Mori’s original idea, and was made smaller and smaller for this short story.
Kinoshita : It was decided from the internal competition stage that it would be broadcast late at night, so I was conscious of the fact that it would be watched by adults, so I was conscious of creating something that would be relaxing and not too crowded. There are two episodes, but Episode 1 is written by me, and Episode 2 is written by Nick Mckergow, who was in charge of directing the story.
–Did the director himself draw the original illustrations, videos, and finishing touches for “MOON Episode 1 Sandwich”? I think it took a lot of effort…
Kinoshita : Yes. I wanted to try drawing it by myself. The designs are always the same as I drew them, so I thought I’d do it myself rather than ask someone else to make corrections. Regarding the character design, “Moon (a round creature)” has few facial parts, so it is difficult to express emotions through facial expressions, so we decided to show them through movement. For “Akin (the dog),” I wanted to create a cute but creepy impression, so I was conscious of creating something that would not be obvious at first glance.
The dog is wearing a space suit connected to a long hose, and I imagine that the hose is for carrying oxygen and nutrients. In an article about space development that I read for planning and development, I learned that monkeys and dogs were sent into space for experiments during the Cold War era, and I thought it would be interesting if those dogs were still living in space. It’s a character.
–Mr. Murakoshi, what did you think when you received the project?
Murakoshi : (Mr. Eunyoung) said that the main battleground in commercial animation today is to show off action, but he wanted this work to be a work that attractively depicts the “careful gestures of everyday life.” The storyboards were drawn according to what I wanted to show, and I tried to draw in accordance with that direction. Since it was a short project, I thought it would be nice to be able to develop a new look, so I was on a journey to explore different styles and find “screens” that I don’t normally see.
–Are Murakoshi-san good at creating distinctive designs like this?
Murakoshi : I don’t know if it’s unique or not, but I originally studied fine art such as oil painting in college, and it wasn’t until my fourth year in college that I decided to go into the world of commercial animation. Therefore, the drawings from drawers other than anime may look distinctive.
–What did the three of you think about each of your works?
Murakoshi : Mr. Yokoyama’s works have a fast-paced feel that makes you wonder, “90 seconds is such a fleeting moment,” and they pack a lot of information into them. The cute-looking characters and cheerful music flow make it a pleasant experience to watch classics that tend to be difficult to watch, and I look forward to seeing them in a longer format.
Kinoshita : I didn’t know much about the Kojiki, so I was surprised that such a bizarre episode existed in Japan. It was a luxurious experience to be able to watch it in such a high quality in such a short 90 seconds, and it’s the most energetic of the three films. Their spirit of service to the viewers was amazing, and I learned a lot from them.
Yokoyama : Thank you. This is a story about Hyogo Prefecture, and it’s an episode from my trip back from Shimane to all over the country. There is an area in Hyogo called Hajika, and the name comes from the fact that bamboo grass repels the feces of Ookuninushi (there are various theories), so a cut piece of bamboo is included.
In the story, there is something that looks like a rocky mountain in the background, but it is a stone treasure hall in Takasago City. There is Oushiko Shrine, which is dedicated to Okuninushi and Sukunabikona. There’s a lot of other stuff packed into this short story, so I think it’ll be interesting if you look at it in detail.
In Mr. Kinoshita’s work, I think the original story of the dog sent to space that you talked about earlier is about the dog Laika, but I made a work called “Moon, Laika, and the Vampire Princess,” so I thought I was familiar with it. I feel the feeling. The idea that a dog’s space suit becomes cloudy and you can lick it with your tongue to reveal its face is really great.
Murakoshi : Mr. Kinoshita’s work was truly soothing, with the combination of the fluffy impression of the character’s form itself and the soft, weightless movement.
Kinoshita : Thank you. Eunyoung and Murakoshi’s works are carefully crafted down to the smallest detail, and no matter how many times I look at them, I never get tired of them. Although it’s experimental, I think it’s a wonderful work with a sense of distance and warmth that doesn’t push the viewer too far.
Yokoyama : I think “Birds of the Pantheon” is amazing because it has things that I would never have thought of, like cutting off a finger. Both works have a quality that is different from commercial anime in a good way, and I feel like this is what SARU is all about. If you’re like me, who is deeply ingrained with the idea of how to move things while reducing the workload, it’s hard to create something like this, but the balance between direction and animation is well-balanced, and this company can really create something like that. Is enviable.
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