In late March 2014, the news of a large-scale animation project was suddenly exposed. The TV anime "M3~Kurogang~", which is composed of director Junichi Sato X series, Okada Mori X mecha setting, and Masaharu Kawamori, has attracted a lot of attention. At present, half a year has passed since the start of the broadcast in April, and the stories of the teenagers have come to an end. The work shows us a dark world where "no one knows when they will die", and it is the young girls and girls led by the protagonist Akaji Washinuma who suffer this uneasy fate.

Today, when the work has ended, what are the things we don't know? Recently, some Japanese media interviewed the director of the work, Junichi Sato, to explore the truth from his mouth......

■Until the end, we were all coming and going in the world created by Okada Milli

Q: First of all, could you tell us about the history of this project?

Sato: MagGarden Publishing House and satelight have prepared a project to create an anime inspired by the original manga. From that time on, I decided to use the work of the machine qì as the original, and the work I found for this was "MotalMetal". This is the starting point of a qiē.

It took some time before the project was anime, and the production committee restructured, so I thought, "Why don't we start from scratch?"

Q: When did you decide on the selection of Ms. Okada Mori for the composition of this series?

Sato: Actually, she was already involved in the original manga during the period, so it was a natural choice to choose her. And the producer also said, "I hope to let the foul combination of Okada X Sato do it!" (laughs)

Ms. Okada has been in charge of the plot of each episode since the time of "Mercury Navigator", but I haven't worked with her on the composition of the series before, so I thought that I would do it this time, so I had to find her. As a result, she opened our eyes to something terrible (laughs).

Q: What kind of things do you expect Ms. Okada to bring?

Sato: I think during the period of Mercury Navigator, she was a person who was able to fully meet the needs of the system. It's just that I think if she can show her own characteristics, then the work should be more interesting. So this time, let her let go of her hands and feet to create. I also chewed and dissected what Ms. Okada had gotten there. This is an interesting challenge.

Q: We interviewed Ms. Okada before. At the time, she seemed to be saying something like "I was finally toyed with by Mr. Sato."

Sato: I was seen through (laughs). Heck, I think it's the opposite. I think until the end, everyone came and went in the world of Okada Mori's creation.

Both me and Ms. Okada have almost zero knowledge of SF, so we mainly focus on the characters to drive the plot. The main request from my side is what I think of the character, which character is good and which is annoying...... On this basis, the plot is constantly advanced and the story has some twists and turns. Ms. Okada then created the "parts" one by one, and eventually I tried my best to assemble them.

For example, why is Akaji's personality the kind of person who likes to make trembling S words? From the first episode, it became a mystery, and it wasn't until around the ninth episode that people suddenly realized, "That's it!" "Some of the "parts" that were originally unrelated were actually connected from the beginning. It's a fun experience. And as the plot deepens, some places make people feel terrible, and some are very regrettable. In short, there is a strong "feeling of being toyed with" (laughs). This is a rare thing.

■ The characters of the story are dazed in the face of the uneasiness of the crowd around them

Q: According to you, Ms. Okada's creative style is always different from yours.

Sato: I can't give an exact answer to this, but I think Ms. Okada is very emotional about many things from the beginning, and not rational. And that intuition is correct.

The "Realm of Ignorance", which is very important in the story, was actually called the "Unknown Realm" in Ms. Okada's original case. That is, "the field without a name". It also means that once people enter, even their names are taken away from them.

However, we didn't know how to express this effect from the perspective of painting, so we decided to use a setting like "a realm without light". Of course, I also wanted to call it the "Dark World". When I asked her for her opinion, Ms. Okada replied, "That's fine" (laughs). Recently, if I had developed in the direction of "no name" at that time, the plot might have developed completely differently from what it is now.

Q: If you use "no name", it will give you a very mysterious feeling. And the "Ignorance Realm" caused a lot of topics when it was launched. Everyone thinks that this setting is very consistent with "Director Sato likes to make dark things". So allow me to ask again: why did you want to challenge the "dark machine qì human theme" this time?

Sato: I used to be in charge of everyday work, but I still have a lot of subjects in mind that I want to challenge. And this time something is one of them. Another point is related to the background of the times. In today's reality, not only adults but also middle school students seem to be at a loss and uneasy about their surroundings. So I want to interpret this reality positively.

The events of the realm of ignorance, including the Yomishima incident, are a structure in which adults act recklessly within the framework of the society they have created, and as a result, disasters lead to disasters that also affect innocent children. It's the same for children in reality, and I think they're desperate to escape that kind of insecurity.

■I understand how powerful Okada's script is

A: After watching the anime itself, I think that even the action scenes of the machine and the characters did not affect the development of the plot, and the story continued to advance during the battle.

Sato: That's right. After all, this is a story written by Ms. Okada. Therefore, instead of caring about the details, structure, and structure of the machine, it is better to pay more attention to the development of the plot. And the enemy that appears is also a cunzài called "precepts", and it is because of people's cause and effect that leads to zhì's cunzài, so it is difficult to be defeated (laughs). Speaking of which, the living people are stuffed into the machine qì people, forming "LIM". It's sinister enough in itself.

This work tells the story of who the driver of "LIM" is, or who can control LIM. Therefore, there will be no refreshing action scenes where two planes and people have a fierce battle together. After all, this is also my first time trying to work with a machine, so I learned a lot from it.

Q: When the body is invaded by the crystals of "corpse steel", the abominable monster "Bondage" will be born in the eyes of the symptoms. In the plot, many protagonists are eroded, which also has a great impact on the ending of the story. And what makes me feel very powerful is that at the end of the story, the two heroines, Emily and Shino, become LIM and lose their own existence. That's one of the highlights.

Sato: In other words, there is none. Though it just became the parts of the machine (laughs). And I didn't expect that Zhenya Dream would become the protagonist and start to be active in her.

Q: Actually, it's Maya Dream who explains the story.

Sato: After all, I think her actions were also well thought out. However, it is only when we look back at the plot again that these thoughtful details can be discovered. Naturally, I need to give credit to Ms. Okada in this regard, and I also know how powerful she really is when I read her script.

■ I'm the blackest (laughs)

Q: I would like to ask you to answer the question of whether the "darkness" in this story comes from director Sato or Ms. Okada?

Sato: Ahahaha (laughs). Actually, Ms. Okada didn't think about those dark things. She sometimes makes things that make people close their eyes in fright, but she actually gives explanations that aren't terrible. So although the word "black" is on the title, it's not too dark from a story point of view.

Thinking about it, I once said on a dubbing scene, "Which of you will be the first to become a LIM?" Hmph. "I guess I'm the darkest (laughs). It's just a feeling, but maybe that's what it is.

Q: "Director Sato has finally confessed and forgiven" (laughs).

Sato: I finally confided in you, haha (laughs).

■ The scattered parts are intoxicating and it is a surprising experience

Sato: Actually, the work of "M3~Black Steel~" has changed a lot from the original plan. Speaking of the setting, as mentioned earlier, we replaced the "Nameless Domain" with the "Ignorant Domain", and when we were thinking about "what the hell is the Ignorant Domain", we didn't even decide how the main mechs would fight. But I had to start making the first episode. Ms. Okada, on the other hand, splices together as many "parts" as possible and makes them appear logical.

"M3~Black Steel~" used to be screened in advance every week at an exclusive event, and I participated in the review session as a guest several times, but at the beginning of the story, there were many things that were undecided, so in the face of everyone's questions, I just said "this is foreshadowing". In the first episode, our understanding of the "realm of ignorance" is only "the realm of confusion where people's mental state will be problematic as long as they enter it". And the various foreshadowings buried in it, we made a bet on it, that is, "I believe that they can have a satisfactory answer as the plot develops". But now it seems that these foreshadowings have been uncovered smoothly. It's also a surprising experience.

Q: When I saw episode 13, I thought, "This work does a great job of recovering foreshadowing." Now that I hear you say that, I feel it even more.

I was also impressed by Akaji's smile. At the beginning of the story, when he heard about his brother's death, the protagonist Akaji actually laughed. This table xiàn makes people feel very uncomfortable. But in episode 13, we find out that in fact, his smile hides deep sadness and tears, and the reason why he laughs is actually just a way for him to protect himself.

Sato: We asked the audience to sigh as the plot progressed, "So that's how it is!" "When I was talking to Ms. Okada on the phone, I suddenly said, "Got it! Mr. Sato, that expression is actually crying! Although she should have her own opinion on what to do with these "parts", I was still taken aback when I heard her say this: "Huh? Are you crying now!? (laughs)

Q: From the moment he started laughing, the camera started to rotate around his expression. And in the 13th episode, he cried for the first time. Just because of a slight change in the timeline, our perception of a character can change so much! It's really emotional.

Sato: That's it. Actually, the story is based on the premise that he was crying, so I think you can easily understand the changes in the second half.

And when it comes to other aspects of foreshadowing, that's after the script is decided. There are some foreshadowings hidden in the storyboard and dubbing. So we added some plots that weren't in the script, and as we checked the storyboards, we found some related parts and added them to the screen. And in the second half, those foreshadowings gradually plump up. Since the animation was broadcast relatively early relative to the progress of the production of zuò, we produced the work with a "live" mentality. The "parts" are so attractive that they are even scary, so I have a lot of thoughts about them myself (laughs). Now that the work is over, I would like to study it further.

■Sato × Okada's open-hanging battle

Q: Actually, until the last episode aired, there were still some new "parts" hidden in this work.

Sato: That's right. By the time of episode 23, we learned that "body" was not the reason for "wreckage". The script for episodes 23 and 24 was also handled by Ms. Okada Mori, and I was in charge of storyboarding for these two episodes, so if I didn't try to draw the storyboard myself, I wouldn't be able to figure out how the story would develop.

Q: Oh, this is really a battle of open and hanging combinations.

Sato: That's it. In fact, I sometimes get complained by Ms. Okada, "Why did the storyboard become like this?" She complained, "It's completely different from my script!" And I can only answer: "But this is also something that can't be helped~!" (laughs)

Q: That's the discussion between the open-hanging groups (laughs).

Sato: Seriously, because we were both very busy, we didn't have much time to discuss the work in detail, and it wasn't until the end of the day that we had a chance to ask her, "How did you feel about the work?" ”

■I feel that Toei's pedigree is still reflected in the work

Q: In this work, did director Sato discover the characteristics of his performance again?

Sato: That's right. First of all, I should reflect on the fact that this work still reflects my own method of presentation. The storyboard of the first episode still has the shadow of the "Mercury Navigator" and "Jade Ring" periods, for example, some still shots of about 10 seconds are frequently used in the work. However, after watching the finished version, I deeply felt that it was too inappropriate to use 10-second still shots in "M3~Black Steel~".

There are also a few other things that I am more concerned about. I feel like Toei's blood is still flowing in my body. The presentation of the work is very similar to the flavor of "Saint Seiya". In some very handsome scenes, the camera will move up and down all at once. But I think I've messed up in this regard~ (laughs.) ）

Q: Is there anything you're interested in or something you'd like to challenge?

Sato: I always work with a challenging mindset for each of my works. As for this time, if I have to say, I didn't limit the creativity of Ms. Okada and Mr. Kawamori this time, and let them play as they pleased. For example, the main character's body "Argent" transforms into a cute bird-like form, but Mr. Kawamori thinks that "I don't think there is much need for cute robots in this work, so I don't design it", so he deliberately didn't design it that way.

As for Ms. Okada, I didn't put any restrictions on her, and I felt like a fully accepted character. How to say, I experienced 30 years of difficulties as a rookie director, and finally had the capital to say to others, "You can do whatever you want". So I try to motivate young people as much as possible and make them feel "Damn! WE NEED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE HIGHER! "I think directors with similar qualifications to me should think about this aspect. Oh, Ms. Okada is able to confirm her position through her own ability, so my laissez-faire may not have a particularly big impact on her......

Q: Thank you very much for your answer. Now that the work has ushered in the most **, can you finally say something to the audience?

Sato: It was a tortuous process, but from the very beginning, we were determined to decide where we wanted to go. I hope you can keep seeing the end and understand how the half-year-long "M3 ~ That Black Steel ~" will end and what the fate of the characters will be. I would be very happy if you could see the end from the beginning.

Also, I'm not going to do a dark theme for the next one, but if I have the opportunity in the future, I'd like to try a dark work (laughs), so I hope you will continue to look forward to me in the future.

【Synopsis】

"Twisted, wherever you go, it's darkness that you can't see. And the place where darkness will swallow up and take away a qiē is called the "realm of ignorance". There, there are alien creatures capable of inducing despair and chaos in the hearts of humans. And their name is "Bondage".

In order to investigate this realm of ignorance that corrodes the human spirit. In the face of the immediate crisis that is inseparable from their past fate, can the eight boys and girls who confront the "ring" cross the realm of ignorance and find a bright future? ”

【Personnel】

Director: Junichi Sato

Series composition: Okada Milli

Armor design: Masaharu Kawamori

Original Character Case: Ghost String Cao

Character: Hideki Inoue

Sound Supervisor: Takani Hamano

Acoustic system zuò: magic capsule

Theme song: "Re:REMEMBER" May'n

Ending song: "ego-izm" lalalarks

Music: Hatsuya Sakata

Music system zuò: flying dog

制zuò:satellite

Joint system: M3 plan

【Voice Actor List】

Akaji Washinuma: Matsuoka Yoshijo

Dewa Shinome: Small Iwai bird

Kasumi Summer: Yasaku Satomo

Yuzuki Maamu: Misato Fukuen

Emilyo Breaker: Yoko Hikasa

Hado Iwado: Tomoaki Maeno

Mina Maki: Toru Kakihara

Ikitaira: Ayumi Murase