Sendai's idol coming-of-age anime "WakeUp, Girls! Although it has been broadcast, all kinds of topics are still ongoing. As a director, Yamamoto himself has repeatedly emphasized that this work should "contribute to the revitalization of the Northeast". Recently, another well-known Japanese media interviewed Uncle Kuan, let's see what Uncle Kuan will say this time!

We hope to donate to the areas affected by the 311 Japan Earthquake

Holy Land Tour + Exclusive Event = WakeUp, Girls!

Q：《WakeUp,Girls！ is a story that tells the story of watching the growth of newcomer idols on the stage of Sendai. Would you like to ask Director Yamamoto to tell us about the process and motivation for the production.

Yamamoto: The starting point is my personal motivation. The 311 earthquake that struck Japan in March 2011 shook me a lot. And because of this impact, I can't draw animations or create works. Not only me, but also some of the creators I knew in Tokyo were stuck in a state of wandering, and some of them actually stopped working because of it.

Q: We've heard from various sources that some creators who don't live in the Tohoku region have lost their creations**. So what does director Yamamoto think led to this situation?

Yamamoto: Our profession as a creator is closely related to "passing on dreams and hopes to our customers." Therefore, when we were faced with the Japanese people who had been severely traumatized by the earthquake, we did not know what to convey to them, so we fell into trouble. Telling the story of your dreams like before, I'm afraid everyone won't accept it, right? It's impossible for us to make stories about beautiful girls chattering and playing, or to tell people in a serious way, "There's hope in Japan." "That's why I think that's right.

Q: It seems that the staff at the animation site were also affected by this.

Yamamoto: Yes. The earthquake was not limited to the earthquake, but also included the tsunami, the nuclear power plant accident, and so on, and even the entire image of the country was damaged. We can't count how badly 311 has left Japan. I think this can be called a "national disaster".

Those of us who live in Tokyo, who were not directly affected by the disaster, were also affected. For example, measures such as planned power outages in the aftermath of the earthquake have had a great impact on people all over Japan.

Q: Is that so?

Yamamoto: I realized that the earthquake caused a great deal of damage not only to the three prefectures of Tohoku, but also to the whole of Japan. So I thought to myself: What can I do for Tohoku and Japan? I also went to Tohoku to do some volunteer activities, of course, related charity activities and fundraising activities.

However, after trying all kinds of things, I came to the conclusion that what I could do was animate. And my mind changed.

Q: Originally, Director Yamamoto thought that he would not be able to convey his thoughts with animation, but after going around the disaster area, he came back with the feeling that he wanted to make animation. What is this for?

Yamamoto: One is that there's a limit to what I can do. I didn't have any special talent in volunteering, and I couldn't raise a lot of donations. So I think the only thing I can do now is make animation.

…… To be honest, at the same time as the earthquake, I myself was in a state of malaise. After I finished working on the animation "Fractal", I was sprayed on the Internet, and I lost the motivation to make animations again. To be honest, I was wondering if I should give up my work in animation.

However, if I was going to use my strength to make Japan a little better, I would have to start with animation. In that case, let's use animation to do something for Japan and Tohoku. That's what made WakeUp, Girls! The starting point.

Q: Through the production of WakeUp, Girls! What do you think you can do with Japan and Tohoku?

Yamamoto: Personally, the most important thing for me is money. I would like to be able to donate to the affected areas. When I was in a slump, I watched an interview with the mayor of Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture. Minami Soma City is an area that was hit by both the tsunami and the nuclear power plant. However, the mayor replied, "Now is a good business opportunity for Minami Soma City." He said forcefully that it is at this time that so many things can be done in this land.

The moment I heard this, I sighed: Ah, I can also start from the perspective of "business opportunities". And when I was thinking about how to use my animation to provide business opportunities for the revitalization of Northeast China, one of the answers that came to mind was "Holy Land Tour". The animation is made on the stage of Tohoku, so that fans gather in the land and let them buy food, eat, and buy souvenirs...... I thought, it would be nice if I could do that.

Q: "Lucky Star" used to be centered on the Washinomiya Shrine in Saitama Prefecture, and it played a role in promoting the "Holy Land Touring Boom".

Yamamoto: Yes. If I wanted to make a work that was set in Tohoku and made it easy for guests to visit the holy places there, then I could do it.

But that's not enough. When I was thinking about the need for some activity, the word "idol" came to mind. It's also a group that I personally like a lot.

If there are idols in anime, then concerts can be held in the local area. You can also sell a lot of goods such as goods and CDs. It is not only for guests to go sightseeing in the local area, but also to hold regular events in those places, so that the effect of "fundraising" can be better. And my idea of making a work on this genre was the same as WakeUp, Girls! >> Anime is closely linked.

Q: What do you think are the advantages of idols?

Yamamoto: In the aftermath of the earthquake, I think idols are the only ones in the entertainment industry who can maintain their popularity and generate sales figures. AKB48, Momoiro Clover Z, Johnnys, musical theater actors such as "Little Sea Girl" and "The Prince of Tennis Musical", underground idols, local idols, and more...... These groups are supported by their guests.

I asked myself: What is this for? So I thought: Isn't the idol the best way to express the current social situation after the earthquake?

The Japanese pin their dreams on their idols

Yamamoto: At that time, you could see slogans like "Come on Japan" everywhere, but in other words, it seemed that there was nothing the Japanese could do but refuel. I think the Japanese themselves are aware of this.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, the people of Japan began to realize a variety of issues: how to achieve reconstruction, energy issues, trade deficits, and recession...... No one can say for sure that Japan's future will be even better.

Therefore, in this era when there is no conclusion and no result can be seen, there is an atmosphere of "I don't know what the outcome of the road is, but now, we can only go and refuel". I think that the reason idols get so much support is because they are "beings who don't look at results".

Q: Are idols "beings who don't look at results"? What does that mean......

Yamamoto: Selling 1 million CDs is amazing? How awesome is it to be able to hold a concert at Tokyo Dome? It's great to keep ORICON number one all the time? In fact, idols are not evaluated by these numbers. Fans who support these idols are not pursuing this data result.

I just said that idols have created amazing numbers in the entertainment industry, but when we talk about "what is so great about peach clover Z?" It doesn't make sense to come up with data to evaluate. They're not number one in ORICON right now.

Q: If the evaluation index that determines whether fans are good or not is not data, then what should we evaluate from what aspects?

Yamamoto: Some of the less professional reviews have said, "The great thing about Momoiri Clover Z is that they have a great fighting spirit." "But ah, the fans who support the peach clover Z really think so in their hearts.

The so-called idol is not a "result". It's about letting everyone witness the "process" of their efforts. This is the conclusion I have come to as someone who has been following idols for many years.

Idols value the process more than the result, and it also gives people who don't see the result and live in Japan a motivation to "don't worry so much and work hard". I think idols have become the spiritual backbone of Japanese people today.

There is a saying called "getting motivated", and this is a great source of motivation for Japanese people today. In this day and age, even young people can't work hard. Although this sentence is old, what we need most is to "get motivated".

Q: Is this an era when young people are not working hard?

Yamamoto: I think so. Nowadays, young people have a tendency to stop working recklessly.

For example, there are some young people around me who are like that. On the animation production site, although they have what they want to do in the future and dream of what they want to achieve, they don't make it clear that I want to be a producer and a performer.

They want to do something, but when you ask them what they should do and how they can work on it, they say, "Oh, I don't have any ideas." "If you want to be a performer, you should read some books on acting, draw some storyboards for me to see, and then talk to me. But none of them will make it this far.

When I was younger, I even submitted a letter of resignation to the company, asking "let me do the show, or I won't do it." Maybe I'm a special type (laughs), but people in my generation were educated by the previous generation. They would tell me, "You kid is not determined enough, you can't do a show like this." ”

Q: Ah, that's right. When I first became a journalist, there was a lot of competition. This may not be the case today.

Yamamoto: I think people's understanding of "**" has changed. Today's young people don't dream of buying a car as we did back then, and that has led to a change in their behavior.

Today's young people deeply believe that reality is very difficult, that some things can predict the result, and that even if they sacrifice something to work hard, it is unlikely that they will achieve their goals, and they give up their dreams at a very early age.

And this unrealizable dream was all entrusted to their idols.

Q: What do you mean is that idols are the ones who work hard instead of others in an era when ordinary people have lost the motivation to work hard.

Yamamoto: I think so. Fans' feelings for idols have gone beyond the level of love, and they entrust their dreams to idols, which is the so-called life. These idols want to make their dreams come true. That's why fans think: On the road to realizing the dreams of idols, our own dreams will also be realized together.

There is a saying that people have said countless times: because idols carry the dreams of so many fans, idols must work hard. And idols are not allowed to fall in love, also because fans feel "I have handed over my life to you, do you still have time to fall in love?" ”

The love of idols is no longer a simple love relationship for fans. Not only do they resent their favorite idols for running away with other people, but they also complain: "You are in love, what about my dreams?" ”

I think that fans see idols as objects that transcend romantic feelings and overlap with a part of their lives.

Guests want to see the "hard work" more than the successful "result"

Yamamoto: So, the "stories" that idols of this era are going to write for their guests are also very different from before.

In the past, idols would be recognized as long as they could let everyone see the cute appearance of twittering. It's better to say that they give people the feeling of being a very ethereal existence that does not eat the fireworks of the world. But in today's Japan, idols must write stories to their fans that they must face even if they are played with by the cruel reality.

Q: Do you have a story of courage to face reality?

Yamamoto: I've already said that the important thing about idols is the "process". And the so-called process is to start from the time when idols can't sell CDs at all, and gradually win support and increase the "story" of fans through desperate efforts.

AKB48 once released a movie called "DOCUMENTRYOFAKB48", which tells the story of their journey and shares their hard work with the guests. Momoiro Clover Z was originally just a street singing in Yoyogi Park. They live in trucks driven by agents and travel all over the country to catch the scene. And now all these hard work and efforts have been passed down as legends.

Q: In other words, the image of an idol that customers want to see now is a hard-working attitude. So when you were making WUG, what did you look for in what you wanted to focus on?

Yamamoto: One of them is that at the beginning of the story, we have to behave well. We want to tell the audience: what is most important in idols. This is "debut". Debut is the core of idols. Guests want to see the moment when their idols debut. After that, it's time to pay attention to the growth of idols. And even if you watch those successful idols performing, it is not easy to resonate. Everyone is hungry for a "beginning".

And when it comes to debut, it is also the starting point of the idol's growth story. That's why "WUG" is very obsessed with the keyword "debut", so I thought about having all the main roles played by newcomers.

Q: Since all the voice actors are new to the company, we need to audition nationwide. It's a big project.

Yamamoto: It's about building the story from the moment you adopt these newcomers. If it is said that it is a story about the establishment of an idol group, then it is not possible to do it without the content of "debut". Artists who have already become famous have no debut to talk about. For the guests, it will also feel that "the 'people inside' who dubbed the characters have their own development track", and then the story is over.

Q: In other words, do you want to make the voice actors who are dubbed and the impression of the anime come together?

Yamamoto: Yes. Especially in the case of WUG, I felt that there had to be a strong connection between anime and voice actors, so I did the same. Having the voice actor debut at the same time as the characters in the story will also increase the convincing power of the customers. This makes the story more thorough.

There is also an important point, which is to show the side of the idol village girl. That is to say, 7 people such as Shimada Mamume can only be regarded as idols at the beginning, but as the story develops, they are able to create a wave in the entertainment industry. They first gathered in a small office in Sendai, and they didn't even have the money to charter a venue for the concert, so they had to go to the street to distribute flyers for the concert themselves.

Let's perform gutter board business

Q: After WUG's debut and before the anime started, you took them all over Japan.

Yamamoto: I asked AVEX to "let them run around the country when the 7-member group of rookie voice actors, WUG, is formed." ”

We spent about two months shaking hands all over the country. Although it does not go to all 47 prefectures, it has reached the point where "as long as there is time, we will hold a handshake party".

After that, under the name of "Touching Love", we will further carry out exclusive activities in the local area. The voice actors of the rival group I-1club, who appeared in the work, also participated in the event, and before I knew it, they had already run around the country many times. In the future, it will be expanded to the point of national tours.

I said to the people at AVEX, "Let's just go into the streets and alleys to do a 'gutter board business'." And WUG's efforts have become a highlight and passed on to the guests.

In particular, WUG used Sendai as a stage, and our original intention was to allow Tohoku to get funding, so we had to go to Sendai. I would like to stress to WUG and other girls that if you are idle in Tokyo, you will never be able to sell CDs. I'm still using that approach to this day.

…… If that's possible, I'd like to have WUG's debut concert with only a few guests, and then the concert location will be in a parking lot or something, which will be enough. But that's not going to work.

Q: When I was talking to Hiroyuki Tanaka, the producer of AVEX (see Tencent Animation's previous report for details), he said that the scene was full from the beginning.

Yamamoto: Hmm. So there's no way around it. As the beginning of the story, this aspect is still a little weaker. Of course, the seven people of WUG can be regarded as having received everyone's favor. Now that information is spreading rapidly, I am afraid that times are different. But after their debut, they also worked hard.

From the walls that emerge from the animation process and must be climbed over

Q: You said that you want WUG to have "only a few people" on the scene when it debuts, but what does that mean?

Yamamoto: Idols can't do without walls that they have to climb over. It's not just idols, if you want to grow, you also need to have a wall worth climbing. If the 7 WUGs want to grow, they need to have a certain degree of difficulty. As voice actors, their difficulty is to learn voice acting skills, singing skills, and dancing skills. After that, it's time to travel around the country.

In the anime, we also set up the characters who stand in front of the main characters as "walls". This is the national idol group I-1club and their producer Toru Shiraki. Then, there is Hayasaka Ai, who is the music producer of WUG.

Shiraki is a ruthless person who will immediately discard children who are not strong, but everything he does is to show the perfect singing and dancing for his guests, and there is nothing logically wrong.

Hayasaka, on the other hand, is moody and acts with emotion. One of the WUG members, a child named Lanzato, was told by Hayasaka that he had no talent, so he considered quitting, but later broke through the crisis with the help of his peers. We set Hayasaka as an existence where "my role is to wait for you to transcend."

Q: This is a story that has existed for a long time.

Yamamoto: We're also quite persistent in this area. Even if WUG is a group of village girls, we have to portray their humanity well.

In today's era, even the more rustic characters in TV dramas can be accepted by the audience. As for animation, I think the number of customers who can accept this is also increasing, right?

Q: From the director's impression, do you think that some more rustic TV dramas have been recognized?

Yamamoto: Yes. For example, in terms of the order in which TV dramas are broadcast, "Housewife Mita" in 2011 once set a record of ratings exceeding 40%. Later, "Little Sea Girl" was also well received as a story about a local idol. And then it's "Naoki Hanzawa". This is already a revenge drama. tells the ups and downs of life. The characters love and hate clearly, and there are some problems, but they are still loved by the audience. I wonder if this is a sign of a post-earthquake trend.

Q: I see.

Yamamoto: Idol dramas such as "Love Story" are decreasing now. And some works with character shortcomings and distinctive personalities have achieved very good data.

In terms of animation, works with the theme of "working hard" have also received support from everyone. In the past, everyone used to relax and escape from reality by watching stories of beautiful girls chattering, but after the earthquake, reality has become so harsh that it is beyond the boundaries of "you can escape by watching anime".

And it's hard for guests to get emotionally attached to stories that just tell dreams.

Data is a priority, but I want to bring something to my guests that is more than just data

Yamamoto: ...... As I said before, I lost the motivation to animate at one point. In fact, this is also related to the fact that the animation industry has been too much concerned with sales figures, which is the so-called "result". There is now a trend of making works from the point of view of expected sales.

Of course, I know that data is important. But now it's happening that in order to create data, from the time the production crew is assembled, only the elements that sell the disc are absorbed, and everything that has nothing to do with it is removed. Is that going too far?

Q: In addition to asking customers to accept their works, creators must have the urge to make works with such a theme.

Yamamoto: Yes. Of course, it would be nice to be accepted by guests under such a premise. We don't try to make something unflattering, but I think that if you want to make a work, you have to be able to embody the creator's claim.

Q: What exactly does the director's proposition mean?

Yamamoto: In other words, I want to tell the audience what message and theme this work wants to reflect. I'm a person who looks at animation from this point of view, so if I don't reflect the work that I claim, it's still insufficient.

I said that "idols are the existence of process", and when I made "WUG" this time, I wanted to carve out a "outlet" that belonged to me in the current trend of animation pursuing data and consequentialism.

The main characters are all rookie voice actors, and they are obviously idol works, but they don't seem to shine very brightly, and they are full of village girl. And Mr. Nao Konoka, who is in charge of the design, is probably the first time to use his original painting to compete for the outcome. From a market perspective, I'm afraid this is a difficult project to pass.

It's just that numbers are also an unavoidable "reality" for us as makers, and just like the twists and turns of the plot of the work, we have also encountered a test in this regard. It's not easy to face a wall called reality at the animation production site.

Director Hiroshi Yamamoto's original work "WakeUp, Girls! The project is not small in terms of scale, and the main voice actors of the work are also 7 newcomers selected through national auditions. The theatrical version of WakeUp, Girls! "Idol of the Seven" was released at the same time as the broadcast time of the TV anime. This also led to a very tight animation production cycle, and Uncle Kuan also called that difficulty "hell" when he recalled.

Uncle Kuan once brought a spring whirlwind to anime fans in "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya", and he also "fell to the bottom" at one point, wanting to give up his work in animation, and with "WakeUp, Girls! As the mentality of the last work, he participated in the production. But when he saw the animation production scene that was like "hell", why did he rekindle his fighting spirit? In the interview in the second part, these mysteries will be revealed!

Hope to break through "reality"

Q: In WakeUp, Girls! It seems that director Yamamoto wants to connect the work with reality, right? How do you approach this when creating animation?

Yamamoto: Like the voice actors, I want the characters in the anime to be able to break through the harsh reality in front of them. And the whole plot revolves around such a theme. For this reason, some plots that look vulgar have also been programmed into the animation. For example, in the second episode of the anime, WUG is deceived by a rogue producer and harassed by a group of uncles in a banquet hall, and encounters a very embarrassing situation.

Q: Such a beautiful girl character encountered a male ** in the animation, this kind of plot arrangement gives people a sense of impact, after all, in a shallow animation, such a performance technique is rare. I was surprised, too.

Yamamoto: I think there will be a lot of people who feel the same way as you. Someone once asked me, "Why do they have to do such a dirty thing when they are all idols!" "In other words, why do I have to confront girls with such an unfortunate thing in the story?

But in fact, if you are in a place like the entertainment industry, then you will experience this kind of unpleasant thing. I think that encountering this kind of thing is actually just a part of the daily life of idols, and idols are just ordinary people, and it is impossible to be as perfect as fireworks without eating the world.

Animation is in a sense a fantasy story, but I don't like the portrayal of the characters in a form of "pure fiction". In WakeUp, Girls! In the 7 protagonists led by Mamuto Shimada, they need to be able to break through the difficult reality. That's what I want to portray anyway. This kind of mentality is equivalent to my "proposition" for my work.

Q: In a previous interview, you said that your work must reflect the creator's ideas. So for director Yamamoto, is it advocating that "even the dark side be exposed" in the work?

Yamamoto: Yes. Not only the good side, but also the dirty side. I think people need to be turbid to make people full. Even if it is an empty story, if the characters are to be able to stand on the earth as "people", then some problems must be exposed. Covering up the rancid stuff is a thing you should never do. At least that's what I think.

Even ordinary people who live their daily lives are constantly experiencing ups and downs. In other words, this work is not a fictional story, but tells us that life will encounter pain. Even I, as an animator myself, have tasted the taste of falling to rock bottom.

The frustration tasted through Fractal

Yamamoto: As I mentioned before, before the earthquake, we were in a state of depression. In fact, when I was the director of "Fractal", I suffered a major setback.

Q: What kind of frustration is that?

Yamamoto: This work was beaten to the point by "Internet evaluation". On the Internet, there is a kind of "Uncle Kuan is inciting our emotions!" We can't be fooled by him, we have to kill him! Defeat Fractals once and for all! Something like that. And this vibe eventually led to a "great" sales figure for the work. I've been devastated yet.

In fact, for this work, there are many people who say, "I like it the most". It's also very popular in the U.S. But the cries of people who love works are completely swallowed up by the tide of bad reviews, and they can't reach my ears at all.

Q: After that, you started your journey again with WUG?

Yamamoto: Yes. Just as I was thinking about giving up, an earthquake struck around the same time. Then I realized that it was not time for me to continue making anime, but that the whole of Japan was in the midst of a major crisis. Then I searched for something I could do and tried all sorts of things...... But as a result, I found that the most fruitful thing I could achieve was animation.

If this is the last opportunity, then I hope to do my best to recover from the bottom and "double down" to reality as a performer. Because of this, I am also desperately trying to recharge and improve myself.

The animation production site was made panicked by "bad comments on the Internet".

Yamamoto: Considering that WUG is a completely original work, we took on various challenges. In the field of animation, I want to create works that ask questions of society.

Q: You said that you have taken into account the element of asking questions to society in your work? What is this for?

Yamamoto: This is related to the reason why I wanted to give up animation for a while. I really mind the development of animation production in the last 10 years or so. As I mentioned earlier, some people on the internet don't get anyone else to touch it because they hate my work. This kind of thing can easily happen on the animation set.

When it comes to animation, people prioritize gaining market share, thinking, "Add this element and animation will be accepted; Not with that." This kind of deadly detailing, as eye-catching as possible, makes the animation slowly become not for the audience, but purely for the benefit of the game.

There is no way around this. At present, the animation production site is very afraid of "bad comments on the Internet". On the Internet, bad things are often exaggerated and spread, and once some bad rumors appear, it will quickly change the entire public opinion environment like adding fuel to the fire. People like me have been horribly attacked, so I can feel the horror firsthand.

In animation conferences, people are sprayed on the Internet in order not to anime, so no matter what, a defense or prevention mechanism is built. For example, "Don't do this kind of content, don't do that kind of content, otherwise you may get burned" and so on. However, if this continues, both the quality of the staff and the quality of the work will be greatly reduced.

Q: Because we are afraid of complaints from our customers, we are now deleting as much controversial content as possible...... I've heard a lot about similar topics from people in other industries. Not only animation production, but also various industries in this era make sense.

Yamamoto: I think that's the case. In fields such as animation, it is easy to link people's word-of-mouth and reviews to ratings and product sales, so this issue is particularly important. So, I went into production with the mindset that "I'm going to use WUG to change the current trend in the animation industry."

We have established a general policy for the WUG project. When choosing a production staff, if someone says, "I can't accept this kind of performance, don't do it," then I won't hire him. In order not to create some unnecessary entanglements in the production, it is better to exclude this factor from the beginning.

Q: In WakeUp, Girls! In it, the idols don't give people a sense of superiority, so the audience has a kind of "want to cheer them on" for the characters and voice actors. What kind of work have you put into this to achieve this effect?

Yamamoto: I call this a "hyperlink." Make the character and the voice actor have a close connection, deep link together, and give the impression that the two are common. In this way, it is easy for anime fans to accept. Once the voice actor was selected for the audition, we changed the character's name accordingly. In addition, we have made it possible for you to see the voice actors attending classes and participating in exclusive events in reality, and the scenes are reflected in the anime by the characters.

Q: It's not that the voice actors appear as anime characters, but rather that they are not the same, but they always feel similar in some places. I think it's really interesting that both the voice actors and the characters fit the main line of "newcomers are growing".

Yamamoto: I've been aware of the problem of linking animation to reality for a long time. Personally, the biggest opportunity was the exclusive event called "Suzumiya Haruhi's Thrill".

I also participated in the production of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" as an animator, and on the "Thrilling" stage, the five main voice actors, including Aya Hirano and Minori Chihara, danced "Good Mood on a Sunny Day", which is called a "group dance". While the voice actors were dancing, the full version of "Good Mood on a Sunny Day" was broadcast on the big screen behind them, which I co-designed.

The moment you see this scene, you can experience the intersection of the virtual and the real in full synchronization between the voice actor and the anime, and you have the wonderful feeling of not knowing which one is real and which one is virtual. I think this synchronization technique is very novel, and I think it works and has a trick. Since then, I have been actively using the technique of synchronizing animation and reality in other works such as "Lucky Star". Perhaps "keeping the animation as close to reality as possible" is also a personal theme for me.

Salvation in "Hell".

Yamamoto: With that, I started a new challenge. That's not a bad thing in itself...... But there were a lot of troubles on the production site. The difficulties we have encountered can be called hell.

I almost had 3 or so times and the whole body collapsed. In other words, I had the idea of running away from the anime scene three times. I was thinking, "I want to run, don't do this kind of thing anymore, really, I want to run crazy...... I can't do it anymore...... I can't continue......"

I feel like I've reached a certain limit both physically and mentally, and the whole company is almost in the same pain. I even discussed with the staff: It's better to stop doing this kind of thing, okay? Shut up the company and go to Osaka to find some other job? In short, the whole person is full of uneasiness. Of course, I continued to do it. But at some point, I was driven to such a dead end.

Q: From a layman's point of view, this is indeed a very difficult project. The work is original, 7 voice actors audition to select the newcomer, and the TV version and theatrical version are produced while preparing for the newcomer's debut performance......

Yamamoto: Oh, but yes. I want to be able to do everything well. I want to be able to show WUG perfectly and have the right to "ask questions" to society.

If this project is really very complete, then my mood will be completely different. But I think it's my own doing, and I've made too many oolongs. I couldn't keep up with the production schedule, and I couldn't be satisfied with the animation. These things make my bowels remorse. More than half of the bad comments about WUG are because of me. There's really no way.

Q: You said that you also had a lot of difficulties when making WUG, and you even wanted to run away at that time. But in such a situation, what is the reason why you insisted on making your work public? If there's anything you've learned from a major setback, tell us about it.

Yamamoto: ...... This may be an excuse for self-comfort, and we can't judge whether it is a blessing or a curse just from the "result". It's because we're in hell that we're in a hellish situation that we're growing, and I think we're in the throes of growing up right now. This is also related to what I said earlier, which is that "you can't just care about the result".

What made me think this was the enthusiasm of the guests. On the Internet, no matter how many people squirt at "Uncle Kuan" when they talk about WUG, no matter how bleak the numbers on the questionnaire are...... There are still a lot of enthusiastic fans who shout "I won't give in!" I'm going to cheer for WUG! "This is also reflected in some of the product's sales figures. From a business perspective, WUG barely survived.

If I had been accompanied by these enthusiastic guests, I would not have pursued the results of the data, but would have passed on the efforts of the staff who had worked hard in hell to them, and we could only work hard in the "process".

Q: In other words, what you value is the process of struggling on the production set. And this kind of hard work is ultimately reflected in the business aspect.

Yamamoto: Among the various figures, the largest proportion is the number of viewers mobilized for WUG's voice actor events and the sales of related goods. The movements of the seven idols have fully attracted the attention of fans. It's been less than a year since they were publicly revealed, but I think it's rare to be able to attract such an audience. They have been invited to be guests on various programs. There is also a considerable number of audiences gathered at the concert.

Q: Producer Tanaka of Ibex told me that the venue for WUG's first concert was a venue with a capacity of about 2,000 people, but there were more than 6,000 applications.

Yamamoto: Yes. The rookie voice actor who had just debuted was able to have an audience of 6,000 people at that time. So if there were a little more people, wouldn't it be able to reach the level of the Budokan Hall? It makes me very happy.

The staff was attracted to the idol project

Q: What was the reaction from the production staff?

Yamamoto: MONACA, the company to which Akira Kamizen belongs, who is in charge of music production, sent young people such as Hidekazu Tanaka, Keiichi Hirokawa, and Kunyuki Takahashi, and they made a lot of catchy songs for us.

We got along very well with each other, and occasionally we went over for a drink while discussing with them, and the young people said they were happy. I think it's great to be able to give young people an opportunity to create.

In addition, it will be very lively when discussing the works, with about 250 people coming in the first round of discussions, and about 70 people in the second round of discussions. By the third time, there were still 20 people. We discussed from night to dawn. This is the first time in my experience that so many animation staff members have participated in the discussion.

Of course, since the animation scene was like hell, I was able to relax a little after stepping out of the scene. Anyway, the work is finished, and I think I have more of a sense of relief from hell in my heart.

Q: In a previous interview with Producer Tanaka of Ibex, he also said that all the staff, including the production committee, have a team spirit and have injected a lot of enthusiasm into the work. So what does Director Yamamoto think is the reason for this?

Yamamoto: I sometimes get into fights with the staff, but I think it's a story about idols, so everyone was hooked, right? We all have the feeling of being an idol producer and moving forward with idols. Not only the guests, but also our producers feel the same way.

Animators usually depict works that are in the air, and being able to connect with idols that exist in reality also makes them feel very fresh. Some of the producers were fascinated by WUG's seven voice actors, and it seems that WUG also embodies the spirit that encourages everyone to cheer up. I got the motivation to continue working in animation by making WUG myself.

People can pick themselves up again

Yamamoto: Some staff members often say, "If you think about it, WUG is a very old-fashioned approach." "Well, that's it. That's what I made it with.

Q: What do you think is typical of the old-fashioned approach?

Yamamoto: The amount of information, the drama, and the agitation of the big ups and downs. The protagonists fall to the bottom, are deceived by evil adults, and so on. Of course, there are also the frequent internal disputes, and there is always no agreement between each other. "Since it is a fall, then fall to the deepest abyss." This is retro.

As long as I can remember, I was a kid who loved watching TV, and the kids who lived in the '80s often watched the works of Daiei Pictures Co., Ltd. Works such as "Stewardess", "Ponytail Girl Never Looking Back", and "Janus's Mirror" have had a great influence on me. WUG incorporates the essence of this kind of big TV series, and through this method, I have also achieved a return to the original point.

Q: Back to square one?

Yamamoto: Yes. By making a work that incorporated the content I loved as a child, I was able to clarify what I liked and what I wanted to do. In a good sense, I changed my attitude. I guess I have made some kind of realization.

That's what, although I'm not Yasujiro Ozu (a well-known Japanese director who focuses on small citizen films that focus on the daily lives of ordinary people. masterpiece "Tokyo Story"), but he can also be regarded as a "tofu shop owner". If you say to a person in a tofu shop, "Now that the curry is selling well, you should make the curry", then you can't do it. That's probably what it means.

What I understand as "tofu" is a work with a theatrical style like WUG. Although it seems a little old-fashioned, the plot is full of ups and downs, and the protagonist also experiences ups and downs. Such a story that reflects human nature also exposes the dark side of people. And I realized once again that I could only make this kind of work, and I wanted to make this kind of work.

Q: In other words, you've gone from being frustrated with animation to wanting to animate.

Yamamoto: Yes. The starting point of this WUG was to "regain the story" of the revitalization of Tohoku and Japan. And by making such works, I was able to reinvigorate myself as a result.

WUG's anime is about 7 girls in Sendai with the theme of "WakeUp, Girls!" But if you want to emphasize the core theme of this work, it should be said that "all seven of them have suffered some kind of setback and have their own ideas". And their behavior of rising up from setbacks and taking the first step again is also in line with the theme of "reinvigorating".

The protagonist Shimada Mamu has a saying that he likes very much: "In order for others to be happy, you must first make yourself happy." If you want to benefit others, you must first affirm yourself. This sentence also resonated in my heart.

Q: What kind of animation do you hope to create in the future?

Yamamoto: I'm 40 years old, and I thought, "I'll be able to work as a director for another 10 years or so." And for the limited time I have, first of all, I hope to be able to make WakeUp, Girls! Continue. Continue this work as much as possible, and if you have time to spare, shoot a few more things, and then close the store. I want to fight with such mental preparation. In addition, I want to follow through on my original intentions. I want everyone to know, "Yamamoto Kan is a man who can only make tofu."