The theatrical version of the anime "Theatrical Otaku" was officially released in Japan today (August 28). This is also the latest work of the popular TV animation "Speed Otaku", and it is also the first original feature-length theatrical animation of the Ben series.

In the TV anime version, members of the cycling clubs of each school, including Sokita High School and Hakone Gakuen, competed fiercely in the summer national competition, and the ups and downs of the event attracted many fans. In this theatrical version of the anime, the stage of the story shifts to Kumamoto, which is known as the "Land of Fire". After the end of the national competition, summer was coming to an end, and the team members of Sohoku High School's Onoda Slope decided to participate in the "Kumamoto Fire Country Mountain Competition". In addition to the original characters in the theatrical version of the anime, there is also a new character from Kumamoto Taiichi Kumamoto, a local school in Kumamoto, who appears. Different from the TV anime version, another hot event is about to be staged.

In addition, the most topical point of "Theatrical Otaku" is that the original author of the manga, Hang Watanabe, personally created a new script for this work. Therefore, this is a work that should not be missed for both anime fans and fans of the original manga.

In the following interview, Watanabe will talk about why he chose Kumamoto as the stage for the story, topics related to Susumu Yoshimoto's new character, and how he wrote the script. Let's take a look at the story behind the work.

The theatrical version of the anime "Theatrical Otaku" was officially released in Japan today (August 28). This is also the latest work of the popular TV animation "Speed Otaku", and it is also the first original feature-length theatrical animation of the Ben series.

In the TV anime version, members of the cycling clubs of each school, including Sokita High School and Hakone Gakuen, competed fiercely in the summer national competition, and the ups and downs of the event attracted many fans. In this theatrical version of the anime, the stage of the story shifts to Kumamoto, which is known as the "Land of Fire". After the end of the national competition, summer was coming to an end, and the team members of Sohoku High School's Onoda Slope decided to participate in the "Kumamoto Fire Country Mountain Competition". In addition to the original characters in the theatrical version of the anime, there is also a new character from Kumamoto Taiichi Kumamoto, a local school in Kumamoto, who appears. Different from the TV anime version, another hot event is about to be staged.

In addition, the most topical point of "Theatrical Otaku" is that the original author of the manga, Hang Watanabe, personally created a new script for this work. Therefore, this is a work that should not be missed for both anime fans and fans of the original manga.

In the following interview, Watanabe will talk about why he chose Kumamoto as the stage for the story, topics related to Susumu Yoshimoto's new character, and how he wrote the script. Let's take a look at the story behind the work.

――Also, have you actually been to the Kumamoto Route, which is the stage of battle?

Watanabe: Of course I've been there, and I've ridden there. I also gave my opinion on the line of the theatrical version of the anime. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a destination here?" "My recommended location is here." There are also a lot of local scenic spots and bustling locations incorporated into the route. Because this time it was released on the big screen, it must be carefully crafted.

――In your experience riding on the Kumamoto Route, what are some of the best places to recommend?

Watanabe: I was riding and thinking, "It's definitely going to be fun to climb here." "The course set in the theatrical version is based on Kumamoto. But actually, I was riding in the opposite direction in the direction of Kumamoto. When I thought, "It's going to be hard to climb up here," I actually rode downhill. I hope you can pay attention to the difficult course of the race.

――You created the script for the theatrical version yourself, so did you have this draft before, or did you start thinking about it after you decided to make it theatrical?

Watanabe: It's the latter. I don't want to ruin the progress of the manga plot that is being serialized.,In this case,The only chance to bring Sohoku High School and Hakone Gakuen together is the early autumn after the end of the high school national competition.。 I think fans should be looking forward to seeing the riders who participated in the high school national championship continue to ride, so I can't deviate from this main line.

――Is there any difference between manga and anime in terms of storytelling?

Watanabe: In manga, I was thinking about the story while drawing storyboards.

――What are the important elements of the theatrical version?

Watanabe: In "Speed Otaku," the dialogue between the characters is the main thing. So, I think about what kind of conversation will take place between the characters and the characters in what situations. Not only the dialogue in the game, but also the reminiscence scenes will be taken into account. After these conversations are exchanged with the staff including the supervisor, the order of the dialogue is exchanged based on the opinions of the participants, and the tone of the conversation is slightly modified. For me personally, it's a lot of conversation, and I worry about whether I've thought it through, but when I talk to them, they say they think it's "just right." Compared to the TV anime version, the theatrical version really added a lot of information, and I was surprised by the amount of information I had.

-- As you just said, this is a very different way of creating a work.

Watanabe: It's not storyboarding, but the axis of the story is always the competition. I believe that if it is clear what the dialogue is, what the dialogue is, and which team will win, the staff should be able to make something very interesting.

――So, haven't you ever thought about drawing the meaning you want to express directly through the storyboard?

Watanabe: If I do that, my schedule will be very tight, so I didn't think about it. In addition, if you clearly convey your intentions, I'm afraid that it will limit the production of the animation, and it shouldn't be good to interfere too much.

――Is there anything you want to focus on in this script?

Watanabe: It's a new character for Taiichi Kumamoto, Susumu Yoshimoto. He is a strong player who was unable to participate in the high school national competition due to injury, and he will show us his will as a local school player in Kumamoto. In addition, please pay attention to Sakamichi's efforts.

――How did you come up with the character of Susumu Yoshimoto?

Watanabe: There are a lot of funny characters in Kumamoto Taiichi Junior High School (laughs). That being said, the Kumamoto Taiichi players still have goals, history, and practice, and Susumu Yoshimoto is the character I created to portray this. In actual cycling, there are many competitors who are unable to participate due to injury or illness. But in manga and anime, it's not interesting if it's not all in good shape. Still, I've been wondering if adding injured characters to the story would add realism. Just as I was thinking about it, I received the news that the theatrical version of zuò would be made, so I put the injured characters inside. It can be said that Susumu Yoshimoto is a figure who conveys the authenticity of cycling.

――This is the first time that the characters with injuries have appeared. So are there any other characters that have appeared so far that reflect the authenticity of cycling?

Watanabe: Of course there is. For example, in the 15th volume of the original work, Hayato Shinkai appeared, and there was no previous description of the scene of eating food during the game, but in fact, there were many people who did it in the game. That's why I added a "eat in the game" setting to the new character's setting. Then there's Kaneshiro (**), a character who races in sunglasses. Actually, there are a lot of competitors who compete with sunglasses, but if everyone in the manga wears sunglasses, they won't be able to stand out their individuality. So the setting of wearing sunglasses is only for Kaneshiro alone.

――Returning to the topic of Susumu Yoshimoto, in what form does he enter the story?

Watanabe: I wrote in the side story "Speed Otaku Sparebike" that Kumamoto Taiichi is a school that has produced two excellent players, Yoshimoto and Taura. They always get tickets to high school national competitions and train hard to win, but in the end, Yoshimoto's injury is in vain. The game in this game is an event that takes place after the high school national competition, and it is also the final game for the two of them. Therefore, I wanted to portray the two of them sprinting with their last hope in their arms.

――So, if you watch "Speed Otaku Sparebike", you will be able to understand the theatrical version better.

Watanabe: That's right. It's better to have read "Kumamoto Chapter" beforehand...... But the manga hasn't been drawn yet (laughs). In the future, I will continue to release side stories of other characters, not only Kumamoto.

――In the past few years, the female fans of "Speed Otaku" have grown rapidly, did the audience consider the female aspect at the beginning of the series?

Watanabe: No, in the end, it's still a shonen manga magazine, and "Speed Otaku" is also mainly aimed at young men. However, I am really touched by the expansion of the fan base, especially the female fans, which are increasing very quickly. According to a survey, 50% of people buy manga, and 50% of people buy manga, and the activity of women is becoming more and more noticeable. Actually, it is possible to add more female characters to the manga, but I am worried that this will make the male contestants seem to work hard for the girls, and there is a danger that they will deviate from the main story. So, let's let them work hard for their teammates.

――Lately, you've been drawing not only the main manga, but also the anime and the anime, so you've been busy.

Watanabe: I also participated in the Tour de France (laughs). However, rather than feeling tired, I am now looking forward to how the theatrical version of the anime will be received.

- I see. Thank you very much for your time today.