The TV animated version of "The Battle of Arslan" has been officially launched. This work tells the story of the battle that takes place in the turbulent and turbulent historical period of many characters led by the protagonist Arslan, and has attracted a large number of fans since the time of the original novel.

In 2013, a manga version drawn by Hiroshi Arakawa, the author of "Fullmetal Alchemist" and "Silver Key", began to be serialized in "Bessho Shonen Magazine". This TV anime version is based on the manga version. This magnificent epic fantasy masterpiece has attracted the attention of the majority of netizens before it was broadcast.

In the following interview, animation supervisor Kiyuki Abe will slowly tell you the behind-the-scenes story of the work.

- First of all, tell us about how you became the overseer.

Abe: When I was working on my last film, I was contacted by a staff member who knew me at LIDENFILMS, who knew me, and told me the news. Of course, I've heard of "The Battle of Arslan" before, "I'm going to do animation again!" "I was a little surprised. Actually, I didn't know I was drawing a manga version at the time. However, when I heard that Mr. Arakawa had made this work a comic, he immediately approved the project. From the standpoint of an ordinary fan, this is really a work that people are looking forward to.

――Since the original work is a masterpiece with many fans, do you feel a lot of pressure as the supervisor of the anime version?

Abe: In the works of Mr. Tanaka (Yoshiki), there are many characters with distinct personalities in "The Legend of the Galactic Heroes". "The Battle of Arslan" is also the work of Mr. Tanaka, and it also has this feature, and of course it will be very hard in terms of quantity, and it will make me feel pressured in this aspect.

――What do you think about the 7 p.m. broadcast on Sunday, which is a schedule that many viewers will watch?

Abe: It's true that there are schedules that a lot of people will watch, and there is definitely pressure, but I've done evening and Golden Week works before, so I don't have a special feeling about it. However, no matter which work you do, it's always stressful to start.

――Did Mr. Hiroshi Arakawa and Mr. Yoshiki Tanaka ask for anything?

Abe: Neither of them is a person who will specify "must do this", but I have a lot of questions that I want to ask them, so they come over to read the script every time. This time, Mr. Tanaka said, "I want to make zuò based on Mr. Arakawa's manga version," so we did it in accordance with this policy. The staff of the zuò group also wanted to "directly animate the manga", so the story was developed according to the original work.

- Fans of the original work will be looking forward to it. So to change the topic a little, do you have any precautions for animation performances?

Abe: The most important thing for me is how to express the characteristics of Xiàn characters. There are a lot of charismatic characters in the original work, which is now called "the main character work", so I will pay special attention to this aspect. This is a war record, and female fans may feel a little heavy, but in order to attract this part of the audience, I will try to show the charm of the characters as much as possible.

- I see. A lot of fans are looking forward to the battle scenes. How will the melee between the armies be reproduced?

Abe: This time I made zuò in collaboration with SANZIGEN, so I used a lot of 3D animation. The effect of approaching the army that was not possible in previous years can now be done very easily, so we try not to evade as much as possible, and try to make the battle scene as good as possible. In addition, this game is different from the present.,It's an era where you can't fight at night.,So how can you make a more powerful picture on the premise of fighting in a bright place? Including these big battle scenes, this is where we take great pains.

――Sure enough, 3D is very advantageous when it comes to creating scenes with a large number of people.

Abe: Yes. I can't draw thousands of horses galloping and soldiers fighting by hand, and I have no experience in this area. I'm glad I was able to challenge such an anime this time.

――This is also a historical work, do you have any notes on this?

Abe: I asked two teachers for their opinions on what period of time we can refer to in reality. It is necessary not only to show a sense of "realism", but also to realize that this is actually a fantasy work.

――You also talked about the charm of the characters just now, this is a group drama, what do you pay attention to in this regard?

Abe: The warrior who followed Arslan liked Arslan very much. There is always a homely feel to this work. Therefore, it is necessary for the guests to like the protagonist as well. Although he is just a "mediocre prince", he is not very good at martial arts, nor is he very eloquent, nor is his leadership ability outstanding, but he has a unique charm that can attract others to follow. Then we have to find out what exudes such charm in him. Regarding this charm, you must be careful not to bury it when making zuò. Everyone gradually liked his behavior, showed leadership skills in the process of growing up, and made wise commands. I hope to make a work like this.

- The protagonist Arslan is played by Yusuke Kobayashi. What do you look for most when choosing a voice actor?

Abe: The anime started when Arslan was 11 years old, and he still has a boyish feel, a little unreliable, but a beloved character. On the other hand, Kobayashi didn't debut for a long time, and because he was young, he could make people feel his potential. It can be overlapped with Arslan's upbringing. From my personal experience, the lead actor is like this in many cases. For example, in "Grim Reaper", where I supervised, the protagonist Ichigo was played by Morita (Seiichi), who was still a rookie who had not starred in animation at the time. Sometimes that's what makes it successful. Of course, you have to have other mature voice actors on your side.

――Will other voice actors be aware of this?

Abe: Well, we'll try to steer in that direction.

――Next, tell us about the highlights of Episode 1.

Abe: Episode 1 is mainly about daily life, and this is the only episode in the entire series. In this episode, we will introduce the positions of the main characters who will appear in the future, and also show the characteristics of the royal capital Yekbadana. Then it is necessary to let the protagonist Arslan understand the outside world, and inspire him to think about the problem of slavery that will play a heavy role in the future. This was the encounter with the enemy Rusidanian Boys. The foreshadowing of this episode can make the cruel reality he faces in the future more realistic, and I hope everyone can enjoy it seriously. Of course, not only that, but there are also battle scenes in it. Try to make it so that everyone can experience the combat style of this work.,I hope you like it.。

- I see. It's really exciting. Next, I would like to ask other people about it. The person in charge of writing the script is Makoto Kamie Zhou, this is your first time working together, right?

Abe: It's the first time. Shang Jiangzhou originally liked "The Battle of Arslan" very much, and he was recommended by the producer, so I trusted him very much. Shangjiangzhou has a lot of work experience, and he is a master of overall planning who is very good at summarizing everyone's opinions. Under his summary, his works are getting better and better.

――There are a total of 3 characters in this time. There are both main and secondary character settings. Is it because there are too many characters on the stage?

Abe: Yes. There are really too many characters. If you only have one character, you'll be exhausted just by drawing the design.

――The main character is set by Shingo Kogiso. Why did you choose him?

Abe: It's like tryouts. Let a few candidates draw them first, and then discuss the decision with the producer and other production members. Almost everyone, including Arakawa-sensei, unanimously chose Kokiso, so he quickly decided.

-- The action supervisor was Tomoshi Kimura. What are the main tasks of an animation supervisor?

Abe: Because the story takes place in an era where guns and swords are used in battles, it is different from the use of Japanese swords. Dalong has a lot of scenes with guns, and it is very difficult to fight with guns and swords. So most of the storyboard revisions in these places were left to Kimura to do.

――The fight scenes are not only gorgeous, but also have moves.

Abe: Yes. In the case of swords, the way in which the West holds a sword is different from that of Japan. Holding a sword is different, and the moves are certainly different. Of course, in the limited time, we don't want to be very precise, but we hope to show a certain sense of realism in these details.

-- As you just mentioned, is there a unique way of making "The Battle of Arslan"?

Abe: We put a lot of thought into how to express the charm of the characters. This time, in order to make the characters more prominent, there is an innovation in the way of drawing shadows. From the perspective of performance, it is easier to use a large area to show the shadow when there is light. However, this will guide the character to look a little unfamiliar. This question was raised during a discussion on how to reproduce the style of Arakawa Hiroshi's paintings. Many animators, including Kogi, liked Arakawa-sensei's style of painting and wanted to express it as much as possible, so they came up with that drawing method. Arakawa-sensei's painting style is also a noteworthy place for this work.

――Finally, please tell us once again about the charm of this work. What do you want people to focus on?

Abe: I'm sure people of all ages will come to see this work. Neither those who want to see war scenes nor those who want to see the characters will not be disappointed. Of course, I also hope that fans of Mr. Arakawa, which I have been mentioning, will also like it. Coupled with the fans of the novel, you can have a hunch that the age span of the audience of this work will be very large. Because this is an orthodox war record, it may be a little heavy to broadcast it in the evening, but I still hope that everyone can feel the cute side of the protagonist and make elementary school students like this work. Our goal is to make an animation that both grandparents can watch, and we hope that this wish will come true. Stay tuned.