The TV anime version of Yusei Matsui's popular work "Assassination Classroom", which was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha), is currently airing on Fuji TV. It tells the story of a group of students at the end of a crane who are tasked with killing a mysterious creature that threatens the survival of mankind and killing the teacher.

Now, Seiji Kishi, who is the supervisor of the anime version, and Makoto Esu, the composition of the series and the script, have a conversation. Together, the duo will talk about their love for the game and their thoughts about the animated version. Let's take a look.

Holding "JUMP" to promote "Awesome serialization has begun"

- Today, please let the two of you speak freely about the animated version of "Assassination Classroom", and please take care of it.

Kishi (seeing the photographer): Ah, I'm going to take pictures during the interview.

Shangjiangzhou: In that case, let's add some action (slowly stretching out our hand).

Kishi: That's right. We have to keep gesturing (and outstretching out our hands).

- It's weird to shoot like this (laughs)...... Let's get back to the point, the two of you have been paying attention to the serialization of "Assassination Classroom" since very early on, right?

Shangjiangzhou: I was already concerned about it when I first started serializing. I was shocked after reading the first episode. "There's actually such an interesting manga that has started to be serialized!" I'm a well-read manga, and I've rarely come across a work that shocks me, but this one doesn't belong to any one model and uses a completely new idea, which makes me happy. And it's actually serialized in a mainstream magazine like "Weekly Shonen Jump". So, I couldn't help but bring "Weekly Shonen Jump" to the conference room where I was working on the work with Kishi, and said, "There's a big work that has been born," and let everyone watch it.

Kishi: Yes, yes.

Kamieju: After this incident, about a few months later, when the first volume of the monograph was published, I bought the monograph, took it over, handed it to Kishi, and said, "Take it and read it when the first episode is published." But I didn't think about animating it or anything at the time. It's just that I think that such an innovative work, as a supervisor, must take a look at this trip.

Kishi: Well, yes, it's been predestined ever since. It didn't take long to get a job commission from someone who didn't know what was going by, and it went all the way to today.

Start with "bringing out the charm of the original to the fullest".

INTERVIEWER So, what are your two plans for the two of you after you decide to animate?

Kishi: First of all, we held a script meeting to decide on the structure of the entire series, and the first thing we talked about was to "bring out the charm of the original work to the fullest." Because the original work has already set the direction of the story in great detail.

Shangjiangzhou: Yes, there are no loopholes.

Kishi: That's why our primary goal was not to destroy the original work, and we didn't need the original content of the anime, so we made sure that first. However, since it was finally animated, of course, some interesting aspects of the image had to be added.

- Mr. Shangjiangzhou, did you write the scripts for all the episodes this time?

Shangjiangzhou: Yes.

- I actually finished writing it for half a year by myself, which is amazing. Why would you want to do that?

Shangjiangzhou: In the end, it's because I like the original. If you like it so much, of course you have to write it yourself (laughs). And it's more than enough time.

Kishi: In the end, the overall structure is also very good.

INTERVIEWER What are the advantages of writing a script on your own?

Shangjiangzhou: Well, that's it...... There are many places where there will be advantages. For example, there were only 25 students at the beginning, and later it increased to 27, and if several people write it, it is easy to have problems in the management of the characters. The relationships between the characters and the changes in their feelings, including the future plot development of this work, are difficult to summarize with charts. Rather than sharing such complex information with others, it is better to write it yourself faster. If you write it alone, you just need to have an outline in your head. If you work with other scriptwriters, some characters who shouldn't be speaking may speak, or some stories that lead to emotional changes have not yet happened, but the characters have done things that will only happen after they happen, and so on. Normally, reconciling these situations is the work of the series, but in this case, I think it's better for one person to do it.

The entire classroom was completed in 3DCG with residual art style

- Yes, there are so many characters in the scene, it is difficult to coordinate well in just episode 1.

Kishi: This is also true for painting. Animation is a work that is shared by a lot of people, and it's hard to make the drawings drawn by different artists look like a whole. In some cases, it is appropriate to be lazy. For example, reducing the number of characters on the stage, or not moving too much, and adding some static images, can reduce the burden on the company and the production personnel. This is beneficial both for the group and for the company. However, this time, we didn't think about it, and we didn't fear it at all, and the courage of the animation crew to honestly and carefully make an animation that was faithful to the original work is really commendable. The live-action version of this work is also attracting attention, and if you can see the level of the animation production personnel and the advantages of the animation table xiàn form, it will be a great encouragement to our production group. The zuò group is really doing a good job.

Shangjiangzhou: Although the classroom is made of 3DCG, the management and operation of the system are very smooth. All the characters are basically in the classroom, and there are more than 20 characters in one screen at the same time, so it is easy to make mistakes.

Kishi: Yes. In order to avoid drawing mistakes, and to create high-quality TV animations that can be recognized by the audience, it is necessary to make the entire classroom into a 3DCG with a residual art style. In addition, in order to be able to complete this work, the zuò team also put a lot of other thought into it.

- While many companies use 3DCG for layout, few companies use 3DCG as detailed as yours.

Kishi: This is the first time in the Japanese animation industry that 3DCG was used as the background CG in the art style, and the detailed dù was made that could be used directly for shooting. The production staff of "Assassination Classroom" are very low-key, and they usually don't say these words. But other companies are making a big deal of propaganda that the production team of "Assassination Classroom" is too disrespectful of commercial interests. However, it doesn't hurt to say it anyway, and I'm going to announce it loudly: "Assassination Classroom is the industry's first animation to use CG technology!" "This can also prove what I just said, the people who make zuò are very careful and sincere to make zuò.

The "funny" part of the original work must be retained

INTERVIEWER The color of the picture is also very distinctive. Matsui-sensei's color drawings have the feel of watercolor paintings, while the colors of the animations are brighter and darker.

Shangjiangzhou: Yes. The colors are much more vibrant.

Kishi: I used a more vibrant color.

Shangjiangzhou: It can also be said to be a more fashionable color, right?

Kishi: Yes. In order to make the characters more vivid, brighter colors were used. It would have been possible to choose a darker, or more rustic color, but in doing so, it was not only a matter of color, but also the basic approach of animation. If you can completely change the style of your work, you can use dark colors.

Shang Jiangzhou: In other words, if the picture style follows the route of a drama, then all the funny elements must be deleted.

Kishi: Yes. Therefore, in order to make the picture basically conform to the direction of "lively characters", in order to facilitate the adjustment of different situations, it is necessary to expand the scope. Therefore, in the feature film, the color tone can be lowered or increased according to the specific situation.

Shangjiangzhou: We originally planned to keep the "funny" elements in the original work.

Kishi: The "funny" elements, as well as the interesting parts of the characters, have been adjusted from the script stage to try not to cut them down. So on the picture, the work we did this time can be reflected in these aspects.

- The same is true of the previous work "Majin Detective Brain Rodent Nerro", one of the great charms of Matsui-sensei's works is that there are occasionally some "funny" elements in Yan Sù's main drama.

Shangjiangzhou: The funny part and the Yan sù part are all merged in one plot. Adding a funny element whenever you have the opportunity is very much in line with the style of the comics.

Kishi: After the animation, this style will cause some trouble. Matsui-sensei's works often add a little bit of funny things to the grand plot development, which makes me worry about "how to express Xiàn when making an animation". There are many situations that do not conform to the basic rules of animation. However, with the consciousness of "rising to the challenge", I did not delete them. For example, when the character of Eagle Oka appeared on the stage, there was a place that was very difficult to grasp, and funny elements were added to the place where everyone thought "Hey, how can such a place be interspersed with funny". This practice may interrupt the flow of the animation.

Kamieju: However, if you delete these and turn them into ordinary animations, you will destroy the character of Matsuoka-sensei's work.

Kishi: Yes. Although it is possible to create an animation with a simpler structure by removing the funny elements, it is our primary consideration to make 100% use of the beauty of Matsui's original work. Therefore, whether the work is successful or not this time, it is necessary to coordinate the work as a whole at the critical point. No, the difficulty of the work itself is already very high (laughs). We are confident that there will be a way to solve the problem.

The plot is the same as the original, but after watching the anime, I have a different feeling

INTERVIEWER How do you feel about the finished product?

Shangjiangzhou: I only watched episode 3. It's the episode of Akabane Industry. After watching the finished product, I immediately had a premonition that "this show will definitely be popular". After watching the original work, you know that the episode itself is an episode that is very easy to substitute for feelings. I looked at the finished product from the audience's point of view, and I still felt that it was very good. There is not only the tension that should be expected of a visual work, but also the funny place, and the action is very smooth.

Kishi: That's a difficult question to answer. You don't know how well you're doing until you hear what the audience has to say. However, recent viewers always keep their distance and wait and see for a while after the anime airs. It's a bunch of very scary people who have been trained. So I'll have to wait a while to know if it's done well (laughs). In this regard, it was only recently that I was able to determine the level of the work from the audience's evaluation.

Shangjiangzhou: The part of the school trip is around the 7th episode, and the audience should be able to watch this work with peace of mind and pleasure.

Kishi: yes. This kind of atmosphere will be created around Episode 7. Episode 7 is perfect for anime. If you directly move the style of the manga version to the anime, it will become too heavy.

Shang Jiangzhou: Yes, yes. Mr. Matsui is very good at portraying bad boys.

Kishi: So if you animate it directly, it will be heavier than a manga that you can read one frame at a time.

INTERVIEWER The places that were swept away in the manga will become more impressive when they are anime, because of the relationship between motion and sound effects. This happens from time to time.

Kishi: Yes, because I can't control the reading time, I will have a more spicy impression and a deeper heart. Therefore, although the content of the story of the 7th chapter of the school trip is the same as the original, after adjustment, the audience will have a different feeling when watching it.

Shang Jiangzhou: Instead of focusing on portraying delinquent teenagers, we want to highlight the activity of the students and the sense of exhilaration when the tide of battle is reversed.

Kishi: As long as we pass this hurdle, the audience should be able to rest assured.

Shangjiangzhou: Not only this work, but when we made the animation, whenever we met a bad boy or a bearded uncle, we would uncontrollably deepen this character. Because it makes people happy (laughs). The previous generation of viewers could accept this practice of the zuò group, but the current audience is too strict. What they want to see is the activity of the main character. This must always be remembered. Episode 7 has undergone a lot of revisions at the script stage.

Kishi: Yes, yes. If you compare the original work with the anime, you will find that there are many differences. But they do the same thing. It's hard work to reconcile these two aspects, but it's still fun (laughs).

Kamie Chau: This was one of the most interesting things when I decided to make this work. It is necessary to retain the story and style of the original work, but also to be a good TV show.

──I hope you can compare this interview after reading it.

Kishi: yes. However, if we don't say it, maybe no one will notice.

Jun Fukuyama who took off his shirt and performed in a vest

INTERVIEWER I'd like to ask you some questions about voice actors. Killing the teacher is an important character with a distinct personality, how was the voice actor chosen?

Kamie Chau: I thought it would be difficult, but Lerche's producer Yui Higa thought it would be wise to have Jun Fukuyama audition.

Kishi: The moment he opened his mouth at the audition, I thought, "That's amazing!" There's no need to choose anymore.

Shang Jiangzhou: He himself is also very enthusiastic. When I was recording officially, I suddenly took off my shirt and wore only a vest.

Kishi: It's really amazing. It's funny, it's so strong (laughs).

Shangjiangzhou: Seeing this scene, Kishi said, "Not only is his acting good, but we also like his enthusiasm." The place that makes people feel stupid is also attractive.

Kishi: Auditioning makes us feel that he is interesting, and that is a testament to his drive. In addition, Fukuyama already has a lot of talent, which is also important. Because Mr. Kill has also mastered a lot of talents, and has high requirements for the actors, if it is not a person with superb skills, I am afraid it will be difficult to be competent.

Shang Jiangzhou: Killing teachers is not just fun. Sometimes it's cool, and you have to have acting skills that make the audience feel like "doing cool things with a funny voice." It's a one-of-a-kind choice that only he can do.

Kishi: It's hard to come across someone like that. So lucky. He performed freely in the studio.

Shangjiangzhou: Fukuyama's storage is enough to enhance the strength of the film.

Kishi: You can improve the quality of your work. Thank you very much to him. As long as the voice actors are active, everyone in the scene will feel relaxed. Thanks to Fukuyama, the atmosphere in the studio has become even better, and the heaviness and rigor that is characteristic of large-scale zuò suddenly collapses. His contribution to the work is too great. Therefore, the more large-scale the work, the more the leading actor should be a light-hearted person.

The dark part is just right for Nagisa

- Among the main lineup, Mai Togami, who starred as Nagisa Shiota, was also impressive. She also played the important role of Iona in the two of you's "Arpeggios of Blue Steel".

Kishi: Yes. Because of fate, we cooperated again this time. Nagisa is a boy, but she looks very feminine on the outside, so what kind of voice should it be? Everyone was muttering and thinking. In the end, it was decided that it would be better to let a female voice actor express the voice of a teenager. Still, we wanted a little bit of pure sexiness. So who should you ask for? Later, I thought of Igami.

Shang Jiangzhou: The most important point is the darkness in her voice. When I was doing "Arpeggios of Blue Steel", I still remember Kishi saying when he met Yugami, "This kid is so dark." I hope that the next work can make full use of this characteristic of hers. (laughs)

Kishi: yes, I did say that (laughs).

Shang Jiangzhou: The delicate humanity hidden in her is just in line with Nagisa's performance. Kishi was really right.

Kishi: People with complex personalities can make better performances.

Shangjiangzhou: Yes, yes. Since you want to play a certain role, you should also have a certain depth and interest. The other voice actors in "Assassination Classroom" are all interesting people.

- I also want to ask a small question, it is also interesting to let the real Fat Tiger (Kimura Pleiades) play a person who bullies others like Fat Tiger.

Kishi: It was also Higa producer who first came up with the idea. In fact, after doing this, I found that it was too suitable.

Shangjiangzhou: There is no sense of disobedience at all. However, in order to prevent everyone from misunderstanding, I would like to say that the reason why producer Higa recommended Kimura was not because of the fat tiger, but because of his impression of the role of his brother Takakura Guanye in "Rotary Penguin Jar". He felt that that unique style should be a good fit for the character of Ryoma Terasaka. That's what he's meant to be.

Kishi: Yes, yes.

Kamie Chau: In terms of casting, more than half of them were the inspiration of Higa producers, and the other was the professional advice of Kishi and Iida Rieki's sound supervisors. This casting was very difficult, and it was done thanks to Iida.

Comedy films are more suitable for long-term airing

- Emi Ogata, who starred in Camp Horibe, has been appearing a lot in the works of the two of them lately.

Kishi: I'm really close to her. She, like Fukuyama, shocked me as soon as she opened her mouth.

Shang Jiangzhou: That's right.

Kishi: She's the camp in everyone's minds (laughs)!

Shang Jiangzhou: There's no need to choose, she's the camp (laughs).

INTERVIEWER Finally, please tell us about the highlights of Part 2.

Kishi: Part 2 is the story of the second semester after the summer vacation.

Kamie Chau: Based on my experience of doing so many animations, funny works are more suitable for long-term broadcasting. The love of the staff is gradually rising, and the works are getting better and better. Finally, the quality of the picture will also improve. So I'm really looking forward to the second half. The more you get to the later stage, the harder it will be, but the finished product will be more interesting. I have a kind of teaser that I think this work will allow me to see the "miracle" of the birth of such a masterpiece again.

Kishi: I feel like I can make something more interesting than planned.

Shang Jiangzhou: All the people involved in "Assassination Classroom" are bent on making a masterpiece. It's a lot of motivation.

Kishi: And there are live-action films.

Shangjiangzhou: Please go and cheer for the live-action version.

Kishi: No, no, we should actually say, "I hope that everyone who goes to the movie will pay attention to the anime."

Shang Jiangzhou: yes. Please support both works.

- I look forward to "Sonic Ninja" (a drama within a play in "Assassination Classroom") as soon as possible!

Kishi: Ahahaha! Thank you (laughs).