Seiji Kishi, a well-known animation director who has released many popular works, has won praise from many fans for his unique creative style. And the new animation "Assassination Classroom", which was launched in January, has also become one of the recent topic works. So for director Seiji Kishi, who attaches great importance to the worldview of his works, how did he show his characteristics in "Assassination Classroom"? Recently, a Japanese media conducted an exclusive interview, let's take a look!

The encounter with the original is a fateful arrangement!?

"My first encounter with Assassination Classroom was after the first volume of the work was released. At that time, the scriptwriter Kamie Zhou Makoto suddenly sent the book over, saying, "This manga is very interesting, I hope you can read it too." I rarely saw him recommend works like this, so I started reading it right away. First of all, I was surprised by the setting of the work: a superhuman creature and a plot to kill the teacher. So I was immediately attracted to such a work with a dark humorous atmosphere. At that time, I had not yet taken over this work, and I was just enjoying the work as a reader. Some time after that, about a year and a half ago, someone from Fuji TV came to me and told me about animation. It's really very accidental. It's fate. Of course, I also recommended Kamie Zhou, who introduced me to this work, to work on the script of the work. ”

"Assassination Classroom" is set in a junior high school. One day, the superhuman creature that blew up the moon and threatened to destroy the earth in 1 year came to the 3rd year E class as the class teacher. In addition, the students of Class E were ordered by the Japanese government to assassinate this superhuman creature and "kill the teacher" before graduation......

This teenage assassination drama maintains a wonderful balance between the non-everyday and the everyday. And after the animation, the audience found that the work almost recreated the effect of the original. So what does the director think about this?

"When I was in charge of the system, I completely broke down the design of the work and reinterpreted it in order to understand it as much as possible. In this way, it is clear what the original work and Mr. Matsui want to express Xiàn. Therefore, I hope that the original world view will not be destroyed, and the work will be faithfully expressed. In addition, without destroying the flavor of the original work, I also incorporated the characteristics that should be used in the video work. In addition, as far as the video works are concerned, I also took into account the expressive power of the sound when designing them. ”

The method of switching time shows the director's personality

Although it is a work that faithfully expresses the flavor of the original work, it can also be seen in the unique methods of director Seiji Kishi.

"Depending on the work, the depiction technique must be changed. However, if you are an observant person, you can tell at a glance that this is my work. Reflection is an art of time. I feel that there is a unique sense of time in my editing approach, such as how to perform the performance, how long to put together the story, and so on. That's one of the characteristics of my directing. For example, in the "Blue Steel Battleship" series, I used a looser scale in terms of storyboarding. In order to show off the huge battleships and submarines, I also made the storyboard look more atmospheric. Of course, this is only the basic requirement of imaging technology. ”

So when should the image be switched? If you are too obsessed with your work, you will often overlook the problem of switching storyboards. However, the splitting technique of the storyboard can also reflect the color of the work. So even if I consciously show some changes, I will unconsciously reflect my personality in them.

To put it more simply, it means that the storyboard switch should be matched with the performance of the music. So should you switch to the tempo? Or is it deliberately deviating from the music? When you watch the works of director Seiji Kishi, you should be able to feel his unique "color".

The team that supports the director is also distinctive

On the other hand, if you pursue the color that a director should have, then you will also have characteristics in organizing the staff. The director and the team are inseparable.

"Screenwriter Kamie Chau, sound director Riki Iida, and others who participated in the production of "Assassination Classroom" have all worked with me on many works. And their personalities also influence the work. Shangjiangzhou is characterized by the rhythm of the characters' dialogues, the charm of the characters generated from the rhythm, and the sensibility and cognition of entertainment elements. All of this will make the work more shiny. Iida is a person who has an excellent ability to read works and can design music logically. He is able to link music to the idea of a story, and express Xiàn feelings and connotations in a musical way. I basically judge things entirely on my own experience, and Iida is like a computer, and sometimes it's like a natural shaky S...... No, all in all, it is to have sharp analytical skills. There are also many other staff members who take care of me in various works, and in general, they are people with strong understanding and technical skills. I trust them and can lean my back on them. ”

Once you become an animation director, you have to have a staff of hundreds of people running it. Then the staff who are worthy of the new arrivals are very valuable. It is precisely because of the staff who can dig deep into the connotation of the work together that there is a director today.

Meet the monsters who will decide your career

From comedy-style works to serious battle movies. Director Seiji Kishi's field of expression is very wide. And this kind of evocative image creation technique was actually taught by himself.

"Seriously, I want to be a director who can draw. It's like a type like Mr. Miyazaki. But the moment I entered the animation college, I found that I was surrounded by talented people. After that, the company I joined was also a group of people who drew like monsters. Since I still wanted to be a director, I taught myself how to make videos when I was a student. After joining the company, I always put myself in the shoes of a director. I read a lot of books and watched mountains of movies. And what I learned from it also allows me to confirm it the next time I look at the work. I construct the timeline to understand the meaning of compositional balance, the structure of the story, the meaning of color, lighting ratio, the theme of the scene, etc...... There's no end to that. Anyway, I use guò to break down the image and watch the work. ”

When the director was a child, he used to watch TV animations such as "Little Double Heroes". When he was an adolescent, he was deeply influenced by director Mamoru Oshii and Hayao Miyazaki. But just because I like animation, I'm afraid it's not something you can do with a single tendon.

"If you want to be a director, you have to keep raising your hand and saying, 'I hope I can make zuò'. This is a very rare thing. And once you really make a work, it is even more rare. I think other people must be thinking, 'This guy is arguing to death' (laughs). ”

"Bright youth" makes people envious, jealous and hateful!!

Director Kishi has an enthusiastic attitude towards video and entertainment works, but he used to be a kid who hated going to school. And although he has produced many youth works, he is still far from "present".

"I didn't experience the kind of 'bright youth' that everyone spends unknowingly. is like the combination of friends that appeared in "Persona 4", which makes me can't help but envy and hate. Wouldn't it be nice if I could have that experience too...... I feel a strong sense of resentment (laughs). However, it is precisely because of this that I was able to take over so many youth-themed works. The feelings of regret, loneliness, and pain are all directly reflected in the work, and in this way, the feeling of brightness is also reflected in it. If I had experienced this kind of youth myself, I wouldn't have been able to draw it well. It's because of that dark past that I find the dark humor of "Assassination Classroom" very comfortable. Although it is a bright youth, it is carrying out an 'assassination'. If I can show you this dark feeling, it will be satisfying. ”

Although the director modestly said: The reason why he was able to depict bright youth was only because of a powerful resentment. However, this is not the case, he fully grasps the sense of distance between modern young people and others.

He analyzed that the brightness of modern young people can be reflected in "expanding interpersonal relationships more down-to-earth and desperately maintaining such relationships". And see through this dangerous balance. In this way, this insight is reflected in the work, which resonates with many people.

"Assassination Classroom" directed by Seiji Kishi is presented in front of everyone in the form of further seeing through the essence of the work. So how will the animation end? Let's wait and see.