Yuasa on Hara - from Yasuki Hamano's Keiichi Hara book

 “I Want to Learn Emotional Direction”
Interview with Masaaki Yuasa by Yasuki Hamano
March 2005
from the book "Animation Director: Keiichi Hara" edited by Yasuki Hamano

[Machine translated using Google Translate, DeepL as well as some rudimentary Japanese knowledge and additional research. May not be 100% accurate although I'm confident the gist is generally correct.]

Working with Director Hara

My first time working with Hara was on the TV anime “Esper Mami.” It was produced at Ajia-do, where I worked, and Hara was the Chief Director. Mitsuru Hongo was an episodic director on it. I was on a different crew working on “Kiteretsu Daihyakka” but once in a while we helped the Mami team. I did key animation on Mami which was my first indirect connection with Hara.

I had just started my career, and I was busy with my own work, so I didn't have any particular impression of Hara. I remember being told the Chief Director was very impressed with something I had drawn, but I had never met him (laughs).

I think the first time I became aware of Hara's direction was probably on “Dorami-chan: Wow, the Kid Gang of Bandits!” (1991). At the time, I was only thinking about the animation, but I noticed the number of drawings used for different actions always felt right. It was a bit of an aha moment for me. The amount of frames varied a lot, but with a sense of intention. “Let's use a lot of frames for this action, and fewer for this other one.” I wondered if this was the work of the director. The beauty of the animation stood out to me.

After that, I became a freelancer and joined joined Hongo at Shin-Ei to work on an “Emon” film he was directing, that was shown alongside “Doraemon.” [“21-Emon: To Space! The Barefoot Princess”, 1992] Then the “Crayon Shin-chan” TV series was about to start, and I stuck around to do key animation on that too. I had the opportunity to animate on episodes directed by Hara. I didn't work with him that much though, maybe just a couple of episodes. [7B "I Found a Puppy" and 27A "Gargling Prevents Colds"]

There was a very skilled animator named Masami Otsuka, and I think Hara worked with him a lot. If you see his work you know it, he has a very unique style. When I started working with Hara, my impression of him was that he was really strict. At the time I had bronchitis, I was coughing all day and had no energy, so I tried to get away with drawing in a sort of lazy stylized way, but he said “I don't want it to look like that” and asked for a retake. I resented that he would give a retake note to someone who was visibly in so much pain, but I guess it's fairly normal for a director.

I started working on the Crayon Shin-chan movies with Mitsuru Hongo's first film, “Action Kamen vs. Leotard Devil” (1993). Along with animation, I had the role of “Set Designer,” which involved drawing ideas for environments and props once the rough story outline had been created. For example, if I was told the story would have a secret base or a huge spaceship, I would take that as my assignment and try to draw something that fit, and ask “how about this?” If they said “that's good,” I would draw a more fleshed-out layout. However the scope of my job wasn't clearly defined, so my role was basically to design whatever the director requested.

In the first film, Hara directed a fairly subdued section and Hongo handled the flashy parts, but I think from the second film on, Hara also started handling some of the action. It's often left to the animators to figure out the action, but I was impressed by Hara's detailed storyboards, with meticulous instructions on martial arts techniques like joint locks.

Once I started doing action, I didn't want to do gags. I got so caught up in it I thought “why do I have to draw Shin-chan?” I mean “Crayon Shin-chan” was a very enjoyable job, but if you keep doing the same thing over and over, you fall into a rut as an artist. So I took a break after the first movie, did some other work, and then came back to “Shin-chan” when there was another movie. After Hara took over as the director, I worked as a set designer on “Balls of Darkness” and “Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission” and a character designer on “The Storm Called The Jungle.”

The setting of “Balls of Darkness” is quite realistic, so it took me a lot of time to do my research, and it was a hard one for me. Hara said “you don't need to do that many designs.” Well sure, I guess maybe it's not strictly necessary, but as the designer, I want to flesh things out to a point where it makes sense to me. Even though I was expected to keep doing key animation, I was finding less opportunities to get involved in set design and such, so I decided to step away from “Shin-chan” for a while.

What I like about Shin-Ei Animation, which I've been involved with for a long time, is that they do hit films with simple iconic designs. “Crayon Shin-chan” is a big hit seen by many people, and they do a movie every year, so there's a certain freedom within that. The simple designs mean there are no restrictions on the number of drawings, so it's a place where you can do interesting work. I had the chance to direct the film “Mind Game” (2004) and it made me realize how hard it is to get an audience to come see a film.

“Crayon Shin-chan” is a popular series that attracts a big audience, and if you do good work on it, you get a lot of positive feedback. Although the downside is it's been so mass-produced, maybe they're not quite as adventurous as they used to be.

As an animator, you're really lucky to be involved in a hit project. Your individual work will be seen by a lot of people. I'm not the most skilled animator, but I have been blessed with good directors and projects, and I've been surprisingly successful. Even if someone is very skilled and does high-level work, if they're working on obscure projects that nobody sees, they won't be even known within the industry.

Director Hara's Personality

I don't think Hara is the kind of person who raises his voice and gets angry often, but he does have strong beliefs. He gets annoyed if you mention that bonfires emit dioxins, or that eating carbs will make you fat. “Don't make bonfires and carbohydrates the bad guys!” (laughs)

Apparently Hara is fond of Hideji Otaki's character from “Kita no Kuni Kara” (1981). Maybe he feels “we must not forget the hardships of our ancestors.” One time I said to him “using a peeler is so convenient,” and Hara responded “that's no way to live” (laughs). The peeler is a convenient tool for peeling vegetables and stuff, and I'm pretty sure even professionals use it, but according to Hara, the only proper way is to peel everything with a knife, which I thought was extremely Hara-like (laughs).

I'm the kind of person who likes to do a sketch or two if I have a free moment, so I pretty much just stayed at my desk all the time. I never got to chat with Hara much while I was at Shin-Ei, but then after I left, I would ask him for advice sometimes and he would always be willing to listen, so we started going out for drinks now and then.

When I was panicking about directing a movie for the first time, Hara gave me some harsh but reasonable advice, saying “it's too late to panic now” and “if it fails, you'll just be back where you are now.” [Not sure about that second quote, the phrase is「今持っている物が出るだけだ」]. He helped me with promoting the movie, and when we had a drinking party after “Mind Game” won an award, he handed me a celebratory glass of champagne. I just remember thinking he seemed like such a mature adult. I can never be smart like that!

Hara's Works

After I started doing storyboards, I studied Hara's storyboards for the “Crayon Shin-chan” TV series. At first glance the drawings look simple, but they're actually very precise and fully-realized. He finds ways to portray Hiroshi's worn-out ennui or other complex adult feelings that have nothing to do with the comedy. However these are not easy things to convey in a drawing, so I found it hard to express them, and sometimes I felt the finished product didn't reach the level of his storyboards. Hara would never explicitly force me to draw this level of nuance, in fact he would even say “don't worry about that.” But I felt it was my job as an animator to reflect what was in his boards. Well, maybe it's overstating it to say he actively discouraged me, but I think he was just confident the emotions would come across through his direction, rather than relying on the power of the animated acting. But I still think you have to try to convey it through the animation too.

I consider myself a Hara fan, but I always thought “Balls of Darkness” was his most interesting film rather than “The Adult Empire Strikes Back” or “Warring States,” which were particularly well-received by the public. The story is said to be weak, but I thought his direction was very sophisticated, with great shot flow. However, the story in “Adult Empire” blew me away. “Nostalgia is the enemy” was a timely message in the middle of the big retro boom, and it was really impactful. Even just from seeing the trailer, I was glad because I could tell Hara was finally reflecting himself and his own values in his work. “Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission” and “Storm Called The Jungle” were well-crafted entertainment, but I wondered if his heart was really in them.

I would sum up Hara's direction as “emotional and very Japanese.” In “Crayon Shin-chan: Glorious Yakiniku Road,” which Hara co-storyboarded, there is a funny scene where Hiroshi throws Tama-chan, a seal he comes across, into the river saying “go back to the sea!” It was a very funny scene, but it had extra weight because he tapped into what everyone was thinking about at the time. I really think Hara is more emotionally heavy than anyone else, even in his comedy. And that's an area where I struggle myself, so I want to learn from him.

I think the Japanese feeling is partly just because the film is set in Japan, but somehow when I read the storyboards for his latest film, I felt that I was watching a “Japanese film” - like a classic, quintessential Japanese film. I don't know why exactly, but I think Hara is very conscious of it.

What I Learn From Hara

I'm trying to figure out how to be a director and pay attention to what others are doing, and I feel Hara has something I really lack - a very clear-cut, straightforward, dignified directing style. I'd like to learn that confidence, even though I couldn't just imitate him. He says it's because he doesn't have room to get fancy, but I don't think that's it. I think he just knows precisely what he wants when he's drawing. Hongo had his own voice, but he would invite other people to collaborate and add their own colours on the canvas to balance it out. On the other hand, Hara has a very clear image in his mind of he wants to create, and just uses other people to execute that. It feels like there's no room for the rest of us to get involved.

His approach to his career is that he works when he needs to, and also takes a break when he needs to rest. It's also cool how he goes abroad to relax. Directing is hard, but I'm planning to do it for a while, so I hope I can learn what it means to be a director.

(Masaaki Yuasa is an animation director. After working on “Chibi Maruko-chan” and other projects at Ajia-Do, he went freelance. He has worked in a wide range of anime roles, including key animator, animation director and set designer. For “Cat Soup” he was involved in everything from the script to storyboards and direction. In 2004, he made his feature-length directorial debut with “Mind Game,” which attracted a lot of attention.)

Yuasa and Sueyoshi - Shin-chan Movie Enyclopedia

[Machine translated using Google Translate, DeepL as well as some rudimentary Japanese knowledge and additional research. May not be 100% accurate although I'm confident the gist is generally correct.]

Statements from Masaaki Yuasa - Shin-chan Movie Encyclopedia

Hongo used an idea of mine in the first film. Back in the beginning, there was a very free atmosphere where even I was allowed to openly express my opinions. The final climbing competition was supposed to go downhill, but without even thinking about it, I said “wouldn't it be better to climb up?” and then we actually did it that way (laughs). When the scene was completed, I was blown away and for the first time I felt the real thrill of creating animation.

I'm not very well-educated, so there are many interesting things that make me go “huh?!” while collecting reference materials. And then I want to draw those “huhs” (laughs). I was so happy that my ideas were used in the first movie that I acquired a taste for it, and from then on when I was working on concept art I would draw a lot of ideas in my sketchbook, even though they weren't asked for. They didn't use a lot of them, but I had fun.

I get the feeling Hara has some strong convictions about life, but he usually doesn't show it. One of my hobbies is cooking, and when I talk about how useful a peeler is, he says something like “that's not the way to go. Just peel it with a knife.” In Unkokusai he got so emotionally attached to Fubukimaru that he said “why do I have to include Shinnosuke?” (laughs). But he can also be mature and detached. Sometimes on past works I felt he was holding back, just doing his job to serve the audience without putting his heart into it, but with “Adult Empire” he finally threw a direct pitch. It made me happy because he was clearly doing what he wanted to do. We see Hiroshi cry, and the climax takes things to a whole new level of intensity. No matter how you look at it, Hara is on another level.

I like when the director expresses his own feelings in the work. In “Unkokusai,” there's a scene where Hiroshi confesses he was a sci-fi nerd and is ridiculed, and I like that because it shows Hongo's feelings. Hongo wanted to let other people try things and contribute, and his approach was “let's all have fun working on this together.” I'm sure he had his own ideas, and I'm sure he was capable of doing it on his own (he still came up with a lot of key sequences) but he dared to say, “I trust you to do what you want.” When I was first offered the chance to do concept art, I think it was a matter of him saying “you have a slightly different sensibility, so let's use it here.” But it was my first time and I was terrified. It took me a long time, and I think I caused a lot of trouble for him. I'm not good at designing big vehicles or buildings. I can think of details like an interesting door, but when I think about the overall design, I'm in a fog. On a production, you need the broadest overall image first, which is the opposite of how I think. I can't picture the whole design until I've figured out the individual parts. I'm a very inefficient designer (laughs).

Statements from Yuichiro Sueyoshi - Shin-chan Movie Encyclopedia

I came onto “Shin-chan” once it was already in progress, starting with “Buri Buri Kingdom” and at the same time I began on the TV show as an animator. I've also been doing character designs since “Adult Empire” last year. The style of “Adult Empire” had a lot to do with director Hara. In particular, Ken and Chaco had a very specific period look (late 60s to early 70s). Especially for Ken, Hara had very strong feelings about what he wanted, and did a few of his own drawings first. Among them, the first one I saw was this guy with a helmet-like hairstyle. There wasn't any single, specific inspiration. No matter how much it looks like it, it's definitely not John Lennon (laughs). If anything, maybe the model is Hara himself. For Chaco, he said “I want her to have sort of a dark, shadowy look.” The Ultra Guard/Expo Defense Force was designed by Katsunori Hara. The costumes at the Expo were also designed by Katsunori Hara.

My favourite movies are “Adult Empire” and “Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness,” I enjoyed doing key animation for that one. I always wanted to do this kind of children's animation. There are few lines, and you can move the designs freely. Above all, the character Shinnosuke himself is a lot of fun to move around. Simple low-line-count designs like that are much easier to move than designs with a lot of lines. Shin-chan's face also differs depending on the animator. A lot of us (among the key animators) can get competitive and try to outdo each other. As a result, the action scenes have become a major part of the series.

“Warring States” is difficult because there are extensive psychological descriptions of the characters. The hardest one to design was princess Ren. She is a character that has never appeared in Shin-chan before, a realistic princess. At first I thought “is this going to work?” But the director just said “this is fine.” Ren didn't have a specific inspiration either, I just created her based on Hara's drawings. The director is really good at drawing. With him being that good, it's hard to live up to it.

I think to myself, “how can Hara come up with all these ideas every year?” and when it's over, I realize what an amazing person he is. I was most surprised during “Adult Empire.” I didn't get a full sense of what it was really about, just from hearing the initial plot. After the director's storyboards are completed, we have a preview screening of the animatic, and that's when we all get to see the whole thing for the first time. I hope “Shin-chan” continues for another 20 or 30 years.

Hara Interview

Keiichi Hara - long interview

(from Crayon Shin-chan Eiga Taizen/Movie Encyclopedia)

[Machine translated using Google Translate, DeepL as well as some rudimentary Japanese knowledge and additional research. May not be 100% accurate although I'm confident the gist is generally correct. I've noted specific parts that I'm unclear on.]

* I'm Not Good at Making Things for Children *

Did you get involved in "Crayon Shin-chan" right when the TV series started?

Yes I did. I didn't know the original comic, but since the program I was in charge of had just ended, I was transferred to the “Shin-chan” team that was starting next.

Were you Unit Director on all of the first four theatrical films that Mitsuru Hongo directed?

Yes, that's right. I basically shared the storyboarding with Hongo.

The first film, "Action Mask vs. Haigure Maou," was an extension of the TV series, especially in the first half, with everyday scenery and familiar gag exchanges.

Hongo and I divided the storyboards in half, and I was in charge of the first half. Honestly, it was a lot of fun. We proceeded with the familiar day-to-day lives of the characters, but at the same time threading them together and introducing some foreshadowing of what would occur in the second half. This was something I couldn't do in the TV series, so I enjoyed storyboarding that film.

Even though it's all “Crayon Shin-chan,” do you feel a difference between the TV series and the movies?

Hmm... The biggest thing is time. I'm not good at shorts. “Crayon Shin-chan” films are about an hour and a half, but for me personally, even that's not long enough (laughs). But considering that it's a work for children, that's the limit. I'm just not good at making things for children, in general.

But in all your works, you never forget to make something children can enjoy, first and foremost. I think this is also part of why this series has consistently produced masterpieces.

Rather than considering children specifically, I think I just don't want anybody to leave the movie unsatisfied. Maybe that's why I've been able to continue doing it.

* My Parents Loved Movies, So I Went to the Cinema when I was Very Young. *

What made you decide to pursue a career in filmmaking?

I didn't have a single “this is it” moment, but my parents loved movies. From when I was relatively young, they regularly took me to the cinema and I often watched movies on TV.

Were there any particular movies that had a big impact on you?

There was a movie called "Tiko and the Shark" (1963, Italy/France) that I saw in a theater when I was quite young and I often think back to it.

It's about a friendship between a boy and a shark. It's kind of like a semi-documentary.

It was a very strange film. Maybe if I revisited it now, I might think “what the heck?” (laughs), but it had adventure, romance and drama. I feel like it helped make me who I am. Well maybe that's an exaggeration, to say it changed my life, but I feel that the film had a big influence on me. [not certain what he says here, but this is the gist of it]

Do you like the ocean?

I like the atmosphere of the South. I like the tropical climate, or rather, the lazy atmosphere. "Tiko and the Shark" is set in Tahiti, so maybe that's where it all started. I've never been to Tahiti, but I once took about seven months off from work and went backpacking in Southeast Asia. In places like Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, nature is unforgiving. The sunlight is intense and the greenery is lush. I love that kind of thing.

Are there any other films or directors who particularly influenced you?

Hmm... There are too many, there is no end to them. I guess the first director I was aware of was... David Lean.

In what way?

Well after all, he did "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962). I saw it on TV when I was little, and I admired that kind of scenery. I just thought "deserts are nice" (laughs). Of course, it wasn't until I became an adult that I realized how interesting it was. You know the part where Omar Sharif comes from far away on a camel, right? At first you don't see anything, but gradually he comes closer and closer, and the figure appears. That had a huge impact on me. I still consider David Lean to be my spiritual mentor.

What led you from your love of watching movies to entering the animation industry?

Well, it was gradual. I was vaguely thinking of going to college without any particular goal in mind, but one day I was browsing through a technical college guidebook at a bookstore, and for some reason the words “animation department” caught my eye. I thought it sounded interesting to study animation, and suddenly decided to go there.

By the way, where was it?

Tokyo Designer Gakuin.

Before that, did you like watching animation?

I liked it quite a bit. However, when I went to study it in technical school, there were intense otaku from all over Japan (laughs), and the level was completely different. They knew the names of the staff, and specific technical details and so on, and I just thought “I can't keep up with this.” However, I gradually realized that such knowledge was very superficial.

* Grasping at Straws, I Asked “Please Hire Me.” *

When did you first become aware of animation as a profession?

At first, I wanted to become an animator because I liked drawing. But at that school, there were many talented people from all over Japan with great skills. I realized that no matter how I tried, I couldn't reach their level, so I changed my mind and realized I could be a director, and have someone more skilled than me draw the pictures I wanted.

Did you actually get a job in animation right after graduating from Designer Gakuin?

There were no jobs available. The number of people who wanted to enter the industry was rapidly increasing, but there wasn't that many projects being made, so there was a surplus of people at all the studios. After graduating, I worked part-time to make ends meet and thought about which studio I wanted to work for. I did a self-analysis on what kind of animation I liked the most, and it seemed to be “Tokyo Movie.” At that time, Tokyo Movie allowed tours of their facilities. I participated in it, and I think it was around the time they were working on the second series of Lupin the Third. When I went to the director's room, I asked the chief director, Kyosuke Mikuriya, “I want to get into the industry, what can I do?”

During the tour?

I was grasping at straws. Then Mikuriya said, “hey, I'm not a full-time employee either. We're all just freelancers. But if you really want to direct, go ahead and draw a storyboard for now,” and he handed me a script. I was desperate, so I actually drew it and brought it back to him, although I'm sure it was a mess. Mikuriya said, “I didn't think you'd actually come back” (laughs).

Did you study how to draw storyboards at the technical school?

Somewhat, but it was mostly self-taught. Mikuriya said, “it might not be possible right now, but if anything comes up I'll contact you.” I was ungrateful and never thanked him or anything after that (laughs), but I really consider him a benefactor.

So did he contact you?

A while later, Mikuriya happened to meet an old acquaintance, who runs a company that makes commercials and was just looking for someone. He said “if you don't mind, I'd like to introduce you to someone.” I thought it would be good to experience something like that, so I became an employee of the company, which made commercials and promotional films.

What kind of work did you do there?

I was a lowly assistant. They made me do all the menial work. In the end, I was only there for about a year and a half, but compared to that, animation is easy (laughs).

What made you leave?

I was just getting tired. Also, in the world of commercials, you have no choice but to do whatever the sponsors and agencies say. That sort of thing gets dull. Then one day, I was called in by the president of the company, and he said, “you've been bored with your work, haven't you?” The president of the company used to work in animation, and he knew Mikuriya. He said “you want to do animation, don't you?” I'm very grateful to the president of the company. He connected me with Shin-Ei Animation.

* I was Lucky in Many Ways. *

At that time, what did you think about Shin-Ei Animation?

Of course I knew it existed. I love Fujiko F. Fujio, and after all, this was the company that made “Doraemon,” so I was enthusiastic about them.

What was your first job when you arrived?

At first, I worked in production. In animation, the staff work in various places. Some people who draw or paint cels remotely, and somebody has to collect and bring them back in, contact them on the phone, manage the schedules and so on.

Did you tell the company that you wanted to direct?

Right from the beginning. While watching the work of other directors, I tried to study what kinds of things they were doing, and I thought that if I had even the slightest chance, I would try to help out in areas related to directing. But before that, I didn't want anybody to say “a sloppy guy like that can't be a director,” so I think I took my production job pretty seriously.

How long did that progression take?

About a year and a half. I was really lucky in many ways. There was a director's spot open, and I volunteered myself for it. I was assigned to be a director's assistant, and was in charge of checking the key animation that the director had approved to make sure nothing was overlooked, as well as assembling the finished cels with the backgrounds before shooting.

How long did it take you to get promoted to director?

I got lucky again. I wasn't doing much creative work, but Motohira, who was the chief director of “Doraemon,” retired, and that prompted a promotion for me. After Motohira, Tsutomu Shibayama became the chief director, but since he wasn't a full-time Shin-Ei employee, he was also busy with other jobs. Since he couldn't keep a close eye on the “Doraemon” production site, it was decided to appoint a few more directors instead of “assistants” and divide the responsibility of the work a little more. [not sure about this section]

So your first directing work would be “Doraemon”? Did you work on it for a while?

I wonder how long I did that, I think it was two or three years.

What was your next work after that?

"Esper Mami." I really liked the source material, so I was hoping to be involved in some way when it was made into an anime, but I was very surprised when I was asked to be the chief director.

Why, did that seem like a big jump?

Well, I guess maybe not. Nowadays there are a lot of young directors in anime, but at the time I was still in my twenties, so I think it was fairly unusual.

* I Felt Hopeless at the Thought of Storyboarding Again *

So in 1988, you made your theatrical debut with “Esper Mami: Dancing Dolls in the Starry Sky,” which was shown in theaters alongside “Doraemon.” Sorry for getting personal, but I was still in college at the time, and happened to see “Dancing Dolls in the Starry Sky” in the theater. I hope this doesn't sound rude, but I had no expectations going in, and I was surprised at how compelling it was.

Thank you (laughs).

Did you feel like you were able to do what you wanted?

Well, I got very wrapped up in it. But of course there's a set limit to the running time, and I remember crying about having to cut out a big portion of the film.

Because it was only a medium-length feature of about 40 minutes, wasn't it? Still, did you enjoy getting to make a longer story than a usual TV series episode?

I did. After doing that, my desire to do something longer grew even more.

After “Esper Mami” was over, you wandered around Southeast Asia, as you mentioned earlier, and then after you returned to Japan, you did “Chimpui?”

That's right. But over the course of the trip, I lost all desire to work after I returned. I still feel that way (laughs), but I remember feeling extremely hopeless at the thought of having to draw storyboards again.

Like a giant version of that doomed Sunday night feeling of “I have to go back to work again tomorrow” (laughs).

Yeah, it was just like that. Eventually I just had to come to terms with it.

After that, you directed two medium-length films of "Dorami-chan" which screened with "Doraemon" again.

I was happy to have the opportunity to do more movie work, even if just a medium-length film again.

So after that, was “Crayon Shin-chan” next?

No, after “Chimpui” I did a show called “21 Emon.” I actually set a shameful record for the shortest run of any Fujiko show. It was commissioned on short notice, and we didn't really have any time to prepare for it. The numbers weren't great, so it ended quickly. I felt like we were doing something new and exciting, but I guess the show didn't really come together and I feel bad for Fujiko F.

* Getting One Film Under My Belt Made Me More Comfortable. *

From the 5th film “Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness” you took over as director from Hongo. How did you feel?

I was thrilled. This was finally my big chance to do a feature film. But when I started doing it, I just couldn't make it the way I wanted at all. I thought I could deliver a lot more, but I came up short of my expectations. Maybe there were some bright spots here and there, but to be honest, I was disappointed in myself.

What caused that?

Well, one thing was Shinnosuke didn't get to be the main character in the movie. I was astonished at myself for not even noticing that. During the dubbing, I saw that Akiko Yajima was always away from the microphone, and said “how is this happening?!” (laughs). I hadn't noticed because in a literal sense he's onscreen plenty, but in terms of actually doing things, I got distracted by other characters being more active and didn't give much attention to Shinnosuke.

I thought the next film, “Blitzkrieg! Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission” showed a great awareness of Hollywood-style filmmaking.

Yes, I deliberately scaled everything up. I even included overseas locations (laughs).

How did it go?

This one was a lot of fun. I wasn't really comfortable on “Balls of Darkness” but “Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission” was fine.

What changed?

It was... Well, I'm not sure. It's not like I approached it in a very different way. I guess having already completed one film made me more comfortable. I was able to relax a little bit, and I think that allowed me to do some more playful things that I couldn't do before. Having watched a lot of movies since I was a kid helped a lot too.

* I Always Wonder "Will the Kids Be Into This?" *

The following film, “Explosion! The Hot Spring's Feel-Good Final Battle” is a parody of kaiju movies likely to delight adult audiences.

Yeah, that was my intent. I wanted to recreated the excitement of the “Godzilla” movies I watched as a kid. It's a bit of a stretch though (laughs).

I thought it was a great adventure, but considering it's supposed to be a cartoon for children, was there any pushback?

Ahh yeah, that aspect is always kind of tricky for me. I always end up making people worry, “is this stuff going to be entertaining to children?” I get a lot of concern from people. I always say “okay, don't worry, I'll handle it,” to reassure them and myself. And then when it's finished, I end up thinking “oops, I guess I went too far” (laughs).

But in a way, audiences who weren't previously familiar with “Crayon Shin-chan” ended up responding to that aspect of the film. Did you feel that reaction as the director?

Yes. I was happy to find that so many viewers felt that same way.

...That such a direction isn't wrong.

I didn't think it was wrong myself. I felt validated. But I do think it would be wrong to exclusively target an adult audience. I didn't necessarily see it as some kind of crisis, but it's not something I should get comfortable doing.

I thought the next one, “The Storm Called the Jungle,” was a bit of a return to a child's perspective, as the previous one had been more adult-oriented.

Yes, that's right. I reflected on it a little (laughs) and decided that with the next one I should just make a fun, light adventure film. So I made it without letting too much of my personal taste creep in. But it takes place in the South Seas, so I would be lying if I said there were none at all.

The part that made me laugh the most was when Hiroshi and the others were forced to make anime as slaves.

The was the idea of Tsutomu Mizushima, the enshutsu/ unit director. I was talking with him about something funny for the enslaved adults to be forced to do, and he said “how about being forced to work in animation?” I thought it was very funny. Mizushima drew the storyboard for that scene.

* I Went to the Expo when I was Ten Years Old so I Could Make this Film *

Now for last year's “The Adult Empire Strikes Back.” Since you had eased off with the previous one, did you feel that you could really go for it this time?

I stepped on the gas pedal as hard as I could. But really, what happened initially there is that I couldn't find anything I wanted to do otherwise. When we started talking about what to do this time, we were almost empty. I struggled a lot, but in the end, I decided to draw on some personal memories, and the Osaka Expo came up.

It started with the Expo then?

Right. Actually, I had a strange experience before that. It's not like I'm always walking around lost in memories of the Expo, but I had this realization of “wow, it's been a long time since I went.” One day I was standing around talking with a staff member about the same age as me, and for some reason we started talking about the Expo, and it got weirdly exciting. I knew a lot of the “Shin-chan” staff were around my age, but when I asked them all about it, it turned out that many of them had been to the Expo. It was as if everyone had been possessed by something (laughs), to make this journey to Osaka, where this great event was happening. I went there myself, and everyone else had similar experiences where we didn't get to see anything we wanted to see. I mainly remember that there were just way too many people. Before I knew it, I found myself standing around talking about this for hours, and suddenly started to wonder how we'd come to this.

Audiences of your generation who saw this movie must have felt the same strange feeling as you had experienced.

I think if I had gotten to fully enjoy the Expo as a kid, I probably wouldn't have made this film (laughs). I had to convince my parents to take me on a trip all the way from the countryside of Gunma, so I only had one day there. We did the Expo and Kyoto as a combined trip, and the next day was sightseeing in Kyoto. At the time, I didn't care about Kyoto (laughs). I just thought “why can't I see the Expo for one more day instead?” This bittersweet memory suddenly came rushing back to me as we stood there chatting about the Expo.

I heard that you also went to the site of the Expo for location scouting.

The Tower of the Sun is all that remains in Expo '70 Commemorative Park. I was very moved, and thought to myself, "I went to the Expo when I was 10 years old so that now I could make this movie," and it made me very happy. That's why I'm glad it was such a half-hearted experience.

What about the child audience, how did you account for them with “Adult Empire?”

I was just struggling so hard to get a film going, I didn't even really care about how to make it suitable for children. The one who really helped me there was Mizushima, because he was very eager to create images that would appeal to children, so he added lots of stuff that would make children laugh. I was personally kind of torn by the end of the storyboarding process, but in the end I just let go of the idea of it being a children's film. I felt very refreshed when I did that. It was painful, but very moving, as if a clear view opened up ahead of me.

* My Respect for Cinema has Swelled Up*

And now finally, the upcoming film "The Battle of the Warring States." What motivated you this time?

This time, a kind of reverence for cinema has swelled up inside me. I think the fact that I was able to direct six films, even though they're part of a series, is connected to the fact that I used to watch a lot of movies in the past. So I feel like I'm “giving back” to those films, and in my own way I'm trying to make it with serious respect for the medium. However, the more I do that, the less room I have for child-audience considerations (laughs).

What made you decide to do a period piece?

There really aren't many large-scale period dramas being made these days. My starting point was to see whether it would be possible to do it in animation. I quickly realized it was a huge challenge (laughs). In live-action, you can just dress the actors in samurai armour and put them on a horse, and that already gives you a lot of mileage, but with animation, you have to draw every single picture one by one. I didn't think about how reckless this would be until I tried it. I made a lot of hard work for the staff.

The Hongo-directed "Unkokusai's Ambition" was also a period drama, but you were in charge of the storyboard for the sword-fight scene, right?

When we first started that one, I was at a loss. I had no idea where to start. However, as I began to gather reference material and start researching, it became more and more interesting, like I was tapping into “the spirit of Japanese cinema” (laughs). I was so absorbed in it I was sad to finish the storyboard. I thought that if I did a period drama, I could have that kind of experience again, so ever since I finished “Unkokusai” I wanted to do another one. Now that I've finished the storyboards, I feel like I've done it to the point that I never have to do a period drama again (laughs).

We're looking forward to the finished product.

I hope you'll find it satisfying. I think the staff are certainly doing their best (laughs).

March 16, 2002 at Shin-Ei Animation

Hongo Interview

Mitsuru Hongo - Long Interview (from Crayon Shin-chan Eiga Taizen/Movie Encyclopedia)

[Machine translated using Google Translate, DeepL as well as some rudimentary Japanese knowledge and additional research. May not be 100% accurate although I'm confident the gist is generally correct. I've noted specific parts that I'm unclear on.]

* Thus, the TV Anime "Crayon Shin-chan" was Born *

Hongo:
I was involved in “Crayon Shin-chan” for about four-and-a-half years until Himawari was born, from the beginning of the TV series to about 200 episodes, 13 specials, and 4 movies. After that, I was not involved at all.

Let's start with the origin of the TV series project.

It's a long story, but the “Shin-chan” TV series started airing on April 13, 1992. The project was only decided at the beginning of that year. At that time, not even a single book volume had been published yet, so if we followed the original manga exactly, there wouldn't be very much material to adapt. The production team's original plan was to only go for six months. In other words, everyone thought it would be over quickly.

The original comic is interesting, but has a slightly different flavour. The creator Yoshito Usui said he would leave the anime entirely up to us, so I tried to come up with my own ideas. One of them was “Action Kamen” which was mentioned briefly in the comic. At that time, “Bikkuriman Choco” was popular, and there was a show-within-a-show concept. I thought that was a good idea.

During the music meeting, we decided to make a theme song for Action Kamen. The budget was small, so I just wrote the lyrics myself, for about a 30-second song, and the music was added to it (laughs). The composer, Toshiyuki Arakawa, was enthusiastic and very much into that kind of playful working method. Later, when the song became popular and was released, I was surprised to discover that there were second and third verses. So I did a lot of things on the TV series just for fun, and that all went well and led to the movie.

* The First Movie Version "Action Kamen VS Haigure Maou" *

The first film was in July 1993, right? The decision to produce the film was made at the very last-minute, and people around us were thinking “let's do it as a double-feature or a triple-feature, with medium-length stories.” However, I personally thought it would just be a one-off, so I insisted that we go with a full-length feature story. The next year, however, I thought about just making two or three shorter films, since we'd already done a full-length feature. But then I was told “no, Shin-chan movies are full-length stories!” (laughs) Because the first one did so well at the box office. So that's how the full-length format that continues to this day has taken root.

What did the producers think?

Initially, “Shin-chan” was not expected to be a hit (laughs). The only sponsored products that existed when the show began broadcasting were ricebowls, chopsticks and teacups. It wasn't until August that Bandai got onboard, so no one paid attention to it for the first several months after the TV series started.

* An Unexpected Development *

No one thought Shin-chan would be a hit in the beginning. In terms of the filmmaking style, there was a screenwriter for the first film, “Action Kamen VS Haigure Maou” but from the second film on, there was no writer. The credits say “script” but I actually created an outline, and then from there, Keiichi Hara and I would work on the storyboards. That's how we did it from “Buri Buri Kingdom” onward. We barely had any time for production, we were always fighting the schedule. For instance, on “Buri Buri Kingdom” we started storyboarding on New Year's Day. The film would be screened in April and we hadn't done a single drawing yet. Let's just say it wasn't great for my heart.

The early films were a division of work between you two.

Personally, I felt that “Shin-chan” was mainly for children, and I saw it as my job to make sure it was enjoyable for them to watch. In other words, if you look at “Haigure Maou” [the section that Hara storyboarded] there's very little thought given to the child audience in the first half, the style is perhaps Mamoru Oshii-esque. The reason why the second half is so full of silliness and nonsense is, of course partly due to my taste, but also because I felt it would be bad if there was nothing to entertain the little kids who came to see the film. While watching the progress of the first half, I tried my best to add a lot of silly gags.

I still remember that at the first preview screening, when it was over, no one said anything. The air was cold. Some people came up to me directly and said “I have no idea what kind of movie this is.” However, at the general preview at Yakult Hall, there were a lot of children in the audience. The first half did pretty well too but when the super-tricycle started rushing around, they all began laughing hysterically and I felt relieved. “Oh, I wasn't so wrong after all.” I had “for children” in mind from the beginning. Those childish gag parts are really silly when an adult sees them, but as long as I was doing “Shin-chan” I wanted to include them.

* Director: Mitsuru Hongo & Unit Director: Keiichi Hara & Fujiko Anime *
The next film, “The Treasure of the Buri Buri Kingdom” was a 007-style action adventure.

This one is pretty simple, Mr. Usui asked me to make the second film a non-stop action movie like “Indiana Jones,” I said “cool, let's do it” and we started coming up with ideas.

Dividing the first film's storyboard in half had given us momentum, but the overall balance wasn't very good. After considering that, for “Buri Buri Kingdom” we decided to have Hara do the first board section, then me, then Hara again. The amount of work was still 50-50, but broken into smaller pieces to add texture and variety.

The second and fourth films followed this pattern, and the third film, “Unkokusai's Ambition” was again roughly divided into two storyboard parts. This approach worked because Hara was enshutsu [Unit Director] and I was kantoku [Director], and I don't think it would have been possible to do it the other way around. In order to make the whole film cohesive, I would let Hara run wild and fill in the other parts. I was a bit like 'backup', following up on Hara's work, but I would also handle some important parts myself.

Hara and I were very familiar with each other, and we worked well together. Previously on “Esper Mami” Hara had been the chief director and I was an episode director. After that, we worked together for about four years on “Chimpui” and “21 Emon,” both half-hour Fujiko Animation productions. Then came “Crayon Shin-chan.”

So “Shin-chan” is an extension of the Fujiko Anime days.

That's right. We don't use “shock BGs” or “abnormal BGs”. No flash pans or strobes (note). I was following the same approach that Hara had decided on for “Esper Mami,” where there are very plain, ordinary layouts and acting within them. Using cuts and actions that could be replicated in live-action. However, this approach can be restrictive for anime so maybe it's not suitable for TV.

(Note)
Shock BG and Abnormal BG: A background that is deformed for visual effect or emphasis. Flash-pan and strobe effects: A production technique used in animation. It refers to an insert cut where the screen flows momentarily and the background shines brightly. [I don't know what this means, this whole section was tricky. Maybe this is referring to backlighting?]

The third film, “Unkokusai's Ambition” is a combination of period drama and science fiction.

Mr. Usui would usually come up with the rough story idea and title, and we would try to develop it in an interesting way. When Usui came up with “Haigure Maou”, everyone was hesitant. “How are we going to make a movie out of this? That can't work, can it?” On the other hand, I thought it would be good to at least try using the characters he had created and think about how to make an interesting movie, regardless of whether the plot could be used as is or not. For this film he came up with “Unkokusai's Ambition” which is a weird title, but once again I decided to be a contrarian and go with it. [not sure about this section either]

I remember the sword fighting in Unkokusai was amazing.

Hara wanted to do a period drama. I know this year's is also a period drama [referring to Movie 10 since this was the 10th anniversary book]. Anyway, he handled most of the swordfighting, and was very involved in the character Fubikimaru. The other parts were taken care of by me, which is somewhat similar to the first one. Well, I thought three movies would be all we got, so I thought it would be fun to include a giant robot fight.

I get a strong sci-fi flavour from your works.

I liked science fiction more than most people. I don't read much these days. Mr. Hara tends to depict everyday life in a straightforward manner, but I prefer fantasy, or stories where something extraordinary happens to disrupt an everyday setting. I like the idea that there are extrordinary things out there. I don't want to accidentally make an animated version of “Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari” [a down-to-earth TV family drama]. At the very least, I'd want to throw in some aliens (laughs).

Fujiko F. Fujio's works are said to be “sukoshi fushigi monogatari” [slightly mysterious stories] and I think since you and Hara worked at Fujiko Anime, that feeling comes through in “Shin-chan.”

Not so much with the TV series, but for the specials, we had the idea of doing something different, and it gradually escalated into doing a lot of Action Kamen and Buriburizaemon. Apart from the name and design, Kuntam Robo was made up by the animation staff. It was fun to play around with it, but eventually it became hard to do that kind of thing (laughs). Kuntam Robo was created by animators Hiroyuki Nishimura, Yoshihiko Takakura, myself, and the other members of “Megaten Studio.”

Kuntam Robo suddenly became "episode 16" in the second broadcast, which really startled me (laughs).

The producer was very tolerant and let us play the opening of “Kuntam Robo” where it should normally start with "Shin-chan". This was possible because the program was doing well, and so for a while there were less restrictions on “Shin-chan.” I think if I tried doing that in a show now, I'd naturally get in trouble. But also if I pulled that trick again, it wouldn't have the same thrill anyway.

I think we were able to do what we did because we had been immersed in “Shin-chan” for such a long time. The same is true with the storyboards for the films. When you're fully immersed in it, you come up with ideas that you wouldn't have otherwise. In other words, there are no silly gags written in the outline. They come out during the storyboard process. I thought it was necessary to spend more time on storyboards to allow for spontaneity, so that's what we did from the second film onward. That's also why I stopped writing strict scripts. I don't think a proper screenplay exists for those films, just a basic plot outline [presumably a dialogue script would be compiled afterward for the voice actors to follow]. Normally you have to write a strict script and then it gets the OK, and then it becomes a storyboard. I guess that's just an established method that happened to work.

* Hongo's Fourth and Final Film, “Great Adventure in Henderland” *

There's actually a fairy tale that Henderland is based on. It's an obscure children's book that was bought for me when I was little, and it has three wicked snowmen. Nobody should know this, so I won't tell you the name. If anybody reading this can guess the title and author, I will personally prepare a gift for you (laughs).

An interview with a giveway prize!

Nah, I doubt you're going to guess it (laughs). But anyway, it's not like a picture book, it's a fairy tale. I still have it in my possession. I have a hint that it's a Russian fairy tale. I've never seen any of them before, so I think it's okay (laughs). Other than that, I took a big framework from Clive Barker's “Weaveworld.” There's a scene where the main character briefly encounters the magical world, then loses all the magic and returns to everyday life. It's a rough structure where he thinks the magic is a lie, and then the elements of the magical world come to him again, and he goes back to the magic world. So Shin-chan goes to the circus, loses everything there, returns to his daily life, and then the snowman comes and in the end he finally goes to the circus again. I got the idea from there. I knew Barker from his early “Books of Blood” series, but I think the dark fantasy “Weaveworld” was really his masterpiece. I doubt Hara ever read it (laughs). Hara is not a so-called SF fan.

To save his parents, Shin-chan has to take a very active role, which is unusual.

Yeah, unusually active. I just remembered right now that what's difficult about “Shin-chan” is that Shinnosuke is the main character, but he never does anything on his own. It's really hard to move him through an an hour-and-a-half movie story. I've noticed that now rather than moving Shin-chan, Hara moves the story forward with characters other than Shin-chan. I was always very particular about “Shin-chan = the main character,” so in this movie I took it one step further with my interpretation and forced him to really act like it. I thought “Henderland” would be the end, so just this once, I broke my promise that Shin-chan wouldn't cry and I had him show real emotion.

I think people liked seeing that. By the way, from “Haigure Maou” to “Buri Buri Kingdom” and “Henderland,” you always like to climb to a high place at the climax.

Masaaki Yuasa did the design of Hender Castle and did all the chasing. Actually, on “Haigure Maou,” the climax of the race to climb up the castle was supposed to go down at first. When I drew the storyboard, Yuasa said “this is not interesting.” In the end, I still did the boards myself, but Yuasa presented me with a rough draft, and that's how we got that climax.

* The Okama/Cross-Dressers who are Indispensable to the Crayon Shin-chan Movies *

(laughs) Well, that was completely Usui's obsession, and I didn't really like it (laughs). The thing is that currently in Japan, nobody complains if you poke fun at the “okama-san” a little. They're seen as an acceptable target. In that sense, they're easy to use as characters, but I was never particularly onboard with it. I wasn't the one thinking “I really want to use these characters.” (laughs)

But in Henderland, those characters were still in full swing.

Macau and Joma, right? What I remember well is that Hara was working on storyboards for the ballet scene between those two. And he was working really late into the night. Then he came over in the middle of the night, with a dark, gloomy look on his face and “Hongo, you really shouldn't be doing these gay jokes” as if accusing me (laughs). “Although it's considered acceptable now, it won't be in the future.” It's a discrimination issue. I guess at some point because of that, the early Shin-chan movies will be considered wrong, so hang onto your copies if you've got them.

I was thinking they might be banned eventually, so I bought a laserdisc of “Haigure Maou” the other day. 

That's very valuable, (laughs) because although there were LDs of “Henderland,” I don't think there were that many.

You left the TV series at this time, didn't you?

I actually quit in September 1996, but I think I made the decision earlier, in July or August. Somewhere along the line I started to feel like I was doing Shin-chan on autopilot, and when I realized it, the animation director Noriyuki Tsutsumi said “Hongo, you should stop.” I came to my senses and said “yeah, you're right. I should quit.” If I had stayed on, I'd probably still be working on “Shin-chan” now, but because I left, I was able to be involved in a variety of projects after that, so I think it was a good decision... I don't know. What's interesting is that after more than 10 years of Shin-chan films, what started out as a cult phenomenon has become a beloved institution. I like setting off fireworks, but I'm not interested in continuing to set off the same beautiful, traditional fireworks the same way for decades. The process of setting off fireworks is thrilling, but it's hard to maintain it once it becomes so established.

So is that your statement on parting ways with Shin-chan?

“Henderland” was partly created after reflecting on the third film. “Unkokusai's Ambition” wasn't quite aimed at children as I thought it should be, so I wanted to re-establish that aspect. I guess you could say the style is closer to the second one. In many ways, “Henderland” is the culmination of my Shin-Chan.

* Sugena Sugoidesu Voice Actors and Guests *

I think we expressed our own wishes for the voice casting to some extent, saying “hey, how about this person?” Since it was a film, we felt like it was a chance to get somebody exciting, even if they were expensive. I remember that Nachi Nozawa, who played “Haigure Maou,” was one of the names we suggested. I think Kouji Nakata who played “Mr. Habu” was too.

What was it like recording him?

Hmm... Well, I don't know if he was actually having a good time or not, but I don't think he ever got mad (laughs). I don't think he fully understood what he was doing, because most of the time for dubbing, the state of the picture is pretty messy [a mix of storyboards and rough animation] so it could be kind of confusing.

But I was a little surprised during “Buri Buri Kingdom” to see the veteran voice actors, who were usually quite reserved, suddenly get up from their seats, smile and become kind old men when Etsuko Komiya came in. I guess everyone is weak against authority, after all (laughs).

I heard the ladies were very excited when IZAM showed up. [in Movie 6, after Hongo had left]

Akiko Hinagata in “Henderland” was actually supposed to appear in a small circle in the ending, like a star swimming competition, and my idea was to have a live-action Akiko Hinagata singing in a bathing suit in the circle. But the deal fell apart halfway through, and so it ended up the way it is.

Maybe that would have been the last time she'd appear in a bathing suit (laughs). If it had happened, it would be an iconic, treasured image now.

If that had been the case, “Henderland” would have been an even more wonderful movie, and I still regret it (laughs). It could have been so great. Even though she was this great icon of youth, Akiko Hinagata still loves to hide her past [she was an idol and gravure model].

Honestly, the guest appearances by Etsuko Komiya and Akiko Hinagata weren't really things we wanted to do, they were imposed on us by the outside publicity team, and Hara really didn't want to do it. So in the end I did all those parts myself. Even though he wasn't into it, I tried to make the scenes relevant, and make it seem like we were excited to have them in it. But I have to say, when Akiko Hinagata actually came in to dub, Hara was there and he was in a very good mood.

* The Concept of the Nohara Family Divided by the Birth of Himawari *

The TV “Shin-chan” still has a reputation of being edgy, but nobody who actually watches it every week seems to have any issue with it. No matter what he does, nobody makes a fuss. These days Shin-chan seems to be a “good kid” but ten years ago, he was radical in a way. For example, at the end of each episode he says “mirebaa!” People thought “that's rude to the audience, isn't it?” Nowadays nobody thinks of it as an extreme word anymore, but at the time there was a perception that it was outrageous for a kindergartener character to say such a thing.

At one point, mothers didn't want their kids watching Shin-chan because there were too many gags they could easily imitate.

To imitate is to learn from it! However, I did poke fun at this whole phenomenon with “Pencil Shin-chan” but really, even if a kid does a bunch of silly jokes, when they grow up they'll become more mature. [Pencil Shin-chan is a show within-in-the-show, inspired by Shinnosuke. It first appears in episode #83B. Misae criticizes the show and doesn't let Shinnosuke watch it.]

Maybe it's better to let them do it early and then move on.

That's right. I understand that parents want their kids to avoid that stuff, but trying to stop them is even more work, so just let them do it. It's not a crime. You just have to teach the kids, it's a matter of proper guidance. If you're a little boy and you harass an older girl, you flip up her skirt or something, you get a smack on the head and a scolding, and you're told “you shouldn't do that to girls.” You learn that it's wrong and then you won't go astray and do that same kind of thing as an adult. (laughs).

Now Shin-chan is basically a good boy.

For me, the relationship between Misae, Shinnosuke and Hiroshi was “Shin-chan.” When Himawari was born, it changed things. It you add one more person and become a big brother, it's just not quite the same feeling. There was actually talk of ending the series around then, but when they decided it would continue with the birth of Himawari, I decided “well then, I'll just keep going up to the birth.”

Himawari was born, and the home drama now centered on a family of four.

I think the reason the series, which was supposed to have ended, was able to continue is because Himawari was born and it became a four-character setup. The dynamic was different.

The underlying theme is “family is good.” In Movie 7 “Hot Springs Battle” Hiroshi says it himself.

I'm not totally comfortable with that kind of message. You shouldn't explicitly say it. So what about people who don't have families, they can't be happy? For me, that's a little preachy. It's okay for people to feel whatever they want when they watch something.

* I Love Dumb Comedies *

What I think is strange is that the style I created has continued surprisingly well in both TV and movies. At first glance, “Shin-chan” seems to have a lot of freedom, and it might seem that anyone could make it interesting, but when you try it, it's surprisingly difficult. Without gags or laughter, people can appreciate a good dramatic story with conflict, but if you put in gags, “oh, it's just a joke.” Humour is difficult. The reason why dumb gag comedies are almost extinct in Japan is because people don't appreciate the amount of skill required to make it work.

What exactly are you referring to by “dumb comedy”?

Well... You know, there was always stuff like the “President Series” or the “Ekimae Series” and so on. Those kinds of movies are corny, but they were classics. Everyone laughed when they watched them. There used to be a lot of Japanese films like that.

I heard you also liked Monty Python (laughs).

In terms of Western films, it would be the Zucker brothers or Mel Brooks. The basis of their films is Jewish comedy. Mel Brooks's “Young Frankenstein” or “High Anxiety” are the kind of movies that fit the bill. For the Zucker brothers, “Top Secret” is the best. I'd love to show it to Muneo Suzuki (laughs). As soon as the video ended, I hit the rewind button and watched it again from the beginning. That's the only movie I've ever watched twice in a row. I wrote all the gags in my notebook. I guess you could say that's the basis for my sense of humour. Well, I love so-called “dumb comedies.” I think it's a hobby that fits this line of work (laughs).

* Secret Story: Thus, the “Crayon Shin-chan” Anime Lived On *

Just like Obake no Q-Taro and Doraemon, I think the credit goes to Usui for creating this iconic design in the first place. A character that looks like something anybody can draw, but nobody can draw it properly. However, there were a few really early ones that weren't included in the collected volumes, that looked just like “Gaki Deka,” It would have been fine for an adult-oriented magazine, a comic that would end as soon as it got turned into an anime, but I don't think it would have made it as a prime-time TV series. Even so, I analyzed the reasons for the gradual rise in popularity and created an anime based on that analysis. I think in the very early days, the original manga author saw what we were doing with the anime and was influenced to change the manga. I think at a certain point the anime became the definitive work, even though it was originally an adaptation.

It was an ideal relationship, wasn't it?

Because neither of them were shining too brightly. If this was a comic that had already sold hundreds of thousands or millions of copies, it would only be natural for it to have good ratings and become a hit. But “Shin-chan” was treated as a freak (laughs). The same is true of “Sailor Moon,” as I recall. Nobody expected the synergistic effect of both, which is what made it a huge hit. Both started in the same year. “Sailor Moon” ended, but “Shin-chan” never ended, and at that point the only manga-based movie that continued for ten years without a break was “Doraemon.” Even if you did “Spirited Away” sequels every year, the fun would wear off. In that light, I think “Shin-chan” is doing very well.

It's continued to do well in movies and TV.

I left halfway through, so I can't take too much credit, but I'm humbled by the staff who are still working hard on it. Actually, way back at the beginning, we were thinking about doing a Rhythmic Gymnastics manga called “Tumbling.” However the producer who was pushing for it said that he had read “Shin-chan” on the way to Futabasha and found it more interesting, so he decided to go with it instaead. That's how I ended up on “Shin-chan” (laughs). I read one of the early strips involving “Koala's March” [a popular biscuit that inspired Chocobi] when Chocobi didn't exist yet, and I thought “what? You're going to make this into an anime?” It seemed like a weird choice. Even at the casting stage, it's not like Akiko Yajima blew everybody away. Her agents said “come on, isn't she a good choice?” but everybody else just went “huh?” which kind of surprised me.

At that time, what else did Yajima do as a voice actor?

She played the lead role of “Idol Densetsu Eriko.” Most boys in anime are played by adult female voice actors. But when I listened to her voice on the tapes, I thought it sounded so much like a child's voice, I wondered “is this an actress or a real kid?” It had a naïve quality. There was something about her voice that caught my attention. But I also thought either way the whole production would be over in half a year anyway, so I didn't push too hard (laughs). If the show had been a guaranteed hit from the beginning, I would have said “absolutely, this person!”

When expectations are high, failure is not an option.

That's right. In my TV work before that, nobody picked voice actors I thought were good. The producers made the choice, and then when the show wasn't a big hit, I was disappointed to hear the one who picked the voice say “well, the voice doesn't matter much anyway, right?” Then for “Shin-chan,” Kenji Ota (of TV Asahi) and Takashi Horiuchi of the agency (Asahi News Agency) were both very fair people. They said “in the end, we'll leave it up to the director.” And so it was decided to go with Yajima. Even though the initial audience rating was only 4%, Ota said “let's not change the content. Even if it fails, let's follow through on what we started.” That was the kind of person he was.

They didn't waver.

The producers stood by their decision, which led to it becoming successful. After all, if you go to the trouble of making a character like that and then change it immediately, you don't have time to acquire a taste for it. But it's TV, so it's natural to react quickly to the numbers that come out. In our case they waited. Especially with gag comedy, the real fun often takes about half a year to build up momentum and familiarity, but it's often over by then (laughs). The fact that “Shin-chan” became a hit was the result of a combination of various coincidental factors. The publisher, Futabasha, was also very supportive.

* Big Producer, Big Decision *

Ota also put us with Sailor Moon. He is a great lover of manga, he makes his own judgments and takes responsibility for his decisions. He never says anything unreasonable. He identifies what he sees as problems, and I agree with him. He was a person I could really talk to and understand, and that I'd love to work with him again if I have the chance. It was a very different experience from my previous series.

A fair person, like you said.

He was like a god (laughs). Because “Chimpui” was getting 10% and that wasn't great, but “Shin-chan” only got 4%. He told us we could keep it the way it was, so it really felt like a halo of light was shining down protecting us. And from there, the audience rating increased steadily week by week, from 5% to 6%, 7% and 8%, and at most it got to somewhere around almost 23-24%.

You also crossed over with Sailor Moon on TV.

I heard that the voice actors of “Shin-chan” (Akiko Yajima and Miki Narahashi) were going to appear in “Sailor Moon” as a boy and his mother, and the director of that episode, Junichi Sato, was an acquaintance of mine. I told him that we'd pay them back by doing a “Sailor Moon” tribute, so we created a story with three characters Sailor Mufoon, Sailor Iyaan and Sailor Bakaan, played by “Sailor Moon” voice actors Kae Araki, Aya Hisakawa and Emi Shinohara. The episode was #109C “Reunion with Action Kamen.” The broadcasts were so close, I thought it was great.

Sailor Moon viewers were going “what's this weird kindergartener's deal?”

There wasn't any particular pushback from either of them, so I guess Ota had the producer's authority to do it. Both of them were very popular at the time, so it was tolerated. Even with such a strange idea, it went well. Just kind of strange to do sort of a parody of another company's show at the same time (laughs). After that, I had a strange connection with Junichi Sato. The film I did at the end of last year, "Sakura Wars: The Movie," was also with Sato. While I was working on “Shamanic Princess” for a company called Triangle Staff, Sato was also there making “Magic User's Club.”

* Epilogue: So, Hara... *

I think Hara's best work was “Dancing Dolls in the Starlit Sky,” the “Esper Mami” 1988 film (seriously). It just really shows Hara's individual personality best. And in the “Esper Mami” TV series, he wrote an episode towards the end called “Oretachi Tombi” [俺たちTOMBI], the 96th out of 119 episodes. It was the only script he wrote for the show, but I thought it was really interesting. Sort of a coming-of-age story about facing setbacks, which is maybe more Hara's strength. Because my impression is that he's lost some of his power. Last year's “Adult Empire Strikes Back” was very well-received, but I prefer Hara's earlier works. However, “Adult Empire” has captured the hearts of a certain number of people. For some people it's irresistible, and beyond criticism. For me, it's just too close to real life (laughs). I wasn't able to go to Expo '70 in Osaka, but I really wanted to. I watched every TV show about it and bought every magazine about it. But if anything, Hara is supposed to be less of an otaku than me...

March 12th, 2002 at Cafe Takizawa, Shinjuku, Tokyo
If you know the correct answer to the question about the book that inspired Henderland, please write the title and author, paste the entry ticket below on a postcard, and send it to the address listed, along with your name, address, age, occupation and the three best articles in this book “Crayon Shin-chan Movie Encyclopedia.” One person will be selected from a draw among those who correctly answer the question, and will receive a “Great Adventure in Henderland” laserdisc autographed by Mitsuru Hongo.

Masaaki Yuasa Sketchbook - Shin-chan Movies final chunk

Finishing off the Crayon Shin-chan section of the book...

p.94
Crayon Shin-chan Movie: The Storm Called The Jungle (2000)
Director - Keiichi Hara
Concept art / character design / key animation - Masaaki Yuasa
In addition to concept art, I also did character designs for the Paradise King and monkeys. This movie takes place on an deserted island. The ship interior came easily to me with its surreal 1970s psychedelic style, and I had a lot of fun designing the settings for this one. The ship is also the Paradise King's castle, and I felt a sense of pride in having created this particular world.

*Body like a fighter*
The Paradise King's body has a very specific design. In my earlier designs, strong fighters always had a macho body shape with their chest puffed out and their arms slightly behind them. But when I look at my favourite martial artists like Bruce Lee, they have a completely different body type, usually with a bigger back and the arms in the front. It feels like his back is wider than his front. I drew Paradise King with that body type in mind.

p.95
*Picture it in motion*
For the clothes, I was conscious of designing them to be simple and appealing. In action scenes, clothes can get dirty or flutter in the wind, so detailed designs can be a problem and they can affect movement. In that sense, his pointed collar was quite troublesome once we got into animation. Later I wished I had made it smaller. You have to think about how a character will move while designing them.

*Peace & Love*
He was described as a funky guy who came to the jungle sometime in the 1970s. That's why I gave him an afro and designed his clothes with a 'peace and love' style, with floral patterns and a psychedelic impression.

p.96
*Artistic and freaky*
The Paradise King's room has an artistic 60's feel to it. It's a little unnerving, with mannequins like the ones in "A Clockwork Orange" standing around it.

*Gorgeous Appearance!*
Mr. Hara had already decided on the song that would play during his entrance scene. Since it was a funky, jungle-like song, we went for a showy entrance.

p.97
*A Man's Dream*
This is a real tough guy. He has scars all over his body, and he's been living alone with monkeys for a long time, so he's had it rough. But I also wanted to show how free he is, "living alone as a man." At that time, there was a trend that even fathers had to pee sitting down or their families would get angry with them, so I figured "the best part of living alone is that a man can pee standing up, without worrying about anyone else!" (laughs) I thought if I made a men's toilet with a great view, that would sum up this character well. It's like a true man's dream. Whether or not it's my own dream is another matter (laughs).

p.98
*Gibbon*
The way they walk with their hands is distinctive and interesting. It's hard to design an animal if you don't know how it moves, so I try to observe the real thing as much as possible. Gibbons are hard to find in zoos, so I had to look hard to find video footage to draw from.

p.99
*Minecarts*
There's Shin-chan in a cage again. By this time, the internet had become popular, and the production people would search for images and bring materials. I was skeptical about that kind of research because there wasn't much good material in what they brought me, but when I searched for minecarts, I found a bunch of good images. I wouldn't have thought there were so many minecart enthusiasts out there (laughs).

p.100
*Psychedelic paintjob*
There was a note that the boat had been painted, so I added a psychedelic pattern. Paradise King is a big fan of the 60s and 70s, and so I thought he might be a little artistically inclined.

p.101
*A Simple form with a clear structure*
When drawing anything realistic, you need reference, so I looked for a ship to use as a model. I needed something that could be drawn as simply as possible, but that also had a very clear ship-like structure. I think I modeled it on the Yotei Maru, which is at the Museum of Maritime Science.

p.102
*Conveyor belt monkey cafeteria*
This is the huge cafeteria where the mothers are put to work. The picture above depicts the food delivery area. The food is made underground and comes up to a round area. Then the food is sent to the monkeys via conveyor belt, like at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.

p.103
*The Hardest Job*
The kidnapped people are forced to do the grueling work of animators. Somebody came up with this idea to show animation as the toughest job of all. It's a self-deprecating joke (laughs).

p.104
*Action Kamen vs Paradise King*
Once again I was assigned to come up with some climactic action. Action Kamen is flying with a small device, so it was easy to move him around all over the place. When he falls into the sea, we also showed him rolling on the surface of the water due to surface tension.

*Vehicles with visible characters*
If the cockpit is enclosed, the characters wouldn't be visible, so I picked an exposed cockpit design. Like the ship, I tried to make it look very clear what it was with the minimum necessary structural detail, but even so there wound up being a lot of lines, so in the final version I pared it down even more.

p.105
*Suspension of disbelief*
The jetpack also has a realistic design. In the scene where it flies, if the movement is too smooth it won't be convincing, so I was conscious of how to move it, like how it would stop for a moment while changing direction and then start to gain momentum again.

p.106
Crayon Shin-chan Movie: The Storm Called The Hero of Kinpoko (2008)
Director - Mitsuru Hongo
Concept art - Masaaki Yuasa
After "The Storm Called The Jungle" (2000), I took a break from "Crayon Shin-chan," but when Mitsuru Hongo came back to direct this one for the first time in twelve years, he invited me to do some concept art. I was asked to create a mysterious image of a city in the middle of the night. Mr. Hongo said, "I want it to feel like a child going out late at night for the first time." I wanted to create a slightly weird atmosphere, so I distorted the space and incorporated touches of Tim Burton and Tove Jansson. When I was a child, I really liked stories about mysterious things happening at night, so this was fun to draw.

*Spooky mysterious midnight city*
The idea of the road looking like a river was something I had wanted to do for a while. In this scene Shin-chan feels "something's not right" because the perspective is distorted.

p.108
Crayon Shin-chan Movie: Intense Battle! Robot Dad Strikes Back (2014)
Director - Wataru Takahashi
Giant robot battle concept art / storyboard / key animation - Masaaki Yuasa
I helped a little with some key animation the year before this one, but I hadn't drawn concept art since "The Hero of Kinpoko" (2008). It had been 16 years since I participated in storyboards on "Great Adventure in Henderland" (1996). I was in charge of the giant robot battle scene. I was working on other projects, so I didn't have a lot of time, but since it was a big action scene I was excited. The storyboards on the other scenes were really strong, so I was partly inspired by that, and there was some friendly competition going on.

p.109
Giant Hiroshi Robot
At first I just drew a simple design of a larger "Robot-chan" [I believe this means his original design was just a giant version of the regular robot dad] but it was rejected. They said they liked asymmetrical shapes, so I thought about an asymmetrical silhouette using steel girders from an industrial site. My main thought was that it should look complicated, but be easy to draw.

*Hiroshi Itsuki Robot's Special Move*
The final boss was a giant Hiroshi Itsuki robot. This robot was originally described as "Mr. Korokke's impression of Hiroshi Itsuki." [Korokke had a popular comedy routine where he pretended to be a robot version of the singer Hiroshi Itsuki.] In order to do it I took another look at Mr. Korokke's impersonation, and it's still amazing. I included the famous trick of moving his facial muscles to change his expression in the storyboards, because I wanted to try animating it. Since it's a giant robot fight, I wanted to create a special move for the robot, so I came up with a technique where the singing voice becomes a powerful wave. When the wave hits somebody, their face turns into Hiroshi Itsuki.

p.112
SHIN-MEN (2010-2012)
Director, setting design, storyboard, animation director, OP lyrics - Masaaki Yuasa (in charge of episodes 1-5)
The production company, Shin-Ei Animation, approached me with the idea of doing a superhero story in which five Shin-chans from various countries come together. I was thinking it would be great to give the heroes an elemental motif. I also wanted to bring back Buriburizaemon, who was active in the early "Crayon Shin-chan" series. After the voice actor had passed away, he didn't appear often, so I wanted to explain why he wasn't around anymore. I also wanted to explain why Shinnosuke didn't appear in this story. So I came up with the reason that "Shinnosuke doesn't appear because he no longer has Buriburizaemon fantasies" and decided to make a story where Buriburizaemon is angered by that, and creates his own parallel world with Ton-men and Shin-Men in order to summon Shinnosuke. Unfortunately I wasn't able to keep working on it that far, but I had this grand plan to have Shinnosuke and Buriburizaemon face off in a big confrontation at the end.

p.113
*Help in a pinch*
A scene where Shin-Men fire a missile to stop a wave, and it goes through and destroys a building in the back. I wanted an epic story where the Shin-Men keep failing and every time the earth is completely destroyed. Also, when the Shin-Men join forces, their attacks are powered up by teamwork. Like how wind makes fire stronger, or how water and fire make hot water (laughs).

p.115
*Britney*
At first I had a sci-fi look in mind. She would come as an alien, and the Shin-Men protect the earth. But then the Office Lady concept came to mind, and she ended up being a temp worker who is good at her job, but always leaves work on time.

*Shin-Men*
Goh (Flame Shinnosuke) is a hot-blooded man. He's like Shin-chan when he gets all fired up and intense in the movies. Nyoki (Green Shinnosuke) is a playboy, and Hugh (Wind Shinnosuke) is the king of the wind country, who doesn't show much emotion. At first glance, it's hard to tell what he's thinking, but when weather phenomena happen near him, you can tell his emotions by the weather. If it's raining, he's actually sad, and if there's thunder, this guy is angry.

p.117
*Girl hero*
Kang (Iron Shinnosuke) is the only girl among the Shin-men. Since only men can be Shin-Men, she wears and iron suit to hide her identity from everyone. She has no super powers and relies on the power of her suit. Hugh (Wind Shinnosuke) is secretly interested in Kang, but since he thinks Kang is a man, he wonders "maybe that's what I'm into..." (laughs)

*Shin-Men*
Along with the Shin-Men there are five Buriburizaemons. Colourful and cute. I was also thinking about their personalities, such as being a bit gay, or being good with machines, etc.

p.118
*A girl with Shin-chan's face*
It wouldn't look like Shin-chan without thick eyebrows. But it felt a little strange to see a girl with thick eyebrows.

p.120
*SHIN-MEN opening song*
Written above are the lyrics to the opening song. I was told that the words "a hard life" wasn't good, so I changed it to "a lazy life." I thought it was very Shin-chan-esque (laughs).

p.121
*Idea notes*
At one point I lost all the ideas I had jotted down on my phone, and I lost several years' worth of ideas... I can't remember anything without writing it down, so my notes are important. There are some ideas I can't remember even when I do have my notes... (laughs).

Masaaki Yuasa Sketchbook - Shin-chan Movies 4-6

Continuing from the previous post, here are rough translations of Yuasa's text commentary for Crayon Shin-chan Movies 4-6 (done through a mix of google translate, deepl, my own knowledge of Japanese and the subject matter and some additional research here and there)

p.57
Crayon Shin-chan: Great Adventure in Henderland (1996)
Director - Mitsuru Hongo
Concept art / storyboards / key animation - Masaaki Yuasa
The setting is an amusement park called Henderland. Along with a distinctive castle, we needed locations for the forest and town that spread through the park, so I got to work designing the whole setting. I got an image of the whole park in my mind, so I ran to my sketchbook as fast as I could, as if I were trying to copy it down. When I finished drawing it, I was happy that I was able to grasp the whole thing all at once. It's fun to draw buildings one by one, but I felt a sense of accomplishment at having drawn the whole thing, as if I had created a world! This was also the first time I got to fully participate in storyboards on a "Crayon Shin-chan" movie. When I see a scene that I storyboarded, I get a nice feeling, like a funny chemical in my brain. So "Henderland" was a big deal for me in that sense.

p.58
*Castle with legs*
I was watching a fantasy movie called "Lost Children" ["City of Lost Children", 1995?] and thought it would be nice to put legs on the castle. It was impossible to put long legs on the castle in the film, so I just put short legs.

*Muddy Castle* [can't figure this out]
There's a scene I like in a Disney movie where a building [becomes muddy/deflates/melts? ... couldn't figure out what exactly this is referring to]. I've used that idea in various works.

*Capsizing Castle*
I was thinking of a castle that turns upside-down underwater, but later realized that it wouldn't rotate like that without an axis, so this idea fell by the wayside.

p.59
*Hender Castle*
Designing the castle was tough. I had a lot of ideas, so I kept thinking, "what about this, or this..." and couldn't settle on a basic concept. After giving it a lot of thought, I settled on "a design that is chaotic, yet unified." I ended up using the shape of the house from Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" as the base. Then I crammed it full of the ideas I wanted to use.

p.61
*Castle with Rising Water Level*
I had an idea where the sea level only rises around the castle. It would be interesting if the only way to climb up the castle was to swim through the water, and those who can't swim wouldn't be able to get to the top. The inside is also filled with water, so you can swim to places you wouldn't normally get to.

p.62
*1st Poster - Rough*
I also drew the first poster for "Henderland." The picture on the right page was actually used. If I remember correctly, the designs for Toppema and Chokirin hadn't been finalized yet. The bottom row shows the four members of the Kasukabe Defense Force and the teachers.

p.64
Column 3
*Interesting Creator*
Around the time of "Adventure in Henderland" I really wanted to develop a unique style, and I admired artists with a distinctive look like Tim Burton. Eventually I decided it was too hard (laughs). After that, I became interested in directors like Paul Verhoeven, who basically directs flashy B-movies. It's not as classy, but it's amusing in an over-the-top way. In my later works, I was conscious of that kind of atmosphere.

p.65
*Overview of Henderland*
Henderland is divided into three theme parks. I hoped it would look vaguely like Mickey Mouse when viewed from above. *Numbers correspond to each location from p. 066 to 073.

p.66
*Rotating station*
When I researched trains, I found that they're quite fascinating and I understood how rail-fans feel (laughs). I was particularly interested in the turntable, so I used it in my concept art.

*Draw the entire park in a circle*
Henderland is set up to fool people by posing as a theme park like Disneyland, so I drew it partly as a parody. I drew the entire park from the entrance to the train going around in a circle. I didn't know if they would use everything I drew in the film, but I wasn't going to be satisfied until I drew what I had in my head. I guess I needed to visualize the whole thing just to convince myself.

p.67
*Countdown door*
As the train approaches, the doors painted "3, 2, 1" open as if counting down. We wanted to create an atmosphere of heightened anticipation.

p.69
*Simplify the clutter*
The look of the town was inspired by Toontown. Toontown is supposed to represent a drawn cartoon world, so the clutter and detail are stylized in a simple way. It's a "calculated mess." While keeping that in mind, I also based the town on Venice, which I really like.

p.71
*A sense of anticipation going through the tunnel*
The underwater tunnel builds excitement. Since it's an attraction, it's just an artificial underwater area. I designed this place picturing myself as a customer, imagining what it would look like on the train. The character with the big nose in Playtown is another Kveta Pacovská-esque design. I used to hate drawing this kind of weird picture, but by this point I was starting to get into bold shapes like this.

p.73
Column 4
*City in the background*
I went to Disneyland for location scouting before production started. I was a bit skeptical before I went, but when I got there, I was actually really impressed. The light parade, the music, etc. are all precisely engineered in a way to excite the audience. What impressed me most was the "Critter Country" area. The story is that the town is flooded after a beaver dam broke, and all the buildings were recycled from the waste materials. [note: this element is unique to Tokyo's Disneyland] I was so impressed that I wanted to create a design that would hint at that kind of backstory.

p.74
*Attraction - Underground Super Express*
Although only a signboard appears in the film, I was also thinking about the content of the attraction. When I went to Universal Studios Japan, I was fascinated by the experiential attraction that used video footage, so I drew a B-grade version of that. The round window on the ceiling is Leiji Matsumoto-style. The video monitor shows footage of mole robots attacking, and then the actual robot only appears when Masao is taken away. At the end, the robots attack all at once with guns attached to the seat belts. Masao, who left in the middle of the show, is waiting outside by himself with a souvenir as a thank-you for playing an active role in the attraction. I was happy to hear Mr. Hara, the director, say, "we can't use this in the film, but it's well-done."

p.78
*Henderland's Mascot*
I was also assigned to come up with a mascot character, what's now known as a "yuru-chara." I had a hard time with this. (laughs) I tried to draw a variety of mascots, but I couldn't decide which one I liked best. The characters that were chosen were one with horns sticking out from the top and sides of his head like Astro Boy, and a character with horns sticking out from both sides like Uran-chan. The eyes are another nod to "Sesame Street."

p.79
*Don't forget to take cartoony leaps*
The plot had a scene of Makao and Joma dancing ballet, so I made it look like a theater. Mr. Hongo liked the circular design of the castle, so I tried to draw the inside of the room in a cartoonish way, not forgetting to take leaps. Sometimes when you do too much research you can get bogged down in realism, so I consciously tried to mix in things that weren't realistic.
[I feel like there's some key phrase that doesn't translate directly here, something like "flights of fancy" or "making a break away from reality"]

p.80
*Castle chase*
This is the scene where the okamas and Shin-chan are chasing each other. I thought about how to call back to the ballet scene again here. I like to insert quick gags during running chases.

p.82
Crayon Shin-chan Movie: Pursuit of the Balls of Darkness （1997)
Director - Keiichi Hara
Concept art / key animation - Masaaki Yuasa
With this film, the director baton passed from Mitsuru Hongo to Keiichi Hara. Mr. Hara tends towards a realistic sensibility, so I tried to make the setting closer to the real thing. But since it's set in the real world, it was difficult to research the locations, so I couldn't draw a large number of settings. Also, after "Great Adventure in Henderland" I began to think seriously about wanting to direct. Basically, the director decides which ideas to use, so I could have more control than just doing concept art. Around this time I started wanting to use my ideas in my own films.

*Kung fu action*
I thought about staging some action on the beams in the house. I was thinking of Hong Kong kung fu movies where they use wires to run along the wall. Mr. Hara likes things to be realistic, so I was conscious of martial arts movement as a reference point.

p.83
*Magariya* [a specific historic L-shaped type of Japanese house]
It's like an old lady's house or a country house you'd see on TV. The bathroom and toilet don't appear in the film, but I drew them because I can't grasp the setting if I haven't figured out the whole thing.

*Tricks in the toilet*
This is a device I actually saw in a building. It was designed to allow people to escape through the toilet in case of enemies. The toilet goes down to the ground and you can escape through the floor.

p.84
*Tamayura Village*
It was decided that the setting would be a village in the mountains of Tohoku. I was born and raised in a flat area with no mountains around me, so it was quite difficult for me to come up with this.

*Building with a giant clock*
The climax of the film takes place in a high-rise building. Mr. Hara envisioned Odaiba at the time of development, where a single building stands alone in a big open space. The building itself was based on the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka, which has an observation deck and a giant clock. I thought about using the clock for action, like how scary it would be to climb to the top of the hands and feel as if you were about to fall off.

p.85
*I'm not good at precision-drawing*
I also drew heavy machinery used in construction sites and building. This is just a rough sketch to communicate the idea, but it was really hard to make the final clean drawing for submission. There were so many windows to draw, and I had to draw them all one by one, and if they were distorted, I had to redraw them all from scratch... It was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

p.86
Crayon Shin-chan the Movie: Blitzkrieg! Pig's Hoof's Secret Mission (1998)
Director - Keiichi Hara
Concept art / key animation - Masaaki Yuasa
The scale of "Pig Hoof's Secret Mission" got so large that it was difficult to wrap my head around the whole story and create the concept art. Despite the vast scale, the story took place in real locations so there wasn't really much major design work to be done. At this point I was designing to satisfy the director, Keiichi Hara. The main assignment was for the airship design, and Mr. Hara had to narrow down a few selections from the many design proposals I submitted.

*Lots of space to move around*
It seems there's only one manned airship in Japan at the moment, and it was difficult to find information about it. Until I did my research, I had assumed there were lots of people inside the balloon (laughs). When I looked into it, I found there actually was a small gap inside for people to get through, so I had them move through that gap. But I think mine has more space than a normal airship.

p.87
*Airship - Draft*
After Mr. Hara narrowed it down for me, I finally chose a design that looked like a bird's face. I wanted it to look realistic to some extent, but also have an interesting design.

p.89
*Airship - Design proposals*
The circled pictures are the designs Mr. Hara chose. Usually, even when I come up with a lot of design ideas, I try to narrow it down myself, but this time I kind of liked them all. Since Mr. Hara is a realistic person, I was curious what kind of shape he would prefer, so I asked him to look at several designs.

p.90
*Embarrassing torture*
I drew this because I was assigned to come up with a torture method. When it comes to torture, you can get pretty creative. In the film, a CG model was used. Another idea I had was to force them into strange poses and make them embarrassed. This would require the torturer to strike the same pose.

p.91
*CD-type design*
The big main computer is a silhouette of a CD. The reason for this is that at the time, my own idea of cutting-edge technology was a music CD (laughs). Since the setting was a laboratory, I had to make it feel cutting-edge.

*Musician controls*
The keyboard room is below the main computer. Keyboards surround you and you operate them with your whole body. You feel like a musician playing many keyboards at once.

p.92
*Buriburizaemon's Misdeeds*
It's a "public embarrassment" kind of image. The lower right picture shows an out-of-place toupee. People around him are trying to avoid looking at it.