The May 9 broadcast of the variety program ‘Sakusaku Himu Himu ☆ Oshi no Furu Yoru ☆’ featured a special focusing on anime production studios. A special edition including unreleased scenes is currently available for free streaming on TVer.
‘Sakusaku Himu Himu ☆ Oshi no Furu Yoru ☆’ is a talk variety show hosted by Sakuma Daisuke (Snow Man) and Himura Yuuki (Banana Man). The program explores why the things currently being “pushed” (oshi) across Japan are popular.
Appearing as the guide ‘Oshitsuji-san’ to convey the theme’s appeal were former Denpagumi.inc member Furukawa Mirei and anime/tokusatsu researcher Hikawa Ryuusuke. According to Furukawa, there are approximately 300 known anime production companies in Japan. The program explained the production process to show how anime is made.
Regarding storyboards, which play a particularly important role, Hikawa explained, “It’s a blueprint for how to incorporate elements not present in the original source.” Unlike manga, which leaves room for the reader’s imagination, anime requires meticulous design down to the flow of time and camera work. Therefore, the sensibility and dedication of the production studio greatly influence the impact of the work.
For example, in the manga version of ‘That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime’, the scene where the protagonist and enemy face each other is depicted in three panels. In the anime version, direction such as “moving the camera closer” and “the wind blowing” was added to express gradually increasing tension.
Next, notable production studios were introduced. First, about Madhouse, Hikawa said it is a studio adept at expressing human emotions through drawings. This meticulous craftsmanship is also utilized in ‘Sousou no Frieren’, and they deliberately delve into a “certain expression” that tends to be omitted in typical TV anime.
When asked, “What do you think it is?”, Sakuma pondered for a moment before arriving at the correct answer brilliantly: “Frieren is an anime where you really feel the passage of time slowly,” and “Honestly, it includes scenes that you’d normally have to cut, like just traveling from place to place.”
Drawing characters walking is difficult because it requires bringing out each character’s individuality, so anime often uses cuts that hide the feet. However, in ‘Frieren’, by actively depicting such scenes, they create the emotional atmosphere of the journey.
The theatrical film ‘Chainsaw Man – Reze Arc’, produced by MAPPA, was also introduced. Regarding the climax battle scene, Hikawa remarked, “They meticulously and carefully draw by hand all the various phenomena happening at once. It’s amazing how they show it almost entirely through the power of hand-drawn animation.” Sakuma agreed, saying, “They’re practically perverts, this production company.”
Additionally, it was mentioned that for ufotable’s ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’, by producing CG in-house instead of outsourcing, they achieved a high sense of unity with the hand-drawn animation. For Doga Kobo’s ‘Oshi no Ko’, they introduced a role called ‘color script’ to enhance the excitement of the work through color design.
Finally, with the cooperation of vocational school HAL, Sakuma and Himura took on their first challenge in anime direction. They added original special effects to a battle scene that was a student’s graduation project. The difference from before the processing was obvious, and Himura admired, “That’s interesting,” while Sakuma showed a satisfied expression, saying, “Wow, looks strong.”
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‘Sakusaku Himu Himu ☆ Oshi no Furu Yoru ☆’
Broadcast date/time: Every Saturday 11:30 PM
Cast: Sakuma Daisuke (Snow Man), Himura Yuuki (Banana Man)
Chief Producer: Yano Naoko
Producer: Kashiwabara Moeto
Director: Tamura Koudai
Production Cooperation: D Company, The Works
Production/Copyright: Nippon Television
— Takahashi Katsunori
