Sorry for the wait. In this sixth installment of "Anime Industry Watching," we interviewed Mr. Kashiwagi, Chief Producer of the Development Strategy Promotion Department of the Programming Bureau, about NHK's animation series, which began with "Conan: Future Boy" (1978) and has continued to influence many people to the present day.
We asked him about how NHK selects its animation programs, and about the works that he himself has been in charge of.
--What kind of work do you do in the animation program?
At NHK, I am credited as "Production Manager," but I am a producer and in charge of programs. The programming decisions are made by the "programming center," and my role is to propose programs to the programming center, and then to decide on the direction of the program, while reconciling the program with the wishes of the programming center. I also give my opinion on-site when producing a program. Both of these are my jobs.
--So, do you sometimes attend scenario meetings?
It depends on the work, but I sometimes attend script meetings and sometimes go to postrecording. Sometimes I attend auditions for casting decisions.
--How do you get the project proposals to Kashiwagi-san?
--The first work you were involved in was "The Twelve Kingdoms" (2002), wasn't it?
Yes, that was it! Daa! Daa! (2000), so in the sense that I was involved from the beginning of the project, "The Twelve Kingdoms" was the first. It is difficult to say whether the original story of "The Twelve Kingdoms" could be called a light novel, but I think it was the first time NHK adapted a light novel that was not based on a manga into an anime. At that time, satellite broadcasting (NHK-BS) animation was generally a project with an original story. Since satellite broadcasting itself was not that well known at that time, there were many projects that were based on manga. However, the original novel of "The Twelve Kingdoms" was by far the most interesting. The illustrations were also attractive, so I felt no discomfort in making an animated version.
--I think there have been many projects with original works for a while after that.
Recently, "Phi Brain: God's Puzzle" (2011) was an original project. I had talked with Sunrise about the possibility of doing something interesting, and they came up with a good plan. I think Sunrise came up with the plan with the E-television (NHK educational TV) slot in mind.
In the case of NHK, the live-action producer sometimes becomes the producer of the animation, and the live-action production team is located right next to the animation section. We also have relationships with live-action production companies, so it is easy to collaborate with them. I am always thinking about how to take advantage of this.
--What are your criteria for selecting projects?
In the case of an animation program, you may think that up-to-date topics are not so relevant, but for "Moshi Dora (If a female high school baseball manager reads Drucker's "Management")" (2011), the decision was that it should be aired as soon as possible.