Comments from Otsuichi, the novelizer of "The Hana to Alice Murder Case" have arrived!　It is rare to find a rotoscoped work that makes you want to watch it forever.

The anime film "The Hana to Alice Murder Case" has been in theaters since February 20, and a comment from novelist Otsuichi has been released.

Hana to Alice Murder Case" is an animated prequel to "Hana to Alice," a live-action film written, scripted, and directed by Shunji Iwai, which was released in 2004. It is the first feature-length animated film by Shunji Iwai, and the original story, screenplay, music, and direction are by Iwai himself. In addition, actresses Yu Aoi and Anne Suzuki, who appeared in "Hana to Alice," will participate as voice actors for the roles of Alice and Hana. The recording was done using the prescoring method (recording the voices first, rather than matching them to the pictures), and their performances as voice actors are also attracting attention. The story is about the encounter between Alice, the strongest transfer student in history, and Hana, the strongest shut-in in history.

Comments from Otsuichi, who was in charge of the novel version released by Shogakukan in February, have now been released. He also mentions the distinctive rotoscoping technique (i.e., the technique of creating animation by tresing live-action video footage actually shot).

Comment from Otsuichi (in charge of novelization)
It was a pleasant animation. It is rare to see a rotoscoped work that makes you feel attached to the characters and want to watch it forever. This technology is still in the process of development for mankind. Director Iwai has done an excellent job of showing us the way.
The characters in this film have flesh-and-blood physicality. However, their facial expressions are deformed in an anime-like manner. They breathe in the screen as a single entity without any sense of discomfort, and form a worldview that hovers on the boundary between abstraction and figuration. The two girls' worldviews fluctuate and then meet, influenced by their parents' divorce, their marriage certificate, and their respective contracts. The humorous twists and turns and the exquisite conversations accelerate the comedy to all ends.