Animation Industry Watching No.10: Creating a New Era of Short Animation - Interview with Producer Going Inside the "Ultra Super Anime Time" Project

Launched in July 2015, "Ultra Super Anime Time" (hereinafter referred to as "USAT") is a series of anime productions by popular production companies such as Sanzigen (representative works: "Arpeggio of Blue Steel - Ars Nova"), Trigger (representative works: "Little Witch Academia: Magic Parade"), Ordet (representative works: "Wake Up, Girls!"), Leiden Film (representative works: "Arslan Senki"), and others. ), Ordet (representative work: "Wake Up, Girls!"), and Raidenfilm (representative work: "Arslan Senki"). There is no end to the interest in this framework, including the packaging of the broadcast slot that transcends the boundaries of conventional video production frameworks and the significance of being produced by a holding company of a production company. We interviewed the company's producer Sunao Hirasawa, public relations manager Takumi Yokoyama, and president Hiroaki Matsuura to learn more about the project, the appeal of each program, and their vision.


Creation of a short animation slot to lighten the footwork of viewers and creators


--How did you come up with the idea for the "USAT" program slot?

Hirasawa: First of all, we wanted to offer a new viewing experience to our customers. In the late-night anime market, the 30-minute animation series with a single episode as the smallest unit has become the standard over the past 20 years or so. On the other hand, the customers' sense of time is very different from what it was 20 years ago. As I myself have experienced, the amount of information we are exposed to has increased over the past 20 years, and I believe that time has become more valuable than information. In such an era, I wondered if perhaps the 30-minute, one-cour format could be changed a bit to make it more interesting for the audience. This was the starting point of our hypothesis.

　Another notable change over the past 20 years has been the emergence of individual creators and new production studios with a high level of creativity. I think that 30-minute, one-cour productions are a bit heavy for these people when they take on new challenges. Therefore, we thought that making a compact film might be of great value to both the client and the creator. Furthermore, the clients who pay for production have changed dramatically over the past 20 years. The late-night animation market has matured, and the way of marketing and advertising has become more sophisticated, down to the smallest details. Short films do not require as long a production period, and they can take on challenging projects in a shorter amount of time and with a smaller budget. We should organize these changes over the past 20 years and try to create something of value for both the client and the customer! This is the aim of USAT.

--What is your business framework?

Hirasawa: The production committees of each of the three works support the framework as program providers. In addition, we also receive cooperation from companies that agree with the purpose of the program. In proposing the participation of the production committees as a newcomer to the program, we first and foremost felt that the hurdles to participation should not be too high. For example, we thought that there should be as few conditions as possible, such as a tie-up with some distribution company to exclusively distribute all works that participate in USAT through a particular service. Therefore, we would have the production committee of each work support us in the provision of programs.


--This would also lead to the branding of "USAT" itself in the future.

Matsuura: That's right. That is very important for us. I think it also relates to the question, "What is the company Ultra Super Pictures? I think it also relates to the question, "What is Ultra Super Pictures? I think that if this framework can be recognized together with the group, and if we can deliver various animations to users with various companies inside and outside the group, it will lead to branding as a result. To be honest, I don't think anyone would want to do something like this. It's a lot of work (laughs). (laughs) But from the user's point of view, I hope that the value of "USAT" will be that they can watch interesting works in a short time, and that hits will come out of it.


--TOKYO MX has a hot time slot for anime fans on Fridays from 23:00 to 23:30. What is the reason for this?

Yokoyama: Naturally, we think that the fan base that recognizes it as a late-night anime time slot will watch it. In addition, people who have not watched anime that deeply before will come home, turn on the TV, and find it interesting. We are also hoping that people who have not watched anime that deeply before will go home, turn on the TV, and find it interesting, so they will continue to watch it. This time of day is generally when people are home and relaxing, so from a business standpoint, we are aiming for a time slot that is in line with the rhythm of modern life.

--What are your thoughts on the relationship between the amount of time and creativity?

Matsuura: I think it is "just barely long enough. Although it is not an easy task to produce animation, it is still easier to produce in this frame than in a 30-minute animation, and the 100 cuts in each episode are enough for a continuing story, so I think there is a good balance. I also think that even if it is a bit reckless, the 100 cuts can be adjusted for the series as a whole (laughs).

Hirasawa: There have been very few comments from the creators that the story is too short. Sazae-san" and the early "Crayon Shin-chan" series were three-part series, and with this amount of time, it is possible to tell the beginning, middle, and end of the story. If it were shorter, the story would be limited to situations, but the minimum unit for drawing a certain amount of story is about 7 minutes. Recently, most videos by popular YouTubers are less than 10 minutes long. So I have a hypothesis that this is a good amount of time in terms of the audience's sense of time.

Yokoyama: Some people may be concerned that shortening the time will dilute the content, but we have gathered talented creators and asked them to use their abilities to the fullest to express the fun of their work in a minimal amount of time. We are trying to combine two values that would otherwise be contradictory and cut down on each other: for the creators to test their skills, and for the viewers to spend a satisfying time even in a short time.


Matsuura: You have a good balance between creation and production. I think this is something that can only be achieved with short animation. However, it is not easy to get people to watch short animations if you just air a few of them. I hope we can appeal to the viewers with the sense of value that they can watch three shorts in this slot.

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