Animation Industry Watching Vol. 16: Toei, Ghibli, Tatsunoko Productions......Director Kenji Nakamura on his frustrations and resurgence to become an employee director

Director Kenji Nakamura, known for the series "Mononokai" (2007), "C" (2011), "Tsurikyu" (2012), and "Gatchaman Crows" (2013), is from Gifu Prefecture. He is currently an employee director at Tatsunoko Productions. We asked Nakamura about his unusual position as an "employee director" while looking back on his unusual life in animation, in which he has experienced many setbacks.

Daiani" was established across the street from the company.

Q: Were you always interested in animation?

Nakamura: When I was in high school, I watched a lot of animation. I absorbed animation and novels like crazy, and the drop in deviation was amazing. I read science fiction and juvenile novels at a pace of about one book every three days, and I rented and watched almost all of the anime that was lined up at the rental store. I really enjoyed the time I spent talking otaku with similar people. By the time I was a senior in high school, I was getting red marks all the time, and as a matter of course, I had to take remedial classes.

I heard that you were an office worker in a different industry before you entered the animation industry?

Nakamura:Yes, I was. I worked for a small advertising agency that had nothing to do with animation. My main job was to interview students and match them with people looking for tutors. Every day I worked, thinking about my 20-30 years from now, but I had a sense of stagnation about the unchanging routine. ...... It was as if there was a board on top of my head and it was hitting me hard. But I had no other career that I wanted to pursue,...... and I felt disappointed in myself.

3:How did you move from such a state to the world of animation?

Nakamura:When I tell this story, people don't believe me and say, "It's too good to be true. My company was located in front of Nagoya Station. The building I could see from my office window was under construction, and it was covered with blue vinyl all the time. While eating my lunch, I wondered what kind of building was going to be built. I was eating my lunch and wondering what the building was going to be, when the vinyl was peeled off right in front of me. It said "Yoyogi Animation Gakuin" on it. At that moment, like a bolt of lightning, I thought to myself, "I'm going to do animation! I was like a bolt of lightning. Until then, I had been thinking, "Watching animation is fine, but I definitely don't want to be a creator. The pay is low, it's hard, it's dirty, it's poor. ...... I should have avoided that and become a regular salaryman, but every day is tough. So it's like I escaped to the world of anime. The next day I handed in my resignation and went to Yoyogi Animation Gakuin on the same day. When I asked for an application form at the staff room, I was wearing an expensive suit at the time, so I was asked, "Is this your brother's? I was wearing an expensive suit at the time, so he asked me again, "Is it your brother's? No, it's mine! I remember that the staff room was abuzz when I said loudly, "No, it's mine!

　But my parents were puzzled, "Anime is just a manga, right? I was so upset that I couldn't even buy an anime magazine. I should never have bought an anime magazine! I shouldn't have bought them anime magazines!

After "anime rearing," I entered the industry at the age of 26.

What did you learn at Yoyogi Animation Gakuin?

Nakamura: I joined the animator section and practiced animation and original drawings. I had never thought of school as interesting until then, but my time at Yoyogi Animation Gakuin was a rosy time. The teachers and students talked only about anime. I also enjoyed talking with girls about how they were "drawing yaoi books," and they would say, "Tell us what you like! I was enjoying my "anime rea-support" in the same way.

I was enjoying the "anime riajitsu" with the girls, and I was enjoying talking about "what's good about anime" and "tell me what's good about anime!

Nakamura:Yes, but I got tendonitis within 3 months of starting animation. 26 years old, when I entered the animation industry, people my age were character designers, animation directors, or even directors. I felt like a failure and was in a hurry, so I pushed myself to keep on drawing even after I got tendonitis. I lost the ability to move from the elbow and had no choice but to quit working as an animator.

─ Did you ever think of quitting animation itself?

Nakamura:No, I was encouraged by the efforts of the other students who came to Tokyo with me. They asked me, "Why don't you work as a production manager? I had a license, so I said, "I'll do it! I raised my hand and said, "I'll do it! I was very interested in the job as a production manager. Until then, I had only worked at a desk, but now I could meet directors and editors, and even go to postrecording sessions. Animation production, the full course. Even though deadlines were tight and I couldn't take a bath, I was so into it that I would sleep in the back of the car and work as soon as I woke up. As I worked, I began to notice something: animators are basically freelancers. In order to stabilize their work, I would have to take on work from large companies and work as a production manager to make sure that the work was running smoothly. While I was thinking about this, I received a job offer from Toei Animation. I was determined not to let this offer pass me by, so I jumped at it.

I enjoyed working with Toei again. Until then, I had only been satisfied with the work as long as I could meet the deadlines. However, at that time, Toei was making "Dragon Ball" and other glamorous films, and we were having heated discussions about how to improve the film or what was wrong with the cut. Then I started coming in to Toei and working on the floor. When I was given a desk for the first time, I even laid my cheek on the desk. I used to go in and out of the staff room of "Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo" (The Case Files of the Kindaichi Boys), which would be broadcast nationwide. My parents finally recognized me and said, "We wondered what you were doing, but you're doing it right.

3:Then, you moved on from production work to directing, didn't you?

Nakamura: Yes, and it was a godsend. One of my assistant directors went missing.