Director Tetsuro Araki talks about the appeal of "Kabaneri the Iron Castle: The Complete Works" - "The Complete Works is a re-set-up for the new work!

Tetsuro Araki, director of "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle

The importance of the "compilation" is that it can be watched "naturally.

─ First of all, please tell us how you came to produce "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle: The Complete Works" (hereinafter referred to as "the complete works").

Tetsuro Araki (Araki): It all started when Fuji Television approached me. I also wanted to have a chance to introduce "Kabaneri of the Iron Castle" to a wider audience, so I said, "Please let me do it.

─ ─ How different is this "compilation" from the TV anime?

Araki: We did not make any changes or alterations to the version that you have already seen on TV, because we have already improved the quality to the best level we could hope for when it aired on TV.

─ ─ This "compilation" film is a compilation of all 12 episodes of the TV series into two films.

Araki: Originally, whether making a movie or a TV anime, it is a rule of composition to have a major event in the middle of the total length or at a plot point. In the case of "Kabaneri," it was Mima's appearance, and the first half of the film depicts the formation of unity among the friends of Koutetsujo and the crisis they face, while the second half depicts the battle against the organization behind Mumei. Naturally, the movie has the same structure.

When I make a compilation film, I try to transplant the form of the series as it is, without any effort. So the position of the plot points (symbolic events) in the overall flow remains the same, whether it is a TV animation or a compilation. So, for example, we can say, "If the entire movie is this length, this event must happen at the 40-minute mark. What can we cut to make that happen?" And so on. However, ...... suffered a lot this time.

─ ─ What exactly did you suffer from?

Araki: Normally, in every work, there are not only events that directly advance the case, but also events that provide a certain amount of leeway. They may be scenes that explain the background of the characters or scenes that deepen the relationship between the characters. If such a scene exists on its own, it can be cut out when putting it together, but in ...... "Kabaneri", a scene has multiple functions: it advances the case, explains the characters, and describes the changes in their relationships. Therefore, if you cut a scene too much, you would end up with a scene that connects the events but does not connect the changes in the characters' feelings.
In the TV series, we had already worked out how much information we could pack into the 12 episodes to the point where it was impossible to go any further, so it was difficult to further reduce the length of the series. In terms of the compression ratio, the amount of information that had to be cut was much smaller than making two movies out of a two-cour film. I was so worried about it that I wondered if I would have to go this far just to cut a few dozen minutes out of it.

But I was so worried that I could not even think of how to cut a few dozen minutes.

Araki But when you see the finished product, I don't think you will get the impression that it was that hard work. Of course, you don't have to feel that (laughs), but I think that people who have seen the TV animation will feel that it's so "the same" that they will be disappointed.

─ ─ I watched the first part of the "compilation" beforehand, and it is true that there was almost no difference in impression from the TV anime.

Araki: We have taken a lot of effort to make people think that way (laughs). (laugh) I think the most important thing is that the compilation can be watched easily and naturally, without any doubts.
For example, this may sound like a technical difficulty, but when watching an animation on TV, there is time to "clear your head" during commercials and OP/EDs. Without that time, the viewer may feel overwhelmed by the amount of information and become confused. I am also conscious of preparing a "rest time" for the brain.

─ ─ Most people watch a movie all the way through without even going to the bathroom.

Araki: The result is simply that people watch the film naturally. We worked very hard, and it was surprisingly difficult (laughs). But I think it was worth it, because the drama of the characters is well expressed and can be enjoyed in a surprisingly short period of time.

─ ─ But there are a lot of things that need to be considered in order for the viewer to "watch it naturally. Now, there may be people who are watching "Kabaneri" for the first time in the "compilation" version, but what do you want them to pay attention to?

Araki: That it is surprisingly funny (laughs). (Laughs.) People may think it's a very serious anime with a heavy-hearted content, but it's also entertaining. Of course it is a hard work, but the fact that it is surprisingly enjoyable is not something we usually advertise, and it is something that cannot be imagined until you actually see it, so I would like to tell people who have never seen "Kabaneri the Iron Castle" before.

─ ─ On the other hand, for fans of the TV anime, what do you recommend in the "compilation"?

Araki: I hope they will enjoy the new scenes. We did a pretty good job on them, so I hope you can look forward to them. But even if that is what you expect at first, I think you will find the "compilation" to be the most interesting part of the film once you actually watch it. While I was working on it, I thought, "This is pretty exciting," and I even thought so when I watched it myself, so I think that even those who have seen the TV anime will find it interesting again.