Now available on Netflix! CYBORG009 CALL OF JUSTICE," the latest in the "Cyborg 009" series, director Hirohiro Kakimoto talks about the secret story behind its production.

The "CYBORG009 CALL OF JUSTICE" trilogy of anime films, which was released in theaters from late last year to early this year, has returned in a re-edited 12-episode series!　To commemorate the distribution of the re-edited version all together on Netflix, which started on February 10, 2017, we asked the film's director, Hirohiro Kakimoto, about the highlights of the film and the story behind its production!

Whether you have already seen the theatrical version or are experiencing the film for the first time, read the interview and visit Netflix as soon as possible!

Expression born of respect for the original work and old anime and exploration of CG technology

─ ─ When I saw the video, I felt an extraordinary respect for the original manga. Did you yourself have a deep attachment to the "Cyborg 009" series?

Kakimoto: Yes, I bought all the volumes of the original manga when I was in high school and was completely absorbed in it. It was also my father's favorite work, so in that sense I was familiar with it from childhood.

Kakimoto──I was impressed by the cut that recreates the "Black Ghost Arc" of the original work.

Kakimoto: In creating this work, I started by re-reading all the volumes of the original work. And Kenji Kamiyama, the director-in-chief, is also a big fan of the original work. It was the consensus of the entire staff to "start from the very beginning of the original work" in order to start a new "Cyborg 009" series.

─ Is there any connection between the worldview of the original manga and the "Cyborg 009" series?

Kakimoto: The previous work, "009 RE: CYBORG," had a worldview that was connected to the original work, and we wondered what the 009s of the 60s and 70s would be doing if they were alive in the 2010s. This work also shares the same point of "depicting the activities of the Zero-Zero Number cyborgs who have lived in the real history in the present day.

───The scene at the beginning of the film reminded me of the black-and-white era of anime.

Kakimoto: That was also an idea of General Director Kamiyama. There are various ways to express the reminiscence scene, such as sepia style, but "Cyborg 009" has been around since the black-and-white animation era, so we were able to take full advantage of that.

───This is a full 3DCG animation, but wasn't it difficult to draw the old anime-style pictures in 3D?

Kakimoto: OLM Digital, the studio that produced this work, specializes in photorealistic expressions, so we went through a lot of trial and error at first. However, OLM (a studio that produces 2D animation such as "Yokai Watch") was also located in the same building, so we managed to make it with the help of their animation team. We really started from the point of "recreating the original manga," so at first, we made the character design faithful to the original work and hand-drew all the characters, but it felt very strange. Then, I decided to reject it and reconstructed it in 3D.

─ You also participated in the "Arpeggio Ars Nova" (TV animation broadcast in 2013, with a compilation and two new feature films released in 2015), and you worked with Sanzigen (an animation production studio with a strong reputation for 3DCG expression). You worked with Sanzigen (an animation production studio with an established reputation for 3DCG expression). Did you make use of the know-how you gained from that experience in this film?

Kakimoto: At first, we tried to make use of their know-how, but OLM Digital had also developed a great deal of know-how through their many productions, and we had a difference in direction in terms of whether limited animation (a method of simplifying movements to make it more like conventional 2D animation) was acceptable or not. OLM Digital was particular about full animation (realistic animation with plenty of movement), so instead of "removing frames to create a realistic look," as in the case of limited animation, we created a method from scratch that would clearly show claws and tames (slow and fast movements) in full animation to create a sense of sharpness. So, we have created both limited and full animation. Therefore, I feel that limited animation and full animation are in harmony with each other.