AnimeJapan2017】Original author, Go Nagai, is looking forward to the completion of "DEVILMAN crybaby"! DEVILMAN crybaby" Talk Show Report

On Saturday, March 25, 2017, a talk event featuring "DEVILMAN crybaby" original author Go Nagai and director Masaaki Yuasa was held at the "AnimeJapan 2017" Seminar Stage.

Devilman" is a manga series written by Go Nagai that has been serialized in "Weekly Shonen Magazine" (Kodansha) since 1972, and has been a huge hit with a total of 50 million copies sold worldwide. It is also very popular overseas, with translated editions published in English-speaking countries, Italy, Hong Kong, France, South Korea, and many other countries. Many media mixes have been produced, including animated TV series, OVAs, live-action films, video games, novels, and derivative manga.

DEVILMAN crybaby," a commemorative work for the 50th anniversary of Go Nagai's art career, is a new anime directed by Masaaki Yuasa, known for his unique works such as "Yoru wa tanashi arukete yo otome" (released on April 7) and "Yoake ni naru rou no uta" (May 19). This is the first time that even the last part of the original comic book will be made into a film. This work is scheduled to be released exclusively on the online distribution platform "Netflix" worldwide.

⇒Anime "Devilman" to be newly produced on Netflix! The "ending of the original work" was made into a video for the first time by director Masaaki Yuasa!

On this day, in front of the many fans who came to the venue, Mr. Nagai and Director Yuasa talked about their passion for "Devilman" and behind the scenes of the "DEVILMAN crybaby" production announcement made prior to the event, with Nippon Broadcasting System announcer Naoki Yoshida serving as the MC. First of all, the original manga was drawn in the early days of "Devil Man".

When asked about the historical background of the original manga, Mr. Nagai replied, "The serialization started in 1972. At the time, I was drawing the manga while watching the news about the Vietnam War and the student movement. As I watched the battles, I wondered how far they would go if they escalated, and I feared that I would be in danger if I did not apply the brakes somewhere along the way. He added, "Sometimes I wondered why I was drawing such things. Sometimes I wondered why I was drawing what I was drawing and where this line came from," he said.

On the other hand, Director Yuasa said, "I read the original work when I was in high school. I was shocked by the development of the second half, but at the time I still didn't know what the big surprise was behind it," he commented. He added that in "DEVILMAN crybaby," he thought of his own meaning for the last scene that shocked him and worked backward from there to come up with the story. He also said that the story will be set in the present day and will take place in "a world where a work called 'Devilman' existed in the past. It was revealed during the talk that some of the settings will be changed, but Mr. Nagai said, "Each person has his or her own personality. I think the best way to show your ability is to make it the way you like it, so I hope you will do it to your heart's content without thinking of trying to match me.

Ms. Nagai, who has already seen two of director Yuasa's new animated films, "Yoru wa tanashi arukete yo otome" and "Yoake ni narau rue no uta," both scheduled for release this spring, said, "They were very interesting. After seeing the two theater films, I was convinced that this director is capable of creating the surrealistic world of "Devil Man,"" he said. Regarding Asuka Ryo, an important character in the manga version of "Devil Man," director Yuasa said, "I think this film is a buddy movie between the main character, Akira Fudo, and Asuka Ryo, but I don't think Ryo has been depicted properly in the previous films. DEVILMAN crybaby" is Akira's story, but this time it is also Ryo's story." Nagai added, "When I was drawing the manga, I realized that Ryo was the main character in the latter half. I realized that Ryo was the main character in the manga when I was drawing it," commented Nagai. "If I removed Ryo, the story would not progress, so I killed him once and brought him back to life. Actually, this was the first time that the two discussed Asuka Ryo, but it turned out that Yuasa and Nagai had reached a consensus on the core of "Devil Man" even without saying anything. Mr. Nagai expressed his happiness at this.

Incidentally, it was revealed on this stage that this work will have a volume of about one cool episode, and that it will be distributed around the beginning of 2018. Unlike television, this work will be distributed with no restrictions on the broadcast slot, so "I've been told that (the length of an episode) can be 40 or 50 minutes long. This is an environment where we can create without any restrictions," commented Director Yuasa. He also said that he would challenge himself to the limit in terms of violent and erotic scenes, taking advantage of the less-regulated distribution environment. The subtitle "crybaby" is a key word in the film, and it aroused the audience's expectations.

The event was wrapped up in a friendly atmosphere from start to finish. As a viewer of the show, Nagai expressed his expectations for "DEVILMAN crybaby," saying, "I can't wait for next year.