The third interview of "Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai" is with director Naohiro Ito!

On Friday, August 25, 2017, the animated film "Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai" was released nationwide. In this issue, we introduce an interview with the director of the film, Naoyasu Ito.

Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai" is an original theatrical animation by MADHOUSE, which has produced numerous animated films including "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" and "Chihayafuru. With the power of voice and the power of kotodama as its theme, the film depicts a story about a mini FM station in a small cafe in Shonan and high school girls. Directed by Naoyasu Ito, script by Manabu Ishikawa, and original character design by Toshinao Aoki, known for his yurukawa (cute) designs. The main cast consists of NOW ON AIR, a unit of new voice actors born from the "Kimikoe Audition" held last summer, and Suzuko Mimori.

In this interview, she talks about the appeal of NOW ON AIR, who played the main cast, and the behind-the-scenes story of the film's production.

⇒The first part of the "Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai" interview feature! Interview with NOW ON AIR, who is finally making their full-fledged voice acting debut!
⇒ The second interview of "Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai" is with Suzuko Mimori! The second interview of "Kimi no Koe wo Todoritai" is with Suzuko Mimori! I love you six most in the world right now!

Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai" project, in which I participated from the audition stage!

─ ─ I have the impression that you are good at animating original works such as "Overlord," but how did you come to work on an original feature-length animation this time?

Ito: Personally, I don't have much of a sense of whether it is an original work or not. For "Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai," I had the original script by Manabu Ishikawa and character designs by Toshinao Aoki, and I started from there. I started out by accepting an offer from Madhouse to work on a project like this. After all, it is a great opportunity for me to work on an original feature film.

─ Did you have any previous contact with Mr. Manabu Ishikawa?

Ito: Mr. Ishikawa is from Tatsunoko Productions, and I was at the Tatsunoko Animation Technical Institute, so we worked closely together. And although I knew what kind of work he was doing, this is the first time I have worked with him directly.

───When did you start working on "Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai"?

Ito: The project was integrated with the "Kimikoe Audition," and we had already decided to make a work that emphasized the importance of voice. I was involved in the judging of the audition from the early stages and provided my own opinions on the selection criteria.

─ As someone who has been involved in the project for a long time, what were some of the areas in which you provided input in the creation of the film?

Ito: Since we were selecting a cast of six newcomers, I told them that I wanted to make sure that each of them had a strong showing. However, it would not work as a piece if we simply equalized the roles and appearances of all the leading actors. However, we were conscious of striking a balance by giving Ayame a strong character and making her appear more impressive, and by giving Otoha a chance to show off her talent in the form of music.

─ What did you think of the recording?

Ito: I think everyone at NOW ON AIR worked very hard. We divided the postrecording into four days, and the six members of NOW ON AIR actually had one day of studio lessons before the postrecording to prepare for the actual performance. I think there was also a separate reading session. I think they gave good performances thanks to their quite solid preparation.

The landscape of Shonan x Toshinao Aoki's visuals create a distinctive and captivating image

─ ─ The beautiful scenery modeled on Shonan is impressive. Is there a reason why you chose Shonan as the location?

Ito: First of all, there was the ocean, the hills, and a mini FM station on the seaside that could send a signal to the hospital. However, it is impossible to receive a clear signal from a mini FM station because the range of the station is at most 100 meters or so (laughs). (Laughs.) That said, we were very particular about the reality of the radio broadcasting equipment. I had to go there to find out, so I actually did location scouting and got a good feeling that I would be able to create a picture with some differences if it looked like this.

─ How did you go about creating the visuals for the work?

ITOH: I was very impressed with Toshinao Aoki's drawings, so I wanted to make use of that image. One of Aoki's works is a composite of illustrated figures and live action, and I really liked the feel of it. So I thought it would be better to put the figures on the background without making them too three-dimensional.

─ ─ It is interesting that you did not make the figures three-dimensional in order to match the elaborate background. Is there some kind of device you used?

Ito: I had an image that the composition of Mr. Aoki's drawing and the live-action image fit well together, so I thought it would work. I tried to express the outlines with highlights without adding too many shadows. I also paid attention to the way the shadowy parts of the image were colored. I tried to avoid scenes with contrasts of light and dark, such as going from the shade of a tree into the sun, unless it was necessary, so that the two-dimensional quality of the image would not be lost on the viewer.

─ ─ Finally, do you have a message for your fans?

ITOH: I think this is a good work. The cast worked very hard on this film, and I would be happy if you could watch it.

(Interview and text by Kiri Nakazato)

Currently, we are running a review campaign in which you can win a poster autographed by Suzuko Mimori and NOW ON AIR, who are the main cast members, by drawing lots. Please take a look at this page.
⇒ We are giving away a poster autographed by Suzuko Mimori and NOW ON AIR from "Kimi no Koe wo Todokeitai," the most popular anime movie of this summer!