The original story almost takes you in." Director Akiyuki Shinbo talks about the appeal of "March Lion" and highlights of the second series!

The second series of "March Lion," one of the hottest fall 2017 anime series, began broadcasting on October 14 (Sat). The previous series was much talked about for its detailed character dramas and psychological depictions, as if the original manga by Chika Umino had been directly adapted to film. This time around, the charm of the series remains the same, and is sure to move many viewers.
In this interview, we asked Akiyuki Shinbo, the director of "March Lion," about his thoughts on the production of "March Lion" and the contents of the second series.

Difficulty in making the original manga "worth reading" and the anime "worth watching

--The first series of "March Lion" was a surprise not only for its interesting content, but also for its structure and visualization that was "just like the original work. Was it your policy to "respect the original work" when making the anime?

Shinbo: Yes, that's right. My intention was to keep the original story as it was as much as possible. That direction has not changed for the second series.

--The first series was a very careful anime adaptation, taking 22 episodes to reach the 5th volume of the original work.

Shinbo: At first, there was talk of putting the first 8 volumes into 2 cool episodes, but when we started to compose the series, we realized that the density of the work was such that it could not be summarized in such a short amount of time. The most difficult part was that the original work does not have the same number of pages nor the same amount of information each time. The editor in charge of the original work also had a hard time with this and had to deal with a different number of pages each time. Similar difficulties were encountered in the field of animation production.

--I think that in most cases, two episodes of the original work were drawn in one episode of the anime.

Shinbo: However, it is not always possible to have two episodes of the original story in each episode (the first episode of the anime is up to the middle of Chapter 2 of the original story, and the rest of the story is in the second episode of the anime). (The first episode of the anime was in the middle of Chapter 2 of the original story, and the rest of the story is in the second episode of the anime). In fact, it would be desirable to make the reading experience (of the original manga) and the viewing experience (of the anime) the same, but it is difficult to do so. It is a constant process of trial and error, and I consult with the staff for each episode.

--The original work is only a few pages long, but when you draw the anime, does it sometimes take up a lot of space?

Shinbo: Yes, there are cases. On the other hand, there are cases where the original work is 15 pages per episode, but the animation does not take that long. I think that's where the live-action feel is the most important. So, even though we say that the work is "consistent with the original," we still have to work hard every time.

Scenarios created in communication with Mr. Umino

--Shinbo: You also take very good care of the lines of the original story.

Shimbo: Even so, there are some stories that we cut out. We had to get permission from Ms. Chika Umino to cut them out, but there are so many good lines, so it's still a bit of a struggle.

--Shimbo: It looks like it is based on the original story, but you made a lot of changes in the screenplay stage, didn't you?

Shinbo: I put it into script form because it makes it easier to see the scale. It is impossible to know if the length of the film will be exceeded or not until the script is written. Also, there are times when we look at the original work and combine the dialogue, only to discover that what we thought was "his dialogue" is actually not, and we have to revise the script. In addition, there are times when I have to rearrange the order of the dialogue, and I often have to verify whether this is dialogue for a monologue or a narration, and so on, which is surprising. We repeat such things over and over again, and we keep draft after draft.

-- In "March Lion," there are two different dramas with different senses of time: the chess scene and the daily life scene with the three sisters at the Kawamoto family.

Shinbo: Yes, the different sense of time is something we pay attention to when directing. If I wanted to create psychological image scenes of the main character, Zero Kiriyama, I could create them endlessly, but if I only do that, I might lose the audience.

--When I saw the scenario, I was surprised to see that you even wrote the "game record during the game," which is not depicted in the original story. Is the "game record" also a necessary element in creating the drama?

Shinbo: The subtle nuances of the original work give different impressions to different viewers. That is why we included the game record as a way of confirming that "this is almost certainly the way it is in the original work". In some cases, we reflect the game record that was originally modeled on the original work, and we sometimes ask professional professionals to record the game record for us.

--Shinbo: So you have the person in charge of each episode draw storyboards based on the original game record?

Shinbo: I don't know if we use it in the main story to show the flow of the play, but if we have it, we may be able to use it during the play. We need to be able to freely direct the performance as if we were playing a move and then acting to think about it. In that sense, the game record is important.

--When creating the animation, do you shoot on location at a real Shogi hall?

Shinbo: Yes. I go on location to check the structure of the Shogi room, where this room is located, and so on.

--Shinbo: Did you interview any real-life professional chess players?

Shinbo: There may be people who were used as models in the original work, but our stance is that the anime is based on the original manga. If I made the characters look like the models, they would not be the same, and if I expanded the image too much, it would be a little different from the original work, so I did not interview the professionals.

--Director Shinbo has animated a wide variety of original works, but have you basically maintained the same approach of "visualizing the world as it can be read from the original work" for works other than "Lion in March"?

Shinbo: No, it depends on the production committee at that time. It depends on the production committee at that time. I start from whether they want me to make it completely different or the same as the original work. I don't decide on my own whether to do it this way or that way. Animation is made with the production committee's money, so I don't think it makes sense to make something completely different.
However, there are some authors who do not want us to do things the same way as the original work, especially in the past with anime based on games, and it was not uncommon for us to ask them to use the characters freely, with games as games and anime as anime. However, since what fans want to see is an "anime adaptation of a game," there are times when a decision is made that they may not be pleased with that kind of thing.

--So your stance is to create something that will please and be accepted by the fans of the original work.

Shinbo: Yes, it is correct to say that we work together with the original creator to create something for the fans. That is the direction we are taking in making this film.

The live-action film version of "March Lion" had a "Zero that Moved

--Between the first and second series of the anime, in the real world of Shogi, a star named Sota Fujii 4-dan appeared and attracted public attention. Do you feel that kind of atmosphere in the world?

Shinbo: I think that is the reason why the original is a hit among the public. In the past, Nobuyuki Kagawa came out when "Dokaben" became a hit, and Yawara-chan (Ryoko Tani) came out when "YAWARA! That's a sign of a boom, that it's permeating the public.

--I feel that the original author, Mr. Umino, has caught such a trend, and reality has caught up with his imagination.

Shinbo: If the story had been about a junior high school student who became a professional chess player and made great progress, people would have said, "Oh, it's just a manga," so I guess that is the persuasive power of reality. However, I am very happy that the second series will start while the world of Shogi is well known to the public.

-- Since the original story is now in its 10th year of serialization, Fujii 4-dan must be one of the "next generation that has grown up amidst the growing interest in shogi.

Shinbo: Not only Fujii, but there are many other professionals who are just as unique as Fujii in real life. With more and more of these people being introduced on TV and other media, both the original work and the anime sit well together, and I think the people who watch them can come to a point of agreement.

─ ─ The live-action movie version of "March Lion," which was released in March and April of this year, was also very well received, wasn't it?

Shinbo: I think the live-action film version was very good. Zero was exactly as I had imagined. Ryunosuke Kamiki's unathletic performance was very good. I recommend the staff to watch the movie as I think it will be a good reference for the portrayal of Zero. Also, in the second series, I would like to make the frames (of the chess game) closer to the movie version. If you haven't seen it yet, please watch it on Blu-ray or DVD. We, too, have been very helpful in making the second series of the anime.

--I heard that Mr. Kamiki's performance was utilized in the animated version as well?

Shinbo: There is a "Zero in motion" in the movie version, which I hope the staff will see. The performance was that convincing, and the direction was cool. （I became a fan.

Zero has not grown much.

─ Do you sympathize with Kiriyama or see any similarities with him?

Shinbo: I sympathize with him, but I don't see any similarities. However, it is easier to put emotion into a film with a boy as the main character. With a boy, you can make a film as if you were saying, "This is the way it should be. That was my intention with the first series, but for the second series, I would like to depict the characters in a more detached way.

--Do you want to look at the grown-up Kiriyama objectively?

Shinbo: I don't think he has grown much. People don't grow up that easily. At the most, they may have grown to smile a little or become able to make a phone call to Nikaido on their own. I don't know if such things can really be called growth, but for those of us who make them, it makes us happy. We were happy to see that she was finally able to make a phone call and understand Nikaido's feelings. I have the feeling that she is finally becoming more human.

-That's a bit like a parent's perspective, isn't it?

Shinbo: That's right. I might have been like that in the past, so I can't help but understand. Maybe it is almost like I am telling my past self to do my best.

Shinbo: I finally started having lunch with Hina-chan and the others, instead of just eating alone.

Shinbo: But it doesn't mean that he doesn't eat alone, and he always plays Tsume-shogi at home by himself. It's just that the scene is not depicted, and his daily life has not changed at all. So Zero's feeling of loneliness has not really changed. He just has a little bit more expression in his reactions to the people around him.

--He has never wavered in his way of life, which is "devoted to Shogi".

Shinbo: I don't play Shogi because I like it. I chose and clung to it in order to survive, and I have come into contact with various people. Perhaps he may not like Shogi yet.
I believe that it will eventually become necessary for Zero to face shogi. Then, he will eventually have to face his past self again. I wonder if I made the right choice at that time. However, if I could get to the point of "liking Shogi, which I used to dislike," it might mean that I have grown up. But I might not have become such a human being. It may not be the same as growing up.

The fear of being "almost taken in" by the original work

───What do you think of the atmosphere at the production site of the second series?

Shinbo: There are staff members who have continued to participate in the production of the first series, so the teamwork is very good. The new staff members are also doing their best, and I feel that the level of the work is getting higher and higher. The voice actors are also doing their best in the recording studio.

--What kind of feeling do you have when you are working on a film?

Shinbo: I am afraid that if I am not good enough, I might be taken in by the work. I am afraid that if I am not careful, I might be taken in by the work. I feel like I am being carried away by Mr. Umino's creativity. Even in the first series, I had the feeling that if I started thinking too deeply, I wouldn't know what to do. It's also the case that I can't look at the work objectively, and when I read the original work, I feel like I'm being dragged into a quagmire. When I think about a character's upbringing and background, it's already hard when I replace it with my own. Once I start thinking about this feeling of struggling to move forward, I can't stop.

-Information that the second series will feature a story about Hina-chan's fight against bullying has already been released. You have also produced a poster "Spreading Awareness about Bullying and Other Children's SOS" as part of a collaboration project with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Shimbo: The story of bullying may be a misnomer, but it is challenging, as I felt when I produced it. I think a lot about how to direct a heavy story.

In that sense, it was probably the same with "Madoka (Puella Magi Madoka Magica). Maybe serious stories are actually more fulfilling to create. In my time, we didn't have a serious bullying problem like we do now, though, so I think it's an amazing world we live in now. However, I would like to avoid putting myself on either the side of the bully or the bully's side. If I want to portray the bully as the bad guy, I can also portray the bully as the bad guy. I don't want to lead the audience into a story by making them feel that way.

--I don't want to lead the audience into a story by making them feel it.

Shinbo: If possible, it would be best if the audience could watch the story while wondering why they are acting in such a way.

--If you had to pick one highlight of the second series, what would it be?

Shinbo: The main staff has not changed from the first series, so I think it has been refined.

--The second series builds on the first series, so we will be able to see the production, the drawings, and the voice actors getting their fill of the show.

Shinbo: Yes, that's right. （After the two-cour production (of the first series), we are going to make another two-cour series. This kind of production method is very rare these days.

--Lastly, do you have a message for the readers that you hope they will enjoy?

Shimbo: I would like to tell everyone to "watch the whole series. The other thing I mentioned earlier is that "I think the second series is more powerful in every sense.

─ ─ Thank you very much for your time today!

Thank you very much for your time today!
March Lion" 2nd series

<Overall Synopsis
The second series of the anime about the growth of a high school professional Shogi player, Rei Kiriyama. While the tough competition continues, Hinata, the second daughter of the Kawamoto family, who is Zero's main source of support, is involved in bullying at her junior high school...

<Synopsis of each episode

Episode 23

Kiriyama Zero, a high school student and a professional Shogi player, lives alone in Rokugatsu-cho, downtown Tokyo. In the "Shogi Club," which is a combination of the after-school science club and the Shogi Club, Zero teaches the club members Shogi and how to make Ramune by hand, and they are doing well. Zero is happy to find a warm and welcoming place within the school. With Ramune in hand, he heads for another warm place, the Kawamoto family's house.

Episode 24

　Airing time: Saturday, October 21, 23:20 - OA *20 minutes delay

Zero visited the Shogi-Kaikan and was watching the live broadcast of the final game of the Meijin Tournament between Soya and Kumakura with Nikaido and his fellow professionals.
When a senior player in the same room made a joke about Shimada, Zero and Nikaido were bitterly disappointed, but then Goto appeared and showed his anger toward the players.
Zero has mixed feelings about Goto's behavior that torments his sister-in-law, Kako.
And what will happen in the Meijin Tournament, which is described as "chaos" by the experienced Go player Yanagihara?

<Episode 24 Production Staff
Director : Akiyuki Shinbo
Screenplay : Yukito Kizawa
Storyboard : Takashi Kawabata
Direction : Midori Yoshizawa
Character design : Nobuhiro Sugiyama
Art Director：Yasuhiro Nakura
Art Director: Seiki Tamura
Sound Director: Toshiki Kameyama
Music: Yukari Hashimoto
Animation Production: Shaft