Interview with director Junichi Inaba, who directed the animated drama "Three Young Women" starring Mao Ichimichi (M.A.O.) and others, & exclusive PV preview!

Up-and-coming manga artist Haruka Sado's "Three Young Women" will air as an anime drama on AT-X on Saturday, December 30, 2017.

Three Young Women" is a heartwarming comedy that depicts the growth of three quirky young women from their first encounter to one year later. In addition to the main live-action drama part, the opening and eye-catching scenes are animated short movies of about 20 minutes. In addition to the main live-action drama part, the opening and eye-catching scenes are animated short movies of about 20 minutes. The animated parts are voiced by the actors from the drama.

The three characters are played by Mao Ichimichi (voice actor M・A・O) as Yutaka Goshogawara, Yuki Hirose (Aoop P) as Shinari Tohmaki, and Rumi Kato (ex-SKE48) as Hanako Suzuki. The theme song will be "Three Women" sung by Yutaka Goshogahara (CV: M・A・O).

Akiba Research Institute has obtained an exclusive advance copy of the PV footage of this work, which is attracting a lot of attention for how it will be filmed. We hope you can get a feel for the atmosphere of the work as soon as possible.

In conjunction with the PV release, we also conducted an interview with the director of this work, Junichi Inaba. We asked him about the contents of both the animation and drama parts, as well as the appeal of Haruka's works.

Surrealistic Conversation Drama, the Appeal of the Original Work

--How did you come up with the anime-drama adaptation of "Three Young Women"?

Inaba: I made an animated film called "Female Clerk X at a Used Video Store" in 2016, and at that time I thought that next year (2017) I wanted to make a live-action film. When I told Mr. Window about it, he immediately said yes, and I started working on it around last fall after talking to scriptwriters and others.

--Director Inaba: You have often worked as a sound director in the past, haven't you?

Inaba: That's right. Basically, I mainly do sound work related to animation. I originally started out as a musician and then moved into sound. I like both animation and live-action, so I have been doing both since my mid-20s. I actually directed a short movie called "Miikoto and Bell" under the pseudonym Akihito Aoki. I thought it was about time to use my real name, so this time I am doing it under my real name.

--Why did you choose "Three Young Women" this time among Haruka Window's works?

Inaba: Somehow, I guess. ...... I thought it would be interesting and suitable for live-action in terms of content.

--Inaba: What do you feel is the charm and interest of this work?

Inaba: I find the surrealism of the conversations, which is Window's style, interesting. I think the uniqueness of the essence of that conversation is the charm of Window Haruka's work. I think people who know what I am talking about will understand, but when I first read it, I felt like "Okada Amin," a favorite of mine as a child. It is a modern version of that.

However, Window's works also contain erotic elements, so that's different (laughs). This is the third work that I have worked on, following "Dohiwai Senior Protection Club" and "Used Video Shop Employee X." In that sense, this is the mildest of the three, and the content is more drama-oriented.

--In that sense, this one is the mildest in terms of content, and is more drama oriented.

Inaba: Basically, it is mainly a live-action drama. The opening and eye catches are animated parts, and the opening is a full 60-second animation. As for the image of the live-action part, I am conscious of TV dramas like "Monday Dramaland" that used to be shown in the Showa period (1926-1989). So it will have the ease of being easily seen on TV rather than in a movie.

--So while it is a live-action drama, it also has the feel of an anime or manga?

Inaba: That's right. There are also manga-like and anime-like expressions, or rather, simple and easy-to-understand performances, and I think that is an interesting point.

Naked conversations between women

--What was your impression of the cast members who play the three women, all of whom are unique?

Inaba: Except for Mao Ichimichi, I had never met any of them before, but they all fit my image. In terms of casting, since the live-action portion of the film is very heavy, we did not want to have a voice actor do the live-action performance, but rather someone who has done both as much as possible. Ms. Kato has no experience as a voice actor, but she has worked as an actress.

--So you prioritized live-action experience first?

Inaba: That's right. On the day of shooting, I had a lot to say to her about her facial expressions. I was very careful because emotions come out on the face.

--For example, what kind of facial expressions?

Inaba: The main character, Yutaka Goshogahara, is a shy and clumsy woman. In the scene at the beginning where she goes to the welcome party for new students, she doesn't want to go, but she goes because she is afraid of what will be said later. I think Mr. Ichimichi did a good job of conveying this feeling in his facial expressions.

--I heard that the story has more content than the original.

Inaba: In the original story, we just go out and eat curry and that's it (laughs). But that was halfway through the story, so we decided to make it a one-year story. I adapted the story while following the original, such as setting up Hanako's aspiration to become a manga artist and expanding on the "Anne of Green Gables" story that originally appeared in the original story.

--In the original work, there are also some naked conversations between women. Do you have such conversations in this film as well?

Inaba: Yes, there are. For example, in Hanako's room, they have such naked conversations. However, I used the word "unwanted hair treatment" when it was difficult to use the word as it is (laughs).

(laughs) -- So we can see conversations between women that cannot be seen in the open.

Inaba: That's right. However, as in the original story, it hasn't been that long since the three of them met, so there is still some distance between them at first. As time goes by, they become closer, and in Hanako's room, they start calling each other by their first names. I wanted to create that sense of reality.

--Inaba: So you wanted to create a sense of reality, but at the same time preserve the good qualities of the original work?

Inaba: I think so. It is quite mild, but I have added the "window-haruka color.

--How about the music?

Inaba: The music is by Shushi Katayama, the same musician who did "The Female Clerk at the Used Video Store X." He is a successful musician (laughs). He is a successful musician (laughs). And Mr. Katayama also composed the theme song, "Three Women. The lyrics were written by Haruka Window herself, and M・A・O sang it as a character song for Yutaka Goshogahara.

--I understand that the theme song will be played at the ending.

Inaba: The accompaniment is like a Showa-era tea-ceremony drama, but the theme song is a pop song, and the opening song is a bit jazzy and stylish.

--The opening song is a bit jazzy and stylish.

Inaba: Yes. So I would like young people to watch it.

--By the way, which character do you prefer?

Inaba: Yutaka Goshogahara. On the contrary, I absolutely dislike Shinri Tohmaki. Because he doesn't listen to others (laughs).

--Lastly, please give us a message.

Inaba: I started working on it last year, and it will finally be broadcast. I hope you will enjoy both the animation and the drama. It may be a challenging work, but it is something that can be watched without hesitation, so I hope people will watch it as a snack with drinks without being overawed.

Program Information

Animated Drama "Three Young Women

・Air date and time: First broadcast Saturday, December 30, 2017, 24:00~, repeat Wednesday, January 3, 2018, 25:30~.

Cast: Mao Ichimichi (voice actor name M・A・O) (as Yutaka Goshogahara), Yuki Hirose (as Shinri Tohmaki), Rumi Kato (as Hanako Suzuki)

Theme song: "Three Women" Song: Yutaka Goshogahara (CV: M.A.O.) Lyrics: Haruka Mado Music: Shuji Katayama

Story]

Spring. In spring, the three of them have a fateful encounter at a welcome party for new students at the university.... Yutaka is a shy and clumsy woman. Shinari, a woman who doesn't care about many things. Hanako, a woman who worries about how others see her. A heartwarming comedy depicting the growth of these three quirky young women from their first encounter to one year later...!