In an age where diversity of values is recognized, what is the superiority of human beings? An interview with director Yuzuru Adachi on the anime "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G," which has a deeper theme than imagined!

The comedy anime "We Are Youkai Humans," featuring the characters from the legendary horror anime "Youkai Ningen Bem," returned in April with a new look as "We Are Youkai Humans G."

We asked DLE director Yuzuru Adachi about his thoughts and message regarding this work, in which three yokai humans, including Bem, Bella, and Bello, talk about their dreams of one day becoming human.

We interviewed Mr. Yuzuru Adachi, director of DLE, about his thoughts and message regarding this seemingly carefree and easygoing film, but we hope you will receive the deeper-than-imagined message that lies behind it!

Why did the human yokai decide to do a talk variety show?

What kind of work is "Oretachi ya Yokai ningen G"?

DLE Yuzuru Adachi (Adachi) Some of you may have seen the previous work, "Oretachi ya Yokai ningen", but the main difference is that the previous work was an action comedy, and "Oretachi ya Yokai ningen G" has changed to a talk comedy.

The three yokai humans, Bem, Bella, and Bello, have been trying their best to blend in with the human world. But even after 50 years, they still couldn't blend in. So they decided that they needed to cool down, so they returned to the cellular level and began to chat with each other, looking at human society from a world one step removed from it.

─ ─ Instead of "becoming human," you have returned to the cellular level (laughs). How did the previous work "Oretachi ya yokai ningen" begin?

Adachi: As the 50th anniversary project of "Humanoid Monster Bem," Asatsu-DK, the original creator, approached DLE and asked me, the director, to "remove the limiter," as I remember.

I myself am a huge fan of "Humanoid Monster Bem," so I was very happy. However, I felt that the worst thing I could do would be to be lukewarm and say, "It's a boring reboot, but it's boring." So, while maintaining respect for the old fans, I tried to bring out the comedic sense and bold storyline that were my strengths. That way, even if I failed, it would be "Adachi's bad taste" and "Humanoid Monster Bem" would not be hurt (laughs).

─ ─ "We Are Youkai Humans" was full of parody stories and undertones, but what was the reaction from the original story?

Adachi: "The drawings in the BL doujinshi were too extreme," and the undertones were often pointed out. But somehow, in the end, they gave us the OK (laughs).

──It seems that "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G" has changed direction from the previous work, which was an action comedy with parodies and undertones.

Adachi: This is a bit premature, but the previous work "Oretachi ya yokai ningen" had a good response and was well received. As the broadcast progressed, there were more and more comments on the Internet saying, "I watched it again," or "Actually, I watch it every time. I want people to watch it with pride without saying, "Actually," ...... (laughs).

(Laughs.) However, it is difficult for an animated film to continue unless it becomes a big hit. We took a second look at that point and came up with the renewal of "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G." We took a gamble and expressed ourselves in a different way. It was a gamble, but I thought it would be great if more people could enjoy the "Specter Man" series by taking on a new challenge with a different way of expression.

─ ─ The previous "Oretachi ya yokai ningen" aired from October 2017 to March 2006, but a gag anime dealing with parodies was also broadcast at the same time. Were you aware of these works?

Adachi: Of course I was aware of them. I am also from the TV industry, as a broadcaster for "God of Entertainment" and other prime-time variety shows. Therefore, I do not think it is necessary to go against the trends of the public, and I also consider "what the masses are feeling.

However, while we were thinly aware of such works, in "Oretachi ya yokai ningen" we consciously included parodies that would appeal to people in their late 30s to 50s who had originally watched the "Yokai ningen Bem" anime.

The quality of the drawings was getting better and better.

─ ─ However, it seems that the number of parodies and crude language is decreasing as the show becomes more of a talk show variety.

Adachi: There is a decrease. But it's not that I want to make undertones, it's just that I happen to come up with a lot of undertones (laughs).

(Laughs.) "Oretachi ya yokai ningen" was set in "Kamara-cho (Shinjuku Kabukicho)," so there were inevitably a lot of undertones.

───By the way, in "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G," do we see Kamaracho or Pamyu Pamyu (CV: Mikako Komatsu), who was hinted to make a reappearance in the previous work?

Adachi: ...... Oh, but it would be nice to have a whiff of Utamaracho. I could try to make Pamyu Pamyu Pamyu the Pig-Nose Saki appear as a cell. In the previous work, I just left a lot of foreshadowing, but I wasn't able to collect it (laughs).

─ ─ I am looking forward to it (laughs). By the way, what does the "G" in the title mean?

Adachi: It means growth or genome (......).

But at first I mistakenly said "glory" (laughs).

What is the theme depicted in the series?

──I was relieved to hear that there was a good reason (laughs). In recent years, with virtual YouTubers and other forms of entertainment, it seems that talk shows and variety shows are becoming more popular than long stories.

Adachi: I didn't think about whether or not this style was appropriate for the times.

However, when making a normal animation, it takes about a year and a half to complete a 30-minute film, counting from the planning and production stage. However, a work made at DLE is only about 2 minutes long, so if you work hard, you can make it in a month. Taking advantage of the uniqueness of such short animations, we try to incorporate the most popular responses to our talks, and we also try to link to social networking sites and solicit talk themes. ...... For example, we would like to do a project somewhere during the first six months of the broadcast in which the youkai human cells evolve while reflecting everyone's opinions.

The talk variety show was the easiest medium for such a project, in which we could let the viewers develop their own ideas.

───Actually, were there any difficulties in the production process?

Adachi: I pay a lot of attention to the tempo of the talk. I think this is a method unique to my team, but after creating the storyboards, I and two other staff members would record the dialogue in our in-house recording booth. Then, we would make changes to the script, such as saying, "This is better phrased this way.

We are now in the stage of making "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G" (We Are Humanoid Monsters G) while frantically deciding on the direction to take, so we will have to see how we can change the script based on your reactions. I think this is the part we will be struggling with in the future.

─ ─ I think the fact that each cell represents Bem, Bella, and Bello, as well as the fact that it is a talk variety show, is due in large part to the power of Tomokazu Sugita, Kana Kurashina, and Kenta Suga, who also served as voice actors in the previous work.

Adachi: The talk has a certain groove to it, so rather than focusing on the finer details of each word, we asked them to speak as they felt like it on the spot and record in a free style.

Oretachi ya yokai ningen G" is a talk variety show, so we do our best to have the three of them get together for the recording. As the relationship between the three changes over time, there may be more ad-libs.

─ ─ As a result, the original "Monster Human Bem" and the "Oretachi ya" series are different from each other. Did you have an axis of "this is the one thing that you would not deviate from" in both of these works?

Adachi: In my mind, "Humanoid Monster Bem" and the "Oretatya" series have one thing in common, and that is to depict the splendor of living uprightly in any situation.

I believe that "yokai ningen" is a person who is a minority, is in a weak position in society, or is a person with a slightly special way of thinking. The work "YOKAI Ningen Bem" is an animation that has been loved for 50 years because of its encouragement and warm affection toward such people. That element has been carried over to "Oretachi ya yokai ningen" as well. That is why the setting of "Oretachi ya yokai ningen" is Utamaracho≒Kabukicho.

In my mind, Kabukicho is the kindest town that can accommodate people from all walks of life. Bem and Bella work in the sex industry in order to live tomorrow, but their motivation is not only "to be human" but also to protect their families. In other words, they are living earnestly toward hope. Although the film is intended as a gag, seeing them laugh their heads off against all odds will make viewers think, "Oh, they're doing something stupid. I made it so that viewers would think, "Oh, they're doing something stupid, and I'll work a little harder, too.

───What made you sympathize with the people represented by the "humanoid monsters"?

Adachi: When I was in elementary and junior high school, I watched a rerun of "Humanoid Monster Bem" for the first time. In the episode, Bello saves a girl and ends up going on a date with her, but the girl's father tells him not to hang out with that kind of guy, and Bello is left waiting. Even though it was small, the message hit me hard.

I thought, "This anime is teaching me something important.

I was born in the 1950s, but the town where I was born had a large factory that made airplanes until the middle of the war, and there were still many small factories in the town when I lived there. It was a town with unpaved gravel roads, a smelly ditch where bicycles were thrown away, and barracks. There were children in the elementary school who had economic circumstances, and there were also foreigners. Some of the children were exiles because of the Iranian war. My family was not particularly poor, but being born and raised in a place like that, I still felt things like, "Why are some people discriminated against? I felt that I had a certain sense.

─ I see. Are there any parts of "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G" that reflect those feelings?

Adachi: In that sense, "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G" is one step away.

When I was making this work, I took a fresh look at "yokai ningen" once more. Fifty years ago, when "YOKAI NINGEN BEM" was created, human beings were the top of the earth. But now, with the emergence of AI that surpasses humans, the position of humans has changed. As reflected in Bello's lines and position, "Is it really beneficial to be a human being? A change in values is taking place.

Even for the three human specters, now is the time when individuality is recognized, and I think that since the human specters have individuality and ability, they don't have to become human.　I think that it is better to be a human being than a youkai human. Perhaps now, there are jobs for youkai humans, and they are in demand and will be accepted. When that happens, the yokai-humans, who up to now have been all about "becoming human," will be asked, "What did you like about being human? What is the position of a human monster? What is the position of a youkai human?

Therefore, all three of us returned to the cellular level and rethought our values and distance from humans. By taking a step back and looking at humans from a different perspective, I believe that the story of "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G" will expand in the future.

─ ─ ......I don't mean to be very rude, but I was surprised by the very deep story, which doesn't seem like a gag anime (laughs).

Adachi That's right!　I was thinking about it very seriously, but even within the company, people would say, "What is he talking about? I'm thinking very seriously, but even within the company, people react like, "What is he talking about? (Laughs).

Why did you choose DLE?

─ ─ As you mentioned a little earlier, Mr. Adachi's main field of work was originally in the TV industry. You were also involved in the much talked-about "Deformed Girl," in which a cute girl transforms into a serious mecha.

Adachi: Thankfully, I was able to get enough work as a TV variety artist to make a living, but when I was in my mid-30s, I felt that my position in the TV industry was becoming more and more fixed. So I wanted to take on new challenges that I could take on while I was still physically able to do so. For example, I wanted to do eccentric expressions such as "comedy that can't be done by a live person. I thought, "Manga and animation can do that," so I applied to DLE.

───What made you choose DLE and what do you think are DLE's strengths?

Adachi: I became involved with DLE because I saw FROGMAN's "The Secret Society of Hawks and Hawks-Eagle's Nails" and felt sympathy for their low-cost approach of competing with a single idea. For me personally, I thought that the direction of my work was somewhat similar to theirs. I don't think I would be happy if I went to a company that had a different fundamental direction of what I thought was "interesting.

I think one of DLE's strengths is its lack of restraint (laughs). (laughs) But I think that's a good thing. The "Deformed Girl," in which I participated as director, was made possible because we are a free company like DLE.

A normal company would not put their stamp on an animation in which a girl transforms into an airplane, and when you look into the airplane from behind, you can see a pantyhose.

I wouldn't put my stamp on an anime in which a girl transforms into an airplane and shows her panties when she peeks out from behind the plane (laughs).

(Laughs.) Also, I strongly felt that I wanted to make bishojo things enjoyable for people other than those who like anime. That's why "Oretachi ya yokai ningen G" is also made with the ocha audience in mind.

─ ─ If it is a talk variety show, it may be easier to enjoy it in the ocha-ma (Japanese-style teahouse). Lastly, please tell us again what is the best part of watching "Oretachi ya Yokai ningen G"?

Adachi: ...... Please take a slightly longer look (laughs). The style has suddenly changed from the previous work, and we are making it through trial and error, but I promise you that it will get more interesting in time!　So please give me two minutes (the length of an episode) for six months!　I'm babbling on and on about trivial but essential things, and it's like late-night radio, so I hope you'll watch it with a late-night tension. It's not as good as the big-budget animated films anyway (laughs).

(Laughs) Also, I am particular about the pictures, and the music and pictures are a bit addictive. One of the keywords in the production is "you can't help but be drawn into it," because the movements are completely different from the words that are being spoken.

───It is like a kind of drug movie .......

Adachi That's right!　That's exactly what I did, and I also used techno music.

──To sum it up, you are trying to "bring a drug movie to the living room", aren't you?

Adachi (laughs). My ideals and methods have always been at odds with each other! (Laughs)

(Interview, text, and photographs by Michio Sugahara)

Broadcast Information

Animation "Humanoid Monster Bem

(Anime "Youkai Ningen Bem" -HUMANOID MONSTER BEM- & New Anime "Oretachi ya Youkai Ningen G")

Broadcasting every Wednesday at 26:05 on TOKYO MX and every Monday at 26:00 on BS11.