Long interview with Takaharu Ozaki, animation director! (The "inside man" of animation and games No. 24)

In the interview series "Inside People" of animation and games, we introduce the origins and styles of creation of professionals. The 24th interview is with animation director Takaharu Ozaki. Mr. Ozaki is a cinematographer-turned-director with a unique career. His first work "NECRO DRAGON" was also very unique. It was a full 3DCG animation, which was rare at the time, and was an original work planned and directed by Mr. Ozaki himself. After that, he worked as an assistant director on "TERRAFORMARS," "Phi Brain: God's Puzzle," "Grimgal of Ashes and Illusions," "Ace Attorney: The Truth, Objection! and "Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu", and "Koushin Shoujo Matare", etc. He received high acclaim for his works "PERSONA5 THE ANIMATION THE DAY BREAKERS" and "Shoujo Saikatsu Ryoko (Travel to the End of the World)". He is currently directing a new work, "Goblin Slayer," for which fans have high expectations. In this article, we will bring you the full range of Mr. Ozaki's voice.

Attracted by the comprehensive artistry of animation

Thank you very much for agreeing to be interviewed by Akiba Research Institute. First of all, what do you find most rewarding about directing animation?

Takaharu Ozaki (Ozaki): I enjoy directing animation because it is a comprehensive art form in the sense that I act as a conduit between the various sections and determine the direction of the various tasks.

For example, with a painting, you enjoy the picture, and with a piece of music, you enjoy the music itself, but with animation, you have to figure out how to bring all the elements together in a given amount of time, such as the picture, sound, and flow, and it can be called a comprehensive art form.

According to a past interview, you always received the highest grades in art at school. You have always loved drawing, haven't you?

Ozaki: I like drawing, but I liked clay modeling and plastic modeling even more. When everyone else around me was into Gundam and robot models, I was not. I liked landscapes, castles, human models, monsters, and other maniacal, foreign stuff. There were not many products available at the time, so I ended up making full-scratch models from scratch. That's what we call figure modeling now.

Even after I became an adult, I still like statues very much, and when I travel to Europe, all I see are statues (laughs). Even if I don't go to a museum, I enjoy looking for them and capturing them with my camera because there are so many in the city.

The experience of touching clay with my own hands and making papier-mâché skeletons out of wire is also useful for my 3D work. Thanks to my childhood experience with modeling, even if someone takes away my computer, I can naturally imagine what kind of space is behind the surface.

Influence of Dario Argento

What are some of the works that have influenced you?

Ozaki: In terms of films, there was a horror boom in the 1970s and 1980s, and I think I was influenced by that. Among those, I like Dario Argento's films the best. The images are beautiful, and the cutscenes are mainly from a subjective point of view, which is different from Hollywood.

This is also related to the sculpting I mentioned earlier, but the 1970s and 1980s were a time when there were many extreme horror films that focused on hand-made special makeup and flesh-and-blood sculpting rather than computer graphics. I think that the film was challenging in terms of the visuals, and even though it was made in a violent way, there was something about it that showed a strong effort.

I often use Handy's subjectivity in 3D not because I am good at 3D and want to use it, but because I want to create a sense of realism from the viewer's perspective like Argento. Another influence is that I prefer cut-ins and mid-less transitions to fade-ins and overlaps.

What is your target audience?

Ozaki: I would like to be able to do in animation what Argento did. Also, a work with a unique visual aesthetic. The style is completely different from Argento's, but if I had to name two Japanese animation directors in terms of visual aesthetics, they would be Rintaro and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. I used to belong to Madhouse and worked with both of them. Both of them are different from each other, but I respect them both, not only for their styles but also for their personalities.

You are the assistant director of "TERRAFORMARS" (2014, OVA and first season), what is your relationship with director Hirotsugu Hamasaki?

Ozaki: I first worked with him as director of photography (editor's note: "compositing director" in the credits) on his first film, "TEXHNOLYZE" (2003). We were probably a good match, as our tastes and interests were quite similar, and I have been asked to work with him several times since then. He has been a great help to me, and I have learned a lot from him, but only Mr. Hamasaki was able to say, "I feel like David Lynch," and we both understood each other's image (laughs).