Director Toshiya Shinohara talks about his thoughts on the anime "Aquatope of White Sand" and the secret story behind its production!

P.A.WORKS' completely new original anime "Aquatope of White Sand," which has been broadcast since July 2021, recently reached its final episode.

The first course (episodes 1 to 12) was set in "Gamagama Aquarium," and the second course (episodes 13 to 24) was set in "Aquarium Tingara," with the story centering on the two heroines, Kukuru Umisakino (CV. Mikiko Ito) and Fuka Miyazawa (CV. Rikako Aida). The story is not only about aquariums and creatures, but also about the human characters who struggle between their dreams and reality, the problems surrounding aquariums, and the realistic depiction of the Okinawan scenery.

Akiba Research Institute interviewed Toshiya Shinohara, director of "Aquatope of White Sand. He spoke fully about the start-up of this completely original work, his thoughts on the work, and the secret story behind its production.

A "coming-of-age" story that portrays work, but with the characters at the forefront.

--Thank you very much for your hard work on the two-cour production. First of all, please tell us how you feel now that you have finished all 24 episodes.

Shinohara I am exhausted (laughs). When we first visited the backyard of the aquarium, there was so much chaos that I thought it would be impossible to recreate it. In addition, because we ended up with three projects that would have taken a lot of work to produce even one, the workload at the site reached an unbelievable level. ...... I think we did well to finish the project. I have nothing but gratitude for the staff. Calorie control is essentially one of the most important jobs of a director, but ...... I was slacking off.

--I was slacking off. - This may be a fundamental question, but how was this work born?

Shinohara First, DMM pictures approached P.A.WORKS with the idea of making a "work animation" set in an aquarium, and I, being a penguinsky, was approached with the idea. I should always say "penguins, penguins, penguins, penguins" (laughs).

--Shinohara: Even if you say "set in an aquarium," there are many ways to approach and depict the subject matter, aren't there?

Shinohara When you try to make a drama about work, the usual approach is to depict either relationship troubles or the failure of the work itself. So I started by interviewing aquarium keepers to find out exactly what kind of work they do on a daily basis. However, since aquariums handle living creatures, failures are life-threatening, so I could not depict work-related failures that frequently. I shifted away from "work-related" stories and shifted to "coming-of-age" stories that put the characters in the foreground. In the end, "nothing" is the best thing for an aquarium.

--Did you decide early on to set the first course at the "Gamagama Aquarium" and the second course at the "Aquarium Tingara"?

Shinohara That was not a quick decision either. It was difficult to create a single aquarium, not only because of the visual aspect, but also because of the difficulty of handling it without specialized knowledge of living creatures. We wanted to create only one aquarium if possible. However, it was difficult to make a single aquarium last for two seasons, let alone one, so we were forced to open two, and eventually three aquariums.

--It seems that there were many twists and turns, but is there a backstory to the story, such as how you initially planned to use a different setting?

Shinohara We started out by talking about how nice it would be if we could build our own aquarium, but realistically speaking, we ended up talking about raising funds (laughs). In the end, we settled on making Tingara our own aquarium. But as we went along, it didn't feel like the atmosphere of this work, so we decided to change it to the current course.

--The second cool was quite different from the first, and it depicted things that ordinary salarymen have to deal with on a daily basis.

Shinohara That's because I wanted to depict the difference in the work environment between GAMAGAMA and TINGARA. I have almost no experience as an office worker, so I focused on how the main characters see and feel in the story rather than on depicting them realistically. If you felt it was realistic, I think the scenario was well thought out.

--Including that, please tell us if there is a theme for the work as a whole or for each school.

Shinohara Basically, I am trying to depict "the loss and rebirth of Kukuru and Fuka's dreams" throughout the 2 cool seasons. Along that axis, I have interspersed a variety of my own awareness of the problems I am facing.

What is a line that you were relieved to have this said?

--For example, at the end, Kukuru decides whether to stay in the sales department or run for the breeding department. Was it easy for you to decide what kind of decision to make, as well as Fuka's decision? Or did you have other ideas?

Shinohara Rather than the decision itself, there were quite a few differences of opinion in the script meeting about what path the girls would take after that. Since Fuka's most recent dream had been fulfilled by becoming a zookeeper, we discussed several times what she would want to pursue next.

--You also had a lot of opinions about Kukuru staying in the sales department in the end, didn't you?

Shinohara: I somehow thought that Kukuru would choose the sales department (......), and there was no particular hesitation. I had always been involved in sales at Gamaga as well. In the future, if Kukuru decides to build her own aquarium, her experience at Tingara will be very useful, and I think it is a necessary process for her to have a broader perspective.

-When I hear that, I feel that the last episode is like the first step in building our own aquarium.

Shinohara If you saw it that way, then it was a great success.

--I think the relationship between Kukuru and Fuka was a major highlight of the show.

Shinohara I am always careful to make sure that there are no discrepancies in the emotional changes between the two. Emotions can only be expressed through accumulation, so a lot of calculations are required. I was also careful to make sure that the weight of the two characters would be the same throughout the 24 episodes.

--I was also impressed by the way they supported each other, not in a one-sided way, with one of them becoming the older sister and the other reversing her position.

Shinohara I think Mr. Kakihara, the series director, was very conscious of this, and the lines of Fuka in episodes 11 and 12 and those of Kukuru in episode 23 echo each other. It was a memorable scene because Ms. Ito, who played Kukuru, and Ms. Aida, who played Kazehana, played their roles with great emotion.

--I think that the two of them are the most memorable characters in the show, but which scene is particularly memorable for you?

Shinohara The scene in the last episode where Kukuru murmurs, "I love the aquarium," is a scene that I was relieved to have her say at the end after having spent 24 episodes on it. I realized once again that I had been working on the story for this line.

--I knew from the first episode that he loves the aquarium, but it was important to make him say it properly.

Shinohara That's right. I liked the aquarium from the beginning, but "I like the aquarium" is a different kind of "I like the aquarium" after having chosen it as a career, experienced many hardships, and overcame those hardships. I think I have grown up.

--I think the two of them will look different when I look at them from that perspective.

Shinohara In terms of social relations, Fuka has the advantage over Kukuru. As a keeper, Kukuru has the advantage. By complementing each other, they both become stronger and more flexible. But I thought I made them hug a little too much (laughs).

The cast and crew did a great job in bringing out the charm and atmosphere of the characters.

--I think the performances of the cast members were also excellent. Please tell us about some of the people or episodes that left a lasting impression on you.

Shinohara At the beginning of the recording, I said something like, "We have 70% of the characters set, but let's make the remaining 30% together with the actors. Since it is an original story, everyone is still groping their way through it at first, but as the episodes go by, the process of developing a character image that only the actor can create is very enjoyable.

In terms of acting, Grandpa (CV: Hiroshi Ienaka) was excellent. I was particularly impressed by his ability to express both gentleness and harshness in his lines. I asked him to speak Uchinaaguchi, which is a very unique Okinawan dialect that is almost like a foreign language to those of us who are not from Okinawa. It is very difficult to express small nuances, and there is also the problem that the meaning itself is not understood when spoken to native speakers. I consulted with Yuko Gitake, a dialect instructor, on various matters as I worked on the project.

--Shinohara Yes, there are many memorable phrases, such as the typhoon scene in the first episode, the words used when the "Gama Gama Aquarium" closed, or a single word spoken in passing, aren't there?

Shinohara Yes, there was the line in episode 11, "Trust the creatures. Mr. Fuwa of the Uozu Aquarium, who supervised the production, praised me for saying that it was a cool line. When I told this to Mr. Ienaka before recording, he laughed and said, "Don't put pressure on me.

In the last episode, when Kururu asked "What should I do from now on? I was really moved when he answered, "Make the path you have chosen correct by your own power. I want Kukuru and Fuka to think for themselves and make their own decisions, and I want them to take responsibility for the decisions they make. I think that is the only way to move forward. That's why I think the last line by the grandfather was a good line that the viewers could relate to themselves.

--What is your impression of U35 (Umiko), the character designer, who has done such a wonderful job in coloring these characters?

Shinohara I asked U35 because I like her drawings, of course, but the "summery" and "transparent" characteristics of the characters she drew were very important to me. It is also important that the characters have a sense of "summer" and "transparency. It's hard to define what "classy" means, so I can only give you my impression, but I think it's something like cleanliness.

--I'm really glad that I asked U35 to do this project.

Shinohara Ms. Kakihara is capable of writing a variety of works, so I think that one of her drawers just happened to be a great match for me. He can write serious things with humor, and he has a good grasp of characters. He is able to write scripts that give the reader a very vivid image, and I have full confidence in him.

--I was impressed not only by the characters and the good script, but also by the realism of the creatures and the beauty of nature. It is precisely because of this that I was able to get into the story.

Shinohara Since the story takes place in an aquarium, it would be a waste if the creatures are depicted in a clichéd manner (laughs). (laughs). That is why we asked the filmmakers to do their best. Most of the fish in the aquarium are the work of the 3D team, and the depiction of the penguins and other sea animals is thanks to Makino-san, Sugimitsu-san, and the rest of the animation staff. All of this was a result of considering how much could be omitted in terms of lines and paintwork to make the image look realistic, so I am glad to hear that.

I often try to put emotion into the backgrounds, so the backgrounds inevitably take up a large portion of the work. I valued the atmosphere I experienced during the location scouting and thought about how to make the best use of it in the film. Art director Kurumi Suzuki's background paintings are very good, especially when the light source is focused, so I wondered how I could create that situation. I think cinematographer Namiki's help was also significant in bringing the materials together beautifully on one screen.

--Shinohara Was there anything in particular that you were conscious of when creating the backgrounds?

Shinohara Okinawa is subtropical, so I wanted to show the difference between the temperate and subtropical zones. The ocean is very beautiful, but I also wanted to express other aspects that are unique to Okinawa, such as the erosion of the limestone terrain and the differences in vegetation.

That deputy director and the animation director have something unexpected in common!

--By the way, how much did you like aquariums in the first place?

Shinohara: I like penguins, so when I suffer from a lack of nama penguins, I go out to the aquarium. However, I only go once or twice a year, so I am not so much of an aquarium freak, nor do I go at all. I'm kind of in the middle of the pack (laughs).

--(Laughs) - As the local children hang out in the film, I wonder if the aquarium also has an aspect of a place for relaxation.

Shinohara I think some people feel that way. Some may seek healing from jellyfish, etc., and others may look at them because they like the wonder of the creatures. In psychology, fish are sometimes taken as a symbol of the unconscious, and it is not surprising that there are people who face their inner selves while confronting fish.

--So, the "vision" you had in the first "Gamagama Aquarium" was born from that kind of thing?

Shinohara I wasn't that conscious of it, but it wouldn't be interesting if I just described the benefits of the aquarium as it is, so I took a method of extending reality and showing it with fantasy.

--Shinohara In addition, is there anything else you can tell us now that you actually had this kind of setting or the original idea?

Shinohara As for the background, I was thinking about my grandfather's background and Umiyan's children. I was also thinking about the fact that the director and Marina are second and third generation Japanese Americans. I am also wondering about the disappearance of Udon's father. There are many things that have nothing to do with the main plot, such as when I was thinking of making Oar's love a little more rewarding in the last episode, the production committee members did their best to stop me.

The deputy curator (Tetsuji Suwa) is a very capable man, and I had created a lot of settings where he follows up on Kukuru's work behind the scenes, but in the end I didn't show them at all.

--He did not talk about the deputy curator's past or his thoughts, but Kukuru learns about them through conversations with the curator.

Shinohara The deputy curator is a person who doesn't care how others see him, so he never says anything himself. The deputy director's way of doing things may be similar to that of a director. In fact, he keeps putting more and more pressure on the site, saying, "You can do this much, can't you? Naturally, there are people who will follow me, but there are also people who say, "I can't do this! But that is the nature of the work. But that is the nature of the job. The fact that you can't do anything if you don't want people to hate you is similar to the way the deputy director works.

--I felt that this part of the story is also a condensed version of the real world. The tone is quite harsh.

Shinohara The reason it is so harsh is because I depicted it from Kukuru's subjective point of view. Well, Kukuru was a bit cocky in the beginning.

--What is the meaning of the title "Aquatope of White Sands," which appears in the second half of the second season?

Shinohara The title always troubles me. This time, too, I changed it two or three times, and just before the announcement, I thought, "I think I've decided on the right one. Aquatope" is a coined word, but I combined the word "biotope," which expresses a sense of "life," and the image of the teaser visual of a wind flower floating in water. It's like an oasis in the water. The "White Sand Dome" appears near the last episode, and I was guided by the title to choose the name of the facility.

--I see. Recently, when words related to the title appear in the play, there are reactions on social networking sites such as "title retrieval," so I was curious when I saw it.

Shinohara Of course I am aware of it. The reason I named the research facility Aquatope was also because I thought that if I was going to name something, it should have a sense of linkage with the title.

--Speaking of research facilities, I was also impressed by your mention of environmental issues and marine pollution. Were you thinking of including that from the beginning?

Shinohara No, at first I intended to include very little. Such a hard matter inevitably requires long explanatory lines. It often interrupts the flow of the drama, and if that happens, viewers will not like it. However, considering the path that Fuka is taking, it is definitely better to include them. Fortunately, the committee members pushed me to include it, saying, "If it's set in an aquarium, it's okay to have a little bit of it," so I dared to include it then. The reality is that aquariums face a much wider variety of problems, and I have only touched on a few of them. However, just as an aquarium is a gateway to aquatic life, I hoped this work would serve as a gateway.

--I thought it would be a good way to enter the world of aquatic life, just as the aquarium is a gateway to aquatic life. I thought it would be a more heartwarming or lighthearted story.

Shinohara The key visuals were intentionally created with the concept of not clearly showing the contents of the main story. I wanted to leave room for the imagination. In the planning stage, we had some ideas for a loose image. Each episode would be like a series of short stories in which a different guest comes to the aquarium, sees a vision, finds some answers to his or her problems, and returns home. However, I rejected the idea of showing it for 2 cool episodes .......

I didn't want to draw this work without knowing the reality of Okinawa.

─ ─ Finally, I would like to ask you about something that has been bothering me. In episode 3, when Dr. Takeshita's water broke and he was driving to the hospital, an unexploded bomb was found and the road was closed to traffic. Were you conscious that you wanted to depict a realistic Okinawa and that you had to be aware of its history, rather than just depicting a pleasant everyday life?

Shinohara I am glad you noticed that. Talking about unexploded bombs, we had to create a situation where the road was congested on the way to carry the pregnant Dr. Takeshita to the maternity hospital. I thought about whether to make it a road construction project or a marathon event with traffic control ......, but traffic jams are no fun, and a marathon event in the middle of summer in the subtropics is unnatural. While I was pondering this, I happened to read an article about the disposal of unexploded ordnance in Okinawa. The Okinawa prefectural government's website has all the data from after the reversion to mainland Japan until 2008, and even recently they have been disposing of more than 500 unexploded ordnance per year. This is a big deal.

--I am sure there are pros and cons to including this kind of information, but I feel that the depiction of the reality of Okinawa in the early stages of the film made the work more compelling.

Shinohara I appreciate you putting it that way.

--The last question was from the editor of Akiba Research Institute, but thinking about it again, it was a work that allows each viewer to have his or her own perspective and viewpoint, just as there were differences in the viewpoints and feelings of the editorial staff and myself.

Shinohara I was very careful in making this film. I think that when you look at it over the years, you will see it from a different point of view. I always try to make my films in a way that is broad but reaches deep into the heart of the audience. If something touches the heartstrings of the viewer, even just a little, that alone makes me glad that I made it.

--I think it will be very interesting to revisit it again when I am older. Thank you very much for your time today.

(Interview and text by Kenichi Chiba)