Spring 2022 Anime] "ULTRAMAN" Season 2 Commemorative Interview! Six major heroes and a giant enemy!　What are the highlights as told by directors Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki?

The "ULTRAMAN" anime, which has created a lot of buzz with its motion-capture full CG animation and distribution of 13 episodes on Netflix, has finally begun distribution of Season 2.

This work, which has succeeded in cultivating a new fan base by taking Tsuburaya Productions' popular content and reincarnating it, will finally begin distribution of Season 2 on April 14, 2022.

We asked Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki, the two directors, to talk about the highlights and special features of Season 2.

⇒[ Autographs present! In commemoration of "ULTRAMAN" Season 2 distribution! Ryohei Kimura (ULTRAMAN/Shinjiro Hayata) & Tomoaki Maeno (TARO/Koutaro Azuma) talk about their roles! All six episodes were produced with mutual recognition of each other's abilities.

Season 1 was an exploration, and Season 2 is the result of the accumulation of experience.

--First of all, I would like to ask you to look back on Season 1. How have you received the response to your work?

Aramaki: Season 1 was our first attempt to distribute all 13 episodes at once on Netflix. However, since it was made with the TV series in mind, I felt that the response came in a slightly different way there.

Kamiyama: To be honest, that was a bit of a baffling experience (laughs).

Aramaki: I thought I was making each episode as "this is how it is this time," but all I got was a somewhat vague impression (laugh).

Kamiyama: The TV series itself was originally meant to be consumed, but I wondered how fast it was being consumed.

Aramaki: It is also being digested in a way that we cannot see. That is why we have to go out and get information from them. In that sense, there was a gap between our response and the response to the series. Fortunately, after Season 1, production of Season 2 was decided immediately, and we received reports that the annual viewership rate was quite high, which we were very grateful for.

--I think that's a characteristic of the so-called "ikkimoku" distribution system, isn't it?

Kamiyama: Yes. It is different from the TV series, where you have to wait a week to watch the episodes.

Aramaki: With TV, people have to wait a week.

Kamiyama: That is why the production itself is now old-school. I thought that the way the games were presented in season 1 might not work.

Aramaki: In many TV series, the end of the previous episode is played again at the beginning of the next episode before the story begins, but I thought that such "remembering" was unnecessary. That was one of the improvements and changes we made in Season 2.

--Season 1 was also a hot topic for you because you used full 3DCG animation in the production.

Aramaki: Season 1 was the first work that Mr. Kamiyama and I worked on together. To be honest, we were still groping and there were some parts that were lacking, but we produced "Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045" after Season 1, and this time we took into account what we had accumulated there, how full CG can be shown, how it feels good, and how it would be difficult for CG animation if we did not do it this way. I think that the production of the film has taken into account the "It would be difficult for CG animation if it wasn't done this way.

Kamiyama: As for the detailed quality of the main story, Mr. Hiroki Uchiyama, who joined us as series director, did a good job. Especially this time, the camera work has been overwhelmingly improved. In terms of my particular focus, it was how to reproduce the sense of speed of the script. I made it clear to the director in the pre-visualization stage what the focus should be.

The difficulty and thrill of portraying the activities of the six major heroes

--Did you have any mutual agreements when you started production of Season 2?

Aramaki: This time, Taro plays the main role, but we are from the first generation of the Ultraman series, and although we watched the Ultraman series up to the "Ultra Seven" era, we are not familiar with the series after that. However, there is one man who is very close to us this time around.

Kamiyama: That would be Uchiyama-san.

Aramaki That's right. It is Mr. Uchiyama, the series director whom Mr. Kamiyama mentioned earlier. This time, I decided to let him do what he wanted to do. I think that was the most discussed part between the two of us in Season 2. In a sense, we have been supporting Mr. Uchiyama in the production of Season 2.

--This time, not only Taro's activities, but also JACK, ULTRAMAN, ZOFFY, SEVEN, and ACE from the previous work, are the main points of interest.

Kamiyama: That's exactly what I thought at first, since there are only six episodes this time, that it would be impossible (laughs). (laughs) Besides, when new heroes appear one after another, it causes inflation, doesn't it? I felt the same way when I was watching the Ultraman series of the Showa era in real time, and at first I thought, "Well, this is a bit like ......," as if I had done some complicated homework.

However, Mr. Uchiyama is of the generation that knows how fun it is, and as we worked together to develop the series, I was able to feel the real pleasure of seeing new heroes appear one after another.
This time, TARO and JACK are featured in particular, but we were conscious not to neglect ULTRAMAN, SEVEN, ACE, and ZOFFY, who appeared in Season 1. I think I was able to portray the different strength and attractiveness of the techniques of both TARO and JACK.

In addition, we were able to bring the film to a conclusion with ULTRAMAN's success in the end, and what I thought was an impossible task (laugh) came together beautifully. That is already evident in the poster.

Aramaki Just having the six of us lined up is cool.

Kamiyama: When we made the poster for Season 1, it was a difficult task. This time, however, we decided on the visual without any handling and said, "This is the only way to do it. That's how something is born. The answer is not in us, but in everyone.

Aramaki: One of our responses to Season 1 was that we boldly included action scenes, and as a result, many fans were pleased with the results. However, people would get tired of doing the same thing, and for Season 2, I thought the key was how to incorporate the characteristics of each suit into the story while making the most of them.
However, when heroes appear one after another and play active roles one after another, it inevitably leads to inflation, but I think we were able to get into it well by preparing fighting styles and stages that were appropriate for the heroes. Especially in the latter half of the game, huge enemies appear and the battles become larger in scale, so I am sure that players will enjoy the unprecedented development of the game.

--The huge enemy, the "Golden Citadel," can be seen in part in the PV that has been released, but I would like to know what you focused on.

Aramaki: When we decided to introduce a giant enemy, Tsuburaya Productions gave us two candidates. I chose King Joe because of its generational characteristics, but I was told, "Well, you have to design it, Aramaki-san," and that was a difficult part (laugh).

Kamiyama: And it is quite large, isn't it? The moment the heroes encounter it, they think, "I don't think I can win! If the enemies were the same size as the six heroes, there would be an imbalance in power, and the heroes' activities would not be interesting. To solve this problem, we were talking about the need to create an incredibly large and strong enemy.

Aramaki That is definitely true. Of course, it also requires ingenuity to depict a battle against a huge enemy.

Kamiyama: The most interesting part was how to conquer such a fortress-like enemy, and that was the part where the creators had to make the most effort, regardless of the target. Of course, time and budget are not unlimited, but the way to bring the game to its climax was the area we put the most effort into in Season 2. And because there are six of us, it's not easy to break through, but we have to get through in a way that is unique to the six of us. I hope that the audience can understand that.

--I hope that the audience will understand that.

Aramaki: I thought the fight scene in the bay area was too plain to be just a simple fight, so I suggested, "Why not have the fight take place on a high place? I suggested that it would be better to have the scene where they fight on a high place.

Kamiyama: As for the motorcycle scene, Aramaki and Uchiyama (laughs).

But I told him to use an air bike because it would be too difficult to use an ordinary bike, and I gave him my old drawing as a reference and asked him to create the design.

Kamiyama: Another point I was particular about was tying the special moves to the story.

Aramaki That's Taro, isn't it?

Kamiyama: Special moves also tend to cause inflation, so behind every great move there is a weak point. This is where the structure of the drama is born. Especially this time, since it is a short battle, I tried to make it easy to understand and to make it catch the audience's attention.

Aramaki: The situations themselves are depicted in a way that is sometimes used, but they are used as a hook throughout the six episodes, and I think that the story as TARO is also established.

Kamiyama: That's not the way I usually depict things. What I like about "ULTRAMAN" this time around is that it is not something that is twisted around in a crazy way, but rather simple things that work well together. This is a characteristic of the Ultraman series itself, and it made me realize once again that Ultraman is a hero with universal appeal.

AramakiIt 's all about the foundation, isn't it? I wasn't sure how many young people today would recognize the Ultraman series, just as our generation has a strong impression of "Ultraman" and "Seven," but the response to the first season was that everyone knew more about it than I had expected. Again, the huge enemy was shown more clearly than I had imagined in the PV, so I asked myself, "Are you okay?　Isn't that too much of a spoiler?" I was a bit concerned, but I thought that was a good thing. On the other hand, I thought it would be better if I watched the movie with a sense of anticipation, wondering when they would combine. I hope that people will watch the film with a sense of anticipation. I was taking advantage of the fact that everyone already knew the worldview that we were basing the film on.

--I will not betray your expectations.

Aramaki: Yes, yes. I thought I would take advantage of that.

Kamiyama: It's already Kabuki, isn't it?

Aramaki That's right. There is a "pattern" for Ultraman, and if one is shown, the next one is shown, and the expectation for the next one goes up. It's fun to direct while taking advantage of that.

Kamiyama: There are many heroes being portrayed in Hollywood today, but I think that they were the first in the world to create such classic heroes whose identities must not be known. That's why there is drama in the series, and foreigners seem to like it because of the Japanese elements of loyalty and humanity.

The exhilarating feeling you get through all 6 episodes

--I would like to ask you about the highlights of each of the six episodes.

Aramaki: The best thing about Season 2 is the speed at which you can watch it all at once. There are 6 episodes, so you can watch it in about 2 hours if you are not careful. I would be happy if you feel a sense of exhilaration.

Kamiyama: I would like people to see the unique action of ULTRAMAN, including the new characters TARO and JACK. Also, there are three heroines who make unexpected appearances in the film, and I was surprised to see them in the film. I hope you will look forward to the drama that will unfold in a way that has never been seen before.

--Lastly, if you had to pick your favorite ULTRAMAN character, what would it be?

Kamiyama: I like heroes who are willing to sacrifice themselves to achieve something as an aesthetic. In that sense, it would be TARO and JACK. Throughout each episode, their personalities come out, but there are portrayals of the two of them doing something for their friends, which is also a highlight unique to season 2 with its large number of heroes. If I had to pick one of them, I would say JACK, who is a bit unexpected.

Aramaki: No, it's hard to choose (laughs). The burning flames before the activation of Ultra Dynamite is also a special touch by Uchiyama, who is also from the "Taro" generation, and I think the scenes involving TARO will be very exciting.

--Thank you very much for your time today.

(Reporting and writing by Tomohisa Toyota)