How do you stand up to the headwinds of the sexy portrayal? Interview with Kenichiro Takagi, producer of the anime "Senran Kagura Shinovi Master - Tokyo Yokuma Arc!

Kenichiro Takagi, a.k.a. "Bakunyu Producer" who oversees the "Senran Kagura" series, including the currently airing TV anime "Senran Kagura Shinovi Master - Tokyo Yokuma-hen" and a wide range of other anime and games, appeared at Akiba Research Institute!

The popular "Senran Kagura" game series has been in existence for eight years since the memorable first game "Senran Kagura: Shoujo-tachi no Shinei" for the Nintendo 3DS was released in September 2011. The first TV anime aired in 2013, and the series' first game application "Shinobi Master: Senran Kagura" was released at the end of November 2017. Shinobi Master Senran Kagura NEW LINK" was released and recorded more than 1 million registered users. As a new challenge, the Nintendo Switch game "PEACH BALL Senran Kagura" is scheduled for release on December 13, 2018.

The currently airing anime "Senran Kagura SHINOVI MASTER - Tokyo Yoma Arc" is directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa (director) x Junji Goto (character design) x TNK (animation production), the same staff that produced the "High School DxD" series (-3rd season) and "Sound Robot Daimidara" (animation production), have come together under the direction of Kenichiro Takagi, the producer of the "Senran Kagura" series with big tits. A completely original story is being developed in which a total of 28 ninjas clash in the opening of the Shinobi Masters.

⇒Autumn 2018 Anime

We interviewed Mr. Takagi about the production of the anime currently being broadcast and the development of the game. He also commented on the sexual depiction, which has been increasingly regulated in recent years, as only he knows the scene better.

--How has the anime "Senran Kagura Shinovi Master - Tokyo Yomahen" been received since it started airing?

Producer Kenichiro Takagi (Takagi P): We thought the first episode was quite exciting, so it was interesting to see the various reactions, including those who were very upset by the development of the story and those who are looking forward to the future development of the story. In my opinion, the reactions were as expected.

--From the very first episode, there was a lot of tension as Asuka, the iconic protagonist of the "Senran Kagura" series, was being hunted down, wasn't there?

P. Takagi: I thought, "But then, episode 2 is suddenly a swimsuit episode? (laughs). (Laughs.) We made the viewers yakety-yak as we all went to a hot spring resort together, a development that was different from the serious main storyline.

--Of course, from the very first episode, we included service scenes in every episode. Are service scenes an essential element of "Senran Kagura"?

P. Takagi: (Service scenes such as swimsuit and hot spring scenes) We decided to do them as early as possible (laughs). (Laughs) We will continue to include such fun elements in the story.

--You are credited as the "producer of the original story and Bakunyu" in the anime, but to what extent were you involved in the anime production?

P. Takagi: I started from the script writing stage, and I also watched all the storyboards. I am allowed to do quite a variety of things.

First, I create the general flow of the story, and then I hand it over to Yukinori Kitajima-san, who writes the script (continuing on from the game), and ask him to flesh it out.

--In the battle scenes, there are some serviceable angles.

P. Takagi: In some cases, we give them instructions.

However, throughout the "Senran Kagura" series, we have decided not to use eroticism without a reason. Even for a single sexually stimulating depiction, we try to make sure that there is a reason before and after, rather than just saying, "Why are you looking down your pants" or "Why are your clothes off".

-- that it is not just a sexy scene that comes out. So, for example, in the second episode, Yukizumi and her friends go to a swimming pool, and there is a reason why the setting is a swimming pool, isn't there?

Takagi P. How can I put it? I think it's a part of having people swallow it and say, "That's just the way it is. Why?" I think if you start thinking, "Why?

--(laughs) - sorry, that was a wild question (laughs). As I mentioned earlier, "Senran Kagura Shinovi Master - Tokyo Yokuma Arc" has a serious aspect from the very first episode, as Asuka, the main character of the series, falls into a situation that seems like a "dark fall". Did you decide from the beginning that the "Senran Kagura" series would not only have cute interactions between the girls, but also have a serious development?

P. Takagi: The "Senran Kagura" series has always had a serious tone to it.

Nowadays, seriousness is often not a favorite element of the series, but as we depict the growth of the characters, we want to depict the trials they face and the situations they have to overcome. On the other hand, if there were no such elements, it would not be the same as "Senran Kagura," nor would it be what I wanted to create.

The balance between the serious aspects of the story and the gag elements is a difficult one to strike, but as a "hot-blooded bishojo story," we decided to draw that part of the story well in the anime.

However, it may be surprising that only sexy gags are more popular. ......

--Do you think that it is difficult for viewers to accept a more serious tone these days?

P. Takagi: You could say that there is such a situation, but that is just me being paranoid.

However, this is just my own imagination, but I also think that the production staff may not want to make a work that is just girls cackling and laughing. ...... The generation that is at the center of the production process now is the generation that has grown up watching hot-blooded productions, so they are more likely to say, "That's good!　Let's do it! I think everyone is happy to do it.

I know it's hard work at the production site, but I'm sure everyone is happy to do it. ......

--I'm sure it's a lot of work at the production site, but I'm sure it's a lot of fun to work on.

P. Takagi: I think that fast-moving battles are something you want to avoid in TV animation (in terms of production labor), but we dared to take on that challenge. The animation staff took a lot of pains to realize what we wanted to depict, such as intense battles and acting in a crowd.

--What is the theme you want to convey to readers through this work?

P. Takagi: "To change people and the world. Is it wrong? I put the heading "People and the world are changing, but is that wrong?

How do the characters change through various encounters and battles in the work?　How will the "Senran Kagura" series itself change and evolve?　Naturally, how will the people, including those of us who create the work, change?　This is what we are taking into consideration.

Recently, there is a tendency to view "what we say is different from what we used to say" as a problem, but I believe that "change" is a good thing. After all, people change as they live.

Therefore, I have included the idea that "change is good" as the axis of my work.

--I think that the viewers are concerned about Asuka's change, but it will become clear as the story progresses, won't it?

P. Takagi: Asuka has always been a pure existence in the "Senran Kagura" series. However, as the main character who will continue to play a role in the series, we had to have Asuka go through some trials and tribulations. So in "Senran Kagura SHINOVI MASTER -TOKYO YOMA-EN-", it feels like all sorts of stimuli are coming at once.

--What can you tell us about the future of the "Senran Kagura" series, not only the anime but also the games? I heard that the main story will be finished in the latest work "Senran Kagura 7EVEN - Girls' Happiness -" which is currently under development. ......

P. Takagi: In my mind, I always want to complete the story itself. By completion, I don't mean the end of the story, but rather the end of the story itself.

To begin with, the "Senran Kagura" series did not start out as a planned work. （At the time, consumer games were at a low ebb, budgets were low, and not much was expected of us (laughs). However, I had a strong desire to make this kind of consumer game, so I started the series because I liked it, it was popular, and I was allowed to make the next one, and so it has continued. At that time, I was really free to do whatever I wanted.

So I don't know what will happen in the future.

However, nowadays there are many games that are celebrating their 10th, 20th, and 30th anniversaries, and I would like to make sure that the "Senran Kagura" series is one of those games.

--How is the progress of "Senran Kagura 7EVEN - Girls' Happiness" coming along?

P. Takagi: Recently, restrictions on sexual depictions have become stronger worldwide, and we have to make sure that our work is not misunderstood in that aspect. So, there are some aspects that are more difficult than I have ever experienced before.

So, I think it will take some time. ...... We are thinking about how we can make it happen and how we can make it happen.

--I am sure that the "mysterious light" that is restricted during TV broadcasts is also noticeable in the anime.

P. Takagi: To be honest, I don't know how long we can continue to depict such things in anime. The Olympics will be coming in a few years, so I think it may be dangerous at this point in time, and there is also the question of "what if children watch it? Well, there is also the question of what is the purpose of late-night broadcasting. ......

However, in the midst of all this, works that are also sexually explicit are gradually being pushed out of the genre.

Still, there are people who want to watch them, and there are those of us who want to create such works, so I would like to think about how we can get around this situation.

--The ending of the anime is almost completely white on the screen, ...... (laughs).

Takagi P. That's right. So you should watch the ending on Blu-ray! (Laughs)

(laughs) -- Once again, "Senran Kagura Shinovi Master - Tokyo Yomahen -" has reached the end of its run, but do you think it will get even more exciting in the future?

P. Takagi: I think the human drama, including the battles, will become even more exciting.

There will be new characters, and while the first half of the game focused on beautiful girls, the second half will be a mixture of various dramas, including those of the old men. I am also interested in what will happen to Asuka. I also hope that you will see how the overall storyline will be resolved.

--Lastly, do you have a message for our readers?

P. Takagi: The anime "Senran Kagura Shinovi Master -Tokyo Yokuma-hen-" is like a compilation of the past series, and the content is hot both dramatically and sexually, so I hope you enjoy it.

It is a compilation of the past "Senran Kagura" series, and I hope that people who have been watching "Senran Kagura" series as well as people who watched anime in the 90s and 00s like me will enjoy it. I hope that people who say, "I haven't watched anime recently," will also enjoy watching it!

--Thank you very much for your time today!