From Another Japan, Another "Me" Appears Interview with Yuhei Sakuragi, director of the animated film "Even if the World Ends Tomorrow

The animated film "As the World Ends Tomorrow," which will be released in theaters on January25,2019, is an original work by animation studio Crafter Studio, and is a feature-length animated film directed and written by Yuhei Sakuragi, who directed his first TV series with the TV animation "Ingress.

One day, another "I" suddenly appears from another Japan in front of Shin and Kotori, two childhood friends who are now in their third year of high school. A love story depicting Shin and Kotori's wavering hearts and the world of science fiction that unfolds in the other Japan. Director Sakuragi, who carefully depicted the two worlds while staying close to the characters, talked about the highlights of the film, his particular approach to the film, and episodes during its production.

⇒ Interview with Yoshiki Nakajima, who plays Jin in the animated film "Ashi Sekai ga Endowment".
⇒The anime movie " Ashi Sekai ga Endowo Datotemo" will be released in January 2019! Directed and written by Yuhei Sakuragi

Please tell us about the production process of this film.

Director Sakuraki: The inspiration for this film came from a work called "Soutai Sekai," which I wrote and directed. It was completed as a work, but I felt that if I could make it, I would like to take it a little further.

Q: The original novel was released first, and then the movie version was released.

Director Sakuragi: The movie version was running ahead of the novel. I received an offer to write the novel when the screenplay was finished, and I thought, "If I'm going to release it, the sooner the better! So we hurriedly worked on the novel at the same time. It was difficult to work on the film and the text at the same time, but the novelization process itself was like adding flesh to the screenplay, and I had a lot of fun writing the novel.

Q: How did you construct the story?

Director Sakuragi: The idea was that Crafter would make a film as a company! The idea of "two worlds" as a base was something we all came up with together. We created the characters based on this idea. The main character, heroine, and their opposing characters were already in place, so we rewrote them over and over while thinking about how to develop them in a way that would be interesting.

Q: Can you tell us specifically what you rewrote and rewrote again and again?

Director Sakuragi: The most important part was the flow of the characters' emotions. In a science fiction film, it is necessary to make sure that the plot and setting are consistent, so if I rewrote one part, I had to rewrite the others as well. In addition, there is another character from another world, so if I revised one part, I had to rewrite the other part as well. I had advice from many people as I went along, and every time someone would say, "How about changing this part a little bit? I would say, "If I change that part, I have to change that and that part too. ...... It was like working on a puzzle that was difficult to reassemble.

Q: Did the characters and story change from what you had planned as a result of the multiple rewrites?

Director Sakuragi: The basic axis of the story has not shifted. The basic axis of the story has not shifted, but the characters' destinies may have changed considerably. I always tried to make the storyline simple and easy to understand by giving the characters a strong role to play.

Q: Why did you choose a background reminiscent of Shinjuku?

Director Sakuragi: I was conscious of an easy-to-understand location that would become a symbol of Japan. At first, Shibuya came to mind, but I had the impression that the number of young people has been increasing in Shinjuku recently, and I chose Shinjuku because it seemed like a place where various types of young people gather. Another reason was that Shibuya is undergoing redevelopment, and I did not want the scenery to change after the film was completed. The studio is in Shinjuku, so it was also easier for me to do location scouting (laughs). (Laughs). The film features places that are easy to make pilgrimages to, so I hope that after seeing the film, you can wander around there.

Q: In the key visual, we are struck by the downcast Makoto and Kotori walking in front of Makoto.

Director Sakuragi: We debated about which one to depict in front. We decided that in this day and age, the woman should be in the front. In terms of the characters, Kotori walks in front with great enthusiasm and leads the way. I thought it would be interesting to see what Makoto thinks as he follows her ......, and I thought it would stimulate the imagination of the story.

Q: I felt there were a lot of walking scenes in the film. I guess one of the reasons for this is that they are commuting to school.

Director Sakuragi: If you ask me, there are indeed a lot of walking scenes. I like the idea of walking and talking as a direction. Even in the walking scenes, I was always conscious of the standing position of which one is pulling which one and which one is watching from behind.

Q: What did you want to portray by having two opposing characters in each of the two worlds?

Director Sakuragi: What I wanted to portray was that even if people have the same genes, their personalities and ways of life change depending on their environment. In the world where Makoto lives, there are no wars, and the world is becoming a rut. He wants to change something, but in the end nothing has changed.

On the other hand, Jin is in a world where he has to make his own moves and change something to survive. One is initiating things on his own, and the other is getting caught up in it in a way he does not want to. However, in the end, they live with the same kind of feelings. I was hoping to depict this kind of flow in the setting.

Do you have any episodes from the recording sessions?

Director Sakuragi: It's no surprise, but everyone was very professional and wanted to make the play after getting it down to the nitty-gritty. Hiroki Kaji, who played Makoto, even suggested lines. We had a lot of fun communicating with him.

Director Sakuragi: What is the message you want to convey through your work?

Sakuraki: I was most concerned about the reality of the film. I wanted to depict the realities of today's youth. The extraordinary collides with the realities of today's youth. I wondered how today's youth would react if they were confronted with an extraordinary situation like the one depicted in the film. In a world that has become accustomed to peace, but is still somewhat unstable, I hope that the audience will think about what they should do if an extraordinary event were to occur. It is a work that is a combination of various genres of anime, and it is something that anyone can enjoy, so if you are at all curious about it, please come to the theater.

(Interview and text by Shinobu Tanaka)