This is how "Evil Girl Dropkick" won its second season! Interview with executive producer Koichiro Natsume and advertising producer Kazuki Yanase, who paved the way for the road less traveled!

The ongoing legendary anime "Evil God Girl Dropkick" blasted through the summer cool of 2018 with a self-satisfied and unrestrained attitude, and miraculously won a second anime season early in the new year.

This work has attracted attention for its creative promotions, including media development that is as free from preconceived ideas as the main anime, various events, and proselytizing activities by dedicated fans called "Evil Gods.

In this article, we will introduce Mr. Koichiro Natsume, who is the executive producer of this work, and Mr. Yanase, who is the advertising producer. We asked Mr. Koichiro Natsume, the executive producer of the film, and Mr. Kazuki Yanase, the advertising producer, to talk about the behind-the-scenes production of "Jyakami-chan" to the fullest extent of their abilities.

Mr. Natsume is a big name who has been at the forefront of Aniplex for 10 years since he became representative director of Aniplex in 2006 until he resigned as chairman of the board in 2016, and has produced many hit titles. What was he thinking when he decided to participate in this project?

And when will the long-awaited second season air?

All of these questions and more will now be revealed!

The "Jyakami-chan" Production Committee is a guerrilla unit!

--Could you tell us about your roles in "Jyakami-chan Dropkick"?

Yanase: I originally worked for NTT Docomo, where I planned and designed the "dAnime Store" service. After that, I moved to KADOKAWA and launched "ANiUTa", a fixed price distribution service for ani-songs, and now I am independent and assist in several anime projects. In the process, I have had the opportunity to work with Mr. Natsume on various projects.

Natsume I think it was after I went to KADOKAWA that I got to know Mr. Yanase properly. We have known each other since then.

--Your title in this work is "executive producer.

Natsume: In layman's terms, it is a job of taking care that everything runs smoothly.

Yanase: This time, none of the members of the "Evil God-chan" production committee are from big companies in the animation industry. In short, we are a group of people who "don't know much about making animation". Because of this, there are a lot of things we don't understand, such as "How can we do this? There are a lot of things that we don't know. That's why I was asked to take the position of "executive producer".

--So you must have been able to work with a fresh mindset.

Natsume: Yes, I did. I really enjoyed it. The only works I have enjoyed so much are ...... and "Jyakami-chan" (laughs).

(laughs) To be honest, when I first came to Aniplex's predecessor company and started working on animation, I was suddenly put in charge of production and advertising, so I had been in a position similar to that of executive producer for a long time without having much experience in the field. So, I have been in a position similar to that of a production supervisor without having much experience in the field.

I had been managing the various producers and publicity people, the regular army of "Aniplex," by making them give off their energy and win. I felt like I was leading a guerrilla force out of the jungle.

--(Laughs.) They are all ruffians! (Laughs.) Only the ruffians do that.

Natsume: It really is a "Ryozan-domari. Among them, I think Mr. Yanase did a great job in this film. He kept sending e-mails and LINE messages to the committee members with very vivid and detailed reactions from the fans. If I were to use an analogy, I would say that he worked like a man who keeps feeding coal to a steam locomotive.

Yanase: In that sense, Natsume-san was the one who laid the tracks. He said, "This is the right road! He would say, "This is the right road!

Natsume: The "Jyagami Chan" committee was a group of people who were strong but didn't know what to do, so what I did was how to connect "Jyagami Chan" to the second season. I was to tell them how to connect "Jyoshin-chan" to the second season, how to increase the number of fans, or at the very least, what they needed to do to make it a success, and what kind of people they needed to bring in to commercialize it. For example, we had to bring in people who would be the core to work with the companies that would make the games and merchandise, or we had to bring in people like Mr. Yanase who excelled in advertising and promotion.... ...So it was indeed a role to lay down the rails.

--So it was indeed a role of laying the rails, like an arms dealer who distributes weapons to guerrilla forces (laughs).

Natsume: So what was really fun was to see how a guerrilla unit from the jungle could show a new way of delivering anime works to a corner of the industry, and a new way of getting excited with the fans.

When the anime project started, "Jyoshin-chan" did not have a large circulation of the original comics, and to be honest, it was not a very strong work for an anime adaptation. However, the punkish and anarchic energy of the work gave me a premonition that it might be able to make something happen (......).

--Oh, so that was your first impression.

Natsume That's right. When I was thinking about the anime adaptation, I first read the original comic, and I thought it was very interesting. I was surprised to see such an anarchic and crazy work.

--It is punk, isn't it?

Natsume Yes, it is punk. I thought "Jyakami-chan" was similar to the American "Tom & Jerry. It's very slapstick, and the Evil God is one-sidedly beaten by Yurine, but there is actually a deep friendship at the root of it. ...... It is a very unique story in today's comics and anime, isn't it? I thought it was a very unique story in today's comics and anime, and when the production committee suggested that we do it because it was interesting, I was asked by them to join as an executive producer. I had been away from the field for a long time, but I thought I would try to get involved with a fresh mind.

He was the one who had a lot of inspiration for promotion ideas, and at the committee meetings, he kept suggesting things like, "This would be interesting," or "This would be more interesting. So we said, "That's interesting," "Let's try it, let's try it," and he let us swim rather freely.

Today, there are 50, 60, or even 70 new animations per school year, and most of them are being passed off as "air anime," which is a waste of time and money. In such a situation, it is very important to find a way to promote anime to anime fans. I understand the importance of providing the fans with interesting topics and opportunities. I am honestly encouraged that Mr. Yanase, who values communication with fans, joined our project.

Not to be buried in the mass of works

--By the way, it was about a month before the start of the broadcast when Yanase-san introduced "Jyagami Chan" to Akiba Research Institute. He said, "Let's start with a relay interview with the cast members before the broadcast starts!" I think it was about a month before the broadcast started. ......Why did you decide to do such a project at Akiba Research Institute in the first place?

Yanase: We had recorded all the cast members' interviews and took pictures of them beforehand. And when I was thinking about where to publish them, all the evil people had already gathered at Akiba Research Institute's official poll project, and it was very exciting. So I contacted them and said, "Well, if you want, why don't you use all of this material?" and we gave it to them.

--So the evildoers had already started their proselytizing activities before the broadcast?

Yanase That's right. They were already moving around.

--Was it spontaneous?

Yanase: No, no! I would hardly call it spontaneous. I will explain it now.

This is the official website of April 2018, and I wanted to make a story for April Fool's Day, so I decided to change the image on the top page of the official website to a live-action drop kick, since the title was "Drop Kick", a wrestling technique.

But if I had gone that far, it would have been a "typical" project, wouldn't it? I visited Stardom, a women's professional wrestling organization, and showed them the original work, saying, "Actually, there is a work called 'Jyakami-chan Dropkick. ......The person I showed the work to was not familiar with it, and I think it must have been difficult for them to understand the content on the spot. ...... Looking back, it may have been quite forceful (laughs).

--wahahaha (laughs).

Yanase: Mr. Ogawa, the representative, had a style of challenging new things, so we decided to give it a try anyway, and later we ended up having a real wrestling event at Korakuen Hall.

--So that is how the "Evil God Class Title Match at Korakuen Hall" was held!

Yanase: That's right. As a result, many people who were not wrestling fans came to the event, and many of them were new to women's professional wrestling and Stardom.

The reason why I decided to go all out for "Yagami Chan" is because I have my own doubts about the current trend that anime is over after three months. Late-night anime today is like a love affair that is bound to end in heartbreak because it always disappears after three months. In other words, it is difficult to fall in love with them without feeling relieved. I think that is the challenge of today's anime.

As for "Asari-chan," the original author, Yukio said, "I want to draw this for the rest of my life," and the editor in charge said, "I want to make this into something that lasts forever, like 'Asari-chan'.

--Oh, "Asari-chan"?

Yanase: I really sympathized with him and said, "Okay, then I'll do "Asari-chan" for the rest of my life! Then I'll do "Asari-chan" for the rest of my life! I thought, "Okay! She will always be with me. I think that is the root of the movement you mentioned. I think this is the antithesis of today's "mass-produced" and "mass-consumed" anime. Therefore, I have been thinking about creating a proper community for "Evil God-chan" to live together with the customers all along. If this had gone on the air without a plan, I think it would have become an air anime, buried among the approximately 70 works of summer 2018.

The thoughts of the Evil Gods gave momentum to the work.

--I see. So there was a lot of preparation leading up to the broadcast. After that, every time Akiba Research Institute held an official poll, "Evil God Girl" kept taking the top spot, and as a result, for better or worse, "Evil God Girl" had an unusual presence at Akiba Research Institute.

⇒ " What will you watch next season? The result of "2018 Summer Anime Popularity Poll" was announced!Jyakami-chan Dropkick" took the top spot.
⇒That work jumped to the top spot, surpassing "Hataraku Cycle" and "Shinkou no Kyojin"! The result of "Which one was interesting? 2018 Summer Anime Popularity Poll" result announced!

Yanase: That's right. I was like, "What's with this anime?

--Readers and editors already know that it was an organized vote (laugh). (Laughs.) They know it, but they are saying, "Here come the evil people again. ...... It's like a Yoshimoto Shinkigeki show, right? It was really interesting to see how, combined with the groove of the work, it eventually came to the point where the atmosphere was like, "Well, it can't be helped if it's 'Evil God-chan' anymore.

Natsume Hahahaha (laughs).

Yanase: So, what I had in mind from the beginning was to call the fans who love Evil God Chan "Evil Gods" and to develop them in an organized manner. Because the anime will end in three months, I thought that in order to keep "Yagami Chan" going for a long time, we had to create a medium that would allow us to communicate with each other even after the broadcast ended. And we have been working together with the "Evil Gods" to create that. As a result, these measures worked very well, and we were able to do a lot of interesting stuff before the broadcast, and had a lot of media coverage. .... For the second season, we will be crowdfunding the creation of songs and voice dramas to fill the gap between the first and second seasons. The first project, "Stairway to Heaven," exceeded its goal of 3 million yen in four days, and was ultimately a huge success, exceeding 5 million yen. We will use the money raised to make CDs and hold events.

--After all, the strength of this work is that we were able to form a large group of wicked people. The fans also felt a sense of belonging, "I'm a pagan! and I think it gives them a sense of belonging and confidence.

Yanase: I think so. Akiba Research Institute's article titled "Have you already joined? was excellent.

--It was right on target. On the contrary, have there been any cases in which the evil followers have moved beyond the expectations of the production team?

Yanase: Did you see the flower stand in "Amazing Sabbat"? Isn't it strange to have 30 flower stands in a venue of 500 people? And each stand had the names of about 20 people on it. And they came with a "list of evil-doers. Obviously, it exceeded our expectations.

--Hahahaha (laughs). That's a lot of faith! I think the percentage of flower offerings is extraordinary. Everyone must have some kind of devotion to "Evil God-chan.

Natsume Kuku kuku kuku ...... (laugh).

Yanase That's right. We call the gifts we receive from the evil gods "offerings," and when we prepare a box called "offering container," three cardboard boxes are not enough. And, most of them are addressed to Aina Suzuki, don't you think? However, the largest number of "Amazing Sabbat" was addressed to the management.

Everyone ahahahahaha (laughs).

--(Laughs.) Well, they love you, don't they?

Yanase I thought they really loved me. They love each other. The audience was surprised, saying "No one is so loved by the management" (laughs).

Natsume Of course, there are fans of the cast, too (laughs). (Laughs.) Before "Sugo Saba," we held quite a few events at a small event space in Akihabara. We had a lot of events at a small event space in Akihabara before "Sugo Saba. As we held more and more events in places where only about 50 people would fit if we put up chairs, the heat of the wicked gradually rose and we began to realize that ...... "Oh, we have really passionate fans coming to our events. As I realized that there were so many people who lined up early in the morning to get front row seats for this production, Mr. Yanase said, "Why don't we make the front rows ATM seats?" Yanase-san said, "Why don't you make the front row ATM seats? ATM seats" are only allowed in this production (laugh).

(*Note: "ATM" is an expression used in the work when the evil god borrows money from others.)

--) - but the evil people are getting in on it and enjoying it, aren't they?

Yanase: That's right. It's this exchange, isn't it?

Natsume: Well, the word "ATM" appeared in the original comic, so we thought, "They will understand this pun, right? And when we first left the red cover with "ATM" written on it on the table, the evil people took it home with them (laughs).

Yanase: Moreover, there were people who brought that cover to the "Sugo Saba.

--They were like "the legendary 7 fans who came to AKB48's first live". Like, "I was the first ATM!

Yanase That's right!

Natsume: It's really the evil people, "Let's all push up together! We're going to raise this work! We're going to raise this work!" I felt that we were able to ignite this spirit, and thanks to that, we were able to gain a lot of momentum.

--When was the first time you felt a positive response?

Yanase: I think it was when we held a sabbat in a small space in Akihabara and filled the venue with evil people.

Natsume: We performed twice.

--I could tell from the event that all the cast members loved the work very much.

Natsume: Talking about the cast members, I think that Aina Suzuki's power was very significant in this work. In a sense, from the moment we chose Ms. Suzuki for the lead role, the committee as a whole felt a strong desire to make this work a success.

Why "2,000 copies"?

--The anime broadcast started without incident, and the next step was to sell packages for the second season. How was the plan decided?

Yanase: I am in charge of promotion, so I asked "How many Blu-ray packages do we have to sell? I was told that the target was 2,000 copies. So I said, "The target is 2000 copies for both volumes. This is a truly insurmountable number. If you don't achieve your goal, you can't go on to the next one, can you?

--But with other works, they usually hide specific numbers like that. Also, on the Internet, there is a lot of talk about the "XXX line," where "XXX number of copies is the minimum for the second season," so I think there are many people who think, "Oh, you can make a second season with 2,000 copies.

Natsume: I think that depends on the work. If we can sell 2,000 more copies, we will be able to continue the series. At that time, however, I was not sure if we would be able to reach that goal.

--Natsume: So you calculated backward from distribution and other sales and came up with a domestic package sales target of 2,000 copies.

Natsume Yes, as a lower limit.

--I think this is a very easy story to understand. By the way, "Jyakami-chan" was distributed by "Bilibili Video" and "Amazon Prime Video" this time.

Natsume: In China, "Bilibili" was always one of the top 3 or 5 most popular videos. Amazon Prime Video" in Japan was also good, but in the U.S., it was not necessarily a big hit.

--I guess you mean that "Evil Girl" is popular in Asia and the Chinese-speaking world?

YANAGISE: I don't know if it's Asia or not, but the people who pay for Bilibili in mainland China are probably close to Japanese anime fans. But the people who watch anime on "Amazon Prime Video," a huge platform that encompasses the entire world, are a different kind of people. I think it's the same as being able to get to the top of the Animate ranking, but not the top of the TSUTAYA ranking. In terms of absolute numbers, it may have been good, but I think there were many more works that were watched in the same broadcast season as Evil God. Works like "Hataraku Cell" and "BANANA FISH," which are more major than ...... (smiles).

--After that, you managed to reach your quota (see the event report linked below for details), and the second season was decided, but at that point, preparations were already underway, weren't they? At what point did you make the decision to prepare for the second season?

⇒The decision was made to revive the evil gods! ATM Evil Gods Called for a Miracle "Evil Gods Dropkick" Official Event "Amazing Sabat 2019" Angel Session Report

Natsume: In December, I told them to continue with the current team and start preparing for the second phase.

-That means you believed that you could already sell 2,000 copies, right?

Natsume That's right. Well, no one was sure of 2,000 copies. But if we broke up, it would be a long time before we could make our next move. The director would have to start his next job, and the creators would be scattered all over the place. In that sense, we started the project almost as if we had given it a shot.

--And the staff responded with, "Okay! And the staff said, "Okay!

Natsume: Yes, we did.

--That's so hot! And from there, you achieved a miraculous turnaround. What do you think was the point of success this time?

Yanase: There were two points: we reported the progress of the project, and we greatly increased sales at events.

--Yanase: It is quite rare for an animation to increase sales at an event, isn't it?

Yanase That's right. However, we had to sell 2,000 copies by January 20, but as of January 14, we were only selling 1,900 copies, which was very close. However, people who came to the "Akihabara Film Festival" on January 14 bought 50 to 60 copies, and from there we sold a few more ....... As of the morning of the "Sukosaba" event, we had sold 1,991 copies. I thought, "Oh my God! At that point, I decided, "I'm going to make sure we sell all the tickets on site! I decided, "I'm going to make sure I sell all of them on site! As a result, it sold out!

--It was a drama that was already going to be made into a movie, wasn't it?

Yanase It really was a drama! So some people may have a skeptical view that we were making up the numbers, but this is the truth.

--But I really felt that "Sugo Saba" was a happy event. The result of our support is presented in front of our eyes in the form of "success. This is also an affirmation of the fans, isn't it? So, I think it was also an event where the evil people affirmed themselves. It is not usually understood that the second season was decided because of the number of tickets we bought! You usually don't know that because of the number of tickets we bought. For example, if a work sells tens of thousands of copies, the weight of each person is not so great, but if it sells 2,000 copies, it becomes very heavy. The one copy you buy has a definite impact. This strange sense of solidarity is something that I don't think has been seen in anime until now. If I had to venture a guess, I would say that it is similar to the feeling of a fan who is following an indie band.

Yanase: I get that a lot! They say, "Jyoshin-chan is like an indie band" (laughs).

(Laughs) -- A band with about 2,000 fans can't hold a concert in a big hall, but they can manage to fill small boxes around the country, can't they?

Yanase: Yes, yes, because all the fans follow us every time. But I think what you say is very true. That is the kind of work it is, isn't it? That is why the images are only one element in "Evil God Girl. I think what we were able to provide was a story of working together to create an animation and achieving some kind of goal together.

--In my opinion, one thing that popular idols have in common in recent years is that they always set a goal. They say, "I'm going to the nationals!" or "I'm going to make this girl number one in the election! and when the results come in, people say, "Our support made these children's dreams come true, and we should all celebrate. Let's celebrate together. The point is that it is interesting to share the experience of success through everyone's power. I think idols are one device for this. The anime "Evil Girl" also has that aspect, and I think that is the reason why it is so much fun.

Yanase: I think that's probably the point. Why was the second season of "Jyoshin-chan" decided? It was because we supported it! That's what it's all about, isn't it? So it was really thanks to all of you.

--I think it shows a very modern way of content, even though that was part of what we were aiming for. Both the producers and the fans are accomplices.

Natsume Speaking of complicity, you mentioned the organizational vote earlier, and the Akiba Research Institute's midway point in the voting process is that every week, e-mails are sent to those involved saying, "We've come this far, and we may be overtaken next, so everyone do your best and cast one vote! So, everyone on the committee was working together to make sure that everyone was voting properly. So everyone in the committee voted one by one.

Yanase: I also told the cast members, "Please push the button! I said to the cast members, "Press the button!

--Wahahaha (laughs). Then, some of the votes might have been cast by Aina Suzuki and Himasa Omori.

Yanase I don't know who voted for me, but many people involved also supported me. Also, regarding the package, the sound director, Mr. Imaizumi said, "I bought one myself to cheer myself up," and Yutaro Miura, who sang the ED song, said, "I bought one myself.

--As for the cast, Natsuko Hara, who plays Mei Tachibana, also said "I bought one myself".

Yanase: Ms. Hara also bought one! I also asked Yurie Kosakai, who plays Pekora, to buy one too (laughs). When I asked her to be Pekora's Vtuber, she said "Please buy it like this on Amazon", "Ms. Kosakai, on your own account, please buy it yourself", "I don't have a sample, please buy it yourself" (laughs). After that, in Pekora's voice, he said, "You will go to hell, won't you?" (laughs).

Natsume There were no samples, really.

Yanase: We bought the ones we had at home ourselves.

--Natsume: We also bought our own samples at home.

Yanase That's right. By paying for it ourselves, it will lead to the next work (2nd season).

When will the second season air? Will it be in China next...?

--By the way, you mentioned in "Sugo Saba" that the second season will be broadcast by the end of this year at ....... When exactly are you planning to broadcast the second season?

Natsume: We have already started production, but we have not yet decided when it will be broadcast. As I mentioned earlier, in order for recent anime to be recouped, it is essential to develop in the Chinese market. But in order to distribute in China, we have to deliver the work and have it checked beforehand. That time is still unreadable.

-Is there any possibility of preempting the Japanese broadcast?

Natsume: If we broadcast in Japan before distribution, pirated copies would immediately appear on the Internet. If that is the case, I guess we will have to adjust the timing of the Japanese broadcast to the distribution. ...... is my biggest concern at the moment.

--Natsume: The distribution through Bilibili Douga is an important element of "Evil God Girl," so you can't ignore the situation in China, can you?

Natsume: We can't ignore it. Sales are of course one thing, but above all, we cannot ignore the enthusiasm of the fans. Last year, we were invited by Bilibili Douga to go to China with voice actors to hold talk shows and handshakes, and the enthusiasm of the fans there was amazing. The enthusiasm of the fans over there was amazing. They wanted my picture and autograph (laughs).

--What is the most important thing that fans can do for "Evil God-chan" in the future? I am sure everyone would like to serve you more (laughs).

Yanase: Actually, we are currently thinking of doing something called the "Jyakami-chan Dropkick Avatar Collaboration Campaign. I will go out with anyone! I'll go out with anyone, so why don't we all collaborate with ......? I would like to propose that. You really have no sense of humor! (laughs).

--You're selling yourself short! So you are selling yourself short!

Yanase: No matter how small the store, university club, or large manufacturer, we want to hear from anyone. I think there are many people who would like to collaborate with anime, but they usually don't know who to contact or how to go about it, or how much money is needed to make it happen. This is what "Jyoshin-chan" clearly explains. We do not go through an advertising agency. We communicate directly with the client and provide a clear price. For example, we will offer everything from 10,000 yen for just using the logo to 100,000 yen for a new visual, so please feel free to contact us.

I am sure that there are many Evil Gods who would like to work with Evil Gods in their own companies or businesses, so I would like to hear from you!

--So, why don't you collaborate with Akiba Research Institute?

Yanase Let's do it! Let's do it right away!

--I'll bring it back immediately and report to the editor-in-chief! I'm looking forward to seeing more and more developments in the future! So, I would like to close with a message to all the evil people.

Yanase: I really want all Evil Gods to be happy, so I would like you to continue to experience the scenery that you have seen because you have been following "Evil Gods"! I want you to have the experience that you could not have had if you had not followed "Jagami Chan.

Natsume: Those who believe will be saved. Evildoers, be eternal!

--Thank you very much!