Interview with Makoto Kato, director of the anime "The Case Files of Lord Ermeloy II: Grace note".

Director Makoto Kato, whose sensitive direction of the TV anime "Yattekimini naru" was well received by fans, directed the TYPE-MOON work "The Case Files of Lord Ermeloy II". This is a mystery work set in a world of magic and intrigue. The result is so ingenious that Kato himself calls it the culmination of all his past production techniques, and fans are already clamoring for a sequel. How was this film made? Let us take a closer look at Makoto Kato's directing techniques.

Prepared to direct two films in parallel

───The final episode of director Kato's previous work, "Yagete Kimi ni naru," was broadcast at the end of December 2018, and episode 0 of this film was broadcast three days later. What was the reason why you were able to work on the films you directed at the same time, despite the overlap in work including the preparation period?

Kato: At first, I received an offer from Aniplex producer Shizuka Kurosaki to direct, and when I read the original work, I found it extremely interesting and immediately wanted to take on the project. However, Mr. Toshiyuki Nagano, president of TROIKA, encouraged me to take a chance on a big title if I had the chance. In addition, "The Case Files of Lord Elmeroi II" is a work that depicts the aftermath of Waver from "Fate/Zero," which was directed by Ei Aoki (supervisor of this work), I finally decided to accept the project.

─ What was your impression of the world of "Fate/Zero" as a director?

Kato: The anime "Fate/Zero" was my first experience with the Fate series. I learned about the interesting and deep worldview of the series after watching that, so it was exactly through Mr. Aoki's images that I entered TYPE-MOON's works. The setting of the story, in which historical figures are summoned as Servants to seek the Holy Grail together with sorcerers, was novel, and I honestly thought it was innovative and interesting. As for the visuals, they are high-end. When I was watching "Fate/Zero" at the time of its broadcast, I was overwhelmed by the sheer visuals and thought that I would never be involved in this.

─ ─ What was your impression of Weaver in "Fate/Zero"?

Kato: Quite frankly, he was a brat (laughs). (laughs) But while watching "Fate/Zero," it was Weaver that I felt the most emotionally connected to. His ego forced him to steal Dr. Keines' relic and enter the Holy Grail War, but he met Rider there, and by walking together with him, he gradually became a sorcerer from a small boy. He is very weak and pathetic, but there is a lot of "raw" human side to him that I could understand, and in the end I came to like him the best.


─ ─ The story of his growth as a teenager must have appealed to you as an adult as well, Kato-san.

Kato: That's right. It was fascinating for me as a director to be able to portray a character I liked as an adult. Weaver wants to prove that he is worthy of the Holy Grail because he was immature as a magician when Rider lost, and his single-minded desire leads him to the "peak of magician" without end. I was so moved by his determination to prove that he was worthy of the Holy Grail, that I wanted to follow the rest of the story with him. I was so moved by his story that I wanted to follow the rest of the story with him. I knew that I myself was not a genius or special, but I still wanted to be as close to the top as possible as a person involved in the film industry. In that sense, Lord Ermeloy II (hereafter "II") was a character close to myself. I believe that being able to relate to my current self adds depth to the character, so his gestures and thoughts may contain some of my own soul.


─ ─ The first part of this series is an original anime episode, and episodes 7 through 12 are anime adaptations of the "Magical Eyes Collecting Train Arc," which is the middle volume of the original work, a structure not seen elsewhere.

Kato: We first discussed what parts (items for deeper understanding of the story) should be incorporated into the original episodes before entering the "Magical Eyes Collecting Train Arc" so that the viewers would be able to naturally enter the worldview of the series.　We first discussed this with Kato. We asked Mr. Kotachi to come up with a story that would make the most of the elements we wanted to include in the story, and from there on, we played catch-up with the story as it came to us. It took a lot of courage to include so many original elements in the beginning of the series, even though there was an original story, so we repeatedly checked the script and were thrilled.

─ ─ Episode 0 was preceded in the broadcast. Was this the episode you intended to place here from the beginning?

Kato: Yes. It was an introduction, or rather, an easy-to-understand story that explained the worldview of the "Case Files of Lord Ermeloy II" work. I think it was the first episode that showed that it was a work of magic and mystery, rather than a general mystery story.

─ ─ Director Kato was in charge of storyboarding the first episode. How did you position it?

Kato: Episode 0 presented the viewers with the worldview of the work, but before we get into the main story, the first thing the viewers are interested in is how Weaver came to be in the IIth generation. Therefore, it was necessary to show the so-called missing link in the first episode. Mr. Aoki gave us the story in the form of episode 0, but that is only episode 0. I needed the first episode to reiterate the director's principal point of view as I did. I drew the storyboards with the mindset of picking up the best parts, rather than rehashing episode 0. However, I had a very hard time with this first episode. ...... (sweat)


─ ─ What were those parts?

Kato: I had an idea for the beginning and the end of the C part from the beginning, but I had a hard time coming up with the scenes and cuts that would connect the two parts. I think the pressure of being the first episode was a factor, but I also think that because I started storyboarding for the first episode right after "Someday It Will Be You" ended, I couldn't switch my mind properly and was at a loss as to how to present the work differently. I am supposed to be the one who is essentially creating the work, but for each work, I try to change the layout, the use of pauses, the tempo, and so on, to suit the work. However, the stronger the attachment to the previous work, the longer it takes to refresh my mind. In that sense, I think this first episode was probably the most difficult one I have ever worked on.

─ ─ I guess this goes back to your first question, but I guess it is important for creators to change their minds, isn't it?

Kato: That's right. The first episode was a film that I was very particular about, both as a director and as a producer. As a director, I am particular about the beginning of the first episode, the very beginning of the series. This is the time when the viewers pay attention to what kind of worldview they are watching, so we have to show them what we are really about. In this case, the scene at the Fuyuki Bridge during the Fourth Holy Grail War is a good example. We actually used about 1,000 cell shots just for this scene. Of course, we used full frame (24 frames per second) for the slower scenes. The composite work for the filming took a week to complete. This cut, which was filled with the passion of all the staff, holds deep memories for me, and I feel that it was a very rewarding experience for the production.


─ Is there a large number of shots in this film?

Kato: The action scenes inevitably require a lot of cuts and cells, but we try to balance the overall number of cuts and cells by calculating calories and reducing the number of cuts and cells in the other episodes. Calorie control is also an important part of my job as a director. The first episode may seem to have more than 300 cuts to the viewer, but it actually has about 280 cuts. It is not a simple question of whether the more cuts you make, the more interesting it becomes, but rather a way of presenting the film with "maximum depth within limited constraints. I think that is what "direction" is all about. I used to have trouble calculating calories until I was working as an assistant director for "Re:CREATORS," but as I gained more experience in directing, I gradually became able to control it.

───Your first film as a director, "Sakurako-san no Ashiwa ni shita shita wa shinda shita ni burimashita" (Hereinafter "Sakurako-san"), was also a mystery film. How do you see yourself growing and changing since then?

Kato: If "Sakurako-san" was a gem in the rough, I think "Yatte kimi ni naru" is the one where I polished it and it started to shine a little. It was the moment when my expression as a director, Makoto Kato, was established or took shape, and I can't really explain it myself, but I think it's something like, "Oh, this direction is very Kato-like.