Part 2 of the interview to commemorate the blockbuster release of the movie "Yuru Can△! Interview with Director Yoshiaki Kyogoku: "'YuruCan△' is an everyday drama that changes little by little and firmly.

The movie "YuruCan△" (original story: Afuro / serialized in the manga app "COMIC FUZ") is currently showing as a blockbuster hit.

Nadeshiko, Rin, Chiaki, Aoi, and Saito developed a relationship through camping in high school. Over time, the five have gone their separate ways, but one day, they decide to create a campsite. ......

The story of these girls on the theater screen will bring the charm of "YuruCan△" and new elements to the audience's hearts.

We asked Yoshiaki Kyogoku, the director of this film as well as the TV series, about how "YuruCan△" was created and what he wanted to depict in the film.

⇒ Part 1: Interview with Yoshiaki Kyogoku, director of the movie "Yuru Can△," in commemoration of the movie's blockbuster release! Director Yoshiaki Kyogoku talks about why he depicted camping for adults in the movie.

Cooking from the Afro World in Full Bloom in the Movie

--The food in the movie looks delicious, and it made me hungry.

Kyogoku Thank you very much! (Laughs)

--The quality of the pictures is also amazing.

Kyogoku: The staff really put a lot of effort into the drawings. The staff really put a lot of effort into drawing the crabs. What's wrong? They were so particular about drawing the details that no one would notice.

--(laugh). Did you actually make the dishes that appear in the film?

Kyogoku: Yes. The dishes in "YuruCan△" are always made, eaten, and photographed (......), but since we can't make them in large quantities, there are always people who can't eat them. But since we can't cook in large quantities, there are always people who can't eat it. Why didn't you call us? (laughs).

--I heard that Mr. Afro is very particular about the food, and he makes it himself.

Kyogoku: Basically, in the scenario stage, I told him that I wanted to serve the dishes in this kind of situation and that I would be happy with the atmosphere of the dishes, and he would give me his ideas. Then the teacher would say, "How about this kind of dish?" or sometimes he would say, "Please wait, I am making it right now," or "Please wait, I will think about it after I actually make it. (Laughs.) That's how it was, so I think the food really has an "Afro World" or "Afro Flavor" to it.

--I think it's a definite "YuruCan△" cuisine.

Kyogoku: That's right. But I was really surprised that the fish dishes were served in two stages. Going beyond expectations is his specialty, so I would like you to have a look at this. I was really surprised to see the fish dish in two stages! It's like a dish you would expect to see.

Chikuwa's ageing should be portrayed as a natural part of her life.

--What about the characters? In the original film, Nadeshiko and Rin had longer hair and looked more mature as time went on, but in this film version, their hair is shorter and they have a different mature look. How did you decide on the hairstyle and other aspects of the character's appearance?

Kyogoku: Mr. Afro gave me a lot of rough ideas for hairstyles and clothes, and I basically created the designs from there. I was surprised at how some of the characters turned out. I was surprised at how some of the characters turned out. Nadeshiko and Rin's hair had been short since Nadeshiko's fantasy I mentioned earlier (episode 12 of the first TV anime), so it was a natural fit for both of them. I would like to see them with long hair as adults, though.

--I felt that they have grown up not only in their appearance but also in every line of their dialogue. I also thought Nadeshiko's lines were good. How did you come up with those lines?

Kyogoku: I am glad to hear you say so. I came up with a lot of ideas, but it was the scriptwriting team of Hitoshi Tanaka and Mutsumi Ito that actually incorporated them into the story and dialogues. They kept coming up with scenes that I thought, "Yes, yes, that's what I wanted to see. I think it was because of the trust between the team, who had been working together since the first film, arguing about how to convey the charm of this work.

--I think it was because of the trust between the team and me that we were able to work together to find the best way to convey the appeal of this work.

Kyogoku: Yes, there are (laughs). (Laughs.) Of course, Mr. Afro is always looking at the script to see what kind of adult he wants the characters to become, and I try not to blur the line between his ideas and mine.

--I was personally impressed by Chikuwa (Ena Saito's dog). As the dog gets older, so does Chikuwa, so while it is as cute as ever, it also has its own emotional significance. Was there anything you kept in mind when drawing Chikuwa?

Kyogoku: Chikuwa is Saito-san's most important partner, and she is very dear to him. So, I wanted to depict her well, and I was conscious of the need to carefully depict the aging Chikuwa as well.

--I don't want to mention specific scenes, but what Saito-san said to Chikuwa really touched my heart.

Kyogoku: It's a great scene. It was good from the scenario stage, but the voice acting and the drawings really brought out the atmosphere.

YuruCan△" is not a daily life that never changes, but a daily life that changes little by little. Moreover, it is not overly exciting or sentimental; it is depicted in a natural way. It is left up to the viewer to decide. That's why it was difficult to draw Chikuwa, but you can't fake it. Dog owners may be shocked, but I thought it should be portrayed as something natural.

I want people to pay attention to the new characters around them.

--Since the TV series, I have felt that the "Yuru Can△" animation is very good at using light, as well as the way it depicts scenery. Since this is a movie, was there anything you were conscious of that you added to the usual TV series?

Kyogoku: I did not change much. I focused on scenery and light because I wanted the viewer to feel that the characters were standing there. I want the viewers to feel that they are actually there and camping. Without changing the basic premise or policy, we kept asking ourselves, "How can we make it look better? We tried to make each scene a little bit different.

However, what was a bit special this time was the appearance of the city. I wondered what would happen in Nagoya, which had never been depicted before. It was very difficult to draw, but the art team really worked hard. I was relieved when the staff, who are from Aichi Prefecture, told me that they were impressed and happy to see their hometown in the film.

--I was relieved when the staff from Aichi Prefecture said, "I was very moved and happy to have my hometown in the film. There's that famous girl!" I was a little happy.

Kyogoku: This film is based on location scouting, so I went to Nagoya twice. We went to the location scouting sites over and over again to steadily recreate the scenery, and we did the same work (as we did for the TV series) of incorporating the attractive scenery we saw into the pictures.

--How about the music?

Kyogoku: This time, we used complete film scoring. I also wanted to incorporate new music for the theme of "building a campsite," so I added an element of a brass band, which was something we had never done before. I hope you will pay attention and listen to the music as well.

--I hope you will pay attention to the music and listen to it. It was even better to hear it in the theater's sound system.

Kyogoku: That's right. The ambient sound is also very good, so please listen carefully.

--Lastly, some people may be thinking of going to see the film two or three times, so please tell us what you think is interesting to pay attention to when watching the film.

Kyogoku: What is quite interesting are the new characters. Especially the adults around them are very nice, and I think we have created a lot of attractive characters, including the teacher's design. So I would like you to pay attention not only to Nadeshiko and the other five, but also to the adults who watch over them. Personally, I really like Ms. Kariya (Lynn's senior and boss at work) and the editor-in-chief (laughs). I wish I had a senior like that. I wanted to dig a little deeper into this area as I was making the film, so please pay attention to it.

--The customers who visit the store where Nadeshiko works also seem to have their own dramas, and I would like to enjoy the story from various perspectives. Thank you very much!

(Reporting and writing by Kenichi Chiba)