Producer looks back on the difficult road of "Mai Mai Shinko and the Millennium Magic," which marked the 10th anniversary of its first screening [Watching the Animation Industry Vol. 58

Sunao Katabuchi 's latest film, "In (Several More) Corner of the World," is set for release on December 20, 2019, and since it is a longer version of "In (Several More) Corner of the World," which was released in 2016 to much acclaim, expectations are high from all quarters.
On the other hand, November 21 marks the 10th anniversary of the release of director Katabuchi's previous film, "Mai Mai Shinko and the Magic of a Thousand Years," which was released in 2009. Set in Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the film is an epic tale of friendship between a fantasy-loving Shinko and a transfer student named Kiiko, as well as an episode that takes place 1,000 years ago. Ten years have passed since then, and we asked Tomohiko Iwase, who was deeply involved in the film as a producer at Avex Pictures, about his current state of mind.

It started out as a children's film, but it can be seen by adults as well.

───What stage was the work at when you got involved with "My My New Child and the Magic of a Thousand Years"?

Iwase: I joined Avex Pictures in 2007. At that time, "Mai Mai Shinko" was in pre-production, and I think the storyboards were already completed to some extent. The basic structure of the production committee had been set up by Avex, Madhouse, and Shochiku, and Avex was about to start managing the committee as the managing company.

─ What was your first impression when you heard about the project?

Iwase: Before "Mai Mai Shinko," my first animation work was "Dennou Coil" (2007). Dennou Coil" was also a story about a girl who transfers to a new school and meets a girl, and I like anime in which children are the main characters, regardless of whether they are male or female. Anime works that are not late-night anime but can be seen by the general public are also a major theme for me. Therefore, my first impression is that I was able to find a project that fits my orientation perfectly at ....... I knew Sunao Katabuchi as the director of "BLACK LAGOON" (2006), but when I looked into his career, I found that he has a deep connection with Studio Ghibli. When I compared the scenario with the original novel by Nobuko Takagi, I was surprised to find that such an animation could be created from the original story. The character of Sei Shonagon (Noriko) as a child was created as a result of the director's fieldwork in Hofu City, the setting of the film. I was impressed that director Katabuchi could walk through a town with 1,000 years of history and find a new character.

───At that time, were the character designs ready?

Iwase: Yes, the character list was beginning to be drawn up. Around 2007, Mamoru Hosoda's "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" was a hit, and Keiichi Hara's "Summer Days with Coo, the Kappa" was also released. It was a time when animation films for the general public were gaining recognition. Madhouse was the flag bearer for this trend.

─ The producers on the Madhouse side were Masao Maruyama and Ryoichiro Matsuo.

Iwase: I was impressed that Mr. Maruyama took a strong leadership role when we were discussing what to do for the key visuals and catch copy. The person I often talked to was Matsuo-san, the on-site producer. Whenever the rush went up, I would watch it with Mr. Matsuo and he would explain it to me.

──Did you feel uneasy during the production process?

Iwase: In the beginning, I was very conscious of "making this for children," and I had a feeling that the character designs would be well received by the general public. However, to be honest, my impression from reading the scenario was that it was a little difficult to grasp how the audience would feel after seeing the film. I thought, "I won't know for sure until the film is all finished.


─ What did you think when you saw the completed film?

Iwase: On first viewing, I was inexperienced and thought, "This is a good film. I was not convinced that it was a masterpiece and would be a hit. However, as I watched the film over and over again, I made new discoveries, and I came to realize that "...... may be a tremendous work of art. I began to realize that " may be a tremendous work of art. Later on, I slowly began to appreciate the quality of the work. However, I had a hard time deciding how to convey this feeling to the audience. Our publicity team, Shochiku, and Kazuhiro Yamamoto, the publicity producer, discussed how to advertise the film many times in our office and at family restaurants. When we finally opened the film to the public, the number of screenings was reduced and we ended up showing the film once or twice in the morning. ...... I started the film with the hope that children would see it, but the finished film was highly polished and could be viewed by adults as well. But we couldn't get people to see it on one weekday morning. ...... I felt frustrated every time I saw comments on social networking sites that were starting to become popular at the time, saying, "I want to see it but can't." I wanted to make a film that could be seen by children.