The basic premise of a scenario is that it should be interesting! Shinji Ushiro, director of the anime "Yokai Watch," talks about the behind-the-scenes production process.

Based on the game by Level-5, "YOKAI WATCH" has been developed into an anime, manga, toy, and other cross-media series. The winter vacation movie "YOKAI WATCH: The Secret of Birth" to be released on December 20 has already sold more than 960,000 advance tickets. which will be released on December 20, has already sold more than 960,000 advance tickets, and a second movie is scheduled to be released before the first one, making its popularity a social phenomenon.

We asked Shinji Ushiro, who is involved in the animated version of "YOKAI WATCH," to tell us how he became the director of "YOKAI WATCH," how the episodes are created, and other behind-the-scenes details of the production process.

Specters are decided on the spot.

--How did you become the director of "YOKAI WATCH"?

I storyboarded the opening and each episode of OLM's "Danboard Senki," which led to my being asked, "I'm working on a project like this, how would you like to be involved? I was actually asked to help with the scenario. I was approached at the stage of actually starting the scenario, so the timing was right before the animation site was set in motion.

--Did Level-5 prepare the scenario for you?

Of course, Level-5 had the concept of "this is the atmosphere we want to create. I was in the process of putting it into the TV anime format (......). For example, I made suggestions on how to make an omnibus format in a 30-minute slot.

--Did Level-5 continue to participate in meetings after production of the anime began?

Yes, Akihiro Hino of Level-5 has been participating in scenario discussions (meetings).

In the -- the specters that appear in each week's episode have already been decided, too. ......

No, it's more like it's decided in the groove of the meeting (laughs). (Laughs.) At first we would say, "Let's go with this character this week," but halfway through the meeting we would change our minds and say, "If we are going to have this yokai in the episode, we might as well have this yokai in the episode. We are always trying to make sure that the story is interesting or not. If it is interesting, we change the story and the characters. We even suggest, "Since this one is more interesting, why don't you make a new yokai? I even suggest it.

--I thought that you had a weekly rotation.

No, it's just a spur-of-the-moment thing (laughs). (Laughs.) Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's just a spur of the moment. There is no way that the kids in front of the TV would be amused by an idea that no one would laugh at in the meeting.

--In a sense, it's a very serious world.

Therefore, the five writers not only come up with ideas, but also come up with new ideas on the spot, one after another. After considering many different approaches, we finally decide on a starting point. The storyline and characters can change two or three times during the scenario development stage. That's why it takes so long to get to the first draft. I've never seen such a difficult process in my life.

--Is there a series structure for the entire year?

Basically, no. For example, I think the writers have some idea of annual events such as summer vacation and Valentine's Day. However, if it would be "interesting" to have an annual event, then let's do it. For example, if the idea has been boiled down to "I can't do this story unless it's on Halloween," or "Halloween is the only time to do this! If the idea has been boiled down to that level, we will do it. But it may be rare to find an anime that is not tied to such an annual event (laughs). (Laughs.) We have a basic set of characters for the yokai, but we develop the characters during meetings, saying, "It would be more interesting if we made them more like this," or "Actually, there is this part of them.

--What do you do to make your animations easy for children to watch?

What I try to do is not to change cuts impatiently. In "YOKAI WATCH," each cut is actually very long. I try to keep the cut length long so that the viewer can calmly see what is happening. However, we do not insist on long cuts. If the gag is interesting, we also use flashy cuts.

--When you say "stage-like," do you mean that there are many long shots that show the character's entire body?

Yes, not only are they long, but I also want the characters to express themselves with their bodies. It is difficult for small children to understand the subtle acting, with only a slight movement of the eyebrows. In order to convey the message clearly to children, it is better to express when they are angry or happy with their entire body.

--The background of the story, which is familiar to children, is also necessary.

I have a strong feeling that "this is how it was when I was a child," but when I hear from writers who have children at scenario meetings that "kids nowadays pass the time at convenience stores" or "this is how it is now at sports meets and field trips," I sometimes incorporate that into my animations. I sometimes incorporate them into my animations. The conversations are not in the polite, cartoon-like language of today's children, but in the language of today's children. I think this is the reason why people feel so close to "YOKAI WATCH".

--How do you feel about the colors of the characters?

Whether it is Jibanyan or Koma-san, the basic idea is to make them cute, but there are times when I draw a scene based on the character's feelings. For example, when Koma-san appears somber in the sunset or sometimes scary, I adjust the colors in a technical way while keeping the basics. The same goes for background art; I change the colors in places that are a bit mysterious. When the prison comes up in the story about the hinmen dog, we created a contrast by painting the background and changing the colors, which is hard to do in a children's show. In other words, it is because of the drastic contrast in the sub-episodes that we are able to watch the main story in which Cater and his friends are normally seen without any worries.