Interview With Masahiro Aizawa & Producer Ailian Cai
Location: Anime NYC 2023
Interview Date: 11/18/2023
Anime Herald: What attracted you to this project?
Masahiro Aizawa: When I read the manga, I found it to be a cool story. The human relationships and modern themes that people could relate to attracted me to the project. The president of White Fox really liked the manga. He was gung ho about it, so with his positive energy, we wanted to do the project.
Ailian Cai: As the director mentioned, the manga was fantastic. It finished eight years ago, and no one had made an anime of it. It was a pity. I liked it a lot, so I made a decision to turn it into an anime. Also, I found an excellent animation studio to work with, White Fox. They shared my passion for the project.
Anime Herald: In regards to the first cour, can you talk about any tough decisions you had to make in bringing the manga to the screen?
Masahiro Aizawa: I would say the first episode was the most challenging. You’re introduced to the main character Jinka. He’s not super-powered at all. His special moves aren’t fancy at the beginning. We wanted to make sure we didn’t change the story of the manga, but at the same time, we had to make the first episode “pop.” I feel like we’ve accomplished that.
Anime Herald: Can you share any stories from the production side?
Ailian Cai: For the first cour, we had three very important episodes. As the director mentioned, the first episode has to be attractive. We have so many titles each broadcasting season, we need to make the first episode attractive so that fans watch the following episodes. Also, episodes seven and thirteen are very important because Jinka faces serious challenges. We put a lot of effort into those three episodes.
The other difficulty is that the production costs are large, so we had to work hard on the production side. We’ve collaborated with Crunchyroll. We’ve worked on merchandising, done a pop-up store, and worked on distribution, not just in the United States, but also in other territories. Also, it’s a three-cour season, so we need to get more fans involved. We’ve been working hard.
Anime Herald: With Crunchyroll and streaming, anime has exploded in America. How does that affect you personally?
Ailian Cai: On the production side, we see that there are more international fans. The additional reach has been great for us. Additionally, in Japan the production costs have gone up. Being able to work with Crunchyroll as an investor to help fund and create these anime on the production side has been great.
Masahiro Aizawa: For me, I was not familiar with the number of users on Crunchyroll. When I walked around Anime NYC, I was so surprised to see so many fans when I was walking around. The impact of seeing them all in person made me feel like I have to live up to their expectations.
Anime Herald: Is this your first time at an anime convention in America?
Masahiro Aizawa: This is my second convention in America, but the first was much smaller. Seeing the crowds here, I can feel the impact. There’s so much potential for Japanese anime to create something meaningful for the fans. Something that they can enjoy. This has increased my motivation.
Anime Herald: What were the anime and manga that inspired you to join the industry?
Masahiro Aizawa: The Gundam series from [Yoshiyuki] Tomino and Magical Princess Minky Momo.
Ailian Cai: Fullmetal Alchemist was the anime that made me fall in love with anime. The message from it has been my life Bible. If you keep doing your best, something good will happen.
Anime Herald: You worked on Penguindrum under directors Kunihiko Ikuhara & Shôko Nakamura. Can you talk about what you learned from working with her on that project?
Masahiro Aizawa: I had met Shôko Nakamura much earlier when she was still new to the industry. In Penguindrum, she was a veteran with her talent on full display. On Penguindrum I worked more with director Kunihiko Ikuhara. Director Ikuhara had a big impact on my career. I learned a lot from him.
Anime Herald: What was your experience with the Kidscreen Summit in Miami in 2022?
Ailian Cai: Our company is working on children’s animation. We went there to add investors. We are still working on the children’s animation.
Anime Herald: Thank you very much.
Ailian Cai: Thank you.
Masahiro Aizawa: Thank you.
