This is a translation of an animate article about a small-scale screening event for the first episode of Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita where the director/writer/lead actress showed up and talked for a while, mainly focusing on the talk portion. It’s a weird way to get information, but I’m a fan of the series and they talk about a lot of stuff here (using vuvuzelas for the skinned chicken voices, how the first episode was written with the bread scene at the end specifically in mind, etc.) that’s fun and enlightening.

Original article: http://www.animate.tv/news/details.php?id=1342487512

Headline: The preair screening of the first episode of the anime Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita! A report on that and the (too?) honest conversation the Protagonist Nakahara Mai-san, the director Kishi Seiji-san, and the series composer Uezu Makoto-san.

<Intro>

On July 1, 2012, at a certain place within the city, a pre-screening event occured for the anticipated new anime, Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita.

Jinrui wa Suita Shimashita is a light novel from Gagaga Bunko. A gentle atmosphere and its particularly cynical way of storytelling have made this work, which depicts the exchange between the “fairies” who are the present humanity on earth, and humans, currently in decline “for some reason”, popular. One could say its genre is “a light novel vaguely about cross-cultural exchange”, perhaps… It’s a work that mixes several genres and is somewhat difficult to classify.

The anime production is being handled by the studio that worked on the Sora no Otoshimono series and Persona 4, AIC’s (Animation International Company’s) ASTA studio. The director, who also worked on Persona 4 at AIC ASTA, is Kishi Seiji-san.

This particular event is a screening of episode 1 of the anime Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, which recently began its TV broadcast on July 1. Additionally, the Protagonist Nakahara Mai-san, the director Kishi Seiji-san, and the series composer Uezu Makoto-san got up on stage and held a talk show. This article is a report on what happened at that event, including what was discussed in the talk show.

Photo Caption: From the left, Series Composer – Uezu Makoto-san, Protagonist Nakahara Mai-san, Director Kishi Seiji-san

Title: Beware of spoilers! Read after watching episode 1, screening and talking about Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita

The hall was filled, and the showing began exactly at the proscribed time. By the way, I believe episode 1 will have aired by the time this article has been published. I think you probably will have seen it, but some slightly spoiler-ish elements will follow here. This is a work where the small “details” are particularly important, so I strongly recommend reading after you’ve seen the broadcast.

Prior to the screening, Nakahara Mai-san, who plays the Protagonist, issued safety instructions to the hall. After declaring, “If anything dangerous happens, I’m hightailing it out of here as fast as I can, but…”, she “conned everone else into walking”, and thus gave you a good sense of the slightly twisted, underhanded parts of the Protagonist.

The on-screen visuals were of course high-quality, and Mai Nakahara’s heretical performance as the Protagonist is best described as marvelous. By the way, once the screening ended, the first words the MC uttered were, “I hope you all don’t come to hate bread…”

With the screening over, the special guests of the session, Protagonist Nakahara Mai-san, the director Kishi Seiji-san, and series composer Uezu Makoto-san all got up on stage.
Marvelous AQL’s Maruyama-san met them on stage, and together they discussed the just-screened first episode. From here on, I’ll be conveying what was said while separating out the different topics of conversation.

<Topic> Regarding the just-shown first episode and the original work

Uezu Makoto-san: First, are there any in the audience here who have read the original work?

(About 70 percent of the hall raises their hands.)

I think those who raised their hands will know this, but we’re not starting from chapter 1 of the original. As it’s a rare chance, we’re grabbing out the best parts, and rearranging the stories of the original in a scattered fashion.

Director Kishi: Certainly it would have been fine to have done it normally, but this particular work offers a unique opportunity with each chapter being its own self-contained story. We thought it would be best to start with a story that carries plenty of impact.

Uezu: Our recordings weren’t in order, and that set a significant hurdle for Nakahara-san to clear. No, that isn’t just for Nakahara-san, but for the audience as well. Our aim, why we suddenly started off in the thick of the story, was to have the intent of the work be quickly understood.

Nakahara-san: I don’t know if I’d call it a hurdle, but it definitely confused me. First with how the Protagonist looks. Her hair is short, you see. I had started reading from volume 1, and, at the time of the first recording, I hadn’t read that story yet. I went, “Eh, why? This isn’t the story I know!” (laughs) It was quite difficult to regulate the black part of the Protagonist’s nature in that environment so that it didn’t come out more than it should.

Kishi: At the first sound test, a little bit of a dark side came out. A cool and frightening protagonist.

Nakahara: At first I was told, “(That’s so terrifying that) no one will watch.”

Kishi: As a result of redoing the test 3 times, groping around for a personable voice, it settled down into its present form.

Nakahara: Every episode is a learning experience. There’s almost no gap in the transitions between monologue and dialogue… Trying to not overdo that distinction was quite difficult.

<Topic> Regarding the creation of the visuals

Uezu: It’s all the more fun when the fairies come out, isn’t it? The directions I gave were surface-level, so I looked forward to see what sort of art came out of that.

Nakahara: Those were drawn with a gentle touch. Were they done with colored pencils?

Uezu: Let’s see… Well, to be honest they’re done in photosho…

Kishi: Uwaaa, there’s no magic there! (laughs) By a mouse, a mouse!

Uezu: There’s no magic there either way.

<Topic> Regarding the arrangement of the worldview and the details sleeping in the original work

Kishi: The arrangement of the worldview was truly difficult, if (many of the staff) hadn’t lent us a hand we wouldn’t have made it in time. You just had to know how each thing was intertwined with which details.

Uezu: Such as the DP (Delicacy Points), right? The letter/kanji bits are tough to put into anime, so really it’s normally something you ignore, but… This time we resolved ourselves not to put the text up onscreen.

Kishi: Isn’t the fascinating nature of the original Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, after all, due to the fact that it’s a literary work? Especially the parody-type gags.

Nakahara: I would understand if they were anime from my own era, but I’m by no means well-versed in older anime, so…

Uezu: It was truly difficult to untangle the original arsenal of jokes. In meetings, it was also my job to explain one by one “this part in the original is a parody of this”.

Kishi: Well, you really saved us there.

Uezu: Director Kishi, who doesn’t seem like he reads many light novels, was reading while putting post-its on the pages. Him, who I’ve only known to carry a PSP or DS around! It was an amusing sight.

<Topic> Regarding the voices of the artificial chickens

Kishi: We added a vuvuzela-like thing and then had people talk, to create the artificial chickens’ “Cookeeeeeeeeeeee” voices. As a result, they ended up sounding like this.

Uezu: Ishizuka Unshou-san, who played the Father, told me “it looks interesting, to let me try”. (laughs)

Kishi: The big veterans are the big veterans! We fear them in many ways. If we told Ishizuka-san to blow, we could be scolded by his agency.

Nakahara: I saw those at the recording session, and there were a lot of them so I kind of wanted to try it myself.

Kishi: Then next time we have artificial chickens, we’ll hold an audition for the parts! (laughs)

<Topic> Regarding creating a flow for the story

Nakahara: The art used in the final product is totally different compared with what we use at the recording sessions. That’s why when I watch the work anew, it’s fun to see how it’s changed.

Uezu: In the scenario, there was a scene prior to them reaching the fairies’ factory where they walk down a long road. And various others. When we edit it down they get cut due to length, so if I had to keep something in episode 1, that scene where the bread kills itself was going to be the top priority.

Kishi: So basically, you were thinking of how to arrive at that scene.

Uezu: That was quite a way to die, you see.

Kishi: We had Mamiya Kurumi-san play the aforementioned bread. We couldn’t really ask her to play a human role, but… (laughs)

Nakahara: Well, how should I put it? She was a perfect fit!

Uezu: A few million people will watch that opening, and expect that “a cute anime is starting”. And it’s an anime where that bread’s head splits open at the end.

Kishi: …Now that it’s come to this, I’m kinda of scared of how they’ll react!

<Topic> Regarding the opening and ending

Kishi: For the ending visuals, I proposed just the theme to animation specialist Shiraishi Keiko-san, and she produced it to match that theme. Itou Masumi-san is the one who sings the song. If you watch while thinking about the meaning of the images, you’ll come to see various things. …Did I just say something serious?

Uezu: I’ve thought since the era of Tiger Mask that anime endings ought to be dark (laughs), so I really love that mysteriously dark impression.

Nakahara: I thought it was a mysterious song. The anime’s world view is expressed well within it, I think.

Uezu: There’s a clean contrast between the opening and the ending. It seems like you could analyze that in various ways. What about the opening?

Kishi: For the opening, I had them dance this time too.

Uezu: Just like the song’s image projects, it’s made cutely. It misleads you, making you think “those sure are a lot of cuties”. It’s really criminal, that opening.

Kishi: Eh, why?

Uezu: Well it’s “cute”, isn’t it? And after that those chickens, and that bread, show up. It’s a textbook case of opening fraud! (laughs)

Nakahara: I was also close to being a bit misled into thinking it was “that kind” of world. I think it’s a cute opening.

Uezu: Let’s touch on a good topic. When the title shows up (in the opening), having green fill the world was a goof bit of direction. Using ominous words like “decline”, while filling the world with green, is neat.

Kishi: With the contrast between prosperity and decline… any more and I’d spoil things so I won’t say.

<Topic> Listening to the opening, “Real World”

Kishi: For the opening, we met with nano.RIPE-san and then made it. They had finished a high-tempo song, so we discussed what to do for the visuals. It’s an opening so we asked for it to be fun, but did we make it too much fun?

Nakahara: I’d say it energizes you? The protagonist dances too, but it’s just a song that creates an atmosphere that makes you want to dance.

Uezu: Then let’s throw that into the special features!

Nakahara: Eh… Then I’ll ask director Kishi to play a fairy.

Uezu: Let’s paste Kishi-san’s face over all the fairies’ faces.

Kishi: Beyond anything else, who would want that special feature!?

Nakahara: Well, I’m looking forward to it!

—

With that, this particular round of dialogue came to an end. Most of the information made available here will be contained in “Gekkan Tanaka Romeo” #3, which will be available starting July 3. By the way, the front and back covers of that volume have a little trick set up… It’s a pamphlet that will be distributed free of charge, so if you find it at a shop such as Animate, please check it out. Also note that information about the cast will be revealed in the on-air ending. Don’t forget to check that out as well.

When the presentation of information was finished, the theatrical version of Aura: Maryuuinkouga Saigo no Tatakai was announced. Similar to Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita, it’s a popular Tanaka Romeo light novel. There was a short preview shown, but the fans assembled were pleased by the good news and let out a huge cheer. This news will show up in another article, so keep your eyes open for that.

And finally, we received a comment from each of the three on stage. We’ll end the article with that.

Nakahara: It was really fun to be able to watch together with everyone on the big screen today. By all means continue to follow it when you get back home.

Kishi: It starts from today, 12 episodes in total. I can finally say something about it. If you’ll accompany me, that is. By all means, please enjoy yourselves.

Uezu: What you just saw, I saw for the first time as well. After seeing the art, I feel secure in that regard. From tomorrow I’d like to wipe my memories and enjoy it as a fan. Thank you all for your support.