Interview with Director Kenichi Imaizumi & Producer Yukihiko Nakao “After School Dice Club” which reproduced the board game play and psychology



In the TV anime “After School Dice Club” broadcasted from October 2019, the board game that appeared in the original manga appears almost as it is. Even though it is proved by various works that it is not easy to `` animate the original as it is '', in addition to that, it seems that the difficulty seems to be high `` to make the real game appear as it is '' How was the animation created? We interviewed director Kenichi Imaizumi and producer Yukihiko Nakao.

Anime “After School Dice Club” Official Website

http://saikoro-club.com/

GIGAZINE (G):
In the first place, how did the planning for the TV animation of “After School Dice Club” start to move?

Genco Yukihiko Nakao Producer (hereinafter Nakao):
I wrote a plan and launched it. I first touched the board game six or seven years ago when I was taken to a board game party organized by a game company for the first time. When I went there, I knew life games and monopoly, `` There are so many kinds! '', But I was surprised that there were various other board games and it was very interesting when I played it. . A series of comics called “After school dice club” has just begun.

G:
Oh, just right.

Nakao:
If you read it, the story is interesting and the instrumental of the game is polite. Board games inevitably make it difficult to get to know the rules, and they are also a cause of difficulty. You can read the rule book, but it is hard to read along with the instruction manual of the appliance. That's why a game that says “It looks interesting but does n’t reach” appears. “After school dice club” explained it in a short story, and it was amazing.

G:
How did you learn about “After School Dice Club” itself?

Nakao:
I was told that there is a board game manga. It was just when I started buying board games, so I felt like I wanted to read!



G:
How did you go from Nakao-san's knowledge of the work until the project was shaped like this?

Nakao:
I met “After School Dice Club” about six years ago, but at that time, I was not a producer but a director and was not in a position to launch a work. So, it might be strange, but once I lay it down. Over time, there was a time when the popularity of board games grew at a stretch, whether it was the boom of board games about three years ago.

G:
There was a time when it spread all at once.

Nakao:
If you start talking at that time, there will be people who ride.

Leiden film Edo was also a member of the board game. I used to talk about “I want to make board game animation. I hope I can do it with Leiden film”, but Edo-san introduced Mr. Hashimoto of the same Leiden film, “I made such an animation with Leiden film. I told you two years ago. That was the first time I worked with Leiden.

G:
When was the time when I spoke with Director Imaizumi?

Director Kenichi Imaizumi (hereinafter Imaizumi):
I think it was around March 2018. About a year and a half ago.

G:
According to an interview published in “Repotama!”, Director Imaizumi said, “ I was living in a state where I didn't recognize board games until I read the comics .” What was your impression of reading the original?

Imaizumi:
Because it was a human being who didn't know anything, it feels like there is such a world. In the same way as works like “Yurukan △”, which introduces things and things that ordinary people don't know so much in anime and manga, for example, “I may not know but there is such a world. I thought that it was a work that I enjoyed with the story.



Nakao:
I thought that if I could do this work, I would have to be able to express the psychological warfare unique to board games.

Leiden Film Toshi Hashimoto Producer (hereinafter Hashimoto):
I received the order and I told Director Imaizumi. Director Imaizumi was chosen because he received a lot of thought and motivation from reading the original in a long sentence, and was able to have so much thought about the work.

Nakao:
If Imaizumi was originally an animator and the picture was messed up, he could do a precise character description. At first I thought that I might be refused honestly.

(Laughs)

Imaizumi:
No (laughs), I'm not good for horny guys, gros, and handsome guys, but I thought I would do it if it wasn't.

G:
As for director Imaizumi, in an interview with Mr. Masaka

Tanaka , an animator, “ Teaching from Kenichi Imaizumi and other seniors at Artland, the animator's painting is only a means of expression. I have been taught that animators need the power of layout, theatrical performance, and the artistic ability to withstand it, and that person's personality is also something that comes out of that. It ’s about what you ’re expressing. ”I saw a name appearing. Is this the feeling that Artland taught “this is it”?

Imaizumi:
I did not say such a noble story as it is `` This is it '' (laughs)

(Laughs)

Imaizumi:
I had been with him for 4 years at the time of “ Reborn! ”, So I had talked with him about going behind his seat. In such a case, I think that he was able to take his own way out of stupid stories and chats that I did not say with a serious nori. As a business partner, as a companion who eats the same kettle rice, respect is exaggerated, but you can't work without trust.

G:
What is the part you thought you should keep in mind when making a picture at “After School Dice Club”?

Imaizumi:
In the case of comics, you would read black-and-white prints, so when you actually went to “ Sugorokuya ”, it was a “color flood”. In response to the first impact, first of all, if I couldn't reproduce the board game shop properly, I thought that people who see it would not be able to enter the world. As a result, the shop of “Saikoro Club” has come out only occasionally (laughs), but in the first episode it is a key place, and the number of talks after that comes out at the required place I think it would be okay if this is suppressed.

'Dice Roll Club' is clearly depicted in the key visual



Nakao:
The first impact for me is the same as the director said. When I entered the store, “What a colorful different world!” The atmosphere is very different, and the board game packages are often European, so you can't read what the title is written at first glance. I thought that if I didn't tell people who were watching this first impression, I wouldn't be able to see the rest. It was a nice part for me to have reproduced it wonderfully in the first episode.

G:
The first time you enter the “City Rolling Club” in manga, it ’s very sesame and has an impact.

Nakao:
There are board games all over the store, and it feels like you've been drawn into a different world.

G:
Did the staff decide the director first, and then around that?

Imaizumi:
Since there was an audition for character design earlier, Yukiko Ibe was in. Regarding this work, since I am an amateur of the game, I think it was important to know how much preparation you had before the director. Producers and manufacturers who were able to use the design of the real box instead of `` similar and non-similar '' even if it was a board game box lined up in the store that I mentioned earlier However, it means that I put that much feeling into this work. First of all, they made a clay ring. No matter how much you say 'I want to reproduce', you can't do anything with it. Rather than doing something as a director, I think that the producers had a spirit and a willingness to 'engage and express the whole board game world' and I was able to get on there.

G:
Did you have any pressure to do it?

Imaizumi:
I always do that, but if there is an original, it is assumed that 'the original fan must not betray'. On top of that, I think that the work that I am entrusted to is safe if I can express the part that I thought was interesting.

G:
Earlier, there was a story about first impact, but what part did Director Imaizumi read and read “this is an interesting point”?

Imaizumi:
I'm sure it was the same as everyone (laughs) Not only does Mr.

Nakamichi 's knowledge about the game be included, but the game exists in parallel with the story and synchronizes well with the character's anxiety and emotions. , The feelings are solved when the game is over, or double things are connected to one, and you can experience the world of these children comfortably with the game. That's a well-developed work.



G:
Even in anime, a game came out for each story, and the installation was performed, but the impression I received was different from the time of comics, and it seemed to be easier to understand. Is there anything that you devised in addition to the original?

Nakao:
The instrument itself is quite faithful to the original, but as I mentioned earlier that it was troublesome to read the manual (laugh), I think that `` the power of voice '' is added . The power is necessary to read the letters, but it is the difference that someone is talking about it. This time, there are three main characters, but Midori is also in charge of explaining the game because he works as a part-time worker at “Saikoro Club”. However, this time a problem unique to anime comes out, and if one of them keeps talking, the flow will stop.

G:
Oh, I see (laughs)

Nakao:
In that respect, the cut split is exquisitely done in the work, the expression that listens to the explanation is included, the hand of the match enters, even the person watching is Aya and You can feel like listening to the instrument with Miki. I think this is an exquisite balance. If you do it, it may be that it was only a description of the game for 30 minutes (laugh), but it is compressed well, the game is half part, and the story is developed I think is the skill of the director.

Imaizumi:
The power of animation is to be able to move with color. Of course, there will be a voice play, but there are parts of the board game that cannot be seen with black and white alone. For example, the game 'Celtic' that appeared in Episode 8 has five different paths, but I thought that this is an area where animation is good.



Imaizumi:
I don't have any trouble remembering the direction of the instrument ... It was almost the same as the original, and I thought that I could naturally choose the method that suits the situation, such as using speech balloons or inserting simulations.

Nakao:
The director asked me not to play role-playing in the story.

G:
When it comes to in-depth role play ...

Nakao:
When you are playing “Gokuburi Poker”, the characters enter the world where there are pests, or they actually dive into the ruins with “Inca Gold”. Since the viewer is confused and I do not know what animation it was, I requested that I do not break the body that `` this child is playing a board game '' to the last . So, even if you are watching, I think that it is something that can be inserted without any sense of incongruity.

G:
In the interview with the original author Nakamichi and Director Imaizumi published on Rooftop, about the way of directing, “In the

animation, we are dealing with how to put out information. hidden we do, such as Te but we answered ', atmosphere and the addition to the actual play, do you have any particular production which are careful to express the feelings of the characters?

Imaizumi:
First of all, the original has become the world of characters that move emotions properly. There are things that each bear, and it's not just fun. I'm not just saying that I played the game and won and lost. It may be possible to follow only the board of the game, but it's good for those who like games, but for those who are not, the story will be overlooked. I always think that the original is easier to understand, but in order to do that, you have to follow the expression exactly.



G:
Is it an expression?

Imaizumi:
I always say “face”, not just this one. Animators and sometimes directors sometimes leave expressions.

G:
What does it mean to leave?

Imaizumi:
There are other things I put in, and sometimes I forget to hold down the facial expression. It resembles the smile on the character table, but even if the mouth laughs, the eyebrows are not so. Also, because there are many original artists involved, it may not be possible to grasp the scene before and after the scene in charge, and the facial expression may not work well. I think that the director check is a facial expression check. As a result, I also do a perspective check, but the emphasis is on the facial expression check.

Nakao:
The details of this work are solid. Basically it's fun, but they are worried about each, so sometimes it comes out. I am looking forward, but I have a problem. It can be resolved by playing the game. Although it looks like “I was glad to win the game”, it seems that the troubles and problems are solved when I look at my facial expression. If it is a normal scenario, I will explain all that part in words, but in this work I do not want to do that, so I show that I have grown up with a facial expression. That's why it won't happen if the expression collapses.

G:
I think that it was an interview received at the same time, but in an interview posted on “Repotama!” Director Imaizumi said, “A

new game appears every episode, and the emotion of the character is carried through play ” The Do you have any particular points not only for facial expressions but also for putting your emotions on top?

Imaizumi:
When the creation of the work was over, there was a story of the first episode and the second episode that I drew by myself, so if you think so, what kind of cut it is and then read it again, the original is like this Although I'm making it simple, why did I do so difficult things (laughs)



G:
(Lol)

Imaizumi:
I already drew the story from episode 1 and episode 2 about a year ago, so I have forgotten about it myself. Of course, when drawing, I was serious, and I was sure that I drew some conclusions and drawn like that, but after a year it seems like someone else (lol) At that time, it was always `` assembled like this '' It should have been the theory, but I already finished the work so I forgot it already (lol)

G:
Does that mean that it is not a methodological drop?

Imaizumi:
There are “things that must be drawn then” in the work. It may be in my mind, or it may be prepared at the time of the original, but I think I can use any hand to draw this. I don't think of 'I should do it like this', 'I shouldn't make such a cut', or 'I am not suitable for this work'. For example, I think that there is no forbidden person in me, apart from the deciding factor of the video like “Protecting the imaginary line”.

G:
You have been involved in anime production for a long time, how did you increase the number of such productions?

Imaizumi:
I think I'm doing too many works (laughs) I've been working on various types of works not only as directors but also as animators, directors, and directors. I'm not a human being that I was young and could only have my own taste, so I've looked at various ways of directors, but what people doing to a certain position are not wrong I think that is why it is supported. That's why I think I should do this time from what I have seen.

G:
Oh, I see.

Imaizumi:
There are various conditions for making a work, such as the scale and the number of cuts. When I received it, I would n’t say, “I ca n’t help, it ’s not my fault.” I think about the best of the conditions. This time, I changed the scene in black sesame, but this was something I had never done in my past work. Usually, it shows the background and shows the passage of time, but it is also possible to improve the tempo. If there is something like 'I don't use this technique,' that's where I don't have enough knowledge (laughs), and I use whatever I can do.

G:
Mr. Nakao nodded very much (laughs)

Nakao:
Anime always increases the number of daily plays compared to other genres. Even with one action of “entering a store”, you first show which store you want to enter, and then the character enters the store and takes a measure. I also don't need that much (laughs)

G:
(Lol)

Nakao:
I wonder what happened here, even if I don't explain it, I can understand it. (Laughs) Of course, it's not totally denied, but it's good if you put music in the sense of raising your emotions, but you don't need to put it if it doesn't make sense. That is why it has become blackish. I think it's great that this omission was within the 30 minute frame.

G:
In this work, the paintings and productions are fine, but it is impressive that the voice actors often match the characters. In the interview, Director Imaizumi replied, “I didn't look at the profile, I chose it simply because it suits the character with the play and voice quality,” but I chose to focus on what aspect of the play and voice quality Did you go out?

Imaizumi:
When I read the original, I thought the most difficult thing was Aya played by Mr.

Takano . Aya is a locomotive girl who is brighter in the brain weather and speaks more positively and pulls everyone, but there are life-size worries and a burden on the past. It's getting brighter, but it's difficult because it looks like it's ridiculously easy to do compared to Miki, whose weakness is on the pillar, and Midori who is pursuing a dream while tasting a frustration and living with a chest. Let ’s go.



Imaizumi:
Miki has the same opinion, and I think that Mr.

Miyashita was exactly Miki and that it was decided without being divided.

Nakao:
I think Miki has decided the most easily. I was born in Nara and could do Kansai dialect. Of course, the words in Nara and Kyoto are slightly different, but they are easy to enter without being uncomfortable. It was almost at the same time that the original teacher and director Nakamichi said “Like” with a gap between the voiced voice and the bright part.

Imaizumi:
Tomita- san's midori also has an episode that can be said to be the main character, so of course the emotional play can be done properly, but there is a long instrumental reading, so I considered whether I can talk without hesitation.



G:
I see, that's what I saw. Original story Nakamichi-san said, “Episode 5 is a very thoughtful time that I asked for a major change in the scenario. Please enjoy the unique development of anime that is different from comics. This story was a little different from the original, as it was tweeted. When did you decide on this change?



Nakao:
From the time of the first series composition, “Talk to Noto” is an irregular story and there are many things that must be done in the work, so even if you travel, keep all the elements of the original I was talking about not going. Therefore, Prof. Nakamichi directly talked about “ Gita ” because he had a passion for it.



Imaizumi:
The first time I met you was to ask for the “going” story. I told you that I want to see you all the time.

G:
(Laughs)

Nakao:
At first, I was in the middle of editing, but Nakamichi-sensei said, “This is a story for the director.”

Imaizumi:
At first, I was thinking of removing 'Goat' and making it '

Dumble '. The Noto trip itself was also the first episode of swimsuits, and I decided to include it, but I did n’t know that it was a game that the teacher was so fond of, I heard, “I see.” The scenario has been developed up to the fifth draft.



G:
After all, it was a specially designed time.

Imaizumi:
The most difficult thing was that it was a battle that was not “original” in the original game. What should be done for the battle game including Takashi, and what should Miki do to cover well? I decided to do it several times, including the question of whether inspiration during the game would be good with eye contact.

Nakao:
It's a two-person collaborative battle, and the game and story synchronize in terms of how to convey your thoughts to the other party. The game that appears in the original makes a game record as it appeared in the work as it is, but this time `` Goita '' developed not in the original, so how to get to the final feeling I made a game record in reverse. With the cooperation of the

Noto Gotaku Preservation Society, we consulted and said, “I want to have Takashi and Miki's feelings all around here.”

G:
(Lol)

Imaizumi:
What I thought of when I saw this “After School Dice Club” in rush check and V edition was “early” that I can't think of it as a standard scale work on TV. Of course, in a good way. The number of cuts is about 280, so the tempo should be worse than a work with about 350 cuts.

G:
That's right.

Imaizumi:
When you have finished watching any number of stories, you feel like 'Is it over already?' This wasn't intentionally made, and as a result, I think it was a good roll. Because it is not a human who can calculate from the beginning of making (lol)

G:
Is it because you are so enthusiastic and look at it? It seems like the A part is over and the ending comes. And the story is also orthodox because the first episode is introduced, but after the second episode, every time you repeat the story, the part that sticks in your heart will come out or it will be inferior ...

Imaizumi:
Regarding the composition, I think that it was a way of choosing “I have to choose this number of stories” after completing one course. I think that it should have been possible to replace it here, but it was possible to develop it almost completely. Of course, as the original teacher Nakamichi-sensei, I think there were a number of stories that said “This episode is hard to throw away,” but it is the best that only 12 can be made. This is also the power of Maekawa- san, writers, and producers.

An animation `` After school dice club '' series composition that shows that it can be said that `` working is also a job '' Interview with Satoshi Maekawa-GIGAZINE



G:
What is your impression as a producer about this structure?

Nakao:
Since it was to make up to 7 volumes of the original, if you consider it as all 12 episodes, you can only pick up 2 episodes per volume. So, when thinking about which story to pick up, in the end, we have no choice but to pick up stories involving three people. If you tilt too much towards the guest character, you will not be able to draw the feelings of these three people.



G:
indeed. So, did the selection of the number of stories proceed rather smoothly?

Nakao:
Since Maekawa-san, who is part of the series composition, is a board game player, I think it was great that he knew that this game would be a story because it would move like this. Some of them have been replaced, but I've done it smoothly.

G:
I see.

Nakao:
I was worried that the fans would say, “The game of that story, but it ’s not really Kore”, but I ’m going to make it with enough materials to make it clear. I think it was possible.

G:
Mr. Yukiko Ibe, who is in charge of character design, said, “Is there anybody who noticed that Miki-chan is a left-handed anime dice club? This is a setting (hope) I asked directly from Dr. Nakamichi. `` Although it is always written on the story as well as in the story, there are places that are ambiguous on the screen, but it is pretty hard and unified, '' Miki has been portrayed as a left-handed indeed I noticed, but is there any other part that actually reflects these settings exactly?



Imaizumi:
For Miki's left-handed, read the original and ask Nakamichi-sensei, thinking, “I feel like I'm always using my left hand when I eat rice and other times…?” It was because I wanted to make a character a little, so I had to be careful from the stage of this story. It's hard to leave that up and accidentally draw right-handedly.

Nakao:
The rest is Aya's earrings. There is a time to get it as a present in the original, but it is no longer there. I have green piercings until the third episode, but from the fourth episode I have white piercings and I have not touched anything in the work, but there was something (lol)

G:
If you read the original you will understand (laughs)

Imaizumi:
Instead of touching in the main part, I put a place where new earrings are attached in the eye catch of Episode 4, and make it 'Please understand'.

You can see what kind of eye catch it is in the following tweets.



G:
And this is something I was worried about from the beginning in this work, but there are a lot of real games, but it was hard to get permission for this. I didn't expect all real games to come out.

Nakao:
No ... It was really hard.

(Laughs)

Nakao:
I knew that it was time to get permission, but board games were not handled by several major companies, but various manufacturers were doing it individually. That was the reason why there were manufacturers like individuals and couples who did not make appointments.

G:
If you're a small manufacturer, that kind of thing ... how did you clear it?

Nakao:
I went to the game market , actually went to the booth to exchange business cards, and later I asked for a greeting again.

G:
“I'll make an animation for“ After School Dice Club ”…”. It ’s amazing, if you were wondering how you got permission.

Nakao:
As a matter of promotion, basically everyone was warmly welcomed and given permission. I got the data of the development of the box, so I put it in texture in the shop created in 3D.

G:
That's the reason why I felt that screen density was amazing.

Nakao:
Often, there are cases where parody products, or products that use the name of a real product, are put out, but I didn't want to do that. In this work, we ask and use the design of the actual package itself, so even a game reflected in the screen will be able to react to `` There was a game I have done '' It was.



G:
There are also commercials that you won't see in other animes.

Nakao:
This is thanks to the great cooperation of board game makers. In particular, variety rich in CM flowing in TOKYO MX-san in the broadcasting stations, Mr. Sugorokuya, JELLY JELLY CAFE 's, ArcLight 's, Bushiroad have entered the Mr., it is a board game Dzukushi to CM.

G:
Also, in the opening and ending, lyrics are displayed as unusual for late-night animation, what does this mean?

Nakao:
The broadcasting station is ABC TV, and the person in charge is “ Precure ”. Lyrics appear in the opening and ending in “Precure” because it is for children, but “After school dice club” is also late at night, but there is no problem as a work for families and children, so lyrics telop Please talk about whether or not to put out.

G:
It's was so.

Nakao:
I asked the director to confirm that there was no problem.

Imaizumi:
Yes, I don't care at all.

G:
The video of the ending has changed, but how was it born?

Imaizumi:
That's not me but the producer (laughs)

Nakao:
Not me ... (see Hashimoto producer sitting next door)

Hashimoto:
I was in charge of the ending. Regarding video, Edo is more familiar with the situation.

Leiden Film Producer Hideshu Edo (Edo):
I was acquainted with Keiko Shiraishi, who is in charge of the ending animation. Mr. Shiraishi is a video writer specializing in opening and ending of animation, and also likes board games, so if you ask if you can ask, you will be able to make that ending is.

G:
That's why the video shows a deep understanding of board games.

Edo:
It combines the image of various board games with the image that Miki meets various people.

Nakao:
So, if you look closely at the ending, there are a lot of board game parts.

G:
Even a glimpse of the silhouette thought, “This is the shape I have seen.”

Nakao:
Some board games that have permission are not only those that appear in the game but also appear only in the ending. “ Tendays Games ”, which has a name in cooperation with the board game, is running a game called “ Telestration ”, but “It appears in the ending for 2 seconds…”

G:
(Lol)

Nakao:
I got permission for saying 'I'm fine, is it okay?'

G:
Broadcasting will continue, but the production has been finished, so how about the response as a maker?

Imaizumi:
In order to deal with the big “board game” that is different from the story of the character ’s growth, I felt like a team battle like no other work. We received materials from various manufacturers just to express the board game, the producers negotiated for that, the writers squeezed the wisdom to express the game, and the background and the shooter also worked hard I did it all. No one said that this was unpleasant, but said, “To express a board game”. As for the game score, Ito-san, assistant director, confirmed that the screen was created by the cooperation of all the staff. I was a brain-weather person who just checked “expression, facial expression” (laughs), so I realized that everyone helped protect the big pillar.

Nakao:
I was originally a director, and when I got a story from the director, I entered from various confirmations, but I was in sync with Director Imaizumi and there was nothing to say There was not. It was really easy to work with a director who could communicate so much. In addition, because the director's intentions were clearly communicated on site, I was able to make the work in the same direction without blurring what I was doing. Thanks to that, I think that there is no blurring even if I see it, and that it tells me that I can do what I want to do.

G:
Thank you for a long time today.

Director Kenichi Imaizumi and Producer Yukihiko Nakao who talked a lot



The TV anime “After School Dice Club” finally has 2 episodes. As the last approached, from 13 o'clock on Friday, December 13, 2019, at 19:00, the special numbers & episodes 1 to 10 in which Miyashita, Takano, and Tomita appeared in Nico live Because the broadcast has been decided, even those who have missed so far can catch up at once.


© Hiromichi Nakamichi / Shogakukan / After School Dice Club Production Committee

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I have searched for Leiden film that created `` After school dice club ''-GIGAZINE



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