Interview with director Jun Kamiya about how he created the ceramic art club animation 'Let's Make a Mug Cup'



The TV anime 'Let's Make a Mug Cup', which has been on air since April 2021, depicts a high school student immersing himself in the world of ceramic art. Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture, which is the stage, is known as a pottery town, and it is interesting that there is a 'pottery club' that really appears in the work, but the original is 'as a free comic' in the first place. 'A work that has been going on for eight years' is also an interesting place. We asked director Jun Kamiya about how this work is handled.

TV animation & live-action 'Let's Make a Mug Cup'

https://yakumo-project.com/



GIGAZINE (G):
In this work, director Kamiya and others performed location scouting before production, and there was a statement in the Forbes JAPAN article that 'Director Kamiya is actually familiar enough to explain Tajimi City.'

Director Jun Kamiya (hereinafter Kamiya):
'Familiarity' is very very. I want to enter if there is a hole (laugh)

G:
(Lol)

Kamiya:
Before starting the production of the work, I did a location in Tajimi City with a fairly tight schedule for three days. We would like to thank the people of the city hall for their cooperation. After that, Oculus Quest has an app that allows you to see Google Street View, so I took a 'virtual walk'.

G:
Oh, I see.

Kamiya:
So I feel like I'm trying to get a feel for the land.

G:
When was the location scouting carried out?

Kamiya:
It was past January 20, 2020. In terms of corona, it was a time when the coverage of Wuhan was growing. If it was a little further back, it would have been fluttering due to the school closing, so it was just the right time.

G:
It's a great timing. This work is a very strange development of making a super local comic of the local industry into a TV animation, but how did you come to the director?

Kamiya:
Originally, the Planning Department had several plans, and they asked me, 'How about some?' After talking for a few months, I was told in detail that 'this is going to be the main rule', and it was this 'Let's Make a Mug Cup'. When I first heard the title of the work and looked up the backbone, it was published as a free paper, and I've been doing it for about eight years. I was amazed. It was distributed not only in the three Tokai prefectures but also in stores in Tokyo and Osaka, and at that time there were already about 30 volumes, and I was already saying, 'What's this? What kind of project is this ???'

G:
Certainly, I wonder what's going on (laughs)

Kamiya:
A local company called Planet is doing it to convey the goodness of Tajimi. Quarterly, four volumes a year, all-color publication. Even if you consider the possibility of profits after that, 3 years is the limit no matter how hard you try. When I heard that I had been doing it for eight years, I was convinced that I wasn't doing it for business. In this industry, it's a common story to do anime based on the work of a major publisher, and I myself have worked on various things, but this is not a 'business'. Rather, I thought that if it was a business, I wouldn't have done so much. When I listened to the story further, it happened that a person from Tajimi joined Nippon Animation to produce the animation, and when I happened to plan a competition held at the head office, I was fortunate enough to get caught up in it until now. That's right. It's nothing more than a coincidence.

G:
It's a lucky original.

Kamiya:
There were eight years for that good luck. While listening to the story, I couldn't accept this half-baked ... Of course, I didn't do other works half-baked, but it was particularly heavy and worked like a body blow.

G:
By the way, in this work, the director had a seat made by Nippon Animation for the first time in a while. According to your own tweet, it's been 35 years since you worked on the original drawing for 'Spaceship Sagittarius' in 1985. Has there been any change in Nippon Animation?



Kamiya:
I thought it was a little cleaner, but roughly speaking, it hasn't changed much (laughs). The building of Nippon Animation is in Tama City, and it seems that its predecessor was a live-action studio. Originally a very old building, it has been renovated / renovated and the interior has been repainted, but the basic appearance has not changed and I missed it. After all, it's been 35 years.

G:
Looking at the articles in the Gifu newspaper and YouTube videos introduced in the director's tweet, I was surprised that the 'ceramic art club' actually exists and that the model actually exists in the club room under construction.



Kamiya:
I also went to the location. First of all, I was surprised that there are ceramic club activities and curriculum at Tajimi Technical High School. There are a certain number of members, and I put out my works in various competitions. The work itself was shown in various ways, from solid to avant-garde. It is said that club activities are common because 'ceramic art' is so rooted in the ground. At the Ceramics Club, I was able to hear everyone's stories, and in the fiction 'Let's Make a Mug Cup', it was very helpful as a proof of the reality that girls perform ceramics.

G:
According to an article in the Gifu newspaper, the model is the 'Kokeigama' in Sumiyoshi-cho, Tajimi .

Kamiya:
Yes, I went to see it here as well. When I heard that the model was here, he said, 'It's the same!' (Laughs). I talked to a person in the art setting, saying, 'The picture seems to be useful as it is,' and said, 'Let's take as much as possible,' and took pictures from the shelves to the gas water heater.

G:
When I watched the anime, I felt that the club room had a particularly real feeling, but that was the reason for the thorough coverage.

Kamiya:
Well, I was surprised and impressed because I was reading the original. As for the interior, the model is the pottery class of Mr. Torakei kiln, but the exterior is a cultural property called Suigetsu kiln, and when I was shown this, I thought, 'Oh, there was a club room.' It was.

G:
This time, I saw that the official Twitter account of 'Let's Make a Mug Cup' was actively posting studio infiltration reports. Among them, there was a tweet that the director was drawing storyboards on a PC, and the director himself tweeted that he was making storyboards, but when did you start drawing storyboards on iPad Pro? ??





Kamiya:
I like gadgets, so I've been buying iPads since the very first one, and from that time I thought, 'It would be nice if storyboards could be drawn on the iPad.' At that time, I used to use an app called UPAD to read a scanned storyboard paper as a mount and draw it with a stylus using an iPad. Eventually, when I heard that there was storyboard software, I think it was about four years ago that I introduced it as 'it would be interesting if I could use it' while researching.

G:
In that case, you have a considerable career in drawing storyboards digitally.

Kamiya:
It's easy. A hand-drawn storyboard is like writing almost all the text in the script and writing 1.5 times as much. Even when I write lines, write tongues, and even if I just want to paste the part of the picture, for example, with reference to the photo, I have to do my best to copy it by hand.

G:
Oh, I see.

Kamiya:
Even if there are two or three dual-purpose cuts, I have no choice but to do my best. Alternatively, you have to print it with a printer and paste a copy. I wanted to do this digitally, so I introduced it from a relatively early stage. However, Storyboard Pro does not have an iOS version. Since I'm using a Mac, there is an app called Astropad that turns an iPad into a tablet, so I use that to turn the iPad into a tablet. After all, the Apple Pencil is easy to use and the screen is small, but it's more comfortable to draw than the liquid tabs on the market. As a result, storyboard work has become faster.

G:
So that's it. Looking at the director's career, you are often in charge of storyboards.

Kamiya:
Well, after 'Kingdom' was over, there was a series of 'Big Monster Rush' by Mr. Tsuburaya, but after that, it felt like a professional storyboard artist.

G:
About this work, there was a story that the opening and ending will be done after drawing the storyboard of the whole story in the director's tweet. Was the storyboard work for 'Let's Make a Mug Cup' something special or difficult?



Kamiya:
As for the main story, it is a field that Kamiya is good at as a director. I like a thick play with a small number of people. I drew it near my field, so I'm glad I could draw all 12 of them myself. For that reason, since the opening was all after drawing, it became 'no material' and I was helped by the power of the song. It was a very refreshing song, so the theme was to do it from the upper level without being shy about the royal road. I made a big decision to do things like 'Let's run on the embankment of the setting sun without being shy' or 'Let's lie down on the grass' from the front without any trouble (laughs).

G:
In the storyboard, I also saw a tweet saying, 'I'm having trouble with the slowness of my storyboard.' What is the reason for the clogging?



Kamiya:
When the scene changes, how do you enter the next scene and how do you get the viewer's feelings? Who should draw what kind of emotion? Is it joy or sadness? I stop wondering what to start with to make it smell from the first cut. When I come up with it ... I think I'll do something different for the time being (laughs)

G:
(Lol)

Kamiya:
If you do it, the more scenes you have, the more you will stop. Not limited to 'Let's Make a Mug Cup', the first episode is a work that explores the style within me and wonders if this work will be in this style, so it tends to be late.

G:
I wonder if the first episode will take the longest, but how long does it take?

Kamiya:
This work is a little special, and it is a general schedule for production that if it is 30 minutes, it will usually be done in 3 weeks. 'Let's Make a Mug Cup' is half as long as 15 minutes, so a week and a half is a guide. I was wondering if I could draw it in a week or two, but one episode took a month and a half. Well, I had a hard time ...

G:
How.

Kamiya:
Later, when I asked Mr. Arakawa of the script, he said, 'I am also packed with each scene.' There was a saying, 'That's right, it's the first one, isn't it?' However, as for the content, the style was created while I was doing the work, and it became a certain speed, so in the end it became about once every two weeks.

G:
Is there a moment when you realize that you've come to understand the style of each work? Or do you feel that it was the final episode when you noticed it?

Kamiya:
No, I'm having a lot of trouble every time. However, the awareness is not completely zero, and gradually, 'If it is such a scene, it will be like this', you will be able to see the options instead of starting from zero for each work. However, even though it is a half part, it is one story, so the calories are different from drawing a half part of 30 minutes.

G:
The calories are different.

Kamiya:
Even with the same 15 minutes, I thought that half of the 30 minutes is completely different from putting it together in 15 minutes. In a net length of 10 and a half minutes, it never becomes a digest, and it is a way of drawing that gives the viewer the feeling of seeing one. There was a place where I was drawing while thinking very carefully in cut units, how to make a scene that makes me feel like 'I saw one' instead of running, and how to place such a cut.

G:
So that's it.

Kamiya:
It takes 15 minutes, but it's only one. Because it is short, if you are not careful, it will be a digest of a long one. Only the scene goes crazy, but when I see it, it feels like 'What? What was the current scene?' I'm careful because the scale is short.

G:
After the storyboard, there was a tweet saying that dubbing and editing are important. What are the points you paid attention to in this process and this work?



Kamiya:
This is not limited to 'Let's Make a Mug Cup'. There is a director for each story, and the director will leave the scene of the painting as much as possible, and the director will start touching the work again from the editing. So, in editing, I try to arrange the flow with my own experience, and here I make a rhythm that suits my experience, so that it will not be redundant or it will not be a short time, 'This cut is this second 'The number is short. The impression is weak.' For example, let's add 10 seconds, or for the original aim of each cut, we edit it again to 'prepare for the aim'.

G:
Oh, I see.

Kamiya:
When it comes to dubbing, I always think that about 70% of animation is sound.

G:
Is it 70%?

Kamiya:
When I was a kid, when I was watching anime in the 1970s, the appearance of each story was very different even though the works were the same. Still, when I thought about why I enjoyed it, I thought that I was fully impressed by the acting of the voice actor, BGM, and SE. When I said, 'The picture is beautiful, but it's not very interesting ...?', The sound was sticky.

G:
Hmmmm.

Kamiya:
So, from the time I started directing, I was aware that the sound element was a big factor in delivering the work to the viewers. Silence is intentionally created between sounds, or even scenes that are not connected in appearance can be put together as one emotion by putting the same music on them, so that two different scenes can be connected as a scene of the flow of feelings of one hero. I enjoy doing that kind of thing and doing dubbing. I think that the color as a director may come out there.

G:
In terms of sound, I saw an episode in which Kaito Ishikawa, who played the role of father, played many of Gaya in the first episode, partly because the staff couldn't get help because of this time.



Kamiya:
It's this time of the year, so I think everyone is having a hard time recording, not just 'Yaku Nara Mug Cup'. This time, HALF H ・ P STUDIO of 'Yakumo' can accommodate up to 4 people in one recording. However, the measures are solid, the four people are separated by a curtain, and when they do not speak, they wear masks. After finishing the recording, I take turns and have them join another cast with the same number of episodes to record. The reason I still like 'Yakumo' is that there aren't many performers, so I was told, 'It's nice to have to turn it twice.' I wonder how to record this for sports.

G:
Certainly, it seems to be difficult ...

Kamiya:
So, at the beginning of the first episode, the scene that I was crazy about when I entered the school was like 'No matter how you look at it, there is only Ishikawa-kun as a boy' (laughs). He did his best with various voices, but from a person who knows it, that is also a fun scene (laugh)

G:
(Laughs) Since the ceramic art club is the main character in this work, various small items appear on the screen all the time. Reiki Taki is in charge of prop design, but what was the reason or reason for asking Mr. Taki to set it?

Kamiya:
Mr. Taki was designing the prop for the movie version of 'Haikara-san ga Gou' in Nippon Animation, and although it was a very detailed design, the lines were arranged for animation, so it was a way of drawing without hesitation. It was OK if I asked this person to ask me.

G:
Did the director speak to the staff?

Kamiya:
It was Mr. Arakawa and the sound that I spoke to directly. 81 Produce and HALF H ・ P STUDIO have had a relationship with each other in their previous works, and I've heard that it's impossible, so I'd like to ask you again this time, so I haven't teamed up with Nippon Animation very much. But I asked.

G:
We are also teaming up with Toshihisa Arakawa, who is part of the series, in 'BLUE SEED' and 'Kingdom'. Is there anything like how the tag was realized this time as well?

Kamiya:
Regarding this work, first of all, it is an animation that only girls appear, so if I did not invite Toshihisa Arakawa who said 'I only want to write girls', I thought that this would be a resentment for the rest of my life. 'I've been with you so far, but why don't you invite me only this time!' (Laughs)

G:
(Lol)

Kamiya:
So I consulted at a relatively early stage, saying, 'This is Mr. Arakawa in a planned manner.' Mr. Arakawa also had a job for 'Mashin Sentai Kiramager', but as a professional, he took charge of both.

G:
Director Kamiya is also working on 'Hikaru no Go' broadcast in 2001. When there was an interview project looking back 10 years ago in 2012, there was a story that 'Hikaru no Go' was in the transition period from analog to digital at the time of production, and ' it was a trial calculation stage of what can be done digitally '. It was. Is there any part of this work that has been 20 years since 'Hikaru no Go' that the director felt a digital change?

Kamiya:
For example, 'potter's wheel'. We ask you to shoot all the wet textures. The texture of the drawing is something that cannot be easily painted. On the other hand, in works dealing with ceramic art, the fact that the texture does not come out properly is related to the lifeline of the work. The potter's wheel scene in the first episode was when I actually tried and asked for a sample, and while consulting, I dropped it while catching a ball saying, 'It's around here.' I think that is unique to digital.

G:
So that's it.

Kamiya:
When I opened my mother's cup in the classroom, it shined beautifully, but that was a request to 'please take a picture.' When I asked, 'Can you make it really attractive?', The cool ones came up.

G:
Recently, I think that 'ceramic art' is a particularly rare subject, as anime that depicts working on a hobby that is not so major is attracting attention. What was your impression of Kamiya's 'ceramic art'?

Kamiya:
I didn't know much about ceramic art, so when I received the original, I thought I had to find out what ceramic art was, so I read as many books as I could. Also, before going to location scouting, I watched a good number of lecture videos, etc., and took the time to think about how ceramic art is made. After that, there was a process of actually taking on the challenge with location scouting and giving feedback as a real feeling. At first, the storyboards seemed scary, but while studying ceramics, I gradually felt the charm of ceramics when I made it.

G:
This work is set in a real town called Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture. What are the points that are easy to do by being real and the difficult points that are not found in fictional towns?

Kamiya:
In reality, I wonder where this is, even when making a little scene outside. Since it is a story of the girls who live in Tajimi, there is an emotional drama even in casual scenes and plays. If you are looking for a suitable location in Tajimi, look for materials, or ask Planet to take a picture of Tajimi. Alternatively, the city hall also cooperated, and when I made an inquiry, I received materials, and the person in charge actually went and took a picture.

G:
Oh, thank you.

Kamiya:
There is the difficulty of not telling a lie, but thanks to the strong backbone, I was able to get a lot of help from what I would normally have to do, and the difficulty was alleviated.

G:
So that's it. I'm moving away from 'Yakumo', but how did Director Kamiya decide to aim for the anime industry?

Kamiya:
At first, I wanted to be a manga artist. I was a fan of Shotaro Ishinomori, and I was addicted to 'Kamen Rider' and 'Cyborg 009', and I wish I could draw such things, but when I was in junior high school, there was an anime boom.

G:
Oh.

Kamiya:
It's from 'Space Battleship Yamato'. Among them, he leaned toward 'I want to make a video after all', and there were 'Encounters of the Unknown' and 'Star Wars', and 'Animage' was launched. In the case of Western science fiction, there was also the launch of 'Starlog', which was a major civilization of subculture. When I was in the first year of high school, I took a bath and said, 'I want to do science fiction!' I think everyone in my generation is addicted to similar ruts (laughs).

G:
That will be (laughs)

Kamiya:
So, I sneaked into the industry through various approaches and wanted to be a director / director, so as I consulted while drawing here and there and drew storyboards, I gradually shifted to directing. That's the flow.

G:
I'm sorry for the simple question, but my Twitter profile says, 'Everyday is covered with monsters and Hello! Project.' Actually, when I read the tweet, I was convinced that it was covered, but this is ...?

Kamiya:
Wouldn't it be nice if I could live thinking that much! (Lol)

G:
(Lol)

Kamiya:
I set the mental age I want to live in as 4th grade.

G:
Small 4.

Kamiya:
Small 4 or small 5, even not in puberty. I wish I could spend my days with monsters, which I liked when I was a kid. On the other hand, I've been addicted to Hello! Project for about 10 years, but I wish I could live on that watch. That's why I want to have a sweet life for myself (laughs)

G:
Why did you fall in love with Hello! Project?

Kamiya:
No, it's strange. I realize that there is no reason to be addicted to idols. I had never been addicted to idols before. In 2008, I happened to be in charge of a program called 'IQ Sapuri' where Berryz Kobo sang Genghis Khan and shiritori. First of all, there is 'I was caught by Genghis Khan'. When I was a high school student, I used to play 'Genghis Khan' in the broadcasting club.

G:
I got caught there (laughs)

Kamiya:
'What are these children singing Genghis Khan in this era?' When I think about it now, I think I was able to catch it wonderfully.

G:
Director Kamiya has been working in the anime industry for a long time, but what would you like to give advice to those who are aiming for the industry in the future?

Kamiya:
Perhaps you all say, but you should experience a lot, and if there is something you can read, you should read it. You should input it. So, if you have an input and want to do something, don't hesitate to go crazy.

G:
Rugged.

Kamiya:
If you feel like 'I want to do something' after entering the anime industry, you should consult with a production person with whom you have a relationship. You may be told, 'If so, bring a storyboard' or 'I'll give you a scenario, so draw a little.' There is definitely a break here. Some people draw and some do not. The people who draw here will surely go up.

G:
Oh.

Kamiya:
Chiaki Kon, who is my only disciple, or who says 'let me call you a master,' is the pattern, and she was the one who drew it. At that time, I didn't have a lot of time to draw in the process of production, and I should have had almost no time, but I did. On the other hand, instead of the structural part, I taught only the technical thing, 'This way the connection is cleaner and easier to see.' First of all, it is divided at the time of drawing, so it means 'draw when the chance comes'.

G:
Lastly, if you have read the interview and are interested in 'Let's Make a Mug Cup' that is being broadcast, please tell us something like this.

Kamiya:
This work is, in a sense, a sober work that depicts a little swaying feelings with a girl. However, all the staff are confident that if you keep watching, the small swaying movements will gradually become a big swell, and at the end you will be able to experience a very refreshing impression. Minami Tanaka sometimes wept after dubbing, but I think it's a happy and happy tear, and I think it's a work that gives you that feeling. When you get tired, you will feel kind, so I hope you can see it as a healing frame work.

G:
Thank you for your time today.

'Let's Make a Mug Cup' will be on CBC TV every Friday from 24:55, BS11 every Monday from 23:00, TOKYO MX every Monday 22:30 and Tuesday 19:00, MBS every Thursday 26:30, AT -X is broadcasting every Monday from 20:00, Wednesday from 8:00, and Friday from 14:00. It is also distributed at d anime stores and others.

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in Interview,   Anime, Posted by logc_nt