Interview with director Mitsuo Iso about the anime 'The Orbital Children', making a work that cherishes 'how immersive'


photo by Atsushi Fujimoto

The latest work by

Mitsuo Iso , an animator with outstanding skills and who was the original, scriptwriter, and director of the TV anime ' Denno Coil ' broadcast on NHK in 2007, is being screened in theaters from January 28, 2022 & Netflix. It is ' The Orbital Children's Boys and Girls ' being broadcast on.

Set in the 2045 Japanese-made space station 'Anshin' where anyone can go to space, at the station for the migration to the earth with Taiyo, Miina, and Dr. who came to space from the earth after winning the stay tour. A moon-born boy, Toya, who is also rehabilitating, a moon-born girl, Kokoroha, and Nasa, who is a medical staff member of the station, cooperate and confront each other at the station where the collision with the comet occurred. While drawing a figure that confronts various difficulties.

I had the opportunity to interview Director Iso about how he created an extremely rare original work that is not a so-called 'robot anime', and what kind of thoughts he had, so I did various things. I have been asked.

Original animation 'The Orbital Children' official website
https://chikyugai.com/



GIGAZINE (hereinafter, G):
In the work that Director Iso was involved in, it was impressive that he enjoyed '

Denno Coil ' as 'I'm doing a great work with TV animation.' When I saw this work, I remembered the first episode ' Apostle, Invasion ' of the anime ' Neon Genesis Evangelion ', which was written by Director Iso in the past.



Director Mitsuo Iso (hereinafter referred to as Iso):
Actually, I was an avid reader of GIGAZINE just around the time of 'Denno Coil'. 'Denno Coil' is a work that GIGAZINE seems to be easy to pick up, but I was wondering 'Why don't you come to the interview?' (Laughs)

G:
(Smile)

Iso:
I participated in 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' from the beginning, and at the beginning I was asked to speak as an animator, and from there I was in charge of the script. At that time, I was studying the scenario, so I didn't think about the shaku at all, and even though the standard length was 20 minutes, I was told, 'This is 2 hours worth' (laughs). In my scenario, neither 'Denno Coil' nor this 'Orbital Children' is often said by others to be 'not in the scale'.

G:
Eh (laughs) What are you going to do?

Iso:
This time, for example, when I asked a veteran and experienced director for the third episode, it was 800 cuts for 50 minutes, but from there I cut it down to 400-410 cuts for 30 minutes. Don't drop important material as it is. For some reason, if you cut the storyboard yourself, you can enter.

G:
There was a description of nanomachines in this work as well, but what is the attractive part that Director Iso feels about nanomachines?

Iso:
Nanomachines are ... easy (laughs)

G:
(Smile)

Iso:
Originally I like small structures, but I don't have to draw them in the drawing, and it's very convenient in terms of scenarios. It is said that it can be self-organized and freely changed in shape. Actually, it is also used in the setting of 'Denno Coil', and it is described in the Blu-ray (Director's Edition) privilege death setting collection, so you may be familiar with it. In order to recognize the position in cyberspace, the setting is written that a micromachine is included in the paint on the wall and self-organizes to become a node for transmitting and receiving radio waves.

G:
The director himself tweeted that it was '

Anime Style 010 ' published in 2016 that this work appeared as a project. How did you get to the current story from this image?



Iso:
Well, isn't this the same? (Smile)

G:
Speaking of manma, it's manma, but (laughs) Nasa has a completely different impression from now.

Iso:
At that time, Nasa was the heroine who was the same age as Toya, but this Nasa is also cute, isn't she? Regarding the character, I was thinking from the beginning to talk to Kenichi Yoshida , so I gave up from the beginning saying 'I wouldn't draw on this street' (laughs), but Nasa tried to change her age a little. I was thinking. Regarding Noboru, it seems that he tried to maintain the image at that time, but he said, 'I couldn't do it' (laughs). What was drawn as the initial image of the arrow was very nice, and it became 'Let's go with this! As expected, Yoshida-kun!', But after that, 'I could not draw this arrow again'. (Smile). Please see the initial image in the ' Orbital Children's Setting Material Collection ' released on the day of the theater screening.



G:
When was the project itself first born?

Iso:
It was published in the anime style in 2016, but two years ago, in 2014, the project started when I was drinking with the producer Iwase next to me at an izakaya in Kichijoji. At the beginning, the more severe story was, 'Everyone in the universe set in the future is a dystopia, and it ends up being eaten by monsters. I want to create a bright future.' Well, the pictures published in the anime style are a bit like dystopia, but there are basically things that haven't deviated from this line due to the development of 'Lunatic' and the advancement of science and technology. ..

G:
Regarding the editing work, I saw a tweet saying, 'Editing will end up chopping up cute lines that are as good as your own alter ego while fainting in agony.' Even in this work, are there many stories that I didn't want to chop as much as possible?



Iso:
This is a good question (laughs) I really wanted to see the one before cutting, but I am making it so that I can be satisfied even in the current state, so please have a look first. I think However, I'm chopping it up, including the really important scenes. The Blu-ray of the first part comes with the content of the first episode, but it is a pretty gorgeous one printed with the actual content, and the scene cut in the first episode is included with a cross mark like this. increase.

G:
(Show me the page of the actual collection of content) Oh, it's full of crosses ...

Iso:
This cross is all dead. There are so many scenes where I'm crying and crying because I don't have enough scales and schedules. The beginning of the B part is very valuable, and there is a scene where Miina enters the weightless toilet.

G:
(Smile)

Iso:
This scene contains insanely good lines, so it's really a waste and I think I absolutely have to make a reprint. When that time comes, please support us. Moreover, even though there are so many episodes in one episode, I have no choice but to cut through really good scenes in other episodes ... Only good scenes can be cut. There are many scenes that are not indispensable, such as scenes that can be inflated and have room, or scenes that are not descriptive. It won't end as it is. Even if you cut that scene, I think that it will be enough for the customers who come to see it, so please take a look first, and then make the original 'Director's Cut Version' more fun to the world. I want to put it out. This must be written in the article! (Smile)

G:
Yes (laughs) Director Iso has received multiple interviews when announcing this work, and in the interview posted on WIRED.jp, 'The content I am trying to draw with' The Orbital Children 'is 30 if I am not good at it. You answered, 'It's too early,' but what do you think the director thinks is '30 years too early?'

Iso:
At the time of making, the people around the anime felt that the Yutori generation was playing a leading role in both the viewers and the creators. Therefore, the opinions of these people cannot be ignored, but the more I talk about them, the more they say, 'These people will not go to space.'

G:
(Smile)

Iso:
It's the farthest from space. Some people didn't want to go out so much that they didn't even want to go to a convenience store, and they gave up thinking that it would be impossible to take them to space. However, while I was worried about that, I discovered people who said, 'This may go to space,' even in the Yutori generation. That was YouTuber, and it became a character called Miina. By discovering Miina, I wonder if I've settled on this matter.



G:
Oh, I see!

Iso:
I feel that the Japanese as a whole are beginning to think that it is not so good to have hope for the future. Perhaps the previous generation has overwhelmed the future. It's a 'future religion' that 'wins if you bring the future,' as represented by 'Doraemon.' Then, 'Don't become such an adult' and I wonder if it will continue to this day.

G:
I see (laughs)

Iso:
The genre called science fiction also has a time when future predictions have become longer and longer, and the stage has become a distant universe, so it is difficult to solve familiar problems, and it is no longer something that makes me happy right now. .. It's the same with science and technology, and it can't be helped because it's evolving, but I want to make things that have gone away a little closer. Also, I wonder if the dark future is enough. I've always wondered why there are so many dystopias, no matter which way I look, and why I just repeat them. After all, let's start with a bright and enjoyable future again. Well, even in this work, an accident occurs and it gets dark (laughs), but I hope that it will be a work that will eventually become a fun memory by solving it.

G:
Oh.

Iso:
Though I think so, the society as a whole is in a situation where the whole of Japan is discouraged, but ... I feel that the Yutori generation symbolizes that kind of atmosphere, but in reality this is I think I'm being fooled by the Yutori generation.

G:
Are you fooled? (Smile)

Iso:
You don't really say that you're talking to the Yutori generation. I'm pretending to be unmotivated. When I hear the story, I'm actually doing my best in a small place and doing various things. I thought that I shouldn't have to take those people to the distant universe right now. It would be nice if they could get along with me as much as they could understand and what they thought would be interesting. I feel like I found that kind of relationship through Miina. So, for the time being, I put an internet environment and a convenience store in space.

G:
That's why the internet and convenience stores come out (laughs)

Inside of 'Anshin'



Iso:
If there is an internet and a convenience store, a generous generation will come. Without it, even my generation wouldn't go first (laughs)

G:
'I want to draw a bright and interesting universe and the future as the stage of animation!' Was also mentioned in the director's comment announced on the official website. Various near-future technologies have appeared in this work, and there are things that 'do not exist yet, but it seems to be possible', but is there anything that the director drew while thinking 'this is impossible as expected'? 'I drew it like that, but the difficulty of realizing it should be quite high.'

Iso:
Basically, I think I can do everything that I think I can do. However, I try not to be too particular about 'whether it can be achieved'.

G:
I don't care.

Iso:
Yes. I think there was a time when the genre called science fiction ran too far into 'future prediction.' When asked if the genre of this work is science fiction, I try to answer 'I don't know if it's science fiction', and I'm not saying science fiction from here. So, I think that the reason why the genre of science fiction is not moving forward is that there was too much demand for something like accurate future prediction. There was a time when ancestors like

Asimov and Clark called it Bashibashi ... It is said that 'Denno Coil' was 10 years earlier, and 10 years later, 'Nantoka GO' started and interviews came suddenly, but the future in fiction is more than 'guessing' now. I think it's important for people to see it interestingly or to expand their imagination.

G:
So that's it.

Iso:
The reason why I don't think the future is dystopia is that when you think about the future, you want to think about fun things. The era when science and technology made people happy has passed the peak, but I want science and technology to basically make people happy, and I want to pick up such things in the story. It should be included. Fiction changes depending on where you cut out and where you show it, and even humans can do it if they want to show only the ugly parts, and if they show only the scenes going to the toilet, 'This person smells like a toilet. You will be a person. Even in this work, there is a scene that shows the behavior of the hero in some good and bad ways, but don't just say bad things about the future, there are surely good things, so everyone imagines it. Let's create a more enjoyable future. I made it with that kind of intention.



G:
In an interview with WIRED.jp, he answered, 'I'm surprised that the reaction was better than I expected' regarding the reaction around me at the time of the announcement. As a director, he seemed to be prepared to be unresponsive, but why?

Iso:
I don't think I'll take much because everyone has stopped dealing with the subject of the universe. First of all, this kind of story is usually rejected at the planning meeting. Many of the people who are having meetings are older, so I knew that in the past, space things were very popular, but they aren't selling well. Isn't it? ' Do you say that you have self-restraint?

G:
So that's it.

Iso:
Also, I think that there is often a Japanese nature that keeps people who are trying to start new things from touching them in a long way. Someone can overturn that by thinking, 'I'll do it, it's interesting, it'll be interesting' and make something interesting. I haven't seen such a job in the anime industry recently, so I definitely wanted to do it. When I tried to appeal like that, I came across a surprisingly good reaction, and that was the tweet I mentioned earlier. I realized that if the fun is conveyed, this kind of genre will become fun again. People who have forgotten that kind of thing will probably go for the third and fourth brews on a safe and secure route, but they say, 'Okay, that's it.' I've seen it enough. I'm wondering, 'Why don't you try to make something that isn't?' When I asked myself before I got this job, I thought that there was something I wanted to see, and I thought I had to remember that feeling. As I get older, including myself, I feel like I'm going to make the world smaller by dividing the information I take in. I made it while thinking that I didn't want to make such a 'story that narrows me'. I think I was able to do it to the end without blurring. The frame of such thinking is close to the concept of 'frame' in Ai's terminology, but this work also deals with that theme a little.

G:
The director tweeted, 'What should I do when I'm about to be swallowed by fear and hatred that I can't hold? I should make a story.' However, when making the story of this work, is there any fear or hatred that was the driving force?



Iso:
When was the tweet?

G:
It is February 2021.

Iso:
Then, maybe when I was making the first episode. I don't know because I've been fighting for a long time, so I don't know (laughs) I grew up in something negative when I was a kid, so I tend to go to the negative side. It was the world of fiction that saved me, and for me fiction was not only a cradle, but also one of the weapons that protected me from unreasonable things. Even if there are difficult problems that cannot be done in reality, I think we can do something in the world of fiction. I think that is the origin of the person who makes the story. I'm sure Haruki Murakami said something similar, saying that even things that can't be helped in reality can be seen in a different way in fiction, and I really sympathize with them. I don't quote this because it's a famous person, but I really think so.

G:
Hmmmm.

Toya, who appears in the film, also has a 'battle' with various things.



Iso:
Even if someone hits me, I try to hit him back in the story instead of hitting him directly. …… Commercial works are beaten by various people. Originally it is a place to make interesting things, but sometimes it is very demanding that it is not so and it takes time. When we have to fight such things, whether it's entertainment like ourselves, art, or singing, the direction that creators should fight is, after all, 'creating a work'. is. By fighting with the power of the work, you can counter violence, prejudice, and so on. I think story and fiction are one of the paths we humans have acquired. It's hard to do what you think, but when you're exposed to unreasonableness, you don't have to do the same thing to curse the other person or stand on the side of looking down on someone, but create a story and the power of the story. I always think that changing people's minds is the right way to go.

G:
So that's it.

Iso:
Therefore, I would like people who are exposed to unreasonableness to make works. In the world of manga, anime, and fiction, isn't there a country that is as rich and thick as Japan today? For that reason, there are problems such as not being able to receive money, but I think that Japan is truly a developed country that stands out among humankind in this field. I hope that everyone will recognize that there is a story as a means of fighting violence and various difficult problems.

G:
The story changes again, but on Twitter, the tweet 'How to quickly destroy evidence that is bad to be seen' was quoted as 'It is a technique that I came up with when I was in elementary school and taught it to my friends ...!' But what kind of elementary school student was Iso?



Iso:
Well, I was a weird elementary school student (laughs) I think that tweet is a way to erase the mischievous writing, but I wonder if the method of eradicating this mischievous writing was about the 4th grade of elementary school, my classmates were 'stupid' at the table I dug it. So, children try to erase it, but it doesn't disappear. If you draw a number of lines at the same angle on the left and right of the 'stupid' character line to make it look like a striped pattern, you will not be able to see the original line. When I was a kid, I was thinking about all those weird things, but I don't want to talk about that time, but my childhood is filled with 'fear and hatred,' as I mentioned earlier. So. It would be long to talk about this.

G:
In a story that may be related to that, there was a tweet referring to the manga ' Paradigm Shift ' serialized in Tsuikomi, 'Animation when I was a child was the last resort for me to survive.' I would like to hear from you as far as I can tell.



Iso:
Where is this interview going (laughs)? This is exactly what it is, and for me, anime wasn't something to enjoy, it was a way to survive. In order to escape violence and unreasonableness, it is the world of animation that escapes and shuts in with a feeling of clinging. But that's a story we often hear when we were children ... I've seen a lot of writers who have similar childhoods, so-called unhappy children. It's easy to think that it's a better time than it was then ... No, it's just not so visible to adults, it's not. I think there are still many children in similar or worse situations. Even in our time, the unfortunate circumstances of children were invisible to adults, and they were often mounted saying, 'There is no war, there is something to eat, but what is unfortunate.' You should be happier than us, but what's your dissatisfaction?

G:
So that's it.

Iso:
As an adult, I'm about to repeat such a story and mount it. People who don't realize they're unhappy in and of themselves will have the next misfortune, so I think we should cut off mounting that way. There are happiness and unhappiness in each, and there are things that each person can't stand, so I wonder if each person needs a solution. In any case, as a way to fight such unreasonableness, instead of revenge, try to make a work and hit it with the work. I think that if you make a very interesting work, you will have the power to counter such things.

G:
Director Iso cited '

Future Boy Conan ' as an animation he saw when he was a child, and tweeted that 'the animation was impressed by scenes other than dying for the first time when people died and were impressed.'



Iso:
Not limited to 'Future Boy Conan', many of the animations of that era were outstanding and wonderful, and I think they saved a lot of unhappy children. At that time, it was popular for everyone to cry by drawing a kamikaze-like death, and it was an inflationary state of death, as if the fun was measured by 'which character dies and how'. It was the first time for me to have the experience of being impressed by such stories as 'rescuing someone' or 'I'm glad I didn't die', and it became one of the original experiences. Of course, there may be various fictions, and I think that drawing someone's death seriously is one of the things that the work should do.

G:
yes:

Iso:
I think that everyone has once had the experience of being cornered as 'may die'. But when I look back on how many years after I survived, it's just one page of my history. Even if you are a character in fiction, you may think that you may be able to overcome it by seeing someone who has had such an experience. I think there are people who are cornered at this moment and need such a story. Personally, I think that is the original role of fiction, the front line. From my own experience, I think the story has the power to save people from despair. Of course, the situation is different for each person, so I can't say it unconditionally, but I always think that it is possible to create a story to save someone. I don't know if my work will be like that, but I hope one day I can make such a story.

G:
It's still a little related to 'Conan', but I wasn't convinced of Monsley's change of heart, and when I was in Studio Ghibli, when I asked Hayao Miyazaki a direct question, he said, 'Customers should forgive me.' had. Is this 'customers forgive' a hint when writing a scenario?




Iso:
Far from being a hint, I have been using it everywhere, and I think I received a very important lesson. For example, when making works set in such a universe, I often meet people who are particular about reality. 'In reality, this is not the case.' Well, I need something like that to some extent, but I'm not happy if there is a work that teaches it.

G:
Hmmmm.

Iso:
Depending on the genre, I think there are a certain number of people who come to check such accurate information, but this work is not a documentary but an entertainment. I think that many customers do not want to know the harsh reality, but want something that can forget the harsh reality. I think it's very important how I can immerse myself, because what I wanted was something that I could immerse myself in, forgetting the painful things. In the first place, all animation is made of lies. It's already obvious, and both the creator and the customer know it from the beginning. Because I'm drawing with a picture, it's decided that the person doesn't really exist. However, after understanding that, when the person depicted is crying, he is worried, 'Why are you crying?' That is the power of animation.

G:
surely.

Iso:
What is needed is not 'real' but 'reality', and I feel that 'this person is really there and I feel like this' and I am absorbed in it. Forget what you don't like and provide an experience where you can get something that is hard to find in reality. That should be this job, so I'm trying not to lose sight of it. In that sense, the stage of 'the universe' this time is a very difficult place, and there are people who look for mistakes in physical laws and numbers with a bloody eye. Well, it's easy to see how sensitive you are to real money and life-threatening mistakes in areas where there are only professionals right now. However, when it comes to the universe this time, in the era when the commercial universe is about to begin, I feel that new values such as amateur tourists and interest-oriented space fans will flow into the world where only professionals dominated. be doing. The values that professionals have supported up to now are absolutely necessary, but in anticipation of a new era in which other people will participate, I wish there was an area where new generations could enjoy playing. Therefore, from the planning stage, I wanted to focus on the amateur's point of view, not the professional's point of view.

G:
By the way, what kind of impression did Mr. Iso have when he went through this work after making it to the end?

Iso:
Hmm ... there are about 300 cuts I want to fix (laughs)

G:
(Smile)

Iso:
Also, in the crying and crying scene, I have a feeling that 'If I could put that in, I might have enjoyed it more', so I'd like to somehow revive it.

Tomohiko Iwase Producer:
Please go somewhere else (laughs)

Iso:
(Looking at Iwase P) The more I say this, the more MP will decrease (laughs) Yes, I hope there are many people who enjoy watching it even in the current state.

G:
Thank you for talking with us for a long time, from the work to the distance.

'The Orbital Children' consists of 6 episodes, and the theater screening starts from January 28, 2022 with episodes 1 to 3 as the first part, and episodes 4 to 6 start from February 11, 2022 as the second part. It will be screened. In addition, all 6 episodes are delivered at once on Netflix.

Original animation 'The Orbital Children' book notice / 2 weeks limited theater screening at Shinjuku Piccadilly and others --YouTube


The second part, Mubichike , can be purchased until the end of February 10, 2022. The price is 1500 yen including tax, and if you purchase online, you will get a smartphone wallpaper of Miina, Doctor, and Nasa as a privilege.



In addition, as a privilege to visit the theater, a mini colored paper drawn by the first part will be distributed. There are three types of illustrations, directed by Mitsuo Iso, character design Kenichi Yoshida, and main animator Toshiyuki Inoue, and are randomly distributed in limited quantities.



The second part of the theater visit privilege is a reproduction of the favorite original picture selected from the scenes that Mr. Iso, Mr. Yoshida, and Mr. Inoue were in charge of, and a set of 2 pieces, a total of 3 types of random distribution.



And from February 11, 2022 when the second part is released, the first part and the second part of Blu-ray & DVD will be released at the theater. The price is 8000 yen for each tax on Blu-ray and 7500 yen for each tax on DVD. The first part comes with a collection of episode 1 that Director Iso mentioned in the interview, and the second part comes with a collection of episode 6 increase.

postscript:
The Blu-ray of 'The Orbital Children' can also be purchased at Amazon.co.jp.

Amazon | [Amazon.co.jp Limited] Extraterrestrial Boys and Girls Part 1 'Extraterrestrial Emissary' Theatrical Release Limited Edition Blu-ray (with serial code for viewing bonus videos) * Part 1 For purchasers | Anime



Amazon | [Amazon.co.jp Limited] The Orbital Children's Part 2 'The Story of the Beginning' Theatrical Release Limited Edition Blu-ray (with serial code for viewing bonus videos) * Part 2 For purchasers | Anime



◆ Work information
·staff
Original / Screenplay / Director: Mitsuo Iso ('Denno Coil')
Character design: Kenichi Yoshida ('Symphonic Psalm Eureka Seven' series, 'Gundam Reconguista in G', etc.)
Main animator: Toshiyuki Inoue ('Denno Coil', 'GHOST IN THE SHELL', etc.)
Art Director: Yusuke Ikeda
Color design: Miho Tanaka
Music: Rei Ishizuka
Sound Director: Yoji Shimizu
Production: Production + h.
Distribution: Asmik Ace / Avex Pictures
Production: The Orbital Children's Production Committee

Theme song: Harusaruhi 'Oarana' (KAMITSUBAKI RECORD)
Lyrics and composition: Vincent Diamante

·cast
Toya Sagami: Natsumi Fujiwara
Nanase / Baikonur / Kokoro: Azumi Waki
Ocean Tsukuba: Kensho Ono
Misasa Miina: Chinatsu Akasaki
Dr. Tanegashima: Yumiko Kobayashi
Nasa / Houston: Mariya Ise
other

・ Screening theater
Tokyo: Shinjuku Piccadilly, MOVIX Kameari, Tachikawa Cinema City
Kanagawa: Kawasaki Cinecitta
Chiba: Keisei Rosa ⑩
Saitama: MOVIX Saitama
Aichi: Midland Square Cinema
Osaka: Namba Parks Cinema
Hyogo: MOVIX Amagasaki
Kyoto: MOVIX Kyoto

Official site: https://chikyugai.com/
Official Twitter: @Chikyugai_BG
©MITSUO ISO／avex pictures・地球外少年少女製作委員会

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