Animation Director: Takashi Otsuka

I want to provide a fun experience for people who view my work.

animation director　Takashi Otsuka　(Takashi Otsuka)

■Profile
Born in Osaka Prefecture in 1981. Made his directorial debut with Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart at Toei Animation. After directing Pretty Cure All Stars DX 1-3 and Smile PreCure!, he went freelance and wrote and directed One Piece Stampede the Movie in 2019 and the TV anime series Sandaime JSB Kids Anime Kick & Slide in 2021. In 2022, he directed the anime series Fate Front Riddell Light, which is featured in the film Haken Anime.

Director Otsuka Takashi has been involved in the production of many of Japan's most iconic anime, including "Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart" and "One Piece: Stampede the Movie." He has now directed the animation portion of Disney+'s fantasy adventure blockbuster, "Wonder Hatch: The Island of the Flying Dragon." This film, which uses visual expression to tell a single story using both live-action and animation, is a new endeavor for the director. We spoke to him about his thoughts on the film, its highlights, and what makes his job rewarding.

I didn't aspire to be an animation director from a young age; I just loved drawing. I decided to go to a vocational school, which has led to my current studies, when I was in my third year of high school. While everyone around me was naturally choosing to go to university, nothing really appealed to me. Then, I came across a documentary that looked at the story behind the creation of "Princess Mononoke," directed by Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. I learned about and became interested in working in the animation industry, something I had never considered before. Later, when I visited a vocational school and had the opportunity to animate my own drawing, I was deeply impressed. I was so impressed and thought it was interesting that I decided to go to that school.
After graduating, I was fortunate enough to join Toei Animation, where I was involved in a variety of projects, and each time I found a new goal. As I worked towards my goals at the time, I suddenly realized that I had become an animation director.

■ There are people who enjoy what we create

The success of the "PreCure" series was a very memorable experience for me. PreCure has become a staple now, but as a staff member, I was very anxious about what the public would think when it first began. It was a completely new production, with no original source material. However, soon after the series began airing, sequels and movies were announced, and I was surprised by the positive reception, far beyond my expectations. I started seeing kids wearing collaborative snacks and merchandise around town, and I realized that the public was paying attention to our work, which I thought no one was paying attention to, and I was honestly very happy. When I directed a PreCure movie, I would go to the cinema and sit in the front or back seats, looking out over the entire audience and observing the reactions of the audience.
When I saw with my own eyes that there were people who enjoyed and were pleased with what we had created, I felt a renewed sense of fulfillment in this job. It can be tough at times because there are always strict deadlines for broadcasting and release, but because it's something I love, the line between work and private life is blurred, and I was always immersed in work, or rather, making anime. It's all fun. In that sense, I think I was suited to this job.

■ The challenge of creating two worlds, animation and live action, in "Wonder Hatch: The Island of the Flying Dragon"

When I heard about "Wonder Hatch - Island of the Flying Dragons," I simply thought it sounded interesting. The setting of an anime character coming to live action was something that didn't seem likely. I myself have been doing this job for about 20 years, and it has become somewhat routine, so I wanted to try something different and take on this project.
It was a fresh experience working on this project, creating a single work together with the live-action director. When creating the world of the anime, I placed particular importance on faithfully recreating the worldview of the live-action director, Hagiwara. A well-developed worldview already existed, so I had a strong desire to maintain that in the anime as well. To that end, I made sure to communicate smoothly with the live-action team. This work features scenes of flying, dragons, and otherworldly languages. I carefully checked what kind of image the other staff had in mind when creating these "otherworldly common sense" elements. Furthermore, I committed myself to the worldview that had been created, and offered any additional ideas I could. When I saw the finished work, I honestly thought it was interesting. Usually, I only focus on the parts where I think "I could have done it this way," but this time I felt I was able to watch it with a very neutral perspective.
I hope that viewers of this film will pay attention not only to the fusion of live-action and animation, which is a major challenge this time, but also to the animation images. I think the dragon action scenes are also worth watching. I hope that viewers will be excited to watch it until the very end.

■ Brush up based on the reactions

I always make it a priority to "make use of the feedback I receive." I feel like it's my own characteristic to make use of reactions to improve my work on a daily basis. There are many times when something I thought was "good" turns out to be unexpectedly unpopular. When that happens, I feel motivated to research why this gap occurred and use that knowledge to improve the next time.
In fact, I felt that the PreCure films were getting better with each successive directing. When I create a film, I am very conscious of not being self-centered and not being complacent. This is because, for me, it has little meaning unless people enjoy it. In that sense, I am very hopeful that "Wonder Hatch - Island of the Flying Dragon" will elicit a reaction from people all over the world. If I have another opportunity to be involved in a project like this, I would like to use this experience to create something even better. I would like to continue creating films with the goal of entertaining viewers.

■Message to university students

To those who don't have set goals or dreams. I never thought I'd become an animation director either. There's nothing bad about a future that's different from what you expected. I want you to actively challenge yourself with things that interest you now. Don't worry about what others think, and it's okay to take twists and turns. By doing so, I think you'll find your aptitude and what you want to do. If you work hard, I'm sure you'll find good connections and encounters along the way.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on November 15, 2023 by Momoka Ikehama, second-year student at Sophia University and Maho Wada, fourth-year student at Nihon University