【interview】Lycoris Recoil Asaura original author Chisato Takina

anime

2023.02.022023.01.28

This time, Animate Times conducted a series of interviews just prior to the start of the broadcast of the work, in which we look at how the work was born and the thoughts of the voice actors about the characters they play in the series. This time, I asked Asaura-san, the original story designer of the anime, to talk about how 「Lycoris Recoil」 was created, focusing on the elements that make up the story.

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「Lycoris Recoil」interview Asaura

「Lycoris Recoil」interview Asaura

How Asaura joined the 「Lycoris Recoil」 project

-How did you come to be involved in the work?

Mr. Asaura　: Mr. Kashiwada of A-1 Pictures (an animation production company) and a former editor of my novel at KADOKAWA were somehow talking about my book at a meeting for a work called 「Saekano」, and they seemed to be saying something like 「this guy is crazy」 together. .

So the editor said to Kashiwada-san, 「Then I will introduce him to you」, and he called me. I had no idea what was going on there, but he said, 「May I introduce you to Kashiwada-san?」 I just said, 「Yes, by all means」 A short time later, the editor in charge of the project told me that he was actually trying to start a new animation project. So it was just a series of coincidences, and it was like I was involved in an animation project.

-In the beginning, did the production company even decide what kind of animation they were going to make?

Asaura　:At the time, animation projects did not yet exist, so I just connected with people, and we talked about letting Asaura do some projects. I felt that they were conscious of my ideas in the subsequent projects as well, and created works based on them.

-Mr. Asaura, where did you start your work?

Asaura　: I put together what kind of story I wanted to tell, and created a character and world setting, something like a plot in a novel. I may have written something like a short story in the past, but it was a long time ago, so I don’t remember much about it. But that was the prototype for the current 「Lycoris Recoil」, but it wasn’t the same content.

-So it was decided from the beginning that you were going to do an action story?

Asaura : Kashiwada-san had read my novel 「Death need Round」, which is a work that shoots guns from beginning to end. He read it and invited me to be a part of the project, so it was decided from the beginning that guns would be in the anime. I think he wanted me to do something with a girl and a gun in the anime project.

Lycoris Recoil project is officially launched staff gathers

-Did the staff join the project from there, and did you feel that the framework of the project was being developed?

Asaura : I did a lot of the work first, and for some reason I even started looking for a character design before the director, but in the end Mr.「Shingo Adachi」 was chosen as the director, and when he entered the planning meetings, the project seemed to start moving at once.

-What were the specific details of the project that were decided?

Asaura　: When the director joined the project, I was just beginning to see the story line of 「Licorice Recoil」. At that time, the director approached Mr. Migimuru as a character designer for the project. As soon as the staff saw his drawing, everyone said, 「This is the only way!」That was a great moment of decision.

-How did the plot of the story change?

Asaura　: I don’t clearly know where the setting changed significantly, but originally the Main character was different from what it is now, and the story was quite serious. The story was bright, but the underlying atmosphere was dark. When 「Mr. Adachi」 came on board as director, the whole story became brighter, and the prototype for the current 「Lycoris Recoil」 was created.

-Did the worldview of the story change as well?

Asaura　: The major influence was the reality of the worldview. In gun works, if I push for realism, the story becomes heavy and dark. Mr.Adachi’s participation helped us decide where to draw that line in the story. As a result, the story was adjusted to a point where anyone could enjoy it.

About the characterization of Lycoris Recoil　Chisato＆Takina

-Please tell us about the characters. How did you decide on the main characters, Chisato and Takina?

Asaura　: Takina’s setting was almost unchanged from the very beginning of the proposal and ran through to the anime, but I like her name a lot. Takina is also the name of a flower, and it has a familiar sound. The heroines of my works are usually named after flowers. I also create images of my characters based on the language of flowers, so I think the name fits the work very well this time.

Takina 「Hosta」Japanese Language of flowers「Quiet person」「Silence」

The initial setting of 「Chisato」 was totally different from the current one, and she was sharp and had elements of a gal. I had the image of her character softening as she interacted with Takina. However, after 「Mr. Adachi」 joined as a director, I was influenced by his idea of happiness and the kind of woman he thought would be nice, and 「Chisato」 became the bright personality she is today. I think it was a great decision to make this change. I think 「Chisato」 became the most attractive element of this work. Having her as a classmate at school is fun, and she has become the kind of girl who makes everyone happy, including those around her, so I think 「Adachi-san」 is as good as it gets.

Chisato 「Nishiki」(Euonymus alatus) Japanese Language of flowers 「Deep affection」「Your destiny」「Your Charm in My Heart」「Dangerous Play」

-An unexpected Main character from the past, wasn’t she?

Asaura　:In some cases, she is a character that could have been in a supporting role in a comical, everyday work, but I made sure to finish her off and bring her into the center of the story.

-I wondered if you had a vision of her in the novel that included moving her in the anime. In the animation, I felt you expressed her liveliness perfectly with her voice and movements, and I thought, great!.

Asaura　:Chisato, including the way she speaks, is a character that can only be expressed in anime. I think it would be difficult to express Chisato’s lively, cheerful, and active mood in writing, and I think it would be difficult even in manga. Chisato is a character that is unique to anime.

-She has a tremendous voice match, and I thought Chisato existed completely.

Asaura　:When I first heard the voice (of the voice actor), I thought Oh! When I saw the video of Chisato with her voice, I said to Mr. Adachi (director), 「That’s amazing」, and he said he decided on her the moment he heard the voice of the voice actress (laugh).

-Takina is a classic character , but she was cute.

Asaura　:She is in contrast to 「Chisato」, but even if Chisato’s character had been fixed first, I would have put a character like 「Takina」 next to Chisato. I think the two of them are in a good balance because if they are both bright and active, they would be busy.

An unexpected reason why a café was the setting for Lycoris Recoil

-I think the main character’s fighting style is also distinctive, but did that also change after the director started working on the production?

Asaura　:It’s not so much about Mr. Adachi, but rather in the pursuit of what I could make interesting for the terrestrial broadcasting of the anime, I settled on the current style of her fighting style.

In terms of changes in animation since 「Mr. Adachi」 joined the production team, I think that gun action is a genre where the effort is not worth it, and it is hard to get rewarded for your efforts. It takes a lot of investigation and there are only a limited number of people who can draw well, and the more serious the drawings are, the more subdued the animation becomes.

But Director Adachi is someone who started out in the industry as an animator, so he is always thinking about how to make the drawings look good. I think that the current style of fighting with Chisa came about because a normal gunfight would be lonely from a drawing standpoint.

Click on the image to go to youtube　↓

-Why did you choose a Japanese-style café as the setting for your story?

Asaura　:I don’t know at what stage I decided to use a café as the setting for the story… I think it was also decided around the time 「Mr. Adachi」 joined the project as a director. The place I often talked about in meetings with my editor was cafes, especially around Kinshicho, Ryogoku, and Kameido, where the anime takes place, where there are many cafes with a Japanese motif. If you go as far as Asakusa, you get the retro-modern or Taisho-modern feel.

So, the prototype for the story of the café where 「Chisato」 and her friends are located was created during the meetings for the anime in those places (laugh).

The reason why we advertised the anime as if it was a daily life work in a café until the middle of the anime was because we were discussing with the staff that it would be a bit different to force a gun action story on the viewers from the beginning. We felt that this would sift out people who were not interested in the genre, and that there was no need to go to the trouble of alienating them from the beginning. As you can see in the anime, even if there is no gun action, you can enjoy the daily life of Chisato and her friends, their stories, and their way of life. But I never thought I would hide so much of the content from the audience (laugh).

Click on the image to go to youtube　↓

-I guess that means it is a screening surprise for episodes 1 to 3.

Asaura　:That’s scary! That’s where everyone will see it for the first time and learn about it (laugh).

About Mr. Adachi, the director of Lycoris Recoil

-As a matter of fact, many people seemed to think that it would not be a normal café work or daily life work. How was it working with Director Adachi?

Asaura　:Mr. Adachi is a person who follows the mindset of wanting to create something good as animation video from the beginning to the end. When the animation video was completed, it was a workmanship that made me think 「I see!」I knew from the beginning that if I were to write a serious gun work, it would be dark, so Mr. Adachi made it pop, and I think it turned out to be a very fun animation to watch.

-Does 「Mr. Asaura」 like the kind of chemistry where various people share their opinions and the setting is decided?

Asaura　:Since I am usually a novelist who writes works alone, I have stronger memories of the fun I have when I work with a group of people, even though it is hard work. I once worked on a scenario for a game called 「AKIBA’S TRIP」, and I have memories of that time, too, which was tough but fun.

-I understood that both the action and daily life drawings were done with great care, so I thought it was a terrific anime.

Asaura　:It seems that animators who were familiar with gun action were also involved in this animation, and there were angles that could only be drawn by people who knew what they were doing, even if it was just a momentary still image. Also, Mr. Adachi was in charge of storyboarding and directing the OP animation, which was also wonderful !

One scene at the end between Takina and Chisato that I want you to pay attention to is a scene where the relationship between the two is expressed in just one cut, and the movements are so detailed that I really like it. I’m sure that scene will attract more fans!

-What do you think is the highlight of the early part of the anime?

Asaura　:I would still like viewers to see Chisato’s characterization, her movements, and everything about her. She is a character that can only be expressed in anime, and she is a mass of charm. Also, you can see Mr. Adachi’s careful work in the little scenes. They are not important scenes in the story, but they are made better by the inclusion of small movements and facial expressions. The director and staff have paid attention to every detail in the animation, so I hope fans will pay attention to that as well.

「Lycoris Recoil」Asaura ‘s last interview message to fans

-Finally, do you have a message for the fans who are looking forward to the broadcast?

Asaura　:Lycoris Recoil airs in the middle of the night, but I hope that viewers can relax and watch it with a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. I am sure that the content of the show will help you relax and unwind from the fatigue of everyday life.