Interview with Mob Psycho 100 ＯＮＥ & Director Yuzuru Tachikawa

スポンサーリンク

Interview Mob Psycho 100 ＯＮＥ ＆ Yuzuru Tachikawa

Mob Psycho 100 is serialized in Shogakukan’s Manga app Manga One and Ura Sunday. The story is a “psychic coming-of-age graffiti” featuring Shigeo Kageyama, an Esper boy mob who is usually unobtrusive and clumsy, but possesses powerful powers. commemoration of the anime’s broadcast, Comic Natalie has set up a conversation between ONE, the author of the original work, and Yuzuru Tachikawa, the director of the anime. We asked them about what they consider important in drawing the work, their impressions of the voice actors who play the characters, and expressions unique to anime.

Citation コミックナタリー

ONE ‘s impression of the anime Mob Psycho 100

When the teaser PV of the 「Mob Psycho 100」 anime was released, I saw many comments from fans of the original work saying that “the pictures of the original work are moving as they are” and “the atmosphere of the original work is not destroyed. What did you think when you saw the moving images yourself?

ONE　I thought it was full of vitality even though it was my drawing. I wondered if this is how I should draw. (laugh)

Yuzuru Tachikawa:Ha ha ha (laugh).

ONE: I had the impression that I had found my ideal drawing style for on the contrary when it was made into an animation. I thought the angles were wonderful, and I felt like it was an upgraded version of the original work.

Did you feel a positive response to the fans’ reactions?

Tachikawa: When adapting a manga into animation, the most worrisome thing is how much of the atmosphere of the original work to be incorporated into the animation. When I first received the proposal for 「Mob Psycho 100,」 there was some talk about making the mobs a little more handsome, or even making them a little slender, to shift them to the tastes of the animation industry today.

ONE: I was originally worried about my art style, so when the decision was made to make an anime, I kept wondering if I would be okay with my style (……). So when I was given the idea of making the mob a little more handsome and stylish for the anime adaptation, I thought that, surprisingly, it might be more acceptable to the audience.

Tachikawa: But I thought it would be wrong to do that for “Mob Psycho 100. The unique feeling like atmosphere I had when I first read the original work had to be somehow incorporated into the work as it was. That is why I was very happy with the reaction of the fans when the teaser PV was released. I frankly felt that it was a good thing that I had drawn it as it was.

ONE production people kept pushing forward with the same design as the original, and thanks to that, it ended up being very good, so I am thinking that I am glad that now

For example, a story about two handsome guys, designed to appeal to girls too, and focusing on the buddy relationship between a mob and a reigen. Was there a possibility that it could have been that kind of work?

Tachikawa: From an animation production point of view, it is easier to draw that much shaken off because it can be symbolized. The hair should be silky and shiny, with lots of highlights to give the character a sparkling atmosphere. I think there are many animators who are better at that kind of pictorial pattern, but all of the participating staff members like ONE’s pictorial pattern very much. So, in order to pursue the flavor of ONE’s picture to draw, we decided to use the original pattern as a made use of design.

ONE Mob is a character with the characteristics of dull and unattractive, so the story would have been different if it became a what if handsome character.

I had a little trouble with the animated version of Mob Psycho 100 (Yuzuru Tachikawa)

In the first place, how did you feel when the anime adaptation was decided?

ONE: I was surprised. The first time I heard about the anime was an e-mail from the editor-in-chief saying that 「Mob Psycho 100」 was going to be made into an anime, but I was busy working on the manuscript just then, so I just replied “Thank you. The moment the night was over, I thought, 「Huh? 」I suddenly remembered, “Oh, by the way, I got an e-mail yesterday about an anime adaptation.

Tachikawa: Haha (laugh).　After I cooled down, Huh? (laugh).

ONE I was anxious that I had to confirm it properly with a live voice, so I immediately called the company to confirm it (laugh). I couldn’t believe it at first. My surprise grew and grew. When I opened the door, I found that the production company had put a lot of effort into the work, so I was very happy that they were able to animate it in a gratifying environment.

Tachikawa: When the project to make an animation was decided, I read up to about volume 6 of the book for the first time, but……. First of all, I was a bit worried (laugh).

ONE Hehehe… (laugh).

Tachikawa: I wondered how it would be right to visualize it. I couldn’t speedily come up with an image of what it would look like in an animated version. everyoneI don’t think it’s a work that you can imagine, saying, “This is what it would look like in an animated version. But that’s why I was interested in the idea that I could challenge various things to create an interesting work while worrying about it myself.

Mob Psycho 100 ” is a work with deep nostalgia (Yuzuru Tachikawa)

─ What were the particular areas you focused on when you tried directing Mob Psycho 100 ?

Tachikawa: As I talked to you a bit earlier, in terms of the visuals, I really want to cherish the indescribable atmosphere-like feeling of the original work that I felt when I first read it, and I also like ONE’s unique panel layout and how to insert a picture, so I tried to create the same atmosphere in the anime as I did in the original work, even though the expression is a little different from the original. I also try to find ways to express the memorable frames in the original work in the animation, and I also challenge myself to make new attempts.

It’s a very Roughly way of saying,but it’s a work that seems to be easy to work on new expressions like that.

Tachikawa: That’s right. I think it is a work with deep nostalgia. From the side of expression, it is lots of fun.

ONE: I only told everyone on the staff that it would be “if possible to draw the main character as in the original work. For me, it would be more appreciated if you could do whatever you wanted rather than being bound by the original work. For example, in the fight scene between Mob and Teru, parts that were cut out or simplified in the manga are joined by original staging in the anime, which is very interesting. I myself look forward to it every time.

The gag scene in Mob Psycho 100 made me laugh quite a bit. (ONE)

I think that the fast pace of the gags is one of the charms of the original manga, but I feel that it will be difficult to incorporate such aspects into the anime.

Tachikawa: It is difficult. I cherish the tempo of conversations and the way of pauses, especially during gag scenes. But I think those parts are also a matter of personal taste, so I have to wait for the audience’s reaction to know about this. But listening to the actors’ performance, I feel that everyone will laugh.

ONE I observed the first Dubbing of episode and I laughed a lot during the gag scene. In fact, I laughed more when I put my voice in (laugh). Takahiro Sakurai’s performance was also about trying to make the audience laugh, and it was very funny.

Tachikawa: The seasoning of the cast is also good. I personally like the surrealistic laugh scenes, and I hope they will make fans laugh as well.

─ How did you feel when you actually heard the cast members’ performances?

ONE: I was shocked to see how it would look like when the pictures move and voices are added. It was a visualization of a manga that I drew, but I felt as if I was watching it for the first time. When I drew the manga, I didn’t imagine the voices of the characters at all, and for a while, I hadn’t even decided on the ages of the characters other than Mobu-kun. In the anime, those aspects are much more specific, and I think the characters have been delved into more deeply.

About the lead voice actor in Mob Psycho 100

You have many veteran and talented voice actors in the cast, such as Sakurai-san who plays Reigen and Akio Otsuka who plays Ekubo, but Setsuo Ito, who plays Mobu, is still a newbie, isn’t he? What was the deciding factor in casting him?

Tachikawa: For the main character, Mobu, I wanted a voice actor with no clear-cut color to play the role, and rather than someone who has worked energetically in the voice acting world until now, I had the image from the beginning that I wanted someone who, like Mobu, would be influenced by various people as his path unfolds. I auditioned and had a number of voice actors do the voice, but Ito’s voice was the one that best fit my image.

─We have only seen the voice of Reigen (played by Sakurai-san) in the PV, so I am excited to see what kind of voice the mob will use to speak.

Tachikawa: Well, his voice has no quirks, in a good sense of the word. The surrounding cast members are all strong characters, but I have the impression that they are doing their job without blurring the lines during postrecording. Surrounded by famous cast members such as Mr. Sakurai and Mr. Otsuka, I thought he might get nervous and stiff at first, but surprisingly he didn’t. Maybe he is a goofy guy.

ONE Felt when he was observing the post recording, he has some aspects of Mobu, doesn’t he?

Tachikawa: That’s right. I think he has a similar atmosphere to Mobu-kun. Mr. Sakurai also has a little mysterious atmosphere, so I thought that if I could make him do something Smells like a phony like Reigen, he would fit the character, and that is why I cast him.

─ I also thought “oh so come” when I heard that Mr. Otsuka would be playing the role of Ekubo.

Tachikawa: Mr. Otsuka is a voice actor I personally like terribly, but I chose him because I thought it would be have a veteran voice actor play the difficult role of Guru, and to have a voice actor with acting ability to lead everyone.

I want the work to have a sense of gentleness (ONE)

Tachikawa: When you try to create a work on the theme of supernatural powers, you tend to set up, for example, a main character who can use supernatural powers and becomes absorbed in his powers, but it is interesting that the main character mob says that “supernatural powers are not necessary at all for life. That is a characteristic of this manga and a good point. People around them want supernatural powers or try to use them for their own personal gain, but the two key players, Reigen and the mob, are “the one who has no power” and “the one who says he doesn’t need power. I don’t know how you can develop a story with this (laugh). What exactly is it that “Mr. ONE” is conscious of when creating a story?

ONE In drawing “Mob Psycho 100,” I wanted to create a work with a sense of “kindness,” and in the conception stage, I was thinking of depicting “kindness” and “human connections. The result was a manga in which the characters fight with supernatural powers, but at first I was thinking of drawing an everyday gag manga with elements of supernatural powers.

Tachikawa: Certainly, I have to say that even in the anime, I am thinking that I have to be able to feel the kindness that “ONE-san says” somewhere . I was thinking that we should keep the parts that ONEsan valued and add the parts that we can draw. By the way, the mob is not modeled after ONEsan himself, is it?

ONE Yes, it is ……, but it is not me (laugh).

Tachikawa: We have talked about this several times in the reading sessions among the staff, and ONE has a very “looks naive” or “nice person” aura about him. On the other hand, I myself have been told …… that “Mr. Tachikawa smells like a phony(Laugh.) At that time, we were talking about how “Mr. ONE” has an aura of a good person on his face. It is true that Mr. ONE does not seem to have a twisted heart, so I wondered if the model for Mob-kun might be Mr. ONE himself. ……

ONE I just play nice.

Tachikawa (laugh).

ONE I just pretend to be a nice person (laugh).Unlike me, Mobu is drawing as a “truly untrue” good guy, and he may be an ideal image for a main character. I would run away from a situation like this, but I want the main character to stand up to it, or I want the main character not to give up when I would have given up at this point. Maybe those ideals are in the mob.

They are all lovable idiots (Yuzuru Tachikawa)

Tachikawa: There are many unique characters in “Mob Psycho 100,” but for some reason, none of them are at all unlikable. Even when I was about to think, “This guy is a jerk,” in the end I couldn’t dislike them all. They are all lovable idiots, and that is a mystery.

ONE Ekubo was also a jerk when he first appeared. But I wanted a “foreign matter” who would be a partner to the mob, so I drew him as a weird character who always haunts me in the form of a human soul…. But he became more and more a nice guy.

Tachikawa: He is a nice guy (laugh).

ONE: There is a part that portrays him as “a protagonist who has a positive influence on those around him, including those things. Ekubo became a good guy as a result of his interactions with the mob. In terms of interactions between characters, for example, if there is a mob and Reigen, a mob and Ritsu, or a mob and Teru, I try to draw the relationship between them separately. For example, when this character and this character are together, they are in this atmosphere. I try to draw relationships that cannot be replaced by each other.

Yoshimichi Kameda, animation director of 「Double payback」

I see that you have credited Yoshimichi Kameda, who is also known for his work on the “Fullmetal Alchemist” anime, as the character designer for “This Time. Is Mr. Kameda also involved in the animation?

Tachikawa: Yes, he also participates as an animation director.

─ Since Mr. Kameda is involved in this project, I think many anime fans have expectations for the action scenes and other scenes with movement.

Tachikawa: With Mr.Kameda’s participation, there are many scenes where the animation changes to Mr.Kameda’s colors. The scene of Reigen in the first episode has quite a strong comical color, or rather, it adds a sharpness with intonation to the movements.

ONE The changes in facial expressions were amazing. It was a lot of fun to watch as the faces changed all the time. I thought, “Oh, Reigen does this kind of facial expression.

Tachikawa: Mr.Kameda seems to think that when I give him some instructions, he thinks, 「I have to express the drawing twice as much」. I know it’s a little late to say this, but he “doubles down” on his requests (laugh). When I want 100 points, he gives me 150 points . So, when I really want 100 points, I think it is just right to ask for something that is about 80 points (laugh).

Surprise like opening a surprise box (Yuzuru Tachikawa)

I got the impression that the teaser PV also showed Mr.Kameda’s typical expression of movement.

Tachikawa: That’s right. The teaser PV was drawn by Mr.Kameda all by himself, so that atmosphere is terribly expressed.

The music is also cool.

Tachikawa: Oh, the music for the teaser PV is different from the music for the full-length anime. The music for the feature anime was made by Kenji Kawai, and “this music” was created “exclusively for the PV. The music for the feature anime is also very cool. The scene where Reigen appears in the anime has a “phony theme song” like tune, and there is also a song with a Showa taste. I think that is also interesting because there are various genres of music, such as Wonder instrument sounds, and oriental-inspired music for the scenes where psychic powers are used.

ONE I haven’t heard the music for the main anime yet, so I’m looking forward to seeing how the music will enter the anime.

Mr.ONE, do you listen to any music when you draw manga? For example, when you draw action scenes, do you try to play music that suits the battle?

ONE: No, I listen to Spitz all the time.

(laugh).

Tachikawa: The music you listening to is also kind (laugh). It’s true that the cover of the second volume looks a bit like the jacket of Spitz.

I’m starting to get that feeling now that you mention it (laugh). Then finally, I would like to ask you both to give a message to our readers who are looking forward to the broadcast of the “Mob Psycho 100” anime.

ONE 　I’ve heard a lot of responses from people from other countries saying they’re looking forward to it.

Tachikawa: Yes, I can’t help but feel pressured to do so. (laugh). Of course we take time to show the important parts of 「Mob Psycho 100,」 but we place great importance on tempo terribly , so the story progresses so rhythmically that once you start watching it, you won’t be able to stand up to go to the bathroom. While it is a work of royal entertainment that will have you laughing and being on edge even when your mind is empty, it also pursues new expressions that are different from those in previous animations. I would be happy if you enjoy it with a surprise like when you open a surprise box.

ONE I have a feeling that you will be able to enjoy it as a fresh new entertainment that is different from the original “Mob Psycho 100,” including the “only in anime” movements, direction, and music. I will be watching it every week without fail, and I hope to enjoy it together with the readers.

Thank you for watching. See you soon!

animePage

English Page