Bocchi the Rock! Main Staff Interviews – Series Director Keiichiro Saito, Character Designer Kerorira, Animation Producer Shouta Umehara

Bocchi the Rock! Main Staff Interviews – Series Director Keiichiro Saito, Character Designer Kerorira, Animation Producer Shouta Umehara

Today we’re bringing you a series of interview translations featuring Bocchi the Rock’s core staff members, talking at length about the appeal they saw in the series, and the drive behind an adaptation that is as inventive as it is technically impressive.


Series Directоr: Keiichiro Saito

Interview originally published on volume 12 of Purizm, available for purchase here and through digital retailers, after the broadcast of a couple of episodes of Bocchi the Rock!. Translated by bitmap.


Were you familiar with the original Bocchi the Rock! manga before you became involved with the anime?

Saito: No, I wasn’t. Kerorira, the character designer, was a big fan of the manga to begin with. When the animation project was proposed, Kerorira was the one who suggested my name as a director he’d like to work with. It was after (Shouta) Umehara, the animation producer, reached out to me with the offer that I first had a chance to read the manga.

—What were your thoughts upon first reading the original manga?

Saito: Before I read it, I had figured that it would be a cozy slice-of-life revolving around a band. However, by the time I’d read up to what would be the end of volume 1, my impression of it had changed, and I found it to be a smart work in many ways. It succeeds at both humor as a slice-of-life comedy and depicting its characters as a coming-of-age drama.

Are there any other aspects that you found drew your attention?

Saito: What left an impression on me was how sharp its jokes were overall. It’s a work that I’d place in the cute girls genre, but you see Hitori’s face constantly deform to the point where you wonder if it’s okay to go so far (laughs). Also, I personally really like that the characters aren’t overly reliant on each other in their relationships. Usually in works starring girls of that age, there are lots of scenes where they’re very intimate, or where they go off and enjoy the latest trends as a group. But the characters here aren’t really seen doing that, and it feels like they respect each other’s individuality and personal space. I’m also not great at dealing with people, so I’m more comfortable seeing relationships like these that have a good sense of distance. That’s another part of what makes this manga so special.

Are there any specific details you paid attention to in translating the characters’ dialogue or movements from the original manga into animation?

Saito: In terms of dialogue, we made sure that Hitori doesn’t communicate too well with the other characters. The fundamental structure has the plot progressing as Hitori idles about. So there are many instances where in the middle of a normal conversation, Hitori suddenly ends up in her own world, and in the meantime, the other characters continue to hold said conversation on their own. I imagine that (Erika) Yoshida, who has to integrate such exchanges and cutaways as the screenwriter, must have found it challenging. I also paid close attention to how lines should be inserted and how scenes should be cut from the storyboarding stage. For example, showing Hitori’s thoughts on screen and figuring out whether an ongoing conversation is meant to be processed by the viewer, or whether it’s just background noise that doesn’t need to be heard. Considerations like that were one of the more difficult parts of producing this anime.

—What did you pay attention to in expressing the characters’ movements?

Saito: I originally started out as an animator, so I love thinking about how people and objects move. That’s why we produced the anime while constantly giving attention to how we could further develop the characters through their posing and acting. In other words, for a scene where Hitori is moving in an eccentric manner, how can we make it funnier and bring out more of her personality? As an example, there’s a scene after their first live performance where Hitori creeps up closer to the others. Seeing that scene in the manga, I spent a lot of time thinking about how it could be made funny in animated form. Also, for the performance scenes, we use footage of real-life actors performing as the base for the animation. We asked the actors to keep in mind characterization as well as the performance itself as they played.

—In episode 1, there’s a club venue performance scene with the three characters. How did the actors express the characters for that scene?

Saito: I thought Hitori wouldn’t really make large, active movements while performing as Kessoku Band, so we had the actor temper their gestures, with fairly subdued posture and motions, to give the impression of not being used to performing. Ryo is like Hitori in that she’s normally pretty quiet, but I got the impression that when she performs, she would go surprisingly all-out playing the bass. So for the recording, we had the actor play with a lot of enthusiasm. As a drummer, Nijika proved difficult to characterize through her playing. But as old friends with Ryo, we added gestures to show things like having the two of them silently converse mid-performance and place emphasis on their eye contact. The performance scenes are an especially important part of the translation into anime, so we consulted the manga staff and deliberated on how we should depict them as production proceeded. I hope people take the time to look back at the performance in episode 1, and pay attention to the performances to come.

—In the beginning especially, Hitori is at the heart of what drives Bocchi’s story. Could you tell us about any specific considerations you took in depicting her?

Saito: One of her biggest charms is how she’s a little weird and different from everyone else. Throughout the entire story, there are times when this is really in highlight, and we try our best to really show off that side of hers. But we also made sure not to come off too strong, and end up making those watching feel bad. So people who are poor communicators don’t wince (laughs). One thing about Hitori is that she also possesses extraordinary skills, so we tried to depict both her positive and negative traits as a character in a memorable way. We strove to make you laugh when she does something weird, but also make her especially captivating when she shows off her cool side from time to time.

—Was there anything you personally paid attention to when depicting conversations between characters?

Saito: This is a continuation of what I was just saying, but when Hitori goes off and behaves strangely, I try to use the others’ reactions so it doesn’t come off as too pathetic. That usually means a mature response that’s deadpan in a good way, and at times lending her a hand.

—The manga is full of varied facial expressions, especially for Hitori. What did you focus on in that respect in producing the anime?

Saito: The faces in the manga are fun, and for the most part, we took care to preserve that fun and show it off the best we could. I personally think that girls who are flawlessly beautiful aren’t as cute as girls who are a little mysterious or sometimes make weird faces. In order to demonstrate that appeal to everyone else, I took care to depict how cute Hitori is when she makes weird faces. However, for scenes where her face really deforms, we prioritize humor over cuteness.

—The anime adds original scenes that fill the space between the 4-panel strips of the manga, as well as interpreting and directing scenes in a way unique to anime. Did this require any special attention or cause any trouble?

Saito: The manga is already very fun on its own, so at first, we had (Erika) Yoshida, who was in charge of series composition, focus on filling in the gaps between panels in a way that was logical and realistic. But as we progressed in writing the script, we came to realize that realism was not the only way to express the charms of the work. So in order to depict the energy of its comedic scenes and express the emotions of adolescent drama, we use methods and approaches exclusive to animation, as well as adding supplementary gags for connecting scenes with help from the manga staff. Also, since the anime is being produced as a TV series, we wanted each episode to have a clear focus and throughline. So we pay attention to how each episode flows into the opening and the ending, and that it ends on a satisfying note.

—It feels like the portrayal of audio plays an important part in adapting a manga about a musical band to anime. For Bocchi, what did you pay attention to regarding the audio, especially the performance scenes?

Saito: It wasn’t me but rather Aniplex’s music team with the discerning tastes regarding audio, and it was my job to take that and utilize it for the production. As we moved forward with making the anime, I would consult them on what sounds you’d hear in real life during a particular scene. If realism would give it more impact, we would recreate those real-life sounds as-is. But when the real-life sounds would instead serve as unwanted noise in a dramatic sense, I made the deliberate decision to hold back. I was constantly thinking about what sounds would best serve the anime as we moved onward.

—With episode 2 now having aired, are there any scenes that you found particularly memorable, troublesome, or that you’re particularly fond of?

Saito: That would have to be the performance scenes. In producing a title like this, how we treat the live performances ends up being extremely important, and it took quite a bit of time before we finalized them. On top of using methods that I had proposed for the live performance scene in episode 1, (Yuki) Ito, the animator in charge of the performances, paid great attention to a number of details. This attention and careful consideration ended up reflected in the footage, so when I saw the completed live performance in episode 1, I was personally very impressed and found myself wowed by it.

—Thank you very much. How about episode 2?

Saito: Episode 2’s episode director is (Yoshiyuki) Fujiwara, a seasoned slice-of-life anime veteran, and I learned a lot on how to show characters in their best light. I was the one who storyboarded the episode, but when I saw the completed episode, Nijika showed a lot more subtle reactions compared to the storyboards, and in general, the characters were very lively. I think it ended up being really cute.

—For episodes 3 onward that have not aired yet, are there any standout scenes that we should be on the lookout for?

Saito: All of the episode directors come up with all sorts of ideas, and I do my best to accept as many as I can. And then there are times when I’m the one proposing off-the-wall ideas, and we’re thinking of ways every day as a production team to make the anime as fun as it can be. As a result of this process, Bocchi is full of art and direction you might not see very much in other anime. I hope you keep an eye out for that as you keep watching.

—Finally, if you could leave us with a message for all of the viewers out there.

Saito: I have the privilege of getting my hands on such an enjoyable manga, and creating such a lovely anime in a friendly environment. Everyone working on the production is very talented, and I’m confident that we’re making something that a lot of people will enjoy. I hope you enjoy the Bocchi the Rock! anime until the very end. Thank you very much.


Character Designer And Chief Animatiоn Director: Kerorira

—I hear you were originally a fan of the Bocchi the Rock! manga.

Kerorira: That’s right. I read the original manga around the time that volume 1 came out. From its characters, the cute art style, the overall atmosphere, and its sense of comedy, I found it to be a work that aligned closely with my tastes in many ways.

—How did you come to be involved with the anime?

Kerorira: Ever since I first read the manga, I knew I’d want to be involved if it ever became an anime. So I went around asking producers if they’d heard anything about it getting an anime adaptation (laughs). When I asked producer (Shouta) Umehara about this, he asked his superior on the spot about a potential project, and it just so happens at the time that the project proposal had come in. So I asked if I could be involved, and later I drew pictures of the characters, had them take a look, etc. And that’s how I ended up becoming the character designer for the project.

—What were your thoughts when you read the Bocchi the Rock! manga?

Kerorira: When I read volume 1, I saw Hitori Goto as being an especially captivating character, even compared to other (Manga Time) Kirara manga. She had lots of negative traits, such as not wanting to attend school and being a poor communicator. And although there had been characters like this before in other Kirara manga, I thought it was unexpected and interesting to have the protagonist, the driving element of the work, be such an acute loner. It drew me in seeing a girl like that begin to interact with and form bonds with those around her, though you wouldn’t call them incredibly close friends. I also personally really like the story. It’s not just about spending their days having fun. There are goals in the narrative, such as aiming to perform at a future concert, and seeing all of them work towards that is one of my favorite parts.

—How do you feel about Aki Hamaji’s drawings and designs?

Kerorira: I like her art style and how clear and simplified it is. Nijika’s hair embodies this, with how extremely anime it is. All the characters have palettes and attires that are very distinct from one another, and I really like how visually striking everything is overall.

—Incidentally, do you have any favorite scenes?

Kerorira: The one I remember best is the chapter where they hold an after-concert celebration at a tavern. There’s a part where Nijika and Hitori have a conversation outside, and the conversation from that scene is what has stayed with me. It’s full of the emotional elements present in the manga, and personally, I think the fundamental themes of Bocchi the Rock! can be found in that conversation. As for comedic scenes, I love the scene where she takes an ice bath to try and catch a cold so she doesn’t have to go to her part-time job. It’s both funny and sad in a memorable way just how desperate she is to avoid going to work. That was the scene that I personally began to realize how unhinged Hitori was as a character.

Kerorira, as you might imagine, called dibs on his personal scenes and animated them himself.

—For the anime’s character designs, what kind of requirements did you get from the director and producers? In addition, did Aki Hamaji, as the original creator, say anything to you about them?

Kerorira: At first, I had vaguely considered making the designs relatively heavy on line count, with lots of fine detail. However, the director told me that he was aiming for designs with fewer lines. Those directions became the basic guidelines for the character designs, and the current designs are a much cleaner art style than when I first began. Aki Hamaji didn’t request large changes, but I received corrections for things like minor highlights and subtle differences in accessory designs. Overall, I had a lot of freedom to do as I pleased.

—Did the designs end up with fewer lines in consideration of ease of animation?

Kerorira: For comedy scenes with slapstick portrayals especially, you need a lot of movement or else half of the humor is lost. I’m a big fan of characters in frenetic motion for comical segments. To make an anime that does this, you need to take animation into consideration to an extent in your designs, or else it leads to challenges during the production.

—Thank you. Outside of requirements from the director and other staff members, are there any aspects overall that you kept in mind for Bocchi’s character designs?

Kerorira: The manga’s art style slowly changes over time over its serialization, so the first consideration was which period to use as the basis for creating the anime’s designs. At the time, the serialization was at around the back half of volume 2 up to the beginning of volume 3, and with the time that had passed since serialization began, the art had settled and reached a stage of maturity. I took care to try and match the subtleties of the art using that period as my standard, from how the characters were drawn to how they were simplified. Also, I made sure the designs weren’t too 3D, and felt uncanny in their depiction. The easiest example is probably the hair. Nijika’s antenna, for example, is a simple triangle, and Hitori’s tied-up hair isn’t actually connected. I wanted to depict anime-like designs that aren’t possible in reality. I felt it was more important to create character designs that look appealing at first sight than those that conform to reality.

—Next, for the 4 members of Kessoku Band, could you go over each character’s design concept, features, or any obstacles you encountered during production?

Kerorira: In the manga, Hitori’s face is constantly covered in shadow, and she’s always drawn with vertical lines going down her face. However, if we gave her face a similar visual effect the whole time in the anime, it would end up being too much. So in the anime, her eyebrows are slightly furrowed, and we depict her in a slightly subdued manner compared to the manga. In exchange, we compensate for that restraint using facial expressions and scene-based cues to evoke a cartoon-like feel. Hitori gets a lot of slapstick scenes where her face melts, but she has a limited repertoire of basic expressions, and always looks distressed. She’s not the type to display much emotion when she’s happy or sad, so showing her emotions was difficult compared to Kita-chan and Nijika. I tried to not make her posture super snappy, either. I made her basically constantly hunched over, making sure to let Hitori’s character shine through at a glance.

—Next, if you could tell us about the other characters.

Kerorira: Personality-wise, Nijika is similar to Kita-chan in her energy and how she’s portrayed, so distinguishing the two proved difficult, and people often approached me during production about how the two should be drawn differently. They may seem alike at first, but Kita-chan is even more outgoing than Nijika, and Nijika is more of a leader than Kita-chan. Nijika, as the one who drives the others along, is drawn to look a little more adult. With Kita-chan you emphasize her cheerful and child-like nature, and she’s got a slightly bubbly feel to her. Even her smile, compared to Nijika’s, is made to come off as more immature. I feel like we did a good job differentiating between Nijika and Kita-chan.

—So the differences between the two are important. How about Ryo?

Kerorira: She’s a completely different type from the other 3, a girl who marches to the beat of her own drum. She’s also somewhat tall, her face is slightly different from the others’, and overall she’s on the cooler side. Her facial expression doesn’t change much, and although there are scenes where she gets fired up, on the whole she’s consistent in not letting her emotions show in her movements and is always remaining unperturbed.

—Ryo may not be very expressive, but she displays her emotions often. Did depicting that give you trouble?

Kerorira: She doesn’t show much emotion on her face, but she’s a fairly mischievous character, so for those scenes, I gave instructions to the animators not to ruin her image. I decided to have Ryo change expressions while staying in character by adjusting the way in which parts like the details around her eyes are drawn.

—As chief animation director, are there specific points regarding the animation that you paid attention to?

Kerorira: I’m also responsible for some of the key animation for this anime. In episode 1, I worked on the scene at the start where Hitori plays guitar in her closet and after the opening where she’s staring at her laptop screen, the scene where at the club venue she’s inside the trash can saying she doesn’t want to play, the final scene, and more. For the scenes where I draw the key animation, my intent is to show the platonic ideal for the Bocchi the Rock! anime, so that the staff animators can easily understand along which lines they should be drawing. With my drawings as the standard, it becomes easier for the staff to visualize things when they have trouble in areas like drawing comedic faces or trying to simplify forms. My role is to guide the way with my drawings as a model case. This is probably a slightly different process than what an ordinary chief animation director would do. But instead of achieving unity across the board by making a large number of corrections afterward, if everyone uses me as a standard to create drawings that properly feel like Bocchi the Rock!, they can show off their individuality, and the animation becomes more varied and expressive. I thought that would be for the best and decided to approach production in this manner.

—So it’s a system in which you set the standards for the work, while giving the animators the freedom to draw as they wish.

Kerorira: I wanted the on-screen results to take full advantage of what the animators wanted to do, as long as it makes sense for the anime, so much of the individual animators’ personality shines through in the end. And so, there may be episodes that have a slightly different feel from the others, but in turn, you’ll see the characters are richly animated. I think it’s good for each episode to be distinctive in its own way. I’ve drawn some key animation for every episode, and the subtleties of my own art are in every one of them. So I think we’ve managed to showcase everyone’s quirks and individuality, while at the same time retaining the quality and cohesion of the work as a whole.

—You also created all the promotional character images that were revealed prior to the broadcast. Please tell us what you paid attention to for those designs.

Kerorira: I had received vague instructions on what kind of images we were looking for to an extent, and the backgrounds were made by art director (Yasunao) Moriyasu, but I was the one who came up with the themes and concepts for the character promo images after much thought. For these, I gave special attention to the palette and use of light for each image, trying to evoke the feel of each character through the overall tone.

—Please tell us about the emphasis or focus for each character.

Kerorira: Hitori gets the first promo image revealed for the anime, which is dark and lonely. But actually, it was even darker at first, and Umehara told me that I should make it a little more inviting (laughs). By shining light on a part of the tatami mat out in front, it creates a contrast between light and dark that feels very Hitori-like and gives the drawing some brightness. Ryo gets the coin laundromat to showcase her cool image and good looks. Kita-chan gets a bright background with the blue sky that’s cleared up. Nijika gets a touch of green, and the waves in the background help evoke a sentimental feeling.

—Finally, if you could leave a message for all of the fans.

Kerorira: Bocchi the Rock! uses the medium of anime to deliver a wide variety of presentations and performances, and I think there’s plenty to find interesting on both a visual and conceptual level. As a creator, I hope you will pay attention to these aspects as you watch and enjoy the show.


Animation Producer: Shouta Umehara

—To begin, what does your role as the animation producer for Bocchi the Rock! entail?

Umehara: It involves a lot of different work, but an especially important role was reaching out to and planning out the production’s staff members. This project began with Kerorira signing on, so my first thought was, “Who can we ask to direct?” Then, once it was decided that the director would be (Keiichiro) Saito, “In that case, for the assistant series director…” And so, my job is to propose ideas for staff members, keeping their compatibility and schedule in mind, and then contact them.

—Could you tell us approximately when the anime project began? Also, if you could tell us when you joined as Bocchi the Rock!’s animation producer.

Umehara: I don’t know myself when the project truly began, but in the spring of 2019, I joined Kerorira on a visit to an illustrator’s solo exhibition. As we discussed our favorite anime and manga, Kerorira mentioned that he liked Bocchi the Rock!, and would love to be a part of a potential anime adaptation. So I called up (Yuichi) Fukushima, who was my senior at CloverWorks, to ask about Bocchi the Rock! right then and there. He told me that Aniplex had just happened to approach them, to which I asked him to please continue talks on the matter. That was the timing with which I became involved. Looking back, it really was by chance that Kerorira happened to bring up Bocchi the Rock!, and that a project offer had happened to come. That was how it began, and for the next 3 years, I’ve been involved with the production ever since.

—Could you tell us how you came to decide on and extend an offer to the members of the production staff?

Umehara: I asked Kerorira who we should have as the series director, and discussed it with him while looking over past works, and the first person we ended up asking was Saito. I had known Saito ever since his debut as an episode director on The iDOLM@STER SideM, so I had faith in his technical skills, and thought that if Kerorira wanted to work with him, there could be no better combination. After sending him an initial message asking if he was interested in directing, Saito, Kerorira, and I had a meal together where we discussed the offer in detail. A few days later, Saito gave his okay and he officially signed on as the director.

—How about the other staff members?

Umehara: As for the series composer, (Erika) Yoshida, I was having trouble figuring out who to reach out to, since I didn’t really have many screenwriter contacts to begin with. A colleague from Aniplex had previously worked together with Yoshida on the anime Love Me, Love Me Not at A-1 Pictures, and they referred her to me. I received copies of her past screenplays and showed them to Saito, who thought they were great, and so I contacted her and she accepted.

—Please tell us your thoughts on reading the Bocchi the Rock! manga, or any aspects you took into account for the anime production.

Umehara: I read the manga when I joined the anime production, but by trade, I always end up thinking about how to turn a work into an anime as a producer, rather than whether it’s simply fun or boring. On my first read, when I saw it was a slice-of-life 4-panel manga with musical instruments, K-On! came to mind. I knew viewers would inevitably compare the two, and I remember wondering how we should tackle the manner. I’m not an active slice-of-life 4-panel manga reader, so instead of imposing my own impressions and opinions, I asked Kerorira what aspects he enjoyed. I learned what aspects the fans took to and what they would want to see, and tried to leverage that for the anime production.

—Can you tell us about the deciding factors for the casting for the anime, centered on the 4 members of Kessoku Band?

Umehara: For the casting, we had the help of the original author, Aki Hamaji, so it was the anime staff and her who made the decisions. When opinions among the staff were divided and we were unsure how to proceed, there were times when it came down to whether something just happened to click with Hamaji. For Hitori and Ryo in particular, we had a hard time figuring out who to go with, and it was her who really saved the day. For the role of Hitori, we held auditions where they read funny lines from the manga, and I remember that (Yoshino) Aoyama’s delivery made Hamaji laugh. Perhaps that was why Hamaji ended up endorsing Aoyama. As for Ryo, until the end, we had many different ways to approach her character, and the production staff couldn’t decide which Ryo they liked. We ended up going with (Saku) Mizuno, who Hamaji felt was closest to how she had envisioned Ryo.

—How about Nijika and Ikuyo’s casting?

Umehara: This applies from a design perspective as well, but everyone including myself made sure to consider Nijika and Kita in tandem. They needed to strike a balance, so that they didn’t overlap too much in delivery and mannerisms, and we could differentiate the two. Both of them are cheerful and outgoing, so there were many at the auditions that had similar voices and approaches to the characters. So keeping that balance in mind, we went with (Sayumi) Suzushiro for Nijika, whose natural and upbeat take fit perfectly. What’s more, Suzushiro herself has a very Nijika-like feel to her. This goes for Aoyama in the role of Hitori as well, but for Bocchi, it really feels like we ended up with a cast that feels just like their characters. And Suzushiro in particular really is very much like Nijika. As for Kita, we kept in mind her balance with Nijika, and since she’s the vocalist of the band, we also judged them on their singing ability. I remember we listened to those songs enough to drive us crazy that day (laughs). We ended up offering the role to (Ikumi) Hasegawa, whose line readings were perfectly Kita-chan as well as being an excellent singer.

—You mentioned that Aki Hamaji helped decide on the casting. On the manga side, was there anything that she or Houbunsha insisted on for the anime?

Umehara: This is less a one-sided request and more a mutual understanding we established, but we agreed on guidelines such as avoiding disparaging portrayals, not perpetuating harmful stereotypes about groups such as extroverts or introverts, and not making anyone out to be villains. Also, this concerns Aniplex’s music team more so than us, but the biggest issue was whether the musical direction that Hamaji had envisioned for Bocchi the Rock! and Kessoku Band could be carried out. That’s one area in which Aniplex really gave it their all. Over on our end, there were no real major demands or restrictions from the manga side. In fact, more often than not, they were the ones helping us out when we had questions about the setting or small details. Houbunsha was extremely quick to respond to our questions, and they were a great boon to the production staff.

—Are there any particular individuals and their contributions to the production that you feel merit special recognition?

Umehara: As for core staff members, I hope people take notice of the work done by Kerorira and Saito. In your average project, you would probably expect someone in such a position to draw less than 100 cuts of key animation, but Kerorira’s in charge of somewhere between 500 and 600 cuts as a key animator, an incredible amount. Saito as well did the storyboard for 4 episodes, and serves as an episode director for 2 episodes, which is a startling amount of work as well. With so much work on their plates, combined with the pressure that comes with main staff roles, it must be quite difficult and trying for them. And yet they seem to be enjoying themselves greatly in their work. It’s been apparent as I worked alongside them during the production, and I’m sure it will come through in the finished product. It also seems like the two of them are quite confident in the quality of the anime. That’s not to say that they rate themselves too highly. They started with an incredibly entertaining original manga, had an incredibly fun time on the production, and that’s what resulted in the confidence that they can deliver an incredibly well-made anime.

—I can’t wait to see what’s in store. How about other staff members?

Umehara: Also noteworthy is the episode director for episode 2, (Yoshiyuki) Fujiwara, a seasoned veteran of slice-of-life anime who directed New Game!, Engaged to the Unidentified, and GJ Club. He normally takes on work as chief director, so he’s not the kind of person you’d normally ask to do episode direction. Yet we managed to get help from a big name like him, and as episode director for an anime right in his wheelhouse at that. So I definitely hope people take note of Fujiwara’s directing in episode 2.

—Incidentally, are there any scenes you recommend from the anime as a whole?

Umehara: As a show about music, I’d have to recommend Kessoku Band’s performance scenes. I said it before, but K-ON! has set an exceptional precedent in terms of Kirara anime adaptations about music, and there are many other shows with outstanding musical performances. But I believe that we’ve made an anime whose quality can measure up to them all. We took great efforts, paid close attention to the characters’ movements, and used equipment such as motion capture and virtual cameras to endeavor to create live performances unlike what’s come before. Those endeavors included, I think you’re in for some incredible performance scenes in the future, so please look forward to them.

—From what I hear, I get the impression that for this production all of the staff are challenging themselves to come up with different ideas and make the anime interesting.

Umehara: I’m actually the type who prefers to take the safer route, so I’m often the one who has to tell Saito and the other staff members, “Are you really going to do that?” A lot of the time, their passion wins out in the end as we talk things out, and I give my approval with a “Well, if you really insist” (laughs). However, that spirit is a part of what makes such an enjoyable production environment, and I think works with that sort of passion are what make them great.

—Finally, if you could leave a message for all of the fans.

Umehara: Before I joined CloverWorks, I worked at a studio called DogaKobo, and had the honor of working on many shows considered to be slice-of-life masterpieces. With that in mind, I believe Bocchi the Rock! is a show that’s every bit as entertaining as all of those anime. We on the staff are creating the show with the intent of reaching the pinnacle of slice-of-life anime, and I’m sure that this shows in the product on-screen. I hope you enjoy watching it.


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Michael
Michael
1 year ago

Love when y’all post translations.

Seyi ogundana
Seyi ogundana
1 year ago

Excellent, loved this article

amin
amin
1 year ago

Im an animator and I really like your article it really helped me, thanks for sharing.

Mike
Mike
1 year ago

Great read, thank you for the translations!

Pão de Queijo
Pão de Queijo
1 year ago

It looks like Kerorira carried this anime, we must really be grateful to this guy. Sadly the aniplex musical team was a completly separated entity because their job is outsdanding and I would like to hear more from them.

Reinhard
Reinhard
1 year ago

which is a startling amount of work as well. With so much work on their plates, combined with the pressure that comes with main staff roles, it must be quite difficult and trying for them. And yet they seem to be enjoying themselves greatly in their work.”

I despise it when producers make claims like this that glorify this level of overwork as something to take pride in when in reality it allows big corpos to take advantage of their artistic innocence