Let's Hear Their Story
In-Depth Interview with Screenwriter Yosuke Kuroda
Animage, November 1999
(Disclaimer: This is an amateur fan translation. I'm not responsible for any typo and misinterpretation)
Introduction
"New Generation of Screenwriters". That was the impression I had even before I met him. From his work on "Pretty Sammy" and "TRIGUN", I could sense his "openness" and "straightforwardness". His values are close to those of anime fans, and his attitude is to get involved in the production process and literally hit the ground running. He was much younger than I had expected, and a new type of creator.
Interview by Yuuichiro Oguro
[Yosuke Kuroda]
Born on March 29, 1968. Born in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. Blood type O. After being expelled from Tokai University, he worked at an animation-related proofreading company. After working there for five years, he established Studio Orphee Ltd. in January 1993. His representative works in anime include "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy," "Battle Athletes," "TRIGUN," "MAICO 2010," and "Dual!". For this fall's new shows, he is participating in "Infinite Ryvius", "Excel ♡ Saga", and "Risky☆Safety" as a series composer and scriptwriter. He has written novels such as "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy," "True Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Oh Ki," "Battle Athletes: Side Story", and "Photon".
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| "Battle Athletes: Side Story" Novel |
(This interview was conducted on September 10, 199 at Nakano ward in Tokyo)
---You started your career as a magazine editor, didn't you?
Kuroda: I used to go to university, but then I stopped going (chuckles). So I thought about what to do, but I had been working part-time at an anime magazine since I was in junior high school......
---Which anime magazine?
Kuroda: It was "My Anime". One of the writers there was in a production editing service, and he asked me if I wanted to come work part-time (Note 1). I said, "I'm not busy, so I'll go," and joined the company. I was only 19 years old. At that time, I didn't watch much anime, so I just joined out of curiosity.
(1) Production editing service (in Japan) is a business that undertakes the composition, interviewing, writing, etc. for magazines and books.
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| "My Anime" magazine |
---You have not watched anime since you were a child?
Kuroda: No, not at all. I was very active as a child. I was baptized by "Space Battleship Yamato" and "Mobile Suit Gundam". I was baptized, but once I entered high school, I got a part-time job, played in a band, and rode a motorcycle, so I was away from anime for a while. Even back then, I consciously watched some anime such as "Z Gundam" and "ZZ".
(Translator's note: "ZZ" is "Mobiel Suit Gundam ZZ")
---What kind of work did you do in the production editing?
Kuroda: The first job I did was to pack the film sheets for "MADOX-01"(Note 2). I stayed up all night cutting them into little pieces. That was fun (chuckles). But we didn't have a rewinder. So I had to cut the film by turning it while it was on its side.
(2) The process of cutting the main feature film with scissors and packing it into sheets. From the sheeted film, the necessary frames are cut out. A rewinder is a machine that turns the film.
(Translator's note: "Metal Skin Panic MADOX-01" is an OVA directed by Shinji Aramaki in 1987.)
---Didn't you know what a rewinder was at that time?
Kuroda: I knew about it, but the company didn't have one. I have a memory of spending one night packing sheets and taking them to Soei Shinsha the next day. That was my first job, and it left a great impression on me.
(Translator's note: Soei Shinsha was a production planning company that produced OVA titles such as Vampire Princess Miyu, Spirit Warrior, Project A-Ko, and others. The company was ran by Naotaka Yoshida of AMG Entertainment)
---What was your impression of the editing work?
Kuroda: The company I was working for was a place where they used people who were good at what they did, but made people quit who were not. After I finished the job, I was taken to Shogakukan the next day. The next day, I was taken to Shogakukan, where I was told out of the blue, "Take care of the composition of the 'Urusei Yatsura' Mook. "I remember thinking, "What should I do? I remember thinking, "What am I going to do? The project I was assigned was an "encyclopedia". I had to write down the items, write the text, have it checked, and have it corrected. But they gave me the OK, so somehow I......
---Got the confidence.
Kuroda: I wouldn't go so far as to say confidence, but I felt like I could handle it.
---Which Mook is that?
Kuroda: "Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter".
---Was it "Sunday Graphic"?
Kuroda: Yes, that's right.
(Translator's note: : "Sunday Graphic" was a Mook series under Shogakukan's "Shonen Sunday" manga magazine.)
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| Urusei Yatsura: The Final Chapter - Sunday Graphic Special mook |
---When you were at the proofreading company, did you mainly edit game strategy books?
Kuroda: I also edited anime magazines. For example, "Anime V". When I was working on "Anime V", I went to interview director Koji Masunari. I never thought I'd be writing a script for one of his works. I also worked on "Mokei Jouhou (Model Kit Information)". The two of us were saying things like, "let's put 'Saint Seiya' on the cover".
(Translator's note: : "Mokei Jouhou [Model Kit Information]" was a Bandai's monthly magazine featuring their model kits)
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Anime V: November 1991 issue featuring "NG Kight Lamune & 40 EX" OVA Koji Masunari directed this OVA series in 1991 |
---Who were you two with?
Kuroda: Tomohiro Chiba, president of Orphee. We had been working together for a long time. We left the company together and started our own company, Orphee.
---Was Orphee established purely as a production editing company?
Kuroda: That's right. I wore a suit and went out to do business, but at first I couldn't get any work at all (chuckles). I had to ask the person in charge at my previous company, who was a good friend of mine, to assign me work. At that time, I borrowed all the funds to establish the company. I planned to pay it back in six months, and worked like hell. We finished paying it back in six months, and I thought, "Wow, we're amazing. That's how it was.
---So Orphee is still doing production editing?
Kuroda: Production editing has become like a division of Orphee. Our president is making games now.
---Are they scenarios for games?
Kuroda: Yes. For example, the upcoming "YUKYU GENSOKYOKU 3". Our president also wrote the scenarios for "Mobile Suit Gundam Side Stories" for the Dreamcast, the "Gundam Side Stories" series for the Saturn, and "Char's Counterattack" for the PlayStation.
YUKYU GENSOKYOKU 3: Perpetual Blue (Sega Dreamcast)
---How long has Orphee been in business?
Kuroda: It was established when I was 25, so about 6 years ago.
---So you made your debut as an anime script writer right after Orphee was established?
Kuroda: No, I was approached just before the company was established. While I was at my previous company, I was seconded to AIC to work on a scenario for the PC game "Oh My Goddess!"
"Oh My Goddess!" PC Game (PC-98 / Windows 95)
---So you've been doing game scenarios for a long time?
Kuroda: I've been doing game scenarios since I was about 21 or 22 years old. That's when I was asked if I wanted to do it. And I said, "Yes, I'll do it. And I said, "I'll do it, I'll do it".
---That was the seventh episode of the "Tenchi Muyo!" OVA, right?
Kuroda: That's right.
---How did you feel after writing it?
Kuroda: I didn't know how to write in the first place (laughs). I had read the scenarios in my work for anime magazines, so I started by watching and learning. I thought, "Well, I'll just give it a quick try and see if I can't get rid of it". But I guess they thought, "we don't have a schedule, so we'll just do this" (laughs). So about a third of the finished film was completely different from my original, but some of the gags I had written were still there. At that time, there was a screening of the film in a hall, so I went to see it. I was so happy to see the audience laughing out loud.
It was the first time I felt the pleasure of seeing the audience react in real time. After that, when I published a novel, I would get survey postcards back, and it made me happy to read them. I don't know if what I'm doing is really making a difference, but it makes me happy to get a response.
---After that, your next anime project was second series of "Tenchi Muyo!"?
Kuroda: For "Tenchi Muyo!", I think there was a drama CD before that, so it's like I did the drama CD first and then came to the second series.
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| "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Oh Ki CD Special" Drama CD - (1993) |
---How was the second series?
Kuroda: This time, I really felt like I was called to do it.
---What do you mean you've been called?
Kuroda: I think episode 7 was like an emergency.
---Was episode 7 felt like, "we don't have a lot of time, so hurry up and do it!"?
Kuroda: I think so. We were told to do the whole series this time, so we had a lot of time to prepare. The very first episode, episode 8, caused a lot of trouble because I've done five or six drafts.
---Even after that, you've been working with "Tenchi Muyo!". Is it a major work for you?
Kuroda: It's a major work, and I was able to do a lot of things with it. I was able to go to voice dubbing session too. For games, I had been told to do the story certain way, but for the "Tenchi Muyo!" games, they said they'll leave it to me.
One of the many Tenchi Muyo series games: "Tenchi Muyo!-Toukou Muyo" for Playstation
---It's like, "you can do whatever you want here".
Kuroda: Of course, I consulted with (Masaki) Kajishima-san, but I had the right to decide the details, so I would say, "let's put in a gag like this". I had a lot of fun doing that. "Tenchi Muyo!" was originally a successful work, so I was able to be involved in it and got my name remembered somewhat. I think it was an epoch-making work for me because it led to my subsequent work.
---When you were editing game strategy books and magazines, did you ever think, "I'll do something different someday"?
Kuroda: Not at all.
---Did you like working on the game strategy book?
Kuroda: : I'm the type of person who gets really involved, so even when I'm working on a strategy book, if there's something new, I can find enjoyment in it. I'd think, "let's try writing in a colloquial style this time," or "how about a commentary with a few jokes?". Even now, if I get an offer to do something like that for a strategy book, I'd like to accept it if I have the time.
---I think it was "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy" that made your name known to the world.
Kuroda: That's right. It's my masterpiece.
---"Pretty Sammy" started out as an OVA, right? How did this come about?
Kuroda: I wrote the script for "Tenchi Muyo!" and I also worked on the games. I thought, "what genre haven't I tried? That was novels. I thought, "Maybe they'll let me write a novel at least once," but the novel for "Tenchi Muyo!" (Nahoko) Hasegawa-san had already written the novel for "Tenchi Muyo!". I felt bad for Ryoe Tsukimura (Note 3), but I wanted to have him to write "Pretty Sammy" and I took the project to AIC and Pioneer. I think it was the deviation after another deviation that led to the idea for an OVA.
(3) Pretty Sammy was originally a parody character that appeared in "Tenchi Muyo! Ryo Oh Ki - CD Special" drama CD. The script was written by Ryoe Tsukimura.
(Translator's note: Ryoe Tsukimura wrote screenplays for anime until 2001 before transitioning as a novelist. Nahoko Hasegawa has been wrting scripts for anime since 1983. She used pen name, Nahoko Shoji, before Tenchi Muyo)
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| One of the several "Techni Muyo-Ryo Oh Ki" novels written by Nahoko Hasegawa |
---When you think back, how do you feel about your work on the OVA "Pretty Sammy"?
Kuroda: I'm not very good at it (laughs). But it was the first work I was allowed to do as part of the core. I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, go on location scouting without permission, take snapshots of the park, and say, "this is the park where Sammy fights. The director, Kazuyuki Hirokawa, is a man with deep pockets, and he told me to keep bringing it to him, so I was like, "yay!". So I drew and set him a picture like, "here's what Sammy's 'Omakase!' pose is like". I don't know how they could have listened to such a youngster, now I think about it.
(Translator's note: Kazuyuki Hirokawa is a pen name of late director, Shuichi Hirokawa, who passed away in 2012.)
---The setting of the OVA "Pretty Sammy" is based on your own family home, right?
Kuroda: Yes. That's also a parody of "Tenchi Muyo!". "Tenchi Muyo!" is a parody of Kajishima-san's parents' house. So I was like, "well, it's a parody of my parents' house since it's my idea." (laughs) (Note 4)
(4) "Tenchi Muyo!" is set in the hometown of Masaki Kajishima, the original creator and character designer of the show. Similarly, in the "Pretty Sammy," the main character Sasami's house is a LP record store, and Kuroda's parents are also run a LP record store.
---Oh Really. I heard that your family runs a LP record store, and that you dedicated your work to your late sister in the postscript of the novel, so I thought you were really into it.
Kuroda: Well, I think it changed gradually. It's like how (Akitaro) Daichi-san became more and more attached to the father in "Kodomo no Omocha". When you continue a series for a long time, there is a part of you that becomes more like it. At first, I didn't intend to have such an exaggerated theme and I didn't want to personalize the work, but I wrote a lot for "Pretty Sammy". I wrote 3 games, 26 TV episodes, 3 OVAs, and 8 novels. When you write that much, you tend to go deeper and deeper into your own inner world. But now I feel sorry that I went a little too far.
(Translator's notes: A. Interviewer is referring to the novel version of "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy". B. Akitaro Daichi is the director of "Kodomo no Omocha [Child's Toy]" or "KodoCha" among fans.)
---So you were really into it.
Kuroda: Yeah, I was really into it.
---Which ones are the most important?
Kuroda: The seventh and eighth volumes of the novels. I've given them absurd titles like "Condemnation" or "What is friendship?", or "I'm stepping into an unanswerable theme again......, you idiot" (laughs).
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| Magical Girl Pretty Sammy Novel: Vol.7 (Condemnation) |
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| Magical Girl Pretty Sammy Novels: Vol.8 (Good Bye Magical Girl Pretty Sammy) |
---What about the "Magical Project S (Pretty Sammy)" TV series ?
Kuroda: Basically, I thought, "as long as I can make a fool of myself, that's all that matters". I was thinking like, "I'll probably have to compose a series for a TV series only once in my life". So working together with (Hideyuki) Kurata and I thought, "let's do what we want to do so we don't regret it".
---Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words (laughs), but I have a feeling that if you play "Magical Project S" with that kind of energy, you might regret it when you get older.
Kuroda: Not at all at the moment. I really like "Magical Project S". I can proudly say that "Pretty Sammy" is my masterpiece. However, I don't think I'd like it if "Magical Project S" is still my masterpiece when I'm about fifty (laughs).
--- Yesterday, I watched "Magical Project S" again on video. I know I sound rude, but just watching it made me feel dumber (chuckles).
Kuroda: (Laughs). The latter half of the movie is very self-indulgent. It's like a parody of "Furuhata Ninzaburo".
(Translator's note: "Furuhata Ninzaburo" is a Japanese TV detective drama starring late Masakazu Tamura. It is often referred to as the Japanese version of "Columbo")
---Like, 'you're underestimating something! (Alt. [Insert] is not a decoration!)'.
Kuroda: In the preview, we had (Chisa) Yokoyama-san say something like "you'll see the tears of time". (Note 6)
(6) This probably doesn't need to explain this, but "you're underestimating something!" is a parody of dialog between Amuro and Char in the final scenes of "Char's Counterattack," and "you'll see the Tears of Time" is a parody of "Mobile Suit Z Gundam" episode preview narration.
---"Magical Project S" is, at best, pure. Even when parodying it, it's not a 'let's make fun of it' parody, nor is it twisted.
Kuroda: That's right. Kurata and I would do it in the middle of the night, typing on our word processors and saying things like, "I've got this idea for a story," and then "I see, let's put it in".
---I thought it was probably something like that.
Kuroda: There were no twists and turns whatsoever. All the gags were straightforward. Threw them hard and fast.
---Up until now, I think it was mainly the directors who did this kind of naughty parody.
Kuroda: That's right.
---Also, in "Time Bokan", for example, you don't know where the story is coming from and where the direction is coming from. It's the same with Satoru Akahori's works. But with "Magical Project S," when you watch it, you realize, 'Oh, the scriptwriter is doing that'. I thought that was something new.
Kuroda: (Laughs) But I was really happy that everyone enjoyed working on "Magical Project S". (Jun) Okuda-san and (Yoshitaka) Kono-san, who did the visuals, had a lot of fun makng it. We had a lot of fun at the launch, and they would say things like, "Since you wrote this script, I drew it like this".
(Translator's Note: Jun Okuda and Yoshitaka Kono are animators)
---I see.
Kuroda: I can say with pride that the script was finished before it went on air.
---That's amazing.
Kuroda: I went to the dubbing session with my heart in my mouth because it was all done with pictures. The sound director, (Yasunori) Honda-san, also liked it. There were times when we recorded only one shot.
---One shot recording?
Kuroda: There was one episode where we didn't do any tests and just went for it. Everyone was already used to it, so we just started recording right away.
---Does that mean there's no final test?
Kuroda: No test. It's just the real thing. (Note 7)
---That's amazing. It might go down in the history of Japanese postrecording. Which episode was it?
Kuroda: In the latter half of the series, like around episode 22.
---Continuing on, Kurata took the initiative for the next work, "Battle Athletes" .
Kuroda: I don't want to lie, so I'm going to tell you without hiding anything, but I had a hard time with "Magical Project S". I was bouncing around with a straightforward approach, so the other writers' scripts didn't match the taste of "MPS", and I had to make some changes. There were times when the characters' emotions were flowing well, but then they would suddenly cut off. When that happens, it's quite emotionally damaging. In "Battle Athletes", I took the stance that I didn't want Kurata to feel that way. I thought, "If that's the case, why don't we just do it together"? We wouldn't have to worry about anything else. That's why he was the main one doing the work, and I would follow him when the schedule got tight.
---In the script, where do you and Kurata-san start working together?
Kuroda: From the (drama) CD's of "Tenchi Muyo!". Even when he was working on other projects, I would ask him to help me with my stories.
He likes stories that jump out at him, and I like stories that go inside, so I chose to write a story about falling in "Battle Athletes".
---Falling?
Kuroda: For example, depicting a story where a character falls into the abyss.
------It's a good idea to separate your strengths.
Kuroda: I didn't tell Kurata about this, but I wrote episode 5 with the stance of "this is what a sports tenacity story is supposed to be (Note 8). I felt that Kurata was still trying to decide whether to go for "Bishoujo" or "Sports-Tenacity". His novels had a "Sports- Tenacity" feel to them, but when the anime came out, it was a little less sports-tenacity. So I said, "no, don't worry! You can go with sports-tenacity" and I wrote a scene where she smacks someone while in sleep.
(8) "Battle Athletes" TV series: Episode 5/Arrogance.
(Translator's Note: Sports-Teanacity or Spo-Kon is a formula in sports anime/manga storyline which protagonists go through grueling training under a tough coach to reach the climatic event)
---Did you spend a lot of time on the script for "TRIGUN"?
Kuroda: Yes, I did. It took about 8 to 9 months.
---Why did you write the script for the entire episodes by yourself?
Kuroda: I didn't want to lower my own excitement.
---Because it's better to write your own script than to control someone else's script?
Kuroda: I'm not skilled enough to control it (laughs). But the only thing I couldn't accept was that the characters' emotional lines were cut off. I wouldn't be able to write the next story. I thought I had to improve my skills in that area, so later I worked on "Dual!" though.
At the time of "TRIGUN", there were a lot of staff members whom I knew well, so I was confident that I could do it. I was thinking, "I definitely want to do the part where Wolfwood dies, so I'm definitely going to write it through until then. The meetings with the director, (Satoshi) Nishimura-san, were very thrilling and stimulating.
---What do you mean by thrilling?
Kuroda: Nishimura-san is amazing. For example, he asked me to add three more dots at the end of the line. He said, "just by doing that, the direction will be different by six frames". So I said, "oh I see. Understood" There was a time when I wrote more drafts just for that (laughs).
---You took it home and typed more dots with word processor.
Kuroda: If that's what the director really needs, then I think it's the duty of the scenario writer to write it.
---How was the "Photon"?
Kuroda: (Koji) Masunari-san was a big part of "Photon". I still keep in touch with Masunari-san and talk with him over drinks. Masunari-san taught me how a scenario writer should be, and how I should position myself. It's rare for someone to praise me like that. At the time of "MAICO," he said, "I can't imagine doing this without you guys". I was so happy at that time.
(Translator's Note: "MAICO" is "Android Announcer MAICO 2010" )
------In "MAICO," every scene in every episode is indoors, right? Was that decided from the beginning?
Kuroda: Kuroda: The director said he wanted to do a situation comedy with indoor scenes. That was in line with my concept as I mentioned earlier. I wanted a drama in one scene.
Android Announcer MAICO 2010
--- One drama scene per episode.
Kuroda: Kurata and I both liked Koki Mitani, so we decided to make it a bit like "The King's Restaurant. "We were saying things like, "let's not watch 'Radio Time'". The situations are so similar (laughs).
(Translator's Note: Koki Mitani is a Japanese screenwriter, actor, comedian, and director. He wrote screenplay of "King's Restaurant", a 1995 TV drama about young people trying to rebuild a French restaurant on a verge of collapse. "Radio Time" is a 1993 film directed by Mitani which is a situation drama filled with laughter about various events that occur in the confined space of a studio during a radio drama broadcast.)
---You're doing three new shows this fall. "Infinite Ryvius", "Excel Saga", and "Risky Safety". What are your own concepts for these works?
Kuroda: For "Infinite Ryvius", I think it's a matter of whether or not my taste can match with Sunrise's, and how far I can take my taste within Sunrise's framework. There are a lot of characters, a lot of drama, and a lot of innovative things going on. Please watch it as Shakti asks (laughs).
(Translator's note: Kuroda is referring to Victory Gundam's character, Shakti. Shahkti serves as the narrator for the episode previews in Victory Gundam, imploring viewers to continue watching the series at the end of every episode by saying, "Please Watch it!")
---What about "Excel Saga"?
Kuroda: For me, this is the third work in the "Young King Ours" & Victor's Shigeru Kitayama's line, following "Geo Breeders" and "TRIGUN". When I first heard about this project, I thought it would be difficult because the original story required a lot of pauses and tempo. However, when Shin'ichi (Watanabe) was chosen as the director, I said, "If Shin'ichi-san is going to do it, then we'll do it. We're going to make a super gag/dork anime. It's going to be great. The secondary title of "Excel Saga" is "Quack Experimental Animation". That's why I'm doing a hackneyed experiment every time. That's the concept. Please watch it as Shakti asks (laughs).
(Translator's note: Shigeru Kitayama is a producer from Victor Entertainment [now JVC Kenwood Victor Entertainment]. "Young Kings Ours" is a manga magazine that published Nightow Yasuhiro's "TRIGUN")
---What about "Risky Safety"?
Kuroda: I hadn't written many heartwarming stories, so my concept was to see how much information I could pack into 7 minutes, and to see if I could make people feel emotionally moved by a story that lasts less than seven minutes. Of course, there are still some Kuroda-esque parts in there (laughs).
---You just said "Kuroda-esque," but what is "Kuroda-esque"?
Kuroda: Uh, I don't know.
---You just said it yourself (laughs).
Kuroda: There have been times when other people have told me that I have a clear idea of what I want to do, and I've wondered if that's true. I don't know if that's true and that the script gives off an aura that says, "don't mess with this scene". That's probably true. There are times when I feel like I'm writing just to do this scene. I also think that the pauses, dialogue, tempo, and dialogue style are a bit unique, but that's just me.
---There are screenwriters who focus on plot or logic, but it's not like that, is it?
Kuroda: Not at all. In that sense, it's about "now".
---"Now"?
Kuroda: "Present" when I'm writing. That's why in "TRIGUN", there are times when I wrote without a plot. I always try to take in the feeling of the moment. So even if the story turns out to be a little different from the plot, if the people around me laugh and smile, I think that's OK. Of course, it doesn't take away from the main plot.
---It's very different from the way you would make it up tightly.
Kuroda: I guess I feel like a weekly manga artist. It changes quite flexibly.
---It is important to have good "vitality".
Kuroda: That's right. Like in "MAICO", I came up with the idea of having the character, Suga, die in the middle of the story, and I called the director and asked him about it, and he said "OK", so I changed the series structure.
---Isn't it possible to have an idea of where you want to end up, and then work backwards to get there?
Kuroda: It's not that we don't. In "TRIGUN", I had a clear idea of the final story, and I knew that the character would end up like this at this point in the story. However, if I suddenly thought of a good scene in the middle of the story, I would make the most of it. My priority was to make it interesting. I think that's why it's hard for other writers to get involved, because things change so rapidly.
---So, in extreme cases, you wanted to do everything yourself.
Kuroda: If possible, I'd like to work with the director on a man-to-man basis, doing all the work myself.
---I have the impression that you are the "new generation" of anime scriptwriters. More and more, from an anime fan's point of view, you seem to be a similar type to Akahori-san.
Kuroda: I'm often compared to him.
---But there is something different about you and Akahori-san, and I think that is the difference in generations.
Kuroda: But we're only about three years apart in age.
---Is there a difference in the lightness of footwork and the feeling of getting involved in the field?
Kuroda: That's right. I prefer to drink with the people in the studio rather than with the voice actors. When I was working on "Pretty Sammy", I was allowed to observe the cutting process and saw the entire animation process. I had to know everything about it before I could write.
I had to know how much pain the artists would suffer if I wrote such a script. I had to keep those things in mind. If the schedule was tight, I had to find a way to write in a certain way.
---I also have the impression that you're part of the filming crew. The printed script is just your "work" and you don't devote your passion towards it.
Kuroda: I think the script is the blueprint of the work.
---Oh, I knew it.
Kuroda: I'd like to be closer to the scene. If there is a director's desk in the studio, I want mine to be next to it. For "Infinite Ryvius", Sunrise gave me a desk in the studio. So I'm working on the scenario next to the director. It's so much easier!
---It's that easy?
Kuroda: Whenever I have a problem, I can ask them right away. "I'd like to make this scene like this, what do you think?" And so on. You have to be that quick. I think it would be ideal if the schedule could be extended by a week or two, so that the quality of the drawing and sound could be improved, and if we could have the dubbing done in color, that would be ideal. I think that would be ideal. ...... Not that I've been able to achieve this completely (smiles).
---Earlier, you said that you were compared to Akahori-san.
Kuroda: People around me sometimes tell me that I look like him. I don't think I'm aware of it, so I didn't know.
---I think Akahori-san was also quite close to the scene when he was working on "Lamune & 40" and other projects.
Kuroda: Masunari-san was working on "Lamune & 40", so I've heard about his quick work style. I've heard about his quick work style. He would suddenly fix the script on the spot, or fix lines on the recording site.
---You must be even closer to the site than that.
Kuroda: I love the site. I like the feeling of making something together. Maybe it's like an extension of club activities. It makes me feel like, "wow, such good drawings! Wow, I have to work hard too". I want to raise my spirits, and their spirits goes up steadily.
---I heard that Orphee basically edits the liner notes and other parts of the LDs for the films that Orphée has worked on.
Kuroda: I'd say things like, concept work. I say things like, "let's put this kind of article in the magazine. Or, "It would be interesting if this artist did an illustration". As a user, when I buy an LD, I'd be happier if there were interesting things written on the liner note, wouldn't I?
(Translator's note: LD is abbreviation for Laserdisc, the predecessor to DVD. In Japan, most anime video publishers include a liner notes in their package that contains anything from factoids to production arts to commentaries. They continue that practice to this day)
---It seems like a good deal, doesn't it?
Kuroda: That's right. It was the drama CD of "To Heart" I did a proper rough draft since it's been in a while. I even directed that one, and put a lot of thought into it.
 |
| "To Heart" Drama CD |
---Recording direction? That's amazing.
Kuroda: It was my first time, but I had to do it for various reasons. I did the recording direction, selected the music, and wrote all the liner notes. I asked my company to order illustrations. I wanted to make sure that what I was involved in was good packaging.
I'm going to go back a bit, but I think the reason why the taste of "Battle Athletes" is somewhat coherent is because Orphee did all the work. The novel, the radio, and the game. I wasn't involved in the games "GTO" and "Akari and the Game," though. Other than that, I still have the Orphee's touch. Or rather, it's Kurata's taste.
(Translator's note: "GTO" referred is a Playstation game, "Battle Athletes-Daiundoukai GTO [バトルアスリーテス大運動会 GTO]". "Akari and the Game [あかりと勝負]" is a PC game version of "Battle Athletes" published by AIC Spirits)
Battle Athletes-Daiundoukai GTO
---Everything that has the name, "Battle Athletes", in it?
Kuroda: Almost all of them. That was our pride in Orphée, too. We were like, "let's do it, even if we have to". I guess you could say we put the on-site first.
---It was the "Space Nadeshiko Manual". That mook was good, wasn't it? (Note 9)
Kuroda: (laughs).
(Note 9) This is a mook published by Media Works. The official title is "Battle Athletes Indiscriminate Commentary: Space Nadeshiko Manual[バトルアスリーテス大運動会 無差別解説書 宇宙撫子読本]". The Obi of the mook says "Studio Orphee True Edition".
---Something like, "I'm putting a lot of effort into this!". There was a bit of youthful indiscretion.
Kuroda: (Laughs) Wow, youthful indiscretion.
---I mean, it's being deliberately youthful and indiscreet, isn't it?
Kuroda: Uh huh, that's right.
---Even if your writing slip ups, you're like, "just keep slipping! (laughs).
Kuroda: We wanted them to laugh at our slip ups (laughs). It felt like, "laugh at us, we're so hapless, right"?
---Kuroda-san, would you like to do a liner note or a mook in the future?
Kuroda: I would like to if I have the time. I think we are still capable of creating interesting articles.
---Do you ever go back and watch videos of the films you wrote?
Kuroda: Yes, I do. I watch them all the time.
---The same one five or ten times.
Kuroda: I watch it, I watch it. I've watched the episode of "TRIGUN" where Wolfwood dies about 70 times. I think I've also rewatched episode 5 of "Battle Athletes" about 20 times. I've also rewatched episode 20 of Magical Project S (Note 10). I have weak tear glands, so I get really emotional myself (laughs). I watch it again when I'm feeling down at work. I also rewatch other episodes and OVAs.
(10) In "TRIGUN", Wolfwood's death is in episode 23 [Paradise].
---Do you watch any other anime now?
Kuroda: Of course, I watch them. There are many times when I can't watch because of work. If I miss something, I borrow a video from someone I know and watch it. I know it's weird to say, but I feel that there is no one who has the same wavelength as me yet.
---No one got in your radar yet?
Kuroda: Or rather, I'm deliberately choosing things that don't exist (laughs). I think I can be proud of being a heretic because there is an easy way. Going back to what I said earlier about Akahori-san, I've been told many times that I'm like him, and recently I've come to think that I'm like him in some ways. But if Akahori-san is into Shonen Jump and Shonen Sunday, I guess I'm into Young King Ours and Dengeki Daioh. (laughs)
---Akahori-san is the major league.
Kuroda: He is a major player. His stance on how to make something, his planning ability, and so on. He is the Tetsuya Komuro of the anime world. He looks at the anime world from a global perspective. I can't do that (laughs).
(Translator note: Tetsuya Komuro is a famous Japanese pop musician, singer-songwriter, composer, record producer)
---Do you think you're more underground?
Kuroda: I guess I'm more like a minor-major leaguer, or a guy who came out of the indie scene. A musician who comes out of the indie scene and doesn't know how to be polite. Whoa, I said it myself, it's so unreal (laughs).
Chronological List of Yosuke Kuroda's work as of 1999:
1993
OVA "Tenchi Muyo!"
(Screenplay: Epsiode 7 and beyond)
1995
TV "Tenchi Universe"
(Screenplay: Episodes 4, 8, 9, 17, 21)
OVA "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy"
(Screenplay)
1996
TV "Magical Project S"
(Series Composition, Screenplay: Ep. 1, 3, 8, 9, 12, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21, 23, 25, 26)
OVA "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy 2 - Cyberbrain Empire Strikes Back"
(Screenplay)
OVA "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy - Samy's Song Book":
live action part (Screenplay)
OVA "Fire Emblem"
(Screenplay)
OVA "801 T.T.S. Airbats"
(Screenplay: Vol. 5)
OVA "Tattoon Master"
(Screenplay)
OVA "Panzer Dragoon"
(Screenplay)
OVA "Variable Geo"
(Screenplay)
1997
TV "Battle Athletes"
(Series Composition [joint credit], Screenplay: Episodes 5, 7, 9, 13, 15, 17)
OVA "Magical Girl Pretty Sammy 3 - Super Kiss"
(Screenplay)
OVA "Jungle De Ikou"
(Screenplay: Vol. 3)
OVA "Photon"
(Series Composition, Screenplay: Episodes 1, 2, 4, 6)
1998
TV "Trigun"
(Series Composition, Screenplay: All Episodes)
TV "MAICO 2010"
(Series Composition [joint credit], Screenplay: Episodes 1, 4, 8, 9, 15, 16, 19 to 24)
TV "Hikarian - Great Railroad Protector"
(Screenplay: Episodes 42, 43, 47, 49, 56, 61, 63, 70, 71, 80, 82, 91)
OVA "Geobreeders"
(Series Composition, Screenplay)
1999
TV "Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure"
(Series Composition, Screenplay: Episodes 1, 2, 8, 13)
TV "Infinite Ryvius"
(Series Composition, Screenplay)
TV "Excel Saga"
(Series Composition [joint credit], Screenplay)
TV "Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety"
(Series Composition [joint credit], Screenplay
OVA "Tokimeki Memorial"
(Series Composition, Screenplay)
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