CATDOLL: Interview with Abe, the top director of "The Heroic Legend of Arslan" (Part 1)

The white-haired prince killed the audience with his cuteness as soon as he appeared, causing the original author to ban BL secondary creation. The TV animation version of "The Heroic Legend of Arslan" has officially started airing. This work tells the story of the battles of many characters led by the protagonist Arslan in a turbulent historical period, and has attracted a large number of fans since the original novel era.

In 2013, the manga version drawn by Hiromu Arakawa, the author of Fullmetal Alchemist and Silver Key, began serialization in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. This TV animation version is based on the manga version. This epic fantasy masterpiece has attracted the attention of many netizens before it was broadcast.

In the following interview, animation director Noriyuki Abe will slowly tell you the behind-the-scenes story of this work.

——First of all, please tell us about how you became the director of this work.

Abe: When I was working on the previous work, LIDEN FILMS contacted me through a staff member who knew me and told me the news. Of course, I had heard about "The Heroic Legend of Arslan" before, and I was a little surprised that "they are going to make an animation again!" In fact, I didn't know that the manga version was being drawn at that time. However, when I heard that Arakawa-sensei was going to make a manga of this work, I immediately approved of this project. From the perspective of an ordinary fan, this is really a work that I look forward to.

——Because the original work is a big work with many fans, do you feel a lot of pressure as the director of the animation version?

Abe: Among the works of Mr. Tanaka (Yoshiki), there are many characters with distinct personalities in Legend of the Galactic Heroes. The Heroic Legend of Arslan is also a work of Mr. Tanaka, and it also has this feature. Of course, it will be very difficult in terms of quantity, and this aspect will make me feel stressed.

——It is broadcast at 7 pm on Sunday, which is a time slot that many viewers will watch. What do you think about this?

Abe: It is indeed a time slot with many people watching, so there is definitely some pressure, but I have worked on works in the evening and Golden Week before, so I don’t feel any special feelings in this regard. However, no matter what work I work on, I am always nervous before starting.

——Did Mr. Hiroshi Arakawa and Mr. Yoshiki Tanaka make any requests?

Abe: Neither of them is the type to say "you must do it this way", but I have a lot of questions for them, so they come to read the script every episode. This time, Mr. Tanaka said, "I hope to make it based on Mr. Arakawa's manga version", so we did it according to this policy. The production staff also wanted to "directly animate the manga", so the story is developed according to the original work.

——Fans of the original work will definitely be looking forward to it. So changing the topic a little bit, what are the things you pay attention to when performing in animation?

Abe: What I value most is how to express the characteristics of the characters. There are many charming characters in the original work, which is what we now call a "work with a main character", so I will pay special attention to this aspect. This work is a war chronicle, and female fans may find it a little heavy, but in order to attract this part of the audience, I will try my best to show the charm of the characters.

——I see. Many fans are looking forward to the battle scenes. How will the chaotic battle between the armies be recreated?

Abe: This time we worked with SANZIGEN, so we used a lot of 3D animation. The approaching army that we couldn't do a few years ago can now be done very easily, so we tried not to avoid it as much as possible and worked hard to make the battle scenes the best. In addition, this game is different from the present, in an era where fighting at night is not allowed, so how can we make more powerful pictures based on fighting in bright places? Including these large battle scenes are the places where we took great pains.

——As expected, 3D is very advantageous when creating scenes with a large number of people.

Abe: Yes. Thousands of horses galloping and soldiers fighting can't be drawn by hand, and I have no experience in this area. I'm very happy that I can challenge such an animation this time.

——This work is also a historical work. Do you have any concerns about this aspect?

Abe: I asked two teachers for their opinions on what period in reality I could refer to for the background of the era. It was necessary to show a sense of "reality" while also realizing that this is actually a fantasy work.

——You just talked about the charm of the characters. This work is a group portrait drama. What do you pay attention to in this regard?

Abe: The warrior who followed Arslan liked Arslan very much. This work always has a sense of family comfort. Therefore, it is necessary to make the guests like the protagonist as well. Although he is just a "mediocre prince", he is not very outstanding in martial arts, eloquent, and his leadership ability is not outstanding, but he has a unique charm that can attract others to follow him. So we have to find out where he exudes such charm. Regarding this charm, we must be careful not to bury it during production. Let everyone gradually like his behavior, show leadership ability in the process of growth, and make wise commands. I hope to make such a work.

(to be continued)

For more relevant information, please pay attention to: The Heroic Legend of Arslan