mozillavulpix

[mozillavulpix]

i called it yay it wasn't copium

I don't think we're going to see Talking Kyutaro, though. Too many other characters in it already to put that in there too. Junichi Suwabe and Daisuke Sakuma are in the credits on the poster, so we know Tanaka and Kaito are going to appear on top of the other 3 Precure teams. Too much going on to also fit in "say what if Uta's dog could talk like the dog from last year could talk"

Satoru and Daifuku probably won't get more than a 2 minute cameo, but I sure hope they get to transform again. It's the movie continuity, they'd definitely be allowed to.

they'd better be in there or else i will be sad

reasons why wonderful precure are totally gonna be in this year's precure movie this isn't copium maybe it is

Ever since they got rid of All-Stars movies, every fall movie has at least an all-stars element in it

All-Stars movies do better at the box office than solo movies

Wonderful's movie was the highest-grossing non All-Stars movie and it also had a crossover element to it with two other seasons

Wonderful was a critical and commercial success - commercial because the sales went up and I heard anecdotes about Nyammy being especially popular, and critically because it attracted an older audience with its strong character writing and romance plot

Uta has a dog. It's voiced by renowned voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda. It would be really weird to have a name that big just there to make dog noises. If they did a crossover with Wonderful, that could be a way we could hear Kyutaro talk.

The Wonderful movie got a lot of attention and fans from the revelation of the cool older brother rabbit Daifuku voiced by Yuichi Nakamura. If he came back, it'd be really fun fanservice

anyway let's keep this here so I say I called it or to depress me in a few months' time

[mozillavulpix]

well, it's also because Yuki is a stray, so they don't really know her breed the way Komugi is. She's not necessarily a purebred. Just they used an Abyssinian as the model for her design.

very important information here

Yuki is modelled after an Abyssinian cat

supposedly they're also called "ballet cats", so they made Nyammy's skirt resemble a tutu

[mozillavulpix]

going from deltarune theories into suddenly remembering zukyoonkiss really gives me perspective on things and also has me questioning how my brain works

zukyoonkiss is still just so weird to me. it's all because of purirun. she just does not feel like she fits the aesthetic they're going with. why did they make her look mature. when she goes back to her fairy form and with the amnesia that makes her act even more childish than usual

why do they have these 'big dramatic songs' about 'vows' when purirun doesn't even remember what her vow was

her job was to wave the penlights. she was the 'idol fan'. along with kokoro. why did they promote her like this. why did it happen so quickly. why make her look even older than the precure she looks up to. and why so much drama

[mozillavulpix]

for Reasons, just wanted to share some fragments of the interview with Atsumi Tanezaki.

Q: Tell us a bit about the audition process. Did you audition for anyone other than Iroha/Friendy?

Tanezaki: I auditioned for all four roles. Of course, I put my all into the acting for all of them, but from a fairly early stage, I realised that I was only thinking about Iroha-chan. I think a big part of it was how I strongly identified with Iroha-chan's line, "Let me hear your voice".

Q: You're well known as a cat lover, Tanezaki-san. Did that make you empathise with the desire to hear the voices of animals?

Tanezaki: Of course, that's part of it, but it also resonated with how I felt at the time. Recently, I've felt a little scared of all the information and words being passed on through social media. I don't know how much "truth" is contained in it, and I feel vaguely scared of a world in which people "believe things without knowing the truth"... When Iroha said "Let me hear your voice", I felt the nuance of her wanting to hear their "true thoughts", not imagination or speculation, and I was strongly drawn to that.

[...]

Tanezaki: I'm not exaggerating when I say that "Wanpuri" will save the world. It's not easy, but I think there must be many people in the world who can be saved by the attitude of wanting to hear true feelings and the spirit of "let's play together" instead of worrying.

[...]

Q: Finally, please give a message to the fans who have supported "Wanpuri".

Tanezaki: During the past year that I was able to be Friendy/Iroha-chan, I received so many warm, adorable and grateful messages from so many people. Thanks to all of you, I was able to have an irreplacable time. I wish that people and animals were all healthy, everyone was friendly, everyone was smiling, and the whole world was filled with wonderfulness. I truly hope that the world can become a place where there is no more conflict, where everyone could express their love for each other and give each other hugs. It's not easy, though. With all the kindness that "Wanpuri" taught me in my heart, I hope that I can hug myself and my loved ones on the days when I tend to get all fuzzy. For everyone who supported "wanpuri", I hope the days to come will be wonderful. Thank you so much for the past year!

[mozillavulpix]

I think the biggest thing that Idol Precure does differently to Wonderful is it fully feels like the supporting cast only exists in service to the Precure and don't have any reason to be around otherwise.

That's why Kaito hasn't appeared in like 10 episodes, and why Tanaka didn't show his fairy form until episode 20 even though there was no reason why he couldn't from his very introduction.

Especially now Purirun and Meroron are Precure too. So now even the fairies aren't supporting cast members anymore, which is why they're allowed to get focus.

Like, it's fine really. It's a conscious writing choice that I can understand, but *especially* in comparison to Wonderful, which had two "we aren't Precure but are also treated as just as important to the plot"-shaped holes named Satoru and Daifuku, it's almost jarring.

Delicious Party also went really big on the supporting cast with Rosemary, Takumi and all the Cook Fighter stuff.

I think I prefer seasons like that go bigger on the supporting cast because it makes it feel like the world and plot can be bigger than just "the world of average 14-year-old girls".

[mozillavulpix]

Hundred Line spoilers

Ending 001. Raw thoughts.

What a damn good ending.

Gotta thank Kako for explaining to us that we need to keep Gaku alive to get the real good shit because that was the good shit

As well as providing a *lot* of answers to the underlying questions that came from the first 100 days (how we got here in the first place, the stuff with Karua and Nozomi, letting Ghost Boy be part of the group), it also just felt like such a good way to go out.

A story about a forever war where the people raised in ignorance decide to do whatever they can to prevent another tragedy, even if they know it's too late for their own redemption.

But an ending that still keeps that spark of hope alive that the future will learn from their mistakes and that it's not too late to extend a hand in friendship and hope that things will be better. As long as you keep those wishes in your heart.

Nozomi also means 'hope', after all. Dunno exactly how it's different from 'kibou' but I sure do know this from Yumehara Nozomi Cure Dream

It was just such a nice story, it feels like it's going to be a real whiplash going back to the game and having to almost forget about everything we just saw to instead have stories like "everyone starts dating each other" and "eito can clone himself and is jumping through time probably"

I don't know for sure what the other routes are, I'm just guessing based on the titles in the credits.

On the one hand, this almost feels like the 'intended' second route. It's even called '2nd scenario', after all, and it follows very directly from the first one. So I almost feel like I played the game in the 'wrong' order by killing Eito first and doing some other routes before this one.

On the other hand, if I got this route first, I don't know how motivated I would have been to play the other routes because this one by itself is so satisfying.

Except for the fact everyone dies, I guess. I guess the reason it's still not an ideal ending is none of the students survive besides Nozomi, so you want to go and see if there's one where everyone survives to the end.

(There is one I've seen, at least. It's the Comedy Route. Including the ending where everyone's heads suddenly turn into mackerel heads.)

I think at the very least it's a good place to take a break for now.

[mozillavulpix]

from what I've been seeing in my research, the other reason is that by that point, kids had gotten very attached to Elle as a baby, and so it would be kind of upsetting for them if the form they had been used to seeing her as for 30+ episode was suddenly ditched permanently.

At least for characters like Ha-chan, she had gradually aged up as the series went on, so you knew not to get too attached to her baby forms.

“What was even the point of cure majesty? Her inclusion felt weird and pointless.”

She’s an insert character for the target audience. Like I think a lot of fans forget precure has a really young target audience.

The average target audience is repeatedly stated to be like 3-6 year olds. 3-9 if you push it. (No precure being a high quality show doesn’t change that. Kids of all ages deserve good media.)

Cure majesty is fantasy fulfilment for those kids. The show saying “you get to be a precure too!”

That was the point of Elle getting to be able to transform directly from her toddler form straight into cure majesty at first. To help said little kids continue to see her as one of them.

It tracks that the season that includes the first male cure and first technically adult cure would also have the youngest cure. A cure the age of the kids watching!

It’s why I low-key giggle when precure inevitably gets accused of “lowering its target audience” every single time a new season is teased. Because they literally cannot. Make the target audience any younger and they’ll be still in the womb.

It’s just as a western audience member we’ve been conditioned to expect nothing but literal slop from the babies-toddlers demographic. So when I show targeting that demographic actually… ya know tries we get caught off guard by it.

“Precure is a show for really little children” and “precure is a really good show” are facts that coexist. They should co-exist. It’s sad more media can’t find that good balance.

[mozillavulpix]

Yuichi Nakamura (voice of Daifuku Toyama)

Q: How did you feel when you were chosen for the role?

To be honest, when I looked at the materials for the audition, I couldn't see a vision of myself playing Daifuku. When I was chosen to play the role, there was still some time until the dubbing, so I was worried about how I should play the role.

Q: What was your impression of the Precure series?

Looking back at myself, I think I've been greatly influenced by the anime I watched as a child, which is why I place great importance on the messages and themes that I convey.

Q: What did you keep in mind when playing Daifuku?

At the audition, I tried acting out two different versions of the character based on my own judgement (trying to differentiate the voice depending on whether he was transformed, and to express the character's personality more strongly, etc.) When I received direction on set, I was told, "The voice doesn't have to be too different, as long as the character is consistent. He looks like a young boy, but I want him to act like an older brother to Satoru-kun," so I was conscious of the balance with Terashima-san, who played Satoru.

Q: What was the most memorable event during the recording.

There were no particular issues, and the recording went quite smoothly, so I was looking forward to it.

Q: Please tell us your impression of Satoru, who is Daifuku's good partner.

I think he is a person who has strength even in his kindness.

Q: In the final episode, Daifuku gained the ability to speak human language. What are your thoughts on that?

When I first read the script for the final episode, I imagined two different scenarios, just like many people. One is there ending where they are able to speak human language again. The other is where they end up not being able to speak... There is no right or wrong answer, but I felt that the story the staff chose this time was a very gentle world. This may also be what makes it "Precure".

Q: What do you think is the appeal of Wanpuri?

"What if I could talk to animals?" is something that everyone has thought at least once. This was a wonderful work that showed us what awaited us if this wish actually came true.

Q: What did you find most wonderful about appearing in this production?

Thanks to Daifuku-kun, I feel like I was able to show a new side of myself as an actor! (laughs)

Q: Finally, please give a message to the fans who have supported Wanpuri.

Thank you for your support over the past year. In fact, I only joined from the movie, so I have been with Wanpuri for a shorter period of time than you all...(laughs). This story has now come to an end, but I believe this world continues on into unknown places. I hope that you will all imagine that world and let this work live somewhere in your heart...so I look forward to your continued support!

[mozillavulpix]

now i've done the most important ones probably, I'm letting myself do the little ones that I'm most curious about.

Takuma Terashima (voice of Satoru Toyama)

Q: What were your thoughts when you were chosen for the role?

I was surprised and happy. I was very excited to hear that I would be part of the Precure series, and that it was a story about the bond between cute animals. As an anime otaku, Precure is a special title to me.

Q: What are your impressions of the Precure series?

When I first watched Futari wa Pretty Cure, I was shocked and thought "this is an incredible anime!" I had been watching the anime that had been broadcast in the timeslot up until then, and I've always liked works aimed at little girls, but I was really drawn to the way it was drawn, which was a game changer for that genre. Cute, cool, strong and kind! That's my image.

Q: Please tell us your impressions of Satoru.

Even now, with the final episode, my impression of him has remained consistent: "He may appear serious and modest, but he is a wonderful boy with a curious and brave heart." He has a kind heart that does not discriminate, but the strength and devotion of his special feelings towards Iroha-chan is truly wonderful. I can really relate to how he gets talkative when it comes to the things he loves! He's good at cooking, embroidery and also showed his strength at computers and the internet. I was surprised at how high-spec his PC was.

Q: What did you keep in mind when playing Satoru?

The distinction between Satoru's voice was clear to me from the beginning. I paid particular to the thickness of my voice and the strength of the attack. Regarding his interactions with Iroha-chan, I tried to town down the frivolous atmosphere from the beginning after he confesses. He has a calmness that seems to have taken a step in confidence while still retaining his innocence. He even changes the way he calls her from "Inukai-san" to "Iroha-chan". Also, I was conscious of expressing Satoru's feelings in an easy-to-understand way, not just his cheerful emotions, but also his frustration at not being able to transform and face the situation together with her, and his embarrassed and flustered state.

Q: What was the most memorable moment during recording?

There are several scenes where Satoru-kun was thinking to himself, but according to the script, most of it was ad-lib... The first time, I came up with a fair amount of lines myself, and they were easily approved, so from then on it was a battle with the pressure (laughs). Even when he turned into a rabbit, I set the approximate distance based on the size of the cityscape in the background, and combined that with the speed of the rabbit in the script, and thought up lines that would fit the intelligent Satoru-kun. That's something I worked hard on!

Q: What did you think was great or cool about Satoru throughout the series?

Even though he couldn't transform, he was really cool when he supported the Precure with his intelligence. Although Satoru wasn't confident in his physical strength, he ran after the Precure and avoided Garugaru's attacks, and did his best! In episode 35, Keiichi's appearance made him more determined to support Mey Mey (?)! He was also cool when he confessed more clearly.

[The (?) wasn't added by me, that's in the Japanese text. I assume there's some sort of ironic joke about Mey Mey and Satoru that's not translating well.]

Q: Are there any other lines or epsiodes that left an impression on you?

There are many memorable points, such as Iroha being clumsy in contrast to Satoru, Nekoyashiki who is enthusiastic about love talk, and Yuki who gradually opens up to Komugi. Among them, Episode 44 is unforgettable as it brought tears to my eyes. The bond between Otsuru and Fuku-chan, and the friendship with Okame and Oshika-san. Komugi's words and actions as she faces irreplaceable lives head on, whether she understands them or not, made my heart ache in the movie. Subaru's wailing and interactions with Gaou and the others in the final episode were also very memorable.

Q: Please tell us your impressions of Daifuku, who is Satoru's good partner.

I was surprised when Komugi-chan first translated Daifuku's feelings! He's not the type to be very expressive, and I never thought he'd be watching over Satoru-kun so much... So I was really happy when he was able to speak to him directly. His voice was just as I imagined it! I had tried to keep my faint hopes of him turning into a human or transforming together with Satoru-kun to just fantasy, so I was super excited by how the movie unfolded! I wasn't told until the very end whether they would appear on TV, so that made me super excited too! Satoru-kun and Daifuku are... Precure...?

[I am bolding that line for me for my own enjoyment]

Q: What are your memories of the dubbing studio?

The main voice actors were all generally quiet people, so it wasn't a noisy or lively set. Personally, I felt that it was a comfortable environment. Even so, everyone was chatting away when the goods were being displayed. It was fun exchanging information, like "I saw Komugi-chan in the crane game."

Q: How do you feel now that the final episode has aired?

I miss it. I wanted to keep playing Satoru-kun forever and watch over everyone as they grew older. He has become such a precious presence to me that I want to be with him through all the fun and hardships that everyone will experience in the future.

Q: What words of appreciation would you tell Satoru, who has always supported and cheered on the Precure?

Satoru-kun was so cool because he worked so hard! Good job! I'm just curious about whether Iroha-chan said "I love you" to him! Sorry for being rude!

Q: What do you think is the appeal of Wanpuri?

The theme of "the bond between animals and humans" is not only expressed through superficial touch, kindness and cuteness, but also through the serious aspects that we must face. I'm not sure the little friends who watched the anime really understood it, but I think it left something important in their hearts.

Q: What did you find most wonderful about appearing in this production?

A lot of people told me, "I'm watching it!" They were watching it with their kids, or there were fans of the series. I didn't hear that much about other works, so I thought "Precure is amazing after all! Wan!" Also, for the first time in my life, someone said, "That voice...is that Terashima-san, the voice of Satoru Toyama...?" I was so happy.

Q: Finally, please give a message to the fans who have supported Wanpuri.

If you are a parent of a young friend who is watching Wanpuri, please take the time to tell them "Thank you for supporting Precure! We received so many wonderful feelings!" Thank you to everyone for your support over the past year! I hope you share the wonderful feelings that the director and all the staff put into the work. What do you think? Wanpuri was the best, wasn't it? I had such a wonderful time this past year. If the day comes where you can meet Satoru, Daifuku, Iroha and everyone in Animal Town again, please be sure to come together!

[so basically, takuma terashima just like us fr fr]

[mozillavulpix]

Interview 2

Yoko Uchida (Character Design) x NaSka (Costume and Prop Design)

translated unprofessionally with google translate

personal commentary in [square brackets]

Q: NaSka, this is your first time participating in the production of the Precure series as a costume designer. What was your initial impression of the Precure series?

NaSka: I liked and watched Yume no Crayon Oukoku and Ojamajo Doremi, and Pretty Cure was also produced by Toei Animation, so I had the impression it was a fantasy-oriented work. But the original Precure series, Futari wa Pretty Cure, had very sporty costumes, and the arm covers and boot covers that were popular at the time were used in the costumes, which made them really stylish. The sight of the Precure girls in costumes that were more like real clothes in a fantasy world was really cool, and Futari wa Pretty Cure has left a strong impression on me even now.

[Fun fact, Yume no Crayon Oukoku was directed by Junichi Sato (early Sailor Moon, Hugtto) and had character designs by Akira Inagami (Futari wa, Splash Star).]

Q: Uchida-san, you participated in the production of Kirakira Precure A La Mode as a key animator and started working on Precure in earnest with Wonderful Precure. How did you feel when you were chosen to be the character designer?

Uchida: I was really excited. Marine Ino, who was in character of character design for Kirakira Precure A La Mode, is a senior of mine, and through that connection I was able to participate in key animation for the final episode of that series. At that time, even though I was in charge of the drawings, I was watching the work from the perspective of a viewer. However, I was able to participate in Wanpuri as a main staff member, so I was filled with joy at being able to be a part of Precure in earnest.

Q: It seems it's customary for character designers for Precure to be selected through auditions. Was that the same for Wanpuri?

Uchida: Wanpuri was also an audition format. When I auditioned, I was given a rough guide that "in this production, they will protect animals and play chase with them". I was told the story and setting would be completely different from previous years, and that the Precure would not fight. But when I heard that, I thought "they've been fighting for 20 years, so I guess they don't need to do it this time, but still?" I was honestly very surprised (laughs).

Q: What kinds of things were asked at the audition?

Uchida: In addition to the three forms of "a Papillon dog", "a human version of that dog" and "a Precure version", we were given the theme of "a female protagonist" who would later become Iroha Inukai. We were also given the theme of "two characters who would make up the Cat group", but at the time the Cat group was a combination of "a boy and a cat", unlike today. We were also given the image of the Dog group being cute and the Cat group being cool, so we designed them with differences in appearances based on that.

Q: How did you become involved in the production as a costume designer, NaSka?

NaSka: I was invited by Uchida-san, and recommended by my friend, character designer and animator Nishii Terumi, and also by Precure Executive Producer Takashi Washio, with whom I had worked with in the past, so I was asked to do costume design for Wanpuri. Nishii was the character designer for the Haikara-san ga Tooru movie, and Uchida was an assistant character designer, so I got to work with the two of them there. I also worked with Uchida on Rurouni Kenshin, for which she was the character designer.

[They're referring to the recent 2023 Rurouni Kenshin anime, not any of the previous adaptations]

Uchida: When I tell NaSka what I want to do, she always gives back more work than I could have ever hoped for, so I reached out to her and asked her to join the Wanpuri team. Precure is a long series that runs for a year, and there are quite a few costumes that appear in the series. So it was a huge help and I'm very grateful that NaSka was about to design the costumes and even the accessories.

Q: Could you please tell us more about the design process? How did you solidify the designs for the four Precure characters?

Uchida: At first, I heard that Iroha was the main character, so I expanded the image to main character -> energetic girl -> easy-to-move-in clothes...Iroha wore pants and Komugi wore a dress. Looking back at them, Iroha's design is quite exaggerated (laughs). As for the cat group, the gender of Cure Lillian changed from a boy to a girl, but the 'cool' image remained the same, so I designed them to maintain that atmosphere.

NaSka: I was present at the meetings from the very first pre-production stage. The image colour of the main character (Cure Friendy/Iroha Inukai at this point) was purple, so I thought it was unusual and interesting. Moreover, the design that Uchida drew for the audition was already so cute. It was so well-made that I didn't even need to be in it. The design was also really cute, but I ended up helping make the Precure costumes more catchy so that children would want to draw illustrations and buy the toys. I suggested incorporating striped ribbons of different colours as a common motif for the costumes. Also, since each Precure has a different personality, I made sure to make the designs different so that they were easy to understand.

Q: Their hairstyles change significantly before and after the transformation, so could you tell us about the key points of the hair design?

Uchida: Every year when I watch Precure, I think it's amazing that, as long as the Precure don't change their bangs or sideburns, they look like the same person. So for Wanpuri, I decided to stick to the usual bangs and sideburns, but make bold changes to everything else. That way, the four girls won't look the same even when they're silhouetted. That said, if the hairstyles are too complicated, even if they wear Transformation PreTume (a clothing set for children that allow them to transform into Precure), there's a chance that they won't be able to copy the hairstyle, so I incorporated designs that are easy for parents to arrange, such as braids and twintails.

Q: Please tell us about the key point of each Precure's costume design.

NaSka: First, I talked with Uchida about "reducing even one line", and we reduced the number of lines to the bare minimum, except for those that would make the design unworkable if they were lost. This is because drawing action scenes becomes difficult if there are too many lines and decorations. Rather than focusing on a large number of lines, we aimed for a costume that was simple but cute. In addition, we gradually reduced the amount of decorations on the casual clothes before transformation. If the casual clothes were too pretty, the difference between before and after transformation would be diluted. Then, we concentrated the lines in the costume as much as possible on the waist and joints, so there would be no difference depending on who drew them.

Uchida: I asked NaSka to feel free to change the costumes in a good way. I told her it was okay to change my designs. Then NaSka designed the costumes by skillfully incorporating the designed I submitted for the audition. I was grateful for that kind gesture, and I made many happy discoveries, like "so that design turned out like this..."

NaSka: For the casual clothes of Komugi and her friends, I didn't change the silhouette too much from the design drawn by Uchida, but added a few details. Uchida's design have a clear aim, and you can tell from the rough sketches what she wants, such as making the legs slender or simplifying the waist area. Thanks to that, I could come up with ideas without hesitation, such as adding a jacket here because it looks a little bare, or putting a skirt there. Also, when arranging the Precure's casual clothes, we actively incorporated designs that could be purchased commercially as much as possible. We wanted to make it possible for parents to find similar clothes on the market when their children said they wanted to dress like Komugi or Iroha's casual clothes. For example, Iroha's casual clothes are sport casuals with frills. At the time of design, it was popular among children, and we thought it would remain popular for the next few years, and we also thought it would suit Iroha's personality. Iroha doesn't seem to be particularly sensitive to fashion, but we also thought that if something is popular and she thinks it's cute, she'll wear it. So, we didn't think too much about the taste, but we incorporated it flexibly.

Uchida: When I was thinking about each Precure's casual clothes, the personality of each character was also starting to solidify. The dog group was always bright and cheerful from the beginning, but Mayu's gender changed and she became more quiet and withdrawn. So I made Mayu's casual clothes a long skirt. But when I animated it, she looked pretty wild (laughs).

NaSka: I didn't expect her to be that energetic at first (laughs). Also, I didn't think she'd be that active considering how shy she was. Looking back, I think I should have given Mayu clothes that were easier to move in, if she was going to run around that much.

Q: Please tell us about the design of the human forms of Komugi and Yuki. Did they undergo any changes before becoming what they are today?

Uchida: No, neither of them have changed much from the design at the time of the audition. Komugi has a ribbon reminiscent of dog ears, and the whole silhouette is rounded. Yuki's hairstyle is unadorned, and I wanted to give her a natural cat ear look, so she ended up with the style she has now. I gave her silhouette a crisp image to differentiate her from Komugi.

NaSka: The silhouettes of the two characters' casual clothes have remained almost the same as Uchida's audition design. We just added a few details. As for Komugi, I don't think there was any "let's do this because she's the main character" mentality.

Uchida: Was Yuki wearing pants in the audition design?

NaSka: It was a short pants style. However, many little girls like skirts, so I kept the dignity of the original pants style and made it a dress + leggings style. I also wanted a cool cut that wasn't too sweet, so I made the collar and hem triangular. The triangle represents the shape of cat ears. Komugi's silhouette is rounded and has no corners, so I thought about how to make her casual clothes as compact as possible.

Q: How did you come up with the animal designs for Komugi and Yuki?

Uchida: I was told that Komugi is a Papillon and Yuki is a slim, slender Abyssinian-type cat, so I started from there. However, I had a lot of trouble with the degree of deformation. I designed Komugi with short legs and a wide forehead, but later I was told "we want her to walk and move like a real dog, not like a fairy". As a result, I ended up in a situation where "her limbs are too short and it's difficult to move her" (laughs). By the way, I used the fairies that have appeared in previous series and Tsubasa in his Puni Bird form from Hirogaru Sky Precure as references for the degree of deformation, and created a design that makes it immediately obvious that she is an animal.

Q: Are the heart marks on the back of Komugi and Yuki's heads a link to the toys?

Uchida: That's right. The talking Komugi and Yuki toys have a heart mark on the back of their heads that acts as a 'pat switch', so I followed that.

Q: Please tell us about the character's eye design. Why did you choose the combination of slanted eyes for Mayu and droopy eyes for Yuki?

Uchida: The stereotypical image of a cool, cat-like character with slanted eyes and a quiet character with droopy eyes didn't really seem to fit Yuki and Mayu, so I thought I'd do the opposite. I thought it would create a contrast with their personalities.

Q: When Komugi and the others transform into Precure, a highlight appears in the center of their eyes, and the surrounding area also changes to a brighter colour. Please tell us why the design of their eyes change before and after transformation.

Uchida: My drawings aren't that distinctive, so I wanted to try something a little different. I considered putting hearts or stars in the eyes, but it would have been difficult to draw, so I stuck to the colour and made the center of the eyes brighter. But it would have been too loud if they were like that in their regular clothes, so I only did it after they transformed. I begged "only when they transform, please!" and got my way.

[This is funny in contrast to how complex the eyes are in You and Idol Precure. Not that either approach is more correct.]

Q: Uchida-san, apart from the four Precure, which other characters were you in charge of designing?

Uchida: Satoru and Daifuku, Mey Mey, Nico, the Precure's family members, and some of the classmates from Wanyan Middle School. For the classmates, I designed Kanie and Okuma. On Gaoh's side, Zakuro, Torame, and Subaru once he takes off his wolf mask. The rest are the Madame Trio of Otsuru, Okame and Oshika, and Mayu's friend Chiran. I also designed Mayor Washio. I was in charge of supervising the other characters and the guest characters who only appeared in one episode. Gaou with a wolf mask, also known as Gaou Subaru, was originally conceived by NaSka.

NaSka: Gaou Subaru was designed by prop designer Kazunori Haruyama based on my original concept.

Q: When Nico first appeared, she was a small unicorn, but in the middle of the story, she transformed into a human. Was this always planned?

NaSka: No, at first I was told she wouldn't take on a human form. If she were to take a human form, she would need a costume, so I had to save a design idea for her. So I repeatedly asked "She really won't transform, right?" and they always answered "Don't worry, she won't", but after many twists and turns, she ended up taking on a human form (laughs). But I thought something like that might happen, so I saved a costume idea for her. Thanks to that, I was able to work out Nico's costume.

Q: How did you solidify the design for Nico's human form?

Uchida: When I read the script, I thought the unicorn Nico's speech patterns were completely different from those of her human form. I was really surprised and wondered if they were really the same person. When she was a unicorn, she looked like a gal, but when she took on a human form, she looked extremely elegant, so I thought no matter how you look at it, she had changed too much (lol). I made the base design of Nico's human form princess-like. The colour scheme followed that of unicorn Nico.

NaSka: I was originally told that a toy called "Unicorn Nico Accessory Set" was going to be released, but they said it was okay to change the colours for the anime, so I coloured the head dress in four colours and added four ribbons to the waist. I wanted it to be obvious at a glance that the Precure were sharing Nico's power. Producer Maki Takahashi requested that I make it a dress with a train, so I added a train to the dress and added a mermaid-like image.

Q: Was Mey Mey's costume also designed by NaSka?

NaSka: Yes. For Mey Mey's costume, I was told "Just choose a reference photo and it's OK", but if we only used a photo, there was a risk that the interpretation would change depending on who was drawing, so I came up with a draft design. At first, it was just the clothes, but director Masanori Sato asked me to design a wig as well, so I made use of the series director's skills to create a shape. It was a lot of fun coming up with Mey Mey's costume.

Q: How did you come up with the designs for Satoru and Daifuku, the so-called Rabbit Group?

Uchida: As I mentioned earlier, the human character for the cat group at the time of the audition was a boy, and Satoru was designed to take Lilian's place. He was redesigned as a character who supports the Precure. In line with the request to be "intelligent, kind, and wear glasses", I designed him as a boy who is good at studying, and I was told that "there may be an episode where he takes off his glasses for a makeover", so I was conscious of creating a look that embodies "a handsome guy when he takes off his glasses". When the design for Daifuku was ordered, there was a possibility that it would be a hedgehog. At the time, its name was "Marron", and there was even a possibility that it would be a girl. Furthermore, since we didn't know if it would become a human or not, we decided to at least decide on the direction of the facial features for the time being, and after Mayu's slanted eyes and Yuki's droopy eyes, the only thing left was dirty eyes...so the animal Daifuku had dirty eyes.

[Clearly there is some common anime term here that I don't know that isn't translating properly, so I'm sure 'dirty eyes' isn't what is literally meant.]

Q: What kind of image did you have in mind when designing Satoru's casual clothes?

NaSka: I heard that Satoru wasn't good at sports, so I thought it would be best not to go in the sporty direction with sweatshirts or hoodies, and went for a shirt that was buttoned all the way up. I thought Satoru would be a good student and wouldn't come across as annoying. That said, slacks would make him look too much like an older brother, so I went for casual denim, so he looks calm but not like he does much sports. As for the colour of the top, I chose orange because there was an open orange slot.

[As in, none of the other characters had an image colour of orange, so it didn't overlap with anyone.]

Q: In "Wonderful Precure The Movie", Satoru appears in a new form, and Daifuku has acquired human speech and a human form. What kind of image did you have in mind when creating Daifuku in human form?

Uchida: First of all, there was a lot of discussion among the staff about whether Daifuku should be a handsome man or a young boy. In the end, we decided on a boy who was slightly smaller than Satoru. i designed him to be the smallest but most reliable character, but I never imagined that he would be voiced by Yuichi Nakamura, so I was very surprised when I found out.

[Yuichi Nakamura, mainly known for playing cool male characters like Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen.]

NaSka: I was surprised too, but Daifuku is the type who says "yare yare da ze", so it fits perfectly. Satoru and Daifuku's costume designs after transformation were made to be cute, so they won't look out of place when they mix with the Precure team. Also, I wanted Daifuku's casual clothes to reflect his personality, so I combined a handsome-looking sukajan jacket with wild boots.

["yare yare da ze" - a rather masculine way of saying, like, 'good grief'. Any JoJo fans probably recognise it as the catchphrase of Jotaro Kujo.]

Q: Are there any other characters that made a particularly strong impression on you?

Uchida: Otsuru and the other members of the Madame Trio appeared in a lot more scenes than originally planned. At first, they were only supposed to appear a little, but in reality, they appeared a lot more and played a more active role than expected.

NaSka: The Madame Trio didn't appear just once, but several times afterwards, so I also designed their costumes.

Uchida: I asked prop designer Kazunori Haruyama to design the animals that appear each week, and the Kirarin Animals were originally designed by a toy company. For the ones that I thought might be cuter if they were a bit more deformed, I made some adjustments, such as making the head bigger.

NaSka: When the project first started, the Kirarin Animals had a variety of decorations attached to them.

Uchida: It was amazing. At the time, I was watching it thinking it would be very difficult to animate.

Q: I hard that the design of Mayor Washio was modelled after Executive Producer Takashi Washio.

Uchida: That's right. But I was worried about how much I should make him look like Washio.

NaSka: Everyone praised us for how much it looked alike.

Uchida: His name contains the kanji for 'eagle', so I tried to create an eagle-like effect in his bangs and put an eagle badge on his chest, but it seems Washio himself had mixed feelings about it (laughs). He was embarrassed. Mayu's friend, Yuma Chiran, has the same calm atmosphere as Mayu, and her hair is short and wavy so her silhouette doesn't overlap with other characters. Furthermore, since she was set to own a chinchilla, her eyes are large and round, and her hair is a grey-beige colour to give her an overall image similar to a chinchilla.

NaSka: Mayu's middle school before she transferred to Wanyan had a different uniform, so I made it as simple as possible. Also, for Yuma's casual clothes, I made the skirt colour a gradient, and the top colour pink, which is the opposite colour to the light green (Lillian's theme colour) to create an atmosphere that would go well with Mayu.

Q: I heard that the frilly apron worn by Iroha's father, Tsuyoshi Inukai, was at the request of Uchida-san.

Uchida: The details of the side characters hadn't been decided yet, and the only information I had about the father at the time was that he was "well-built". So I made him look muscular. I wanted the Precure family to have a slightly rugged impression. The Inukai family's father is muscular and likes cute things, while the mother is pretty and good at her job. I submitted the design and it was immediately accepted, so I asked NaSka to "make a cute, frilly outfit for the father". They made him look really cute, adding ribbons to the pockets and a hat to his pajamas. I think it was good that they didn't say anything negative about that either (laughs).

NaSka: For Iroha's parents' costumes, I kept the design simple and without too much decoration to match the natural interior of the Inukai family. On the other hand, the Nekoyashiki family seemed to be particular about their interiors, so I thought they would be wearing clothes with details. As for Mayu's father, I was only told that he was a "photographer who travels overseas for assignments", and there was no specification of what he should be wearing, so I designed him with a similar image to Mayu. Mayu's mother runs a cosmetic shop called Pretty Holic, so I went with the theme of "adult cute".

Q: What was your image for the design of Diamond Ribbon Style, the Precure's enhanced form?

NaSka: In the first rough draft, the skirt was short, with white frills at the hem. Then, the customer requested that the skirt be longer, so I revised it to a longer length. The gorgeous details are expressed with long ribbons and plenty of frills. There are many frills on the skirt, but they are not arranged in a complicated way, so I think it will be relatively easy for children to draw. I requested the frills be coloured in a gradation. It's popular, and I wanted children to feel that it turned out gorgeous.

Q: NaSka, you design costume with children's drawings in mind, don't you?

NaSka: That's right. Children aged 3 to 5 often get tired of drawing when the costume has a detailed pattern. I remember when I was a child and designed with the idea that I can draw lines of this size.

Q: Gaou Subaru, Subaru, Torame and Zakuro have hairstyles and outfits that are quite different from the other characters, but what kind of instructions did you receive for their designs?

Uchida: Series director Sato explained to us that "Gaou and his friend lived about 150 years ago".

NaSka: The story is about someone from around the Edo period to the Meiji period.

Uchida: Then we discussed how it would be strange to give them a modern look, and Sato also gave us orders saying "I want the costume to have a kimono-like feel" and "I want Subaru's features to be a kind, gentle, handsome look". So while Subaru has well-defined features, we aimed for an atmosphere that wouldn't be out of place for someone from 150 years ago. We gave him messy hair to give his silhouette a spiky look.

NaSka: Subaru's costume is inspired by farm clothes, like those worn by farmers in the past. Farm clothes are everyday kimonos, but I didn't want it to be too plain, so I paid special attention to the details.

Q: Please tell us about the appearances of Torame and Zakuro.

Uchida: The intial explanation was "an older sister and a naughty boy" (laughs). I expanded the image from there and designed Zakuro as a sexy older sister. Torame is a design that can be recognised from a glance as a naughty boy.

NaSka: I heard that the work will be released overseas, so the costumes for the two of them are based on the motif of ninjas, which is relatively familiar for people overseas. Zakuro is a kunoichi and Torame is a ninja. On top of that, I added some modern motifs. For Gaou Subaru, I used a Japanese style outfit and accessories.

Q: Was the design of Subaru's rampaging form created by Uchida-san?

Uchida: That's right. But I asked Haruyama to design the final form where he no longer has a human appearance.

NaSka: I came up with the original idea for the final form, and Haruyama-san finished it for me. The design of the final form is, in a sense, the most villainous, but it's so scary that children might not want to watch it on TV. It would be a problem if I erased it, so I searched for the right balance. To begin with, he is not evil, but rather goes berserk due to extreme sadness, so I was careful not to make him too scary or villainous. By the way, I created the original concept for the Garugaru, who appeared in the first episode, but since I'm rather good at making cute things, it was difficult to make it look scary.

Q: NaSka, you have worked on a variety of designs, but what design has left the biggest impression on you?

NaSka: I struggled with the design of Gaou Subaru. He is a character that appears later in the story, so the setting was hard to come up with. However, since it was decided that both Garugaru and Gaou Subaru wear masks, I decided to give them a common design for the masks. I thought it would be easy to see that their consciousness has been taken over by the masks and they have become tainted by evil. At first, I was thinking of a Western aristocratic mask design like the Phantom of the Opera, but it didn't seem to sit well with director Sato, so I reconsidered and continued to experiment. Also if I made Gaou Subaru's physique macho, it would look like Wolfrun from Smile Precure, which wouldn't go well with the direction of the story...so there was a lot of trial and error. I was really worried, but around that time the image song for Gaou Subaru was finished. It was a solemn Japanese-style song, so I thought it would be better to have a more trailing, regal image, and Sato also liked it, so we ended up with the current design. It was the longest part, and we went through many iterations of the design, so it's very memorable.

Q: Speaking of Precure, the "Transformation Pre-Tume" items that let you dress up as Precure are also very popular. How do you feel about the fact that the costumes you designed are now being used as actual costumes for children?

NaSka: It was such an honor, and when I saw the finished Pre-Tumes, I cried with joy. I love Precure, and every season I would go into department stores and toy shops to see how they incorporated Precure's costume designs into Pre-Tume. It's a commercially-available product, so it's not a perfect reproduction, but I was amazed that such a complex costume could be reproduced to this extent in a mass-produced product. I never thought it would be possible with my own design, and I still haven't been able to open mine because I feel like it would be a waste. I also cried secretly when I saw children wearing Pre-Tume at events such as the Wonderful Precure Thanksgiving Festival.

Uchida: Precure's costumes are also very faithful. Even the smallest parts are beautifully reproduced in 3D. I was so impressed when I saw them up close.

NaSka: Yuki's puffy cheeks are perfect from every angle.

Uchida: When I saw them, I thought that the Precure costumes must have evolved too. It really made me realise how wonderful it is that the content has continued for 20 years.

Q: It must be very difficult to choose, but out of all 50 episodes, which one is your favourite or the one that left the biggest impression on you?

Uchida: For me it was Episode 7, in which Komugi and Iroha make up. After a fight, Komugi is invited over to Satoru's house, and I love the scene where Satoru listens to Komugi while wiping her runny nose. Satoru is so warm and kind, and Daifuku was so funny and cute as he comforted Komugi by saying "cheer up", and it was a lot of fun to watch.

NaSka: It's not a specific episode, but I love how Mayu gradually becomes more serious about love as the show goes on. As the story gets more serious, I thought Mayu's extravagant behaviour would calm down, but I was happy that she stayed that excited until the end. Girls with a quiet personality like Mayu tend to be in an inconspicuous position. However, Mayu's personality became more distinct as the story progressed. I thought it was great to see her develop into a strong character of her own accord. Yuki also acted proactively, even though she said "shikata ga nai", and I think the four of them were a very well-balanced bunch.

["It can't be helped", one of Yuki's catchphrases. She says it in her post-transformation speech every episode.]

Q: Finally, please give a message to the fans who have supported Wanpuri.

Uchida: I'm really grateful that you've been watching the anime for a year. Wanpuri is a series that promotes "Precure that don't fight", and at first I was worried about whether it would be accepted by viewers, especially children. But I was really happy to hear so many people say that it was good. Thank you so much for your support.

NaSka: I watched Precure every week as a viewer, and I hoped that I could participate in the production someday. I never thought it would actually come true. I thought it was still a dream when I woke up that morning until the broadcast started. Then the broadcast started, and we received various comments from viewers. Some people said, "I don't usually watch Precure, but I watched it because I love animals," and I love animals too, so I was happy that such people enjoyed watching it. Thank you very much for the past year.

[mozillavulpix]

"You can and maybe even should enjoy the things you love, so long as you do so with an awareness of what that love and consumption means and what effects it has on yourself and others."

From this video I just finished watching

Some of it was a bit depressing because it basically said "Japanese soft power is being quickly eclipsed by China and South Korea in basically every field", but it also argued that maybe Japan brought that on itself by focusing on pandering to otaku and safe stereotypes instead of authenticity. And it's not like the stuff coming out of the rest of SE Asia is actually better than Japan at doing that. They just have lots of state money helping their industries.

Anyway, that statement the video creator made reminded me of trying to understand my distaste for idols, and maybe this is the reason why. Idols are very brainless consumption. Especially in Idol Precure, it's basically the running gag that when you like idols your brain just stops working properly and you can't even explain why you enjoy the things you do. And that's the kids' version of this genre!

Whereas I can't enjoy something without analysing that enjoyment, whether that be by writing shit here or other social media or...making a reaction video on youtube back in the day.

So maybe that's why idols rub me the wrong way. The consumption-based and affection-based enjoyment of media is just...not what I get into media for.

The video also brought up The Apothecary Diaries near the end as an example of potential positive cultural exchange (as opposed to all of south-east asia just competing with each other), and I think it's cool that it's become a big Anime Success, because it really does feel like a solid show. Maybe I enjoy it so much because it does feel a breath of fresh air compared to all the isekai slop that comes out every anime season.

also Solo Levelling is just as bad as isekai slop

[mozillavulpix]

god, it's such a pet peeve of mine that Zukyoon and Kiss do an Elle-chan and basically turn from fairy form straight into Precure form

I think it really upsets me because Zukyoon and Kiss are very much designed as "older, more mature Precure", but they don't act like older, more mature characters. They're still just fairies.

Fairies don't need to go to school, or have jobs, or take responsibility for anything. they can fly around and go wherever they want whenever they want. if they get upset, they can just cry to the 14-year-olds and it's up to them to comfort them. they're a fantasy combination of infinite freedom with zero responsibilities and I get why kids love that but it's sure not very compelling

Especially in contrast to when we have had older Precure who are actually older (Moonlight, Macaron and Chocolat, Butterfly). Zukyoon and Kiss get all the benefits of being 'cool older Precure that are popular with the kids' aesthetic-wise without the writers having to write stories about older characters with more complex emotions and storylines. They can just turn back into fairies immediately once things are over and the characters go back to treating Purirun and Meroron like they're actual children.

And before you ask, I have the same gripe with Felice lol

It's just a cop-out writing choice. And like, yeah, the actual target audience for this show doesn't care at all about that. I just think it's a disappointing step back after the last 2 years.

[mozillavulpix]

my bias for wanting to dislike You and Idol Precure is like 90% maybe related to the fact I know I had a big popstar phase when I was a little girl and I kind of wish I hadn't.

Not that it hurt me or made me believe in unrealistic standards, but...once I grew out of it, I did have trouble finding friends that shared the same Nerd hobbies as me, and I wonder if it would have been different if I had gotten into those hobbies more when I was younger instead of running around doing the girly stuff I ended up disliking. If I had been part of those spaces since I was young, I would be more confident to be open about it because it would feel natural to me.

I guess you can't really control what you're like when you're that young - kids mimic what they see around them, I had an older sister, and maybe they don't really think too much about what they enjoy and why.

but I wonder if I had realised earlier that I was a Nerd Girl that I could have found more like-minded people instead of having to go online

[mozillavulpix]

lmao

I meant more because of the shared attitude than VA, given 'yare yare da ze' is basically Jotaro's catchphrase

Yoshimi Narita: I wanted to make him [Daifuku] a manly character with a cute appearance and a handsome personality. He's the kind of guy who would say "yare yare da ze", and would be in a shonen battle manga. I decided on that from the beginning.

so daifuku is jotaro kujo, got it

let me keep that mental note forever

[mozillavulpix]

why tf was maebashi witches review-bombed?

because it had a fat person in it?

who even knows with these people

[mozillavulpix]

I think I'm an idiot and have been overthinking this the entire time

Wonderful Precure is a story about communication and the idea that even if someone is different to you and you butt heads sometimes, as long as you have that desire to understand and empathise, you'll be able to work things out.

Hirogaru Sky Precure was kinda like that as well. That the idea of trying to understand people to help them was what made 'a hero'.

Meanwhile, You and Idol Precure is a story about how if you own merchandise of your oshi you become more powerful

[mozillavulpix]

Bonus bits in the interview:

Mini Q&A:

Q: Did Yuki and Daifuku have previous owners?

Narita: I wrote it thinking they didn't.

Sato: Yuki was set as a stray cat. As for Daifuku, I think his story was he was outdoors with his brothers, tried to fight off the snake that attacked them, then was saved by Satoru when he was injured.

Takahashi: Lop-eared rabbits, a species of rabbit with droopy ears, don't actually live in the wild. So I was thinking of a scenario where for some reason, he and his siblings ended up going outside and were attacked by a snake.

Q: Why doesn't Iroha have a smartphone?

Narita: Because I thought it wouldn't fit the character. I couldn't imagine Iroha looking at her smartphone. I sometimes see people looking at their smartphones while walking their pets, but I thought Iroha wouldn't be like that.

Takahashi: Indeed. I can't imagine Iroha holding an electronic device in her hand. It's not particularly necessary when she goes for a walk with Komugi or interacts with animals.

Q: Satoru had an annual pass to the Animal Park, but the membership number written on the card, "3164996NE" means "Satoru, you come here often"?

Takahashi: You guessed it (laughs). This was the idea of Koji Ogawa, who directed Episode 32. It was firmly drawn into the storyboards from the beginning.

Q: Are there no bikes in Animal Town?

Sato: No. I didn't put them because it would be too hard to draw (laughs). Initially, I was thinking of making signs in Animal Town like "Watch out for animals jumping out" and having Animal Town itself designed to resemble animals, but that would have doubled the workload, so I shelved it.

Takahashi: I think that kind of setting is only still around in the Wangan area.

Sato: That's right. We only incorporated the animal designs that we had originally envisioned into the doors and walls throughout the bay area.

[I think 'the Wangan area' and 'the bay area' both refer to the Wanyan Middle School and it's just not translating properly]

Q: Tell us about everyone growing up!

Narita: I think Iroha and Satoru will go to different high schools. Satoru will want to go to the same high school, but Iroha will push him to go to a school that suits Satoru's excellent abilities. I think they will go to different universities and have a long-distance relationship.

Takahashi: Mayu seems like someone who makes things.

Narita: While showing off her talent for handicrafts, she also seems to be active as a cat influencer.