3 - Successful Adaptation

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[00:02] NA
    Like its original anime,
    Bones puts great effort
[00:06] NA
    into producing high-quality
    anime adapted from manga.
[00:11] OHYAMA
    One of the most amazing things about Bones
    is their ability to balance creating both.
[00:21] NA
    From the planning stage,
    they proceed with great care.
[00:27] NEMOTO
    Grammar and how things are expressed differ
    between novels or manga and animation.
[00:33] NEMOTO
    My job is to figure out how to capture
    and rewrite that for animation.
[00:41] MATSUZAKI
    When we're trusted with someone else's
    work, there's no point in us adapting it
[00:47] MATSUZAKI
    if we don't create something
    greater than the manga.
[00:49] MINAMI
    Our experience creating
    original series makes it easier
[00:56] MINAMI
    for us to understand
    the intentions of authors.
[01:01] NA
    Shortly after its founding,
    Bones began production on a series
[01:07] NA
    based on manga artist
    group CLAMP's* Angelic Layer*.
[01:11] NA
    Announced in 2001, it was
    Bones' first manga adaptation,
[01:18] NA
    but it faithfully recreated
    the world of CLAMP.
[01:23] MINAMI
    We were told CLAMP's
    Angelic Layer would become a hit
[01:29] MINAMI
    and asked if we'd like to animate it.
[01:33] KAWASAKI
    I think a story like Angelic Layer's
[01:38] KAWASAKI
    was perfect for Bones' first
    adaptation after their founding.
[01:49] NA
    Following the light novel* Scrapped Princess*,
    they adapted* Fullmetal Alchemist*.
[01:56] NA
    This series was a major
    turning point for Bones.
[02:40] NA
    For many adaptations,
    the publisher reaches out
[02:44] NA
    to an animation production studio
    during the planning stage.
[02:47] NA
    In the case of* Fullmetal Alchemist*,
    only a few manga volumes had been published,
[02:52] NA
    but Bones' staff were drawn to
    Hiromu Arakawa's unique world and style
[02:58] NA
    and brought an adaptation
    proposal to the publisher.
[03:03] NA
    This unconventional act started
    production on the series.
[03:08] MINAMI
    It has the power to break people's
    hearts and stir their emotions.
[03:17] MINAMI
    When I read the manga,
    I knew I wanted to animate it.
[03:24] NA
    As usual, Bones chose the
    right staff for the right roles
[03:29] NA
    and began production on a
    high-quality and exciting work,
[03:33] NA
    but adapting an anime with a story
    that had not progressed very far
[03:38] NA
    was a challenge for a brand new studio.
[03:41] OHYAMA
    Only two or three comic
    volumes had been published
[03:47] OHYAMA
    when we decided to adapt Fullmetal Alchemist,
[03:52] OHYAMA
    but our Mainichi Broadcasting slot required us
    to provide episodes for a whole year.
[04:00] MIZUSHIMA
    MBS didn't want to stop
    partway through the manga.
[04:05] MIZUSHIMA
    They wanted to finish the story properly.
[04:08] MINAMI
    The manga was published monthly,
[04:11] MINAMI
    so there simply wasn't enough content
    to follow the manga exactly.
[04:20] MINAMI
    We incorporated original elements and
    departed from the manga in the latter half,
[04:26] MINAMI
    essentially creating an original anime.
[04:30] MIZUSHIMA
    I'm the only one who met
    with the original author,
[04:34] MIZUSHIMA
    but the publisher and creator backed
    everything we presented to them.
[04:41] MINAMI
    Some fans complained about parts
    that were different from the manga,
[04:48] MINAMI
    but a lot of people praised it as the
    animated version of Fullmetal Alchemist.
[04:57] NA
    At the center of* Fullmetal Alchemist
    are brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric,
[05:03] NA
    whose bond deepens through their adventures.
[05:08] MIZUSHIMA
    The brothers' relationship
    is richly depicted in the manga.
[05:14] MIZUSHIMA
    I spoke with Aikawa about depicting
    their relationship more carefully
[05:23] MIZUSHIMA
    or deeply at the start of the anime.
[05:28] ED
    If you do that again,
    I'm leaving you behind.
[05:30] AL
    But...
[05:31] ED
    No buts!
[05:33] MIZUSHIMA
    We reduced their starting ages
    by a couple of years.
[05:38] MIZUSHIMA
    The younger brother Al loses his body
    in their mother's forbidden transmutation,
[05:44] MIZUSHIMA
    and Ed wants to help him get it back.
[05:47] MIZUSHIMA
    Ed himself loses an arm and a leg, too.
[05:50] MIZUSHIMA
    How would kids that age feel being
    burdened by something like that?
[05:58] MIZUSHIMA
    What is their relationship like?
[06:02] MIZUSHIMA
    In the manga, the brothers have
    already steeled their resolve,
[06:05] MIZUSHIMA
    so we wanted to show how they reached
    that point in the anime.
[06:09] MIZUSHIMA
    By showing what led to them
    becoming dogs of the State Alchemists
[06:14] MIZUSHIMA
    and then following the adventures
    they have in the manga,
[06:21] MIZUSHIMA
    you get a more detailed story.
[06:24] AL
    Are you really going to
    become a State Alchemist?
[06:28] ED
    I don't know if I can, but I'm
    going to meet with that Roy guy.
[06:33] AL
    Don't do it.
[06:34] ED
    I've already made my decision.
[06:36] AL
    Then I'll become one.
[06:38] NA
    For Minami, the quality
    of the music and sound effects
[06:42] NA
    are just as important as the animation.
[06:46] NA
    The world of sound that gives color to
    the series is constructed with great care.
[06:52] NA
    Since its founding,
    Bones has worked hand in hand
[06:54] NA
    with some of the best
    creators across all fields.
[06:58] NA
    The accumulation of those experiences
    has led to their current production system.
[07:04] MIMA
    We knew people of all ages were watching it.
[07:09] MIMA
    People lose limbs or entire bodies.
    It's pretty shocking.
[07:16] DOG
    Brother?
[07:21] MIMA
    Mr. Mizushima was directing.
[07:23] MIMA
    We discussed leaving the kids
    with memories, not scars.
[07:32] MIMA
    So we created memorable moments using
    realistic blood sounds or just striking imagery,
[07:38] MIMA
    or removed sound effects entirely
    and used only music.
[07:44] MIMA
    Finding the right balance
    while talking to the director
[07:47] MIMA
    is my greatest memory of working on FMA.
[07:51] MIMA
    Because I worked on FMA, the idea
    of "leaving memories, not scars"
[08:00] MIMA
    has become the root of my work since then.
[08:06] NA
    Fullmetal Alchemist became a massive hit,
    gaining popularity throughout the world.
[08:10] NA
    When the exceptional manga met Bones'
    high-level production techniques,
[08:15] NA
    an unparalleled anime was born,
[08:17] NA
    raising the standard for the Japanese anime world.
[08:21] TAKEDA
    Nobody expected it to receive
    international recognition the way it did.
[08:30] KATSUMATA
    It was well-received overseas
    because its theme of life is universal.
[08:40] KATSUMATA
    But despite that heavy theme,
    the character interactions are light and fun.
[08:46] KATSUMATA
    The characters are very well written.
[08:49] AL
    What's your plan?
[08:51] ED
    Hit 'em with my fist!
[08:53] NA
    After that, Bones produced a feature-length
    Fullmetal Alchemist film,
[08:58] NA
    as well as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,
[09:02] NA
    a series faithfully depicting
    the original series.
[09:06] MINAMI
    I think that became part of Bones' color.
[09:13] MINAMI
    I was glad have the opportunity
    to animate FMA once again,
[09:23] MINAMI
    this time all the way through to the end
    as an adaptation of the original manga.
[09:31] NA
    After the success of Fullmetal Alchemist,
    adaptation offers came pouring into Bones.
[09:38] NA
    They produced adaptation after adaptation,
[09:40] NA
    including Ouran High School Host Club*,
    Jyu-Oh-Sei,* Skull Man*,
[09:44] NA
    Soul Eater, and* Blood Blockade Battlefront*.
[09:49] NA
    Their high-level technique and careful
    screenwriting attracted many fans.
[09:55] NA
    Their second turning point came in 2016.
[10:00] NA
    Utilizing their extensive
    experiencing handling original works,
[10:04] NA
    Bones produced three adaptations
    long-awaited by fans of the series.
[10:09] NA
    My Hero Academia, written by Kohei
    Horikoshi, is a school action series
[10:13] NA
    about boys and girls studying to
    become heroes by fighting villains.
[10:21] NA
    Instantly achieving popularity
    upon its serialization in Jump,
[10:24] NA
    fans eagerly awaited an adaptation.
[10:28] NAGASAKI
    It's a hero story, but what
    I really like about it
[10:35] NAGASAKI
    is how there's one story about the adults
    and another story about the kids.
[10:39] NAGASAKI
    One story is about friendly
    competition within the school.
[10:45] NAGASAKI
    Meanwhile, villains and heroes
    perform deeds in the outside world.
[10:53] NAGASAKI
    As an action series, it's built on
    a continuous line or current of emotion.
[11:00] NAGASAKI
    It's important not to miss any
    of the character's emotions
[11:04] NAGASAKI
    when pumping up the action.
[11:08] MIDORIYA
    It's your power!
[11:12] MIMA
    With MHA, I'm precise and deliberate
    about how I remove or add sound.
[11:20] CHILD
    Deku!
[11:22] MIMA
    I'm actually a bit mean
    to MHA fans with sound.
[11:27] MIMA
    I give the audience
    a moment to take a breath,
[11:32] MIMA
    and then the moment the protagonist says,
    "Let's go," the music suddenly starts playing.
[11:37] MIMA
    I'm very particular about my work on MHA.
[11:43] NAGASAKI
    The most difficult thing was that I felt
    simply recreating the manga wasn't enough.
[11:54] NAGASAKI
    I've enjoyed original works like Dragon Ball
[11:58] NAGASAKI
    and been excited to see
    how they'd be animated.
[12:03] NAGASAKI
    I'm always most careful about how I apply
    that excitement and enthusiasm to film.
[12:13] URARAKA
    Are you crying, Deku?
[12:15] NAGASAKI
    The scene in which All Might fights
    All For One and ultimately retires
[12:20] NAGASAKI
    turned out even better than I imagined.
[12:24] ALL MIGHT
    Goodbye, All For One.
[12:28] NAGASAKI
    It made me feel tremendously sad.
[12:32] NAGASAKI
    In part because I directed it,
    I feel a deep attachment to it.
[12:38] MIDORIYA
    "I've given everything I had."
[12:43] NAGASAKI
    I've heard from the author Mr. Horikoshi
    how the series will end.
[12:50] NAGASAKI
    It's interesting, so I'm already excited
    to see how it'll be animated.
[12:57] OYABU
    The original author is pouring their life
    into creating their work,
[13:03] OYABU
    so it's important that we face it in our own way
    and don't shy away from expression.
[13:09] NA
    Bones' deep respect and
    understanding for original works
[13:15] NA
    has built a strong relationship of trust
    with publishers and creators.
[13:20] NA
    This can be said of Asagiri Kafka's
    Bungo Stray Dogs, as well
[13:25] ASAGIRI
    90% of mangaka want to see
    their manga turned into an anime.
[13:29] ASAGIRI
    Ambitious mangaka will imagine
    how scenes might look animated
[13:34] ASAGIRI
    while working on their manga.
[13:37] ASAGIRI
    Naturally, I created my manga
    with the intention of having it animated.
[13:42] ASAGIRI
    I simultaneously experience the joy of the
    animation turning out exactly as I imagined
[13:46] ASAGIRI
    and the joy of it exceeding my imagination.
[13:50] ASAGIRI
    It's an amazing feeling,
    and probably a rare one.
[13:55] NA
    The high-quality performances of voice
    actors sometimes influence the creator.
[14:03] DAZAI
    There's nothing worth pursuing at
    the cost of prolonging a life of suffering.
[14:09] ASAGIRI
    All the voice actors for
    Bungo Stray Dogs are fantastic.
[14:13] ASAGIRI
    When I write dialogue, I hear it in
    Mr. Miyano or Mr. Hosoya's voices.
[14:20] ASAGIRI
    I hear the characters' voices
    in the voice actors' voices.
[14:24] DAZAI
    I am Dazai Osamu.
[14:26] ASAGIRI
    One major change is I've starting thinking
[14:30] ASAGIRI
    hearing this line spoken in this
    voice would make me happy.
[14:33] GIDE
    Sakunosuke, even your last shot was perfect.
[14:42] ASAGIRI
    The good protagonist fights evil
    and wins at the end of an intense battle.
[14:48] ASAGIRI
    It's a totally normal story
    we've seen hundreds of times,
[14:53] SPEAKER
    but we want to watch that and feel like
    we've never seen anything like that before.
[14:59] SPEAKER
    We create to fulfill that demand.
[15:04] SPEAKER
    Studio Bones and Director Igarashi created
    that animation, created those backgrounds,
[15:12] SPEAKER
    created that music, and created
    that performance to meet that demand.
[15:17] SPEAKER
    It's the reason those
    professionals created that.
[15:22] SPEAKER
    They created a Yokohama that
    doesn't exist. Impossible sights.
[15:28] SPEAKER
    Use of color that can't be achieved
    filming live action with a camera.
[15:32] SPEAKER
    That is what first-rate anime,
    first-rate professional staff,
[15:38] SPEAKER
    and Bones' anime production are creating.
[15:45] NA
    TV anime* Mob Psycho 100 is based on
    a manga written by popular author ONE
[15:51] NA
    published on Shogakukan's web comic site.
[15:54] REIGEN
    Could it be?
[15:55] ONE
    I never thought Bones
    would animate Mob Psycho.
[16:01] ONE
    I doubted it was true
    when I first heard about it.
[16:06] MINAMI
    These days, a lot of creators
    check the animation.
[16:12] MINAMI
    They'll check the movements
    to tell us do this, not that.
[16:24] MOB
    I have supernatural powers.
[16:27] ONE
    In an anime-only original scene,
[16:31] ONE
    Dimple fights a horde
    of enemy broccoli monsters.
[16:38] ONE
    The entire fight is cut from the manga,
    starting right after the end of the fight.
[16:44] ONE
    But they animated the entire thing.
[16:48] ONE
    It's captivating and intense.
[16:56] ITO
    I'm not sure whether to call it the action,
    the destruction, or their ideas.
[17:02] ITO
    Whatever it is, it's totally out of control.
[17:07] ITO
    The works themselves are out of control,
[17:09] ITO
    but Bones takes it to the next level
    with their animation.
[17:14] RITSU
    He's going to explode.
[17:17] RITSU
    Run, everyone! Run!
[17:20] TACHIKAWA
    Until now, Bones has produced
    a lot of beautiful art,
[17:28] TACHIKAWA
    so it was surprising that
    they picked up Mob Psycho.
[17:32] TACHIKAWA
    The manga is drawn
    with relatively simple lines,
[17:37] TACHIKAWA
    with a style closer to that of a gag series.
[17:45] TACHIKAWA
    When Bones first took on the project,
    I wasn't sure if it would match Bones' flavor.
[17:52] TACHIKAWA
    Once production actually started, a tremendous
    amount of effort went into the animation.
[17:58] TACHIKAWA
    Because of that, all the production staff
    are proud to have animated it,
[18:05] TACHIKAWA
    and they're all very skilled animators.
[18:15] ONE
    The energy level in Mob starts low
    and builds as the story progresses.
[18:24] ONE
    When the protagonist's emotions
    reach 100%, things get intense.
[18:39] ONE
    Looking back, that left a strong impression.
[18:43] ONE
    There was a lot about the anime
    that impressed me.
[18:46] ONE
    I also feel lucky that a series
    I worked on is popular overseas.
[18:56] ONE
    I have nothing but gratitude.
[19:00] NA
    Bones has devoted great effort
    to their original anime.
[19:03] NA
    Meanwhile, their high-quality and
    varied adaptations expanded their fan base.
[19:15] NA
    Bones' global perspective is
    yet another one of their strengths.
[19:19] NA
    Minami's enthusiasm for
    distributing anime to the world
[19:22] NA
    is reflected in his early partnerships
    with streaming platforms.
[19:28] MINAMI
    Bebop was the first time we
    directly met with our audience.
[19:36] MINAMI
    We still enjoy going to overseas events.
[19:41] MINAMI
    They have a lot to say about what
    they like about our animation.
[19:46] MINAMI
    It makes us really happy to hear
    how much people enjoy our work.
[19:51] NA
    In order to develop markets
    and distribution channels,
[19:54] NA
    with the launch of the PlayStation
    Network in 2008, Minami actively worked
[20:02] NA
    on the production of Xam'd: Lost Memories*,
    a web anime targeting streaming.
[20:07] ITO
    Xam'd: Lost Memories was the first
    series they produced for PS3 streaming.
[20:16] ITO
    They're a company that continuously
    takes on novel challenges.
[20:24] NA
    Breaking away from stereotypes led
    to the creation of new types of series.
[20:31] NA
    International artists contributed
    to* Carole & Tuesday*.
[20:35] NA
    Anime was rapidly delivered
    throughout the world
[20:38] NA
    through collaboration with Sony PlayStation,
    Crunchyroll, and Netflix.
[20:43] NA
    They produced numerous works including
    Dragon Pilot: Hisone and Masotan,
[20:47] NA
    Godzilla Singular Point, and* Super Crooks*.
[20:49] NA
    Bones opened the doors to the global market
[20:53] NA
    and established their position as a
    key provider of Japanese animation.
[20:57] KAWASAKI
    Japan's population is roughly 120 million,
    which is an adequate size for business.
[21:07] KAWASAKI
    Serving only Japanese fans
    is certainly viable,
[21:15] KAWASAKI
    but it's not enough maintain or expand
    the current Japanese anime industry.
[21:21] KAWASAKI
    To do that, we need to create more
    animation for an international audience.
[21:27] NA
    The Japanese anime industry that had a
    tendency to focus only on the domestic market
[21:32] NA
    is starting to look at the rest of the world
    and create with the global market in mind.
[21:39] KATSUMATA
    Depending on the genre, streaming allows us
    to produce eight 50-minute episodes,
[21:48] KATSUMATA
    or if it's a gag series,
    we can create short episodes.
[21:56] KATSUMATA
    The diversity of formats is expanding
    the genres that can be created.
[22:03] OTSUKA
    MAPPA has grown as much as it has
    thanks to platforms such as Crunchyroll.
[22:11] OTSUKA
    It's become much easier
    to understand how a studio's works
[22:15] OTSUKA
    are distributed to
    audiences all over the world.
[22:23] OTSUKA
    Working directly with platforms
[22:26] OTSUKA
    has made it easier to engage
    in both creativity and business.
[22:32] TAKEDA
    In the case of TV animation,
    there's an upper limit on production costs.
[22:38] TAKEDA
    Compared to that, companies like
    Netflix have enormous budgets,
[22:46] TAKEDA
    which makes things interesting.
[22:50] MIMA
    In some ways, it's scary.
[22:54] MIMA
    For example, we can immediately see the
    international audience's reaction to a TV series.
[23:02] ED
    Seven, eight, nine, hello.
[23:06] KYODA
    It's fantastic that people around the world
    can now watch something simultaneously,
[23:16] KYODA
    but what should we be showing
    that international audience?
[23:23] KYODA
    As the scale grows, the number of works
    that can't afford to fail increases, too.
[23:36] KYODA
    That makes it more and more difficult
    to create original series.
[23:44] KATSUMATA
    One of the best things
    about Japanese anime is how they create
[23:49] KATSUMATA
    without considering how the product
    will be received by the rest of the world.
[23:55] KAWASAKI
    We need not just adaptations,
    but impactful original series, as well,
[24:06] KAWASAKI
    and it's Bones who can deliver that.
[24:09] NA
    Bones' numerous popular series
    and global perspective
[24:13] NA
    have propelled them into becoming
    a global anime production company.
[24:21] NA
    Now let's turn our attention
    to* Metallic Rouge*,
[24:25] NA
    the series released on the 25th anniversary
    of the company's founding.