4 - Metallic Rouge - The Future of BONES

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:02] NA
    For 25 years, Bones has been
    providing the world with dreams.
[00:06] NA
    Returning to their roots,
    Bones began production
[00:10] NA
    on their ambitious original
    anime* Metallic Rouge*.
[00:13] HORI
    It's long been my dream
    to create mecha or SF series.
[00:17] HORI
    When I mentioned wanting
    to work on a mecha series,
[00:19] HORI
    I was told we had the perfect proposal
    on hand, which was Metallic Rouge.
[00:25] MORI
    It's emblematic of Bones.
    A true Bones-like original.
[00:30] NEMOTO
    We can't spoil anything since it hasn't
    aired yet, right? I almost spoiled something.
[00:33] NA
    Androids fight for their destiny in this
    menacing tech-noir sci-fi battle action series.
[00:36] NA
    An all-star staff with deep connections
    to Bones were brought together for the series.
[00:45] NA
    Top-class members gathered around
    Producer Minami, who designed the project.
[00:51] NA
    It was like the whole family
    had returned home.
[00:55] MINAMI
    I personally think sci-fi
    is suited to animation.
[01:08] MINAMI
    It's one of the genres I like to work on.
[01:13] IZUBUCHI
    I joined the project to work
    with Minami again.
[01:18] IZUBUCHI
    It's a story I've been thinking about
    since the very beginning.
[01:22] IZUBUCHI
    If I were to work with Minami on
    something, then it would be this.
[02:03] NA
    For Bones' 25th anniversary,
    Minami drafted the proposal for* Metallic Rouge*
[02:07] NA
    based on Izubuchi's idea.
[02:10] NA
    The project featured an expansive setting
    that would become an ambitious endeavor.
[02:16] IZUBUCHI
    Rather than simply creating a series,
    Bones creates a historical timeline,
[02:29] IZUBUCHI
    and one specific part of that
    becomes Metallic Rouge.
[02:35] IZUBUCHI
    While working on Metallic Rouge, I began to
    wonder if it might've been more interesting
[02:41] IZUBUCHI
    to continue the current story instead of
    focusing on a protagonist from another section.
[02:47] NA
    Metallic Rouge depicts a drama
    focused around two heroines.
[02:51] NA
    Rouge is a type of android known as a Nean
[02:55] NA
    who transforms into
    the battle form Metal Rouge.
[02:59] NA
    Rouge's partner Naomi
    is a special investigator
[03:02] NA
    for a government agency known
    as the Ministry of Truth.
[03:04] NA
    Their mission is to kill a group
    of nine androids hostile to the world.
[03:10] IZUBUCHI
    They defeat the various sibling robots
    they meet by making themselves targets.
[03:25] IZUBUCHI
    There's an overall noir feel to the series.
    It has a tech-noir impression.
[03:43] MORI
    In current society, Metallic Rouge is
    a very orthodox science fiction series
[03:50] MORI
    with a fairly complex story.
[03:54] MORI
    But having two women for the main characters
    instead of men is very modern and iconic.
[04:05] MORI
    Rather than relying on someone else,
    together they create their own destiny.
[04:12] MORI
    That's a modern story.
[04:16] IZUBUCHI
    There are quite a few other animated
    series featuring female duos,
[04:20] IZUBUCHI
    but I wanted to trying
    putting my own spin on it.
[04:30] NA
    At first glance it seems like
    a battle-centric sci-fi action series,
[04:34] NA
    but the story also depicts Rouge
    and Naomi's deepening relationship
[04:38] NA
    and the strange bonds that form
    between them and their enemies.
[04:43] YAMADA
    The story is complex,
    but it's the simple struggle
[04:50] YAMADA
    to understand human relationships
    within that complexity that's charming.
[04:59] HORI
    We made sure the dramatic scenes would
    function to produce emotional action scenes.
[05:12] HORI
    We wanted people to feel
    emotions in the action scenes.
[05:21] CHARACTER
    Hold on tight!
[05:25] HORI
    This character's name is Rouge.
[05:28] HORI
    This is how she looks after transformation.
[05:31] HORI
    The protagonist transforms into this form.
[05:37] HORI
    Metallic Rouge is based on Mr. Izubuchi's
    simple core idea of a transforming girl.
[05:49] HORI
    There's probably a tokusatsu element to it.
[05:52] NA
    Izubuchi referenced not only
    robot series such as RahXephon,
[05:56] NA
    but also tokusatsu to create
    Metallic Rouge's setting.
[06:02] NA
    Tokusatsu, which makes heavy use
    of special effects technology,
[06:06] NA
    includes numerous live action series
    with transforming heroes
[06:10] NA
    including* Kamen Rider*,* Super Sentai*,
    and* Android Kikaider*,
[06:15] NA
    which are well-known in the West.
[06:19] TAKEYA
    Kikaider and Metallic Rouge feature
    characters who have to fight similar enemies.
[06:27] TAKEYA
    Kikaider has to fight his own siblings
    even though he doesn't want to.
[06:37] TAKEYA
    There's some foundational overlap there.
[06:42] NA
    Extraordinary sculptor Takayuki Takeya
[06:46] NA
    incorporated Izubuchi's love
    for tokusatsu into* Metallic Rouge*.
[06:51] NA
    Takeya achieved international fame
    for his work on Hideaki Anno's* Shin Godzilla*.
[06:56] NA
    For* Metallic Rouge*, he designed
    the Gladiator battle forms
[07:01] NA
    for Rouge and the Immortal Nine.
[07:04] TAKEYA
    I decided to incorporate
    the essence of medieval armor.
[07:10] TAKEYA
    Mr. Izubuchi loves armor, and so do I.
[07:14] TAKEYA
    They're moving objects with joints,
[07:23] TAKEYA
    so Mr. Izubuchi asked
    to include armor-like elements.
[07:31] TAKEYA
    We created something based on these
    rough sketches Mr. Izubuchi gave me,
[07:44] TAKEYA
    but they had too many three-dimensional
    curves and complex shapes for animation,
[07:51] TAKEYA
    so we simplified them into these forms.
[07:56] HORI
    They create one half
    and then mirror it. Interesting, right?
[08:00] HORI
    Kikaider is melancholic. There's a
    certain sadness to his transformations.
[08:08] HORI
    This design is cool,
    but it's also a bit grotesque.
[08:14] HORI
    That's the tradition
    of Japanese transformation.
[08:22] NA
    While the Gladiators were being developed,
[08:25] NA
    Toshihiro Kawamoto worked on designs
    for the protagonist Rouge and other characters.
[08:32] NA
    As one of the founding members
    of Bones alongside Minami and Osaka,
[08:36] NA
    he has worked on numerous series
    as a legendary character designer.
[08:42] NA
    Among his most significant works
[08:43] NA
    are the* Mobile Suit Gundam OVA,
    Cowboy Bebop, and Wolf's Rain*.
[08:50] HORI
    Mr. Kawamoto is the embodiment
    of the art of Japanese anime.
[08:59] HORI
    His designs satisfy our desire to watch anime.
[09:09] HORI
    We guided him towards creating designs
[09:13] HORI
    that were different from
    anything he'd created before
[09:21] HORI
    while also following Bones' traditions
    and fitting a modern aesthetic.
[09:26] KAWAMOTO
    Rouge has the appearance
    of a slender 17-year-old.
[09:30] KAWAMOTO
    Her hair is brown with red highlights.
[09:35] KAWAMOTO
    This is the first design I drew for Rouge.
[09:43] KAWAMOTO
    These designs were still more realistic,
    and these are the finished designs.
[09:54] KAWAMOTO
    We started work on the
    final draft in 2021 or 2022.
[10:03] KAWAMOTO
    It took a little less than half a year.
[10:06] CHARACTER
    Good girl.
[10:08] CHARACTER
    I'm gonna go buy some.
[10:09] CHARACTER
    Don't you dare.
[10:10] NA
    Motonobu Hori, who directed
    ambitious Bones projects
[10:13] NA
    including* Carole & Tuesday and Super Crooks*,
[10:18] NA
    would direct this series
    written by Izubuchi.
[10:19] HORI
    I'm doing a lot of things this time.
[10:23] HORI
    I'm checking the designs,
    the characters, and the robots.
[10:32] HORI
    I also give the action scenes a once-over.
[10:40] HORI
    I check the props, the art, and the designs.
[10:44] HORI
    Right now I'm drawing storyboards
    for the opening sequence.
[10:47] HORI
    This is the music track.
[10:53] HORI
    The most important thing
    is communicating through the art.
[10:57] HORI
    This is what's drawn on paper,
    then the character is animated,
[11:04] HORI
    and then a copy is sent to the background
    artists who draw backgrounds matching this.
[11:12] HORI
    That's what's known as layout design.
[11:14] NA
    Hand-drawn animation is
    the captivating product
[11:18] NA
    of detailed work and specialized knowledge,
    requiring great patience and focus.
[11:25] KAWAMOTO
    This is an image of someone floating
    on a swimming ring in a pool.
[11:32] KAWAMOTO
    The hair is too bunched
    to be floating in water,
[11:45] KAWAMOTO
    so I'm fixing it so it looks
    like it's spreading in the water.
[12:03] NA
    Expressing a grand and complex setting
    requires sophisticated music and sound.
[12:10] NA
    Taisei Iwasaki, who was
    the music director for Belle,
[12:15] NA
    worked with yuma yamaguchi
    and TOWA TEI to provide music
[12:18] NA
    that would breathe life into
    the world of* Metallic Rouge*
[12:23] NA
    while following Director Hori's vision.
[12:26] IWASAKI
    The director loves what we
    call Macaroni Westerns in Japan.
[12:34] IWASAKI
    He wanted to transform a single phrase
    into many different forms.
[12:41] IWASAKI
    We referenced old Macaroni Westerns
    and updated them for modern phrasing.
[12:54] IWASAKI
    This is why the same phrase appears
    numerous times throughout the series.
[13:04] HORI
    Tarantino creates a brand new style by
    applying music from old movies to new films.
[13:15] HORI
    I think we achieved
    something similar to that.
[13:20] HORI
    It's an action anime with
    a vintage feel in a good way.
[13:26] CHARACTER
    Purgatory Viola.
[13:31] IWASAKI
    A harmonica might sound out of place in
    science fiction, but that makes it interesting.
[13:41] IWASAKI
    Since the protagonists are two women,
[13:43] IWASAKI
    the director requested
    a masculine old-fashioned sound.
[13:52] IWASAKI
    I decided to really go for it
    by using sounds from that era,
[13:57] IWASAKI
    like guitars and that sort of thing.
[13:59] CHARACTER
    What is the true self,
[14:08] CHARACTER
    Viola Keane?
[14:09] MORI
    I requested guitars and trumpets.
[14:14] MORI
    In the old tokusatsu series Kikaider,
[14:19] MORI
    the protagonist actually played
    the guitar and trumpet.
[14:25] NA
    Yamada of Studio Don Juan
    was the sound director.
[14:30] NA
    From casting and sound effects
    to music selection and mixing,
[14:34] NA
    he oversees everything related to sound.
[14:37] YAMADA
    The first major consideration is casting.
    It starts with the voice actors.
[14:44] YAMADA
    I worked with Director Hori and the
    producers on the production committee
[14:52] YAMADA
    to determine who we wanted.
[14:55] YAMADA
    Then we auditioned individuals
    who had what the director wanted,
[15:01] YAMADA
    what the production committee wanted,
    and the people I felt were right.
[15:08] YAMADA
    That's where we began.
[15:10] SPEAKER
    Good morning.
[15:11] SPEAKER
    Good morning.
[15:13] MORI
    I also have to communicate
    with the voice actors.
[15:19] MORI
    Directors of Japanese animated
    series have too many responsibilities.
[15:25] MORI
    The smallest thing can change
    the direction of a performance,
[15:29] MORI
    and I'm careful about whether it's better to mention
    that to the voice actors or not.
[15:36] SPEAKER
    Okay, go ahead.
[15:38] SPEAKER
    Okay.
[15:40] SPEAKER
    I didn't think it'd be inside...
[15:42] SPEAKER
    Is your memory broken or something?
[15:45] SPEAKER
    Why, thank you.
[15:50] SPEAKER
    Excuse me.
[15:51] SPEAKER
    Could I get an extra large fried rice,
    twice-cooked pork,
[15:53] SPEAKER
    mapo tofu, and two jaja-men?
[15:57] SPEAKER
    What happened to Kotori?
[15:59] SPEAKER
    They died.
[16:01] SPEAKER
    I'm sorry to hear that.
[16:03] SPEAKER
    Okay, thank you.
[16:05] MORI
    The line "They died"
    at 190 sounded sad just now,
[16:13] MORI
    but I think it'd be better
    if it were spoken more plainly.
[16:18] SPEAKER
    Okay.
[16:19] MORI
    Everything else was great.
    I was fine with that.
[16:22] MORI
    Mr. Izubuchi, any thoughts?
[16:24] IZUBUCHI
    You've got it down from the first episode.
[16:30] SPEAKER
    Both of you were great.
[16:31] IZUBUCHI
    It makes me wonder if you
    practiced before coming here.
[16:36] SPEAKER
    I imagine they must have quite a bit.
[16:37] IZUBUCHI
    Seriously? That's some
    serious professionalism.
[16:41] SPEAKER
    Okay, let's try that one more time.
[16:44] SPEAKER
    Okay.
[16:53] SPEAKER
    Stop dodging.
[16:54] SPEAKER
    Naomi.
[16:55] SPEAKER
    A few more hits, and I'll
    be able to analyze them.
[17:00] SPEAKER
    Are you ready yet, Naomi?
[17:01] SPEAKER
    I just sent it.
[17:03] SPEAKER
    Once we finish recording the dialogue,
    next we work on mixing and applying music.
[17:13] SPEAKER
    For the most part, Director Hori can
    apply his own music, so he does it himself.
[17:20] SPEAKER
    Next we need effects, so we look
    for someone to handle that.
[17:27] MORI
    From around 84, let's add
    the sound of metal creaking.
[17:37] SPEAKER
    Okay.
[17:37] MORI
    Thank you.
[17:39] SPEAKER
    Afdal.
[17:43] SPEAKER
    Electromagnetic interference.
[17:44] NA
    Once the animators' work is finished,
[17:47] NA
    production moves onto
    coloring and photography.
[17:50] NA
    Additionally, adjustments are made using
    special effects as the product is refined.
[17:57] IKEGAMI
    I'm Masataka Ikegami.
    I do photography for Bones.
[18:02] IKEGAMI
    What we create is almost exactly
    what ends up on TV or streaming sites,
[18:11] IKEGAMI
    so photography is known
    as the last stand of animation.
[18:14] IKEGAMI
    In this scene, Metallic Rouge is blocking
    a blast of fire from an enemy.
[18:21] IKEGAMI
    I'll make the eyes glow and apply
    an air current effect on top of that.
[18:28] IKEGAMI
    This alone doesn't make it look
    like she's being set on fire,
[18:33] IKEGAMI
    so I'll add these flames, as well.
[18:38] IKEGAMI
    Now it feels more like she's being
    blasted with fire from the front.
[18:44] IKEGAMI
    Depending on the shot,
    we might use 50 or 100 layers.
[18:49] IKEGAMI
    Now this shot is done.
[18:53] NA
    Metallic Rouge is produced through
    months of effort and numerous stages.
[19:00] NA
    Finally, Rouge and Naomi's
    gorgeous battle and action sequences
[19:04] NA
    and adventures in the near future
    are ready to be enjoyed.
[19:22] IZUBUCHI
    It's written so what comes next
    can be created in the future.
[19:27] IZUBUCHI
    It'll come down to the fan response.
[19:30] IWASAKI
    You can feel Bones' desire to create what
    they really want to create in this series.
[19:36] IWASAKI
    I hope the audience can feel that, too.
[19:38] MORI
    Our greatest goal is for people not just
    in Japan but all around the world to see it,
[19:47] MORI
    which is a major advantage
    of our partnership with Crunchyroll.
[19:52] NA
    25 years after their founding, Bones has
    produced anime for a quarter century.
[19:58] NA
    Creative original anime
    and high quality adaptations.
[20:04] NA
    Challenging the limits of production technology
    and changes in the global market.
[20:10] NA
    Minami and his colleagues devote their efforts
    to developing new forms of expression
[20:16] NA
    while striving to create exceptional works.
[20:21] KAWAMOTO
    I truly appreciate everyone watching
    and supporting Bones' works for 25 years.
[20:26] KAWAMOTO
    I'm grateful. Thank you.
[20:31] ASAGIRI
    This will make it interesting.
[20:33] ASAGIRI
    This is how I want people
    to think of this work.
[20:37] ASAGIRI
    This moment will move the audience.
[20:38] ASAGIRI
    This is the best part of this work.
[20:41] ASAGIRI
    These types of creative statements
    aren't backed up by anything,
[20:45] ASAGIRI
    nor are they visible to the human eye.
[20:46] ASAGIRI
    But I believe Bones' animation
    sees these invisible things.
[20:52] ASAGIRI
    Since working with them,
    I've started thinking about that a lot.
[20:56] NEMOTO
    Bones has its own unique flavor.
[20:59] MATSUZAKI
    He is love.
[21:01] KATSUMATA
    In Japanese, we have the word
    "suukou" (sublime, lofty).
[21:08] KATSUMATA
    It's respect combined
    with something like fear.
[21:13] KATSUMATA
    That fear is key to how I feel about Bones.
[21:17] KAWASAKI
    My impression of Bones is
    strength and kindness together.
[21:24] ANDO
    It's a powerful studio.
[21:26] WATANABE
    I believe Mr. Minami's
    emotionalness is a good thing.
[21:34] OTSUKA
    I'll always respect him
    as a president and producer.
[21:40] NA
    For 25 years, the anime industry
    has been booming.
[21:45] NA
    How does Minami perceive those changes,
    and how does he see the next 25 years?
[21:55] MINAMI
    This documentary is being filmed
    for Bones' 25th anniversary,
[22:00] MINAMI
    but I and the people I work with
    have gotten up there in years.
[22:07] MINAMI
    So the next generation of producers and
    young staff will have to take over production,
[22:23] MINAMI
    and that will become Bones' new flavor.
[22:27] AKANE
    I think we lacked cooperativeness.
[22:30] AKANE
    I think it's important for meek young kids
[22:33] AKANE
    not to follow the tracks
    laid by adults too much.
[22:40] NATSUME
    That's the future outlook.
[22:42] NATSUME
    I kind of hope Mr. Minami doesn't
    retire and keeps creating instead.
[22:48] SATO
    I hope they continue producing great work.
[22:51] OHYAMA
    I'm looking forward to
    whatever Bones produces next.
[22:53] MATSUKURA
    Mr. Minami is getting old,
[22:55] MATSUKURA
    so I believe the newer younger generation
    will work to support Bones next.
[23:01] MATSUKURA
    I hope they make
    a few mistakes here and there.
[23:03] ISHIKAWA
    I'm looking forward to the next 25 years.
[23:09] NA
    The generation that grew up
    watching Bones' works
[23:13] NA
    is about to accept the baton from the
    generation that broke off from Sunrise.
[23:19] NA
    As the concept of creation becomes
    ambiguous with the rise of AI technology,
[23:26] NA
    we hope that Bones will continue to push
    the limits of technology and creativity
[23:32] NA
    and deliver many more dreams to the world
    for the next 25 years—no, for even longer.
[23:42] HONMA
    Mr. Minami and Bones production staff,
    congratulations on your 25th anniversary.
[23:51] HONMA
    Let us continue to do our best together.
[23:53] ONE
    Congratulations on your
    25th anniversary, Bones.
[23:56] ONE
    Thank you for creating Mob Psycho.
[23:59] MIZUSHIMA
    Bones, congratulations
    on your 25th anniversary.
[24:02] ITO
    Bones, congratulations
    on your 25th anniversary.
[24:05] TACHIKAWA
    Congratulations.
[24:06] SASAKI
    Twenty-five years?
[24:07] MINAMI
    Twenty-five years?
[24:08] MINAMI
    I'm amazed we lasted this long.
[24:44] WATANABE
    Mr. Minami has said this isn't
    a documentary about him.
[24:49] WATANABE
    It's a documentary about Bones,
    so he told me to talk about Bones.
[24:57] WATANABE
    But to us, Mr. Minami is Bones.