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E10

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.)
[00:01] Ekoda
    Good evening. Ekoda-chan here.
[00:03] Ekoda
    Today, we're gonna switch things up
    and show you Ekoda-chan as envisioned
[00:07] Ekoda
    by the artist, Sasaoka Yuriko-san.
[00:09] Ekoda
    We've gone for a Supermarionation
    feel, so bear that in mind.
[00:13] Ekoda
    Anyone who wants to watch some normal anime,
    now's your chance to change the channel.
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan
SIGN    Okay, let's get this show on the road!
SIGN    Rinshi!!
[00:22] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists in all our hearts ♫
[00:30] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists in all our hearts ♫
[00:38] Singing
    ♫ More considerate than
    you'd think at first glance ♫
[00:44] Singing
    ♫ ...which gets taken advantage of ♫
[00:48] Singing
    ♫ Not as strong as she seems ♫
[00:52] Singing
    ♫ A hot topic! ♫
[00:56] Singing
    ♫ I find the tiniest bit of happiness ♫
[01:01] Singing
    ♫ ...and don't even realize! ♫
[01:04] Singing
    ♫ As long as loneliness exists in this world ♫
[01:08] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists within my heart ♫
[01:17] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists in your heart... ♫
[01:31] Singing
    ♫ Shine on, Ekoda! ♫
[01:32] Singing
    ♫ You're the Japanese Marilyn Monroe! ♫
[01:35] Singing
    ♫ Shine on, Ekoda! ♫
[01:37] Singing
    ♫ You're a modern-day samurai general! ♫
[01:40] Singing
    ♫ Usually naked! ♫
[01:41] Singing
    ♫ Usually naked! ♫
[01:42] Singing
    ♫ Usually naked! ♫
[01:49] Singing
    Gotta keep it real!
[01:51] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists in all our hearts ♫
[01:53] Singing
    You wanna go to Hawaii?
[01:54] Singing
    You bet I do!
[01:57] ---
    I don't care!
[01:58] ---
    I'm jumping in the ocean!
[01:59] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists in all our hearts ♫
[02:01] Singing
    So slippery! Gonna crash!
[02:03] ---
    Welcome to midriff town!
[02:06] Singing
    High school!
[02:07] ---
    Cool!
[02:08] Singing
    ♫ Such a people-pleaser ♫
[02:14] Singing
    ♫ ...which gets taken advantage of! ♫
[02:17] Singing
    ♫ No peculiar sexual fetishes ♫
[02:22] Singing
    ♫ Not that anyone believes me! ♫
[02:25] Singing
    ♫ Once I get sick of being trapped in a cycle ♫
[02:30] Singing
    ♫ I never go back! ♫
[02:33] Singing
    ♫ As long as men exist in this world ♫
[02:37] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists within all our hearts! ♫
[02:46] Singing
    ♫ Ekoda exists in all our hearts! ♫
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan
[03:33] Narrator
    They say that ten different people
    produce ten different versions.
SIGN    Ten Versions
SIGN    Ten People
[03:37] Narrator
    But what if there were new Ekoda-chans?
SIGN    Sugii
    Gisaburo
SIGN    Takahashi
    Ryosuke
SIGN    Daichi Akitaro
SIGN    Mochizuki
    Tomomi
SIGN    Misawa Shin
SIGN    Takahashi Takeo
SIGN    Yonetani
    Yoshitomo
SIGN    Kobayashi
     Osamu
SIGN    Kojima
    Masayuki
SIGN    Shigino Akira
SIGN    Nagahama Hiroshi
SIGN    Morimoto Koji
SIGN    12 Women
SIGN    12 Versions!?
[03:43] Narrator
    12 women, 12 versions?!
SIGN    Over the course of the next 12 episodes of the anime "Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan,"
    we'll be checking in with the directors of each episode, and the voice
    actress portraying Ekoda-chan!!
[03:45] Narrator
    Over the course of the next 12 episodes
    of the anime "Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan,"
[03:49] Narrator
    we'll be checking in with
    the directors of each episode,
[03:51] Narrator
    and the voice actress
    portraying Ekoda-chan.
[03:53] Narrator
    Today, we're unveiling the director
    of Episode 10: Nagahama Hiroshi,
SIGN    Director
SIGN    Nagahama Hiroshi
[03:59] Narrator
    and Ekoda-chan's VA: Kobayashi Ai.
SIGN    Playing Ekoda-chan
SIGN    Kobayashi Ai
SIGN    And not only that, but this time,
SIGN    Episode 10's Ekoda-chan
SIGN    Kobayashi Ai
SIGN    Episode 10's Director
SIGN    Nagahama Hiroshi
SIGN    we have modern artist, Sasaoka Yuriko-san, joining in the fun!
SIGN    Surprising secrets about the production will be revealed!
[04:09] Narrator
    "Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan" special feature:
    The Director and Ekoda-chan's Naked Chat!
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-Chan
SIGN    The Director and Ekoda -chan's
SIGN    The Director and Ekoda -chan's
SIGN    The Director and Ekoda -chan's
SIGN    The Director and Ekoda -chan's
SIGN    The Director and Ekoda -chan's
SIGN    Naked Chat
SIGN    Naked Chat
SIGN    Naked Chat
[04:15] Narrator
    We're baring all for you!
SIGN    Nagahama
    Hiroshi
SIGN    Project/Production
    Manager
    Kataoka Yoshiro
SIGN    Rinshi!!
    Ekoda-Chan:
    The Director
    and
    Ekoda-chan's
    Naked
    Chat
SIGN    Nagahama Hiroshi x Kobayashi Ai
[04:19] Kataoka
    Let's start with introductions.
[04:20] Kataoka
    If you could go first, Kobayashi-san.
[04:22] Ai
    Right.
[04:23] Ai
    I played Ekoda-chan.
    My name is Kobayashi Ai.
SIGN    Episode 10's Ekoda-chan
    Kobayashi Ai
[04:27] Ai
    I've been a fan of Ekoda-chan ever
    since the manga first went on sale,
[04:31] Ai
    so I'm tickled pink to be part of this.
[04:33] Ai
    And that's all.
[04:34] Kataoka
    And you, Nagahama-san...
[04:35] Naga
    Well, I'm meant to be the director,
SIGN    Episode 10's Director
    Nagahama Hiroshi
[04:38] Naga
    so I suppose you can say that's
    what I am. I'm Nagahama Hiroshi.
[04:41] Naga
    Ekoda-chan has been adapted
    a few times in the past,
[04:44] Naga
    so I wanted to try something
    a little different,
[04:50] Naga
    and to achieve that,
    I approached this individual.
[04:53] Ai
    Ta-da!
[04:54] Naga
    Modern artist, Sasaoka Yuriko-san.
[04:57] Naga
    Your turn, Sasaoka-san.
SIGN    Modern Artist
    Sasaoka Yuriko
[04:57] Naga
    Right.
[04:58] Sasa
    I'm Sasaoka Yuriko, a modern artist.
[05:01] Sasa
    The Ekoda-chan manga was like
    a bible to me when I was a student,
[05:08] Sasa
    so I'm also tickled pink.
[05:09] Ai
    Right?
[05:11] Ai
    This setup makes me wonder
    what you actually did, Director.
[05:15] Naga
    Well, leaving that aside...
    For now, at least.
[05:17] Naga
    We can come back to that later.
[05:19] Ai
    I see.
SIGN    Thoughts on today's recording
SIGN    Nagahama
    Hiroshi
[05:21] Naga
    It was fun.
[05:22] Kataoka
    Fun?
[05:22] Naga
    I'd say that describes it pretty well.
[05:26] Naga
    Nothing beats a job
    where everyone's laughing
[05:29] Naga
    about how much fun it was
    to work on the project together.
[05:32] Ai
    It wasn't really your typical
    voice-over session, was it?
SIGN    Kobayashi-san struggled with recording the song?!
[05:36] Ai
    More like... a recording session?
[05:38] Naga
    A recording session.
[05:38] Ai
    Where you record songs.
[05:40] Ai
    I have to admit, I was sweating bullets.
[05:43] Ai
    It feels like my little intro before
    the song is a distant memory now.
[05:48] Ai
    I don't even remember doing it.
[05:49] Naga
    Really?
[05:50] Naga
    But the intro was done after the singing.
[05:52] Ai
    It was, but because of the singing...
[05:55] Ai
    I'd worked my vocal chords a little too hard.
[05:59] Ai
    I even got choked up a few times.
[06:01] Ai
    So... the order of things was kinda backwards.
[06:06] Naga
    It turned out better than I was expecting.
[06:08] Ai
    Oh, my.
[06:10] Naga
    You were even truer to Ekoda-chan
[06:11] Ai
    This is embarrassing...
[06:11] Naga
    than I could've hoped for.
[06:14] Naga
    Even the bits that were flubbed,
[06:15] Naga
    or the bits that didn't
    sound the greatest vocally...
[06:18] Naga
    They seemed totally in character.
[06:20] Naga
    She did an amazing job. Don't you think?
[06:23] Sasa
    She really did. For me,
    that just was Ekoda-chan's voice.
[06:29] Sasa
    Because of that passion,
    and that throaty sexiness.
[06:34] Sasa
    It's just how I imagined her sounding.
[06:36] Ai
    I-I-I-I'm honored.
[06:39] Ai
    Well, because I was so totally
    focused on nailing the singing,
[06:43] Ai
    not much else was
    going through my head.
[06:45] Naga
    I see. I see.
[06:48] Ai
    I felt totally exposed.
[06:52] Naga
    That makes sense. Just like Ekoda-chan.
[06:53] Ai
    It felt less like a job
[06:55] Ai
    and more like everyone was dogpiling me.
[06:58] Sasa
    And yanking you about?
[06:58] Ai
    Pulling me around, yeah.
[07:00] Naga
    What a situation to be in.
[07:01] Ai
    I was freaking out.
[07:03] Ai
    It was nerve-wracking.
[07:04] Sasa
    You said it was a rare sight,
    seeing Ai-chan so worried.
[07:07] Naga
    It was, indeed.
[07:09] Naga
    You looked like a soccer player.
[07:11] Naga
    The way you were just bouncing around.
[07:14] Naga
    Someone'd say: "We're ready
    for the next take, Ai-chan,"
[07:17] Naga
    and you reply: "Gonna nail it."
[07:18] Naga
    We were all confused!
    "What's she going to nail?"
[07:22] Ai
    Well, I meant hitting all the notes.
[07:24] Ai
    Oh, the rhythm.
[07:24] Ai
    And getting the rhythm right.
[07:26] Ai
    It was a lot of fun, though. Even if
    I was in a world of despair the entire time.
[07:30] Naga
    A world of despair!
[07:30] Ai
    I seriously was.
SIGN    Sasaoka-san's first time seeing anime being made
[07:33] Sasa
    It was my first time seeing for myself
[07:35] Sasa
    just how many people help
    put together a project like this.
[07:41] Sasa
    It was kind of awe-inspiring.
[07:46] Naga
    You basically directed the song
    by yourself, Sasaoka-san.
[07:49] Naga
    Asking for stronger takes.
    That sort of thing.
[07:53] Naga
    So this was a piece of cake for me.
[07:56] Naga
    A total breeze.
[07:56] Ai
    You had a constant grin.
[07:58] Sasa
    I mostly just imitate what I've seen,
[07:59] Sasa
    but when I work on a film,
    I like to do the music myself.
[08:04] Sasa
    I'm the kind of person who isn't
    satisfied unless I'm involved
[08:06] Sasa
    in every part of the process.
[08:08] Ai
    Wow.
[08:09] Ai
    It would've been nice
    if you could've sung, too.
[08:11] Sasa
    Oh, no, I can't sing.
[08:13] Naga
    She can, really.
[08:15] Naga
    But if she'd done the singing, as well,
[08:18] Naga
    it would've put a limit on how much
    she could experience with this project.
[08:22] Naga
    Sasaoka-san doesn't usually do
    this kind of collaborative work.
[08:26] Naga
    She's usually a one-woman show.
[08:29] Naga
    So I wanted her to find out what it was
    like to work with others on a project.
[08:33] Naga
    And I hoped that she would
    end up getting something out of it.
[08:38] Naga
    Just doing what you always do...
[08:40] Naga
    wouldn't have been as much fun, would it?
[08:41] Sasa
    You're right.
SIGN    Behind the scenes of
    "Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan"
    Episode 10
SIGN    Nagahama
    Hiroshi
[08:48] Naga
    This is a very interesting manga.
SIGN    Director Nagahama's proposal for the anime
SIGN    Rinshi!!
    Ekoda-Chan:
    The Director
    and
    Ekoda-chan's
    Naked
    Chat
SIGN    Nagahama Hiroshi x Kobayashi Ai
SIGN    Nagahama
    Hiroshi
[08:51] Naga
    And I was sure it'd make
    for an interesting anime.
[08:53] ---
    That's what I thought, anyway.
[08:55] Naga
    So I asked Kataoka-san about
    maybe doing an anime adaptation...
[09:02] Naga
    How long ago was that?
[09:04] Kataoka
    13 years ago.
[09:05] Naga
    That was 13 years ago!
[09:07] Naga
    The fact he remembered that discussion,
[09:10] Naga
    and actually made it happen
    after all this time amazes me.
[09:13] Kataoka
    I'm really grateful to Nagahama-san
    for making me aware of it.
[09:17] Naga
    Well, that's kind of you to say.
[09:18] Naga
    But it's really weirding me out,
    Kataoka-san being so deferential to me.
SIGN    Not an adaptation, but a work born out of "Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan"
[09:23] Naga
    The idea was to be fully aware that this is
    something born out of the Ekoda-chan manga.
[09:29] Naga
    Strictly speaking, this isn't
    an adaptation of the manga.
[09:32] Naga
    It's more something that was
    made with the manga in mind.
[09:37] Naga
    Because of that, both in the
    illustration I produced for it,
[09:40] Naga
    and in the animation for the intro,
[09:44] Naga
    she's got blue skin.
[09:46] Naga
    That's one of Ekoda-chan's alter
    egos that appears in Volume 2.
[09:50] Naga
    These alter egos are
    everywhere in this episode.
[09:52] Naga
    And that's part of the theme of this episode.
[09:57] Naga
    We're all her alter-egos.
[10:00] Naga
    And although Ekoda-chan
    would hate the comparison,
[10:07] Naga
    that sentiment shows that we
    all have something in common.
[10:12] Naga
    And it creates the kind of animosity
    that comes from being alike.
[10:19] Naga
    That was part of the reason why
    I asked Sasaoka-san to get involved.
[10:23] Naga
    I wanted something that
    couldn't be accomplished
[10:26] Naga
    by someone just drawing
    an animated version of the manga.
[10:30] Naga
    And I thought the medium she
    works in would be just the ticket.
[10:36] Naga
    My initial concept was producing something
    that looked like "Thunderbirds."
SIGN    Director Nagahama's plan
[10:42] Kataoka
    You did, didn't you?
[10:43] Naga
    Yeah. I wanted it to look like "Thunderbirds,"
    but sound like "La La Land."
SIGN    Going to "La La Land" with "Thunderbirds"
[10:49] Naga
    But then, I had to actually
    figure out how to do that.
[10:55] Naga
    There's this live-action
    director called Motoi-san,
[10:59] Naga
    and I asked her: "Do you know anyone who
    works with Thunderbirds-style marionettes?"
[11:07] Naga
    So it was Motoi-san who turned
    me on to Sasaoka-san's work.
SIGN    Director Nagahama meets Sasaoka-san
[11:12] Naga
    Anyway, I went to see her
    while she was working,
[11:16] Naga
    and it was just like
    watching Ekoda-chan.
[11:18] Naga
    She was in this worn-out sweatshirt,
[11:20] Ai
    Was she naked?
[11:20] Naga
    and worn-out jeans... Yeah.
[11:22] Naga
    She wasn't naked! There was no nudity!
[11:23] Naga
    That's not what I meant!
[11:24] Ai
    I was getting excited for a second!
[11:25] Naga
    You just had to go there!
[11:28] Naga
    I thought she was really interesting.
[11:31] Naga
    And after she showed me some of her
    work, I thought: "It has to be her."
[11:34] Naga
    If this woman takes on the project,
    she'll look deep into Ekoda-chan's soul.
[11:42] Naga
    And I thought I'd get the "Thunderbirds"
    meets "La La Land" episode I was after.
[11:47] Sasa
    Was it like that, though?
[11:48] Naga
    In regard to the run-time...
SIGN    Struggles with the three-minute run-time
[11:51] Naga
    I think animation is defined by the
    built-in limits of a specified run-time.
[11:56] Naga
    Conversely, if you just sorta said:
    "Take all the time you want,"
[11:59] Naga
    or, "You can make it as long as you like,"
[12:03] Naga
    it would basically change the medium.
[12:07] Naga
    I wanted to show something quintessentially
    Ekoda-chan in the time allotted.
[12:10] Naga
    I imagine all the other directors
[12:12] Naga
    felt the same way.
[12:12] Kataoka
    They did.
[12:13] Naga
    And that made it easy
    to get motivated for this.
SIGN    Getting fired up for a three-minute show
[12:15] Naga
    To make something that'd
    leave people wanting more.
[12:21] Naga
    Where they react with:
    "What? It's only three minutes?!"
[12:24] Naga
    You have to figure out how to
    get people to feel that way,
[12:28] Naga
    and that's a fun problem to solve.
[12:32] Naga
    So I wanted Sasaoka-san to have
    the majority of the time to herself,
[12:38] Naga
    and we just handled the introduction.
[12:43] Naga
    That intro set things up for
    Sasaoka-san's part of the episode,
[12:48] Naga
    and made it seem like some
    kind of programming error.
[12:53] Ai
    But it was premeditated.
[12:54] Naga
    It absolutely was.
[12:56] Ai
    I mean, even here, in this segment,
SIGN    A truly unique episode
[12:58] Ai
    where it's usually just the director and
    Ekoda-chan's VA sitting down for a chat,
[13:02] Ai
    we're so fancy, we got a third person in!
[13:04] Ai
    There are literally two people
    here you could call the director.
[13:08] Ai
    I think this episode crams
    a lot more in than usual.
[13:13] Kataoka
    You've got a point.
[13:14] Kataoka
    Usually, we just have the two
    who made the episode happen.
[13:17] Kataoka
    But this time, two people
    came up with the core concept.
[13:20] Naga
    That's a good point.
[13:22] Kataoka
    For this particular three-minute episode.
[13:25] Naga
    And, at first, I was kinda worried
    that I wasn't being directorial enough.
[13:29] Naga
    But that just added to the entertainment.
[13:31] Kataoka
    From what I've heard today,
    I do think you did the job of a director.
[13:33] Naga
    Really?
[13:35] Naga
    Well, that's good, then.
[13:36] Ai
    Yeah, it is.
[13:38] Naga
    As long as it all worked out.
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan
SIGN    The Director and
     Ekoda -chan's
    Naked Chat
[13:44] Narrator
    In the first half, they discussed
    difficulties in the recording,
SIGN    Episode 10's Ekoda-chan
SIGN    Kobayashi Ai
SIGN    Episode 10's Director
SIGN    Nagahama Hiroshi
SIGN    Rinshi!!
    Ekoda-Chan:
    The Director
    and
    Ekoda-chan's
    Naked
    Chat
[13:48] Narrator
    and the director's approach to the episode.
[13:51] Narrator
    In the second half, we'll examine their
    lives through the lens of Ekoda-chan.
[13:56] Narrator
    And what production materials will
    Sasaoka-san unveil that you can only see here?
SIGN    The Director x VA
    & Ekoda-chan
SIGN    Nagahama
    Hiroshi
SIGN    Could you relate to Ekoda-chan?
SIGN    Nagahama
    Hiroshi
SIGN    Nagahama Hiroshi x Kobayashi Ai
[14:06] Naga
    Well?
[14:07] Ai
    I have nothing but sympathy for her!
[14:09] Naga
    I figured you might!
[14:11] Ai
    Sympathy, and admiration.
[14:14] Ai
    She goes through a lot,
[14:16] Ai
    and my reaction to those moments
    would be more emotional,
[14:19] Ai
    but she's already laughed
    it off by the next panel.
[14:23] Ai
    And that's something I really admire.
[14:27] Ai
    I get what she's going through.
    I see myself in these situations.
[14:31] Ai
    Not necessarily with this episode,
    but I genuinely feel that way.
[14:36] Ai
    When I'm reading Ekoda-chan, I'm always
    going, "I know, right? I know, right?"
[14:41] Ai
    There was one lyric in the
    song that really stood out...
[14:46] Ai
    I didn't sing that line, but the part where
    she's called a modern-day samurai general...
[14:51] Ai
    That was really funny.
SIGN    The appeal of Ekoda-chan
[14:54] Sasa
    I think it's a manga where
    you can recognize feelings
[14:57] Sasa
    you don't necessarily
    have the words for yet.
[15:01] Sasa
    And seeing it on the page
    allows you to sympathize,
[15:04] Sasa
    and helps you realize there are
    others who feel the same way.
[15:07] Sasa
    Something about that
    is really reassuring.
[15:10] Sasa
    And as you read through, you start
    to see yourself reflected in Ekoda-chan.
[15:17] Sasa
    Sort of like with Buddhist statues.
[15:19] Naga
    I see!
[15:19] Sasa
    For some reason, in Volume 1,
[15:21] Sasa
    she looks kind of intense and scary,
[15:25] Sasa
    but as it goes along, she softens,
    and you start to see her cute side.
[15:29] Sasa
    Like when she gets
    attached to some mildew.
[15:31] Naga
    That's a good example.
[15:32] Sasa
    I think she's really great.
[15:35] Naga
    I don't know if I could honestly say
    I fully understand it, since I'm a man,
[15:41] Naga
    but it's like... I want to understand,
[15:46] Naga
    and there are parts I definitely do get.
[15:48] Naga
    Parts that any man should be able to get.
[15:52] Naga
    I think it's a pretty versatile
    manga, in that sense.
[15:54] Naga
    It doesn't pigeonhole itself
    by only being aimed at women.
[15:59] Ai
    Friend M is pretty cool.
    Like, you think, "I want a friend like that."
SIGN    The existence of Friend M
[16:03] Ai
    The way their relationship is...
    I think it's really appealing.
[16:08] Ai
    They're not too close; they have
    just the right amount of distance.
[16:13] Ai
    That's something I'm envious of...
[16:15] Ai
    and it makes me wish
    I had a friend like that.
[16:18] Naga
    She was in this episode.
[16:21] Ai
    That's right.
[16:22] Naga
    Voiced by...
[16:24] Ai
    A classmate of mine.
[16:27] Naga
    Wait, really?
[16:29] Ai
    Well, you asked me if I had anyone in mind,
[16:32] Ai
    so I ended up casting her!
[16:35] Naga
    Well, Friend M is Ekoda-chan's friend,
[16:38] Naga
    so it made sense for Ai-chan to pick
    the person she wanted to play her.
[16:44] Naga
    And that person was Komatsu-san.
[16:46] Naga
    Well...
SIGN    How the Director and Kobayashi-san met
[16:49] Naga
    Where we met?
[16:51] Ai
    "Mushishi"?
[16:52] Naga
    "Mushishi," yes.
[16:52] Ai
    The audition for "Mushishi."
[16:54] Naga
    Right, it was at the "Mushishi" auditions,
[16:56] Naga
    for the role of Tanyuu,
    a very important character.
[17:00] Naga
    And then, after that...
[17:03] Naga
    She just sorta stuck in my memory,
[17:07] Naga
    and when we had to cast a princess
    for a Crayon Shin-chan movie,
[17:11] Naga
    I brought up the name Kobayashi Ai.
[17:15] Naga
    And since then...
[17:16] Ai
    Since then...
[17:17] Naga
    It's been ten...
[17:18] Ai
    Ten...
[17:20] Both
    ...years.
[17:23] Naga
    Sure has.
[17:24] Naga
    My impression at the time... hm...
SIGN    First impressions of Kobayashi-san
[17:30] ---
    My immediate impression was
    that she had to be Tanyuu.
[17:37] Naga
    But then...
[17:39] Naga
    You don't like the "but."
[17:40] Ai
    Yeah, I'm not a fan of it.
[17:41] Naga
    But when I listened back over the tapes,
[17:42] Ai
    You'll ruin my career!
[17:43] Naga
    I was like, "Wait, why did I pick Ai-chan again?"
[17:47] Naga
    But the thing is...
[17:49] Ai
    I didn't do a great job.
[17:51] Naga
    Right, in the audition.
    When auditioning for the part.
[17:53] Naga
    But in the actual voice-over
    sessions, she was spectacular.
[17:58] Naga
    You were great, really.
[18:00] Naga
    So I was kinda impressed with
    myself for seeing her potential.
SIGN    Kobayashi-san's first impression of Director Nagahama
[18:06] Ai
    My impression of you is mostly from when
    we were traveling around for "Mushishi."
[18:13] Ai
    I thought you were a funny guy.
[18:17] Ai
    We ended up going all over Japan
    and spending some time together,
[18:22] Ai
    and ever since, I've thought
    of him as a goofball.
[18:27] Ai
    But once you get past that side of him,
    you see the incredible work he does.
[18:32] Ai
    So there's both admiration
    and a sense of familiarity.
[18:36] Ai
    We're good friends in a sense.
[18:40] Kataoka
    I'm actually really curious
SIGN    The use of marionettes
[18:42] Kataoka
    as to how you actually use the marionettes.
[18:42] Ai
    Oh, I am, too.
[18:44] Sasa
    Right. Well, I have a marionette right here.
[18:50] Sasa
    And I control the marionette just like this,
[18:56] Sasa
    and later, I paste my face onto it here,
    where a face would usually be.
[19:01] Sasa
    And that then becomes Ekoda-chan.
[19:04] Sasa
    You generally don't see this kind
    of elaborate movement in anime,
[19:08] Sasa
    and even Pixar doesn't try to do it,
[19:11] Sasa
    so I try to make sure I get in as much intricate,
[19:13] Naga
    Wow!
[19:14] Sasa
    articulated movement as I can when I film.
[19:18] Naga
    Impressive.
[19:19] Sasa
    Including me, there are three
    people holding the puppets,
[19:23] Sasa
    and moving them in time with the music.
[19:25] Sasa
    And when I'm making a film, um...
[19:29] Sasa
    I like to do long, single takes with no cuts,
[19:34] Sasa
    so any slight mistakes or habits
    end up feeling emphasized.
[19:41] Sasa
    Which makes for a thrilling
    experience filming it.
[19:44] Sasa
    I started using this method because
    I wanted to find a middle ground
[19:49] Sasa
    between a puppet show and a movie.
[19:52] Naga
    And this is Ekoda?
[19:53] Sasa
    Yup, it's her.
[19:56] Sasa
    Before I get to work, I find I have trouble
    getting started if I haven't drawn something.
SIGN    Illustrations drawn before filming
[20:03] Sasa
    So I draw the character first
    to help place them in my mind,
[20:09] Sasa
    in terms of what kind
    of person Ekoda-chan is,
[20:12] Sasa
    and what kind of things influence her,
[20:17] Sasa
    and then, until I actually
    portray them, I have these.
[20:21] Sasa
    Done in pastels.
[20:22] Naga
    That's impressive. In pastels, huh?
[20:24] Sasa
    Yeah, I used pastels.
[20:26] Sasa
    Here's Big Sis. I tried to get
    across how crazy she is.
[20:31] Sasa
    Here we go. I wanted to really
    emphasize the faces of Ekoda-chan.
[20:35] Sasa
    So I basically discarded the bodies.
[20:39] Ai
    That's an amazing choice.
[20:41] Ai
    Just cutting everything else.
[20:41] Sasa
    It puts the focus on the faces.
SIGN    Your thoughts on having worked on the episode
[20:44] Ai
    I'm kinda sad that it's over after today.
[20:52] Ai
    This was my first time meeting
    Sasaoka-san, for instance.
[20:56] Ai
    And getting to talk, and sing,
    and do a round table like this...
[21:00] Ai
    It's all been so much! I feel full.
[21:03] Kataoka
    That's good to hear.
[21:04] Naga
    
[21:05] Kataoka
    What about you, Nagahama-san?
[21:07] Naga
    Well, let's see...
[21:10] Naga
    Y'know, it was really fun.
[21:12] Naga
    I got to drag the artist,
    Sasaoka-san, to the recording.
[21:18] Naga
    Someone who's normally
    cooped up in her own studio.
[21:21] Naga
    So that was fun.
[21:22] Ai
    She sure doesn't dress like a shut-in.
[21:25] Naga
    True enough!
[21:27] Naga
    I'm very satisfied with how everything went.
[21:32] Naga
    I'm glad.
[21:33] Sasa
    This was my first time being around
    a professional production like this,
[21:40] Sasa
    and seeing how many people
    have internalized this work
[21:44] Sasa
    to put together three minutes of film for it
[21:50] Sasa
    really helps me realize the amount of
    polish that goes into a project like this.
[21:58] Sasa
    And I think it's an experience
    that'll help me in future.
[22:01] Sasa
    I feel almost like there's
    pressure to capitalize on it.
[22:04] Sasa
    So I'm going to keep working hard.
[22:07] Naga
    That's good to hear.
[22:07] Kataoka
    Thanks for coming.
[22:10] Narrator
    And that's it for today's discussion.
SIGN    Next Episode Preview
[22:13] Narrator
    Next time on "The Director
    and Ekoda-chan's Naked Chat,"
[22:17] Narrator
    we're ditching the studio and crashing
    the episode wrap party instead!
SIGN    Director
SIGN    Ekoda-chan's
    VA
SIGN    Director
SIGN    Ekoda-chan's
    VA
[22:22] Narrator
    And a big-time musician
    makes an appearance?
[22:24] Narrator
    Will the free-flowing conversation
    end up making any sense?
SIGN    Ekoda-chan's
    VA
SIGN    Director
[22:28] Narrator
    Find out next time!
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan
SIGN    The Director and Ekoda -chan's
SIGN    Naked Chat
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan
SIGN    Until she's ready
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan
    Until she's ready
SIGN    Kyoto Studio
SIGN    Today, the footage for Friend M and Big Sister is being filmed
SIGN    The completed makeup for Friend M
SIGN    Test Photography
SIGN    The footage will be composited onto the faces of the marionettes
SIGN    The backgrounds are all done on blue screen
SIGN    Cameras rolling
SIGN    Checking the footage
SIGN    Filming Big Sis
SIGN    That's a wrap for today
SIGN    Ekoda exists in all our hearts
SIGN    Rinshi!! Ekoda-chan