Ten years ago, three companies came together to create the Noragami anime: publisher Kodansha, studio Bones, and producer Avex. The result was an anime series that was wildly popular both at home and abroad―Noragami is currently ranked as the 21st most popular franchise on MyAnimeList.
For the first time since Noragami Aragoto aired in 2015, these companies have come together again to create a new anime series based on the hit manga, Gachiakuta. On Day 1 of Anime Expo 2024, anime and manga fans eagerly attended an information panel for the newly-announced adaptation.
Guests:
Megumu Tsuchiya (Editor at Kodansha)
Naoki Amano (Animation Producer at Bones)
Hirotsugu Ogo (Producer at Avex)
Video Message:
Kei Urana (Gachiakuta Mangaka)
Hideyoshi Andou (Gachiakuta Graffiti Design)
What is Gachiakuta?
In this highly-anticipated new action manga, a young boy is framed for murder and cast off the edge of a floating city into the abyss, where he grapples with the monsters that the elite high above would rather forget. The more the rich glitter, the higher the price paid by the poor… ―Kodansha USA
A super stylized action story with a strong visual identity. It has a rough but detailed artstyle that often plays around with the very shape of characters and places to hit the reader with raw, unfiltered emotions. Action is incredibly smooth and the whole story oozes “street style.” ―You Should Read This Manga 2024
Gachiakuta ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou/KODANSHA Source: Kodansha USA
───We have Kodansha, Bones, Avex: Why did your three companies get together for this new anime project?
Amano (Bones): Noragami was a work created with these three companies, and the teamwork was amazing. At that time, we all were saying that we should work together again to make a new anime.
Tsuchiya (Kodansha): I heard that the Noragami anime production team respected the original work and created an anime with studio Bones’ wonderful, unique touch. The result was a smooth and high-quality anime series, for which we are so grateful. Kodansha had such a good experience that when the opportunity to reunite these three companies fortunately came, our stance was “We definitely want to do it.”
───Tsuchiya-san, could you tell us what the appeal of Gachiakuta is from an editor’s point of view?
Tsuchiya: First of all, the energy and power of the artwork is fantastic. You can’t help but think, “Whoa, this is so cool!” and enjoy it. I think that Urana-sensei’s drawing skills and design sense are on the cutting edge of the manga industry. Together with Andou-sensei’s graffiti, they create a really stylish manga with a world like nobody else has ever seen before. Also, I personally think the dialogue is very important and powerful in this manga. There are many lines that are surprising, like “He really just said that?” but they hit you right in the core.
Gachiakuta ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou/KODANSHA Source: @ShingekiKyojin
───This is the first time I’ve ever seen a mangaka collaborate with a graffiti artist. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Tsuchiya: Urana-sensei made her debut as a manga artist in 2018, after being selected for the Weekly Shounen Magazine Grand Prix, a newcomer award for up-and-coming manga artists. [At the time she won, the upper tier of the award] hadn’t been given out in a decade. Even back then, Urana-sensei’s incredible drawing skills, design sense, and way of illustrating action have really shined.
Urana-sensei and the graffiti artist Andou-sensei were originally fellow creators and also friends. When Urana-sensei developed the concept of Gachiakuta and the serialization was decided, she had the idea of adding Andou-sensei’s graffiti to create an even more amazing world. So Urana-sensei reached out to Andou-sensei and the collaboration for the manga was decided.
While Urana-sensei and Andou-sensei are friends, they also really resonate with each other on a deep level and they both have a passionate desire to create something new. So we hope to share the work that they have created with all of you here in the US.
At this time, the panel screen shifted to a video message from the Gachiakuta manga’s creators. They both looked fashionable, with super cool attitudes and good energy. Urana and Andou seemed to match each other very well, so it’s no wonder they decided to work together on Gachiakuta.
───How did you end up creating this manga together?
Urana (mangaka): It all began with the colored backdrop behind the trash can in chapter 1. When I placed Andou-san’s work there, the finished background looked so good that the two of us immediately hit it off. We’ve been working together ever since.
Andou (graffiti artist): We’ve combined our work together and seen that they match perfectly many times [in the past], so we came to work together trusting in that experience.
Gachiakuta ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou/KODANSHA Source: Kodansha USA
───What is the theme or message of this manga?
Urana: There haven’t been many manga with the theme of “trash” up until now, so I thought to draw a manga about garbage. When I hit a roadblock while creating the work, I asked myself, “What are the things that I cherish?” I realized that I’m good at caring for my possessions, so I thought, “I want to draw a story that shows people to care for their things.” In the manga, this is reflected in Rudo’s ability.
In what way can people’s interactions come to change things, is also another theme I’d like to convey through this work.
Andou: I want to create works where the background alone can convey the world view, even if there aren’t any characters. Without being constrained by the frameworks of “art” and “entertainment”, or the titles of “graffiti” and “manga,” I focus on how much of the world I can express through my drawings.
───When you’re actually creating the manga, what’s it like?
Urana: It depends on the scene, but especially when I’m working on battle scenes, I draw while listening to intense music and wearing a headband.
Andou: Actually, it’s more intense. She bounces around. (laughs)
Urana: I draw while dancing. (laughs)
───How do you bring your characters to life?
Urana: When writing about the protagonist’s early childhood, I drew while remembering my own childhood. Back then, I couldn’t tell right from left when it came to interacting with people. In particular, the characters that Rudo meets on “the ground” are built up from the people who I have met until now and who made me who I am today. These memories and lessons are layered onto Rudo when I draw.
Gachiakuta ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou/KODANSHA Source: Kodansha USA
───Please tell us how you felt when you were told about the anime adaptation.
Urana: I was so happy, I was like “Yeah!!” and danced with all my might. I was especially happy that Bones, my favorite anime studio, would be in charge of animation production. Also, the topic of an anime adaptation came sooner than I would have expected, so I was surprised.
Andou: I felt like Bones will subvert my expectations in a good way. In any case, I couldn’t help but look forward to just about everything.
───How do you feel about the support from American fans?
Urana: That they can accept the graffiti and my drawings all together as “art” and appreciate it so highly, makes me extremely happy.
Andou: Rather than seeing it as just a manga, knowing that people view it as a work created by the two of us, makes me very happy.
───Please say a few final words to your fans!
Urana: Gachiakuta is incredibly cool, so I hope you’ll pick it up and get excited about it together with us!
Andou: We are just as excited as you are, so let’s have fun together!
Urana ＆ Andou: Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!!
───Amano-san, what did you think of that video message?
Amano: Well, I am happy that they love Studio Bones, but at the same time I feel a lot of pressure. Urana-sensei and Andou-sensei attend meetings, and look over all the storyboards and the designs, even though they’re super busy. So they’re really helping us a lot.
By the way, why was she wearing a Super Mario hat? (everyone laughs)
Gachiakuta ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou/KODANSHA Source: K MANGA
───What were producers Ogo and Amano’s impressions of Gachiakuta?
Ogo: Before Gachiakuta, Urana-sensei wrote a one-shot manga called Shikidou. Reading the one-shot, I was really drawn into her drawing skill, style, and the charm of the characters. So when I heard Urana-sensei would be starting a serialization, I was looking forward to it. Reading Gachiakuta, I was really impressed by the power of her artwork, the action elements, the character stylization, and Hideyoshi-sensei’s graffiti.
That’s one of the reasons I knew very early on that I wanted to animate this manga. To be specific, I was thinking about this since before the first volume was released, and we were already talking about it. I also personally love studio Bones’ work, and I have been dreaming about what it would be like if they animated the artwork of Gachiakuta. So yes, I’m also expecting a lot, Bones. Sorry for increasing the expectations on you.
Amano: When the Noragami team gathered and we were discussing possible titles to produce, I felt that Gachiakuta was a work that could bring out the best strengths of studio Bones. The characters’ rough and rugged facial expressions are depicted with incredible skill. The world view featuring the trash beasts has a strong impact. The visuals and setting are also intricate. It’s a work that would look great as an action anime.
When various characters such as Zanka appeared, one of my female colleagues became a Gachiakuta fan, so it made me think this series would have wide appeal. But I did also think that the level of detail might make it incredibly hard to animate.
Gachiakuta ©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou/KODANSHA Source: K MANGA
───What are some challenges of adapting it into an anime?
Amano: First of all, the original artwork is very dense, so the question is how can we incorporate this into the animation? I think this is a very different and challenging project.
We wanted to use different technologies, including 3D, to deepen the imagery and expression. We are also looking for ways to allow the animators to focus on the characters as much as possible. Regarding the graffiti, Andou-sensei has been working very closely with us. He advises us on how to depict places that are not visible in the original work.
Since we recently started working on this, we are still experimenting with various methods to keep the animation production true to the manga’s impression.
───Can you tell us a little bit about director Fumihiko Suganuma who will be directing the anime?
Amano: When we worked together on the title Time Patrol Bon, he did an amazing job. He has worked as an episode director for titles like The First Slam Dunk and Shirobako, so I was a bit concerned about the very different genre of Gachiakuta. However, he found the world view of Gachiakuta to be very interesting, and accepted this project for his directorial debut.
Actually, the storyboards for episodes 1 and 2 are completed, and I feel they are extremely well-made and are a perfect fit for the series.
©Kei Urana, Hideyoshi Andou and KODANSHA/ “GACHIAKUTA” Production Committee Source: YouTube Teaser PV
───How about the character designer and chief animation director, Satoshi Ishino?
Amano: I have worked with Ishino-san on projects such as A.I.C.O. Incarnation and Godzilla S.P., so I had confidence that he is someone who can create character designs that are faithful to the original artwork. As an animator, he is capable of drawing a wide range of character styles, from action to bishoujo. So we felt that Ishino’s past experience was indispensable for this challenging project.
───Ogo-san, what are your thoughts on Gachiakuta being made into anime?
Ogo: I was initially inspired to adapt it into anime when I first saw Urana-sensei’s manga in Weekly Shounen Magazine. I remember feeling very impressed by the power conveyed through Rudo’s eyes, as if he jumped out at me from the magazine I was holding.
I also think that action is a must when considering overseas reception of anime. If Bones, a studio that can guarantee the quality of action, handles a production, then I’m sure it will be amazing. Aside from the action, we also have the graffiti. I think it’s rare to find an original work with as many elements that the overseas audience would enjoy and be interested in as this one. So with the amazing production staff at Bones, I hope to transform the original work into a fantastic anime series that people worldwide will enjoy.
A few final staff comments from the official X (Twitter): @Gachiakuta_PR
This panel was conducted through an interpreter and has been edited for clarity.
Follow the Official X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/Gachiakuta_PR
See the official site (English): https://gachiakuta-anime.com/en/
Read Chapter 1 of the manga: https://kodansha.us/series/gachiakuta/
Add the anime to your list: https://myanimelist.net/anime/59062/
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