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Love is War: An Interview with Aoi Koga, Tatsuya Ishikawa, and Tatsuya Ishikawa
🕑 Added 2023-02-25 22:20:30 +0000 UTCInterviewer: Seth Burn
Editor: Samantha Ferreira
MyAnimeList: How are you feeling about the preview screening of “[Kaguya-sama: ] Love is War: First Kiss” later today?
Aoi Koga: I’m happy! (Laughs)
I’m very excited to watch it myself. Being able to watch it with everyone adds to the excitement.
Tatsuya Ishikawa: I don’t know how the overseas fans will react, so I’m very eager to watch their reactions.
Yūichirō Kikuchi: The movie is about the holidays. It kind of lines up with the holiday season in New York as well. I’m happy about that for the screening.
Anime Herald: Vercreek produced an ED for you. Are you going to be working with him in the future?
Tatsuya Ishikawa: He’s already had a longstanding relationship with us. We’re eager to continue that. Watching Vercreek and Ishikawa-san interact on Twitter is very entertaining.
It’s ironic, because there’s something we can’t talk about. It’s a secret new project.
Unknown Outlet (Hanna): Kaguya-sama is very beloved in the United States. Politicians such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and celebrities such as Kim Kardashian have reacted positively to the show. Did you ever think you’d get such a reaction from overseas fans? When that happened, what did you think about it?
Aoi Koga: I’m so shocked!
Unknown Outlet (Hanna): The “How cute” reaction is super famous. Politicians use it.
Aoi Koga: I didn’t know!
Tatsuya Ishikawa: The story is very Japanese. For it to be so global, worldwide… I still can’t believe it. The boundaries are disappearing. That makes me very happy.
Yūichirō Kikuchi: The fact that I get to do something that I really enjoy, and that it’s having an impact worldwide, is very surprising and makes me very happy. A win-win situation.
Fandom Post: Kaguya-Sama has a very high production value, especially for a romantic comedy. What goes into ensuring it always has the resources it needs?
Tatsuya Ishikawa: We let the actors approach it naturally, do what’s easiest for them. We get opinions from the other staff. Everyone gets together and collaborates. Also, adding in new blood, even from the outside, such as Vercreek. Constantly getting new ideas, and being open to new ideas… not having tunnel vision has helped make Kaguya-Sama what it is.
Because it’s fun, for me, for the staff, is what makes it good. Even before I became the producer for the anime, I was a huge fan of the manga.
When I talk to Kikuchi-san, I’ll be like “This part is so good!” At that point, we dial it up from 100%, to 120%, to 140%, and that’s how it gets where it is. In my opinion, the love we have for the entity itself seeps through to the anime.
Unknown Outlet: How did the decision to make this arc into a movie instead of part of the fourth season come about?
Tatsuya Ishikawa: Making one season takes a long time. We wanted to close the gap between when “Ultra Romantic” would finish and when “First Kiss” would happen. I decided to focus on the “First Kiss” arc and make it happen quickly.
Aniplex Translator: That’s Ishikawa-style. Real friendly-to-the-fans approach. He didn’t want people to have to wait a week. He wanted them to watch it in one go. The best way to do that is a theatrical release. Similar to that was the “Dual Confessions” arc. They broadcasted that in Japan [as] two episodes, back to back. Similarly, in America, we streamed both episodes on the same day. It’s a very fan-friendly approach, so you don’t have a cliffhanger. You can enjoy the whole story all at once. That was the reason behind making it a theatrical release.
Yūichirō Kikuchi: A little bit different from the Rom-Com aspect of the TV series, it’s really about Shirogane and Kaguya. I wanted to condense that more. That’s why a theatrical release was better for telling the story.
MyAnimeList: Is there any aspect of Kaguya’s character that you identify with?
Aoi Koga: Her hair. (Laughs)
My first impression was that we were complete opposites. We grew up very differently. Kaguya comes from a wealthy family. She can be very harsh and cold. I’m warm and loving. On the flip side, Kaguya has some things that I don’t have.
I admire how cool she can be. How elegant. She’s such a lady. If we’re going to talk about similarities, as we got to know Kaguya better… if she sees someone she has a crush on being nice to somebody, that bothers her. I see some similarities there.
Anime Herald: When you’re working on this production do you find yourselves thinking about the international audience more than you used to?
Tatsuya Ishikawa: For me, in terms of making the animation, nothing has changed. I decided to premier the movie in New York after seeing the reactions from overseas fans. Seeing the reactions from the fans at Anime Expo made a big difference. It doesn’t change how we produce the anime, but it has affected how we’re delivering it to the public.
(to Mr. Kikuchi) Has anything changed on the creative side?
Yūichirō Kikuchi: We didn’t go out of our way to try and help it resonate with international audiences. However, because it became popular overseas, animators from overseas expressed interest in wanting to work on Kaguya-sama. So naturally the production changed. There are certain expressions from overseas that we’ve incorporated. But it wasn’t something we felt we had to do, it just happened naturally.
Unknown Outlet (Hanna): The manga just ended recently. What were your thoughts on the ending and what are your feelings now that the manga has completed?
Tatsuya Ishikawa: Now with three seasons and “First Kiss” we’ve established the anime. We’ve been able to watch the source material finish. I hope we can animate the final chapters of the manga. That’s my goal.
Aoi Koga: I’m shocked! “Oh, it ends!”
I’m very thankful. Kaguya-sama has given me a lot of opportunities to meet people, and to travel overseas. It’s such a shock to me that it ended.
Fandom Post: There have been some very emotional arcs for Kaguya. What moments have made you particularly emotional to perform?
Aoi Koga: Through season one, season two, season three, going on that journey, to get to that ultra-romantic moment in the clock tower “You did it girl! I am so proud of you!”
Yūichirō Kikuchi: I agree with Koga-san, ultra-romantic...
Tatsuya Ishikawa: Really? Not episode five?
Yūichirō Kikuchi: Ah, yeah.
I think things are memorable, or emotional, or leaves an impression, because there’s so much that goes into it. The big crescendo building into that movement. Much like the storyline, I felt my work was like that as well. Building up, building up, building up to that moment. That’s why the final episode was so memorable for me.
Tatsuya Ishikawa: Season two, episode eleven. The sports festival arc, Ishigami. That was something very special for me.
Unknown Outlet: Do you have any additional messages for the fans to look forward to?
Aoi Koga: Kaguya-sama was born in Japan. It came all this way to be loved by everyone. The passion and love of the overseas fans really comes through. Thank you for your support, I love you guys. I feel so blessed to see all of the international fans, and to have been involved in this series.
Yūichirō Kikuchi: Having seen the reactions of the overseas fans, including for Kaguya-Sama, but others as well seeing how it can cross borders, it’s given me a new perspective when working on new projects. We’re so grateful for that.
Tatsuya Ishikawa: Thank you for enjoying Kaguya.
If there are any overseas animators who were inspired by Kaguya-Sama please DM Mr. Kikuchi. He’s kindly offered his DM box via Twitter so please DM Mr. Kikuchi-san. Not me!
Kaguya-Sama has been fun to make and fun to watch. Just happiness all around.
(Editor’s Note: This all came as a surprise to Mr. Kikuchi.)
