The TV anime " A Witch's Life in Mongol ," based on the manga by Tomato Soup, which was also selected as the No. 1 female manga in " Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023" (Takarajimasha), will begin airing on TV Asahi's anime block " A Silent Voice " at 11 PM on July 4th. The manga, which is set in 13th-century Mongolia and is serialized on Akita Shoten's manga website "Souffle," will be produced by Science SARU, with Naoko Yamada , known for " The Heike Story ," "A Silent Voice," and "Kimi The Colors Within ," serving as general director, and Abel Gongora, known for " Dandadan" Season 2, directing. How is this unique anime, set in 13th-century Mongolia, being produced? We asked general director Yamada about the production process.
◇What does the general manager do?
"A Witch's Life in Mongol" tells the story of Shitara, a girl who becomes a prisoner of the Mongol Empire and decides to use her "wisdom" to gain favor with the royal family and bring down the empire from within. This is the first time Yamada has participated in an anime with the title of "Chief Director." It makes you wonder what the job of "Chief Director" entails.
"The title of 'general director' sounds impressive, but it's more like being a supporter (laughs). I wanted to create a situation where Abel's creativity could be best showcased, so rather than me imposing my own ideas, it's more like I'm there to support Abel in making the work shine. I'm involved once at the script stage, and Abel handles the visual aspects. I leave almost everything on set to Abel."
When asked about the appeal of director Abel, she immediately replied, "Everything!"
"Where should I begin? (laughs) The more time I spend with him, the more I'm amazed. First of all, he has a deep love for animation. That's at the core of his being, but he's not limited to just that; he has an interest in and awareness of many other arts and cultures, and he's also playful. And he's stubborn in a good way. He's always passionate about creating and approaches it with a fresh perspective. He also has a sense of wabi-sabi... he's flawless (laughs). I've never seen him make a mistake, and his criticisms are sharp and always make sense. I often see him steering the ship with a delicate balance. He's someone who can change his approach with each project, so I'm sure his next directorial work will be something completely different."
◇Spatial but also interesting in its two-dimensional form
13th-century Mongolia is an unusual setting for manga and anime. Many people may not be familiar with it.
"This is a stage production that I would hardly know anything about if I hadn't encountered this work, so that was my initial interest. Furthermore, the artwork is incredibly powerful. I started reading, expecting a cute story, but it turned out to be something completely unexpected in a good way; I felt like I'd been tricked. To be honest, I found it to be a very difficult work. It's grounded in historical facts, but also contains fictional elements, and the original author, Tomato Soup, narrates the story in a style reminiscent of a biwa player. Fatima (the protagonist, Sitara) was a real person who is said to have met a tragic end. It's a difficult work in many ways. Tomato Soup's gaze is fascinating. There's love there, and that love shines through, but there's also a calmness to it—it's an incredible balance. I wondered how we could turn it into an anime. Abel values the emotional shifts and perspectives, and I think that makes for an interesting animation expression."
It's true that this might be a difficult work to adapt into animation. The screen seems to be composed with a strange balance, appearing both two-dimensional and three-dimensional at the same time.
"I wanted to capture the flat beauty of Islamic miniature paintings, the inorganic beauty of symmetrical buildings, and the two-dimensional appearance of the characters...it's spatial, but I also wanted to ensure the appeal of a two-dimensional plane. I wanted it to be aesthetically pleasing as a design, so I'm being very meticulous about it. When the setting shifts from Persia to Mongolia, the land stretches out infinitely. Arranging things in a two-dimensional way requires a high level of design skill. It's a truly challenging project."
Although it's an anime, the design and layout are so beautiful that you'll want to pause the screen. You can see that it's meticulously constructed.
"I think there are unconscious emotions that can be derived from the composition of the screen. It's not about depicting things realistically, but rather elevating them into a picture. I feel like that's where the foundation of my creativity is being laid."
◇Designing the screen
Although it is a work of fiction, attention was paid to depicting 13th-century Mongolian culture and customs.
"We conduct thorough research and depict things with respect. We ask questions about anything we don't understand and don't leave anything ambiguous. We try to accept things objectively, without bias. We actually went to Mongolia and talked to the local people. Although it's a story from the 13th century, I thought that there must be some things that remain unchanged and are strongly present. Things like, 'There are clouds over there, so it's going to rain soon,' things that are tied to daily life, and there were times when I understood that if you were there, you would indeed think this way. We are trying to cherish the sensibilities that have been passed down."
I've often felt the atmosphere of the stage in Yamada's previous works as well. Perhaps there are things that can only be depicted through actual experience.
"I think that's very important. That's why I always want to do location scouting. Especially with anime, to put it simply, it's a fictional creation, so if it remains fictional, it feels unnatural to me. Even when I'm remaking something or expanding on my imagination, I want to keep my feet on the ground and incorporate something solid. I think it's important to actually experience the atmosphere. I want to capture something like the air, light, and scent, and I want to find that during location scouting."
The character designs are also unique. The faces and proportions are cartoonish, but the details of the costumes are realistic. The exquisite balance between fiction and reality is what makes them so appealing. This charm is fully expressed in the anime as well. The character designs for the anime are handled by Kenichi Yoshida, who also served as the animation chief. Yoshida is a former Studio Ghibli staff member and is known for his character designs in works such as "The Orbital Children," "Gundam Reconguista in G," "Eureka Seven," and "OVERMAN King Gainer."
"Mr. Yoshida is truly amazing. He researches everything so thoroughly, and this balance is something only he can achieve. I feel that every time I see the finished original drawings. They're just too wonderful. He loves Mongolian history, and he teaches me so much every time we meet."
Yamada also said, "It's not over yet, but it's really fun."
"Normally, I tend to create images that look like they were taken with a camera, but this time I didn't take that approach. Technically, instead of using bokeh, I used atmospheric perspective to change colors and designed the screen in a different way. It has the feel of animation, and it was fun to work on a project where the visuals are the main focus. I know it sounds like I'm saying it's over (laughs)."
"A Witch's Life in Mongol" seems to be full of challenges not only in its unconventional setting, but also in its visual expression. I hope you will pay attention to the unique flavor that this new form of expression brings, and the determination to make an impact through visuals. (Manami Anima/MANTANWEB)
