Insane Output and a "Sketchy" Feature Film Adaptation Offer Out of Nowhere

The quality of Mahoseka took a load of work and a whole lot of experimentation.

In Part 2, Akiwashi and kyo talk about self-taught 3D, the titles that inspired their direction, and the story behind that "way-too-suspicious" feature film adaptation offer.

An Endless Workload and Self-Taught Blender via YouTube

Q: You completed this as a solo project. What was the absolute hardest part?

Akiwashi: Just the volume, honestly. That's really all it comes down to. Storyboarding was a struggle too, but a different kind of struggle. I just had a ton to draw.

Q: About how many drawings did you end up making in total?

Akiwashi: Since it wasn't a commercial project, I never counted them, and I didn't really need to, so I honestly have no idea (laughs). I just went by feel: if I previewed a scene and wanted it a bit smoother, I'd throw in more in-betweens. I think there were more than 140 cuts, but I don't have the exact number. Painting the backgrounds was a ton of work, too.

Q: You also used 3D (Blender) really effectively in the visuals. Did you learn that in college?

Akiwashi: No, we didn't learn 3D, After Effects, or any drawing software in class at all. I'm completely self-taught. Since I had no idea how to use any of it, I worked backward from what I wanted to create. If I wanted glowing butterflies to fly around, I'd search for how to model them, how to animate the flapping, and how to make them glow. How to build a sky dome, how to scatter grass, how to map transparent trees on planes for the background... I'd look up each piece on YouTube and learn as I went. I feel like you can make pretty much anything just by watching YouTube (laughs).

Q: Wasn't it tough, figuring out totally unfamiliar tools as you went?

Akiwashi: Not at all! I'd been doing 2D art non-stop and was getting tired of it, so whenever I hit the point of "I don't want to draw anymore!", switching over to 3D work was super fun. It felt like a completely legit excuse to take a break (laughs).

The Serene Camerawork of Pokémon Heroes

Q: Are there any works that influenced your direction or visuals?

Akiwashi: Obviously Makoto Shinkai's Your Name. was a big one, but the single biggest influence for me was the film Pokémon Heroes.

kyo: Ah, a total classic! (laughs)

Akiwashi: Its world, the color design, and the way characters quietly slip away behind the walls, all of that influenced me a lot. In Mahoseka, there is a scene where a character seems to melt into the wall, too. There's also a shot where the camera circles around Haru, which was directly inspired by that iconic camerawork when Ash (Satoshi) wanders into a back alley. I was really struck by the quiet, serene tone around that scene, so I worked it in as a tribute.

"Wait, what is this? Is this a scam?": How the Feature Film Began

Q: With all that passion poured into Mahoseka, a major project has now gotten underway: a feature film. What went through your mind when you first got the offer?

Akiwashi: Producer Tony S. Izumi reached out to our college circle's contact email out of the blue (laughs).

kyo: We were all freaked out, like, "This looks sketchy." (laughs)

Akiwashi: Yeah, exactly (laughs). We'd gotten offers before, like "Want to make a live-action movie?", but they'd always fizzled out. So I figured this would just end up being a single meeting and that'd be it.

kyo: But then we had our first online meeting, and this super suave guy popped on the screen...

kyo & Akiwashi: "Wait, now it's even sketchier!" (laughs)

Q: (laughs)

Akiwashi: But Tony's enthusiasm was just incredible. He had this massive drive, like, "Why wouldn't this work as a movie? We can totally do it!" His expectations for the project were higher than ours as the creators (laughs).

Q: As this is being made into a theatrical anime film, how do you plan to be involved personally?

Akiwashi: Honestly, I'm an absolute beginner when it comes to theatrical anime films, so I want to leave things entirely to the director and all the incredible pros. If they can take what started as a solo college project and make it even better with professional expertise, they can change whatever they need to. Beyond passing along a few core elements that I'd really like to keep, my mindset is just "Go wild with it!" as I watch it come together.

Continued in Part 3

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Living in a World Without Magic