[Oshinoko] Overseas popularity is “not a coincidence” The producer talks about the advertising method loved by the world and the careful video production

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Southeast Asia’s largest pop culture event “Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2024” (AFA SG 2024) will be held in Singapore from November 29th to December 1st, 2024. On the day stage of the second day of “AFA SG 2024”, where popular works from Japan and the world gather, the voice actor of Aqua, Takeo Otsuka, the voice of Ruby, Yurie Ikoma, and producer from the TV anime “Oshinoko” will be on hand. Shinpei Yamashita took the stage.

■ “She’s popular because she’s a pusher” – What’s the reason?

――[Oshinoko]There was a lot of excitement on stage! What are your impressions after appearing on AFA?

I was wondering what the venue was like until I appeared on stage, but when I got on stage, the audience was packed all the way to the back, and it seemed like the seats were endless. I was surprised to think so. I’ve been to conventions in North America and Europe in the past, but this was my first time in Asia, so I felt really grateful that so many people came, filling the 2,000-capacity capacity of AFA’s day stage. I did.

―― Please let us know if you feel there are any differences or similarities between the reactions of overseas viewers and Japanese viewers.

In terms of the difference in reactions, when I do a talk show, Japanese people may applaud or laugh, but they don’t often cheer. I get the impression that there are many fans who listen while quietly chewing and nodding their heads. Overseas people really liven things up, or rather, they express their feelings in an easy-to-understand way, which is helpful for us staff members who aren’t used to talking (lol).

In terms of things we have in common, I think we have the same love for our favorite characters. When I watch autograph sessions, I see people carrying “Ita Bags,” cosplaying their favorite characters, and wearing all kinds of goods to show off that they are fans. I was happy to think that such things are common all over the world.

I was only able to walk around the exhibition hall for about 15 minutes, but I was happy to see people in Oshi no Ko cosplay walking around.

— What do you think about the popularity of works highlighting the Japanese entertainment industry overseas?

I personally think that she became popular not because she is in the Japanese entertainment industry, but because she is an “Oshi-no-ko”. Of course, the main story is about the Japanese entertainment industry, but the work also depicts human drama, such as the feelings of a mother named Ai for her children.

For example, what are the people who stand on stage thinking and what kind of troubles they actually face when creating a stage, or in the second season, the problem of the original author and scriptwriter? You can see the behind-the-scenes aspects of the production, similar to what you would expect from a movie, and there are romantic comedy elements between the characters. I think the number of[Oshi no Ko]fans has increased as a result of gaining fans in each genre such as suspense, romantic comedy, and idol.

— Is one person in charge of extracting and selecting the essence from the original work?

The decision is made by the whole team. Originally, we were talking about doing all the elements in the original work in the anime, and if it was an idol, we would draw the live scene, if it was a stage play, we would draw the stage scene, and we would also draw the behind-the-scenes scenes. In this way, each genre is gradually developed and drawn, and everyone including the director, those of us who produce the work, and the authors of the original work are heading in the same direction, and we aim to carefully express all genres. I’m conscious of that, and I think that’s what’s working.

■We also carry out overseas advertising ourselves.

――During the production process of[Oshi no Ko]were you particularly conscious of the overseas market?

I didn’t pay much attention to it when I was making the main story, but I did have a policy of trying to do my best worldwide in terms of advertising.
We opened our own YouTube channel called “[Oshinoko]Official Channel,” and used that channel to create videos for overseas audiences, as well as content with English subtitles attached from the beginning. Thanks to that, the number of registered users is now 1.08 million.
In addition, we have created an X account for overseas use and operate it under the control of the work itself.
When I saw the reactions to the original work, I was able to predict to some extent that Oshinoko would become popular overseas, so right after the anime was announced, I started producing videos for a YouTube channel not only in Japan but overseas as well. was operated.

— Is it rare for the work to use the X account?

I think it’s rare for a work to operate its own English account. I think it would be difficult to operate without someone who can handle languages ​​other than Japanese, including English.
In that sense, the idea for the anime Oshi no Ko was from the beginning to have members who could speak foreign languages.

■The second period is “Videos that will go down in animation history”

―― Looking back on this year, how would you rate 2024 as a year for[Oshinoko]?

The timing of the first season of[Oshinoko]in 2023 is the year when YOASOBI’s “Idol” became popular all over the world, and the music video has now been viewed 550 million times, making the work more widespread than ever. I remember it being. It may have been a coincidence, but considering its affinity with music and anime, it was decided that it would be better to focus on the production of the “Idol” music video rather than any kind of advertising, and the production staff also started working on the main story. He did his best to make it. I think it turned out really well.

When we thought about how to liven up the content that had expanded greatly in the first season in the second season, we focused on the scenes from the play within the movie “Tokyo Blade” and also created a “film scoring method” in which we create songs to match the images. We decided to create a video that will go down in animation history by incorporating “

At the beginning of the second season, things are a bit quiet, with a conflict between the original author and the screenwriter, but as the story progresses, both in terms of visual design and direction, as the animation progresses, you start to think, “Wow, this is interesting.” We were proceeding in the direction of including parts such as “amazing movements”. When I looked at the reactions overseas after it actually aired, I noticed that the show’s popularity suddenly increased after the 17th episode, when Melt played an active role, and I thought that those expectations were reflected in a good way.

In terms of advertising, there was an opinion that “Wouldn’t it be better to show the characters of the second season rather than the characters of the first season?”, but as we expand the work further, Because I thought that people who had never seen the anime[Oshi no Ko]had to watch the first season first, I did not differentiate between the first and second seasons and promoted the whole thing. I put together a plan. There were some parts that were tough because the workload simply doubled, but I think we were able to get through it together and get to the point where people say, “[Oshi no Ko]is really popular and interesting, isn’t it?” I don’t think so.

–Finally, please tell us about your future prospects for anime and your message to fans.

As developments other than anime are increasing, such as live-action movies and 2.5-dimensional stage productions, we will continue to carefully depict and develop the good parts of the original work as we create anime. Even though the content is the same as the original work, I think the impressions received from the original work and the anime may have been slightly different, but I think that the work was carefully crafted so that those who watched the anime could fully understand the story from the anime alone. I will continue to keep this in mind.

Considering that all of the production staff for Oshi no Ko draw each piece by hand with great passion, I think you may have to wait a little longer. We are making adjustments to deliver it to everyone as soon as possible, so please look forward to the broadcast of the third season!

（C）2024 SOZO Pte Ltd. （C）Anime Festival Asia
(C) Akasaka Aka x Yokoyari Mengo/Shueisha/[Oshinoko]Production Committee