Interview with Katsuhiro Takei and Yosuke Futami
A few addenda to add to this interview, as it was done in Japanese and in a relatively loud room. The audio isn’t super clear, so not all of the words of the translator on hand could be used as the audio gets muffled. I’ve done my best to translate sections that are cut off from the audio. Also, when discussing about the food, I couldn’t find out what the item of food is specifically, so I’ve substituted it as preserved/pickled food like tsukemono.
During MCM, I had a chance to sit down to have an interview and chat with Katsuhiro Takei (anime producer Himouto Umaru-Chan, Your Name, and Little Witch Academia) and Yosuke Futami (producer for the Sword Art Online games) about their latest game: Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time.
Good afternoon/evening Yosuke Futami, I hope you’re both in good health. With Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is getting released early next year, I assume you’re still in the process of getting the game ready to be shipped. Have you been doing a lot of travelling recently?
Actually so, when they created the game we didn’t travel because [Futami-san] had another project, so we couldn’t travel. Plus we had to work with Studio Trigger, so when we started to breakdown the animation for the game, all of those ideas were in Yoshinari-san’s head [Director/Creator of Little Witch Academia].
Is this their first time being in the UK?
It’s [Futami-san’s] second time and [Takei-san] has been here several times.
Is there anything you’ve enjoyed whilst being here?
[Futami-San] Has really enjoyed his time being here. [Takei-san] Finds the city really beautiful with the stone buildings, and really, London is the hometown of Little Witch Academia.
She's too adorable to not have a plush already.
What sorts of difficulties did you have when bringing the world of Little Witch Academia into a game’s format.
Studio Trigger’s animation is really expressive and making it into a 3D model was really difficult.
This being the first game to be done with Studio Trigger. Do think we’ll see another collaboration with them on another title like Kill La Kill for instance?
This is their first time to collaborate with Studio Trigger, and is also [Studio Trigger’s] first time making a game from their anime. So [Futami-San] would definitely like to collaborate with them again. There are a lot of Studio Trigger anime [Futami-San] would like to work on, but a sequel to this Little Witch Academia is something I hope to work on.
How do you go about fleshing out the original story into a game? All of your games which I’ve played show passion when it comes to bringing it into games.
We always discuss with [the creators] on what’s best, so with Studio Trigger we discussed about bringing their style into the game. Then we get the developers together to try and express the anime into the game. But we have to balance the two, where if we express the anime too much, it gets uncomfortable to play, as you know the anime’s expression is very deformed and framed. However, if the frame is too low, player’s are distressed with its [playability] and we try to make it fun.
Don't worry, I'm sure it's gonna be safe.
I have a running question I ask during interviews, so this is a going to be a bit weird. But, what food or dish would best describe you and why?
[Futami-san] would best describe himself as popping candy, being sweet as candy. Eating too much can be painful. [Takei-san] says he is like pickle that your grandmother would make. [Takei-san] is trying to say that you’re working anime for a long time. He’s implying he’s like preserved food, with how anime shows are made.
Takei-San, having worked on Himouto Umaru-chan, are you like her when you return home?
Yes. [Laughs] I really like original anime, manga, and games. The relationship between his brother and sisters, he feels like there’s a familiarity of between him and the anime characters.
Is there anything you’re currently watching or reading in terms of anime and manga?
[Futami-san] is currently rewatching Little Witch Academia. [Takei-san] is watching Land of the Lustrous which is a CG [Computer Generated] anime.
Thank you so much for letting take the time to interview you.
If you're interested in hearing my thoughts of the game, I've written a short thoughts article on it here (link) already. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to it. Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time is set to come out early 2018.
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