What was alluring about the manga is that Anzu is a temple cat and a ghost cat.
YOKO KUNO:Kondo had also approached me with this project.
Kondo told me he was working with Yamashita and asked if I would like to be involved.
Karin and Ghost Cat Anzu in Ghost Cat AnzuGkids
But the thing about this manga is that we generally like [Takashi] Imashiros manga.
However,Ghost Cat Anzuis very different from his other works because he usually draws manga for adults.
But this one was made for kids.
Ghost Cat AnzuGKids
Its mysterious and different.
Theres a particular way of cuteness about Anzu, too.
Hes very loose, and he doesnt care.
Hes nonchalant, but hes very fun.
SHINJI IMAOKA:This is actually my first time writing for an anime film or anime in general.
So, then I was like, Oh, this is a rare opportunity.
I need to do whatever I can to take it and make it work.
DEADLINE:Imaoka, youre mostly known for Japanese Pink films that contain adult content.
Was it challenging for you to write for children?
There is some fun adult humor in this film.
This is my first time writing for something made for kids.
At first, I didnt really know what to do [laughs].
But I do have children.
One of my kids is around the same age as Karin.
So, then I had the experience of dealing with children and its about family.
So, I had a lot to think about in terms of family themes.
Even though Karin and Anzu are a made-up family, they are a [found] family.
I thought this was something I could do, and then I made it work.
Of course, with no sexy scenes or anything [laughs].
DEADLINE:Kuno, you received a live-action version of the film from Yamashita.
What were some challenges in turning it into animation?
How would it look in animation?
So, we did have these discussions all along while we were filming.
That way, I knew that I could turn this into animation.
But then I saw that it was easier for the actors to just be in the location to act.
So, all the live-action scenes were acted in location for this film.
The biggest challenge was creating [the forest bird-like sprites] Pi-Pi chan.
We had an assistant director have a ball on a stick and then act it out.
It was really the hard work of the animators who made that happen to make it work for us.
DEADLINE:Talk more about the unique animation style for the film.
KUNO:We just based the characters off their manga counterparts.
For the original characters, we were free to do what we wanted.
But we took the actual live-action actors characteristics and likenesses and then incorporated that into creating the characters.
For Karin and Karins parents, they have a more modern anime design.
So, then, I didnt want Karin to blend in too much with this foreign, relaxed town.
So thats why we made her more modern, if that makes sense.
IMAOKA:The original manga have mini stories that have their own arcs that end.
So, to make this into a movie, we needed a plot and backbone of the movie throughout.
YAMASHITA:The going to hell car chase scene.
But specifically, in regards to hell and the hell hotel.
Im not really sure because I cant imagine it.
But then Kuno assured me that shed make it work and she did [laughs].
The car chase scene too…
But when you look at the whole of the scene, its a normal conversation.
I was really worried if it would work as the big scene and the climax.
The acting really shone through in that scene.
I was worried at first, but when it was completed its now one of my favorite scenes.
That was the ending [laughs].
Thats too sad for her.
So, then he changed it.
But in the end, it came down to showing her growth [throughout her journey].
I think it came out really well.
DEADLINE: This film deals with grief and levity.
And has the audience been receptive to that?
I thought it would be a very simple but complicated movie.
What Japanese people think is funny, foreign audiences dont think are funny.
Then when scenes are not supposed to be funny for the Japanese audience, they would be laughing.
So, the reaction is always different.
That was very interesting to me.
YAMASHITA:As a director, Karin is important to me.
Her growth, as the movie progresses was important.
She lies, shes not the greatest kid in the world or anything, but she lost her mom.
And then her dad is a piece of shit.
So, I think as a kid, she should have been purer, but she couldnt.
Thats what contributes to how her personality is in the movie.
Because I think in that moment, shes truly a pure kid.
But I think Anzu is such a loveable, relatable character.
Hes so easy to be accepted by the audience.
Karin needed to have that strength to be appealing to the audience.
That was important to me.
So, when I saw that, I was like, Oh, I did a good job.
