The anime “Uchoten Kazoku”, based on the popular novel by Tomihiko Morimi, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2023. To commemorate this, the ” Uchoten Kazoku Anime 10th Anniversary Event Ideathon” was held on March 4th at the Kyoto International Manga Museum.

This event has two parts, the first part being the keynote speech. According to preliminary information, Kenji Horikawa, representative director and director Shoji Soma of PA Works Co., Ltd., an anime production producer, were scheduled to take the stage and talk about behind-the-scenes stories about the planning and production of the anime. Surprisingly, there were a surprise guest at the venue on the day! The original author, Tomihiko Morimi, also appeared, and all the important people involved in ” Uchoten Kazoku ” were gathered together.

First, the three people talk about their thoughts on the work. Mr. Soma said, “This is a work that I have been involved with since shortly after I joined the company.It is one of my life’s work, it is one of the works that P.A.WORKS has worked on so far. We haven’t ever produced any works up to 3 seasons yet, so it’s a work that we cherish very much within the company.”

Horikawa said, “I fell in love with the original novel and wanted to make it into an anime, which is when I started making it into an anime. It’s a beloved work, and I want to make it with care, and make Mr. Morimi satisfied.” I want to wait forever until the third part is completed,” expressing his hope that the third part of the novel will be completed.

In response, Morimi said, “Now that I think about it, I remembered that every time an event for ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ‘ is held, there is pressure to ask if there will be a sequel… (lol). This is a special work, as I was able to freely express my imagination and write it. I have appeared on stage many times at anime events, and I have been felt as a member of the work rather than as the original author.”

” Uchoten Kazoku ” is a story set in Kyoto. When asked about his commitment and feelings towards Kyoto, Soma said, “Director Masayuki Yoshiwara actually lived in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto before making the anime in order to depict a realistic Kyoto. The director’s commitment is to experience life in Kyoto firsthand, rather than showcasing special spots, and to depict a Kyoto with a sense of life’,” revealing the secret behind the production.

Morimi said, “The Kyoto city in the novel is the Kyoto of my imagination. In the anime, both the fantasy Kyoto and the actual Kyoto exist. I think this is unique to anime.”

P.A.WARKS is a company that has produced many anime works to date. When asked about the difference between ” Uchoten Kazoku ” and other P.A.WORKS works, Soma replied, “The difference is that there are many events in Kyoto. Events are held in places such as Minamiza that other works do not have. The content of the event is also completely different from other works.” Horikawa said, “For me too, ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ‘ is my life’s work. No matter what, I want to make it a reality until the end. I feel that not only myself, but also the fans continue to have high expectations. A lecture at the P.A. training school held at the end of the Feb, a woman who will become an animator from April said that her future dream is to draw the series of ‘ Uchoten Kazoku “. There are many fans who are looking forward to the sequel.

Morimi, who has appeared on stage at many events related to past works, said, “All of the ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ‘ events are very memorable. ”, I remember walking along the flower path at Minamiza. And I was worrying whether the cast would be able to reach the venue or not due to the heavy snowfall at Dai Uchoten Festival ’17. Every event is a good memory. At the event, everyone’s love for ” Uchoten Kazoku ” can be felt. ”, said happily.

When asked about the difficulties in making it into an anime, Mr. Soma said, “‘ Uchoten Kazoku ‘ depicts a Kyoto that doesn’t exist.” Director Yoshiwara asked itself why this place and this episode appeared in the work. He is a person who thinks about this within himself and finds a rationale before starting the storyboard work.vFor example, in ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ”, there is a lake behind the fan shop, but this place does not exist in the actual Kyoto. So, Yoshiwara searched for literature on water in Kyoto and tried to figure out why there was a lake in this place. He also drew it in the anime based on his own logic. It is written in the novel, so it is the same. Director Yoshihara said, “You can’t make a movie just by doing what they say…”, introducing Director Yoshiwara’s commitment.

Horikawa said, “The most difficult part was designing the raccoon dog. I was really worried about how realistic the character design should be in order to express Morimi’s worldview. Yasuharu Kumeta was in charge of the original character design, and he drew it very well.”

When asked about his thoughts on the anime, Morimi said, “No matter what work you choose, there is a difference between the image of the novel and the anime. The anime ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ” reflects director Yoshiwara’s gentle side. I can feel the depth of director Yoshiwara’s love for the character. The Yasaburo I write is a casual rakugo-like character, but the anime Yasaburo is more solid. This is due to director Yoshiwara’s love for the character. I think it’s a matter of sensibility. And I think the way the director reads the novel is reflected in the anime. I’m really happy to hear that Director Yoshiwara found the answer himself and then made it into an anime.”

Behind-the-scenes stories from the production of ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ‘ are told by the gorgeous members. The first part was a time of great value for fans.

The second part is an ideathon. Ideathon is a coined word combining “idea” and “marathon” and is an event where people from various fields gather to have group discussions and create new ideas. After introducing past collaboration cases with Kyoto, the participants who gathered at the venue were divided into five groups and an ideathon began with the theme of “Thinking about an event to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ” anime.”

After the participants introduced themselves, they wrote down the words and ideas they came up with on sticky notes and discussed them within the group. Developing ideas and put them together with the aim of creating an “Interesting” event.

After the discussion within the group, a presentation was held by each group’s representative to the three guests.

Numerous ideas are born, such as “fake election for the next Fake Eemon,” “Dancing the ecstatic raccoon dance and spreading it on SNS,” “Friday Club Tour,” and “Establishing an ecstatic day.” In response to each group’s presentation, Soma commented, “This is four idiots!” using the evaluation criteria typical of ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ‘, and the audience became even more excited.

At the end of the event, when asked about his impressions of the day, Soma said, “I’m grateful that the participants seriously thought about their ideas. I felt everyone’s passion. I will definitely create a third part.” Horikawa told the participants, “I want you to cherish the energy of what you want to do, without organizing it into limited thinking. Let’s put what we want to do into words.” Morimi said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve been pressured to write a sequel yet. After all, ‘ Uchoten Kazoku ‘ is overflowing with everyone’s love! I would like to start writing it by the end of this year. , everyone, please wait with imagination…” expressing his desire to write.

It’s been 10 years since it was made into an anime. Behind the scenes of works that continue to be loved even after 10 years, there is an extraordinary level of commitment. Will “Uchoten Kazoku” finally start moving in 2023? ? Let’s hope that the inspiration born at the ideathon will come true!!

翻訳者：Mei G.