Hideaki Anno, Kazuya Tsurumaki, Masahiro Maeda, and Emi Ogata, who plays the voice of Shinji Ikari, took the stage to express their gratitude for the big hit "EVANGELION: 3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME".
Highlights of the movie
This animation is the final piece of a four-part series that started as a social phenomenon in the 1990s and restarted as the "Rebuild of Evangelion" series in 2007. The film depicts Shinji Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Shikinami Asuka Langley, Makinami Mari Illustrious and others aboard the Evangelion, a general-purpose human-type battle weapon, fighting against the mysterious enemy "Angel". The film is directed by Hideaki Anno, who has worked on "Shin Godzilla" as well as this series.
(C) Khara
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This is a rough transcription. A subtitled interview with Anno can be seen here. Thank you very much.
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Hideaki Anno talked about his honest true feelings towards the documentary program "Professional".
“EVANGELION:3.0+1.0 THRICE UPON A TIME” They thanked the audience for the big hit and gave a speech on stage.
After the completion of this film
Anno
When it was over, all I could do was thank them. Well, it was mainly to the staff, but I thanked them and went around at the end. NHK didn't film that part.
Ogata
I see. Yes, it's getting a little difficult...
Anno
I ended by going to each section, bowing my head, and saying thank you, thank you, thank you. That's how I ended it.
Close coverage on NHK "Professional"
Anno
I haven't seen it.
Ogata
You haven't seen it?
Anno
No.
Ogata
I see.
Anno
I don't watch the shows I'm on.
Ogata
Is that so.
Anno
I don't like that.
Ogata
Did you get to see Tsurumaki and Maeda?
Maeda
I did.
Tsurumaki
Actually, I didn't see it either.
Ogata
Oh, really?
Maeda
Is that so?
Tsurumaki
I met with the director the day before, and I apologized to her, saying I'm sorry, but please let me see it in five years.
Maeda
I recorded it and watched it.
Ogata
Really? What did you think when you saw it, Maeda?
Maeda
I thought it was very well done.
Ogata
I see.
Maeda
They had a huge amount of records, but they edited them down to focus on what Anno, the creator, was making. I thought it was very interesting to see though it was a bit much to make Anno look so cool.
Anno
I haven't seen it, so I don't know. I mean, they say it's for four years, but it's not like we were together for four years. There were times when they didn't come for months at a time.
Ogata
But I frequently...
Anno
They weren't with me every day.
Ogata
I frequently go to the recording studio many times for a long time. They were always there then, weren't they?
Anno
They came to film pretty much at the time of the postrecording. You’re right. They came when Ogata was at the studio, but not when someone else was there.
Ogata
Well, I think it was hard work either way, though, really.
Anno
There were quite a lot of good moments in the production site where it is worth filming, but they were not there when it happened.
Ogata
The scene where you said that was broadcasted. (Toward the audience) Wasn't it?
Anno
Seriously, they didn't show up at the great chance for the shooting.
Ogata
Oh, I see, that's too bad.
Anno
It is too bad they didn't show up on the last day, because the last day was worth shooting when we were doing the virtual camera.
Ogata
I see. That's difficult.
Anno
They usually showed up on not the last day, but the first day. Even though the last day is the best for shooting.
Maeda
I see.
Ogata
Well, but that's also fate. They came at that time to film this.
Anno
But there were so many better moments, really. I think that's why I said that to the camera.
Ogata
It was shocking.
I love the show "Professional". At the beginning, the narration says "We should not have gotten involved with this man". Then at the end, they ask "What is a ‘professional’ for you?", and you say "I hate the word ‘professional’".
Maeda
Come on! (laughing)
Anno
I had my reasons for refusing, but this time they said they'd focus on Eva, so I accepted it.
Ogata
Yes, I see.
Anno
I had been refusing for a long time.
Ogata
All right. Well, please take your time and watch it.
It's probably going to be aired today, but the other day I was a guest on Suga Shikao's radio show.
When I was a guest on his radio show, Suga said that he really liked Eva and was very moved by the scene where his professional music was played from Anno's close-up.
Anno
Thank you very much.
Ogata
I think everyone feels the same way. (To the audience) Did you enjoy it?
Audience
(Applause)
Anno
Thank you very much.
How was the postrecording?
Ogata
Well, the expected question has come.
The way we did the postrecording was very different from what we've done in the past. We recorded it in very small pieces.
It took a long time to do it that way.
I know you spent a long time recording, I mean it was a long term recording. Please tell us how you felt during the postrecording process, or what was the most memorable thing about it.
This question is mainly for Anno and Tsurumaki. What do you think?
Anno
Even if you took postrecordings in pieces, it wouldn't give you that impression, right? The finished screen.
Ogata
Right.
Anno
Each voice actor was recorded separately, and the takes were different.
Even the sentences in a single line were recorded in different takes.
We do things that are similar to singing depending on the voice actors.
I decided that it would be okay to do that, since the participating voice actors originally have amazing acting skills and power to make the audience not feel it. I think it's amazing that they don't talk to each other, but it sounds like they do.
Ogata
It's really tough.
Anno
It was tough, wasn't it? But Ogata, it's still easy for you.
Ogata
Thank you for saying so.
Anno
It's rather easy for you.
Ogata
This time, I played the role of the receiver a lot.
I see. It was tough.
How was it for you, Tsurumaki, to be in this kind of postrecording situation?
Tsurumaki
Well, I didn't actually participate in all the recordings. The part that impressed me the most was Miyuki Sawashiro's performance as Sakura Suzuhara. The part where the drama develops in a rather difficult situation. I was worried about that part, in my own way I was quite worried. But it was OK at the first take, wasn't it? I think so.
Anno
Actually, it was a test one.
Tsurumaki
Oh, that's right.
Anno
That's what we recorded as a test. The type of voice actors like Sawashiro read the script before recording, build it up inside of her, and release it first. That's why you have to get the first one.
Ogata
I see.
Anno
And I think she's the type of person who, after the second time, will try to do better than the first time. Anyway, the first time is important. The first one was really good. That's why it's the first take we've included in the film. Later, Tsurumaki and others started to say they wanted a different take, but I had them listen to the first take again, and they agreed with me.
Ogata
The film is created with the help and opinions of many people, I guess. But it's true that the initial action is important.
Tsurumaki
As a result of giving various advice or saying "I want you to do this," things become worse and worse. In many cases, the result is that I end up getting further and further away from what I want. Anno is very good at that kind of thing. He knows how much to tell a person and how much to let that person challenge. Also, what he said earlier, "I don't want to create only from what's inside of me, but I also want people to influence me," is very obvious in the postrecording. In many cases, Shinji's feelings were entrusted to Ogata.
Ogata
Thank you very much. This time, as is always the case, there were a lot of lines that could be taken in different ways by everyone, not just me and not just Sawashiro.
I feel like there were many lines that could have been taken in a completely different way with just a slight difference in emotion.
In that sense, I think this process was difficult in many ways.
Okay, thank you very much.
Anno
Thank you very much.
Final Remarks
Anno
I have already thanked you once at the beginning, but I would like to thank you again. Thank you very much.
Audience
(Applause)
Anno
In the middle of production, we were hit by the Corona disaster. It was a very difficult time, and it's still going on today. We are still going through such a difficult time, but you have come to this place and told us that you enjoyed our work. Thank you very much for coming to the theater even in such a difficult time. Thank you very much.
Ogata
Thank you very much.
<Original JP site: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz7xRURgW9k>