Story Unlocker

Category: Anime

  • The Waterworld of Michael Dudok de Wit

    In this interview Director Michael Dudok de Wit talks about the use of the waterworld, water and aquatic creatures in his film The Red Turtle and his other works. De Correspondent originally conducted this interview and published it on their website on July 21, 2016. If you can read Dutch, please click here to read the interview…

  • Ghost Hunt Chronicle: A 20 Year Chronology

    The following table from the December 2010 issue of Da Vinci captures the chronology of the Ghost Hunt series and some real life events. I have translated this along with a short introduction which accompanied the chronological table. Ghost Hunt Chronicle: Closing in on the Charms of the Series! Since the publication of the series’ first volume…

  • Michael Dudok De Wit Interview: The Importance of Acceptance

    The Red Turtle received the nomination for Animated Feature Film for Oscars 2017 and recently won an Annie Award. With the 89th Academy Awards coming up next week, I decided to translate another interview with director Michael Dudok de Wit, with another one coming up later on. In this interview Dudok de Wit talks about the…

  • The Red Turtle Interview with Michael Dudok de Wit: “Loneliness Will Drive You Crazy”

    This interview with The Red Turtle director Michael Dudok de Wit was originally published on July, 2016 in the NRC. If you can read Dutch, please head over to NRC.nl to read the interview in its original language. In addition I also highly recommend watching the documentary “Het verlangen van Michael Dudok de Wit“. ‘Loneliness Will Drive You Crazy’ Michael…

  • The Red Turtle Director: “It Had to Be an Auteur Film”

    I created Story Unlocker with an intention of translating Japanese interviews with Japanese creators, but I want to make an exception for the director of The Red Turtle, Michael Dudok de Wit. This Dutch news article was originally published at NRC.nl on May 11, 2016. The article provides an insight on the role of Studio Ghibli in the production process. It’s a…

  • Yuri!!! On ICE Opening Theme Goes International

    This shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the commentary on the Yuri!!! on ICE opening reveals that the song was written with international audience in mind. The choice for the opening theme artist is also interesting as Dean Fujioka broadened his horizons outside Japan. Fujioka studied in Seattle (USA) and gained fame as a model and actor…

  • Yuri!!! on ICE Special Talk Event: Sexiness & Figure Skaters

    This is a summary of three news reports covering the Yuri!!! on ICE special talk event of August 21, 2016 held at Roppongi Hills Arena in Tokyo. Each report contained different bits and pieces, so I decided to summarize instead of translating just one article. Kubo Mitsurou and the main cast talk about sexiness, figure skaters,…

  • Hatsuno Sei x Ooya Hiroko Dialogue Part 1: HaruChika Anime Adaptation

    Thie first part of a translation of a dialogue between HaruChika author Hatsuno Sei and book reviewer Ooya Hiroko on the HaruChika anime adaptation and the novels. Originally posted at honto.jp on March 30, 2016. Talking with that person about books – 6: Hatsuno Sei x Ooya Hiroko (2016/03/20) In this corner book reviewer Ooya Hiroko…

  • Yuri!!! on ICE Production Presentation: Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsurou Kubo

    MAPPA’s Yuri!!! on ICE is helmed by Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsurou Kubo. This is Kubo’s first foray into the world of anime production. Originally she made a name for herself as the mangaka of Again!! and Moteki. On the other hand, Sayo Yamamoto is mainly known for directing the series Michiko & Hatchin and Lupin III: The Woman Called…

  • HaruChika Anime: Casting the Voice Actors

    Here is a partial translation of the HaruChika anime interview with the Director Hashimoto Masakazu and Producer Tsuji Mitsuhito, which was published on animeanime.jp on December 31, 2015. This part of the interview covers the casting decisions of the main characters of the HaruChika anime. The reasons why they chose Hanae Natsuki for the teacher are especially interesting.