- Interview Location: Anime Expo 2026
- Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One
Anime Herald: You seem to have a passion for telling stories about criminals. Where do you think this passion comes from?
Baku Kinoshita: I’m interested in people who live in the moment. There’s no promised future for them. I find the way they live, and their philosophy because of the situation that they are in, it is very alluring to me. Obviously, criminals have done something bad, so I can’t condone their behavior, but I am quite interested in how they live and act.
Anime Herald: In a movie with some ruthless characters, the Housenka, or Balsam flower, may have been the most philosophically savage. What was behind the decision?
Baku Kinoshita: In the film, the Balsam flower has lived over one-hundred years. It has memories of its ancestors. They live longer than humans, and are wiser than humans. They understand more. Even though they are physically weaker than humans, I had a reversal with them being wiser and philosophically stronger.
Anime Herald: What attracts you to stories where humans and non-humans speak with each other?
Baku Kinoshita: I think having humans and non-humans interacting with each other raises the level of understanding. Humans understand themselves more. They understand what it means to be human.
Anime Herald: Why was it so important to have the song “Stand By Me” in the film?
Baku Kinoshita: The first reason is the lyrics. The lyrics do a great job of describing the relationship between Nana and Akutsu. Also, “Stand By Me” is a very <a href="https://comicvibe.com/venetian-gives-popular-casino-content-creator-the-boot/” title=”Venetian Gives Popular Casino Content Creator the Boot”>popular song. Even in Japan, everyone knows it. In comparison, this is a niche film. I wanted to put a popular song into this niche film so that people would have something they would recognize in it.
Anime Herald: Why was it so hard for Akutsu to say “I love you?”
Baku Kinoshita: Because Akutsu is part of the yakuza criminal world, if he showed any emotion, like love, to Nana or Kensuke, it would put them in danger. He wanted to tell them how he felt, he struggled with that due to his position in the world.
Anime Herald: Having done both a film and an anime series, which do you feel like you’d prefer to work on going forward?
Baku Kinoshita: I like both. Each has good elements. Right now, I’m leaning towards television because it would be longer and I could put more into it. I do think more people would be able to watch. But I think that’s just me talking right now. I might change my mind in a few years. Right now, I think TV would be a little more fun.
Anime Herald: Twenty-two minutes into the movie we meet a cat. Is it based on a real cat?
Baku Kinoshita: This is the first time I have been asked about the cat. It’s not a major thing. He was walking around and it was an easy atmosphere. That’s why we decided to put in a cat.
Anime Herald: I am not familiar with the board game they were playing. Was that a realistic comeback, or was it poetic license?
Baku Kinoshita:Othello is a popular game in Japan. We choose Othello because it is white and black, and there is the movement of flipping it over. There can be turnarounds like that, so we choose it as a motif.
Anime Herald: How did you end up casting Hikari Mitsushima as Nana?
Baku Kinoshita: There was no audition. We offered her the role. Nana’s character is very positive, but she also has a sensitive side. I think Hiraki-san is similar. Her voice is strong, she’s very positive and cheerful, but you can tell her voice has a sensitive side to it. That’s why we offered her the role.
Anime Herald: What is it like working with scriptwriterKazuya Konomoto?
Baku Kinoshita: When I work with Mr. Konomoto, we’ll come up with settings and characters, and where the stories will go. After all of the brainstorming, he’ll say, “Okay, I have enough ideas, I’ll start writing the script.”
Once he starts writing the script, I don’t touch anything. He doesn’t discuss it with me, I don’t tell him anything. After it is completed, I’ll read it.
Anime Herald: Thank you very much, this was great.
Baku Kinoshita: Thank you.
