- terview Location: Anime Expo 2026
- Interview Format: In-person, One-on-One
Anime Herald: TheMARRIAGETOXINmanga understands that making sense is not important. How much freedom does that allow you as a director?
Motonobu Hori: This is not a story that gave me freedom. Not at all. I read it with the understanding I would be directing. The loose continuity of the story was actually a constantt is appealing is the characters. When there isn’t much continuity for the characters, it is difficult for the audience to appreciate them. That made this a stressful project for me
Something I’ve mentioned in earlier interviews is that there is a quality of chaos. I wanted to preserve that chaos, but also allow the audience a certain amount of identification with the characters to allow an emotional connection. If there is too much chaos, it will result in an alienated viewing experience. That was something I sought very hard to avoid.
Anime Herald: How did you allowMARRIAGETOXINto be more character driven so that the audience was not alienated?
Motonobu Hori: That was not something I had to create. It already existed in the original manga. If we look at a character like Gero, he’s a killer, but he has an incredibly straightforward personality. It is almost innocent. That provides the opportunity for great emotional connection with him. In some ways, we might say I was pulling out the strands of the inherent continuity.
Anime Herald: What was your favorite moment from season one?
Tatsuya Saito: Episode six. I liked all of episode six from the beginning to the end.
Episode six has an incredible flow of images. There is also a great soundtrack and sound effects. I could feel how drawn into it I was. Now, I can’t take full credit. This is the staff that I assembled that did this amazing work.
Motonobu Hori: I love this <a href="https://comicvibe.com/pokemon-stop-motion-series-from-aardman-set-for-disney-in-2027/” title=”Pokémon Stop-Motion Series From Aardman Set for Disney+ in 2027″>series. There are so many scenes. Every time I get asked this question I choose a different answer.
Anime Herald: Which one will you choose this time?
Motonobu Hori: In episode one, there is a scene where Gero is tricked by Kinosaki. That was really great.
In that moment, Gero is top tier in this shonen manga world. He encounters something outside of that world, and kind of loses to it. This is a moment where these two different genres are coexisting, shonen manga and shojo manga. It gives a strong sense of what this series is about.
Anime Herald: That was an excellent answer.
Since you brought up episode one, I want to share that I love the beginning where we see a villain smoke fifteen cigarettes at once. I thought that was great.
Motonobu Hori: Thank you very much.
Anime Herald: Can you share any stories from the production of season one?
Tatsuya Saito: It was very difficult to do the soundtrack for this series.
Motonobu Hori: Yes, I agree. That was the most difficult part on the back end.
In the first episode, we combined two chapters from the original MARRIAGETOXIN manga. It switches back and forth from comical to serious, back and forth from comic to tragic. We’re changing genres every four or five shots. Normally, I decide what kind of music I want for each scene. I added the kind of music I thought would be best. Saito-san listened to it and thought it was too quiet and subtle. That put me in a bad mood because I wasn’t happy to hear that. But I did think, “He’s the producer, he has a right to have his own opinion.”
Sure enough, it was very hard to go back and forth musically in that episode.
Anime Herald: What are your respective origin stories for entering the industry?
Motonobu Hori: I hadn’t thought about becoming an animator. I was studying in university when I saw the video for Ken Ishii’s Extra by Morimoto Koji. I was so impressed by it. It opened up the possibility of animation for me. I am a huge fan of music as well.
Tatsuya Saito: I like music as well. When I was growing up, I saw a pair of anime: Samurai Champloo and Eureka Seven from Bones. That gave me the idea that I could incorporate my love of music with animation.
I saw that a producer could reach out to individual musicians they wanted to work with. I thought that style of working was very interesting.
Anime Herald: Chompsky was my favorite character from season one. What did you focus on for Chompsky’s scenes?
Motonobu Hori: I think you have good taste. Those scenes kind of show the character of the season. Someone has done something serious, showing great power. Then, they get on a shark and go away. That flippant tone was so important. Because that switch was so important, I wanted to select someone who was talented at realistically drawing sharks.
Anime Herald: John Williams did the music forJaws. When he first proposed the score, Steven Spielberg thought he was kidding. Spielberg was expecting something more complex. Williams replied, “The sophisticated approach you would like me to take isn’t the approach you took with the film I just experienced.”
Motonobu Hori: I think you’re right. There was something quite comical when you listen to the music by itself. I think there is something comical in the film itself.
Anime Herald: Do you have any questions for us?
Motonobu Hori: Of all the anime pieces that you have written, which is the most popular among your readers?
Anime Herald: That’s a good question.
I’ve had three pieces that have gone viral. The first wasTokyo Above Underground. The fashion show at Waku-Waku.
The second time was when I interviewed the President ofAniplex of America, Henry Goto. He drew a pyramid for me. At the base of it was streaming video. Then there was low cost merchandise. Then there were the DVDs and Blu-Rays. Finally, there was high end merchandise at the top.
As for interviews for a single anime, I believe it wasWitch Hat Atelier. That was the interview I did that was in Anime Herald’s first physical edition.
I’ve been doing interviews for many years.
Motonobu Hori and Tatsuya Saito: Thank you.
Anime Herald: Thank you very much.
