Son of Shinobuadapted from the comic Akasaka and push mengwuprobably won’t surprise readers of the series. By turns tense and humorous, the story balances a detailed examination of what it means to project a lively, light-hearted image to the world while managing all the parts of your life that aren’t for public consumption—like solving your own and your mother’s murders case, for example. After a stellar first season, producer Shinpei Yamashita had to follow it up with an equally stellar second season. We had a chance to ask him a few questions about what that process was like and how the series’ ongoing themes transitioned from page to screen.
Season 1 Son of Shinobu Very popular. How did you deal with the stress of working in Season 2?
Yamashita Shinpei: Thank you! Thanks to all the fans, we are able to produce a second season!
While I do feel the enthusiasm, I’m really glad fans enjoyed the first season, so finding a way to maintain the same level of satisfaction and entertainment in a second season is something I personally enjoy.
When you go into a new storyline, are there things you and the production staff intentionally change to mark the narrative shift? Or do you want to keep things similar?
Yamashita: The content depicted in the second season is different from the first season, so although there are some details that we have consciously revised, we tried our best to keep the creation method of each part the same as the first season, while trying to improve the overall quality.
Somewhat ironically, the characters find themselves frustrated by the challenges of adapting comics into a visual medium. Did you face similar challenges when deciding how to animate your actors?
Yamashita: If you ask me, I think adapting a manga into an anime is more relatable than a live-action or stage play, so I probably didn’t face the same challenges that the character did. The first season of the anime was well received by manga authors, manga artists, and fans, so I felt at ease while working on the second season.
As season two shifts away from the idol industry and toward something closer to your own, are there any interesting conversations or revelations you or your team had while making the show?
Yamashita: It’s not something I can announce out loud, but even in other mixed media scenes I’ve been told “you actually managed to turn this episode into an animated adaptation!” because that’s a very likely episode. It happens in this industry in real life. I think this is the result of very careful and detailed reporting by the manga author Akasaka-sensei.
Much of the first season revolves around the way idol singers must behave in public. Now we have real actors whose stage characters often reveal their inner emotions. Can you tell us a little bit about the creative decisions you made to depict the character’s transition between reality and performance?
Yamashita: With manga, readers can turn the pages and continue the story at their own pace, but within the given time and pace of the anime, the characters (eg: Touki) and the acting characters (eg: Aqua) need to be represented in a certain way. In the episodes after the “Tokyo Blade” stage play began, we used “film soundtrack” (adding music to match the visual effects) to ensure that there was no sense of incongruity between the scenes where the characters expressed themselves. Scenes performed on stage.
Can you talk about the continued use of Star Eyes? Is there any discussion about using them in different ways this season?
Yamashita: In order for Season 2 to begin with Episode 12, we tried to portray the story as seamlessly following Season 1. Even this season, the directors have devised different ways to portray them effectively.
The light-hearted, consumer-oriented lives of the characters (whether they’re singers or actors) are very interesting compared to their darker, more chaotic personal lives and pasts. What are the challenges of balancing the tonal changes between the two?
Yamashita: Director Hiramaki mentioned this previously in another interview, but since the manga is not just composed of dark and bitter scenes, the manga is able to create a delicate balance by inserting comedic scenes at intervals to lighten the mood. By depicting the anime in a similar way to the manga, I believe we can maintain that balance.
Now, when you go to an anime convention, you’re greeted by cheering fans. This must be surreal considering your job Son of Shinobu. Is there anything you would like to say to your adoring fans?
Yamashita: As a producer, I am very happy and grateful to be invited to various conferences and events. I think the upcoming episodes will live up to everyone’s expectations, so stay tuned!
