the japanese portal MEN’S NON-NO shared an interview with the director Ryū Nakayama (on the left) and the animation producer Keisuke Seshimo (on the right), key members of the production of Chainsaw Man. In the interview, the two commented on the challenges involved in a sense of direction, how animators compete with each other to produce a better project, and how the decision was made to have a different ending theme song for each episode.

The Chainsaw Man anime currently enjoys enthusiastic support and attention. Why is it so interesting? To find out the answer to this simple but important question, we’ve talked to the “insiders”.
What peculiarities did you have in the production of the animation?
Ryū Nakayama: We want to create a screen similar to that of a live-action film by using the common ground with Tatsuki Fujimoto, who is a “movie buff”, as a springboard, under the premise of working respectfully so as not to destroy the atmosphere of the original work. We will reduce the deformation and we will not easily look for an “anime” aspect. I emphasize how I want the animation project to be presented.
Is there a way to represent the typical Chainsaw Man action?
Ryū Nakayama: Tatsuya Yoshihara oversees the battle scenes as action director, and I’ve worked on action drawings myself, so it’s an area I’m naturally very particular about.
Keisuke Seshimo: When we think of action, we think of fight scenes and flashy scenes, but I think action includes things like running, turning around, flipping hair, etc. Chainsaw Man is an animation rich in the director’s vision of it. How does he feel when he talks about it in that way? (laughs)
Ryū Nakayama: That is exactly so (laughs). What I think is, including the way of speaking and the tone of voice, “How would you behave if you were being spied on at that moment?” Namely. Denji simply lives in this world, and if the artist’s intent to show him like this is reflected, the “realism” will seep in too much. That is where the intentions of each animator come in, that it is not necessary to eliminate all of them, but it is like in the kitchen, we only want to use what works best.

Keisuke Seshimo: However, the animators also have a strong commitment to accuracy, and there is quite a bit of a clash of opinions. That is a very good thing. An analogy would be a strong school where everyone is determined to win the next championship.
Ryū Nakayama: Some want to hit home runs, others want to steal bases, and by using their appeal in the right places, you can create amazing power.
The closing sequence of each episode changes to fit the main story. It’s a great detail.
Ryū Nakayama: At first, I was casually talking with Mr. Seshimo about how we wanted to create a special ending for a certain episode. As we were exploring this, before we knew it, all the episodes already had different endings (laughs).
Keisuke Seshimo: The ideal ending is one that is linked to the development of the story, since each story has a different color depending on the direction.
Ryū Nakayama: So when we order music from each artist, we asked them to use a certain type of melody and a certain type of feeling, because we wanted every certain episode to have a certain type of aftertaste. Each artist has been very supportive of the production and has created wonderful music.
Keisuke Seshimo: This is an unusual creation and a very interesting highlight.

Synopsis for Chainsaw Man

The story takes place in a world where Demons threaten the peace of humans, making them targets to be eliminated. Denji is a depressed young man who has sold several of his organs and works as a lumberjack and demon hunter to pay off his late father’s debt. Denji owns a dog (which is also a demon) named Pochita, who has chainsaws and which he uses to do his work. This is explained because humans can make contracts with demons. After returning home from a job, Denji is called by a Yakuza to infiltrate a building and kill another demon. However, the plan was a trap to assassinate him as part of a Yakuza contract with the demon, gaining them more power. But Pochita comes to Denji’s aid and bonds with him, becoming a half-man, half-demon and acquiring Pochita’s chainsaws. Font: MEN’S NON-NO Online
© SHUEISHA Inc. All Right Reserved.