Following his confirmed participation in the Global Anime Challenge (GAC), a scheme to invest in and broaden anime creators’ perspectives on a global scale, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End anime director Keiichiro Saito shared his aims and how he wants to counter the pattern he sees in overseas anime fans’ preferences.
Saito previously directed Bocchi the Rock! and will return for the second season of Frieren in a support role for the new directorial team. He was interviewed alongside fellow Global Anime Challenge participant Takafumi Nakame, an animation producer and production assistant on Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. He was also a production assistant on Witch Watch (OP 1) and Berserk: The Golden Age Arc.
Both spoke about a sense of stagnation in the Japanese anime production environment, which prompted them to apply for the GAC. They aim to learn from foreign production sites and gain a new perspective. Nakame added that he wanted to do more than just make an anime, given the rare opportunity to create an IP. Saito says he’s debating whether to create a widely accepted IP with an eye on the Academy Awards in the U.S., or something deeper. This was before he said (regarding what’s important in promoting Japanese anime to the world):
“I have had the opportunity to attend overseas conventions and interact with overseas fans, and I have a vague feeling that the Japanese anime that overseas fans go crazy about may be a little biased. Popular things are, as to be expected, popular, but a large current (wave) forms. For those on the creative side, I think this is also a situation where a disconnect could be born [between us and the audience].
Because the current is so strong, if we focus too much on it, only that aspect becomes emphasized as anime’s defining characteristic. Before it gets to that point, I feel it’s important to share anime’s diverse appeal with the world. I have a desire to create works that can draw the world’s attention through a variety of approaches.“
Nakame agreed, adding, “I feel the same way. Japanese anime tends to be created freely, but within that freedom, biases may have formed. It would be more interesting if there were more variety. It’s easy to get swept up in the big trends, and while that’s necessary for the work itself, I want to consider various aspects.“
The GAC, helping young creators develop their own IP and gain a global perspective, is co-led by anime production company Kinema Citrus (recently confirmed to be returning for the newly announced Made in Abyss movie series).
The GAC will be held in collaboration with Japan’s Agency of Cultural Affairs through its Creator’s Support Fund, the Japan Arts Council, and the Japan Research Institute, with mentorship from Masuo Ueda (veteran planner and producer of many Sunrise and Aniplex works), Takeshi Kikuchi (KADOKAWA Chief Anime Officer), Taiki Sakurai (former Netflix chief anime producer), and prominent Japanese journalist Tadashi Sudo. Anime production companies MAPPA, Production I.G, Trigger, and Bandai Namco Filmworks will cooperate.
Numerous anime creators have voiced concerns over the trends within the medium in recent years. Amid the rise of isekai and RPG-inspired fantasy over the last decade, Ghost in the Shell: Arise director Kazuchika Kise criticized the trend in 2024, adding that he felt there were fewer grounded anime than before:
“I find it strange that all that gets made are isekai stories. There was even a series about being reborn as a vending machine recently. That one really stunned me. I feel like there are fewer grounded anime works than there used to be,” he said.
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Many of these stories are adaptations of manga and light novels, pushed and often co-produced by the series’ publisher with an emphasis on driving sales to the original work. Shigeo Akahori (chief animation direction: TEXHNOLYZE / key animation: The Cat Returns, The Secret World of Arrietty, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya) said that the anime industry was weakening, in part because there was too much of an emphasis on strictly faithful adaptations, rather than giving freedom to creators to create.
Akahori also called for schemes that, similar to the GAC, would increase Japanese creators’ ability to communicate with the world stage. He proposed doing so through short anime, like how Makoto Shinkai developed himself.
Saito’s view about dominant trends is also present in other media. Solo Leveling, which received one of the most popular anime adaptations of recent years, was published during a boom of RPG-inspired titles, with a focus on leveling up. In 2024, publisher D&C Media said that while dominant trends are reflective of their current time, they were difficult to follow since they evolve very quickly, and added:
“Today, we have 10 titles currently being published with the word ‘villainness’ and all are bestsellers. But only 2 with the phrase ‘level up’. We think that the ‘level up’ trend is coming to an end, probably because of the economic crisis, in the end, ‘level up’ stories are an echo of the famous ‘American dream’ also valid until recently in Korea with incredible economic growth.“
Source: Mantan Web
©Kanehito Yamada, Tsukasa Abe/Shogakukan/”Frieren” Project
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