We are here at DARLING in the FRANXX's audio studio,
where the final episode, episode 24, is being dubbed.
Production has entered its last spurt.
As you get closer to the end,
What's the current mood in the studio like?
Director & Series Composition
you have to choose between things that you want to do and things you need to do.
You need to strike the right compromises on quality.
You go, "Please let me do this," or "Give me some more time for this bit,"
and you go back and forth negotiating.
So yeah, things have gotten quite tense.
The TV series started airing in January 2018, and now,
Narration: Katsuyuki Konishi
only five episodes remain.
Tonight, we look back on the road DARLING in the FRANXX has taken.
Voice of Zero Two
What helped the voice actors get closer to their characters?
Voice of Hiro
What goals was the story written to achieve?
Series Composition & Scripts
And, as the climax draws ever closer,
what's going through the director's mind?
Don't miss the important scenes from the story, either!
DARLING in the FRANXX Playback Special II
DARLING in the FRANXX Playback Special II!
In charge of DARLING in the FRANXX's direction and series composition
Director & Series Composition
is Atsushi Nishigori.
He is the one who created this show from scratch.
Three years since the project kicked off and right before it was set to air,
he laid his feelings bare for the first time in front of a camera.
Hey.
Excuse me.
Let's do this.
Thank you.
We'll now show you previously unreleased footage from that interview.
Interview footage Filmed on November 21st, 2017 for the Pre-Air Special
What led you to create DarliFra?
In my mind, I thought it was the right time and the right people to work with.
After joining GAINAX at the young age of 20, he shone as a promising young key animator. He experienced acting as character designer and chief animation director on Gurren Lagann, and directed his first show in 2011, A-1 Pictures' THE IDOLM@STER. He is well regarded as an animator and has handled key animation on several shows, even after his directorial debut.
That may have the biggest reason.
With Gurren Lagann,
I experienced creating an original anime with young and like-minded people.
Then, I got the chance to be director for the first time, with THE iDOLM@STER.
I began wanting to pour my experiences and the things I wanted to try into a show,
and decided to give it a shot.
Something like that.
When did you first start feeling like your work was paying off?
At the dubbing studio, I guess?
When they added sounds to episode 1, I thought, "Oh, hey, it's an anime now."
At the point when everything up to the music is in, you start to see the final form.
Not everything was colored and all that stuff yet,
but it was more or less an anime, a moving picture.
It made me really happy to see it take shape.
After starting this project from scratch
and asking people to work with me...
We hadn't gotten past the first hurdle yet,
but something we shared, something we all worked on, was nearing completion.
That part is one of the greatest things about making anime,
and I realized that all over again.
What are your goals as you dive headlong into the process?
I want to have fun working with these people, in this moment.
Well, I don't know if it'll be fun, but I hope we can do our best.
Later in life, I want to look back and think I could've only done this at this age.
And I hope to make it out alive and get to drink some good booze with everyone.
That's all I can really ask for, I guess? I don't know anymore.
For starters, I want to give it my all,
and I believe this is a project where I can give it my all.
Yeah.
Six months have already passed since that statement.
Thank you.
How many of the director's hopes have been fulfilled?
After this, we will look back on the story.
DARLING in the FRANXX is a story of boys and girls living in the distant future.
Hiro and Zero Two's meeting set everything in motion.
Let's start by looking back on episode 1.
Oh, found one.
Episode 1: Alone and Lonesome
Hiro and Zero Two first met deep in the Mistilteinn woods.
This scene is where their story began.
No way!
Is she drowning?!
I've gotta help her!
It was like I'd been put under a spell.
Her two alluring horns
and my first-ever look at a naked female body
left me transfixed, unable to take my eyes off her.
Wow, your taste makes my heart race.
It bites and lingers...
The taste of danger.
Wh-What are you...
Would you have preferred a kiss?
A kiss?
Oh, you guys don't know, huh?
It's a very special thing.
I think I've taken a liking to you.
Won't you be my darling?
Was Zero Two a particularly difficult role?
Totally. It was much more difficult than I expected at first.
Voice of Zero Two
Especially between episodes 1 and 6, when the director told me
that he wanted me to voice her
while keeping her friend-or-foe status in a gray zone.
So when she makes passes at Hiro,
you wonder if she's approaching him out of pure goodwill,
or if she has ulterior motives for doing so.
That remains unclear for a while,
and portraying that ambiguity was a challenge.
There are scenes when she acts innocently,
like in episode 1 when she leaps out, fish in mouth.
I took a straightforward approach to those cutesy scenes.
If I overthought everything, she'd really come across as cold and calculating,
but if I did everything straightforward,
she'd come across as just a cute, innocent girl.
Striking a balance was really difficult.
There were plenty of scenes where the director would go,
"Make her seem more mysterious here,"
or "A bit more innocent would be fine,"
and striking the perfect balance was difficult in the first half.
Was there anything you focused on with your portrayal?
When you go, "Zero Two is this kind of girl,"
and this is just my opinion,
but if you voice characters based on your preconceived notions,
they tend to feel really cliched and come across as cheap,
and that was something I really wanted to avoid.
You know how you can't really
compartmentalize human emotions?
And Zero Two is, right from her body,
a half-klaxosaur who wants to be human.
Plus, she's had a really unique, harsh upbringing,
and has a really complicated background in general,
so understanding her as I went was hard,
and yet, there were several moments where I found it extremely fun.
How do you feel about Tomatsu-san's presence in the project, voicing Zero Two?
I feel her portrayal of Zero Two is truly unique.
Voice of Hiro
Something only she could do.
She herself is really unique as a person,
and just her presence in the studio brightens the mood.
It's really obvious, like everything is just more cheery.
In that sense, she's kind of special among all the children.
And as she's coaxed better performances out of me,
I have, just like Hiro in a way, grown more cheery myself.
I wasn't exactly gloomy or anything,
but I think I've grown more zealous regarding my acting and had more fun doing it.
So I truly respect her and am thankful for her presence
as I've grown into the role of Hiro.
Was there anything you focused on with your portrayal of Hiro?
Well... The director told me
that I was chosen to play Hiro
due to the airy nature of my voice.
And as the episodes rolled on,
he said, "Hiro now belongs to you,
so voice him as you see fit.
And if there's anything specific I want, I'll tell you."
He was kind enough to say that to me,
so I let myself go and decided to perform as I saw fit.
How do I say this? I never felt any misgivings toward Hiro at all,
so I think my portrayal of him is very close to natural.
But rather than feeling an affinity toward Hiro,
I think it was more the whole partner dynamic with Zero Two and Tomatsu-san.
The back-and-forth in the studio, and the rapport of sorts that it created,
syncs up with the duo,
and I feel that helped me voice a more natural Hiro.
For example, when I'm practicing at home and stuff,
I think a lot about how I should do certain things.
But when I get to the studio, I hear how the previous line is voiced.
I see how they're passing me the ball, and I think about how to return the pass.
It's a whole different thought process.
That experience always feels new and unique,
and I believe that what we create within that studio atmosphere is really valuable.
As a voice actor,
that strikes me as one of the best things about this project.
Episode 6: "DARLING in the FRANXX"
Let's fly!
Yeah!
With our wings!
This is DARLING in the FRANXX Playback Special II,
and we'll shortly learn about the thoughts behind the scriptwriting process.
Episode 7: Shooting Star Moratorium
The protagonists of DARLING in the FRANXX are boys and girls still in their teens.
The early stages also featured bright, cheery interludes such as this one.
The squadmates were slowly but surely growing closer.
But the story would soon put them through a trial by fire.
Episode 14: Punishment and Confession
You tricked me.
You lied to me.
N-No, Zero Two! We didn't mean to!
Hiro must've... I know! He must've gone to see you!
Shut your mouth!
Humans are so weak!
Get it now? Never stand in my way—
Zero Two!
Darling.
What are you doing?
I finally got to see you, darling.
There's something I want to talk to you about.
Ichigo!
You okay?
Ichigo? Ichigo!
Hiro...
Run away.
Why would you do this?!
"Why"?
You asked me to speak my mind with you, remember?
But these guys just wouldn't let me.
So I...
No...
Let's talk lots and lots, okay?
It's not too late. We can still take it back...
Zero Two...
At this moment, you truly are a monster.
Series Composition & Scripting
What did you prioritize most as you wrote the story?
A scenario writer mainly involved in games, he shot to fame with his work on the SciADV series, including titles such as CHAOS;HEAD and STEINS;GATE,. In this series, he is jointly credited for series composition alongside Director Nishigori. Through dozens upon dozens of story meetings, he reorganized the original concept that existed in the director's mind into a structured story.
I took great care in expressing
interpersonal communication through character drama.
When I'm talking about DarliFra's overall structure,
I often call it a story told in four acts.
In each act, the people the characters are communicating with
and the things they're facing change.
Let's say we start with Hiro here.
Until episode 6, he's mostly communicating with Zero Two alone.
It's basically a story of the communication between them.
And in episode 6,
the relationship between the two becomes more settled.
After that, from episode 7 on,
it's a story of how Hiro and Zero Two communicate with their squadmates.
The world expands a little.
And after episode 15,
it becomes about Squad 13, Hiro and Zero Two and their squadmates,
and how they communicate with the world, including the adults.
So the people they're communicating with gradually grow in number.
That's how we're expressing the expansion of the world and the setting.
And with these changes, we see how the characters grow as people.
Well, there are people who respond to that communication,
and others who reject it outright.
And those differences cause grief and hardships.
The dramatic nature of this dynamic is what I focused on establishing.
What have you personally poured into the "communication" keyword?
Well, personally, what left a big impression on me,
or rather, what I would propose as one of my answers to the communication problem...
Of course, it's part of the character dialog.
In episode 18,
how Ichigo reacts to Ikuno's confession of her hidden feelings.
Do you want to know?
Episode 18: When the Sakura Blooms
Are you that interested in me?
Ikuno? What...
I love you, Ichigo.
I want to keep you all to myself.
That's so selfish, right?
It's a pain, isn't it?
Why am I like this?
I hate being like this!
Oh... She's just like I used to be.
Ichigo?
There's nothing wrong with being a pain.
I'm a pretty big one myself.
We're all complicated, difficult, and a pain.
But, y'know, I've started thinking that we're fine this way.
I get the feeling that going through all of this is what life is all about.
I probably won't be able to give up very easily.
I don't often take no for an answer.
Yeah, I know.
Thank you, Ichigo.
Even if you can't understand each other, it's important to try.
And even if you can't reach an understanding, you can lean on each other.
Having bonds with people really is valuable,
and while having an understanding would be best,
you can still walk side by side, even if you can't.
I hope that gets across to the viewers,
and if it does, I hope it encourages them to look within.
We probably haven't communicated perfectly while making this show, either.
Despite that, we spent years discussing everything and making it a reality.
That's one way to communicate, too.
You do your best to lean on each other, understand each other,
and even if you can't, you can still make something like DarliFra.
Basically, people can make something good happen if they lean on each other.
I don't think I've ever talked about these things,
but I feel like it's always been a part of me.
Episode 18: When the Sakura Blooms
You were right. They are in full bloom now.
Look, Kokoro lent me this to wear for the wedding.
It's kinda funny to see you wearing our uniform.
Is that all you have to say?
You look great.
Do you remember that we promised to marry all those years ago, too?
Of course I do.
A marriage is when two people who love each other promise to be together forever.
You taught me that.
In that moment, you became my darling.
Wow!
This is amazing!
Darling!
The time I spend laughing with you is filled with so much warmth
So much warmth
and so, so beautiful.
So, so beautiful
Five months since DARLING in the FRANXX began airing...
Okay, thank you.
Got it.
Okay.
All right.
Okay, thank you.
The dubbing for all 24 episodes has finished.
And there remains one last message to give the cast.
Take it away, Director.
All right. Thank you for your hard work over all 24 episodes.
Your portrayal of your characters provided me a pillar of support
and also great encouragement.
I really felt that you were fighting with me, creating this show with me.
You all clearly put a lot of thought into your characters,
and if you didn't understand something, you weren't afraid to ask.
We racked our brains and fought through obstacles together,
and it truly made me feel I wasn't alone.
That may sound cliched, but it is what it is.
When you're working on an original story yourself,
you start to feel more and more alone.
At times like that, realizing that the cast understands their roles,
and that you're sharing my responsibilities, my burdens,
really helps, and you all did that for me.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart,
and I'm truly grateful that I have gained these bonds with you all.
Thank you so very much.
And so, the voice cast left the DarliFra studio behind.
However, the staff will have to keep working on the animation until the last second.
Production has reached its last spurt toward the finale.
One last spurt to go... How do you feel right now?
Well, first, it's starting to get really rough, physically speaking.
And many at the studio are running on fumes, too.
But we still must complete our story.
I'm racking my brain until the very end, wondering if this is good enough or not.
But ultimately, I'll need to go with what I believe in.
If my beliefs are mistaken, that might show, but I think that's fine.
Forcing myself to go with what other people believe in would just seem fake.
I feel like I must believe that the answer I've strived to reach is the right one.
At this point, I'll just have to give it my heart and soul, really.
Rather than using my brain to plan everything,
I'll move my hands and do everything I can.
I'm not a guy who can irresponsibly say, "I can do this," or "This will be amazing."
But if possible, I'd love to cross the finish line with my best shot.
I hope everyone looks forward to it.