Shonen Jump Interview #3

"Talkin' Anime"
US Shonen Jump December 2007 issue

Shonen Jump: How close is the One Piece anime to the manga? Was there a time when you strayed from the manga?

Konosuke Uda: I think we made the anime pretty close to the manga.

Eisaku Inoue: In the manga, Oda-sensei's names for special moves use mostly puns.* We decided not to use the puns in the anime, which might have cut down the laughs by about half.

* Zoro: For example, the kanji for my "Onigiri" attack means "Demon Slash." But when spoken, it sounds like the word for "rice ball."

SJ: In your opinion, what is the best training for a would-be animator/anime director?

EI: If you're an aspiring animator, I'd say just keep drawing. The following could be said for both aspiring directors and animators: whatever comes into view, observe and memorize everything, whether it's people or scenery. Anything and everything that moves will eventually become part of your repertoire. And watch and read a lot of movies and books to cultivate your imagination.

KU: Inoue-san has already mentioned everything that's important to me. You must be able to see, feel and memorize a lot of things. And you should be able to make them your own, which is very important. If you want to be a directory, you should be able to communicate with people. For example, if you want an animator to draw something, how would you want him to draw it? How can you accurately convey the image you have in mind? If you can't do that, you can't be a director. You won't convey those things through just the storyboards. Having proper conversational skills is crucial.

SJ: Are the characters in One Piece easy to animate? Do you pay close attention to anything in particular? Do you ever forget to draw in the stiches on Luffy's cheek?

EI: When a new series starts you're still learning about the characters. You put all your effort into making the characters look like the originals, and so the character's movements become secondary... as if it's good enough that they're just moving. I started working on One Piece eight years ago. Right now, there isn't anything that I can't do well, including movement. But more and more characters are being introduced in the manga, and if they have strange moves I'd have to start researching to figure out how to make them look cool. That's when things start to get complicated. As far as I know, I've never forgotten to draw Luffy's scar on his face.

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