"Children of the Moon" Original work/Communication Director: Toshinari Shito: I want you to believe in what you like [Director's Interview Vol.140]

A 12-year-old girl who loses her mother goes on an adventure to recover what she lost. What is depicted through the girl's gaze is the original landscape of Japan, which is somehow being lost. The person who worked on the animated film "Children of the Moon" was Toshinari Shito, who has been involved in communication design for advertising. He wrote the original story for this movie, and in his capacity as communications director, he is a central figure in guiding it from planning to completion.

The ancient Japanese gods are played by popular voice actors Irino Miyu and Sakamoto Maaya, while the everyday people are played by a stellar cast including Arata Iura Aju, Iura Arata, and Shibasaki Kou. The staff includes leading specialists such as sound director Iwanami Miwa and screenwriter Miyake Ryuta. The project is also taking on ambitious initiatives, such as supporting the purchase of advance tickets and tourism tickets through the support purchase service " Makuake " (until September 18th). Surprisingly, this is Shinohe's first attempt at a feature film. We had the chance to speak with him at length.

Index

• Communication design for Japan through anime
• Staff connected by “relationships”
• The significance of location hunting for anime
• Something beyond logic
• Aim behind casting
• Working with Miwa Iwanami, Ryuta Miyake, and top-notch staff
• “Making the Wind of Ghibli Real” posted on the wall of the company

Communication design for Japan through anime

Q: You wrote the original story for this work, but was it made for the movie? Also, please tell us why you decided to focus on Izumo's ``Kamiaritsuki.''

Shito: This original story was created for the movie. I usually work as a ``communication design'', and I create TV commercials, the web, SNS, and real events to let as many people know about the appeal of products, services, works, locations, etc. We are designing communication using

Previously, as part of my job, I was in charge of communication design for a movie that had the theme of Japan's original landscapes, and that led me to want to try making a work using Japan's original landscapes as the theme. It became. With the Olympics scheduled to be held in Japan in 2021 and the World Expo in 2025, I hope that people from Japan and abroad will once again experience the charm of the island nation of Japan.

``Children of the Moon in God'' (c) ``Children of the Moon in God'' production event

So this time, I feel like I'm using animation to communicate and design the charm of this island country. It may be more accurate to say that this story was created to help people understand Japan's culture and values, rather than creating the story for the sake of anime.

I also wrote about the subject of Izumo's ``Kamiaritsuki'' with the intention I just talked about. A staff member named Mishima from the same company as me, who was the producer and location director for this film, is from Shimane Prefecture, and he told me about ``Kamiaritsuki.'' For one month, 8 million gods from all over the country gather in Shimane, which is written as the root of the island nation, for a meeting to establish a relationship for the following year. I think that by unraveling the meaning of the ``moon in the gods'' through animation, you will be able to feel a part of Japan's charm. That was the beginning.

Staff connected by “relationships”