"BLUE GIANT" Original work: Shinichi Ishizuka "A manga where you can hear sounds" How was that passion transferred to anime? [Director's Interview Vol.283]

BLUE GIANT is a jazz-themed manga that has been serialized in Big Comic (Shogakukan) since 2013. When I heard that this work would be made into an anime, I immediately applied for an interview. Not only am I a fan of the original work, but I have also been following the works of the author, Shinichi Ishizuka. There are many anime based on manga, but some of them fail because they don't match the worldview that fans expect. However, I can definitely say that ``BLUE GIANT'' is an outstanding success. Although it was unfinished at the time of the interview, my tear glands burst into tears many times while watching it.

Dai Miyamoto, a young man from Sendai, moved to Tokyo with the aim of becoming the world's best jazz player. He formed a trio with young people of his generation and is determined to spread his wings in the world of jazz. The manga ``BLUE GIANT'', which depicts such a group of youth, brilliantly expresses ``sound'' on paper, and has been described as ``a manga where you can hear the sounds.'' This work is not bound by such an excellent original work, but takes advantage of its strengths as an anime and transfers the "heat" of the performance scenes to the movie. We asked the original author, Shinichi Ishizuka, about the process of making this anime.

Index

• I liked the anime rather than the live action.
• Commitment to the performance scene
• The songs will get the cast excited!
• ``BLUE GIANT'' is a manga that keeps changing like jazz.

I liked the anime rather than the live action.

Q: Was the movie version of “BLUE GIANT” offered as an anime from the beginning?

Ishizuka: Previously, we had received plans for a live-action movie. But the people around me were saying, ``This work would be better as an anime.'' Then I received an offer from Toho about making it into an anime, and I thought, ``This is great.''

Q: Why did you decide to turn it into an anime?

Ishizuka: When an actor plays the saxophone in a live-action movie, the image of the character becomes that of a specific individual. In that respect, I think the animation would give the character more scope.

“BLUE GIANT” ©2023 “BLUE GIANT” Movie Production Committee ©2013 Shinichi Ishizuka/Shogakukan

Q: At the time of the interview, the video wasn't finished, but I'm a fan of the original work, so I was moved by the sound alone.

Ishizuka: This time, we asked Hiromi Uehara* to compose almost all of the songs in the play. It is often said that you can hear sounds coming from the paper, and that is because the reader is playing music in their head as they read. I'm not sure how close to the song everyone envisioned in their heads, but it's good music, so I'm sure it'll be fine. I think it will come together nicely.

*Japan's leading pianist who has won a Grammy Award.

Q: Yes, I got goosebumps.

Ishizuka: That was great!

Commitment to the performance scene