Written by Mari Okada

The preview tour continues on: in Hakata on February 6th, Osaka on the 8th, and Nagoya and Shizuoka on the 9th. Thank you to everyone who braved the cold to come be with us! It was so nice to meet everyone!

In Hakata, I was with character designer and chief animation director Ishii.
Our seats were sectioned off from the other staff by a shelf. So not only were we hidden from everyone else, but we could get in some exercise, talk about nothing… and even though the film wasn’t completed yet, start making another story for the characters (especially the boys), and had a lot of fun with background artist Waba too.

Ishii said during production that her drawings kept changing, but… it was a good change. The characters seem to mature along with the changes in her art, making them into living things. Currently, Ishii is working on a copyrighted work, but every time she finishes a drawing, Higashiji and Kitsunai are always excited, saying that the gods have descended upon her.

In Osaka, Horikawa who is always with me, came down with the flu… I am very sorry to everyone who was hoping to see him. He always works so hard, and maybe pushed himself to the limit before we knew it. Maybe it’s best he takes a little time to rest…

For Nagoya and Shizuoka, I was with core director Hiramatsu.
Hiramatsu was the “Tora-san” of this production. He would come in like the wind, and leave like the wind, but he always delivered high quality! In the push to the end, he was passionate and raised the bar, never compromising.

Hiramatsu was responsible for the big turning point of the story. Maquia and Ariel’s relationship goes through a huge change. Hiramatsu’s storyboards and layouts have lines of flow that draw your eyes through the action. They are delicate but dynamic and moving. I hope you will watch out for it.

I want to write even more about all the staff that worked on the movie!
…but if I do I would have to mention some spoilers, so I’ll hammer those out once Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms is released.