――What was your first impression of the project?
OKADA: When I heard that Mari Okada was directing, even though I knew it was her first time directing, I knew the script would be great. I was pretty lucky to get this job, I thought! (laughs) I love fantasy, so it was a no-brainer.
――What orders did you get about the world and setting?
OKADA: I started with Iorph, Maquia’s homeland. Director Okada told me that it is a place that stands on its own separated from the rest of the world, but she was still unsure how to visualize it on film. I came up with several ideas on how it should look, and while waiting for a response, I started working on the art for the Mezarte palace and the metal town of Dorail. At first I had two ideas for Mezarte, but one was too rugged and overlapped with Dorail a bit. So I emphasized the gothic atmosphere of Mezarte, with steeples, and lots of ornamental designs. To contrast, I made Dorail feel much more rugged.
――Iorph ended up feeling very mysterious.
OKADA: The image was of many buildings carved out of limestone over many years. The people of Iorph live for a long time, so I imagined it as a residential area created very diligently. They aren’t buildings built in an industrial manner, so there are lots of curves in various places.
――Helm, where Maquia and Ariel live, also has lots of curved lines.
OKADA: For Helm, we started with a hint of art nouveau, and tried to stick closer to nature. The image is to use tree trunks as columns, and branches for beams, and the buildings on farms have a tendency to be inclined. So, when I drew the settings, I felt like I made mistakes about the perspective drawings and modified them unnecessarily and unknowingly. I had a hard time with the perspective drawings.
――There is always a lot of information in background art. Did you stay conscious that it was a movie?
OKADA: Of course, it is a movie, but I wanted to make sure that all the information means something. For example, the ornamentation in Mezarte shows that it is a very rich land. Through these things, I think that all the information in the backgrounds helps to touch the audience. So, I hope the backgrounds of this movie play the role to bring much bigger impression to the audience.

Tomoaki Okada, known for works such as Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos (art concept design/art director), Kuromukuro (visual concept, mech design), Gundam Reconguista in G (art director) and more.