Written by Mari Okada

Last winter, when Ishii and I were at our busiest, we started a “jersey club”. We would get to the office, take off our coats, and put on our jerseys and get to work. Ishii wore a Yomiyama North Middle School jersey, from Another. I was worried that something awful would happen to her when she put in on, but luckily, she was fine! I’m relieved. And my jersey was this one.

And it’s got my name embroidered! This is a Kissui-so jersey from those who supported Hanasaku Iroha. Filled with the spirit of Shijima, and with my name in gold on my back, I could approach my work with a spirit of never running away, never hiding!

There is one more thing that pumped me up: I mentioned it at the previews, but it’s Izor, as drawn by main animator Inoue! It’s so cool, and Ishii and I put a copy by the desk and would make excited comments about his jawline and forehead. In tough times, I would look up at Izor and be plagued by evil spirits…no, wait… a burning motivation.

When flipping through Inoue’s layouts and drawings, it felt like a new reality, and, no exaggeration, my pulse would quicken. I even exclaimed “wow!” out loud a few times. I was surprised at how much information you can express in a drawing. Like for example how Maquia runs. I made a general request, like “she is not very athletic when she runs”, but in Inoue’s drawings, you can see not just the way her hands move, or how she raises her head, but the wrinkles in her clothes as she limps! Determined a single-minded… just looking at the way she runs, you can understand a lot about Maquia.

In this movie, there are some… unique… girls. Quiet, sorrowful, sometimes violently emotional… all their scenes were helmed by Inoue. I hope you enjoy the dynamic movement condensed into this anime movie!