STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure recently launched its inaugural episode, titled “1st STAGE,” immersing viewers once more in the universe conceived by Hirohiko Araki and brought to life by David Production. At the helm of this adaptation is director Yasuhiro Kimura, who previously addressed our inquiries in the first segment of this interview series, prior to the anime’s debut.
With the *1st STAGE* now having captivated a global audience, we present the second installment of our interview, where Anime Trending and Director Kimura delve into the episode’s intricacies without concern for spoilers.
This conversation has been modified for clarity and coherence.
Adapting STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure for the American West
Having now viewed the episode, I must commend its excellence. It was a remarkably compact and engaging 47-minute experience that held my attention throughout. What influenced your decision to conclude the narrative at that point, rather than leaving viewers with a dramatic cliffhanger? Why opt for completing the entire “stage” within a single episode?
Yasuhiro Kimura: The 1st STAGE is incredibly dense. Given its duration, I felt a cliffhanger wasn’t appropriate. Moreover, the production team and I collectively agreed against it. We believe that cliffhangers can be somewhat stressful for the audience. While many might binge-watch, some prefer to enjoy each episode at their own pace, and feeling pressured to immediately jump to the next can be bothersome.
Though there’s a mini-cliffhanger transitioning from the first to the second half of the episode, we decided from the outset that such a device wouldn’t be a rule for concluding the entire episode and leading into the next.
This approach ensures everyone can watch the complete 1st STAGE comfortably from start to finish!
In our discussion before the release, you mentioned the series’ inspirations. Let’s now focus on the setting. Did the team encounter any specific challenges in adapting the American West backdrop while integrating it with the distinctive eccentricities of JoJo’s?
Yasuhiro Kimura: I honestly don’t think any particular location in the world is uniquely suited or unsuited for JoJo’s. Its inherent bizarre nature means any setting can become a JoJo’s setting.
The real difficulty lay in sourcing research materials in Japan for the 1890s era, not just concerning the American West, but also everyday life during that period. For instance, what kind of attire did people wear? What were their daily routines like? How were buildings constructed? Essentially, everything. How prevalent were electrical appliances, for example? And experts on this specific era are simply not common in Japan.
While America likely has numerous experts on this historical period, given the many films set then, similar to how Japan has its own period dramas and numerous paintings depicting specific eras, finding such enthusiasts or scholars in Japan for the 1890s American West is quite challenging. It proved incredibly difficult.
This led me to Professor Nishikawa, who specializes in American presidents but also, coincidentally, authored a book about America. He subsequently became our series researcher, providing invaluable insights into period clothing, customs, architectural styles, and more.
Horses are notoriously challenging to animate effectively, yet they appear magnificent in the episode. What kind of research did you and your team undertake to achieve such fluid horse animation?
Yasuhiro Kimura: I actually went horseback riding myself! I was quite taken aback by their height and the distinct triangular shape of their backs. The perspective from atop a horse made me ponder, “How could anyone possibly traverse America on one of these?”
Regarding production, we estimated that thousands upon thousands of animation cuts across the series would feature horse riding. This would be prohibitively expensive and a monumental undertaking. Each time I observed a horse galloping for study, its movements seemed to grow more intricate.
It would be impossible to accomplish solely through hand-drawn animation. Drawing horses is already considered difficult, and while some artists excel at it, they couldn’t produce the sheer volume of cuts required. Perhaps a hundred throughout the series, but certainly not the thousands we needed. Consequently, we opted to blend 3D CGI with traditional hand-drawn animation.
My primary task was to establish a production pipeline that seamlessly integrated these two techniques without compromising the quality of the horses’ gallop. Ultimately, I devised a completely novel running style specifically for STEEL BALL RUN. It’s not strictly realistic, and it features a slight deformation, but I believe it still conveys the essence of a horse and will be perceived as impressive by viewers.
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Equestrian Challenges
There’s a memorable sequence where Pocoloco and his horse leap across a ravine, and the horse’s animation in that moment is quite distinctive. What was the creative source for that specific pose? It certainly had a very “JoJo’s” flair!
Yasuhiro Kimura: While the core inspiration for that scene originated from the manga, a crucial distinction lay in portraying movement. The manga couldn’t fully convey the vast distance between the two cliffs, so we aimed to make the shot far more dynamic, creating the impression of the horse soaring through the air. There’s also the fundamental difference in aspect ratios — the manga is vertical, whereas the anime is horizontal!
The diverse riding styles displayed by all the jockeys are truly remarkable, particularly Diego’s incredibly fluid interaction with Silver Bullet. What kind of research went into bringing each of these unique styles to life?
Yasuhiro Kimura: It’s truly all about the riding style, isn’t it? When you simplify it, there are essentially two main approaches: riding with the waist up or the waist down. For Diego specifically, he employs a waist-up riding technique, commonly known as “Monkey Crouch.” Our research indicated this wasn’t a widely adopted technique in the U.S. during the 1890s, but since it’s how he rode in the original manga, we chose to retain it. Gyro also transitions to this style during the race’s final critical moments.
Furthermore, a horse’s maximum speed is apparently around 50 km/h (31 mph), which I felt would appear too slow to viewers. So, we animated the horses as if they were actually moving at 300 km/h (185 mph). I watched the film *Gran Turismo* and a lot of F1 races before making the episode, so when the horses run, they convey that explosive “boom!” sensation, just like racing cars.
Which jockey and horse combination, or lack thereof, was your favorite to develop, and which proved the most challenging?
Yasuhiro Kimura: I’d say I enjoyed working on all of them equally, but Gyro was undoubtedly the most difficult to animate. He has so many dynamic elements: his hair, his clothing, and of course, the steel balls. He simply requires a significant amount of animation time.
One final question regarding production: I particularly appreciated the distinct Western-inspired title card accompanied by its fitting music at the beginning of the episode. What are your thoughts on this Western-themed opening?
Yasuhiro Kimura: That’s a testament to Kato-san’s deep affection for Westerns, wouldn’t you agree? It was truly excellent, wasn’t it? That arid, dry atmosphere was fantastic. I honestly can’t elaborate much further on it.
Editor’s note: Kato refers to the series director of STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
Lastly, we must ask: do you have any information regarding when we can expect to see more episodes?
Yasuhiro Kimura: I’m just as eager to see them soon! As for the exact timing, I currently don’t have that information.
Crafting a single episode requires a considerable amount of time, but production is progressing smoothly, and I anticipate seeing the completed episodes with as much excitement as all of you!
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s debut episode is currently available for streaming on Netflix; however, no release date for subsequent episodes has been announced as of this publication. We extend our sincere gratitude to Warner Bros. Japan for their assistance in arranging this interview.
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