by “Learning Anime Drawing from the Original Drawings: The World of Kenichi Tsuchiya’s Anime ‘Anne Shirley'” was published on October 17th, exploring the techniques and philosophy of Kenichi Tsuchiya, an animator who has worked on numerous classic animations. To commemorate the book’s release, we spoke with Tsuchiya about his thoughts on it.
The anime series ‘Anne Shirley’ aired its final episode at the end of September. What was your impression of the series? “Before I got involved, I thought it was a literary work that was a bit intimidating, but when I got into it, there were a lot of crazy characters (laughs). Looking back, I felt it was a work packed with incredibly dense entertainment. I think that’s also part of the appeal of this series.”
Anne’s growth was also one of the highlights of this series. “I was sorting through the illustrations I had drawn for this book, and when I looked at Anne and the other girls as children, I felt like an uncle who is moved by his child’s growth, saying things like, ‘Wow, Anne was so small’ and ‘She had these kinds of experiences’ (laughs). There are some morning TV serials where the story starts from the children’s childhood, right? Perhaps there are some similarities to the feeling I get when watching those kinds of shows.”
This scene conveys the charm of Anne’s innocent childhood. Anne Shirley Production Committee: Anne has grown into a mature woman. Her growth process also moved Tsuchiya. Anne Shirley Production Committee: What are your thoughts looking back on the production of this book? There are many cuts in this book, but what were your criteria for selection? “Firstly, it’s the ‘completeness of the drawings.’
The layout cuts introduced in this book wouldn’t usually be shown to the public. For that reason, there are quite a few rough-cut pieces. From among those, I chose cuts that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to look at. Secondly, I decided on cuts that are important to the story and that the audience would want to see. I also mainly chose cuts that I felt were emotionally attached to.” Was there anything else you noticed while making this book? “When I try to select my favorite cuts, I always end up choosing Matthew (the older brother of the siblings who take in Anne).
I’ve always thought Matthew was cool while I was drawing him, especially the cut of his profile as he read the newspaper. It’s a casual cut just before the cathartic moment when he suddenly collapses, but I’m pleased with myself for being able to draw a good profile.” This is Tsuchiya’s favorite scene, drawing Matthew’s profile. Anne Shirley Production Committee
This book also explains some technical aspects, such as introducing cuts using Clip Studio Paint’s fisheye perspective function in the actual layout process. “I think that people just starting with digital animation might lack concrete information. I think I’ve only been able to introduce a little bit in this book, but I hope it will be of some help… I’ve included many drawings that retain the lines that are unique to the production process, which you won’t see in the finished animation, so I hope anyone interested in animation will pick up this book.” Interview and Text: Nakasuji Akira.
Also includes many rough sketches of attractive character designs! Anne Shirley Production Committee Kenichi Tsuchiya: Born in 1967. After working at Studio Annaple and Walt Disney Animation Japan, he worked as a main animator at Answer Studios. His major works include “The Tigger Movie,” “Your Name,” and “Sparrow’s Door Lock.”
