Swinging with 'Blue Giant': Jazz Maestro Yuzuru Tachikawa Unleashes Musical Magic!

Highlights

Yuzuru Tachikawa's distinct style ranges from action to visually distinctive anime projects like Mob Psych 100 and Death Parade.

Tachikawa is attracted to demanding projects and favors compelling narratives that depict the main character triumphing over difficult situations.

The creative process of composing music for the movie Blue Giant shares similarities with producing anime, as storyboards in anime resemble sheet music for musicians. To prepare for directing the film, Tachikawa extensively studied jazz and took saxophone lessons, fully immersing himself in the genre.

Yuzuru Tachikawa, an acclaimed anime director, has showcased his unique style in a variety of projects. From action-packed series like Mob Psych 100 and Bleach to visually stunning works like Fujiko Mine and Death Parade, Tachikawa's influence is evident.

In a recent interview with our website, Tachikawa delves into his latest film, Blue Giant, a heartfelt tribute to Japanese smooth jazz. GKIDS, the distributor, has brought this film to theaters, providing audiences with a visual and auditory experience like no other. During the interview, Tachikawa opens up about his creative process, sheds light on the deeper significance behind Blue Giant, and reveals that he even took up lessons on a particular instrument in preparation for the film.

Yuzuru-san, how would you describe the projects you typically take on and the style you aim to bring to them? Your work seems to strike a balance between fantastical shonen like Mob Psycho 100 and Bleach, and a more stylish, urban feel seen in Fujiko Mine, Death Parade, and now Blue Giant. Also, what draws you to these challenging projects?

YT: The director's role varies between television episodes and feature anime films, both in terms of the studio production process and creative sensibilities. In TV anime, it feels like playing with a toy box, where different elements can be combined. However, due to the high quantity of content in a series, my focus is on maintaining quality. On the other hand, in films, the concepts take precedence as there is a constant time constraint, working within the limitations of the feature's runtime. This requires me to engage all my senses. Both TV anime and feature length anime approaches have their own pros and cons.

GR: This film strongly emphasizes the creative process, highlighting how Dai and his bandmates collaborate to produce their individualistic art. Do you believe that the process of crafting music depicted in the film bears resemblance to the process of crafting anime?

YT: There are similarities. Jazz, for instance, often involves improvised solos without written sheet music, and I find that aspect quite captivating. Similarly, creating an anime begins with storyboarding, which can be likened to sheet music for a musician. However, depending on how an animator interprets it, things can take a different direction. Both mediums, though, evoke a sense of live music.

GR: The film extensively utilized various rendering and shading techniques, including both 2D and CGI, in order to accurately represent Shinichi Ishizuka's manga art style. Can you share the process of visualizing the manga's style for the film, and what was it like working with different mediums?

YT: We carefully compared the anime character designs with the original manga designs. In the transition from manga to anime, it was crucial to reduce the lines without losing the essence. Our goal was to ensure that our animated characters conveyed the same impression as the original, so retaining the humanistic imperfections from the manga was highly important.

GR: Blue Giant is imbued with a rich tapestry of musical culture throughout its creation. This encompasses the enchanting score composed by the esteemed Japanese jazz maestro, Hiromi Uehara, as well as the invaluable contribution from esteemed music entities such as Yamaha and Gibson during the production process. As the director, did you engage in any specific preparations? Perhaps indulging in performances or immersing yourself in the melodies? Additionally, were you already an aficionado of the captivating jazz genre portrayed in the film prior to assuming the role of director?

Before this film, I had limited knowledge about jazz and was just an amateur. To enhance my understanding, I attended saxophone lessons and frequented numerous jazz clubs, actively seeking out opportunities to witness jazz performances. I am thrilled to share that Blue Giant, distributed by GKIDS, had a limited theatrical release and will soon be available for home release and video on demand (VOD).