Otakon 2017 News Roundup: Days 1 and 2

Otakon 2017: Ei Aoki's Re:Creators Panel

On Saturday, August 12^th, Otakon held a panel on Re:CREATORS, the latest show by hit anime director Ei Aoki (Garden of Sinners, Fate/Zero, Aldnoah.Zero). Aoki himself was present to answer questions about the show. The panel consisted of an extended Q&A on the series, with Aoki taking queries directly from the audience. At the end there was a giveaway, with lucky attendees receiving either posters or scripts signed by Aoki himself. Cosplayers for Aoki's shows were present at the event, and posed for pictures with the audience.

Here are Aoki's responses to fan questions, in recap:

“While there's some action in Re:CREATORS, it's really a story about the process of being creative. So as I made Re:CREATORS, I really reflected on the question of what it means to be creative, what are the joys of being creative, and what are the downsides of being creative. My hope is that its message – that being creative is a rewarding pastime – gets through.”

Were any episodes particularly difficult to direct?

No one episode of Re:CREATORS stands out as having been particularly difficult for Aoki. However, going back into his previous works, Aldnoah.Zero's first episode was challenging as it was his first original show. It was also the first work produced at the studio he founded, TROYCA. It was tough balancing his managerial and creative duties at this company. However, the studio didn't run into the red, so he did alright.

How does he direct such good action scenes? 

“The most important part of directing an action scene is deciding whether or not that action belongs to the character. An action may be flashy, but if there's no emotional involvement from the character, then I think that that action is dead. I consider action to be a part of the character's experience, so there always has to be a motive.”

What does he think of fanworks?

“As creators ourselves, it's very important for us to see our own works used as the basis for secondary creations. We anticipate fanworks and are rewarded when we see them. Sometimes we'll even beg for them.”

Who is your favorite character?

“Re:CREATORS is full of cool characters like Selesia, Meteora, and Altair, and it's very rewarding when they get popular. Personally, however, I'm rather fond of a creator in Re:CREATORS – Nakanogane. I like him because he's chubby, cute, and in the anime industry. I can sympathize a lot with that.”

How does he get from storyboards to a completed scene?

Aoki is a film buff and watches a lot of American movies to find references. For example, the direction in a scene where Altair attacks a car was inspired by a Steven Spielberg movie, War of the Worlds, wherein the camera spins around the car.

How did you come up with Re:CREATORS’ comedic take on a recap episode? 

“To be honest, a lot of recap episodes are desperation moves. In our case, however, the recap episode was intended from the beginning, with its own storyboard and everything. I was slightly afraid that viewers would be put off by Meteora's comedic deviations by this, but was reassured by their positive responses after broadcast.”

After the Q&A there was a giveaway, with lucky fans receiving signed posters and scripts from the show. At the end of the panel, cosplayers posed for photos before heading off to Aoki's autograph session.