Interest

Ei Aoki Shares Production Stories at ID: INVADED Special Event

The ID: INVADED special event on Sunday featured series director Ei Aoki, character designer Atsushi Ikariya, original character designer Yūki Kodama, and voice actors Kenjiro Tsuda (brilliant detective Sakaido), Yoshimasa Hosoya (Funetaro Momoki), and Junya Enoki (Kazuo Wakashika). After a screening of episodes 5 and 6, the members of the production staff and cast came onstage to share production stories.

Aoki revealed that instead of using the typical microphones for recording anime dialogue, the voices were recorded with a shotgun microphone, which was positioned above the actors rather than in front of them. He said that he wanted the actors to produce a more raw and realistic sound rather than an “anime-like” sound.

The voice actors said that they were able to give their performance while acting out the movements of their characters. Hosoya remarked that Enoki moved around a lot, and Enoki said that it helped him get into character.

Aoki also explained that he wanted the animation not to feel too anime-like. For example, a scene that would normally be portrayed with exaggerated comedy is downplayed in this anime. He also explained the role of the series composition writer and mentioned that normally, the structure of the series as a whole is outlined before the individual episode scripts are written. However, with ID: INVADED, each episode is written in sequence, and by the end the entire picture comes together.

The voice actors praised the mystery writing in the series. Tsuda said that he was very amused by how the first episode starts with his character in pieces, which made him immediately want to learn more. Hosoya mentioned that the show doesn't feel like an anime, but also it doesn't feel like a Hollywood production either. He said that it somewhat reminded him of a French film.

Aoki ended the talk show with a shout out to the overseas audience also enjoying the anime. He gave a shout out to the U.S. licensing company Funimation for their support with the series. He also mentioned the anime's popularity in China, and that he wants to create something that doesn't disappoint Japan. He encouraged everyone to share how much they enjoy ID: INVADED to their friends and on social media.