A Chat with Anime Industry Veteran Junji Nishimura, Director of Mechanical Marie

Fall 2025's action romcom anime Mechanical Marie is highly anticipated by fans of Aki Akimoto's original six-volume manga series. Anime News Network was thankful for the opportunity to interview director Junji Nishimura about his adaptation. Nishimura has accrued over three decades of experience in the industry, including credits on numerous anime TV shows, OVAs, and movies.

As a veteran anime director who has worked on such classics as Urusei Yatsura and Ranma ½, and with prominent directors like Mamoru Oshii, is there anyone you credit as a major influence on your directorial style and the way you approach a TV anime project like Mechanical Marie?

Junji Nishimura: The work I've done has been deeply influenced by many of my predecessors.

Among animation directors, there's Mamoru Oshii, of course, and Osamu Dezaki of The Adventures of Gamba and Ashita no Joe. From live-action cinema, the Japanese film directors of the Showa era—Kenji Misumi and Noboru Tanaka. And, of course, Hitchcock!

The way they framed shots and composed their images has always been my guiding compass.

Your resume contains many romantic comedies, but also some predominantly action-oriented shows. What genre of anime do you most enjoy directing and why?

NISHIMURA: Rather than bringing in my own original project to a studio and having it greenlit, most of my work has come from being asked to direct projects that were already decided upon.

Simoun, True Tears, and GLASSLIP are rare exceptions. I enjoy working across many genres, so whenever I was asked to direct in a genre I had never touched before, I happily accepted. For example, Kyo kara Maoh! was light BL. Dog Days was about heroes with dog, cat, and squirrel ears. Each was my first time working in that genre.

I love new things. I love adventure. A new genre always offers new possibilities in a direction that I haven't explored before.

What motivates you to keep directing anime after an amazing 45 years in the business?

NISHIMURA: As I just mentioned, I love trying new things. The world of animation—and I suppose live-action film is the same—is constantly evolving in terms of filming techniques and methods.

Voice actors keep delivering new and refreshing performances. And the reactions of younger audiences are always fresh. If possible, I'd like to continue doing this forever.

When you look back at your long career, what would you say were your proudest achievements?

NISHIMURA: I take pride in much of my work. But if I had to name a few: Pro Golfer Saru, Ranma ½, Urusei Yatsura (TV 1981), You're Under Arrest, Violinist of Hameln, Simoun, Windy Tales, True Tears…Well, honestly, the list goes on and on.

How do you choose your next anime project, and what in particular led you to choose to direct Mechanical Marie?

NISHIMURA: My long-standing policy has always been: if I get a job offer and the schedule works out, I'll basically accept anything!

The titular character in Mechanical Marie is a terrifyingly strong but expressionless girl who must pretend to be an android maid. Marie herself isn't really artificial, but do you have any favorite AI or robot characters from anime or other media, and did you keep them in mind while directing Mechanical Marie?

NISHIMURA: My favorite robot character is 8 Man by Kazumasa Hirai, and his prototype, the cyborg detective from Cyborg Blues. He's a hardboiled cyborg burdened with anguish.

Pink-haired girls are a truly iconic aspect of modern anime, with many famous examples beloved in the eyes of anime fans, and now hopefully Marie will join their ranks. Do you count yourself as a pink-haired girl fan, or are there other character types or designs you find yourself drawn to?

NISHIMURA: As you said, pink-haired female characters always leave a special impression.

Just in my own works, there's Dakki from Soul Hunter, the female Ranma in Ranma ½, Neviril in Simoun, and Millhiore in Dog Days. With Marie this time, that makes five already (apologies to any characters I've left out!).

Of them, the original serious character Neviril may have left the strongest impression.

Marie's character in the manga appears very deadpan and unemotional, yet also very sweet. How did you approach this in the anime adaptation to ensure audiences would fall in love with her like her master Arthur does?

NISHIMURA: Marie is expressionless, yet sensitive. Her inner voice—her feelings—are expressed in the little “window Maries” that appear beside her blank face. Placed side by side, her inner emotions should be highlighted even more strongly against her expressionless appearance.

Both main characters face significant challenges: Marie must keep her true identity secret from her beloved master Arthur, while Arthur himself struggles with emotional isolation and constant threats on his life from jealous, scheming relatives. Which Mechanical Marie character do you identify most closely with and why?

NISHIMURA: A director must always remain equal and fair to every character in their work!

No matter how minor the role, I try to prepare scenes and episodes where each character can shine. Never playing favorites among the cast has long been my motto.

That said… I guess “Roy,” who always seems to be seriously thinking about things, is my personal favorite.

What challenges did you face in terms of deciding what tone and balance to strike in Mechanical Marie, a story with such disparate components as dark family murder conspiracies, light-hearted romance, screwball comedy, and high-intensity action?

NISHIMURA: A true stew of diverse elements mixed together—that's the essence of entertainment. And the real joy of directing is balancing those elements.

That's why, for Mechanical Marie, orchestrating that balance was the most important part of the direction. And it was a lot of fun.

I hope you'll all enjoy it too!

Mechanical Marie premiered on Crunchyroll in North America on October 5. The manga series is available from Yen Press in the U.S.