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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 34: The Hell That Is Anime Production
“Do you… have any interest in anime?”
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard by Director Daito’s random question, I reflexively echoed it back.
“I mean—are you not interested in ani—”
“Oh, sorry, I heard you. Of course I’m interested in anime.”
I mean, honestly—how many people who like manga aren’t into anime too?
While I awkwardly nodded, Director Daito flashed a bright smile, revealing pristine white teeth.
He must really stay on top of his dental care.
That weird, useless observation earned a silent five-star rating in my head as I subtly scooted my chair back.
Let’s be real—a big middle-aged guy leaning in too close? Just a little too intense.
“If you are interested in anime, would you possibly consider participating in this upcoming production?”
“By ‘production,’ you mean…”
Still smiling, Director Daito pulled out a thick bundle of papers from the bag he’d brought.
“This is…”
The bundle turned out to be none other than the doodles I’d made during the anime storyboarding meetings.
“From here… to here—these parts are just direct redraws of my original storyboards, right?”
“Yes… that’s right?”
“And this section here—that’s your own original work, Wakayama-sensei?”
“Yes.”
There wasn’t a big reason behind why I drew those scenes. I just thought, “What if I tried it like this?” and went with it.
I hadn’t brought it up during the meetings because, honestly, I liked the original version more than my own direction.
“This is just my guess, but…”
Director Daito adjusted his glasses perched on his nose, like a manga panel just landed with perfect timing.
“…Have you ever studied film directing?”
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say I studied it, but… I’ve dabbled a bit. Tried to pick up what I could here and there.”
Things like the composition of shots, the positioning of characters, how the camera moves to convey emotional arcs—these cinematic techniques bleed into both comics and anime all the time.
Even if the viewer doesn’t consciously notice them, the creator’s intentional setups usually come through in one way or another.
Back in my past life, I’d studied some of those techniques—casually and privately—thinking they might be useful for integrating film-like direction into my manga or for helping out the writer I worked with.
Thanks to that, I had at least a beginner’s grasp of directing lingo and concepts, even if it was all surface-level.
“There are definitely some rough spots, and like I said, I’m just scratching the surface. When it comes to visual direction, I’m basically a rookie.”
“A rookie, huh…”
“But that rawness—that unpolished edge—is what gives it flavor.”
As he flipped through the pages, Director Daito stopped and held out a particular frame.
“Like this one.”
It wasn’t anything special.
Just a shot of the main character looking startled, drawn from a low angle with a slight tilt.
“That’s a Dutch angle, right? It’s true that in the original work, this scene didn’t really call for a wide shot, so we just glossed over it. But in video, you can definitely bring it to life this way.”
“Oh… so actually, that anime talent of yours is pretty incredible?”
“Not at all.”
“…I see.”
Damn it, I thought there was at least some polite praise coming.
“But what I want to capture in this ‘D Note’ project is your raw, unfiltered vibe, Wakayama-sensei. If you don’t mind, would you please join us in the storyboard work?”
Director Daito sprang up from his seat and looked at me with eyes burning with fierce passion.
Even if I said I was interested in anime, it could never compare to manga.
Still, working with someone this passionate? That’s honestly not something I mind at all.
“Alright. I’ll need to discuss it with Matsuda-san, but if possible, I’d like to work with you, Director.”
When I shook the hand Director Daito offered, he gripped mine brightly and gave it a vigorous shake.
“I want to get right into discussing the storyboard—”
As he spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted toward the window, and without warning, he ducked down.
“Ugh, looks like they’ve already caught on.”
Suddenly pulled down with my hand still in his, I glanced toward the window too.
Outside, familiar faces gathered with serious expressions, pointing toward something and spreading out in coordinated formation.
“Are those the production company people?”
“Yes. They’re the malicious forces trying to interfere with the collaboration between you and me.”
“Excuse me?”
“They’re the ruthless bastards who cracked open my skull just because I suggested working together with you, the creator. Thanks to them, I’ve had a few days of mild memory loss.”
Cracked open his skull? Mild memory loss?
Those words hit hard, too outrageous to just brush aside. But before I could ask anything, Director Daito hurriedly packed his things and slung on his bag.
“Here’s my contact info, Wakayama-sensei. Sorry, but I’ll be reaching out to you through this from now on.”
He pulled a bill out of his wallet.
“Master! Please pay this! Keep the change!”
With a slight smirk curling at the corner of his mouth, Director Daito started to leave.
But I couldn’t just let that slide—I called out to him.
“Director!”
“It’s fine. I’ll get in touch again. Just trust me—”
“No, wait, this is a 10,000 yen bill.”
Director Daito hurried back to his seat and stuffed the 10,000 yen note back into his wallet.
“That was close. Here’s 1,000 yen instead.”
“Uh, by the way, you ordered cake earlier and it was 1,250 yen.”
“...Wakayama-sensei, do you happen to have change on you?”
＊ ＊ ＊
I left my contact info with Director Daito’s contact he had given me.
I had no idea what kind of battle he was fighting, but not long after, a message came through.
- Wakayama-sensei, I’ve been caught.
Looks like his escape attempt failed.
“…I see.”
- But don’t worry too much. This is also part of the plan.
A low chuckle escaped Director Daito.
Can I really trust this guy? Honestly, I started seriously worrying about the anime adaptation of 'D Note'.
- Could you come by the office briefly tomorrow morning?
Sounds like he wanted to talk about storyboard collaboration.
“Yes, that’s fine. It’s Sunday anyway.”
- Then just contact me when you arrive in front of the company, and I’ll come down right away.
When I arrived at the front of the ND House office, it was a bit early morning, but since Daito had emphasized coming in the morning, I called him there.
Less than five minutes after I called, Director Daito appeared from the building, ready and waiting.
“Wakayama-sensei! Thanks for coming all this way.”
He looked noticeably thinner than the day before as he led me toward the building.
He took me to a completely different editing room than the one I’d visited before and started moving cautiously.
“From here on, we have to be quiet. After yesterday’s incident, the guys are on alert.”
“The guys” he referred to were the staff from the same company.
From what I heard, they were opposed to bringing the original creator into the grueling production schedule.
They argued it was insane to involve the manga author and questioned what would happen if a real war broke out—a somewhat justified reason for clashing with Director Daito.
Just as I was about to slip quietly into the editing room,
“Ah, Wakayama-sensei… be careful there—”
Whoosh!
Something heavy dropped right above my head.
Well, it actually stopped just before hitting me.
Looking down, I saw a long, tripwire-like string set up like a booby trap.
“That’s a trap they set, aiming for my head. Don’t worry though. It’s designed for my height, so you won’t be affected. Even if I get hit, it only causes minor memory issues but is harmless otherwise.”
Director Daito let out a small laugh in a quiet voice.
Anime studios—maybe they’re even more dangerous than I imagined.
＊ ＊ ＊
The editing room that Jung Junhyuk entered, sweating cold sweat, was much tidier than he had imagined.
Paper stacks were neatly organized, desks spotless, and all sorts of drawing tools arranged by type in perfect order.
“Other staff rarely come here. Besides, everyone’s asleep in the morning anyway.”
I didn’t bother asking why they were asleep in the morning, why they had come to work on a Sunday, or why they hadn’t left yet.
“Wakayama-sensei, I notice you wear a mask every time we meet. Isn’t it uncomfortable?”
“Oh, I have allergies.”
“Oh…”
Seeing Director Daito believe this without a hint of doubt, Jung Junhyuk felt a pang of guilt and fiddled nervously with his large horn-rimmed glasses.
“Shall we start right away?”
Without hesitation, Director Daito pulled out a stack of papers.
The storyboard content was something I had seen at the last meeting.
Daito spread the papers and pointed to a specific cut—
“This cut that Wakayama-sensei added. In the original, this scene moves to background and dialogue, so why did you choose a close-up on the face?”
“In animation, the flow shows the classroom background and then quickly reveals the protagonist, so rather than giving a blank panel like in the manga’s pacing, I thought it would be better to emphasize the protagonist’s expression.”
“I see! Then how about this one? It’s a cut I added after the meeting.”
“That’s a Dutch angle. The moment the protagonist, who previously only punished criminals, kills a non-criminal for the first time. Is this showing a change in the protagonist’s beliefs?”
“Wow, you’re sharp! What do you think about this part?”
“For this part, how about splitting light and shadow? Since this is the first time both J and the protagonist appear in full within one frame, we can use Luke’s shadow—which only shows the protagonist.”
“Great! And since it’s a special moment, how about colors other than just black and white?”
“Maybe a saturated red or a blue tone?”
At Jung Junhyuk’s suggestion, Director Daito nodded and smiled.
“This isn’t just a creator’s opinion. He really understands the medium of film.”
Jung Junhyuk lived in a time when visual media was becoming more accessible than ever.
Some manga artists actively incorporated film direction techniques to create unique hit works, and platforms like YouTube were becoming globally popular.
Having lived through an age flooded with video media as well as books, Jung Junhyuk belonged to a generation that experienced both eras.
And having worked as a veteran in a closely related field, even if not an expert, his knowledge was far from shallow.
“I think we can make a great work.”
Nothing beats the original creator’s insight when they truly understand the medium.
Seeing potential in Junhyuk, Director Daito gave a faint smile.
“But…”
“...? Is something wrong?”
Suddenly, while looking over the storyboard, Junhyuk glanced at Director Daito with a puzzled expression.
“Isn’t this the storyboard for episode 5? And what you just asked about was from episode 3.”
“......”
“Isn’t the broadcast scheduled for January next year?”
Director Daito hurriedly searched for his baton.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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