In coordination with Newype Magazine, Crunchyroll News is proud to present an exclusive interview with Hell's Paradise anime director Kaori Makita about her work on the first season, as well as the upcoming second season! The original interview was conducted by GIGAN-YAMAZAKI, and translated by Lapin in partnership with Newtype Global. Please be sure to also check out the Newtype Magazine subreddit here . The original translated interview follows. ©YUJI KAKU/SHUEISHA, TWIN ENGINE, MAPPA Interview with Director Kaori Makita of Hell's Paradise "I hope viewers will find their favorite among the many compelling characters and enjoy this series to their heart’s content." The story begins in the late Edo period, with a lone man about to be beheaded at an execution ground. He is Gabimaru, a ninja from Iwagakure village who has been captured as a deserter and sentenced to death. The Iwagakure ninja possess superhuman bodies, able to effortlessly snap a sword with their bare hands. Beheading, being burned at the stake, dismemberment by oxen — no method of execution has managed to claim Gabimaru's life. Then, he is presented with a chance to be pardoned: bring back the elixir of life from an island rumored to be the Pure Land. But this mysterious island, teeming with unsettling monsters and other condemned criminals seeking the elixir of life, turns out to be a literal hell! Nearly two and a half years after the first season aired, the long-awaited second season of Hell's Paradise is finally set to begin! We asked director Kaori Makita, continuing from the first season, also known for her work on Twittering Birds Never Fly and Kakegurui Twin , for her take on the appeal of Hell's Paradise . ©YUJI KAKU/SHUEISHA, TWIN ENGINE, MAPPA Hell's Paradise has garnered a lot of attention from overseas fans as well. Did anything about its reception particularly stand out to you? Kaori Makita : In Japan, the characters all seem to be relatively popular across the board. If I had to say, I get the impression that a lot of people like Shion and the Aza brothers…? But I was a little surprised when I heard that Yuzuriha was pretty popular with male and female viewers alike. Part of it might be because she’s a kunoichi, but maybe her frank personality and the way she speaks her mind may have resonated with overseas viewers. As for the story itself, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders to see that the audience is reacting exactly as we’d hoped at all the right moments. Each country has their own values and viewpoints, so I thought there might be some nuance with how the characters' emotions or sense of camaraderie were perceived, but I think it's been pretty universally received by all. If you had to name one element that makes Hell's Paradise what it is, what would that be? Makita : I'd say the colorful visuals. In the first season, we purposely kept the color scheme for the mainland scenes in Episode 1 more subdued in order to contrast with the fantastical realm of Shinsenkyo, keeping even the layouts themselves pretty solid-looking to go for a more period-drama feel. We hoped that way when the scene shifted to Shinsenkyo the contrast would make the vivid imagery stand out even more. Another thing I really enjoyed was deciding on the colors for the Soshin and Monshin. They don't have any particular color in the manga, so we were able to color them unique to the anime. Creature designer Daisuke Niitsuma, color designer Ayako Suenaga and I ended up spending hours going around and around on the color picker to finalize them all. I hope our color choices will be considered as bold and memorable as the monsters in Ultraman. While season two will focus more on battles with the Tensen, I'd be happy if viewers still paid attention to the colorful Soshin as well. ©YUJI KAKU/SHUEISHA, TWIN ENGINE, MAPPA Looking back on season one, which scenes or episodes left the deepest impression on you? Makita : Episodes 1 and 13, I suppose. Basically, the beginning and the end. But with Episode 1 we had to build the whole world from scratch while figuring out what kind of anime we wanted it to be, so it really sticks out in my memory. And as for Episode 13, thankfully by that time we already knew that there would be a second season, so we had to make sure to sow the seeds for that. For example, with the relationship between Shion and Tenza as well as the part where Gabimaru loses his memory. With the amnesia in particular, since season two begins with him still in that state, we really toiled over what would be the right way to build up to that from as early as the screenwriting phase. What were some challenges in particular while working on the second season? Makita : Up until now, the backgrounds have featured a lot of natural elements like forests and flower meadows and the like, but from season two, the main stage shifts to the Tensen's respective palaces, which gave us a bit of trouble. Compared to the outdoor environments, the palaces inevitably wind up looking a bit plain, and with the frequent scene changes we had to make sure viewers would be able to instantly recognize who was in what palace with just a glance. So we've had to work hard to make sure the anime would still maintain the vibrant, oriental-inspired feel signature to Hell's Paradise while still making each of the palaces distinct. Particularly in the episodes I'm working on now, the battle takes place in the same location throughout, so we've put a lot of effort into making sure the visuals don’t become monotonous by playing with the exposure to match the characters' emotions or using animation gimmicks like backlit silhouettes where normally only footlights would cast shadows, et cetera. ©YUJI KAKU/SHUEISHA, TWIN ENGINE, MAPPA The concept of "Tao" also appears toward the end of season one. How did you go about depicting it for the anime? Makita : For season one, we deliberately kept the depiction of Tao pretty vague; it was almost like a nondescript beam. But in season two, as everyone gradually awakens to their Tao and becomes able to sense it, I wanted the viewers to feel like they could then see it with them. It's depicted as white highlights over a solid black background in the manga, but since this would be animation rather than static manga panels, we had to decide everything from the colors and movement to whether it should have a more elemental feel, or a smoky look, or some kind of virtual atmosphere. I also thought it would be better to slightly change up the depiction between the Tensen's and the humans' Tao. We experimented with a multitude of processing methods while checking with the compositing artists for their opinions. As a result, I think we managed to achieve an aura processing distinct from other works that's unique to Hell's Paradise . One highlight of season two is how the criminals and Asaemon join forces to fight against the Tensen, who they would otherwise stand no chance against in a direct confrontation. Makita : That's right. We actually discussed this among a lot of the staff, how the theme this time around is unity. The enemy's presence wasn't fully established yet for most of season one but it's clear now, and facing life-or-death together has forged this strong sense of trust between everyone. So season two features a lot of tag teams who are essentially the main characters for their respective episodes, which not only makes it easier for us to create but I think will also really help viewers to immerse themselves more deeply in the characters. The characters in Hell's Paradise each have their own clear motives, so season one was all about showcasing their appeal on an exterior level, but season two is all about revealing their unexpected sides and delving deeper into those aspects of their character. We also get to see the Tensen and their stories, rather than just portraying them as one-dimensional enemies, so I hope we can have viewers come to love them as well. I have the luxury of the original manga already being complete and knowing how it ends, so I'm putting a lot of care into the nuances of the facial acting for Rien and the others' expressions. This series has so many compelling characters, both allies and enemies alike, so I hope everyone will find their favorite and enjoy the series to their heart's content.
