――How did you feel when it was decided that a completely new movie is to be made?
Furukawa: After the TV anime ended, I felt a sense of relief from the hard work, but if given another opportunity, I would do it again, so when I learnt that a movie is to be made, I was really happy. This includes the cast. After all, parting gives you a sense of loneliness, it's hard to say goodbye.

――Since the TV anime ended in such a clean, beautiful form, wasn't it difficult to continue the story of Karen and the others?
Furukawa: No. For me, the TV ending was like a crying "Noooo!". (Laughs) Anyway, instead of "continuing their stories," it is more like depicting their emotions in more detail - this is the greater desire. One season of anime was barely enough to fully develop 9 characters. We had to cut 60% of what we wanted to do in the anime. That's why in the movie version, we tried to use impressive scenes to depict them and drive them into more situations. But anyway, the movie was only 2 hours. We probably cut 80% of what we wanted to do. (Laughs)

――Ah, so that's it. However, I felt that it was a "spectacle" film that is only possible in a movie.
Furukawa: Thank you. However, I also think that I couldn't bring out the full potential of the staff and cast, due to my lack of ability. I had the same feeling when I was making the TV anime. Once again, I was reminded that I was still inexperienced.

――You'd think that way since you're the director. But as the audience, it was an excellent experience. The synchronization of the scenes and music was also a huge improvement.
Furukawa: I'm happy to hear that, but I feel like my inexperience really showed. In the movie, as it was with the TV anime, we used "film scoring" (Editorial note: It means that the music is scored according to the visuals, and was not made first). The ability of the music crew really showed here. The music producer, Masaru Yamada, told me "There are a lot of hentai songs in this movie." (Laughs) There are a lot of long interludes, so it was extremely difficult to score. It's just not a normal anime music production. Many anime have the same genre of music throughout, but for Revue Starlight, the musical genre changes greatly, and the music is not easily understood. (Laughs) My demands were strange, but the music crew felt it was interesting and completed them happily. I really appreciate it.

――Regarding the theme of this work, it went a step further than the TV anime, asking about how devoted the characters are to become stage girls.
Furukawa: While making the TV anime, I felt "performers are really interesting". For the TV anime, I focused on the rebirth of a performer on stage. That's how I came up with the slogan "I am reborn." I thought about what else to depict in the movie, and felt like it should be about the themes of devotion. To really drive this point home, there was the line in the movie, "Pierce me with your brilliance."

――It could be confusing because the visual information is overwhelming in the movie, but the point you're trying to make is pretty simple, isn't it?
Furukawa: I was gonna be very simple and clear... I'm sorry for my poor ability to express myself (laughs). However, since this project was originally focused on delivering on the characters instead of the story, I could have removed the "revue" parts for more expositional dialogues, but then it won't be "Revue Starlight" anymore.

――Like you've said, there are margins (empty spaces) that can be interpreted in many ways. I think that's the real thrill of the series.
Furukawa: It's what I've been thinking since I was making TV anime. I wanted to make a movie that is different from past Bushiroad (the studio) movies for the current Bushiroad fans.

――What does that mean?
Furukawa: Bushiroid's content has a very young customer base, so I think that the productions and stories are inevitably made clear and easy to understand. I think that's the best part of Bushiroid's work, but on the other hand, I've been working with Kunihiko Ikuhara for a long time, so my audience so far is older. I worked on this work with the hope that I would be able to deliver it to the younger generation, while making use of the know-how I had cultivated from before.

――I see. Certainly, I get the impression that "Revue Starlight" is enjoyed by both young people and older generations.
Furukawa: That's right. In other words, I wanted to make it a film that can give you different interpretations and emotions depending on your environment, mood, age, etc. at the time. It's like the type of movie that, when you rewatch many years later, would give you a totally different feeling. That is what I tried to intentionally do in this movie.

――Story-wise, the central theme was the promise between Karen and Hikari. Revolving around that were the emotions related to graduation of the 9 characters. And then, Daiba changed everything. What was the role of Nana in the story?
Furukawa: Originally, Nana in the TV anime was a character I created rather naturally. She wasn't a special character. I thought if there were 9 characters, one of them had to be one that is "stubborn about the past and wanted a re-performance". That's how she was created, and her subplot wasn't too integrated into the main story. Once the TV show was out, there were many who saw Nana as a special character. Eventually, she became the "final boss." It was pretty shocking to me, but at the same time I thought "I see!" For the audience, they wanted to find a mastermind in the story, who the main characters must defeat before the story can finally end.

――Especially for a "battle" anime, it is essential to have a "final boss"
Furukawa: That's right. So that's how I decided to follow this format. In Rondo Rondo Rondo, it was Nana who retold the story. It's the same in the movie. I think connecting her character and a "re-performance" is a good way to kick off the action again, so I gave her this heavy responsibility. You can say that she's the best "performer" to play the introduction part of the story.

――That's how it happened, huh? At any rate, it is Daiba who significantly moved along the story, starting with a huge fight set in the subway, where Daiba Nana fights everyone but Karen and Hikari. It was a big action scene.
Furukawa: Since the usual Revue scenes are based on one-on-one, one vs. everyone is a set-piece that was not in TV anime. It's something quite special. It's the first revue scene, so I wanted to draw the audience in at once.

――The first Revue had a running train as a stage. The train is a consistent motif in the movie.
Furukawa: That was made very clear. Trains are often a metaphor for life in literature. It's the same for this movie. If you pay attention, you can see that all the scene transitions happened with characters on the train. The first Revue happened with them trying to get to the New National First Troupe, and the train became a stage. It was basically Nana asking, "Are you prepared (to be a stage girl)?" Trains are also in many other scenes. They were all intentionally put there as a motif for "getting to the next stage of life."

―― I feel that using daily stuff like tomatoes and trains, and impressing upon them dramatic qualities, was really the style of Director Furukawa.
Furukawa: When I'm working on stuff, I wanted to ingrain it into the lives of the audience. I wanted people to be reminded of the movie every time they eat tomatoes or get on the subway. I think this will change the audience's lives in no small way. In the workplace or the school, there are a lot of things that doesn't go your way, maybe this train is the one that takes you to your next stage, and maybe there will be something wonderful ahead. It's what I am trying to do. If a film production can give the audience a tiny bit of positivity, then it gives meaning and depth to itself.

――Thank you. Now, in the second installment of the interview, I would like to ask you more about the extravagant Revue scenes of the series. Thank you very much.
Furukawa: Thank you.

*****


――In the second half of the movie, it was a rush of Revue scenes. Leading the way is "Futaba x Kaoruko."
Furukawa: Originally, in the TV anime, I wanted to make Futaba more of a delinquent. So that's the Futaba shown in this movie. but when it came to their story in the movie, I couldn't decide how their conflicts would be resolved or settled. It's like Kaoruko said in the movie, they are just too "shomonai (TL note: can't be helped/useless)" (laughs). Since they have this "useless" relationship, I saw it as those relationship between a guy and a girl you'd find in Showa pop (Kayō) songs.

――Certainly, describing their relationship as a "tangled mess between a guy and a girl" is really apt.
Furukawa: I've always loved the films by filmmaker Kiyojun Suzuki. In works such as "Tokyo Drifter" (1966), the set was tremendously extravagant, it was almost like a stage play. This style was on my mind during the production of the TV anime, but for the movie I really wanted to expand on it. That's why I brought it into this Revue.

――It was a set with a great Showa atmosphere.
Furukawa: The scene was to depict the type of flirting that is like "a guy who always keep his mouth shut finally trying to speak for himself." To depict this kind of romantic scene in a modern way is hard as there it needs a lot of runtime. If I compress this information, it totally felt like the style of enka. Well, if that's the case, the visuals must feel Showa. Anyhow, the cultural connection of "delinquents" and "Showa period" was already excellent, so I thought it was a good way for them to go together. The next thing I wanted to do would be the dekotora (decoration trucks).

――Huh? Why dekotora?
Furukawa: There wasn't a lot of anime that depicts dekotora nicely. At least I've never seen it. So I wanted to try it. It goes well with the theme of "delinquents" and "Showa period." More importantly, the lyrics can show up as words on the trucks. This fits Revue Starlight pretty well. Anyway, they do a good job as a "stage prop" here.

――The lyrics as decals on the dekotora felt really fitting. Also, the trucks looks impressive in 3DCG.
Furukawa: I wanted to do a scene with easy-to-understand 3DCG that conveys a lot of information. If we started off with complicated 3DCGs (TL: I guess he was referring to the later scenes in the desert), even if we start using hand-drawn stuff later, the audience may incorrectly assume that the whole movie will have a lot of information (Laughs). It was just the first proper revue, so I used it sparingly. In the end, I felt like this Revue was one that people will have a easy time understanding.

―― The next Revue is "Mahiru × Hikari". This was a combination that wasn't in the TV anime. It was a nice development for fans.
Furukawa: That's right. It's also important to make this Revue easy to understand. It's set in a sports competition, a continuation from the baseball Revue of the TV animation. Because it is a familiar visual and atmosphere, the audience would feel like "Oh, it's like this again", but as the Revue progresses, a disturbing atmosphere gradually begins to develop.

――Hikari's jacket was removed, but Mahiru didn't stop chasing her. It seems the rules from before didn't apply here.
Furukawa: That's right. Because the audience knows that Mahiru had hated Hikari for a while, they will think "she's really going all out here." But as you all know now, it was just an act by Mahiru. Everyone could calm down then, but they probably felt a little bit of unease during the scene.

――Although it was an act, the Revue still conveyed Mahiru's feelings pretty well. Hikari doesn't want to get on stage at all, I think it's natural for Mahiru to get angry.
Furukawa: Before making the outline for the movie, I had the opportunity to talk with the the cast members. One of them told me about a dilemma that left a big impression on me. Back then, she was preparing for a stage show, but there was a huge gap between her own motivation and the enthusiasm of the audience. When I heard that, I could feel how sad it could be. Disregarding the acting ability here, if you don't treat the stage or yourself seriously, is it really appropriate for a performer? It made me think "Why are you getting on the stage then?" Just like Mahiru's act there.

――I see. Another thing that impressed me was Mahiru's feeling of "Being on stage is scary."
Furukawa: During that same interview, Maho Tomita, the VA for Maya Tendou, told me that she has been a stage performer since she was a kid. So I was thinking to myself, could that scariness be overcome through experience? But in reality, it seems that the fear sticks with performers for a long time. I wanted to incorporate this feeling in the movie.

――I see. So what Mahiru is saying rings true for all performers on stage.
Furukawa: I think so. In fact, Haruki Iwata, who plays Mahiru, cried during the recording of the film. Later, I asked her why, and she said that because the film overlapped with her own experience a lot. What's special about this series is that all the actresses are performers who had been on stage. It's interesting to try and make them and their characters converge.

――The next one is "Nana × Junna". The stage set is a fake Seisho Music School, and the costumes are military uniform.
Furukawa: We gave them easily-understood visuals. In fact, during the TV anime, I wanted to give Nana different costumes like a military uniform. I thought it would be so cool. But if you add in a "character with alternate outfits" in the TV show with 12 episodes but 9 characters, it probably wouldn't stand well. However, now that we've had the TV show and a recap, I think it's okay for them to wear whatever. So this time, I have all the characters dress up in their different roles during the Revues.

――I see. They're playing different roles for the audience, just like a real stage play.
Furukawa: Exactly. The audience wanted to see them in different appearances, so we made the movie as a response to that.

――Junna's awakening after being offered a katana from Nana and told to kill herself - that was a memorable scene.
Furukawa: This is a sequence I made based on the popularity Nana's dual swords-style. In this Revue, I came up with the idea of pressing for Junna to "kill herself as a performer" with one of the katana. Then, she would use it as her own weapon and fight "in her own words." It's very hot-blooded. Interestingly, after Nana gave away her own katana, she immediately said "Give me my katana back." During recording, I had to quip "No way, you gave it away yourself!" (Laugh)

――Yes, I wanted to say the same thing.
Furukawa: Yup. Another thing I like about the movie is there are a lot of "unintentionally absurd" moments. I feel like this is important. A work is only good when they can make people go "Hey... what?" I put a couple of those moments in there. Like in the Revue with Nana fighting everyone. Nana was saying, "It's like I drank a strong sake." Junna replied "But aren't we minors?" in a serious face. You'll think "Is that what you're seriously worried about?" I think intentionally sprinkling these moments in gives a fitting atmosphere for Revue Starlight.

――Next is "Maya × Claudine". That was a powerful action scene.
Furukawa: Yes, this was designed to be the movie climax in terms of action scenes. The one responsible for this Revue is assistant director Takushi Koide. I asked him to do an ultimate version of the scene from EP3. Koide was also the person who did EP3, which had a pretty popular Revue. It was a combination of Maho Tomita (Maya)'s singing talent and Koide's own directing talent. This time though, we added in Aina Aiba (Claudine), so we expected a Revue that would top the original. This is the Revue with the longest runtime, so I wanted to make it as flashy as possible.

――It ended up as a splendid Revue.
Furukawa: Yes. For this Revue, during the scriptwriting meeting, I gave a note to screenwriter Tatsuto Higuchi, saying that "These two are flames who fall together." Then Koide was the one who did all the storyboarding.

――Where did this image of "flames falling together" come from?
Furukawa: These two characters' top priority in life is the stage. And they are rivals too, right? It's not easy for them to have a happy life. Even knowing this, they wanted to burn away (on stage). Even if they're falling, they would still want to burn themselves up. This keyword was expanded on by Higuchi, and with Koide's storyboarding, we ended up with a film that reminds me of Yoshiyuki Tomino's anime. (Laugh) Strong emotions being exchanged at incredible speed, faster than the pace of conversation... and they won't stop accelerating either. This is kinda like Mobile Suit Gundam F91. The film really had a perfect performance. I must thank Koide again.

――In the movie, there was also a scene where Giraffe was falling while burning up. It's an allegory for the eventual fall of the performers and audience?
Furukawa: That's it. I don't think it's just the entertainment industry, either. Like in a company project or in an exam, there are moments in life where you have to burn yourself up for a certain purpose. The audience burns themselves up and the performers too, from their respective standpoints. This mutual relationship leads to the "burning up" of the stage. The tomato is what's left after the audience burns up. And it's also the thing that performers must be prepared to "eat", to allow them to stand on stage. It's what I'm trying to depict here.

――When you put it that way, it's kinda chilling.
Furukawa: One of the things I try to do when I make a movie is to let the audience have a thrilling experience, in exchange for their money. It's always good to watch an entertaining movie and leave the theatres with a happy feeling, but I'd rather work on a film where you would be thrilled by a certain abnormality - like what is being represented by the veggie giraffe - and then you go home with the feeling of something stuck in your chest. I like that kind of film, so I wanted to share it with the audience. (Laughs)

――I see. Thank you very much. For the third installment, I wanted to ask you about the last Revue scene and the summary of the movie. Thank you.
Furukawa: Thank you.

*****

――The last Revue scene is [Karen × Hikari]. It's not really a battle, but a new composition.
Furukawa: In this movie, rather than doing action scenes in a Revue, I wanted to depict Karen Aijo in more careful detail. This whole film was made on this premise. In the TV anime, Karen was a perfect superhero. It is tough for people to relate to her.

――Yes. The anime focused on Karen's optimism, but it didn't go into detail about her own struggles.
Furukawa: Exactly. This feeling was shared by the crew, including myself and Momoyo Koyama (Karen's VA). While making the TV anime, she told me, "I can sometimes think negatively. I'm worried that I can't understand Karen properly." She was bothered by that. From Koyama's point-of-view, she can't really understand her own character, but she has to play her in the anime and stage. It's a terribly scary feeling. On top of that, Karen is our protagonist, and the leader of the stage performers, the scariness really adds up. This "anxiety and indecisiveness" became part of the character of Karen Aijo in the movie. Depicting these kind of emotions is what the crew and the audience wanted.

――From the start of this movie, the internal emotions of Karen was depicted. At the end, she wasn't "prepared" to become a Stage Girl. She was actually cowardly and fragile.
Furukawa: Her personality wasn't really different from the TV anime. But, through showing her childhood flashbacks, she has more depth as a character.

――In the end, Karen died and was reborn - and she now is prepared to be a Stage Girl.
Furukawa: What Hikari did to Karen, was what Karen did to Hikari in the TV anime. Like the slogan "I am reborn", a major theme of this movie is "Death and Rebirth". I feel this is consistent with the TV anime. Every time a performer gets on stage, they repeat a cycle of "death and rebirth."


――As I said in the first installment, the apex of the story had a lot of information. Thanks to Director Furukawa's explanation, I understand it now.
Furukawa: I'll say it again, I'm sorry for my poor ability to express myself. (Laughs) To put it even more simply, you should look at the movie as a "Delinquent Manga".

――Huh? Is it a "delinquent manga"?
Furukawa: Yes. I noticed it myself while making it. The film was handled like a delinquent manga. It's like delinquents fighting each other by the bank of a river, isn't it? Exposing your emotions, colliding with each other, until the one with the strongest emotions is the last one standing. It's exactly the same. (Laughs) So, these Revues has to be dirtied by the mud of the riverbanks. That's how I created the scenes. Like in the Nana x Junna fight, when Junna said, "Come kill me if you can, Daiba Nana!" It's exactly the kind of scene you'd find in a delinquent manga.

――Definitely, when Junna was singing, it felt like the type of hot-bloodedness you'd find in a delinquent manga.
Furukawa: A megane elite student who could only quote others, finally saying those lines after failing. I wanted Junna to say those things in the movie no matter what. For the other Revues - the kind of dialogues like "I'm the cutest!" "Every audience should look at me!" - insisting on what they want, underneath these giant sets, announcing their presence. It's really nice, isn't it?

――It's a film with a lot to think about, like the detailed settings and directing. But the root theme is pretty simple, right?
Furukawa: That's right, I wanted to convey it through the visuals and dialogues. There are other things shown in the movie to consider too, such as "What is wi(l)d-screen baroque?" "Why did Tokyo Tower split in two?" "What is the meaning of the red two stars?" I hope you'll watch it again for these.

――Above all, the overwhelming visuals of this film is very immersive. I feel like this is something you should watch on a big screen.
Furukawa: Rather than "watching a movie", I wanted people to feel like they're watching a live show. For me, after watching the Revue Starlight stageplays, I felt really happy, and on my way home I would keep talking about how I felt. It was a refreshing experience.

――Have you never experienced that before?
Furukawa: I'm secretly a video otaku (laughs), so I don't have much experience of going seeing a live performance with my friends. We sometimes go to movies, but we would end up talking in otaku speak, complaining about the movies. (Laughs) So being able to honestly say "That was great!" was a good feeling. I would be happy if, after you watch this movie and take the train home, you'd say "will this train turn into a stage?" or stuff like that.

――You really want people to feel like they're watching a live performance.
Furukawa: Of course. Everyone is free to enjoy it the way they wanted to, but the sound effects in this movie is very particular. I hope you at least watch it in a movie with a good audio setup. In the Toho Studio recording stage that they're so proud of, you can hear the sound of a pin falling on the ground. (Laughs) The scene where the Veggie Giraffe shows up, the sound was all bass woofer. It must make people feel a bit more uncomfortable.

――I see. Speaking of the Giraffe, he always say "I understand". It was a memorable line. But anyway, what does he understand?
Furukawa: Actually, "I understand" is my own catchphrase. I always say "I understand" during a meeting, but I don't really understand quite a lot of stuff.

――Are you not interested in the difference between "understanding" and "not understanding"?
Furukawa: It's more like my priorities are different. For me, when something happens in front of me, what takes priority are the emotions it conveys, and the emotions I feel. Especially in visual works and music, this method of thinking is more important. The Giraffe is like an audience says "I think I understand" with a sense of self-discipline. "What other people think" is something that expands your enjoyment of a work, but I want people to enjoy this film and maybe someday in 2021 they would think "what it means for me myself." It would be great.

――I see, I think this film is exactly what Director Furukawa said.
Furukawa: Although I had a lot of self-reflection here, I really want people to enjoy the film and find happiness in it. I'm repeating myself, but this film is made less for "movie watching" and more for "theatre watching." If the audience didn't witness it, it means the character's stage show isn't completed. So please, let them perform to the end for you.

――The paths of the 9 characters were shown. So I guess for the time being, their stories are over.
Furukawa: So what if they were shown? They graduated from Seisho Academy, but they could always be involved on a new stage. But, at this point in time, I don't have any new information about it. I have to be careful what I say. (Laughs) But I don't think this is the last stage play. I hope you guys can keep supporting us.