Released on March 10th in both print and digital formats, the April 2021 issue of the Japanese monthly magazine “Animage” had a special article about the upcoming Shaman King anime. A tweet on March 8th previewed the two-page article.
The art featured in the article was illustrated by Yuta Masaki and supervised by Kenichi Watanabe. It was finished by Yukiko Ario and the composite and special effecters were done by Hiroshi Asami.
In addition to the brand new art on the article, there was some generalized information about the series and an interview with the King Records Producer, Akiko Yada (矢田 晶子). King Records is the music label that is on the production committee and is the first time Akiko Yada is a producers for an anime series. Previously he has worked only as publicity for other series.
Note that Hiroyuki Takei’s manga editor is named Moriyoshi Yoshida but often goes by “Y田” which is “Y-Da.” This is different person than the Producer from King Records Yada (矢田).
The questions that were asked in the interview are the following (roughly translated into English):
Question 1: Why make the anime after 20 years
Question 2: What’s the appeal of the series
Question 3: What’s the appeal of Yoh and Amidamaru
Question 4: What’s the appeal of Manta, Anna, and Ren?
Question 5: Yoko Hikasa will be playing the role of Yoh. What led up to that choice and what was the appeal?
Question 6: Now in this new era/age, what has been improved and what are the challenges?
Question 7: What are your expectation of Director Furuta?
Question 8: Ms. Megumi Hayashibara will be singing the OP and ED again.
Question 9: What are the highlights of the first episode?
Question 10: Please give a message to the fans who are looking forward to the broadcast!
Below we have included a rough English translation for some of the questions and answers. We recommend that you can purchase the magazine to enjoy the full art.
Yoko Hikasa will be playing the role of Yoh. What led up to that choice and what was the appeal?
Yada: We held an audition at the very start of the process. The decision landed on Ms. Hikasa as she was able to express the charm of Yoh Asakura, such as her ability to relax her shoulders and channel the strength of the laid-back nature that is essential to the character. As the story progresses I believe she will be able to portray the growth of Yoh within herself as well, so be sure to take note of that too.
What do you expect from Director Furuta?
Yada: Director Furuta is very honest and is a dependable person, that is very reassuring for a director who thinks about the film first and foremost. The Opening theme animation was storyboarded by himself is full of action and excitement that would be typical of a shonen manga, so please look forward to it!
What are the highlights of the first episode?
Yada: Whether you are a long-time fan of the Shaman King series or a newcomer, I think there are some very memorable scenes in just the first episode that will make you feel like you’ve actually watched a 30-minute short film, so I’m confident you will enjoy it!
The April 2021 issue of Animage (アニメージュ) is available in print editions as well as on Kindle. It may be available on other digital platforms in the future as well.
