Julie
If you thought being an anime director was all cosplay1) groupies2) and cool action figures, think again3). Turns out it's long, long hours in front of a computer, less-than-fancy convenience store dinners and tons of office all-nighters.
We caught up with the anime director of acclaimed4) Dream Link Entertainment (DLE), Azuma Tani, whose cool name is rivaled5) only by his dedication to creating the best animated films he can. The man recently spent nearly three months locked in his office to complete the recent Glass No Kamen Desu Ga6) film, and for some reason, instead of going on a much deserved vacation, Tani lent us his time to give us a glimpse into the busy, bizarre7) world of an anime director.
What is it like to be an anime director? Give us a day in the life.
When you're making an anime, there are two phases: writing and animating. During production of Glass Kamen, I would wake up around 7:30 or so, watch one of my favorite TV shows, then start writing and drawing. At around 10 a.m., people start showing up in the office, so it gets harder to concentrate on writing. That's when I'd usually switch to animating. My team filters in8) and shows me the work they're doing, so throughout the day people are asking questions. I give directions, tell them what's good and what needs work, etc. I'll go to lunch around 2 p.m. most days. Most of the time I'll grab a bento9) from a convenience store or, if I'm feeling fancy, I'll get ramen10) at a place on the corner near the office.
So you're in the office most of the time?
During production of Glass Kamen, I slept in the office most nights. I'd have dinner at around 10 p.m.—again, ramen or bento—then get back to work. I'd sleep around 2 a.m.
Did you ever get out of the office?
I would go to the recording studio to supervise voice actors a couple of times, but I would leave the office, bike out there, spend just a few minutes listening, give my approval and bike back to the office.
Where did you sleep?
I have a tatami mat I'd lay out on the floor in one of the meeting rooms, and I'd use a plush11) toy of one of DLE's characters as a pillow. When you sleep on the floor, you get itchy12) all over, so it wasn't the most pleasant of sleeping arrangements. Glass Kamen took about three months to complete, and I was in the office the majority of that time—but if you spend too many days in a row13) in the office, you start going crazy. So, towards the end of production, I'd go home most days. But, my wife and kids were always asleep when I got home at night, and I felt bad waking them up in the morning.
So, how often did you get to see your family?
When we were making Glass Kamen, I had dinner with my family once.
谷东
作为一个动漫导演是怎样的体验?请向我们讲述您的一天。
做动漫有两个阶段:写作和绘制动画。在制作《虽然是玻璃假面》期间,我通常7:30左右起床,看看我最喜欢的电视节目之一,然后开始写作和绘画。上午10点左右,人们开始来办公,因此更加难以聚精会神地写作。这个时候我通常会转而绘制动画。我的团队成员陆陆续续地走进办公室,向我展示他们正在做的工作,因此一整天人们都在问问题。我给出指导,告诉他们什么让我满意以及什么需要加工等等。在大多数日子里,我下午2点左右去吃午饭。通常我会在便利店随便买一个便当,或者如果我心情不错,我会在办公室附近街角的一家店里吃一碗拉面。
所以您大多数时间都在辦公室喽?
制作《虽然是玻璃假面》期间,大多夜晚我都睡在办公室里。我通常晚上10点左右吃晚餐——依然是拉面或者便当——然后回去工作。我通常在凌晨2点左右睡觉。
您曾经离开过办公室吗?
我会去几趟录音工作室监督配音演员,但是我会离开办公室,骑自行车去那里,只花几分钟时间听演员配音,给出我的嘉许,然后再骑回办公室。
您在哪里睡觉?
我有一张榻榻米垫子,我把它铺在其中一个会议室的地板上,然后用DLE公司的一个动漫人物的毛绒玩具当枕头。当你睡在地板上的时候,你浑身都会觉得痒,所以这不是最舒适的睡觉安排。《虽然是玻璃假面》用了几乎三个月才完成,其中的大多数时间我都在办公室——但是如果你连续太多天待在办公室里,你会开始发疯。因此,在制作的收尾阶段,我大多数时候会回家。但是,通常等我晚上到家,我的妻子和孩子们都已经睡着了,而且在早上吵醒他们让我觉得很抱歉。
那么,您多久见一次家人?
我们在制作《虽然是玻璃假面》期间,我和我的家人一起吃过一次饭。
每一种职业都有其辛苦和枯燥之处,可沉浸在其中的人却自有其乐趣可言。对于动漫导演来说,其工作可能不像普通电影导演那样看上去威风凛凛,反而是在电脑前一坐就是数月,其间辛苦自不必说。但做着自己喜欢做的事,这本身就是一种快乐。
1. cosplay [?k?sple?] n. 角色模仿,利用服装、饰品、道具以及化妆来扮演动漫作品、游戏或影视剧中的角色。
2. groupie [?ɡru?pi] n. 追星者,狂热追随者
3. think again: 表示前面所述是错误的
4. acclaim [??kle?m] vt. 称赞;赞扬
5. rival [?ra?vl] vt. 能与……媲美;与……不分高低;比得上
6. Glass No Kamen Desu Ga: 《虽然是玻璃假面》,改编自美内铃惠的漫画作品《玻璃假面》,于2013年4月上映,这里指的是其同名剧场版。文中后面将其简称为Glass Kamen。
7. bizarre [b??zɑ?(r)] adj. 异乎寻常的
如果你以为当动漫导演所要做的一切就只是跟喜欢角色模仿的追星族和酷炫的可动人偶打打交道,那你就错了。事实上,动漫导演需要坐在电脑前度过漫长的时光,吃着不那么上档次的便利店快餐,在办公室熬过无数个通宵。
我们好不容易约到广受赞誉的DLE动画公司的动漫导演谷东——他的鼎鼎大名只有他那极尽所能创造最好动漫电影的奉献精神才能与之相媲美。他最近(编注:原文发表于2013年7月)花了将近三个月的时间待在办公室里完成了最新电影《虽然是玻璃假面》的制作,出于某种原因,谷东没有去享受一段十分应得的假期,而是把他的时间借给了我们,让我们得以瞥见动漫导演忙碌又不同寻常的世界。