‘Dan Da Dan’ Co-Director on Hideaki Anno’s Influence and Upping the Ante for Season 2

Dan Da Dan is poised to make its extremely anticipated return to streaming platforms this July. Forward of the yokai-meets-sci-fi anime sequence’ second season, studio Science Saru and GKids have joined forces as soon as extra with Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye, a theatrical premiere that includes the primary three episodes of its forthcoming season. They choose up proper the place the season one cliffhanger left off adapting creator Yukinobu Tatsu’s ongoing manga.

Whereas the theatrical occasion consists of an insightful interview video with its administrators, io9 pierced the veil even additional, chatting with Abel Gongora, the opening theme director of Dan Da Dan‘s first season and co-director for its upcoming season. Throughout our dialog, Gongora mirrored on the popular culture influences that impressed his inventive course of and his evolving position co-directing alongside longtime collaborator Fuga Yamashiro—and the way their shared inventive imaginative and prescient and occasional creative disagreements contributed to the tag-team ebb and move of Dan Da Dan season two’s early manufacturing.

This interview has been edited for readability. 

Isaiah Colbert, io9: Season one ended on a suspenseful cliffhanger that left followers looking forward to extra. Was that all the time the plan from the beginning, or did the choice evolve throughout manufacturing to construct anticipation for season two?

Abel Gongora: That was determined on the very starting—that’s extra like a script choice. They’ve the manga already, to allow them to see the place they wish to minimize, and that was finished very early within the manufacturing.

io9: This time round, you’re stepping right into a co-director position as a substitute of simply dealing with the present’s opening, which featured shadowy silhouettes and daring, Kon Ichikawa-styled typography. What led to that shift from being the opening director to the co-director for season two?

Gongara: After the opening, I began to help [Yamashiro] additionally. I bought concerned within the venture, after which I bought to grasp necessary issues to know, just like the characters’ story. It went type of easy as a result of I used to be already in season [one] somewhat bit. The manufacturing is basically tough—it’s a variety of work to do one season. Manufacturing thought it will be good to have two administrators so the work just isn’t too arduous on the season one director. I began with all of the setting designs that we had on the finish of season one, then it was already determined, so I type of slowly began [directing] in season two.

io9: Dan Da Dan’s opening theme by Creepy Nuts turned an on the spot fan favourite and even gained a few anime awards. The sequence options clear nods to popular culture iconography, corresponding to Ultraman, mixing daring stylistic selections with the present’s distinctive vitality. What impressed that inventive route, and do you have got a private favourite second from its opening sequence?

Gongara: At the moment, I talked with the director of season one [and] he gave me whole freedom as a result of we now have labored collectively for a very long time. He is aware of, roughly, my type. He simply requested me to make use of Ultraman as a reference—these silhouette photos. He’d say, “So long as you employ that, it’s okay. You are able to do no matter you need.” So I began watching Ultraman and I began to seek out some concepts on how one can use it, and I additionally added one thing additional to make one other type of scenes within the opening. We agreed we didn’t wish to have the conventional look of the present, so it appears to be like somewhat bit extra like shiny fancy colours—somewhat bit extra particular.

I confirmed all of the concepts and ideas to the director. He appreciated it. Then I began I began the storyboard once I bought the music. I believed the music was actually cool, so it was thrilling to do the storyboard, as a result of it’s important to really feel the rhythm and discover concepts in accordance with the rhythm of the music. Yamashiro was actually open to every thing. It was tough, however it was enjoyable.

My favourite half is the silhouette that I did myself. After which a few of the tough animation cuts that have been finished by one man on the crew, who’s a very wonderful animator. I used to be very glad as a result of I requested him if he might do it on paper and pencil. The image, just like the grain of the paper, is on the display. If you happen to cease the body, it has the actual grain of the paper, after which the actual pencil. That’s one thing we don’t do any extra in animation. It’s type of like a variety of work, and I’m very glad this animator did it. It turned out to be very lovely. Additionally, I did the compositing on the finish as a result of I needed to push that tough type. Yeah, these components are my favourite within the opening.

io9: Will season two’s opening, “On My Means” by AiNA THE END, observe an identical method to utilizing silhouettes like the primary season did, or can audiences anticipate one thing fully new meshing with the poppy sound of AiNA’s music?

Gongara: It’s gonna be utterly completely different. I can’t say a lot, however it’s gonna be actually completely different and I’m glad about it. I believe it’s wonderful. I needed one thing completely different, as a result of in any other case it would appear like attempting to redo one thing that was good, and I believed that wouldn’t be fascinating. However yeah, you will note.

io9: Within the Evil Eye director interview, you talked about watching and drawing heavy inspiration from horror movies and Hong Kong cinema to assist form your method to the Evil Eye arc. What movies helped you nail Dan Da Dan’s action-meets-horror environment in season two? 

Gongara: The primary reference for Dan Da Dan can be Ultraman, after all. I actually appreciated the best way Hideaki Anno did the brand new model of Ultraman, Shin Ultraman. We even have kaiju and issues like that, so I actually appreciated Shin Godzilla and Shin Kamen Rider. There’s additionally some frequent factors with Kung Fu motion pictures. They often share related storytelling, with one influencing the opposite. For instance, like a crush-zoom on the face of a personality, issues like which can be used so much in each media. We attempt to analyze these issues.

I’m additionally very influenced by the Alien motion pictures. That additionally matches Dan Da Dan‘s science fiction half, and it’s very scary. I believe the unique Alien is a very wonderful movie. I don’t assume there’s actually a film that mixes all this, however we attempt to get the concepts and normal affect by watching a variety of movies. I believe Yamashiro-san would try this, too.

io9: The primary season was an enormous visible spectacle, effortlessly shifting between horror, motion, and romance with expressive animation that heightened each second. Had been there any particular scenes from the manga that pushed the studio creatively in season two? Moments the place animation allowed the sequence to take issues to a different degree, however proved to be a problem to recover from the end line?

Gongara: (laughs) We’re in the midst of [production] right this moment. We try new issues like mixing 3D typically to assist the animators. Typically, we now have concepts that can not be finished by conventional animation, or it will be loopy to do. We’re looking for how one can use 3D in a extra inventive means. There’s somewhat bit in Evil Eye, too. We’re experimenting somewhat bit with the 3D. We even have a variety of new music within the season, and we’re experimenting somewhat bit with the best way we use it.

io9: You’ve talked about that you simply and Yamashiro have labored collectively earlier than, in a collaborative setting. How has the meshing of each your kinds to create Dan Da Dan season two been? Has it proved to be a tough feeling-out course of working via the place you guys disagree creatively, or has it been a seamless transition for the 2 of you?

Gongara: I believe, after all, [Yamashiro] has extra heavy involvement as a result of he determined all of the issues you may see in season one, and I attempted to observe his route. After all, we don’t agree on every thing. However we now have half of the season divided. It’s not precisely like half-and-half. It’s like I’ve bought the primary arc, then he will get the second arc, after which I am going again for the third arc, after which he’s additionally doing one thing later. We share like that, however nonetheless, we’re concerned in each. Typically, he’s helped me including some storyboard components or some concepts he had, and I’d additionally test with him [on] colours. Issues like that we have to determine as a result of some designs may seem in each my episode and his episode. We’re working on a regular basis collectively.

We’ve got this background the place we used to work in lots of initiatives collectively. [We’ve worked] with Masaki Yuuasa earlier than, and we discovered so much from him. So we now have related imaginative and prescient. We agree on many issues and our view on animation and cinema is comparable. We prefer to push perspective and we prefer to push the expression of the characters, perhaps greater than different administrators. It’s type of not too arduous for each [of us], I hope. I can’t speak for him, however I believe it’s easy typically.

Dan Da Dan season two premieres this July on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and Hulu. Evil Eye hits theaters throughout the U.S. June 6.

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