[sirn]

Nakamura Naoto animation character designs:


(Click to enlarge)

Sakai Kyuuta animation character designs:


(Click to enlarge)

Kubota Mitsutoshi (SHAFT's president) interview:
Pretty long so I put it in a spoilers tag. I'm bad at translation so please feel free to correct it.

Spoiler:

Please tell us how was the "Prism Nana" project started?

It was about a year ago when we were offered to do an anime project that is not bind to TV or OVA mediums by certain firm. They were initially intended to ask several animation studios to make few footages, but I suggested them to let SHAFT produce them all seeing it would be an interesting gimmick this way. On top of that, many at SHAFT also want to make an anime that they never did before. I believe this project could serve that purpose–as a place for creators to express themselves.

What do you first do when you started this project?

We prepare staffs for this project as a starting point. Since producing 7 music video clips was decided from the planning phase, we asked many creators to make a footage to match the song after direction for each songs are decided at certain degree. I thought it would be interesting if we let each creator shown off their own characteristic but still based them on one theme. This is also an experiment and a challenge to me. After that we produce think up of the main theme and basic settings. A process here is not very different from a normal original anime.

In contrast, what is unlike normal anime production about this?

The biggest difference is that the process that is normally done by video maker [tl: Aniplex/StarChild/etc.], like advertising or website creation are now done by ourselves. And the fact that we're entrusting everything to each creators; normally there would be a director position that controls everything but since we don't have such position for this work, adjusting inconsistency created by such fact is also one of the differences.

Who chose and thought up "Magical Girl" as a main settings?

The animation producer for this project, Okada Yasuhiro and his staffs are the one who thought it up. Okada-kun also serves as an animation producer for Puella Magi Madoka Magica Movie: Beginning/Eternal. He first choose magical girl as a main subject, then decide what kind of magical girl should it be, where should the story takes place in, one by one after. Since we don't have any restriction, he believes that packing a lot of settings into it will make it fun, and proceed to do so.

How was the "Magical Suite Prism Nana" title was decided?

I want it to be unlike any existing titles, but it was difficult. It was hard to put the premise and the atmosphere of this work into the title. As a meaning of each word: "すいーと" is not "Sweet" but rather "Suite", as in group of people. Then "Prism" as a word related to "rainbow". And "Nana" (7) since prism is 7 colors.

How was it decided for Kantoku to become original character designs?

Okada-kun is very interested in Kantoku. When he propose to ask Kantoku for character design, we decided to go with that. Kantoku's original character design was splendid, he fully utilized the settings we give him while arranging it on his own. It was a fine piece of work.

How did you considers who to work on each music clip?

We asked several young creators that there's this interesting project, would they like to work on it? Since this is also a chance, and I want to broaden SHAFT's image, we also actively ask external staffs to do it. If we were to ask only our in-house staffs [each MV] would resembles each other.

What is your impression when you watch the first and second MVs?

Since the first MV was an introduction to "Prism Nana", it was direct and just enough. With character introduction, a metamorphosis to Nanas and monster battle, [the staffs] worked hard to fit such worldview into a short footage.

For the second MV, Numata Seiya-san draws Itaru's inside with his unique interpretation. Numata-san's enthusiasm for this MV was amazing, we originally plan each MV to be 90 seconds but only this MV 2 is over 3 minutes. Everyone else was saying this is a foul play, but they're all convinced once they see the volume in this MV 2 that surpassed even this 3 minutes. Strike your adolescence into your home-made engine; Itaru's feelings is nicely expressed [in this MV].

If we talk about SHAFT's magical girl, everyone would thought about Madoka Magica. What about the production side?

We've heard such response from those who've watched the music video clip. But we're consciously believes we're making something different. The idea of making something different than Madoka is pushing us in a good direction.

Please tell us the plans about Prism Nana from now on.

First, we're releasing the second MV on October 30, the date this magazine went on sale. Please take a visit to the official website. We'll also want to have something for the event at the end of this year. Since the way "Prism Nana" project started is different from what we have ever done before, we still don't know what it will turn out to be but we feel we're creating an fascinating work with it. We want to raise up these characters carefully, please root for us.