Amuro Secret Archives Interviews

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Amuro Secret Archives Interviews

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Interviews contained in the "Amuro Secret Archives" book:

. Gosho Ayoama (2 pages)
. Furuya Tooru (3 pages)
. Takayama Minami & Guest VAs [Ueno Aya + Hakata Daikichi] (1 page)
. Nobuo Tobita (Kazami VA) + Yukimasa Kishino (Kuroda VA) (1 page)
. Tachikawa Yuzuru (Movie Director) (2 pages)
. Sakurai Takeharu (M22 scriptwriter) (2 pages)

Gosho Aoyama interview
Spoiler:
Gosho Aoyama Special Interview

We interview the creator of "Detective Conan", Aoyama Gousho-sensei. We will ask about secrets of the 22nd movie, about the birth of Amuro Tooru and important details.

Q: "How was the theme of "Zero the enforcer" decided?"
A: "Sakurai Takeharu-san, the scriptwriter, made a draft about cyber terrorism. And we talked about that Amuro from the Public Safety Bureau would get involved if that was the topic. I did think it was fast, since it hasn't been long since "The darkest nightmare". But, oh well, Amuro is popular so... (laughs)"

Q: "What are the portions in this film that you yourself suggested?"
A: "There's many. In drawing terms, I asked to change Amuro's glances depending on when he was Bourbon or when he was Furuya. "That question" at the end was added because I asked them to do so. Everyone was wondering about it so I thought of adding it on the movie. Sakurai-san said "eeeehh!?" when I told him, though (laughs). But Amuro talks to Conan and Conan asks him about that... That natural flow of things was made by Sakurai-san. Despite that it was unreasonable request. As expected of him."

Q: "Looks like there'll be a lot of people who'll be going to theaters to know the answer to "that question"..."
A: "Ah-hah-hah-hah (laughs) Really? There's also the talk between Amuro and Azusa at the supermarket... I thought of the whole idea myself. They added it word by word. Since their combination is very popular, too!"

Q: "What scenes did you draw the keyframes of?"
A: "The scene with the answer to "that question", and I've got to draw the final scene between Amuro and Conan. Since Director Tachikawa Yuzuru said he can't tell what kind of face Conan is making at the end. So I told him that I'd draw it (laughs). Compared to previous films, I haven't drawn that many this year. So that's why I also look forward to its completion."

Q: "What do you think of the developments leading Conan and Amuro to clash with each other?"
A: "I didn't make any requests about that. They said that it felt interesting if Amuro acted like a foe. And the balance of his relationship with Conan is good, too. The line of "I... I have two men who are scarier me." was written by Sakurai-san. He means Conan and Akai. I thought it was well-played (laughed). Ah. But he doesn't dislike Conan, though. What he dislikes is Akai and what he likes is celery (laughs)"

Q: "What are the scenes you want the public to pay attention to?"
A: "I guess that'd be the final action scene. And, also... Kuroda (laughs). It's a performance that can only be done in anime, so I want you to focus on Kuroda!"

Q: "Please tell us about Kazami Yuuya, who's appeared both in the movies and in the manga."
A: "His initial design was with crumpled hair, but since he was PSB I thought a crew cut and an ill-behaved face would work better, and so I redid his design. Also, I had to write his age when I made him appear in Volume 94 of the manga. I talked about it with Sakurai-san, Amuro would indeed push someone older than him around... That's the kind of conversation we had. So we settled on him being 30 years old. Regarding his position, Kazami works in the MPD's PSB. Amuro is from the NPA so he's in a more privileged position. "

Q: "Is there something that leaves an impression in any of the episodes in which Amuro appears?"
A: "In the "Girls Band" (see Note 1) case, when he plays a guitar... I guess. He asks Sonoko to lend it to him and then plays it. Amuro can do anything... If Akai didn't exist then he'd be number one, though (laughs)."

Q: "So he can't defeat Akai?"
A: "I think Amuro is better at many things than Akai is. But he can't beat Akai. He might have a chance if it was a cooking contest, though... But if he has to match Akai, he might get nervous and fail."

Q: "Amuro, Bourbon and Furuya. Which of the triple faces do you like the most?"
A: "Hmmm... All of them... I guess? Readers ask me to "make Shinichi-kun appear more often!" but I think that he's always appearing, though. Because Conan-kun is Shinichi. Same as that. Amuro is Amuro, regardless of his "face". Ah. The way I draw his eyes when he's Bourbon is a bit different, though. But despite that Amuro is easy to draw. I just need to make the eyes into drooping eyes and he already looks like Amuro. Special drooping eyes and hair... I guess? Hmmm... That's easy (laughs)"

Q: "Please tell us about Amuro's debut."
A: "Truth to be told, Amuro wasn't from the Public Safety (PS) when he made his debut. He was actually a very bad guy. But when I was drawing the conclusion part of his debut episode (see Note 2) I thought that he was a cool guy, that I wanted him to be one of the good guys. So I suddenly changed that mid-way and turned him a PS guy. Since I was thinking of making a PS character appear. I wanted to make the case be something Amuro had set up to lure Kogorou out into the open but I gave up on that, too. "

Q: "If you hadn't changed his background then maybe this year's movie wouldn't have come to happen?"
A: "Good point. When I talked with Ikeda (Shuuichi) - san, I told him a character named Amuro would appear. And he answered "So you must've decided his voice by now...". Ah. It's obvious, then (laughs). So when I drew him having Furuya (Tooru) - san's voice in mind I thought that he was cool and ended up being PS. Glad that I did so. His enmity with Akai was planned from the start. There was a lot of phases, like when I thought of naming him "Shiroi" (laughs)"

Q: "If you'd kept the initial background then we wouldn't have his real name of "Furuya Rei", then?"
A: "Maybe... When you say "Amuro", then "Ray (Rei)" comes to mind. Added the "Zero" from the PS and I thought "this is it!". Actually, that name is a bit old and the PS isn't named "Zero" nowadays. There's another, different name that we don't know. But that fanning of "a non-existent organization" is cool, and using Zero and Rei was good enough in my opinion hence why I used them."

Q: "I'd like of you to give a message to the fans who expect Amuro to have a lot of activity in the manga"
A: "The manga will resume with Amuro and Akai so look forward to it (see Note 3). Kid Amuro will appear, and you'll know more about Elena-san. Coming soon! (laughs)"

Note 1: Volume 88 & Anime Episode 836 "The Unfriendly Girls Band (Part 1)"
Note 2: Volume 75 & Anime Episodes 667-668 "Weeding Eve"
Note 3: File 1009 of the manga, to be published in Issue #20, 2018 of Shonen Sunday

Caution: "SPOILERS"
We were show the draft of the first page of the new manga chapter to published with the resuming of the manga in 2018! Amuro and Akai facing each other with guns and their faces exposed... What happened here!?
Furuya Tooru Interview
Spoiler:
Furuya Tooru-san acts the role of a triple-faced man. He told us a lot of about the greatest parts of "Zero the enforcer" and the charms of each face!

Q: "When you knew that Amuro Tooru would be the main character of "Zero the enforcer", how did you feel like?"
A: "I was surprised that Amuro would get a big role in a movie again. I was happy about it, of course, but I thought it was fast. This time it's not a story with Akai so that's great! (laughs). When I said the word "Zero" in the teaser at the end of the "Crimson love letter", I did think that the face of Furuya Rei, from the PS would be the main protagonist. I like police stories, novels and series so I read "Metropolitan Police Department Public Safety J" novel by Suzumine Kouya-san. And I built up the mood as I waited for the script to be done.

Q: "What was your impression from reading the script?"
A: "The plot of this movie feels like a live-action series. It shows a lot of details about Japanese police and prosecution, so it was very interesting. And when the climax comes, it turns into an unprecedented calamity which Conan and Amuro solve together... I thought that very typical of "Detective Conan". And it was also to be expected that they'd involve a modern item similar to IoT (Internet of Things) appliances... It was a very timely and interesting story. And he doesn't care what he has to do to protect the peace in Japan... The attitude of Furuya Rei, Public Safety Officer, makes you feel excited."

Q: "This movie's structure was about Amuro and Conan confronting each other, yet..."
A: "I got to work together with Conan-kun in "The darkest nightmare" so I was open to do so. But in the trailers and teasers it has an atmosphere of a confrontation with Conan-kun... Thought this might be a bit troublesome (laughs). To begin with, having Mouri-sensei arrested, Amuro, his best disciple, should work to clear out the suspicions on him. Now's not the time to be cleansing the Poirot café (laughs). Conan-kun immediately sees through Amuro's backstage actions. It's pointed out in the cleansing scene towards the beginning of the movie. He really thinks that he's a incredible kid. Of course, Amuro forsakes Conan-kun without answering his questions. Afterwards, he monitors Conan's actions but at some point Kazami ends up being stalked by Conan... That flow of events is also very interesting, too."

Q: "Both of them have the same level of strength hence why the story moves into that direction."
A: "Amuro recognizes Conan-kun's potential, and has total confidence on him. He feels that Conan is not a normal kid, but I guess he's closing into his true identity. Maybe he's realized 80% of the full picture..."

Q: "Please tell us about the answer to "that question" towards the end of the film."
A: "When I read the script, I did realize that this would be the part that would make the fans excited. But I had doubts about how I should deliver that line. I did dig down the script while looking at the placeholder footage but I hesitated again. At first I thought of a softer and sweeter feeling... And in the rehearsals on the dubbing day I spoke with a different tone of strength, different to what I had in mind. It had a serious atmosphere to it and a feeling of newfound strength, "now I'm going to go for it"... Shifting the gear while gripping the handle and make the engine roar... It was acting that emerged from within that flow of events."

Q: "It became a powerful acting indeed."
A: "Yes. I did think it was a bit too powerful, but Matsui Naoko-san, Sonoko's VA, sitting next to me, told me "You pierced through my heart!". She was looking at me with a glance typical of Sonoko (laughs). I thought "Ah. This is how I should do it" and acted on the real dubbing with that feeling. "

Q: "What scenes would you like the audience to specially focus on?"
A: "The climax, but of course. It's a scale that can't happen in reality, and it has incredible force to it. Speaking of which, the RX-7 might break again... Everyone said it was such a waste of tax money (laughs). The RX-7 is a very stylish and cool car, and I'm glad that the plate number is my birthday, yet... Thinking in real terms, I guess that not being obsessed with the RX-7 would make Amuro better (laughs)"

Caption: "Towards the end. Amuro answers "that question" from Conan while gazing to the front. An acting in which Furuya-san devoted his whole body to. Check it out in the theaters!

Q: "What left you an impression during the dubbing?"
A: "The acting in the car action scenes was hard. You must feel a very strong shock on your body so there was a lot of ad-lib. But despite that we had no meeting previous to the rehearsals, (Takayama) Minami-san and I added our ad-lib with perfect timing. I was surprised. It was so perfect, to the point I thought "I want this one to be used"! I thought that I and Minami-san had the same sensibility so I was glad. Also, Amuro had faces I'd never seen on him during the car chases. Nevertheless, Matsui-san told me "No, this is good enough!"... So I thought "is that so?" (laughs). I tried to add a bit of an aberrant ad-lib matching the scene but it didn't seem necessary so I didn't do so when the actual dubbing."

Q: "Are there some points in the acting which you were particular about?
A: "The "Bourbon" facet of Amuro doesn't appear on this film, but there are 2 acting patterns for Amuro and Furuya so I wrote some big marks on the script's lines. For example, the supermarket scene... When he's talking with Azusa-san he's Amuro so I wrote the katakana "A"... When he begins to talk to Kazami he turns into Furuya so I wrote the "kou (public)" from "kouan (public safety)"... Almost all scenes had such marks on them, I thought I had to change my tone depending on the position and who he's talking to. I didn't use "an (safety)" from "kouan" for Amuro because that'd make it very confusing."

Caption: "Amuro's face during the car action which surprised Furuya-san. There were descriptions in the script. "Has a drive technique like that of a demon". "Drive technique that's like aided by the divine."

Q: "Please tell us about Amuro's right-hand man, Kazami Yuuya."
A: "In "The darkest nightmare" I thought of Kazami as someone with whom he always shared information. But it'd seem that's not the case. Furuya works in the NPA, Kazami in the MPD. Their ranks are different. I also had in mind the distance during acting. And to begin with, the "Zero" organization is shrouded in mysteries. I'd like of them to make a film that goes into more detail into that (laughs). I guess that holding strength is a new charm of Amuro. Kazami understands the power the PS has and thinks that all means must be used to solve cases. On the other hand, Amuro doesn't use it and readies other means. Amuro has a strong belief that that's how the PS should be like. There might be scenes with him telling that to Kazami. Kazami often refers to him as "Furuya-san"... It feels exciting whenever he does so (laughs). I'm used to being called "Amuro" but I've still not got used to being called "Furuya"... "

Caption: "Scotch's death, which was the start of his feud with Akai. Amuro thinks that Akai gave Scotch a gun and drove him to suicide, but the truth is... (Episode 867)

Q: "Please tell us about recent dubbing for the TV anime episodes."
A: "What I most clearly remember was a meeting after the dubbing. Ikeda (Shuuichi)-san, Koyama (Momi)-san. I had drinks with them, it was fun (laughs). I thought it was something typical of "Conan". I put care in the acting in the flashback scenes of the 866-867 episodes "The stage of betrayal". The enmity with Akai steams from that point. He's caught in the idea of "A man of Akai's level should've been able to help Scotch flee without having him suicide"... But he himself was actually to blame. Maybe he'll realize that truth one day? How will I act his mental state when that happens...? I actually think it's a bit scary. Building my own feelings while acting is the hardest part. The role of Amuro must be worked out while hesitating. There's a worth in doing it."

Q: "Which of Amuro's triple faces do you specially like?"
A: "My favorite one is that one which bets his life in protecting the nation of Japan, the face of Furuya Rei. He's a hero of justice. He has a lot of actions to show his skills, and he's got a lot of cool lines. I've been working as an anime voice actor because I wanted to become a hero. With Furuya's role, I can fully enjoy that. But when he has to deal with Akai, he suddenly turns child-like. There's also what happened with Scotch, and his emotions jump forward. That also can be called a charm of him, but..."

Q:"What about his face as Bourbon?"
A: "Bourbon has a hold of Vermouth's secret so these two have an interesting relationship. I've known Koyama-san for a long time, and we both admit our job as actors, so it's a very easy thing to do and very fun as well."

Q: "What about his face as Amuro Tooru?"
A: "He's strong at boxing, he's good at the guitar, he can cook... It's very fun to become a character who has many parts that you yourself don't have. Amuro is very popular among the girls, isn't he? I was told during this work "He's popular among the JK (high school girls)" which made me very happy. I feel like I've gone back to my young days (laughs). Amuro has 3 faces to him, so he alone can have 3 different experiences. He's a very charming character."

Q: "What kind of activity can we expect from Amuro in the future stories?"
A: "He solves cases using his erudition and deductive abilities, but I'd also wish of him to use his physical abilities to shine as well. Because, you know, heroes are made through battling. I'd also like of him to close into the core of the organization's mysteries. I'd like of his child look to appear, too, but I don't wish to do his voice acting again (laughs). "

Q: "Please give a message to the fans!"
A: "In "Zero the enforcer" I acted with Amuro, the though and adult man, as the theme. I'd like of you to come to the theaters. And to savor his charm many, many times in the big screen. There are some "numbers" I must protect even if I stake my life on it (laughs). So I'm counting on you all!"

Profile:
Born July 31. From Kanazawa Prefecture. Affiliated to Aoni Productions. Representative titles are "Star of the Giants" as Hoshi Hyuuma. "Mobile Suit Gundam" as Amuro Ray. "Saint Seiya" as Pegasus Seiya. "ONE PIECE" as Sabo. Among others. In "Detective Conan" he acted in various roles such as in "The Private Eyes' Requiem" before becoming Amuro Tooru.
Takaya Minami Interview
Spoiler:
Edogawa Conan Role

Profile:
Born May 5th. From Tokyo Prefecture. Representative titles are "Kiki's Delivery Service" as Kiki. "Rantaro" as Inatera Rantaro. "YAIBA" as Kurogane Yaiba. And others. Narrator, western movies dubbing. She continues to work in recitations.

Q: "What was your impression when you read the script of "Zero the enforcer"?"
A: "I felt like it was a human drama TV series. Truth and justice, and the exciting clash between humans. That was my impression. Regardless of the main axis being Amuro VS Conan. I felt excitement in many parts. Director Tachikawa hadn't been involved in "Detective Conan" before but the displays of natural phenomena and emotions were splendid. A new door was opened."

Q: "Please tell us the best spots of the film."
A: "The interactions between persons are full of good spots. When the climax grows close, listening to them feels better. And, of course, Amuro-san's charm. I think you'll get to know a lot more about him in this film. The interactions, which feel like a speech play, are very exciting. What part of it it's lies, what part of it it's true... "Amuro-san might be the enemy this time around". But one wants to figure out if he really is the enemy. To prove that he's not a bad person. You suspect him to believe him, and while earning evidence and confidence one by one, you go on crushing your doubts about him.

That's how I felt once we finished the dubbing, and I got the impression that he was an innocent person. A very pure, innocent, and pure white person. That was my impression of him. Of course, he has many faces to him but there's a very strong belief to the point all of those get removed. A strong feeling, that past "truth" and "justice" there's the feeling of "protecting". You seek the truth to protect, and you seek the justice because you want to protect. Both fight to protect what's dear to each one of them. The biggest theme in this film is "protecting", or so I thought. All of the characters have that feeling on them.

I think that Fukuyama Masuharu-san's main vocal song was made in order to make you feel that. So I'm very thankful to him for that."

Q: "Did it feel good to act as Conan, the one who confronts Amuro?"
A: "Uncle Kogorou is suddenly arrested, and behind that incident, Amuro, whom he fought together with in "The darkest nightmare", is involved. So he can't be as cool and rational as he always is. So he's unable to properly control his emotions, and he might speak louder than he usually does... There was a part in the dubbing in which he reflects upon that muttering "Crap. I gotta chill it..."."

Q: "Kuroda Hyoue, one of the RUM candidates, has also appeared on this film, yet..."
A: "I was surprised when I first saw the poster at how Superintendent Kuroda was drawn in such a big size. But I actually don't think he's a bad person. I was excited during the film, but he's probably..."

Q: "Please give us a message to the readers to wrap up."
A: "Please watch the film while paying attention to all that's said. Police, prosecution, Public Safety... Even if hard to understand words appear, I think you'll eventually understand them as you go on watching the film. For the difficult parts, research on them and go see the film again. I think that that'll make you enjoy it way further. Including the guests (characters), all characters' breathing and pulsations can be felt. It's a very exciting film! Please enjoy it!"
Ueto Aya Comments
Spoiler:
Tachibana Kyouko Role

Profile:
Born September 14th. From Tokyo Prefecture. TV series, movies, western movie dubbing, CMs. Works in many genres. It's been 12 years since her previous role in "Detective Conan".

"Kyouko is a role with breadth, so at first I acted naturally without creating too much of a character. Towards the end, I made voices that even I was surprised at. I like the relationship between Conan-kun and Ran-chan in "Detective Conan" since a long time ago. It's lonely to be unable to meet them, but having the one you like be there next to you to protect you is very beautiful, or so I think."
Hakata Daikichi Comments
Spoiler:
Haba Fumikazu role

Profile:
Born October 3rd. From Fukuoka Prefecture. He's appeared in many variety shows as a comedian, is a regular participant in info programs.

"I thought that Haba was the stubborn type so I prepared thoroughly for the role. I'd like of you to see him without having "Daikichi!" on mind (laughs). I think it's amazing that "Detective Conan" has gone through with the same style for over 20 years' time. The movie "Magician of the Silver Sky" where they make a plane land dumbfounded me indeed!"
Tobita Nobuo Interview
Spoiler:
Kazami Yuuya Role

Profile:
Born November 6th. From Ibaraki Prefecture. Representative titles: "Mobile Suit Gundam Z" as Camille Bidan. "Chibi Maruko-chan" as Maruo-kun. Mr. Osamatsu as Dayon. Others. Has also done dubbing of several western movies.

Q: "Please tell us about how you acted the role of Kazami in "The darkest nightmare"."
A: "It was the first time I took part in an [animated] film. The role's name was Kazami Yuuya so I made the connection at once (laughs). It was a position similar to an subordinate to Amuro-san, so it had a feeling that your body tightened. My biggest impression was when he did a handshake with Inspector Megure at the end of the movie. He's an elite, but a good person who has normal feelings."

Q: "And Kazami appears again in this new movie, "Zero the enforcer"."
A: "What I had on mind was his relation with Amuro-san. How much feeling of a distance there is. It was certain that he had respect for Amuro, but there was hesitation too. As if I was but one of many men in reserve (laughs). Furuya-san, who voices Amuro, is my senpai (senior) as well so I acted the role as if my actual relationship was being projected in the film."

Q: "What are the charm points of Amuro?"
A: "His boldness and his high abilities... And the mysterious air he has. He feels like a gentle man but is very deep in character, you might think he's hard but that's not the case. He seems to be talkative but it'd seem he doesn't show his true portions at all."

Q: "What about Kazami, whom you voice?"
A: "From his looks, he brings on the mood of someone capable (laughs). Looks like he could do fighting sports. He still doesn't show a smile from his heart and he's not frank but hints of that are depicted in the movie, and I think he gives out a realistic feeling of existence."

Q: "Please give a message to the readers to wrap up."
A: "I think it's a movie that you want to see again with someone else after you see it. It's a must-see for Conan fans, and people new to the series will like it too!"
Kishino Yukimasa Interview
Spoiler:
Kuroda Hyoue Role

Profile:
Born October 21st. From Tokyo Prefecture. Representatives works. "ONE PIECE" as Higuma. "Dragon Ball Z" as Burter. "SLAM DUNK" as Uozomi Jun. Others. Dubbing of western movies, narration roles, plays.

Q: "Please tell us about when you were chosen to voice Kuroda Hyoue."
A: "Kuroda firstly appeared in Episode 810 of the anime "The darkness of the prefecture police (part 1)". The case involving the woodpeckers. When I read the script, I did think he was scary and hesitated if I could do it (laughs). He's a cop but has many mysteries to him, you can't tell if he's a good a guy or a bad guy... I did fumble a bit with my acting.

Q: "How did you feel when you knew that he would be featured in a movie?"
A: "I was surprised when seeing the poster. Seeing how big he was in there, I wondered what he'd do in the movie (laughs)"

Q: "What's the scene in this movie that left a biggest impression on you?"
A: "That word he uttered (laughs). I can't give out details, but it's a scene which I'd like of you to see many times and check out. It's a scene that will link to future [happenings] in "Detective Conan". Aoyama-sensei sure thinks up of interesting things."

Q: "What are the charm of points of Amuro, who'll be very active?"
A: "It's interesting to see how he has 3 faces to him. Not only as an actor. I also want to follow his activities as a reader."

Q: "How about Kuroda, whom you voice?"
A: "I think that the best about him is that he's shrouded in mysteries. I'd like to do a gag-like scene with Kuroda, but... I guess they won't allow me to do so (laughs). I'd like to voice him as a fun old guy someday."

Q: "Please give a message to the readers to wrap up."
A: "I'm really looking forward to future developments. Please, make sure to come see the movie!"
Tachikawa Yuzuru Interview
Spoiler:
Movie "Zero the enforcer" Director

Profile:
Animation director, theatre director, "Death Billiard" movie on 2013 (original idea, script, direction), worked on TV series based on it on 2015 (original idea, direction, series structuring). Representative works: "Terror in Resonance" (Assitant Director), "Mob Psycho" (Director), and others.

Q: "Please tell us how you were appointed director of this move."
A: "As part of a Ministry of Culture project, I made an anime movie named "Death Billiard". Then, the Conan Chief Producer, Suwa Michihiko-san, liked my work at lot. A few years later, he contacted me and asked me to direct an anime film. I'd never worked as director of a movie from a long series so I thought I might as well try it out. I joined the project since the plot was completed."

Q: "Had you read the manga of "Detective Conan" before?"
A: "When I was in elementary school, I read it on the "Shonen Sunday" magazine. In terms of generations, his previous work "YAIBA" was right on. Young elementary students love sword play, don't they (laughs). I made the "Wind God Ball" and "Thunder God Ball" from "YAIBA" and played with them. So I really liked his works. I had fun with them.

When I was appointed director, I checked out the manga again and I re-confirmed that it was something that could be enjoyed even from the point of view of an adult. The way the foreshadowing is revealed is great. What really impressed me was the "Scarlet" series when Akai returned, Volumes 84 to 85. I went back to re-read Volumes 58-59 when Akai died (laughs). The "Scarlet" series also excited me with the Amuro episodes. Two men with double faces investigating each other, Conan is involved, and they problem is dodged skillfully."

Q: "It's the first time you're involved with the "Detective Conan" movies. What things did you have in mind?"
A: "I thought of making use of the established portions of the series. I did hesitate on how much freedom I had to leave my own imprint. I think that what makes "Conan" attractive is its characters. So I wanted to make more depictions of the characters' personalities. I did purposely have in mind to make action and movements which brought out the flavor of the characters.

Of course, Conan and Amuro are the core, and I also took care in the sub-characters supporting them. I like Professor Agasa and the Detective Boys so I think I put a lot of strength on them (laughs). There are additional scenes added from suggestions by Aoyama-sensei. We added scenes showing the daily life of the characters, which I'm glad of. When I talked with Takayama Minami-san after the dubbing, she told me that instead of having the scenario make them act, put focus on making the characters feel alive. That's what I also thought so I felt relaxed when she told me."

Q: "It'd seem that you made the image boards following your inclinations as director. Right?"
A: "It's an adult-like story, so creating a realistic atmosphere in the screen makes it easier to blend with the story, or so I thought. We hired the illustrator Loundware and they made the space. And they created some grand and colorful image boards. During the making, we put a lot of emphasis in sunset and rainy scenes. In terms of beauty direction, we gave them photos to tell them the colors we wanted.

We asked them to swing color with force in those spots that are supposed to leave a strong impression. For example, the scene when Amuro is called a murderer, it it were expression of anger shining in the faces, then it wouldn't create an atmosphere (laughs). Rain falling from cloud skies, evening and the night... There's a lot of darkened scenes. "

Caption: When Kazami mutters "That Amuro man you speak of is a murderer", rain falls from the cloudy skies... The gloomy skies leave an impression. (Movie 22)

(Continuation of previous question)
A: "Actually, darkened scenes are easier to make. Sunsets are hard. The light from the side is strong, so the shadows are harder to make. Entering in the shadows and in the light, calculations are needed. There are evening action scenes too. Conan slides beneath a truck, comes into the shadow, and comes out into a bright spot... We use light and shadow as concepts in the whole of this movie. Conan is light and Amuro is shadow. So light hits Conan and Amuro has shadows on him. There are lot of scenes like that."

Q: "Please tell us about Conan and Amuro, who clash in the film."
A: "Conan is always straight to the point, and is moved by the feeling that there shouldn't be sacrifices for the sake of justice. From the point of view of Amuro, who's going to do anything to protect Japan, Conan might seem immature in his opinion. But from a point of view of the movie, Conan wants to make justice prevail without ever having to sacrifice anyone to achieve it.

Amuro, though, has some inconsistencies within him. We focus on the darkest portions that he has. But if we bring out too much of it, the feeling of "Detective Conan" will be lost, so that made it hard on how to depict him.Since there are many portions of him that we still don't know. What kind of past he had, what kind of family was it, what kind of life he lived... There also moments in which you dunno what he's thinking of."

Caption:"Amuro enters in the Poirot, wrapped in shadows, while Conan is illuminated by the sunset which feels like it's burning. The concept of light and shadows can be felt here, too. (Movie 22)"

Q: "Please tell us about the charm of Amuro's triple face and how you depict each one."
A: "I personally like his position of undercover investigator, hence why I like Furuya's face a lot. As for the depictions, Furuya has a rather serious face. Amuro, who works in the Poirot, is cute in a cool way, or more like we had him have a peaceful expression. During the movie's car action, you can see his rare expressions. We wanted to show a facet of being a dangerous man, appearing at the last minute (laughs). Thought that it was important to show that even the cool Amuro might show such a face by accident."

Q:"Please tell us about Kazami Yuuya from the Public Safety Police. Amuro's right-hand man."
A: "Kazami is a rather key character. He asks Conan who he is, and Conan replies "Edogawa Conan. A detective." to him (laughs). Amuro sometimes feels shrouded in mysteries and like he's a superman. So I thought that, as a counter, I wanted to make Kazami more human-like, so that's how we depicted him.

He makes mistakes, and gets scolded by Amuro. He feels like the type to beat up his mattress at home when he fails a job and might yell "shit!" (laughs). Kazami does his best at the job, yet Amuro treats that very lightly. Kazami might constrict his arms... And feel mortified at that (laughs). These two are interesting. Also is the fact that Kazami is older."

Q: "What about Kuroda Hyoue?"
A: "I did think of asking Aoyama-sensei through-and-through about this, but... But I thought it'd be better for me not to know too much. I only asked him about aspects I was curious about (laughs). He's a character with dreadfulness so we were careful not to treat him too lightly. "

Q: "What do you think are the best spots of the film?"
A: "The complicated settings of the characters. I wanted to draw a human drama. They all have the same intention, yet, depending on how they do it the gears might crumble... On the other hand, Conan wants to make the justice inside of him prevail. The way the hearts of the characters move, how the differences between them feel like... I'd like of you to check that out. Of course, we also made good action scenes, so I think you'll be very excited at it!"

Q: "Please give us a message to the readers to wrap up."
A: "In this movie, the expressions of the characters and the display of their true natures... We put a lot of attention to those during making. We've also drawn everyday situations in a courteous way so that children can enjoy it as well. First you follow the case, then you follow the characters... We'd like of you to enjoy it many times with a different way of seeing things on each time.

And, in the end, the feeling of justice each character has as well as the dark parts that Amuro himself has, echo and give out a good feeling. Our intention was to show the movie's thematic in the last cut before the end roll so we'd be glad if you can feel from that scene what we wanted to depict."
(WIP)
Sakurai Takeharu Interview
Spoiler:
Scriptwriter for the movie "Zero the enforcer"

Profile:
Scriptwriter. He also works with the alias "Iida Takeshi". TV series "Aibou", "Yamegoku: Yakuza Yamete Itadakimasu", "The forensic woman". Films "ATARU The Movie", "Aibou Series X Day", and others. Has written scripts for movies 17, 19 and 20 of "Detective Conan" as well as scripts for the TV series episodes 813 and 898.

Q: "How did you feel like when it was decided that Amuro would be the key man of this film?"
A: "It's only been 2 years since "The darkest nightmare" so I did go "huh?" at the news (laughs). It might've been better if it'd been made before the feeling of having written Amuro had vanished from me. I wrote his face as Bourbon in "The darkest nightmare", but due to the topic in this movie I specialized in Furuya, his face as PS (public safety)."

Q: "Is there anything you particularly focused on during the writing of this installment?"
A: "The differences with the PS (Public Safety) depicted in live action. In live action, the PS often is the opposite of the situation shown to the spectators, and the psychology of what the characters in the episodes think of. Despite saying some is guilty, they might be innocent within their hearts. The actual Public Safety Police Officers, no matter what they do, they are always psychologically "right"... I avoided complicated depictions like these in this movie's script. It's already a story involving a judiciary process , the setting is already complex, it would be asking too much calories from the spectators."

Q: "How about the developments in the Conan VS Amuro clash?"
A: "It was decided to depict Furuya from the PSP so I did think that he and Conan would clash. Actually, the "justice" that Conan has on him is also carried by Amuro, and the one that Amuro has is also being carried by Conan. They only differ in how they express it. I don't think neither is above the other one. If you think of it as each one taking action upon the info given to each of them, they take action in a very natural manner. I wrote it thinking that it would be good for Amuro to seem "bad". But he doesn't actually give much of such an impression. If you listen to his conversation with Kazami, you don't think of him as someone evil. He also takes action based on his beliefs.The only issue is the means employed. They are illegal and ruthless, so it's whether you can approve of them or not. I did think that Furuya, as a PSP officer, would normally do things way harsher than this...

The first draft of the story was a harder type of story. And Director Tachikawa pushed it back into a softer and kinder direction. He also likes hard stories, and he's good at staging them. But since it was the first time he was in charge of directing a Conan film, he said he wanted it to be something entertaining and dream-like. He had it very clear about what he wanted to do in the first Conan work he was in charge of.

Q: "Are there portions suggested by Aoyama-sensei?"
A: "The conversation between Amuro and Azusa, and Amuro answering Conan's question... Those scenes were added, and they were impressive. The latter made me think "what are they talking about now of all times", it sure did (laughs). But if you add those lines in a tense situation, then I think they make the film more lovable. If it was about Shinichi and Ran, I would have my own interpretation of things, but it's harder when it comes to Amuro. So I left the suggested portions in the hands of [Aoyama] sensei."

Q: "Please tell us about Kazami Yuuya who debuted in "The darkest nightmare"."
A: "When "The darkest nightmare", we needed a person that could publicly act as member of the PS. So we made the Kazami Yuuya character. Amuro works on his own, so it was hard to see the situation of the police divisions from his viewpoint. And Kazami in this movie is the "right-handed man" of Amuro, who belongs to the "Zero" organization..."

Caption:"Kazami, one of the very few that contact "Zero". Sakurai-san and Aoyama-sensei consulted each other, and they decided he'd be older than Amuro, 30 years old. (Movie 22)"

A (continued from above question): "That's how he's depicted. The "right hand man" is thing that exists, I was told about it from an ex-PS person who I used as reference. Since officers currently on duty in the PS wouldn't tell us anything. This man, who can contact "Zero", is apparently chosen through someone's selection. It'd seem their skillfulness and personality are checked out so I guess that Kazami was evaluated to have the right kind of personality.

Since he became that role, on paper it says he's an officer in the training and is sent to the National Police Agency once, so he should have a period of enrollment in the NPA as well. There he makes his connection with the "Zero" organization. And the final decision of directing him towards Amuro is carried out by the "backstage administrator". Kazami can't tell his colleagues about him being in contact with "Zero". The only one who knows about the "right hand man" of each investigator and the collaborators is the "backstage administrator".

Q: "What do you think are the best spots and points to focus upon of this movie?"
A: "The relations between characters are also one of those "best spots". That's the usual citation. The "collaborators" of the PS aren't simple informers. They're like climbing partners connecting their lives to each other through a life rope, as if they were mountain-climbing. They have their field of work's "justice" and life beyond logic. They share those with each other. Regardless of being "good" or bad", I think they are some of the best spots.

Also, it's about the guest characters, but, they all have fond memories... But if I talk about this, you'll realize the truth of the case so it's hard to converse about this topic... (laughs). "

Caption: "The recipe of the ham sandwiches that Amuro exposed and became a topic, was a suggestion by Sakurai-san. Also, the PSP is called "ham" in jargon. (Episode 813)"

Q: "Did you have in mind depicting each's of Amuro's triple faces separately?"
A: "He has the same feeling of justice at all times, whether he's being Furuya or he's being Bourbon. So I took into mind that they are the same at the bottom of their hearts, when writing them. Even if he gets a gun pointed at him during his covert investigation and is about to be exposed as a NOC, or even if he's working part-time at the Poirot. At the bottom of his heart he's the same Furuya Rei. It's not like he's working at the Poirot to relax, I think he does that to assimilate with society.

But his aspect of mingling with society as "a man about to turn 30, working part-time in a café while learning to be a detective" is something that I do think that it's not very reasonable (laughs). If there's someone with some age to them who work part-time at a café while learning how to be a detective, I would feel anxious.

However, he's good at acting, has a wide capacity, and his information processing ability must be very high as well. Don't they ask him "Amuro-san, what are you doing at your age?"...? There must be something on him that doesn't make you think about that (laughs).

If you asked about which of his faces is most charming, then I'd say all of them are. The vectors of charm are different, each of them are precious and cool. But, well, I haven't written much of his "Bourbon" face so if I get to write about him on the future I guess I'd write about Bourbon. He has a belief of justice yet carries out evil... Normally, one would puncture at that. But Amuro can do it. I think that that's why he was promoted to working the "Zero" organization.

Q: "Please tell us about episodes of the TV series you wrote the script of."
A: "I was ordered that, in the spin-offs linking to the movies, no-one could die. If it had to be a mystery in the café where no-one died, it would have to be a story about food or drinks. The reason I used ham sandwiches in Episode 813 "The shadow creeping on Amuro", was due to the perception of "He's public safety (公安 / kouan) so cheap (安い / yasui) ham (ハム) (combined make 公 (kou)) will do" (laughs).

That recipe was something I had on mind, and, of course I've sometimes made those sandwiches. But I was told that eventually they would be served at cafés... If I had known that, then I wouldn't have used a steamer to make them (laughs). That way of making them is hard, actually.

And episode 898, the spin-off of "Zero the enforcer", titled "The cake melted", had me taking that aspect into account. Apart from cakes, I made stews with a good-looking pink color. Nowadays they call those "being instagrammable" (laughs). If you take lycopene at the morning, it's good for the body so I use tomatoes, and added milk so that they would match the set drinks of coffee or black tea."

Q: "Please give us a message to the readers to wrap up."
A: "I think that, in the 1st time viewing, you will empathize with Conan, the protagonist, and see things from his PoV, but... If you switch your PoV to Amuro in your 2nd viewing, you become the culprit in the 3rd viewing. There's actually a 4th PoV, but... If I give out details about it you'll figure out the culprit (laughs). Anyway, I think that it'd be good if you can enjoy it at least for 4 times."
"I shall revive again, again AND AGAIN!"
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red.orchid

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Re: Amuro Secret Archives Interviews

Post by red.orchid »

Thanks, Spimer!
Are these from the newest Secret Archive PLUS?
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jimmy_kud0_tv2

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Re: Amuro Secret Archives Interviews

Post by jimmy_kud0_tv2 »

red.orchid wrote:Thanks, Spimer!
Are these from the newest Secret Archive PLUS?
Yes
I hope that I can find someway to contribute to the community even if it's just random crack theories and looking things up for people who can't find the information they need.
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Zerozaki4869

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Re: Amuro Secret Archives Interviews

Post by Zerozaki4869 »

I once thought of an What if Scenario, not so long ago. I'm quite astonished that such plan had been Gosho's initial idea.
Now how about Gosho makes a spinoff/ fans come up with scenario of Bourbon+3Protagonists.

https://www.reddit.com/r/OneTruthPrevai ... 3/what_if/
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red.orchid

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Re: Amuro Secret Archives Interviews

Post by red.orchid »

I was doubtful whether the voice actors and the director would have anything new and interesting to say this time but I was wrong. I liked Tachikawa's interview, he really sounded like he knew what he was doing. btw the illustrator that he hired was Loundraw, right?
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