Stone Ocean Anime Interviews (February 2023)
Ultra Jump (November 2022)
Interview Archive
A series of interviews released alongside the Blu-Ray boxes of the Stone Ocean Anime with the Japanese voice actors and production staff. The first interview was released on November 30, 2022 and other interviews followed with the subsequent Blu-Ray box releases. In addition, on 23 January 2024, additional interviews with the English dub cast were included in the VIZ Media release of the Blu-ray sets.
Interview
Interview with the Series Director of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, discussing the ending animation for the season.
Tell us your thought process behind the direction of the ending animation.
The lyrics for "Distant Dreamer" matched so perfectly with Jolyne's sentiments, I wanted to make sure that the animation also allowed viewers to resonate with what Jolyne was feeling as she waged her battles. The ocean is not strapped down by a specific time or place, so the impression changes after each episode; it can be seen with the lens of hope and despair. This is the first ending in the JoJo's series where characters don't appear, and this might have surprised people, but I want people to consider why we chose not to depict anyone.
How did you go on about animating the waves?
It's all due to the hard work of Ryo Ohashi, who was in charge of the ending animation VFX and cinematography. We were able to do waves because of his skill. It's very difficult to create natural things such as waves using CG, and we were even considering animating them by hand, but we saw Ohashi's waves during a test run for a different part of the show, and he helped realize my vision. I want the viewers to pay close attention to the waves hitting the shore, and those waves being washed away by the next.
A word for the fans who have purchased the Blu-ray, please.
I know you might have seen this show on TV or via streaming, but the Blu-ray will allow for a uniquely high-quality viewing experience. The battles rage on as we approach the third Cour, episodes 25 through 38. Why not join the fight with Jolyne and gang?
Interview with the Character Designer of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, discussing the character design process for the season.
What was the process leading up to participating in this project?
It was through a character design competition. I had been asked to join since Phantom Blood, but my schedule never lined up, so I was able to join at last in this season. I had been buying and reading Stone Ocean even before I was asked to work on it, so I believe it was fate, and my wish came true.
What was it like getting to design the characters?
Jolyne in particular has so many expression variations that I had a hard time in the beginning. She grows from a normal girl to a strong young woman, so her expressions are compeletely different in the beginning versus later in the season. After discussing with Director Suzuki, we decided to split her design sheet, one for the first half, one for the second half. We have two character design sheets just for Jolyne.
Were there any other requests from Director Suzuki that you recall?
He requested that I streamline the line work as much as possible so that everyone could draw the characters. Of course, if we remove too much of the line work, it's no longer JoJo's, so he ended up asking me to add more lines back in. [laughs] I wanted to make sure the style followed the manga art as much as possible, so that was a challenging aspect.
Tell us about your character designing process.
I start with the ears, actually. Every manga artist draws ears a different way, so getting the ears down is a big step toward grasping the character as a whole. Araki Sensei leans towards realism, but his ears are very manga-esque, so I find that very interesting.
The JoJo's series has some very unique poses.
I was concious of that as well, JoJo's bodies have a very particular form, so outlining the human form like normal would not bring out Araki Sensei's style. Everyone's proportions are unique, and Jolyne and gang never stand like normal people, so re-creating those poses was difficult. I also paid special attention to how characters looked lined up next to one another.
There's quite the height difference between Jolyne and Emporio.
Exactly. It's especially difficult striking the right head-and-body ratio. Since anime is horizontal, re-creating Emporio as is would cut him out of the screen because he's so short. And if you include his hat, Weather Report is like nine or ten heads tall, so lining him up with other characters tends to throw off the balance.
Could you tell us more about how you struck the right balance?
Since Jolyne wouldn't be Jolyne if we changed her proportions, I used her as the base for everyone else. For example, we made Emporio's ratio a tad taller than he is in the manga, just enough that it doesn't feel wrong.
You were also one of the chief animation directors. How was that experience?
My biggest regret is not being able to work on all of the episodes and not being able to check all the scenes. But I really love the scenes of Jolyne that I was able to work on in the first episode. Also, since shadows are drawn in a unique way in JoJo's, I went back and forth about how to go on about it for this season, but in the end we went with a more realistic style. I'm proud of the results, especially in the first episode.
Do you have a favorite character out of the ones you designed?
Jolyne is my favorite, but I also like Gwess. I had the opportunity to draw Gwess for the anime, too, and I am really satisfied with my work! I liked her as a character when I was reading the manga, as well.
What are your favorite aspects of the JoJo's series?
The art style, definitely. I personally adore the style in Diamond is Unbreakable, but Vento Aureo leaves the biggest impression. I used to follow the series in real time via Weekly Shonen Jump, and I finally began buying the manga volumes around the time Stone Ocean started up. This applies to all the seasons, but I love how we can never predict what will happen next.
Finally, please leave a message for the fans who've purchased the Blu-ray.
I mentioned Jolyne earlier, but I also really love Jotaro, especially this new perception of him as a father. "I want to make him as badass as possible" was always on my mind during production. So, I hope that my feelings are reflected in the way Jotaro is animated.
Interview with the Stand Designer of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, discussing the Stand design process for the season.
Please tell us a bit about how you came about working on this season.
Since I had worked as chief animation director and secondary character designer on Golden Wind, I felt like I was done working on the JoJo's series. But Director Suzuki asked me to work on the Stand designs. I've been under his care since early on, when I was just starting out in my career, so I accepted the request.
How did you feel when you were put in charge of Stand design?
I felt the weight of expectation on me, for sure. This series has so many fans, and I wanted to make sure the designs were stable across the season.
Was there anything you prepared for in order to work on the Stand designs?
It was a challenge to figure out the designs for the Stone Ocean Stands, since they're so complex. We basically made sure that we all knew how each Stand worked, so that meant reading the manga, and asking Director Suzuki and even Hirohiko Araki Sensei if any questions came up. For example, Diver Down sometimes narrows its round eyes, and we had to check whether that meant it was changing facial expressions.
Were there any other points you found challenging?
The amount of lines used in the Stand designs in the manga are part of what make them so beautiful, but we can't animate all of that line work. So, we made sure to toe the thin line between too little and too much, so that the Stands were still beautiful but not impossible to animate. If they were still too difficult, we edited them in post using photography.
Which Stands were created with the help of photography?
One example is the DNA sequence written on Whitesnake's chest. We couldn't hand draw all of that. Dragon's Dream is another one that used the help of 3D CG. Stone Free's threads were a combination of hand drawn and post-editing. If the threads were entangled in a difficult way, we edited them after animation.
In your opinion, what are the most important things to think about when designing Stands?
I think it's important to leave room for stylization to be added in the key animation. This makes sure the Stands move and look their best. Usually, the most important thing in anime is to make sure characters can be drawn by any member of the staff. But in JoJo's, we put notes in the design sheets so that the key animators can add their own direction, changing the flavor of shading or expressions, or adding highlights in key points.
We see those often in the battle scenes.
Yes, like in Kiss's brawl in episode 14, where Takeshi Morita was in charge of key animation. Some details in this scene purposefully deviate from the character design sheet, since the animation was closer to theatrical quality. I did something similar in episode 15, where I was the chief animation director.
Were there any challenges acting as chief animation director?
Episode 15 features three storylines, so it was a chore to animate all the characters, young and old, male and female. [laughs] It was also Anasui's first appearance, so the layout highlighted him. I also put in a lot of effort into DIO's appearance. He might be the enemy, but he's also a godlike presence to our villain Pucci, so we had to make sure he appeared dignified.
Did you do any special preparations in order to animate the JoJo's series?
Reading the manga is a given, but we also study other non-animated works in order to absorb different techniques and knowledge. For Stone Ocean, I watched a lot of movies, like old thrillers, which helped me with the Stand designs. I also did face studies of people from different countries and researched what sort of makeup models used. These types of things really help us draw in a wider capacity.
Thank you. Lastly, a message to the fans who purchased the Blu-ray.
Please enjoy this season. I'd love it if you'd watch all the seasons straight through, from Phantom Blood to Stone Ocean. It's such a fun season, and so many scenes give you courage, so even if you're feeling down, I believe Stone Ocean will help you get back on your feet.
Interview with the singer of the first opening of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, STONE OCEAN, discussing ichigo's thoughts and reactions to the opening video.
What was your reaction when you recieved the offer to sing the opening song for Stone Ocean?
I ended up crying my eyes out from shock, elation and disbelief. It was such a tremendous honor that I truly thought it wasn't real until I saw the song on the streamed episode.
Tell us about the highlights of your song, "STONE OCEAN"
It's a rock number with plenty of distortion and a melody that's distinctly reminiscent of the enka style. I think it reflects the story, which is highly individualistic in nature, but at the same time is like, "I will lay my life on the line to save my friends!"
Was there anything in particular that you kept in mind when you were recording the song?
I pictured an all-female band performing at a rock festival, so I made sure my expression felt like I was singing for a large audience. Because of that, the call-and-response in English was originally much wilder, but it ended up feeling too rugged, so I toned it down a notch. If I am ever to perform this song live, I'll do the rugged version! [laughs]
What is your favorite part in the opening animation? Tell us why, too!
It's a blink-and-you-miss-it thing, but I got so excited when I noticed the moment when the weak-willed Atroe turns into F.F. And I love the way the credits start changing from episode 13 onward! Please take a look if you can. It's almost unreadable, its amazing! "ichigo from Kisida Kyodan & The Akebosi Rockets" was able to melt into the world of Stone Ocean!
What are your favorite aspects of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series?
That no one is simply "a good person"! Everyone has their own sense of justice that burns in their soul, and that gives them an infallible sense of willpower. I love that we can garner courage from their words and actions. "I see! so I can just punch away what I don't like!" [laughs]
A word for the fans who have purchased the Blu-ray set.
We're making the physical product a family heirloom, right? I mean, I certainly will!
