In a few days, the next era of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will be upon us with the release of the first, double-length episode of STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Before the first stage gallops onto screens, Anime Trending had the chance to watch the episode and talk to director Yasuhiro Kimura in both pre- and post-release capacities.
STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s first episode is nothing more than a thrilling ride that captures the spirit of Hirohiko Araki’s original manga. The music is stylized, with jazzy renditions of the ironic motifs we know and love, and the animation brings the story to life. I was personally worried that the horse animation wouldn’t live up to the trailers, but there wasn’t a single cut in the first episode that didn’t look great, for both the horses and their riders.
With that, let’s hear from one of the staff behind bringing STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to life – director Yasuhiro Kimura, who is best known for directing JoJo’s fifth part, Golden Wind, as well as the 2022 remake of Urusei Yatsura.
This interview has been edited for clarity and flow.
Kimura on STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Before Release
We’re a few days away from the release of the extended first episode. How are you feeling about the release? How’s the whole team at david production feeling?
Yasuhiro Kimura: I’ve continually been watching the first episode over and over again. Every time I see it, I can’t help but be proud of it.
Many of the staff members are huge fans of the original manga, and they’re working hard to finish the anime. They know that there are a ton of fans around the world and that STEEL BALL RUN got a huge reaction when it was announced, so they’re putting their all into the show.
This is the second JoJo’s series you’re directing. How does STEEL BALL RUN compare to Golden Wind?
Yasuhiro Kimura: First, I thought about what the strengths of STEEL BALL RUN were. Above all, it’s the buddy dynamic between Johnny and Gyro. I’ve tried to avoid cutting their interactions as much as possible. Although the manga spans 24 volumes, the illustrations and panels are larger than in previous parts, giving the series a brisk, page-turning pace. We’ve aimed to preserve that same rhythm you’d feel reading the manga in the anime.
When I directed Golden Wind, I realized that the characters never ate. Whenever they tried to eat, they were always attacked. For STEEL BALL RUN, I want to portray the characters eating a meal, so during a camping scene, I’d like to add more scenes showing the “road movie” atmosphere that wasn’t in the original work.
What are some differences in your approach between the two?
Yasuhiro Kimura: When Golden Wind was originally published, it was released in a shonen magazine, but when STEEL BALL RUN was being published, it was moved to a seinen magazine during publication, which is for young adults. So I wanted to make STEEL BALL RUN more mature to reflect the themes of the story, but I also didn’t want to alienate existing fans. It was a balancing act between the two atmospheres.
One example was with the onomatopoeia. The original work had a ton of it, and it’s a staple of the series, but to give the anime a more mature aura, I toned down the amount of onomatopoeia.
It’s been a while since you’ve worked on JoJo’s directly. What is something new you learned from your time on other projects that you’re bringing to STEEL BALL RUN?
Yasuhiro Kimura: In between Golden Wind and STEEL BALL RUN, I started using a lot of 3DCGI. This took a lot of studying, but I’ve come to be able to make some cuts myself out of the techniques I learned. I got to work on two different anime in between the two JoJo’s projects, and I incorporated those techniques in those shows as a learning exercise.
One of the anime I worked on was a volleyball series, and so when making Gyro’s steel balls, I used the same techniques to create the spin.
I feel like all the learning I’ve done has led to what you’ll see in STEEL BALL RUN.
Editor’s note: Kimura previously directed 2.43: Seiin High School Boys Volleyball Team.
How Red Dead Redemption 2 Shaped STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure‘s Look
Araki-sensei’s STEEL BALL RUN manga is seemingly influenced by old American western films set in the late 1800s. Does the anime have the same influences? Are there any media that have influenced the team?
Yasuhiro Kimura: I’m not exactly referencing any of those types of films for STEEL BALL RUN, but in the lead-up, I watched the film Far and Away with series director Toshiyuki Kato. But most of all, I watched the Red Dead Redemption 2 trailer over and over again and played a bit of the game.
I find the coloring of these works really interesting — the contrast between the red and the black, and the sinking sun at twilight, especially with the characters’ silhouettes imprinted against the bright light. That coloring, especially how the red and black contrast, was something that I wanted to bring to STEEL BALL RUN.
We brought in some experts on American culture from universities in Japan to advise on the production and ensure everything was faithful, but really, it’s hard to find any research on that time period to fall back on here in Japan.
Do you have any interesting stories from the production that you’d be able to share?
Yasuhiro Kimura: For our research, we were scheduled to visit a horse farm in Tomisato, in the middle of Chiba Prefecture, just outside of Tokyo. We were late to the meeting because one of the staff members entered the wrong GPS destination, and we ended up at the wrong horse farm which had a similar name in the same prefecture, though it was actually very far away!
What are some scenes in the first episode that you’re excited for people to see? Without spoilers, of course!
Yasuhiro Kimura: For the first stage, I wanted to emphasize the actual race aspect of STEEL BALL RUN, so I made sure that the race was always top of mind. I wanted the audience to feel like they were watching a real race live, complete with the runners’ emotions and the live, exciting commentary.
The last scene is one that the whole team worked hard on, so I’m excited for everyone to see it.
Do you have a message for international JoJo’s fans ahead of the premiere later this week?
Yasuhiro Kimura: The team is continuing to do their best to make the series the best it can be, and our fuel to keep going is everyone’s reaction to the show, so please continue to support us!
Please watch out for the second part of this interview later this week, after STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure premieres its first episode on Netflix on March 19! Special thanks to Warner Bros. Japan for their assistance in organizing this interview.