Following the acclaimed world premiere of Masanao Kawajiri’s animated romantic comedy "Cherry and Virgin" at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival, director Kawajiri and lead actor Takashi Okado offered a candid discussion about the film’s deeply personal origins, its groundbreaking animation techniques, and the arduous working conditions that shaped its creation. The 87-minute film, which explores the anxieties and insecurities surrounding intimacy for an inexperienced erotic manga artist, Ryo Honda, and a hesitant commercial illustrator, Ami Enomoto, marks Kawajiri’s significant return to Fantasia after his short film, "A Japanese Boy Who Draws," captivated audiences in 2019.
The genesis of "Cherry and Virgin" is intricately woven with Kawajiri’s own life experiences. The director revealed that a significant portion of the screenplay emerged organically during the writing process, directly influenced by profound personal events. "While I was writing the script," Kawajiri explained to Asian Movie Pulse, "one of my friends died. That experience was incorporated into the beginning of the story, in which the death of a friend prompts Ryo to join a dating application and reconsider the isolation of his own life." This raw, emotional catalyst underscores the film’s exploration of human connection and the confrontation with mortality that often spurs introspection about one’s relationships and personal fulfillment.
Further enriching the narrative fabric, Kawajiri adopted an unusually collaborative approach to script development. He conducted extensive interviews with the actors, character designers, and artists involved in the production. The intimate details of their personal experiences, relationships, and professional observations were then thoughtfully integrated into the screenplay. This allowed the fictional characters of Ryo and Ami to draw deeply from the lived realities of the individuals bringing them to life. "I interviewed the actors and the people responsible for the character designs, and included many of their real experiences," Kawajiri stated, emphasizing a deliberate move towards authenticity and a more resonant portrayal of human vulnerability. This method of drawing from the wellspring of his creative team’s lives not only infused the characters with greater depth but also fostered a unique sense of ownership and shared vision among the production members.
A Visual Symphony of Contrasting Identities
The most striking and innovative aspect of "Cherry and Virgin" lies in its audacious decision to portray its central characters through distinct and contrasting animation styles. Ryo Honda, the introspective manga artist, is predominantly rendered in monochrome, a visual echo of the erotic manga he creates. This deliberate choice reflects his internal world, often perceived as stark and monochromatic, mirroring the black-and-white medium of his professional output. In stark contrast, Ami Enomoto is depicted through a vibrant and more fluidly expressive visual language, symbolizing her more outward-facing profession as a commercial illustrator and perhaps her potential for emotional openness.
Kawajiri explained that this stylistic divergence was born from the film’s thematic core: the complex encounters between disparate individuals and the subjective nature of perception. "Each character is effectively depicted as they imagine or draw themselves," Kawajiri elaborated, "meaning that their appearances are not governed by a single unified aesthetic." This approach breaks from conventional animation practices where a single artist typically maintains a consistent visual style across all characters within a scene. For "Cherry and Virgin," however, the mandate was different. Multiple artists had to contribute to the same sequence, each tasked with preserving the unique visual identity of their respective protagonist.
"Normally, one animator would handle one cut," Kawajiri noted. "In this case, different people had to draw the individual characters, so completing a single shot required the involvement of several artists." This necessitated an unprecedented level of coordination. Drawings created by disparate individuals had to be seamlessly integrated within the same composition, a feat that demanded meticulous attention to detail to maintain the characters’ contrasting appearances and ensure their movements felt cohesive and connected. The technical challenge was immense, requiring a redefinition of collaborative workflows in animation. This experimental approach, while complicating the production, ultimately served to amplify the film’s central themes of individuality and the often-jarring yet compelling intersections of different personalities.
Adding another layer to this visual tapestry is the introduction of a third character rendered as a three-dimensional digital avatar. Kawajiri drew inspiration for this character from the burgeoning world of VTubers and online personalities he encountered among his acquaintances. These individuals often adopt virtual personas for live-streaming video games, creating a distinct online identity separate from their real-world selves. The director intentionally contrasted the sleek, attractive digital avatar with the middle-aged man operating it, intending this juxtaposition primarily as a visual gag. However, it also subtly comments on the curated nature of online identities and the ways in which individuals present themselves in the digital sphere. Kawajiri felt a three-dimensional form was inherently suited to this character because the avatar itself represents a deliberately constructed online persona, existing in a digital space that often embraces three-dimensional rendering.
Takashi Okado: A Multifaceted Contributor to Ryo’s Existence
The contribution of actor Takashi Okado to "Cherry and Virgin" extended far beyond his voice performance for Ryo. In a testament to the film’s unconventional production methods, Okado played a pivotal role in bringing Ryo to life through rotoscoping. This animation technique involves filming live-action footage and then tracing over each frame to create animated sequences. Consequently, Okado’s initial task was to perform Ryo’s character in live-action, with this filmed performance serving as the direct reference for the subsequent animation.
This demanding process positioned Okado as a voice actor, a live-action performer, and, crucially, an animator. He also lent his hand to parts of the drawing process, giving him an unusually comprehensive and hands-on involvement in the creation of his character. "I played the main character, but I was also filmed for the rotoscoping," Okado recounted. "I performed as a live-action actor, provided the voice, and helped with the animation. It was a very enjoyable way to participate in the project." This holistic involvement allowed Okado to imbue Ryo with a remarkable depth of physicality and emotional nuance, having physically embodied the character’s movements and expressions before they were translated into animation.
Kawajiri had previously shared an early draft of the screenplay with Okado and introduced him to his earlier short film, recognizing the actor’s potential for the project. The director was particularly impressed by Okado’s enthusiastic commitment to a production operating with a lean team and limited resources, especially given the challenging circumstances. Much of the film’s production commenced during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period marked by significant disruptions to production schedules and standard working arrangements. Kawajiri highlighted the dedication of both Okado and Yaeko Kiyose, the voice of Ami, who remained steadfastly committed to the project despite the unavoidable delays and practical restrictions imposed by the global health crisis. The success of the rotoscoped material, Kawajiri emphasized, would have been impossible without the full cooperation of these performers. Their live-action performances provided the essential physical foundation upon which the animation team could meticulously construct the protagonists’ gestures, expressions, and interactions, a testament to the collaborative spirit that defined the film’s creation.
Casting Driven by Passion and Manga Acumen
The inherently modest scale of the "Cherry and Virgin" production precluded the filmmakers from undertaking an extensive, traditional audition process. Instead, Kawajiri sought collaborators who exhibited a palpable passion for the project and possessed a genuine familiarity with manga culture. Takashi Okado emerged as an ideal candidate for Ryo, partly due to his personal experience in drawing and independently producing manga. These parallels between the actor and the protagonist undoubtedly informed Okado’s performance, even if he didn’t share every specific professional characteristic with Ryo.
To fully immerse himself in the role and understand the world of erotic manga, Okado initially attempted to create such artwork himself. However, he quickly discovered that producing convincing erotic illustrations was a far more complex and challenging endeavor than he had anticipated, leading him to abandon that particular experiment. Instead, he shifted his focus to creating a non-erotic manga, which he subsequently sold at Comitia, a prominent Tokyo convention dedicated to original self-published comics. This experience proved invaluable, allowing him to gain a profound understanding of the practical, creative, and emotional demands involved in conceptualizing, executing, and presenting a manga to an audience. "I wanted to try drawing erotic manga, but I couldn’t do it," Okado admitted. "It was extremely difficult. I drew a non-adult manga instead and sold it at Comitia, so I could experience what it meant to create and sell my own work." This hands-on experience provided him with a unique insight into Ryo’s artistic struggles and triumphs.
Kawajiri also enlisted the expertise of Katsuya Takayanagi, the artist responsible for Ryo’s character design and a seasoned creator of adult manga. Takayanagi and Kawajiri worked in close concert throughout the development of both the screenplay and the visual materials. Their ongoing dialogue directly influenced revisions to the story, ensuring that Ryo’s portrayal was both authentic and nuanced. Kawajiri observed that some older stereotypes depicted erotic manga artists as socially inept individuals attempting to illustrate subjects outside their personal experience. His research, however, indicated that this perception no longer accurately reflected the contemporary landscape of the industry, where many artists possess a sophisticated understanding of their craft and the subjects they explore.
Rotoscoping: An Artistic and Pragmatic Decision
Over 90 percent of "Cherry and Virgin" was brought to life through the meticulous process of rotoscoping. Kawajiri’s approach began with a finalized screenplay and rough storyboards, which then served as the foundation for filming simplified live-action versions of the scenes in accessible locations. This live-action footage was then edited into a comprehensive reference version, meticulously establishing the timing, framing, performances, and overall movement of the entire production. Animators then painstakingly translated these live-action images into the finished animated characters and environments.
This deliberate methodology allowed Kawajiri to maintain precise control over the film’s composition and staging, a crucial advantage given that he was working with animators of varying experience levels. Many artists were recruited online, including beginners who might have found it challenging to independently design complex layouts or determine appropriate camera positions. By resolving these critical visual elements during the live-action phase, Kawajiri could provide the animation team with a clear and unambiguous visual guide, streamlining their workflow and ensuring consistency. Rotoscoping thus served as both an artistic choice, lending a unique fluidity and realism to the animation, and a pragmatic strategy for minimizing the time and budget required for extensive revisions. Despite its efficiency, the process remained labor-intensive, demanding the translation of every live-action movement into the appropriate drawing style. Furthermore, scenes featuring both Ryo and Ami necessitated the careful integration of work from separate artists, adding another layer of complexity to the production pipeline.
The Evolving Landscape: Manga, Anime, and the Specter of AI
Masanao Kawajiri characterized the contemporary manga and animation sectors as being in a dynamic period of both significant expansion and considerable uncertainty. While Japanese productions continue to hold a strong international competitive edge, artists are increasingly grappling with intense workloads as the industries strive to meet escalating global demand. The advent of generative artificial intelligence has introduced another layer of complexity, posing a fundamental question about the future of creative labor. Kawajiri expressed that it remains unclear whether AI will evolve into a tool that alleviates repetitive tasks and streamlines production processes or if it will lead to job displacement and a reduction in the number of professional artists.
Regardless of technological advancements, the working conditions within these industries remain physically demanding. Kawajiri drew a poignant comparison between manga artists and animators and professional athletes, whose careers are often dictated by the longevity of their bodies under continuous strain. The prolonged hours spent drawing can lead to repetitive strain injuries such as tendonitis, with younger artists sometimes adopting a mindset of pushing their physical limits to maximize their output before potential injury or burnout sets in. "It is almost like the life of an athlete," Kawajiri observed. "People wonder how hard they can push their bodies while they are still young and how much they can produce before they become too old for the work." This stark analogy underscores the immense physical toll that dedication to these crafts can exact.
Navigating the Nuances of Comedy, Sadness, and Intimacy
Kawajiri identified a specific sequence in "Cherry and Virgin"—the moments leading up to Ryo and Ami’s first night together—as the part of the production that most effectively encapsulates his directorial vision. In this pivotal scene, a series of misunderstandings causes both characters to falter, lose confidence, and reconsider their impending intimacy before ultimately finding their way back to each other. The director deliberately sought to weave multiple, often conflicting, emotions into this single sequence. The audience is invited to find humor in the protagonists’ palpable awkwardness, while simultaneously recognizing the profound seriousness of their insecurities and the underlying sadness that stems from their difficulties in communication.
Kawajiri believes this scene successfully achieved the tonal ambiguity he aimed for throughout the production. Viewers might find themselves uncertain whether to perceive the moment as amusing, painful, or genuinely romantic, mirroring the complex and often unpredictable nature of nascent relationships. Okado, on the other hand, gravitated towards a more specific moment: the scene where his character forcefully kicks open a door. He highlighted this particular action with personal pride, noting that he had personally contributed to the animation of that specific movement.
While their choices of favorite moments differed, both Kawajiri and Okado’s selections underscored the exceptionally collaborative spirit that defined "Cherry and Virgin." It was a production where performers, designers, and animators not only influenced how the characters sounded and moved but also played an integral role in shaping the very narratives they inhabited, creating a deeply personal and artistically innovative cinematic experience.
