Friendship is Key to Making The Ancient Magus' Bride

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The ethereal fantasy series The Ancient Magus' Bride returned to TV with slow-burn intrigue set in the College. Chise had lived a somewhat reclusive life with Elias and her familiars, but her knowledge of the magical world expands rapidly as she interacts with her classmates. Fans had held out hope for a second season, but it took a brand-new studio and six years before it could happen. We spoke with animation producer and Studio Kafka founder Kōichi Naruse about the steps needed to ensure this second season came to fruition alongside The Ancient Magus' Bride director Kazuaki Terasawa and chief animation director Kōhei Tokuoka.

Anime News Network: Naruse-san, could you tell us about the process of forming Studio Kafka in 2020? Was the studio formed specifically to continue The Ancient Magus' Bride anime?

Kōichi Naruse: So originally, [Kazuaki] Terasawa-san and I were working at Wit Studio and were actually planning to make season two. However, due to the "WIT Situation," WIT could no longer produce season two. I had all the team members brought together, and they were prepared to make it but had no way to do it. And then came Twin Engine, the production company. Their CEO, [Kōji] Yamamoto, offered, "Hey if you want to continue making The Ancient Magus' Bride, why don't you establish a company? I'll chip in and help you out on that." And that's how Studio Kafka was established. 

The name “Kafka” is closely associated with Bohemian writer Franz Kafka and his seminal work The Metamorphosis. What inspired taking this name for your studio?

NARUSE: So it's not from Franz, unfortunately. So Kafka, how the name came up? So when Terasawa-san, [Takahiko] Abiru-san, and I were the original members. When we established Kafka, we were thinking, "Oh, what name should we name our studio?" We were actually eating dinner at Abiru-san's house, and when we looked at a bookshelf, we saw Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. 

When we saw the word "Kafka," we thought it sounded quite nice. So why not name our studio "Kafka?" 

Were there any concerns about taking on this new series after Studio WIT created the first season?

NARUSE: WIT did a wonderful job on season one. The adaptation was great. Of course, I felt very anxious about whether we could create something as successful as season one. However, when we were producing season two, surprisingly, many of the staff involved in season one actually tagged along and joined Studio Kafka or came to help us out. So I was no longer worried that we could meet the quality standards.

The Ancient Magus' Bride deals heavily with the occult, folklore, and magick traditions. Did either of you have experience with these topics before working on the series?

Kazuaki Terasawa: I did a title called Overlord, which actually deals also with magic and fantasy. However, The Ancient Magus' Bride portrays a world where actual fairy tales exist. These stories quite heavily inspire it. So it's my first time doing something that's really connected to this kind of fairytale-like fantasy.

NARUSE: It's actually my first time. I mostly worked on action-oriented or battle-focused series in previous titles, more of the shōnen stuff. So this is my first time challenging myself with this kind of series. 

Kōhei Tokuoka: Actually, surprisingly, it's my first time. Similar to Naruse-san, I mostly worked on action-oriented series. If you say fantasy, more of the magic side, maybe Fate, Sword Art Online, that's something similar. But it's my first time working on a clearly fairytale-like story.

Which fantastical creature was the most challenging to bring to life?

TOKUOKA: The most challenging character, I think, is Elias. He's still always the most challenging creature to draw because he's a fairy-like creature with a human-like form. Also, when Elias turns to look back, when I'm trying to draw that, it's really hard not to crack his expression. He can't be drawn too pretty. So that's a challenge I face when drawing Elias.

Chise has two curses now and impressive magic abilities; what do you think makes her relatable to us non-magical viewers?

TERASAWA:Something that's relatable about Chise is that when she interacts with something or wants to do something about a situation, she stands still for a while and thinks about her process before she acts or says anything. So she's not very spontaneous, like typical manga characters. Chise has a very Japanese personality and doesn't do stuff spontaneously. They think first and then put it into action. That's very Japanese. 

How would you each describe your work relationship with one another when it came to creating The Ancient Magus' Bride season two?

NARUSE: Like friends! So work-wise, we have great teamwork, but what holds us together is that we all love soccer. Oh, yeah, we're like soccer maniacs. So in the middle of the night, because the overseas soccer games are in a weird time frame in Japan, we go to Tokuoka-san's house to watch the soccer match, drink some alcohol, and just have fun. That kind of relationship is holding the team together very closely. 

Chise and Elias' relationship was central to the series. What do you think of their Master-Master relationship?

TERASAWA: I don't see it as a "master" relationship, but instead, Chise and Elias are like partners. Very close partners. Because honestly speaking, for Chise, Elias is like her best friend and someone that she could be very honest with, someone that she could scold, or someone that she could adore. So, I believe it is a partnership. Since Season One, The Ancient Magus' Bride story is about family. So, as you know, Chise got abandoned, and she was all alone. Then in comes a skull-like creature that is not a human, a fairy-like creature called Elias. They're not connected blood-wise; they're not connected appearance-wise. 

However, what I want to portray is a message; it's not blood or what you look like that is the important connection; it's the mental connection that's critical. That's the important aspect you can see in the partnership between Elias and Chise. 

Is there a moment of animation in this cour that you were particularly impressed by?

TERASAWA: I can't pick a specific one, but I'll talk in general about the entire story. As you may know, The Ancient Magus' Bride heavily emphasizes the shadow and the light. So that's very difficult when making animation. But I put a lot of emphasis so that sakuga and animation can be beautifully portrayed. That's something that I'm very proud of about this series. 

TOKUOKA: So, not a specific scene, but I want to talk about the bigger picture. So "expression" is something everyone should be aware of for this series because when it comes to expression, it's not all about smiles, tears, or anger. The expressions are very hard to portray in animation. That's something I really focused on and something that everybody should check out while watching this series. 

Is that related to Elias? I ask because his facial expressions don't really change, but sometimes he'll open his mouth just a little, and it's cute. Or you can tell how he feels by how much his mouth is open. 

TOKUOKA: That's exactly what it. When making Elias' expression, the shadow and light are very critical to show that specific expression you're describing. 

It comes across to the viewer, for sure. What can fans look forward to in the next cour of The Ancient Magus' Bride?

TERASAWA: So cour two focuses on the story of Philomela, another main character. Please stay tuned and look forward to what kind of story is hidden behind her.  Cour two started more slowly, but the story will pick up the pace, so that's something the fans can look forward to.