The Way of Drawing Pani Poni Dash!

Checking Every Episode and Scene that Transcend the Common Sense of Regular TV Anime

As a Chief Animation Director, you checked almost every single episode, which must’ve been a huge workload.

Oota

It was troublesome. Normally we fixed about 30-40 shots of main girls’ and other main characters’ close-ups that bothered us (laughs).

Looking through every scene in every episodes, were there animators that left you an impression?

Oota

First and foremost, (Noboru) Jitsuhara-san and (Yoshiaki) Itou-san. And then in the latter half (Satoshi) Iwataki-san, who was in the team during Episodes 18 and 23. He is an incredibly skilled fellow. He’s not on a level where he only makes characters cute, but as an animator, he’s extremely skillful. And honestly, he’s way above me. Also he works really quickly. From what I’ve heard, he’s actually one of the main staff members in charge of mecha designs for other anime, as well as often doing key animation for theatrical anime.

And what about Jitsuhara-san?

Oota

Jitsuhara-san is a perv (laughs). He is the one who has been in charge of episodes’ animation direction the most, but from Episode 15 onwards, he had taken charge of the setting and had become a shadow member of the main staff (laughs). And lastly there’s Itou-san. He has worked with the animation ever since Episode 1 after we asked him to join, and he has also done key animation for the openings alongside designing accessories and mecha. It’d be rude to call him a background factor, since he has been active in the same rank as main staff. He’s good at capturing his own visual style, but also very skilled when in charge of performing roles and filling exposure sheets. The more I work as the Chief Animation Director, the more my technical ability as an animator is left behind, which makes me pretty anxious (laughs).

High Standards in Demands and Trust to the Director

I heard there exists design drawings even of the smallest details and cuts that last for only an instance. In a normal anime, staff wouldn’t go this far.

Oota

That’s right. But in Director Shinbo’s case, that’s what is demanded from us. When I partnered with the Director for the first time, I thought “Ah, so this is how high this person’s demands are”. This isn’t because Director doesn’t trust people around him, but considering the time that takes time to revise a scene when it comes out different from the original image, this way is better.

Especially with Episode 24’s jidaigeki clothing and Episode 26’s swimsuits, almost everyone’s clothe setups were created only to be featured for those single episodes.

Oota

If I was gonna do it, I might’ve as well go for it. If you work as if you’re forced to do exactly what the superiors have told you to do, it will definitely reflect to the film. That’s why the most important thing is to have fun while doing your tasks.

Dealing It with Seriousness Because It’s a Work of Entertainment

Oota-san, what kind of a work Pani Poni Dash! is to you?

Oota

This work reminded me of how I felt in the beginning when I entered this industry. That is to say, we are here to create entertainment. For these past 2-3 years I’ve been pondering whether I could make something funny, which made constantly feel gloomy. Then this job came up, and I figured to put all things I accumulated through the years into this. The work wasn’t about making art that you could tell was skillfully done when looking at the drawings, but rather having a level of imagination to create funny things, so no matter who sees it, it’d be funny. Everyone was doing their job with that feeling. That’s why Pani Poni Dash! is entertainment. There’s no message, nothing beneficial, and definitely no any emotional education (laughs). It’s rare to see such a vulgar work that has an uncertain narrative, but I thought that if I didn’t work seriously, viewers would drop the anime in that instant. For such a work, me receiving the prestigious job of an animator who’s also the character designer, I consider myself very lucky.

Viewers too kept up with the momentum of the work.

Oota

Well, there’s no other way but to make them follow us (laughs). And on top of that, I believe in the Director. That’s all there is to it. We also get a lot of homework to handle with. For example, “Conceal Principal with a mask”. In order for me to come up with what kind of a mask would be fit for concealing, I spent time in researching masks from different time periods and parts of the world. And eventually I borrowed the mask from some kind of a tropical tribe.

Even the most casual parts really take a lot of effort, yes?

Oota

Well yes, but I love these types of things. And it’d be absolutely unacceptable to have all the familiar viewers criticize them. That’s what creating stuff is like. If the people watching can’t see how a joke was made after careful research, it’s no wonder they say it’s cutting corners. For me too, when I don’t understand something, I’ve been told countless times to look it up and draw it.

Duties and Roles of the Main Staff

What was the best part about being involved with the work as part of the main staff?

Oota

Well. The ideal would be a situation with a generous budget and flexible schedule, and even when that’s not the case, the main staff’s job is to make it seem like it really is. It’s to make an absolute sense of security. That often goes without saying for the animation. Our role was to create a brand of great-looking animation for this work. The level of writing for Pani Poni Dash! episodes is absurd, which is why we first needed to give a sense of security with key scenes. If this anime was made with poorly-drawn animation and incomprehensible content, it’d be ridiculed. I like to laugh at things, but I also hate something getting laughed at. I always told staff members “Don’t be laughed at, just make people laugh”. I never want to compromise with anything else in any other work, and I feel the same determination on making a sequel to “Pani Poni”.

Raw Setup Collection 4

Apart from Oota-san, Yoshiaki Itou-san and Noboru Jitsuhara-san were in charge of numerous concept art. Let us introduce some of them.

Pani Poni X

Detailed concept art that seems to convey the movement of its fingers. The interior too is very mecha-like and cool.

Robousa

Robousa was set up by Jitsuhara-san. In addition, there’s art of wristwatch-type Robousa command tool.

Space Ship

There aren’t many opportunities to see the whole interior in main story, you can see it’s designed delicately to the last detail.

MIB Style

The rifle was set up by Itou-san. There are also many additional realistic gadgets, such as a video camera, drawn here.

Pani Poni X Final Form

Blending in even more various stuff may have made the design become chaotic. For some reason it’s wearing geta on its feet.

Pani Poni X Final Form (Inside the Bridge)

(Upper) Comparatively, the appearance of insides the bridge is really retro. For some reason the seats are floor chairs, and in the background, there are meters reminiscent of ***ji Matsumoto.

(Lower) Console that lists only hand-to-hand techniques. Was it made with the intention of moving with sheer willpower instead of scientific powers?

Person in Charge of Animation: Becky Cut 1

Character Design, Chief Animation Director, Animation Director for Episodes 8 and 26

Kazuhiko Oota

What was your key point when drawing keyframes?

Keyframes, huh. Well as the very first thing there came the work with layout. And this point is where the work will change onwards. I can’t make the presence of characters come out until creating a solid space for them. And then there’s the expression and timing. Even now there’s no single “this” as a key point.

Person in Charge of Animation: Becky Cut 2

Animation Director for Episodes 1, 8 and 22

Yoshiaki Itou

What was your key point when drawing keyframes?

When making keyframes, it’s always a priority of mine to draw them cute. I was relieved when an energetic and fluffy feeling came out of Becky’s dancing in Roulette☆Roulette. However, I was a little bit disappointed for not being able to do much more with the keyframes themselves. When working with animation, I tried my best to make drawings as close to Oota-san’s art as possible, and I regret my drawings for being not intense enough.

Person in Charge of Animation: Becky Cut 3

Animation Director for Episodes 4, 10, 15, 20 and 25

Noboru Jitsuhara

What was your key point when drawing keyframes?

When it came to drawing keyframes, I first of all went with the feel of like “Do as you wish, I’ll do what as I please”. Also, when I tried myself to replicate drawing the “thicc” of Oota’s characters, it seems I went too far… (laughs).

Raw Setup Collection 5

While your eyes tend to follow the interesting set ups of the characters, mecha and such, the background is also steadily well-crafted. Let’s take the opportunity to take a closer look.

Panorama of Momotsuki Academy

Momotsuki Academy seen from the main gate. Upon entering, the bronze sculpture of the Principal and the corridor connecting right and left school buildings together are right in front of you.

Classroom

The classroom itself is very orthodoxic in design, but the set up for cross-section view gives actually a Pani Poni Dash!-esque feel to it.

Rooftop

Rooftop that has letters for “Pani Poni” written down there. It has grass planted on it, to serve as a place for students’ leisure.

Faculty Room

The faculty room isn’t bigger than this, which gives it an impression of coziness. The door in the back leads to Principal’s office.

Sportsfield

The sportsfield lies in the opposite direction of the main gate. Various gang leaders once barged in there.

Hallway

The hallway looks quiet in the set up materials. The place is actually pretty lively when students from different classes mingle together there.

School Cafeteria

Momotsuki Academy’s cafeteria is very spacious and surprisingly stylish. There’s also a terrace to the backyard, where you can have a meal on days with good weather.

Vending Machine Corner

At a first glance, they look like normal vending machines, but in some of them, Lord Cat is there inside. You might be caught off-guard and end up buying lukewarm juice.

Rabbit hutch

It’s located in the corner of the school and gives off a somewhat shabby impression. Kurumi ends up withdrawing herself here while sulking for being called as plain.

Pool

At the bottom of the pool, which Becky and others cleaned before it was opened, there’s somehow the secret base for Pani Poni X.

Library

Place where you can study in silence. Miyako and Inugami, who avoid the bustle of their classes, often use this place.

Here’s an introduction to some particular picks from the midst of setups Oota-san was in charge of! There are detailed setups even for the briefly appearing characters!!

Episode 1 – Bronze Statue of the Principal

Principal himself has been perpetuated into a bronze statue. Hajime Ha**’s gags are the graveyard of ideas.

Episode 4 – Chinese Circus Girl

Character who appeared in Himeko’s delusions. Even though her part is only an instant, there exists a setup of her.

Episode 4 – Carnival Dancer

”Since it’s a short scene, I’ll increase the lines and draw her more precisely instead”, said Oota-san.

Episode 6 – Ichijou (Dragon of ******* Knit Shop)

The garage kit was used as a reference. Eye shadow was also reproduced.

Episode 8

Tofu Shop Man – Realistic drawings like these ones are apparently Oota-san’s original area of expertise.

Kiriusa

The strong-looking face is a motif of the person who plays Kamen Ri**r No. 1.

Kurumi Momose (Work clothes)

Even though it’s just Kurumi from MaroMayu, she’s treated like a new character.

Invulnerable Bruce

The name’s Bruce, but his motif is **mmy *ee Jones

Taeko

Director Shinbo has stated this character to be his favourite one since the beginning.

Akane Serizawa (Co***ndo)

Since it’s Serizawa, she’s the perfect match for Co***ndo. The combination is exquisite.

Miyako Uehara (Nenbutsu no Miyako)

As Nenbutsu no Miyako got implemented with coolness, she was made into several more settings.

Himeko Katagiri (Himeko of the Cowlick)

There’s the nice detail of letters for “Maho” dyed in her lapel

Ichijou (Ichijou the Shamisen Player)

For a chonmage to look good on a girl, Ichijou is awesome.

Rei Tachibana (Firepower Rei)

Her Chinese clothes were done by Kyouko Kametani-san, while Firepower Rei was designed by Oota-san.

Suzune Shiratori (Dai**rō) & Saotome Akiyama (Ogami **tō)

Oota-san said ”I draw them after watching a Lone Wolf and *** DVD”.