The Way of Making Pani Poni Dash!

Until the Three Scriptwriters Formed a Team

Kanemaki

This time, it was strange, as I didn’t have any stress when writing up the script. I’m also grateful for Hikawa-sensei for being so co-operative.

Shinbo

This was our most time-consuming work ever done, but we all had fun. Meeting new people coincidentally was also fun.

Kanemaki

That’s right. I had earlier met Shinbo-san during the making of Tsukuyomi. I believe that our good results were related to all those various coincidences.

Takayama

For me, it was the work that introduced me to Director, whom I heard to be “a scary person who is hard to please” (laughs).

Uetake

In my case, the first thing Director said to me was “Why are you here?” (laughs).

Kanemaki

Yes yes, that was it. Shinbo-san was the one who proposed on inviting Uetake-san to the team, however...

Shinbo

In actuality, I didn’t know Uetake-san would get invited. Then, one day, Uetake-san suddenly appeared at the scenario meeting and I went “Huh, why are you here?” (laughs).

Uetake

It was a pretty huge shock to me (laughs). I thought I was on candid camera (laughs).

Uetake-san, you joined the team halfway through the show, but what impressions Pani Poni had already given you?

Uetake

I have always considered writing anything robot-related as my strong point, but when robots were used in Episode 13, I honestly thought to myself “What should I do now” (laughs). I have memories of being quite confused at first.

Kanemaki

In the scriptwriting industry, the name Sumio Uetake is something that’s seen equal to mecha anime, so I asked him to join our team because of his inability to do anything else (laughs). From the scripts by Uetake-san, the Bus Episode 15 and Virus Episode 19 are set in closed spaces. Both episodes have consistent plots, but without them, he might’ve felt a bit uneasy (laughs).

Uetake

Well, there were some moments like that (laughs), and on the contrary, when I put together something I thought was well-done, it got rejected. For the end of Bus Episode 15, Director told me to “Let the bus drop”, to which I said “No way~” (laughs). Even in the original manga they get rescued.

Each Episode Has a Unique Meaning To Itself

Looking back to ”Pani Poni”, what thoughts it did give to you?

Kanemaki

The only answer I can give is that Pani Poni is indeed Pani Poni, as I think it’s an independent and a conclusive work.

Uetake

It’s hard to compare it to anything else.

Takayama

Everything in the show is unique in their own right, but that’s what makes them Pani Poni-like.

Kanemaki

If you were to include an episode from Pani Poni to another anime, it would feel like fulfilling that work’s uniqueness with just one episode (laughs). People say it’s “throwing stuff together”, but everything has been calculated.

Takayama

And when not calculated, we throw stuff together (laughs).

Kanemaki-san and Takayama-san, were there episodes from the latter part of anime that were memorable to you?

Kanemaki

Without a doubt, each episode was pretty memorable, but when speaking of all of them, I think the tension with those episodes never lets up until the very end. But if I had to pick one, I really like Episode 16. The story has a strong-minded flow to itself.

Shinbo

That was the one with the big-boned guy.

Kanemaki

Also, I wanted to put Becky at the center of stories from Episode 20 onwards. As a result, I think we are able to see Becky’s own growth.

Episode 24 too gave us a lot to talk about.

Kanemaki

It had a ton of jokes related to His*****. Initially, there were plans on doing two such homage episodes, one being Episode 22, but we shifted quickly courses and used material from the original work, and eventually only the homage to His***** was made.

Takayama

That one homage episode was originally meant to air between Episode 23 and 25, both of which have the same continuous story.

Kanemaki

I had decided to make that homage in some occasion, but I struggled to figure out which episode would be suitable to insert it in. Then Shinbo-san told me that he didn’t want to continue directly the story from Episode 23. That episode builds up an Earth-threatening crisis, and from there it continues with an episode where I was able to bring the homage of His*****.

Pani Poni’s Script with a Non-Existent Plot

Were there memorable topics and such held during those Scenario Meetings?

Kanemaki

Most of the times, Scenario Meetings had the same vibe as idle chatting. As the topics shifted from one to next, all the bizarre things came together to make a story. Actually, the plot for “Pani Poni” is nearly non-existent. I wrote only few ideas for the early episodes.

Takayama

I was commissioned to write the plot for Episode 4, but all I did was write two bullet points, using about 2/3 of an A4 paper sheet (laughs).

Shinbo

I really want to put Takayama-san’s plots on display (see on the side). If any other professional were to see them, I believe they’d be pissed off and say “Stop fucking around” (laughs).

Kanemaki

Essentially, if you can grasp the core parts and what type of a story it is, then the rest will be fine. It’s similar to Uetake-san’s case, who joined the team halfway through and took the responsibility to write as his first thing the plot for Episode 15.

Shinbo

It was a pretty serious episode, but in the end, Uetake-san joining halfway through didn’t cause that much of a trouble, right?

Uetake

Aren’t there already a lot of amazing episodes before Episode 15? There were certainly jokes that had me thinking “Usually these things would appear in the latter half, after Episode 13” (laughs).

Kanemaki

We decided not to hold back (laughs). But it’s honestly annoying how people seem to think that we write scripts for Pani Poni episodes half-assed (laughs).

Oonuma-san has apparently included game references in the actual episodes as well.

Takayama

It may seem like it’s just all about whims and feelings, but I really put thought when writing Episode 25. Though, I had the script completely rejected already twice (laughs).

Kanemaki

That’s what happened. Episode 25 script was set in stone with 3 drafts, and finished with 5 drafts.

Since 3rd draft was chosen after 2 earlier ones, how much did the script change?

Takayama

For example, in Super **bot Wars, robots' performance was initially similar to a real robot, but in the 3rd draft it was changed as similar to a super robot. Director too is part of the super robot generation, no way around it (laughs). Maybe that’s why that change got an okay from him.

When were you able to decide what to do with the Final Episode, after everything that has happened?

Shinbo

We thought about things we should do since around the very beginning.

Kanemaki

That’s right. That final episode is pretty good, too. I think Kurusu and others saying along the lines of “Wouldn’t it be nice if things stayed this way forever” symbolizes wanting to stay in this world they’re living in. And after that, there’s the joke of Becky coming in uninvited, which is what Pani Poni -ness is all about (laughs).

Shinbo

What did you think about the final episode, Fukuda-san? (Michio Fukuda-san, who was responsible of final episode’s storyboard, was present on this interviewing day)

Fukuda

I heard it would be that type of an episode. So, I calmly separated the storyboards from one another, according to the scenario. Episode 25 (which I was in charge with the same job) had so high tension that it made me emotionally burn-out with some parts, but I was glad the film was able to be completed in a satisfying way.

Shinbo

Yeah, it turned out pretty good.

All the Way to the Birth of Ichijou Festival

From your position as the Series Composer, Kanemaki-san, what kind of changes do you feel have occurred after adding Takayama-san and Uetake-san to the Pani Poni team?

Kanemaki

I think that the range of ideas has expanded. I wanted to make full use of each one’s personalities, and Takayama-san really showed his individual approaches soon enough (laughs). Uetake-san joined after the halfway point, when we were adapting stories from the original work. I had a thought that he would be a perfect fit for writing episodes with vicious undertones, which is why I asked him to write those ones. It was the same thing for the both of these two men, as long as they’d be able to move characters around in a funny manner, I could leave the rest of story composition well-assured to them and give them my trust. As a result, I believe the extraordinary aspect turned out in a satisfying way.

Takayama

We were able to go ahead of ourselves and do anything we wanted. It was like we asked ourselves “Where are all the strains?” (laughs).

Ichijou Festival is thought as the No. 1 symbol of the story dashing forward, but was it something that you, Takayama-san, came up with?

Takayama

It was Kanemaki-san who came up with the “Ichijou Festival” term itself. However, nothing concrete hadn’t been decided yet, so I went my way with an idea of making it a cardboard box and then say something like “This is Ichijou Festival” (laughs).

Kanemaki

As it was going to entangle directly with the episode and move focus away from the plot, in order to make it something unrelated to the overall story, this guy here just went and made it into a box (laughs). It was like he said “Will releasing this be alright” (laughs).

Takayama

”Ehime Mandarines” was something I gave a thought for the first time during Episode 25 production. Until then, it was a plain ol’ cardboard box (laughs).

Shinbo

Ah, that’s how it was. In both Episodes 17 and 18, there seemed to be foreshadowing spread all over (laughs).

Takayama

When I got ideas for Episode 25, I went back to Episode 17’s storyboard and set that “It has to have Ehime Mandarins” (laughs).

Kanemaki

It was something you did real-time at the studio (laughs).

Shinbo

Indeed, the box design became used in the DVD-Box, which most likely made Takayama-san all the more boastful. “The one who thought up Ichijou Festival was me!” or something like that (laughs).

Takayama

Oh no no, that’s not what would happen (laughs). I can’t image letters for “Ehime Mandarins” in any other way, so I was shocked when receiving that blue DVD-Box (laughs).

Kanemaki

The main title Pani Poni Dash! doesn’t stand out as much as the letters for “Ichijou Festival” (laughs). You don’t usually see a DVD-Box like this.

Everything Left Out Will Definitely Be in Season 2!

Is there material from Pani Poni that you purposedly left out?

Shinbo

I really want to make the elementary school arc happen. Covering that would take 3 months’ worth of episodes (laughs). That’s why, if there will ever be a next time, I wish the bare minimum to be 9 months’ worth of episodes.

TL's note: "Elementary school arc" refers to the plotline where Becky goes to study in an elementary school in the manga. The arc is mainly covered in the chapters of Volumes 6 and 7.

Kanemaki

There are a lot of left-out jokes too. I want to make similar homages like Episode 24 at least 3 or 4 more.

Shinbo

And then an episode with zombies.

Kanemaki

Given Pani Poni’s universe, a zombie story could very likely happen in this world.

Takayama

There were plans to make an episode similar to The Drifting *****room. It was at the last minute when we got the order to do such an episode, and for reasons I don’t know too well, it became a completely different story.

Shinbo

Also, since Class C has been the main cast up to this point, perhaps we can make Class D as the main characters next time around. Takayama-san said he’s out of jokes, but maybe he’s able to write something about Class D?

Takayama

I have no jokes left for other classes (laughs).

Kanemaki

Then how about Class A or Class B?

Takayama

Eeh! (laughs)

Uetake

Something like an Itou-san Special (laughs).

Shinbo

Let’s have Uetake-san write just about the Old Geezer teacher. And make Pani Poni X fight against another robot. Hey, I just made up an idea for an episode (laughs).

Uetake

Well, that’s certainly something I can feel like writing (laughs).

Shinbo

But I really want Season 2 to be confirmed. “Pani Poni” is something that has even come into my dreams. They have revolved around stuff like “Just realized we got an episode that can’t be broadcasted yet, what am I gonna do with that episode (which hasn’t been broadcasted), I’m thinking so much that I’m losing it” (laughs). On top of that, on the day of Final Episode’s broadcast, my condition collapsed and I’ve been abstaining from smoking ever since then, and I’ll continue doing so until Season 2 is confirmed. Maybe this kind of a wish is something you see people often hoping for (laughs).

Kanemaki

We all feel the same way, but it was Shinbo-san who really said “I don’t want this to end”.

Shinbo

I’m in a position where I can’t start any other projects, so I hope Season 2 will get quickly confirmed (laughs).

but halfway through it became a session for researching ways to cheat in the test.

And later it shifts to a pajama party.

Then they to try out the baths. Kurumi’s big bro was forced to make dinner for them by himself.

They watch DVDs, play games and tell ghost stories to each other.

Miyako: “What happened to the study session”

Next morning everyone goes “what to do with the test”, leave the Lodging Club’s clubroom and found that the school has drifted in to a desert.