In our interview article, anime producer Federico Antonio Russo (FAR) from Buta Productions mentioned that one of the challenges of working on an anime project is how chaotic an average anime production is. According to him, anime studios rarely want to delay their project even when something bad happens during the production. If someone messed up their schedule, the entire production process could be affected and even collapse. In the film adaptation of Anime Supremacy!, we can see such chaotic anime production moments relived on screen. It is a film that, due to its limitations rather than in spite of them, is able to simulate the experience the chaotic nature of an anime production. Anime Supremacy! is a film that feels very dense, very informative, yet also mentally exhausting.
Anime Supremacy! is a film that tells the rivalry between two anime directors, Hitomi Saito (Riho Yoshioka) and Chiharu Oji (Tomoya Nakamura). Hitomi is a former office worker who quits her job after watching Chiharu’s anime. However, after she joins the industry, she becomes insecure about her job. She’s uncompromising. Because of this, she often clashes with her coworkers. She also has to deal with producer Satoru Yukishiro (Tasuku Emoto) who wants to market Hitomi’s anime aggressively. The nature of the anime industry weighs her a lot. This is her dream job, but now she has to face the reality of the industry.
On the other side of the story is director Chiharu, the rival of Hitomi. Chiharu is an eccentric who only cares about animation. Just like Hitomi, Chiharu is also uncompromising. But unlike Hitomi, he doesn’t want to communicate with other people in his team. It’s his producer, Kayoko Ashina (Machiko Ono), who has to deal with all of his nonsense. When Chiharu wants to change the story midway, Kayoko is the one who has to negotiate with higher-ups. When Chiharu is suddenly gone for a week without notice, Kayoko is the one who assures the team that everything will be okay.
Seeing how the film treats both producers differently is fascinating. In Hitomi’s production, it’s she who often hast to abide by her producer’s demand, albeit begrudgingly. But in Chiharu’s case, he refuses to be controlled by his producer and just does everything his way. As others have discussed, women’s role in the anime industry has historically often been overshadowed by men’s. The movie shows how the two women in the movie, Director Hitomi and Producer Kayoko, themselves have to deal with all the bothersome things the male characters put them through. Analyzing how different their relationships between their respective counterparts are could spark an interesting discussion about how women creators are treated in the anime industry.
While the producer-director relationships are the backbone of Anime Supremacy!, its “meat” is the story of anime production itself, and it’s a considerably meaty one at that. It covers a lot of aspects of anime production, including animation creation, marketing, and voice acting. The film also doesn’t forget to add the characters’ daily lives, from their romantic life to their insecurity. In this regard, the film is similar to Shirobako. But with only 2 hours of runtime instead of 2 seasons of 24-minute TV anime, Anime Supremacy! is more demanding. Every scene moves quickly, while also presenting new information to viewers. The film doesn’t give its viewers any time to rest, which in a way could let us imagine how chaotic a weekly anime production feels for anime workers.
The demanding feeling of the story may also come from the fact that the film is trying to blend three different stories from the novel into one linear story. The original novel of Anime Supremacy! consists of three separate stories, with each focused on a woman who works in the anime industry: Director Hitomi, Producer Kayoko, and animator Kazuna Namisawa (Karin Ono). The film adaptation chooses to focus on the struggle of Hitomi and Kayoko while exploring their relationship with male characters. However, it also means that Kazuna becomes a side character in the film. It’s unfortunate because her story is interesting and relatable for viewers who also come from an otaku background.
Ultimately, Anime Supremacy! is a very dense film. It shows the gears behind the anime industry and any anime nerd will appreciate all the information this film presents. I also appreciate all the human drama in the film. But I must admit, keeping my attention to all the information this film provides makes me tired. Shirobako also has the same problem. But since it’s a weekly anime, Shirobako’s viewers always have time to rest and digest all the information while waiting for the next episode. As a film, Anime Supremacy! doesn’t have that luxury. The film doesn’t have any breathing space, but it works in the film’s favor because it lets us experience the chaotic reality behind the anime industry itself.
The Indonesian Anime Times | Review by Dany Muhammad | Special Thanks to The Japan Foundation and The Japanese Film Festival organizers for organizing the event
