Exclusive interview with Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Season 2 Trailer Director

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon is an anime that brought back the universe of Inuyasha, created by Rumiko Takahashi, and aroused many expectations in the fandom when it was announced that we would see a new show focused on Sesshomaru and Rin’s daughters, Towa and Setsuna, accompanied by Inuyasha and Kagome’s daughter, Moroha.

By Kevin Moreno

The series enjoyed great success since its debut and it's currently airing its second season, which managed to give the audience something to talk about not only in Japan, but also in the rest of the world. Therefore, we managed to contact the trailer director for this second season, Yuichiro Yokoyama, who with the authorization of Sunrise and Viz Media agreed to grant us an interview to talk about his work and the anime.

How did your career in the anime industry start?

Well, more than in the anime industry, I started in a company that compiled movies, anime, and video games. When I started, I was a full-time worker and while I was there, I realized that the production of music and soundtracks was important for the series and I became interested in working in this area.

Which series, whether anime or live-action, have influenced your work?

I am mostly influenced by the Tokusatsu and Ultraman series. But in terms of animation, it was the movie Street Fighter II. From those influences, I learned about plot tropes and aspects like dreams, strength, and beauty. That’s the origin of what I think is cool and powerful.

How were you contacted by Sunrise to elaborate on the trailer for Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Season 2?

2 to 3 years ago, I had the opportunity to work in the film version of City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes (2019). Mr. Naka, who was also in the project, became the producer of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, and it was he who contacted me to work on the trailer of the series. It is an honor for me.

Do you have a special feeling when it comes to the universe of Inuyasha and Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon?

I like the theme songs Kaoru Wada wrote for Inuyasha. I've always loved his creations and ever since then I’ve loved his soundtracks. Also, while working on the Yashahime project, I became a fan of the Inuyasha universe, especially now with Towa, Setsuna and Moroha: the daughters of the classic characters.

What is your favorite Inuyasha or Yashahime character?

Speaking of characters, I like Inuyasha, Kagome, Sesshomaru and Rin. Actually, it is my wife who is a big fan of Inuyasha. She watched the series and read the manga. She also likes Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon as part of the Inuyasha universe and she helps me when I have specific questions about the show, like when I want to know more about Tenseiga, Jaken, among other elements.

In fact, my wife is the ‘Inuyasha’ expert. I’m more like a specialist in the Yashahime series since I started to work on the project. I have to say that Towa is my favorite character from Yashahime while Inuyasha, Kagome, Sesshomaru and Rin are my favorites from the classic series.

We would like to know about the elaboration of an anime trailer, how many weeks in advance is the PV made?

For trailers, the process generally takes a long time before the anime is released. Sometimes it takes from 3 to 6 months before that, but it depends on each show. In Yashahime’s case, from the moment I was requested to make the trailer until the date of the debut, I had only 1 month to create it.

Did you have knowledge about the first episodes of the series or were you given key scenes to work on the trailer?

I didn’t have a lot of time compared to other projects, and I had to go through the process of watching episodes 1 to 29 of the series. Then, Sunrise requested that I include certain important scenes from each protagonist and I used them for the trailer of the second season.

After the trailer was produced and the rest of the episodes were completed, I was able to watch them and I realized the scenes looked cooler than when I saw them in pre-production. I was very impressed with the result.

Actually, from the moment I received the order, until the date I had to complete the trailer, I had less than a month. I received the material during a weekend and by the following Monday they were going to start with meetings, so I had 2 days to watch all the episodes.

Who approves the trailer for publication? Is it the director, the scriptwriter or maybe the producer?

*For this question we were introduced to Miss Itou, from the Sunrise Marketing team, who was in charge of answering this question.

There isn't actually one person who decides that. It is a group of people from the production committee, made of Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, and Sunrise. The director of the series isn't necessarily the one who gives the green light for the trailer since it is a group consensus.

Many fans in Latin America were fascinated by each moment of the trailer. What was the main objective of each scene that was revealed in it?

This might sound very silly and cliche, but from beginning to end, I wanted the audience to feel that each scene was powerful and energetic. I wanted the audience to get goosebumps.

Many fans liked to see the scene with Rin and Zero at the end of the trailer. What was the idea for putting it until the end of the video?

*To answer this question, Mr. Yokoyama showed us the PV and made an explanation for key parts of the trailer.

It seemed important to me to present the elements of Inuyasha at first as a hook because everyone loves Inuyasha and Sesshomaru, as well as their attacks.

After that, I showed Rin and the Tree of Ages, and how it turned from blue to red. I thought the fans would realize that she was crying and that they’d pause the trailer in each scene because it was very interesting.

There’s also Bokusen-Oh and Totosai.

Now about the question, the idea of putting Rin and Zero at the end of the trailer was for two reasons:

1. To surprise the public and show they knew each other.
2. I wanted to put it at the end of the logo, to show a difference in the timeline, since that scene is from the past before she fell asleep.

I wanted to talk about the construction of the last part of the PV. This is the part that was most challenging for me, which was how to present Setsuna’s return in the trailer because I wanted it to have a good rhythm. However, it was complicated as everyone expected her resurrection since she was in the poster. Everybody knew she was coming back, so I had to think hard about how to put her in the trailer.

For some of the scenes in the trailer, I used dialogues that belonged to other moments in the anime. I had to be really careful and adjust them to make them fit and look like these lines belonged to those scenes.

In the musical part, the scenes of the twins’ have a serious tone so I tried to create a balance. Therefore, at the beginning, I used the main theme of the Yashahime. Then, Towa’s theme was used but with a more reflective tone, and after that you can hear Setsuna’s theme that is also a serious moment. My greatest moment in the trailer is the transition from Setsuna’s resurrection to the final part with an alternative version of the theme of the Yashahime, and it looks like it’s the same song but is actually a transition of two different themes.

We were wondering if you knew or imagined how much Latin American fans love the show.

I knew the Inuyasha series was very popular outside of Japan, but I never imagined it would be so loved. In general, when I was creating the video, it was hard for me. I feel a little pressured by that popularity now since I wasn’t aware of it, but the response has been so great, and for that, we are very thankful.

In our continent, the couple of Sesshomaru and Rin have become very popular and have a big and very active community. Does it happen the same in Japan?

It’s hard for me to say since I am not immersed in the fandom community, but I know everything about Yashahime is very popular in Japan. Every week during a new episode broadcast, the series becomes trending on social media. It’s a show that dominates in trendings and that is very popular abroad. So, by contributing to this series, I feel a great responsibility to do it right.

Inuyasha and Kagome are also a very popular couple, with thousands of fans in Latin America. Many of them want to know if they will appear more in this second season. Could you tell us something about it?

Just now, I am working with Sunrise on the second PV for Yashahime season 2. On December 25th, during the broadcast of that day’s episode, the trailer for the second part will be presented and there we will see the answer to your question.

If you have managed to get in contact with the Sunrise staff, we would like to know how they feel about working on a new anime of the Inuyasha universe after so many years?

In Japan, Inuyasha has already concluded and although I’m not involved in it (being part of the old staff), I know there’s so much love from the team and that there was a need to bring back the universe with the series of Yashahime.

*Mr. Yokoyama then gave the floor to Miss Itou from the Sunrise Marketing Team to add more details to this answer.

Basically, the Yashahime staff is the same from Inuyasha and when the project started, everyone welcomed it with pleasure and were happy to meet and work together again. Inuyasha was a renowned work and that made the staff committed to this new installment. I was a huge fan in my youth when I was in primary school. And all the casts were also fans that love the story.

The cast of the Yashahimes were also huge fans when they were younger, so for everyone, it is an honor to work on this project.

Lastly, which one of the protagonists has caught your attention and with whom you identify with?

It would be Towa because of her appearance and her characteristics. She’s very direct and impulsive, temperamental and passionate. I identify a lot with her also because of her short hair and being so energetic.

Translation by Lourdes Ponce.

Based on the original graphic novel “ Inuyasha “ by Rumiko TAKAHASHI , published by Shogakukan Inc. ©Rumiko Takahashi / Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise 2020

Interview in Spanish

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