Gachiakuta Interview: Director Fumihiko Suganuma and Voice Actor Aoi Ichikawa

Anime Atelier had the opportunity to interview Gachiakuta series director Fumihiko Suganuma (菅沼芙実彦) and Rudo's voice actor Aoi Ichikawa (市川 蒼) about their work on the series so far during the Anime Expo '26.

After years of growing its popularity as one of the more unique manga in recent years, Gachiakuta officially made the jump to anime last year. It brought a gritty, emotionally charged story and distinct visual style to the screen, introducing the garbage-filled world to an even bigger audience.

This interview is transcribed from an audio recording with both questions and answers edited for clarity.

Q: With the second season announced, I'd like to ask both of you how you feel about the anime’s success so far.

Suganuma: I heard that there was a pretty big reaction overseas, and I’m both surprised and happy about that, but I want to make sure that this is a long-term project. I feel that we’ve overcome our first hill and had our first small success, but I'm going to keep working hard to keep it successful.

Ichikawa: I've been able to meet fans in Germany and Malaysia through my role in Gachiakuta, and I've realized that this series isn't just loved in Japan, but all over the world. I was able to feel this first-hand by attending these events and meeting fans face-to-face. These trips are my first time ever travelling outside of Japan. I'm honored to have the opportunity and to be part of a series that people all over the world can be passionate about.

Q: Suganuma-san, new directors often note difficulty in balancing the narrative structure of adaptations. As Gachiakuta is your series directing debut, how do you approach cutting, adding, and reframing scenes to fit the anime medium?

Suganuma: I think that a good way to approach it is to ask questions, receive the answer, and then recheck what the answers are. I repeat that process of debating and questioning so that when the final film is pieced together, the questions have already been answered.

Q: Ichikawa-san, Rudo tends to be an emotionally driven character, often expressing himself through anger and rage, especially at the beginning of the series. Have you ever found it difficult to portray this aspect of his character?

Ichikawa: Rudo is the type of character that doesn't peak at 100% anger. Oftentimes, his emotions explode at 120%, 150%, or 200%, so portraying this role, I had to go past my personal limits, which was challenging.

Q: Suganuma-san, are there any specific inspirations that you've homed in on in creating Gachiakuta's aesthetic with the staff?

Suganuma: Early on, [Kei] Urana-sensei presented me with the worldview by saying that it was a little similar to Arcane and Stray, so I had those as reference points to begin with.

Q: Ichikawa-san, were there any aspects of Rudo's character that resonated with you at the start of the series?

Ichikawa: His anger. In the process of becoming a voice actor, something I wanted to be able to express was my frustration and rage against the world around me that was doing me wrong. All of the anger that Rudo shows resonated with me.

Q: Do you think Rudo's anger is concretely expressed in the way that you wanted to?

Ichikawa: I don't know if everything that I did was correct because the target of Rudo's anger changes throughout the series. At the start, it's his situation and the world that put him there, but he gradually changes the direction of his anger from the world to something within himself, like not being able to do anything by himself and needing to rely on others. It depends on what point in the series you're talking about as to whether I did it correctly. I'm not really sure myself, but I think the interactions with the other voice actors in the recording sessions helped a lot because I felt that the other voice actors did a good job of bringing out the emotions in Rudo that I wanted to portray.

Q: In a way, I think not knowing is fitting for the character, as Rudo himself doesn't know where to direct his anger either.

Ichikawa: Thank you.

Suganuma-san, as for the production side, were there any moments where an episode director or storyboard artist influenced your overall approach?

Suganuma: [Takuya] Igarashi-san, he's a director, did storyboards that shocked me due to how meticulous and calculated they were. Whenever I'd read the storyboards, I'd think they were the blueprint for anime. Not just for this work, but for my career, it's become an inspiration for "directing" [enshutsu, 演出].

Q: Ichikawa-san mentioned being influenced by some of the other cast performances. Are there any specific character performances that you feel have strengthened the series?

Ichikawa: One scene that comes to mind is the battle with Jabber. For that scene, Jabber's voice actor, [Yuuki] Shin-san, and I went into the recording studio as a duo. It's an important scene for Rudo because it's the first time that he fights for someone else, and he's fighting Jabber, who is maniacal and also another human being. Since Rudo is fighting for someone else, I felt the need to interact, and having the opposing voice actor there to interact with was very inspiring.

Q: Do the two of you have a message for the fans eagerly awaiting the second season?

Ichikawa: We haven't started recording the second season yet, so I don't know where it's going to start and where it's going to end. I hope that you saw the growth of Rudo in Season 1, and please look beyond because I am looking forward to it myself.

Suganuma: Those who have already read the manga may already have some scenes in mind, so I hope they look forward to how we'll be adapting those scenes in the anime. Those who haven't read the manga will be wondering what happens in Season 2, and I think "transition" would be an apt description.

Anime Atelier would like to thank both Suganuma-san and Ichikawa-san for taking the time to answer our questions! While we wait for the Gachiakuta anime to return, you can watch the first season on Crunchyroll.

Featured image: @gachiakuta_pr

Credits:
Interviewer: Sarca
Interpreter: Rika Takahashi Chen
Assistance: Demelza Ward, Carla Bianca Carreon
Editor: Tamara Lazic
Special Thanks: Crunchyroll Team