Interview: Producer Ena Hamabe on Adapting Yuri Works to Anime
Anime Atelier had the opportunity to interview producer Ena Hamabe (浜辺恵那) and chat about two girls' love (GL) anime adaptations: This Monster Wants to Eat Me (Watatabe) and the ongoing I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day (Kimishinu).
Hamabe, who is currently affiliated with the Infinite production company, gave us an insight into the production process, shared more about Infinite, and discussed yuri anime titles.
Q: Could you introduce yourself and your role as the produce [プロデュース] on This Monster Wants to Eat Me (hereinafter Watatabe) and I Want to Love You Till Your Dying Day (hereinafter Kimishinu)?
Hamabe: I currently work as a producer for Infinite. I oversee the work from animation production with the studios to promotion. I am personally responsible throughout the entire process for projects like Watatabe and Kimishinu—from planning to distribution.
Q: As a producer, what aspect of making anime do you focus on or have the most interest in?
Hamabe: What I really value is ensuring that the projects effectively showcase the company's appeal while simultaneously ensuring the appeal of the project itself.
Q: How did you end up working on Watatabe and Kimishinu?
Hamabe: I had read both of the original works and liked them myself, so I thought it'd be interesting to see as an anime, and thus started the projects.
Q: Do you generally take an interest in stories because you enjoy them or because you see them as potential adaptation material?
Hamabe: It starts off as something for fun, but whenever I read something, I also have the professional standpoint of considering whether it can be made into the film medium, so I think it's both aspects.
Q: With the upcoming Kimishinu, this will be Infinite's third time participating in a yuri anime since 2023. Do you think the genre has seen a general growth of interest or opportunity?
Hamabe: You mentioned it's the third title, which ones did you think were yuri?
Q: There's Kimishinu, Watatabe, and there's... I don't remember the title, but it has Studio Lings...
Hamabe: Ah, Yuri Is My Job!
Q: Yes!
[Note: Yuri is My Job was handled by Passione and Studio Lings with Infinite producing.]
Hamabe: Considering the period from 2023 onwards, two of those productions came from a yuri magazine called Comic Yuri Hime*, which serializes yuri works. For Watatabe, many people seem to question whether it's yuri or not. Seeing the reactions of the fans, though, we're seeing that yuri is becoming a little bit more popular, and people are adapting to this kind of work.
[Note: Comic Yuri Hime is an anthology yuri magazine published by Ichijinsha.]
Q: While depression, loss, and death are not new to the genre, they're not often focal points of yuri works chosen for anime adaptations. Did the themes influence the choice to adapt these works?
Hamabe: These works aren't chosen because of those elements, but there's a certain universality in having these dark fantasy stories in loss, death, and dark subjects, and my own interests may naturally influence me in that regard.
Q: Although in different contexts, both Watatabe and Kimishinu feature orphaned girls as protagonists. Was this a coincidence, or was it something like one project led to the next?
Hamabe: It's just by coincidence. These two projects were also brought up around similar dates, but that's just a coincidence too.
Q: Could you give a message to fans of Watatabe, Kimishinu, and any other upcoming projects that you may have?
Hamabe: Infinite tries not to be influenced by fleeting trends for the titles that we plan. We try to be true to the original work and spread it to a wider audience for people to engage with and to transcend the boundaries of genres, and to enjoy them to the fullest.
We'd like to thank Ena Hamabe for taking the time to sit with us and discuss yuri adaptations that we always look forward to seeing more of.
Interviewer: Sarca
Assistance: Silvpokki
Interpreter: Ryu Kanagawa
Editor: Tamara Lazic
Special Thanks: 33USA
