Interview With the Team Behind The Last Blossom
Anime Atelier had the opportunity to speak with some of the production staff behind the upcoming The Last Blossom (HOUSENKA) film that recently premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. In attendance were director Baku Kinoshita, animation producer Ryoichiro Matsuo, and producer Hirofumi Ito.
Baku Kinoshita (木下麦) is a director, designer, and illustrator affiliated with PICS Management. He joined P.I.C.S. in the mid-to-late 2010s, where he did illustration work, designs, and also TV storyboards on projects like Space Bug (2018). He made his debut as director with the 2021 TV series ODD TAXI.
Ryoichiro Matsuo (松尾亮一郎) got his start as a production assistant at MADHOUSE in the 1990s, where he helmed projects like Black Lagoon (2006). He was briefly affiliated with Ufotable from 2010 to 2013, and also freelanced for MAPPA at the invitation of Masao Maruyama from 2014 to 2016, where he was the animation producer for In This Corner of the World (2016). That year, he established his own studio, CLAP, which he currently serves as president and CEO, and has been focusing on anime film production.
Hirofumi Ito (伊藤裕史) was a producer at PONY CANYON. He joined the company in 2006 and started to get involved in anime production in the late 2000s as a publicist, and has been a producer since 2014. Some of the projects he's worked on as a producer include Cop Craft (2019), ODD TAXI, and Tokyo Revengers (2021). As of 2024, Ito is the CEO of his own company, HI Production.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: When did the idea for The Last Blossom come about?
Kinoshita: About six months after we wrapped up ODD TAXI, we gave ourselves a break before we started on the next project. Obviously, I'd already worked with the writer [Kazuya Konomoto] before, and I really wanted to work with him again. I already knew I wanted a talking flower in this story, so that was already set from the beginning.
Q: Was the film with studio CLAP in mind?
Matsuo: Yes, I actually contacted Director Kinoshita, asking if he'd like to work on a project.
Q: What drew you to The Last Blossom specifically? Were you familiar with Kinoshita-san's prior work?
Matsuo: I knew that I wanted to work with the director, and as a director, he had a couple of ideas in the back of his head, so we laid them out, and The Last Blossom was the one that I was particularly drawn to. That's where Ito-san came into the picture as part of the producing team.
Q: How long did it take to produce from the initial idea to the premiere screening at this year's Annecy Festival, and were you happy with the reception that The Last Blossom got after the premiere?
Matsuo: Was it... Two and a half years?
Kinoshita: Two and a half years.
Ito: We had a great screening at Annecy. We had a standing ovation, as well. When we were walking around, we were wearing these T-shirts, and people recognized them. We definitely made a splash.
Q: Did Kinoshita-san have any particular expectations about the screening?
Kinoshita: The French audience is familiar with Takeshi Kitano's works, and just as The Last Blossom flows, I had the feeling that it was the type of story that the audience there would like.
Q: Kinoshita-san and Itoo-san worked together on ODD TAXI. How did the two of you meet?
Kinoshita: As you know, ODD TAXI is an original anime, and the idea took quite a long time to be greenlit, as I started the process in 2016. Thankfully, Ito-san—who was, at the time, with PONY CANYON—liked the idea of ODD TAXI, so he came on as a producer around 2019. He played a big part in getting ODD TAXI greenlit.
Q: Kinoshita-san mentioned in another interview that ODD TAXI was his first time working with Kazuya Konomoto and that a producer introduced him to the project. As you're both affiliated with PICS Management, were you familiar with each other's work beforehand?
Kinoshita: As you mentioned, I was introduced to Kazuya Konomoto-san through a producer, and I was actually already familiar with him through his manga.
Q: Visually, The Last Blossom has a unique style. I've heard some comments from people in the west that it feels, aesthetically, a little western, but the themes and overall idea are fundamentally rooted in Japanese sensibilities. Was there a particular inspiration for the character and art designs?
Kinoshita: I'm not sure I can talk about how western works have influenced me per se besides how it goes out into the world and how it's perceived. Just as a director, for example, [story] beats—whether they're long or short—are very important to me. Maybe that resonates with western audiences as far as the storytelling part, and perhaps if I dug deeper, there would be a western influence somewhere. I think maybe that the French audience resonated with the tempo and pacing of The Last Blossom.
Q: Why specifically was a touch-me-not (housenka) plant used?
(On the table is a housenka plant prop which Kinoshita-san shows off as he explains, and he notices the seed pod part is hanging on for dear life by some fabric, and everyone laughs.)
Kinoshita: People in Japan take the seed pod and squeeze it, and it pops like a mini explosion. The action of "popping" is one of the larger themes in the film.
Q: Do you have any favorite moments from the movie?
Kinoshita: Well, um... without any spoilers... what should I say... I'll have to say Akutsu and Nana when they're singing.
Matsuo: The last scene. I've watched the film multiple times at this point, and it always lands in my heart, so I'll say the last scene without giving away too much.
Ito: Were you in attendance at the panel yesterday?
Q: I couldn't make it because I had a prior obligation...
Ito: I'd have to say the opening scene, which was screened yesterday as a premiere. The opening music is in concert with the fireworks, which represent the overall themes of what's about to happen.
Q: We have the start, we have the end, and maybe the middle.
(everyone laughs)
Kinoshita: Right in the middle.
Q: What kind of impression are you hoping the film will leave on the viewers?
Kinoshita: This film portrays the "family," I suppose you could say, and these people coming together to create a family is some of the themes; and it's also about the main character, Akutsu, fighting for what he believes in and what is important to him, so I hope that people can find out what truly is important to them, and also have a different view of what beauty is around them.
Matsuo: It would be wonderful if this movie is the type of film that stays with you, and of course, if it motivates more people to go to the theater again and see it many more times, because I think this is a film that really stays with you.
Ito: I think this film portrays a non-traditional family that I hope even 5 or 10 years from now can still be watched and has no expiration date to the themes and story itself.
The Last Blossom premieres in Japan on October 10, 2025.
Participants: Baku Kinoshita (X, IG), Hirofumi Ito, Ryoichiro Matsuo (X)
Interviewer: Sarca
Assistance: Tamara Lazic
Interpreter: Junko Goda
Special Thanks: Jiang Wenbo (PONY CANYON)
