Interview With the Team Behind KILLTUBE
Anime Atelier had the opportunity to speak with some of the production staff behind the upcoming "Edopunk" film KILLTUBE: the director Kazuaki Kuribayashi, animation producer Kenichi Shimada, and animation producer Fuuko Noda.
Kazuaki Kuribayashi (栗林和明) is a content planner and first-time director. He was originally a part of advertisement agency Hakuhodo before joining IP management company CHOCOLATE, where he is making his feature-length film debut with KILLTUBE.
Kenichi Shimada (島田研一) is an animation producer on the KILLTUE project and joined CHOCOLATE in 2019. He's currently the company's chief producer.
Fuuko Noda (野田楓子) is an animation producer who originates from Studio 4°C as a production manager and later line producer of Berserk: The Golden Age (2012-2013). She transferred to MAPPA in 2014 where she helmed projects like Yuri!!! on Ice (2016), Dorohedoro (2020), and Maboroshi (2023) as animation producer. Around 2023, she transferred to CHOCOLATE.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
Q: How was the idea for KILLTUBE born? What is the inspiration behind it?
Kuribayashi: This project's concept comes from my youth's imagination of "what would the world be like if the samurai existed today?" I personally, as a young kid, would go to different souvenir shops that had little wooden swords sold there, and I would buy that and never let it go; and they also had t-shirts that had "samurai" written on it.
Q: Why did you choose "underdogs" as the main characters of your story?
Kuribayashi: I have an underlying message that I want to send about giving the weaker or less fortunate possibilities. The possibilities are the root of what I wanted to say, and so from there it was easy to have these three characters as the main concept.
Q: Did you expect the pilot to be so well-received by anime fans around the world?
Kuribayashi: Yes, but there was a little bit of a layer where I was worried. I knew it was going to be received well; but on the other hand, I was still nervous, and coming to Anime Expo and meeting everyone here has us very happy that they're warm and welcoming.
Q: With Noda-san and Shimada-san, there are [five] animation producers involved in the project. How is the work split between you?
(Shimada-san and Noda-san gesture to each other and everyone laughs.)
Shimada: I think I can speak for all of the producers, but we have a dynamic that this is the first animation that we're creating together, so we have different people on the team—like Noda-san having more experience [in anime] and myself coming from a background outside of anime—and without really understanding the repercussions just bring up ideas in a more free-form way of doing things, and having that clash of ideas with each other and having an exchange. It's something that's very important, and it's a good balance for the production team.
Q: A colleague of mine mentioned that the character designs and visuals remind her of video games. I noticed that many staff members seem more experienced with video games. Was the video game-esque style something you had in mind for the concept?
Kuribayashi: Yes, definitely from a young age I've had a lot of inspiration from video games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. I tend to gravitate towards something that sparks instant curiosity and expanding the imagination. I tend to find that quality a lot in video games, and I'd like to spark that kind of inspiration from KILLTUBE as well.
Q: Kuribayashi-san comes from a background in business advertisement and is making his feature directing debut. Are there any particular aspects you've found challenging in making KILLTUBE?
Kuribayashi: It's very difficult but very rewarding at the same time. From my past experience as a business ad director, I learned a lot of skills to combine skills and make a harmony of different creators and bringing that over to the anime world. I'd like to bring that skill into the anime world and bring something enw and creative with that, but again it's very hard. I get a lot of help from the staff and everybody around when I don't have a particular skill.
Q: Are there any specific influences besides video games you're looking at?
Kuribayashi: I see a lot of inspiration in manga, anime, games. I think that's pretty much the core of it.
Q: To be expected. Could you tell us a bit about the music choices for KILLTUBE?
Kuribayashi: All of the music is original and we're not using music artists that are staples in the anime music scene. We'd like to bring new creators or new song producers into the anime world, and we believe that brings in new types of sounds and new music within the industry. We're really enjoying that synergy.
Q: Is there any specific kind of genre or atmosphere that you're looking for in the music?
Kuribayashi: It's interesting having a team that is very close to traditional Japanese culture. When you add music that is traditional, cultural music, it doesn't mesh. It appears as something that's been seen before.
(Kuribayashi mentions some ideas like the addition of Indian-inspired music to give a new breath and that the team is enjoying that offset with the music.)
Q: What kind of impression are you hoping KILLTUBE will leave on the audience?
Kuribayashi: Within the 90-minutes of the film, I want to be able to paint over a feeling of excitement that someone's felt in their life; and of course, to do that, I like to value myself to feeling excited as well within the process.
Noda: We'd like for the audience to feel excitement and anticipation. We believe that the character's story and the world is cohesive and can really bring in all audiences across all borders globally. We just have that the overseas fans are feeling excitement and anticipation.
Shimada: We're heavy in the editing phase right now and I've watched this movie over and over. It's probably, definitely, going to be a hit. We've seen movies like [Spider-Man: Into the] Spider-Verse and The Avengers, and there was a feeling of like, "Ah, they got me", but we would like overseas fans to feel that excitement as well.
Q: It kind of reminds me of [Spider-Verse] just based on the animation style alone because of the mix of 2D, 3D, and really chaotic but in a beautiful way.
Kuribayashi: We're definitely inspired by Spider-Verse and also Arcane. So, we'd like to bring in a new Japanese way of innovation to the end.
Q: I'm looking forward to it.
Shimada: And we're also very excited to bring it. A lot of the CGI artists are very skilled and top notch in Japan, so we're excited to bring that kind of animation to the global audience as well.
Q: Is there anything else that you'd like to say to the audience?
Kuribayashi: We're going to put our focus and higher anticipation on KILLTUBE. And also follow us! (everyone laughs)
In 2026, Japan continues its isolation under the Edo Shogunate. Amidst strict social hierarchies, three individuals, treated as scums of society, cross paths destined for a fateful encounter. They each join the duel streaming platform called “KILLTUBE” to pursue fortune and to win their freedom in a segregational world…
This battle entertainment follows three underdogs who defy public ridicule and rise to the top in a closed environment.
For more information, check out:
Participants: Kazuaki Kuribayashi (X), Hideaki Shimada, Fuuko Noda
Interviewer: Sarca
Assistance: Tamara Lazic
Interpreter: Jimmy Takashima
Special Thanks: Kaydie Hansen (33 USA)
