Bringing Jazz to the Big Screen with Blue Giant Director Yuzuru Tachikawa

Readers may be surprised to learn that jazz music has a long, storied history in Japan. The music broke into the mainstream in the 1920s, in part due to visits from American and Filipino performers. The music’s popularity exploded, birthing jazz cafes, where aficionados could sit in a dimly lit bar or coffeehouse and enjoy the latest records. In modern-day Japan, jazz’s popularity has waned, although the country still boasts one of the largest populations of jazz fans in the world.

Blue Giant brings Japanese jazz to the forefront. The anime film, opening in U.S. theaters this weekend, stars a trio of up-and-coming jazz musicians looking to make their mark on the music world. Saxophonist Dai Miyamoto leads the group, a preternaturally gifted player who lives and breathes jazz. He’s joined by technically talented pianist Yukinori Sawabe and his roommate Shunji Tamada on drums. The film covers the group’s formation, practicing in a quiet jazz cafe, and aiming to make their big break at an exclusive jazz venue.

We spoke with director Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100, Deca-Dence) about crafting the film’s music, working with virtuoso Hiromi Uehara on the film’s soundtrack, and the importance of talent and hard work.

What attracted you to the Blue Giant anime film project? Were you already a jazz music fan, or what was your first experience with the music genre?

Yuzuru Tachikawa: So I’m not a jazz aficionado by any means. And I knew about the Blue Giant manga, but I hadn’t really sat down to read it at all. A producer from TOHO actually approached me with the idea of making it into a feature animation, and that was the first time I actually read Blue Giant. I really fell in love with the themes, and that’s how I ended up directing it.

Was there any jazz music you listened to sort of get into the right mindset for working on this movie?

TACHIKAWA: I actually listened to a lot of Hiromi Uehara‘s albums and also [John] Coltrane.

I had a question about Uehara-san. She’s a legend and has composed multiple songs for the “Jass” Band in the film. What was it like working with her on Blue Giant?

TACHIKAWA: So not only was I the director of the film, but I was also overseeing the director of the music. Between LINE messages, phone calls, and meetings, we were working very closely with each other. I let Hiromi, though, take care of the technical aspects of music. But where I came in was really directing the moments and expressions. So during a piece of music, [I’m responsible for] drawing out or suppressing expression, managing how the cut is, or the timing to be able to hit this emotional note at this moment.

How much of Hiromi’s performances influence Sawabe’s piano performances on screen?

TACHIKAWA: Whenever she was performing for Sawabe, she was performing as Sawabe. So, for example, when Sawabe is playing piano, and he wants to kind of try to help out Tamada with his drumming, in those moments [she’s performing as Sawabe]. There’s a moment when Dai is doing his solo, and Sawabe thinks, “Oh, I don’t want to get in his way.” Hiromi came back with the sheet music and said, “Oh, this was that moment. You wanted me to stay out of Dai’s way.” or “This is the moment that Tamada needed help.” We would go back and forth very specifically over sheet music and build the performance that way.

You mentioned making sure that those emotional moments were there as the director, and Dai frequently talks about the emotional aspect of jazz. For a film with so many performances, how did you attempt to get those emotions of the music across?

TACHIKAWA: My process of expressing all the emotions was that I would listen to the music over and over again. I would write or draw it, erase it, and start over again. It was just this process of getting the idea, whatever I hear from the music, getting it out of my head onto paper, but then erasing it again. It was really interesting that solo musicians, when they’re expressing themselves, are in the moment, and it only happens once, and that’s it. Whereas my process was writing it down and starting over until I could finally get to where I needed to be.

During those solo moments in the film, there are a couple of scenes that get very abstract. Can you talk about working on those scenes, or was there a particular animator on the project who handled the more abstract color breakdown scenes during the solo performances?

TACHIKAWA: We had a team dedicated to the live jazz shows and were very conscious about the progression that the trio makes throughout their journey. We were very conscious about choosing colors because we wanted to make sure we captured that progression. So in their very first show, we’re like, “Okay, let’s not use these colors.” And then in their second show, “Okay, they’re progressing a little bit more. Let’s bring in these colors but not highlight them as much.” We were very deliberate in creating that progression with the live jazz show team.

The film utilizes 2D, 3D, and motion capture technology for the animation sequences. Can you talk about the artistic and practical reasoning behind each?

TACHIKAWA: Yeah, we ended up choosing those approaches because we did attempt [only using] 2D, but it ended up taking too much time. So, for example, Tamada’s final solo actually took three to four months [to produce]. So just the time and the effort, it just wasn’t worth doing the entire movie in 2D. That’s why you have the different technologies come in. When we realized that the specific thing you can do with animation is the metamorphosis of your backgrounds and the manipulation of the environment, we found that really fits in well with how we want to express those solo performances. So that’s why artistically as well, we went with those techniques.

As an artist yourself, what do you think of Sawabe’s outlook that art cannot be made with hard work alone; it also requires talent?

TACHIKAWA: So I think one hand, he is right. You just hope that with all your life experiences, you’ll have the skills to achieve things. But on the other hand, talent, just having talent isn’t enough either. You have to put in the work. He’s right to an extent, yes.

Throughout the film, there’s also a documentary being filmed, and the after-credit scene implies there’s more to come from Dai’s story. Are there any plans to continue the Blue Giant story in animated form?

TACHIKAWA: There are these documentary-style parts of it because, in the original [manga], the story hasn’t finished yet, but there’s an assumption that Dai has become the world’s best jazz player, and that’s why the documentary is being shot. But as far as the possibility [of more anime], so many good things had to be cut. So there’s a possibility that there could be another installation.

To end on a light-hearted note, what do you think is the perfect environment for listening to jazz music?

TACHIKAWA: For me, the best environment is where there’s alcohol, and there’s good food, and it’s a little dark, and I’m surrounded and enjoying my time with my friends.