To celebrate STUDIO 4°C’s ChaO, directed by Yasuhiro Aoki (The War of the Rohirrem, Psycho-Pass), which also premiered at this year’s Scotland Loves Anime, we had the unique opportunity to talk to Yasuhiro Aoki about his visually stunning deep-sea rom-com, and what a treat it was. From talking about anime as a global phenomena, to Mermaids in popular culture, we had a wonderful time diving into the world that Yasuhiro created for ChaO. Sp, let’s jump straight into.
ChaO is such a visually stunning movie, and what I loved most was how it found a balance between the fantastical and the ordinary. As a director, what was it like designing this world of ChaO?
If it leans too much into the fantastical then you lose the sense of reality. Because animation doesn’t exist until it’s drawn… as long as you are drawing it, it tends to lean towards the fantastical, and so I was intentional because I felt like you needed that sense of the camera going out to the city and picking up the every-day lives of ordinary people in order to keep that balance with reality. So it was something I was very aware of.
You mentioned the city, and I was really surprised that the film took us into the centre of Shanghai. How did the location help you when creating and developing ChaO?
As another asian city, Shanghai feels close but is actually far and at the same time it feels far away but is actually quite close. When I went there, I actually realised that it had a very different culture compared to Japan, and it has a different energy to the city and its people, and that was something that I wanted to get across in the film. It lends its energy to the film. I think that if it was set in Japan… It wouldn’t have that same sense of chaos and comedy.
The relationship between Stefan and ChaO is so sweet and charming, it was a joy to watch it unravel even if it did have its challenges. It was a somewhat turbulent relationship that ended quite beautifully. How did you go about constructing this unconventional love story between the two?
ChaO is a film where I really enjoyed playing with the idea of gaps. Firstly, we all have two sides to us. Even when it looks like someone is having fun, inside they might be feeling something very different. That’s something we all face and battle on a daily basis, I think. It’s something that I kept in mind when making this film. You know, it’s an hour and half long… and half of it I’d say has a very strong comedic feel to it, and the other half is very dramatic as it shows how feelings can develop between ChaO and Stefan. It was very much intended that way.
In a world where AI is heavily scrutinized, ChaO was a beautiful reminder of what people are capable of in terms of animation and art. As a huge anime fan, it was so nice to see how dynamic and stunning the film was overall, but when audiences watch what are you hoping they take away from it?
I think I want the audience to enjoy those gaps I mentioned. When we make mistakes and when things don’t go according to plan, it can look funny when you’re observing from the outside. It can seem ridiculous and laughable. I wanted it to come across as funny, cute and charming. It’s the same with the characters as we move forward with the story. I wanted these awkward characters, Stefan and ChaO, as they navigate life and make mistakes, I wanted the audience to find them charming.
I fell in love with the overall designs of both human and sea creature alike, they were all so unique and whimsical. The word whimsical sums them up quite nicely, I think. Which character for you was the most fun to explore and develop?
Rather than talking in terms of which character is my favourite… The protagonist of this story is obviously ChaO and Stefan. The camera is on them. However, all the other characters… all the other bit-parts, if you like, are also main characters in themselves. As we go about life, everyone is equal. It’s just in this case, the camera is focused on Stefan and ChaO. Every character is designed as though they could be the main character and even when they’re off screen, you can still feel their presence. So, I love all the characters.
This film has a bit of everything. It’s fun, heartwarming and charming. But it also knows when to be serious as well. It must be exciting being able to bring ChaO to fans not just here in the UK, but all over the world.
I didn’t make this for people in any particular country. What I had in my mind first of all, was that I wanted to make all of the staff that worked on this movie, all of my friends and family… I wanted to make them smile. Beyond them, I knew there were people from all different countries that would enjoy this sort of movie because it had a little bit of everything in there.
This love story between Stefan and ChaO has had a long history in media, whether it’s books or movies. This sort of “fish out of water” approach. Were there any stories that helped inspire you when developing ChaO?
Well, I’ve seen plenty of mermaid stories. They’ve always been around in both movie form and book form, and I think I’ve probably tried to incorporate something from all of them, so in that case I don’t think there’s a specific story, rather I’ve tried to bring something from a number of stories that I’ve enjoyed and seen. But I do think that things you’ve seen when you’re younger tend to take root, so there could have been something that I’ve seen when I was 14 for example that has always been in me and making ChaO helped me channel those influences and memories.
One of my favourite things was the specific design of Chao. She wasn’t your typical Mermaid and I think that was a really fun decision to make. It was incredibly playful because she was so different. A scene that stood out to me is when she’s on a date with Stefan and she’s wearing boots to blend in and feel more human, so to speak. I thought it was adorable. What made you go for that unconventional design?
Normally your mermaid has the top half that is a beautiful woman, and ChaO does become that later on. But it’s about those gaps. ChaO transforms when she’s comfortable around people and that’s when she embodies that more traditional mermaid aesthetic. In the first half of the film, it’s very comedic and I wanter her to be this cute balloon-type mermaid to differentiate her from the classic mermaid. That was the design that I requested, and when she becomes more comfortable in here environment you get more glimpses of her true confident self.
Talking about anime as a cultural and worldwide phenomenom, are you surprised by how popular anime has become, especially within the last decade or so?
I’m really happy that ChaO has resonated so much here and in other countries. In my 30 years in this industry, I’ve been involved in lots of projects. Firstly, I hope that I’ve managed to reflect and respect the history of anime through this film. But secondly, I also had the sense that I wanted to make something that I hadn’t seen elsewhere… And I think I’ve been able to create that. Create something new.
Going back to ChaO, one of the things that I also really liked was how the story would progress and jump from the past and present. From Stefan’s first interaction with ChaO, to a much older and wiser Stefan. How important was that narrative structure?
It’s the same sort of structure you get in Titanic for example. And to be honest… I don’t actually like that structure. I don’t like the jumping. But we can’t always do the things that we want, so my challenge was to come to terms with that realisation and that story structure. I never really imagined that I would do a Little Mermaid movie [laughs], I’ve seen it but I never thought I would then make one. The time came for someone like me to make something like this, step outside that comfort zone really. You don’t have the ability to change something you’re not good at into something you are good at without working and taking those kind of risks sometimes.
Check out the trailer below:
Synopsis
In a near-future world where humans and mermen coexist, Stephen, a shipping engineer in Shanghai, develops a propeller called Air Jet that is harmless for marine life to promote peace between the two races. When Chao, a mermaid princess, pushes Stephen to marry her, their two worlds collide. As they struggle with their cultural differences, a tragic accident creates a bigger strain on their relationship.
A UK release date for ChaO is currently unknown, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted when one arrives. Don’t forget to catch up on all of the latest anime news right here.
