Vermilion Mask Team Talks Five-Hour Script Sessions at Anime Expo
The interview reveals that the original creator's heavy involvement in the anime production, a rarity Taichi Kimura acknowledged, shapes both the writing process and the final story's pacing.
Key Facts
- The Vermilion Mask is an upcoming anime adaptation of the manga by Nabana Naba and Dr. Poro.
- Taichi Kimura said script meetings for The Vermilion Mask run five hours, from 5 PM to 10 PM, with multiple drafts.
- Taihi Kimura voices the character Peru in The Vermilion Mask.
- Taihi Kimura said he worked in a restaurant kitchen for ten years.
- Taihi Kimura is also voicing Chihiro Rokuhira in Kagurabachi this season.
Reporting from 1 source: Anime Herald.
At Anime Expo, Anime Herald interviewed the two Kimura team members behind the upcoming anime The Vermilion Mask. Taichi Kimura, a writer on the project, described script meetings that run five hours, from 5 PM to 10 PM, with repeated drafts and rewrites. He noted this process is rare and stems from the original creator's deep involvement in the anime production. Voice actor Taihi Kimura, who plays the character Peru, said his initial impression of the story was that it is interesting, sad, and painful, and he wants to convey Peru's attitude of challenging obstacles, his willingness to forgive, and his desire to be forgiven. Taichi Kimura said the story develops quickly and is full of surprises, while Taihi Kimura called it dynamic and dramatic from the start. The interview also covered Taihi Kimura's ten years of restaurant kitchen experience, his interest in vintage clothing from unknown designers, and his path to voice acting through a high school announcing club and a Koshien game announcement. Taichi Kimura mentioned that Dr. Poro, the manga's artist, drew inspiration from Baki for action sequences. Taihi Kimura also noted he is playing Chihiro Rokuhira in Kagurabachi this season.
Taichi Kimura said the project started with just three people: himself, Dr. Poro, and Nana Nabana. He described the early conversations about how to make the story good and interesting, and said seeing the team grow to its current size feels "profound and emotional."
The interview also covered the voice actor's path into the industry. Taihi Kimura said he joined an announcing club in high school, got selected to announce a Koshien baseball tournament game, and chose Ken Production over college because the agency returned his result first. He said he did not play baseball himself, only announced it.
On the production side, Taichi Kimura said Dr. Poro drew from Baki for some of the action sequences. The interviewer mentioned Baki's new season, and the conversation turned to favorite characters, with the interviewer naming Yujiro Hanma and Taihi Kimura naming Koura Hanayama.
Taihi Kimura also said his cooking experience was a part-time job, not a full line cook position. He described his clothing taste as drawn to pieces by unknown designers, such as a student in France, with unusual shapes or cuts.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.