Interest
Fuji TV Producer Discusses Their Increasing Focus on BL Anime
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Livedoor News recently interviewed Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai) manga. Okayasu discussed the circumstances behind creating the label and greenlighting Twittering Birds Never Fly as an R-18 film.
Okayasu, a self-proclaimed BL readers at the company that BL was commercially viable, paving the way for a BL-focused anime label.
One of the goals behind the label was to create anime adaptations that are as true to the spirit of the original work as possible, including sexual and mature themes. Although there have been a number of BL anime which have toed the line in of sexual expression that is permissible on TV, they have had to cut scenes. According to Okayasu, there are many BL works that would be impossible to make at all under these restrictions. This was the rationale behind greenlighting Twittering Birds Never Fly as a series of R-18 films.
Okayasu claimed that "other than scenes which had to be cut to fit the length, the film follows the source material almost exactly." She emphasized that the sexual depictions are very important to the story and the emotional states of the characters.
Regarding the decision for GRIZZLY to lead the production, Okayasu said that the studio was established during a similar time frame as Blue Lynx, and although the two have no direct connections, they decided to work together due to the common goal of creating BL anime.
Blue Lynx's most recent announced L'étranger du Plage or The Stranger on the Beach), which will open in Japan in summer. Okayasu described it as a "lyrical" work, so rather than splitting up the story into 11-12 minute TV episodes, she thought it was better to take it all in through a film.
She also clarified that the Kids on the Slope, which previously aired on Noitamina.
Source: Livedoor News (Yūka Abe) via Nijimen
