Anime Expo is going down and ComicBook.com is here to give you up-to-date information on the event! Right now, Studio Trigger is back in Los Angeles celebrating its tenth anniversary with fans, and their first panel of the convention has begun. A live drawing is being worked on by Shigeto Koyama and Yoh Yoshinari, and we've got all the Q&A details you want from the big panel below!
First, Yoshinari is up talking about Little Witch Academia. A fan wants to know if any new merchandise will be published for the anime despite its release years ago. Specifically, they want an old coffee mug from the anime, and Yoshinari says there must be an old mug back at the office if anyone wants to visit Japan to get it.
Live Updates (6)
When asked about Studio Trigger's own vision for Star Wars, the team is requested to pitch their own trilogy. The group is glad to hear the praise as they said the original short for Star Wars Vision was met with mixed criticism. It turns out the panelists are huge Star Wars fans, and they have a TON of ideas for Trigger's own Star Wars pitch.
This is a pitch. They wanted to do an anime with Wookies. An episode about a Wookie girl, and Studio Trigger tells everyone to not steal the idea. The anime would follow a teenage girl Wookie as she goes on an adventure across the galaxy. The team doesn't know if that is enough for a trilogy, but they want to pursue the idea.
The team is asked what kind of project they want to do next. The studio admits they're obsessed with cuisine, so the idea of a Trigger Taco Truck is right up their alley. However, those logistics are hard to work out.
Shin Ultraman is working with McDonalds, and the Trigger team is jealous. They want to be able to collaborate with the fast-food chain on a future anime. So if you ever wanted a Promare Happy Meal, it could happen.
A Fortnite collaboration? Studio Trigger wants to design a battle suit or skin for the game. Someone in the audience works for Epic Games, and they are determined to make the move happen.
The team at Trigger is asked whether the studio plans to collaborate with others any time soon on projects whether they be shows or video games. The crew says nothing is in the line, but some offers have been made for mobile games. Those titles are very big in Japan, so the team is thinking about it.
Another question brings up how Disney and Cartoon Network have referenced Studio Trigger animation so far. Other anime series like My Hero Academia have nodded. The team is asked how Western animation if at all influences the artists at Trigger with their own work or upcoming titles. They say artists take in a lot of influence from outside sources, but it isn't just from cartoons. They take in anything they perceive as good and incorporate it for inspiration. Studio Trigger says they don't just take inspiration from Western cartoons but media as a whole.
When asked about Inferno Cop season two, the Trigger team quiets. The team says they would have to find a direction to take a sequel if the studio were to order a sequel. They really did want to make a second season, but a series of unfortunate events kept it from happening. Studio Trigger has hope it could happen if the right creative team was assembled.
The group is asked how they design mecha for anime. The team at Studio Trigger says the silhouette is often the most important. The artists need to find out the volume and mass of the mech before giving it personality. Director Imaishi often gives the initial idea, and Yoshinari says the idea is often very rudimentary. Like, the most basic sketch. Yoshinari then has to think a long time about how to turn the work into a mech, but rough drafts are done and done again until a final product is decided. Yoshinari compares Imaishi's art to a Rorshach test, so you can imagine that!
After answering a fan's question, the Trigger group asks if fans want them to make a super sexy ancient kung-fu anime in the vein of Kill la Kill. Obviously, the team laughs on stage. The team says they will tell director Hiroyuki Imaishi about the pitch so long as no one sues about the pitch being used.
The next question regards Little Witch Academia. The team is asked how the studio handled the project's unique animation and the team says Yoshinari dove into his own preferences as he likes classic animation.
The group shows off Yoshinari's live drawing of Lucy from Cyberpunk Edgerunners.
The team moves to discuss the anime's use of homages and references. Studio Trigger says the show is a new and refreshing project in its catalog. It is meant to signal the start of a new era for Studio Trigger, and the team is very eager to see how fans react to the adaptation.