The creative team of the film “KILLTUBE” gave Anime Expo attendees an inside look at the upcoming film during a panel at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Director Kazuaki Kuribayashi, new to the industry, and Animation Producer Fuko Noda sat down with Temple of Geek to discuss the inspiration behind the unique production.

Anime Expo is North America’s largest annual convention celebrating Japanese pop culture, with a focus on anime and manga. The non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA) organizes the event, which draws over 100,000 fans to the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California.

The responses from the creative team were given through a translator. Some of the answers may be paraphrased for context.

Kazuaki Kuribayashi and Fuko Noda Were Thrilled to be at Anime Expo

Kuribayashi expressed how the passion of American fans was something he could feel during the convention. Fuko Noda agreed, stating that this was their first-ever Anime Expo. It was a delight for the two of them to see so many people in one space cosplaying and buying merchandise.

Q: How does it feel to be here at Anime Expo, celebrating your film?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I’m so excited. And I could really feel with my skin that [this many] people and how passionate people in the United States love Japanese Anime. And I could feel a passion, and then it reconfirmed [for] me that I would make something that would make them happy.

Fuko Noda: This is my first Anime Expo. Then it just really, like, it’s a real feeling to actually feel this amount of people in this big venue. There are many people doing cosplay and buying merchandise.

“KILLTUBE” was Born from Director Kuribayashi’s Childhood Fantasies

“KILLTUBE” is set in 2026 Japan. Japan continues its isolation under the Edo Shogunate. Amidst strict social hierarchies, three individuals, treated as scums of society, cross paths destined for a fateful encounter. They each join the duel streaming platform called “KILLTUBE” to pursue fortune and to win their freedom in a segregated world.

Q: Can you walk us through what inspired this unique film?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: So, the first inspiration is my fantasy. I’ve always had a fantasy where, what if Japan never opened the border? I had this fantasy, and then I created based on that fantasy I had when I was a child. And also when I was growing up, there were many, many legendary iconic manga, games, and anime, and I’ve been growing up surrounded by it,. So, I think naturally it became our creative … meat.

The creative team works hard to make this vision come true. Fuko Noda explains that they have been part of this from the beginning.

Q: As the animation producer, how soon are you brought on for a project like this, and what was your reaction to getting started?

Fuko Noda: I myself am on board on this project right around their teaser for the film about to finish. So before that, it took like two years to make this teaser film.

Working on This Project is Nothing like Previous Projects

The experiences Kazuaki Kuribayashi and Fuko Noda have working “KILLTUBE” are exciting and different from anything they have ever worked on. This is Kazuaki Kuribayashi’s first animation director role, and he explains how it is nothing like doing previous projects in advertising. Fuko Noda enjoys the change of pace, working with a team with fresh and unique ideas.

Q: What was it like working on this project? And how has it been different than something else you guys have done in the past?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I have a background as a creative director in an advertisement industry. So the biggest difference between creating for animation and advertisement is that for animation, it’s almost like running a marathon. And for advertisement, we’re going to have to have a lot of ideas in a very short period of time and then create something tangible. So animation is like that process, it keeps going, going, going for a long time.

Fuko Noda: First of all, he is a first-time director for directing a film, and all these creators involved in this project is not necessarily from the animation industry. So all those top creators from various genres [and] industry come together and then those people… There’s an idea that only those people can bring to us. So those processes are so refreshing for me, and you know, innovative, so a lot of things are new to me, so it’s really exciting for me.

Kazuaki Kuribayashi and Fuko Noda Offer Their Favorite Moments from “KILLTUBE”

Kazuaki Kuribayashi and Fuko Noda are excited for audiences to see the epic fight scenes in this film.

Q: Without spoilers, can you share a favorite moment from “KILLTUBE?”

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: There will be a lot of fierce battles happening. So these are the highlights.

Fuko Noda: Teaser, it’s a good teaser. It is only 3D. There’s a look that’s never been done before in an animation. So it’s like a characteristic way of expression because it’s coming from a creator who’s from another genre.

“KILLTUBE” is Just the Beginning!

The team is excited for fans to enjoy “KILLTUBE” in a number of ways, as this film is just the beginning of the characters’ stories.

Q: How are you hoping audiences react?

Kazuaki Kuribayashi: I would like each individual audience level of excitement to be record high. So I would like each individual audience to experience a whole other level of experience during watching this film. Furthermore, this film is not an end. It’s a beginning. So I would like our audience to fantasize about what’s going to happen after. Also, it could be a game, and it could be a live theater, or it could be a series. So I would like to exaggerate our audience’s imagination.

Fuko Noda: I want our audience to be excited about this. Furthermore, there are so many characters in this movie. And even there are, tiny characters that are on here to the really sensitive area, as sensitive, really in detail. In a design or a movement, how they express themselves. So I want our audience to have their own favorites.

Support the Project

Fans can support “KILLTUBE” in a number of ways. Visit the official KILLTUBE BACKERS’ STORE. Also, check out the pilot of the film on their YouTube channel. The anime is envisioned as 3DCG-based and involves collaborations with cutting-edge VFX studio KASSEN and concept artist collective WACHAJACK.