Mayuko

Description: This is a stop-motion animation of BODGE and KAGE from SHFiguarts’ Ranking of Kings (5 parts total). You can watch all 5 parts here: Special site: https://tamashiiweb.com/item_character/osama_ranking/ Episode 1 [Turned into Figures!] Bodje and Kage come running in and greet us cheerfully. While preserving the rhythm and atmosphere of the two characters, we also made sure to showcase the figures’ articulation and accessories. Episode 2 [Entrance] An homage to the OP of the first cour. I wrote the storyboard with the feeling of watching over the two as they run off energetically into the future. For the shot where the two run through, we built the set at 180 degrees, and animator Inazumi shot Bodge and Kage in stop motion while simultaneously moving the camera little by little. A one-take shot with no compositing. Episode 3 [Bodje’s Sword] I directed this with the hope of highlighting the gap between Bodje’s strength and adorableness. Mura-se-san’s (Kage) “Bo…!” is one of my favorites. We paid close attention to details such as the shape of the rock, which is large but not too scary, and Bodje’s angle, while everyone examined and refined them together. Episode 4 [Under the Starry Sky] An homage to “the first cour ending of the anime” and “the first cour ending of the manga volume 12 bonus chapter.” In a dark, night-like world, light becomes a substitute for words. To make sure the two could still be seen clearly even at night, Kawaguchi-san provided the best lighting, and Koshka-san adjusted every single shape of the starlight. Everything except the shooting stars was captured in one take. The starry sky and the constellation lines are both stop motion, so please take a close look. When Hinata-san (Bodje) finds Kage, his soft voice is incredibly comforting. It makes me cry. Episode 5 [Promise] The precious scene from when Bodje and his mother, Queen Shina, were little. The pinky finger is also stop-motioned in sync with Bodje. Inazumi moved Bodje and controlled the tip of the pinky finger, taking one frame at a time in repeated cycles.