Hello everyone, today we’ve got an exciting interview from the magazine Febri in April 2026 with Akane Yano who you might know for her work on Hyakkano, Star Detective Precure and this year’s Gochiusa film. This interview has been brought to us by the translator “nui”. Their translations might be popping up on the site from time to time so keep an eye for them! Here we have Yano talking about her anime inspirations. Hope you all like it!
Born in 1992 in Chiba Prefecture. After graduating from Tokyo Animator College, she began her career as an animator. In 2016, she served as character designer and chief animation director for the first time with And You Thought There is Never a Girl Online?. Her major works include The Ryuo’s Work is Never Done! and Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki. Currently, Star Detective Precure, for which she designed the characters, is a hit broadcast.
Part 1: The Shock of Scenes from a Novel Becoming “Pictures”.
Featured Work: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED
The First Step into Fandom via Novels
Interviewer: You’ve given us three works; let’s discuss them in chronological order. First is SEED. You were around middle school age at the time, right?
Akane Yano: Yes. However, I wasn’t watching the TV broadcast in real-time. I actually started with the SEED novels before the anime.
Interviewer: That’s quite unusual.
Akane Yano: A friend I made in middle school lent me the five-volume novel series. I hadn’t read many novels until then, so I thought, “A novel… and Gundam?” But I really wanted to get closer to that friend and share what they enjoyed, so I started reading. Looking back, that was my first step into being an “otaku.”
Interviewer: How was it once you read it?
Akane Yano: It was interesting. But it was hard to imagine the attacks. For example, when it said “a 75mm Vulcan cannon,” I didn’t even know what a Vulcan was. The illustrations helped me, though. For me, the visuals of Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala were first imprinted through the novel’s art.
Interviewer: And then you saw the anime?
Akane Yano: Yes, a little later I went to that friend’s house and we binge-watched recordings. I was moved—”Oh, that’s what a Vulcan cannon is!” Scenes I had only imagined from text were depicted directly as drawings. I was shocked by how expressive and easy to understand animation was. That triggered me to watch more anime.
“Thrilled” by Depressing Developments
Interviewer: SEED is a war story, so characters die and the plot gets dark. How did you feel about that as a middle schooler?
Akane Yano: Actually, it gave me chills—in a good way (laughs). During that sensitive middle school age, touching upon “messy” things or atmospheres outside my daily life made me feel like I was getting closer to being an adult. Even when the protagonist faced constant misfortune, I thought, “Poor guy, but this is thrilling” (laughs).
Interviewer: Do you have a bit of a sadistic side? (laughs)
Akane Yano: (laughs) No, no. Rather than empathizing realistically, I viewed it as fantasy and entertainment. I enjoyed it with a feeling of “I want them to live on the edge.” I was also into Higurashi When They Cry at the time, so I was in a phase of diving into dark works.
Interviewer: Did you have a favorite character?
Akane Yano: It’s from SEED Destiny, but I liked mischievous characters like Auel Neider or Shinn Asuka. But rather than a specific person, I liked the whole series—I was a “box stan” (supporting the whole cast).
Interviewer: Did you draw the characters back then?
Akane Yano: I did. I had always drawn only girls since elementary school. When I got into SEED, I tried drawing male characters for a bit, but before I knew it, I was back to drawing girls like Lacus Clyne. I didn’t really have a “push” (favorite) among the men. The mecha were cool, but I loved the female characters. I love long hair, so Lacus was my favorite, and I liked Murrue Ramius too. It wasn’t about the adult romance; I just really liked Murrue because of her voice actress, Kotono Mitsuishi. I admired her as a cool older sister figure.
Retrospective: Reunited through FREEDOM
Interviewer: Did you see the theatrical film Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM released in 2024?
Akane Yano: I did! And I actually went to see it with the same friend who lent me those novels back in middle school.
Interviewer: That’s so moving!
Yano Akane: Right? I was like, “I can’t believe I get to see the sequel to the anime I watched in middle school at this age!” Since entering the anime industry, it’s been hard to enjoy anime purely as a fan, but for that moment, I felt like I had completely returned to my middle school self. It was the best.
Interviewer: How did it feel to see Kira and the others as adults?
Akane Yano: When I was in middle school, Kira felt very childish, but in FREEDOM, he’s become quite mentally mature, hasn’t he? Because I was back in that middle school mindset while watching, I actually felt a little bit of loneliness—like, “You went and grew up all on your own.”
Interviewer: Did you chat about your impressions with your friend afterward?
Akane Yano: Yes. We went straight to a collaboration event at a super sento (public bathhouse). We chatted while soaking in the Gundam-themed baths and ate from the collab menu, promising to have another watch party soon. It’s rare for me to get that obsessed with a work these days, so it was really fun to enjoy some pure “ota-katsu” (fan activities) for the first time in a while.
Part 2: An “Aesthetic” Followed Unconsciously
Featured Work: ef – a tale of memories.
Captivated by Shaft’s Visuals and Music
Interviewer: The second work is ef, which you watched in real-time during high school.
Akane Yano: ef was my first encounter with Shaft’s work. The direction was entirely different from anything I’d seen—the graininess of the footage and the photography (compositing) were so beautiful. The way the music and visuals synced moved me.
Interviewer: Any specific direction that left an impression?
Akane Yano: I loved the Opening. The visuals changed as the story progressed. In the final episode, the heroine, who had been “trapped” in the visuals, was finally liberated. I was shocked and moved that an Opening could change like that.
Interviewer: The story of ef is somewhat complex. How did you watch it then?
Akane Yano: purely for the atmosphere. Instead of overthinking or analyzing, I just surrendered to the fusion of music and visuals. I loved the music so much I listened to the soundtrack constantly afterward.
Interest in “Galge” Origins and Dangerous Heroines
Interviewer: ef is based on a PC “Bishojo” game. Was that part of the appeal?
Akane Yano: Yes. I love anime based on bishojo games. I rarely play the games myself, but I love looking at beautiful designs and illustrations. Back then, bishojo games were exactly my taste. I was also at an age where I wanted to see things that were “cute but a bit erotic,” so I was into works like H2O: Footprints in the Sand and Yosuga no Sora.
Interviewer: Did you ever want to draw girls interacting with boys?
Yano Akane: No, I never wanted to draw boys. I just wanted to draw girls individually in slightly erotic poses. Encountering a work like ef during that sensitive time is largely connected to my current desire of “this is what I want to draw.”
Interviewer: Who was your favorite heroine in ef?
Akane Yano: Miyako Miyamura. She seems cheerful at first, but then you think, “Wait, is this girl a bit off?” I’m attracted to characters who have a “dangerous” or “unhinged” side. That fragility makes me shiver; I love it.
Inheriting Design DNA
Interviewer: Did it influence your character designs or visuals?
Akane Yano: I used to draw uniforms with the same silhouette as ef—the puff sleeves, the short length emphasizing a thin waist. You don’t see it much in recent anime, but I seem to have been influenced by ef.
Interviewer: It was imprinted as the foundation of your aesthetic.
Akane Yano: Yes. I didn’t realize it until now, but I was following it unconsciously. Also, Shaft’s characteristic “eye-level cuts” (where the eyes are cropped out) or extreme long shots—those experimental, stylish ways of showing things—connect to my current preferences in creating art.
Interviewer: Did you ever meet the ef staff after entering the industry?
Akane Yano: I did! My first key animation job was on Nisekoi, a Shaft series. The character designer was Nobuhiro Sugiyama, who also did ef. I had a desk at Shaft for a while and met him. I was so excited I said, “I love your work! Please shake my hand!” and got him to sign a postcard from my ef DVD set. I even left him letters every day back then (laughs).
Part 3: The “Straightforwardness” That Saved My Soul
Featured Work: Kobato.
Days of Failure and Feeling Rejected by the World
Interviewer: The final work is Kobato., which you saw after high school graduation.
Akane Yano: Yes. After high school, I got a full-time job as a waitress in an Italian restaurant. But because I had no prior part-time experience, I couldn’t adapt to society at all… I quit after two months.
Interviewer: That sounds like a very harsh first experience in the workforce.
Akane Yano: It was the period where I felt most “rejected by the world.” I was so depressed I thought I couldn’t survive in society. I couldn’t memorize the menu, so I couldn’t take orders. Eventually, they put me in charge of making drinks at the counter. I realized then that I can’t remember anything unless I’m interested in it.
Interviewer: That must have been mentally draining.
Akane Yano: I was so useless that the chef once told me, “You can go home now.” I didn’t even realize he was being sarcastic; I just said “Okay!” and tried to leave. He was stunned. I was appalled by my own incompetence. During breaks, I would draw while crying.
Interviewer: But you kept drawing even then.
Yano Akane: I did. My father saw me like that and said, “Do what you truly love.” So I started preparing for animation vocational school. That’s when I saw Kobato.
Interviewer: How did Kobato. resonate with you at that timing?
Akane Yano: Kobato. is a very “straight,” pure, and hard-working anime. Usually, I liked dark, “curveball” works like Higurashi, but this time I was drawn to something straightforward. Because my environment was so painful, Kobato’s earnestness struck a chord. I used to hum the theme song in the bath and sob.
Inspiration from Visuals
Interviewer: So Kobato’s earnestness saved you.
Akane Yano: Yes. Thanks to this work, I didn’t fall into a bottomless pit; I managed to hold on. After entering the industry, I met Kana Hanazawa (who voiced Kobato) and told her with so much emotion, “I was saved by watching Kobato.!”
Interviewer: Were there visual aspects that attracted you?
Akane Yano: Kobato’s smile was so cute. I loved the facial balance and her unique hairstyle. I also loved Fujimoto-kun’s hair—how it’s slightly long in the back like a tail. That really hit me visually and influenced me. I realize now that the inspiration I felt from ef and Kobato. led to who I am today.
Current Position and the Future
Interviewer: You’ve also appeared as a voice actress in anime you’ve worked on. Why is that?
Akane Yano: In vocational school, there was a system where you could take voice acting classes alongside animation. I wanted to try acting, so I studied it. It just so happened that a director kindly gave me a chance to perform. Though so far, most of my roles are just cats (laughs).
Interviewer: Which makes you more nervous: drawing or being in front of the mic?
Akane Yano: Definitely the mic. I don’t really get nervous drawing. Actually, the most nervous I get is during the “split second” when I hear the results of a character design competition. I’m the type who always lacks confidence and thinks “I won’t get it,” but my heart pounds like crazy in that moment.
Interviewer: Finally, what is your goal for this year?
Akane Yano: Right now, I’m juggling multiple projects where I serve as both character designer and chief animation director, so my hands are completely full. Last year’s goal was “to live healthily,” but this year it is “to not waste a single second.” I want to use my time efficiently and give 100% love and full effort to the drawings of every work. That is my resolution.
