Inside DAN DA DAN Episode 7: Rising Talent Shuto Enomoto Discusses Storyboarding and Animation with Newtype

*This article contains spoilers for Episode 7 of the anime DAN DA DAN.

In the latest episode of DAN DA DAN, episode 7, viewers learn the reason for Acrobatic Silky's, or Acro-Silky for short, obsession with Aira. Fans of the original manga had high expectations for this episode. As a viewer, weren't you curious to see how it all came together?

Shūto Enomoto, a prolific and talented young animator who has worked on hits such as Heavenly Delusion, INU-OH, and Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, served as the storyboard and animation director for this particular episode. He was initially drawn into the world of animation from his fascination with “images in motion.”

Enomoto: In college, one of my hobbies was watching anime frame-by-frame. I started to notice distinct animation styles of different animators from watching MAD videos (fan-made videos with anime clips and music), and that's when my interest in animation was born. Aspiring to become an animator myself, I applied for an animator position at GONZO and my career started. When working I'm more concerned with seeing how everything looks together on the screen rather than expressing my own personal characteristics.

Enomoto has been involved in many works from Science SARU, beginning with the film Ride Your Wave in 2019.

Enomoto: There was a moment in my career where I lost my motivation as an animator. But it was just around that time that Science SARU reached out to GONZO, and I ended up working on Ride Your Wave and SUPER SHIRO. I always loved watching works of Science SARU and this was the spark that rekindled my passion. After that, I remember having a great time working on those projects.

Since then, Enomoto has worked on many Science SARU productions. In the 2022 film INU-OH, Enomoto oversaw the scene where INU-OH (at the time still being referred to as the “deformed son”) grows human legs and runs around town. The dynamic, anime-original illustration was used for the cover of INU-OH pamphlets.

Episode 7 of DAN DA DAN marks Enomoto's storyboarding debut. Along with the storyboard, he also served as animation director to put the scenes together, with Acro-Silky and Aira as the main focus. Kōtarō Matsunaga, who was in charge of production for an episode of the anime The Price of Smiles in which Enomoto oversaw key animation, joined as animation director, and their combined efforts brought episode 7 to life.

Enomoto: Acro-Silky's memory sequence in episode 7 actually isn't that long in the original manga so director Fūga Yamashiro expanded it quite a bit by having Acro-Silky become the focus of the episode. I drew the storyboard with director Yamashiro's ideas in mind, but to be honest, some of them were quite difficult to work with, and I was worried whether I would be able to complete it or not.

Matsunaga: I remember seeing the shots of Acro-Silky coming down the stairs from her point of view and I buried my face in my hands, wondering how we were going to make this work (wry laugh).

Visualizing the final images in his head, Enomoto used Blender to prepare a 3D layout of the storyboard for the scene where Acro-Silky runs out of the apartment chasing down her abducted daughter. He also put some thought into the movement of Acro-Silky's hair.

Enomoto: I hoped to illustrate a battle that gives the impression that Acro-Silky herself is imprisoned by her own hair. With that in mind, I also struggled with how to make the battle between her, Momo, and Okarun meaningful. I spent the entirety of episode 7 drawing out storyboards while thinking about which animators I should give the task to.

The most emotional scene for viewers in episode 7 will likely be the final scene with Aira, as she tells Acro-Silky, “I won't forget. I swear.” The heightened emotions you feel continue to linger even after the credits.

Enomoto: I had been thinking about asking Kana Itō to draw out that final scene ever since I was still working on the storyboard. Her original illustration came out so perfectly that revisions weren't even necessary. Acro-Silky's hair attacks at the beginning done by Jura, the hair-pulling scene done by Genta Ishimori, and the cardiac massage scene done by Kana Okutani were also all amazing.

Matsunaga: Enomoto was also in charge of many shots himself. He put his heart and soul into making episode 7 the best it could be. It was quite a learning experience for me as an animation director, and working with him, I feel like I've noticed things I haven't noticed before.

Enomoto: (laughs) It's still a bit early to celebrate though, as we don't know how episode 7 will be received. I hope that it will give both fans of the original and first-time viewers something to enjoy.

The December issue of Monthly Newtype (Japanese edition only) is on sale now, featuring an in-depth special on DAN DA DAN! Dive into exclusive interviews with the voice actors and creators for a behind-the-scenes look at the series. Plus, look forward to an extended interview with Shūto Enomoto and Kōtarō Matsunaga in the upcoming Monthly Newtype January issue!

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