Before the summer anime season ends, Final Weapon and the BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai production team have taken a look back at the anime, which is streaming on Netflix. BAKI-DOU director Toshiki Hirano, producer Kei Watabiki, and AKITA SHOTEN manga editor Yuki Yokoi have all chimed in with their thoughts on the Netflix streaming of the anime, various scenes that stood out to them, and the overseas reactions from fans outside Japan.
You can read the full interview below:
Editor’s note: this interview was lightly edited for brevity.
Now that the series has begun streaming on Netflix, please share your honest impressions of BAKI-DOU.
Director Toshiki Hirano: I’ve been reading the original manga for years, and Itagaki Sensei’s work is just genuinely fun — plain and simple. So when it came to turning such an entertaining original into an anime, I felt enormous pressure.
Producer Kei Watabiki: I’ve been involved in the anime productions since the very first one, Baki: Most Evil Death Row Convicts Saga. When the previous series, Baki Hanma, came to an end, I felt that the idea of Baki “surpassing his old man” — not exactly his stated goal within the story, but that theme — had been fully explored. BAKI-DOU, which came next, is in some ways an extension of that, yet it also carries a slightly different theme, so I hoped we could express that shift in atmosphere through the anime as well. I’d love for viewers to get a sense of the question, “Musashi Miyamoto has been brought back to life in the present day — what is he going to do?”
Manga Editor Yuki Yokoi: This is a work I served as the editor on, so it holds deep personal meaning for me. As Mr. Watabiki mentioned, it’s a story that unfolds after the central throughline had already concluded. Depicting Musashi Miyamoto as “the strongest” fit perfectly with the themes of Itagaki Sensei’s work, but at the time I also had a bit of anxiety about where the story would go — so as the editor in charge, I set out alongside it with that mix of feelings.
But once I read it all together, I felt, “wow, this is good!” (laughs) Musashi Miyamoto is just too entertaining as a character. And now that it’s an anime, Naoya Uchida, who plays him, is Musashi to a tee. Watching how this character keeps evolving has become even more fascinating now that it’s animated.
During the production of BAKI-DOU, was there a scene that holds particular meaning for you? If so, please tell us about it.
Hirano: For me, it has to be the arrival of two extraordinary new characters, Musashi and Sabuko Tokugawa. Ms. Nozawa was exactly the casting we’d hoped for, so that aspect was especially meaningful — and a lot of fun.
Watabiki: Yujiro has always been this terrifyingly strong, solitary figure standing at the very top. So I was dying to see him cross paths with Motobe and get thrown completely off balance by Motobe’s utterly outlandish behavior (laughs). I wanted to capture and portray that as one of the real highlights.
Yokoi: I can’t reveal the ending yet, but if we’re talking about a character I’m attached to, it has to be Retsu Kaioh. The line “Next time I’ll have to capitalize on this one…”, you might say, carries Itagaki Sensei’s personal stamp of approval — it’s actually a line I came up with, so it means a great deal to me.
BAKI-DOU raced up the rankings in no time, reaching #2 on the Global Top 10 (Non-English Series) during its opening week of streaming on Netflix. How do you feel about the overall response to BAKI-DOU, both in Japan and abroad?
Hirano: When others tell me about it, I realize, “Oh, it really is that big of a deal.” Ever since I first got involved with Baki, the Netflix release was what interested me most, because it means people all over the world can watch. To begin with, Baki is a story that starts midway through, so we went to considerable lengths to present it in a way that’s easy for first-time viewers to follow. We were given permission to gradually weave in elements from the earlier Baki the Grappler, so I think that has probably made it more accessible. And the fact that so many people are watching as a result gives me a real sense that the effort paid off.
Yokoi: The types of merchandise being produced has been growing considerably, not only in Japan but overseas as well. This year, Itagaki Sensei has been invited to Japan Expo, and with the Baki anime being watched overseas, the number of manga volumes published rising sharply, and the number of countries it’s published in increasing, I really feel it has become a widely recognized work. Itagaki Sensei has even started keeping an eye on it, asking, “What rank did it reach overseas?” (laughs). He once gave us an earful: “How is it not #1 on the global ranking again?!” (laughs).
Watabiki: Speaking of the response from overseas audiences, when we release a PV, the very first people to comment are often viewers from abroad, which makes me feel just how much attention it’s drawing. That kind of response makes us truly happy.
It’s a work with a 35-year history since serialization began, so for our generation, the moment you hear “Baki,” you immediately think, “Oh, that one.” Among younger generations, though, I think there were many who had only heard of the title. Since it started streaming on Netflix, a far wider range of generations has been able to talk about Baki.
My own child is in fourth grade of elementary school, and more and more of the kids around them know the title too.
Both in Japan and abroad, I can really feel the fan base broadening and growing younger.
The Netflix streaming of BAKI-DOU became a major talking point, and we imagine many anime fans are experiencing the Baki series for the first time as a result. How do you view the role BAKI-DOU plays in guiding new fans into the Baki series?
Hirano: I think some people will start watching from BAKI-DOU, and naturally, once they do, they’ll want to see the earlier series — so in that sense, I think it plays a wonderfully interesting role as a gateway that offers all kinds of ways in.
Yokoi: It’s the most gruesome — or rather, the most ferocious — story in the series. So even if you start with BAKI-DOU and then watch the other series to compare, I think you’ll come away feeling a real sense of carnage from it.
Watabiki: Even if that’s what first sparks someone’s interest, I really do hope they’ll go back to the other series to see the roots — how these characters came to be who they are. My feeling is that BAKI-DOU is a work that plays a huge role as a hook: it doesn’t let you stop at “so this is what the show is about,” but makes you want to go back and watch the past series too.
Yokoi: For overseas audiences as well, within the category of Japanese culture, “Musashi Miyamoto” is catchy and highly recognized — The Book of Five Rings has even been published abroad. I think it’s become a story where people can enjoy discovering what this catchy figure, Musashi Miyamoto, might actually have been like, as filtered through Itagaki Sensei’s distinctive interpretation when dropped into the world of Baki.
