{"id":63405,"date":"2026-03-19T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-18T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=63405"},"modified":"2026-03-18T14:33:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T05:33:21","slug":"if-only-adaptations-remain-japanese-anime-will-be-done-for-says-code-geass-series-director","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/if-only-adaptations-remain-japanese-anime-will-be-done-for-says-code-geass-series-director\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf\u00a0only\u00a0adaptations remain, Japanese anime will be done for,\u201d says Code Geass series director\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Goro Taniguchi, best known as the\u00a0director of the\u00a0acclaimed\u00a0Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion\u00a0<\/strong>anime series, recently celebrated the premiere of his new feature-length film\u00a0Paris\u00a0ni\u00a0Saku \u00c9toile<\/strong>. Coming out in Japanese theaters on March 13,\u00a0the film is\u00a0an original, anime-only IP,\u00a0much like Code Geass.\u00a0Talking to\u00a0Tokyo Shimbun<\/a>, Taniguchi says he is very particular about creating and \u201cleaving behind\u201d\u00a0anime works that are not adaptations of existing material, as\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0something he considers important for the industry\u2019s survival.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver the last few years, adaptations have understandably become the norm because they\u2019re easier to secure a profit\u00a0on,\u201d he says,\u00a0\u201cbut I believe that if left with nothing but adaptations, Japanese animation will be done for.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Taniguchi, the shift to adapting source material like manga and light novels has changed the role and required skills of creators in the anime industry. To illustrate, he compares anime to music, saying creatives who work on adaptations act more like arrangers, rather than composers or songwriters. While Taniguchi does not denounce the production of adaptations itself, he warns that should anime creators (including himself) neglect to engage in the \u201ccomposing\u201d side of things \u2013 meaning creating anime from scratch \u2013 they\u2019ll gradually lose their way and become mere \u201csubcontractors\u201d to the source material. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Paris
Paris\u00a0ni\u00a0Saku \u00c9toile<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe that when the wave of adaptations eventually subsides, other works must remain intact. It is precisely because of diversity that the surviving works of each era become the mainstream of the next. I believe this is the strength of Japanese animation. For that very reason, I want to leave behind original titles.\u201d Rather than the proliferation of anime adaptations itself, it seems Taniguchi is mainly frustrated with how original anime have dwindled rather than remaining as an alternative style of production that co-exists with adaptation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his new film, which tells the story of two girls who travel from Japan to Paris during World War I, Taniguchi aims to resonate with a wide audience, and he says he has deliberately avoided using isekai, \u201cOP skill\u201d tropes, or even mecha and sci-fi themes to do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: <\/strong>\u201cEverything has become shallower.\u201d Tokyo Godfathers, Lain producer says the Japanese corporate mindset is why 90% of anime just adapts existing works<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More sequels, and even more remakes of 90s and 00s hits. Anime industry research report predicts eight major trends for 2026<\/strong><\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the premiere of Paris ni Saku \u00c9toile, anime director Goro Taniguchi spoke about his views on the industry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":63408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[73,17],"class_list":["post-63405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-anime","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cIf\u00a0only\u00a0adaptations remain, Japanese anime will be done for,\u201d says Code Geass series director\u00a0 - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Following the premiere of Paris ni Saku \u00c9toile, anime director Goro Taniguchi spoke about his views on the industry.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/if-only-adaptations-remain-japanese-anime-will-be-done-for-says-code-geass-series-director\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cIf\u00a0only\u00a0adaptations remain, Japanese anime will be done for,\u201d says Code Geass series director\u00a0 - 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