The “Null & Peta” blog presents anime production progress and game content once a week. This time we've spoken with original concept creator/scriptwriter, Hato, and director Hirofumi Ogura!
This time we'll be asking questions like "What's the difference between the Null & Peta anime and the game“ and “How are the game and animation connected?”

Interview with original concept creator/scriptwriter Hato and director Ogura (Part 1)

―― Today, we'll be asking original concept creator and script writer Hato and director Hirofumi Ogura about the anime version of Null & Peta. So first of all, just what kind of story is Null & Peta, exactly?

Hato: The story began with the idea of someone thinking "I'm going to resurrect my sister who died in an accident as a robot!" Family are very important, but sometimes they can be annoying. But even so, family gives a sense of security... it feels as if there's a "bond," and I want to bring that out in the relationship between Null and Peta as sisters. I also hope to convey it in a way that's funny and unusual rather than serious.

Ogura: The anime version in particular is a story about “Rebuilding a relationship with a robot sister," I suppose. As the story progresses, the relationship between the two of them changes. Although it is a work depicting the daily life of sisters, many events occur. This work may show the everyday life of sisters, but there's a lot that happens. Since it's not so much "very normal people doing very normal things" and written more as a "it'd be interesting if this happened" kind of "ideal everyday life," even despite the absurdity of each day, you can still feel like it's real and happening somewhere. We hope you can enjoy this world that may or may not exist.

―― The Null & Peta game and anime projects are connected, but in what way?

Hato: We began with the plan to make a bundle including both the game and the anime to sell on Steam (an overseas PC game platform.)
I think what can be done in a game is different from what can be done in an anime, so I felt that combining the two would broaden the range of what we can express. As things like the feeling of distance between the characters and the protagonist sisters' relationship is hard to convey through a game, then it would be wonderful if I could breathe life into the characters by using the anime to complement them. I hope everyone can enjoy the things that can only be depicted in the anime or the game respectively.

Ogura: It will be most ideal to watch the anime first to get an understanding of the world, giving you the background information needed to jump straight into the game. The anime will provide an entryway into the game.

―― What kind of story will the Null & Peta anime be?

Ogura: It's a sense that you're building from scratch, based on the game version settings. While we spent a lot of time debating about it, we create the story we want to create while ensuring we keep the underlying fundamental theme of sisters as the core. Since it's a comedy and as the story progresses and the characters continue to grow and start to walk on their own, the less I have to worry about them (laughs). Many interesting things come from not going along with the original plan.
Often it is demanded that anime with original stories do whatever it takes to follow that story to a T, but that won't be the case for this anime. Rather, it'll be taking the bare bones and fleshing it out to give its own shape. So we're glad we can feel like we're succeeding in making it feel more "hand-made."

Hato: I feel the idea that Null, who doesn't want to go to school but then begins thinking about the meaning of going to school thanks to her life with Peta (Robo), is a somewhat serious theme.

Ogura: I want to show people that the world isn't so bad. Even though it's a comedy, there's a lot of both funny and serious scenes. As the story progresses, serious incidents and other things happen, and the story will end up making you cry quite a lot.

Continued in Part 2 (Part 2 will be released Friday, September 6)