Interview With Project Lead for WTC MHA Abridged Series
by Ben Price
Today I had the opportunity to talk to We The Celestials' Logan, head of the upcoming My Hero Academia Abridged series, about his project. The source material is a Japanese animated show, or anime, that takes place in a world where superheroes use powers (called 'quirks') to maintain order and peace in everyday life. Our interview sheds some light on what is sure to be an entertaining new series on YouTube. Here's what he had to say.
Myself (Ben): How long have you been working on this project?
Logan: We started looking for voice actors soon after we finished the first script, which was in early January.
Myself: Has the process been as challenging as you expected it to be?
Logan: As a writer, an unexpected challenge was the change from typical prose to script writing. Otherwise, I've been extremely impressed with how smoothly the project has ran. We're right on schedule, and have been ahead of schedule on multiple occasions.
Myself: That kind of answers my next question, but I'll ask it for clarity: What has been the most challenging part of the process so far?
Logan: The most time-consuming one has definitely been the audio editing. Specifically, mixing the recordings from various voice actors alongside sound effects has taken a lot longer than we initially expected.
Myself: That's understandable. I know our director spends hours editing our footage from our own projects.
Myself: So, when should we expect the premiere?
Logan: We're shooting for the end of March, actually.
Myself: Sweet! So we're drawing near the big day. Are you excited?
Logan: Absolutely. I have big hopes for this series and its success.
Myself: Now for the hard part: This is sort of a niche project tat others have done similar takes on. What sets it apart from similar projects?
Logan: With our approach, we've decided to minimize the use of gimmicky and referential characters (especially when it comes to the main and supporting cast). Most of the recurring characters fall into three categories: an exaggeration of their normal traits, the opposite of the their normal traits, or completely out-of-the-water insane.
Myself: Ware has been your favorite part of the process so far?
Logan: Directing the voice actors. It's always a blast to sit in there and hear them do their work.
Myself: Having met a few voice actors n my time covering conventions, I can imagine.
Myself: Who is your favorite character from the source material?
Logan: almost instantly: Mirio Togata.
Myself: If you could have a quirk, what would it be?
Logan: Momo's creation quirk because then I could print my own money. B)
Myself: Solid answer. Alright, where can fans new and old find the show?
Logan: It's going to be on YouTube. The channel hasn't been created yet, but it will be as we release the teaser a week before our first episode airs. If you want to find that teaser, you can go to We The Celestials My Hero Academia What-if YouTube channel. That's our main channel; it has a lot of great content from a team of extremely talented people.
Myself: I spent a bit of time browsing the channel earlier personally. It does offer some pretty interesting and unique content. Is there anything you'd like to add?
Logan: We're looking to be, by far, the funniest and best-quality My Hero Academia Abridged series online.
Myself: Alright. Well, thanks for your time. It's been a pleasure.
Logan: Radical.
As you can see, We The Celestials is clearly passionate and dedicated to delivering solid content. With so much effort being poured into the upcoming series, it's no surprise that Logan is optimistic about it's future. Hopefully, with hard work and a little luck, the series will prove to be a success. I know I can't wait to see it. We here at CATV will be sure to keep you posted with updates as they happen.