{"rewrite":{"id":"r_c62ce18b5b222fde17bc35b5","clusterId":"c_43c889751ea87026e3df08de","slug":"clevatess-staff-explain-the-retro-cel-look-and-heidi-flashbacks","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Clevatess Staff Explain the Retro Cel Look and Heidi Flashbacks","summary":"In an interview at Anime Expo 2026, Clevatess director Kiyotaka Taguchi and Lay-duce producer Seiichiro Kuriyama explained how they built the series' visual style. The episode one destruction scene was stretched from a few manga pages to about 20 minutes. Present-day scenes use a 1990s cel look, while flashbacks aim for a 1970s style like Heidi, A Girl of the Alps. Kadokawa producer Kosuke Arai also brought Ellie Goulding in for the ending song.","whyItMatters":"The staff deliberately built Clevatess' visual identity around period styling, using a 1990s cel look for the present and a 1970s Heidi-inspired look for flashbacks to separate the story's time periods.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe episode one destruction was built from a few manga pages into a roughly 20-minute set piece, director Kiyotaka Taguchi said, drawing on his love of kaiju and disaster movies. The background art aims for the painterly look of 1980s and 1990s cel animation, a style Taguchi and art director Atsushi Morikawa agreed fit a fantasy series.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe story jumps across time periods, so the staff gave each era its own look: present-day scenes carry the 1990s cel style, while flashbacks use a 1970s look like Heidi, A Girl of the Alps. Producer Seiichiro Kuriyama said the challenge was making the flashbacks look rough without looking sloppy, which took trial and error. Kadokawa producer Kosuke Arai also explained how Ellie Goulding came to perform the ending song.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Clevatess director Kiyotaka Taguchi says the episode 1 destruction scene grew from a few manga pages into a 20-minute set piece. Present-day scenes use a 1990s cel look; flashbacks aim for a 1970s style like Heidi. Ellie Goulding sings the ending song.","twitterPost":"Clevatess staff at Anime Expo: episode 1's destruction scene was stretched from a few manga pages to 20 minutes. Present-day scenes use a 1990s cel look, flashbacks a 1970s Heidi style. Ellie Goulding performs the ending song.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Clevatess director Kiyotaka Taguchi and producer Seiichiro Kuriyama explained their retro visual approach at Anime Expo. The episode one destruction scene grew from a few manga pages to 20 minutes, and flashbacks are styled after 1970s anime like Heidi. Kadokawa producer Kosuke Arai also detailed how Ellie Goulding ended up singing the ending theme.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2026/all-the-news-and-reviews-from-anime-expo/the-clevatess-anime-staff-were-inspired-by-heidi/.239373\",\"title\":\"The Clevatess Anime Staff Were Inspired by Heidi?!\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4780,"outputTokens":1927,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1785978815,"createdAt":"2026-08-06T01:09:59.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-06T01:12:23.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-06T01:09:59.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_43c889751ea87026e3df08de","canonicalTitle":"All the News and Reviews from Anime Expo 2026\nThe Clevatess Anime Staff Were Inspired by Heidi?!","representativeArticleId":"a_d185b849b67fbe6ca42cc4a0","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Clevatess\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Lay-duce\"],\"people\":[\"Kiyotaka Taguchi\",\"Seiichiro Kuriyama\",\"Kōsuke Arai\",\"Ellie Goulding\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-05T13:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-05T13:00:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-06T01:12:24.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/convention/2026/all-the-news-and-reviews-from-anime-expo/the-clevatess-anime-staff-were-inspired-by-heidi/.239373","title":"All the News and Reviews from Anime Expo 2026\nThe Clevatess Anime Staff Were Inspired by Heidi?!"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Clevatess"],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Lay-duce"],"people":["Kiyotaka Taguchi","Seiichiro Kuriyama","Kōsuke Arai","Ellie Goulding"],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}