Creating Visual Spectacle in Nippon Sangoku with Director Kazuaki Terasawa

With more anime than ever to choose from and high-profile series split among several streaming services, it’s easy to miss a true seasonal highlight. Nippon Sangoku The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun first caught my attention while preparing for the Spring 2026 Anime Trailer Watch Party. The video opens with table setting: in the near future, Japan has collapsed into three hostile city-states vying for control after a pandemic and economic devastation cut the country’s international influence at the knees. The video then switches to an intimidating mid-shot of main character Aoteru Misumi. The character designs are startlingly detailed. It looks unlike any anime I’ve watched in recent memory. Make no mistake, we get our fair share of wonderfully depicted anime nowadays, but Nippon Sangoku exudes a unique cinematic style, all for a series reinterpreting events from the classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms historical narrative.

Since its premiere, James Beckett and I have not stopped talking about Nippon Sangoku, although we’ve rarely encountered anyone else sharing our praises across social media. Unsatisfied, I decided to go straight to the source, and by that I mean politely ask if I could pretty-please interview the director of this amazing series, Kazuaki Terasawa.

Nippon Sangoku‘s visual identity is truly unique. Can you discuss how you worked with
character Takahiko Abiru and art director Seiki Tamura to create the anime series’s look?

Kazuaki Terasawa: I wanted to visually express the worldview of a Japan whose civilization has
regressed back to the Meiji era, so we approached the screen design with that in mind. Specifically, rather than relying on the Western approach of building form through light and shadow, we asked the art team to incorporate the sensibility of traditional Japanese painting — the kind that predates the introduction of Western techniques — where line work carries the dominant visual weight. As for the “Japan, 100 years from now” aspect of the setting, we interspersed 3D renderings of iconic real-world structures — castles, broadcast towers — into the otherwise nihonga-inspired art, and layered typographic elements and manga-style textures directly into the frame. The goal was to create a visual space where “the past” and “the future” coexist on screen simultaneously.

The series also has a strong use of color and texture throughout. What feelings are you
hoping to communicate to the audience through this imagery?

Terasawa: Because the characters’ psychological states serve as the driving thread of the narrative, we used on-screen color palettes and patterns to reinforce what each character is feeling in a given moment. We categorized the textures into four types — corresponding to joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness — and applied them on a cut-by-cut basis throughout the film.

The story of Nippon Sangoku is interesting in that it takes place in a fictional future while also
drawing inspiration from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a nearly 2,000-year-old historical
period. What do you think it is about Romance of the Three Kingdoms that continues to
inspire new artistic works?

Terasawa: This is a difficult question, so this is strictly my personal take — but I think there may be a clue in the fact that Romance of the Three Kingdoms itself is not a story about gods or supernatural beings; it originates from the real history of real people. Collective fantasies that a society shares tend to shift every twenty or
thirty years as the times change, but the evolution of human beings as living creatures operates on a scale of tens of thousands of years. That kind of human truth may simply have a greater durability over time.

The series presents multiple characters with different points of view and political aspirations. One character is Ōga Wajima, the leader of the Seii. What do you think makes Wajima both an inspiring and dangerous character? I found that in many stories, her character type is typically designated as the “hero.”

Terasawa: I think Ōga, when you weigh logic against physicality, is someone who wholly prioritizes the latter. Physicality unleashes the primal, wild side of being human — and I believe that when a character like that exists within a piece of animation, the viewer’s own body resonates in response and their excitement rises instinctively.
Personally, I’m often saved by that kind of physical liberation through film and animation.

That said, in the real world I think logic is equally vital for building a functioning society — so in that sense, Ouga may have tipped too far out of balance.

Did you have previous interest or familiarity with Romance of the Three Kingdoms before working on the anime series? What was your first introduction to the story?

Terasawa: One of our core concepts was to make this something that even viewers like myself — people who don’t know Romance of the Three Kingdoms — could enjoy. So I actually still haven’t read the original to this day. (The only thing I’ve read is Yokoyama Mitsuteru-sensei’s manga adaptation.)

What do you think makes Aoteru Misumi a compelling protagonist, the type of character the audience wants to support?

Terasawa: Normally, when people make decisions, personal sentiment and lessons drawn from past experience — emotional factors — inevitably creep in. But I think Misumi is a character who doesn’t rely on any of that. He has the mental fortitude to think things through on his own and push forward with whatever he concludes
is the most rational course of action.

It may not be physical strength or outward appearance that draws people to him so powerfully — it may be that extraordinary inner strength itself.

Is there a scene in the series that you are particularly proud of as a director? Is there a moment that really moved you, emotionally?

Terasawa: Since I handled both the storyboarding and direction for Episode 1, it naturally holds a special place in my heart. Whether we could portray Saki as a compelling character throughout the episode was crucial for the entire series going forward—and I’d say we managed to at least earn a passing grade… I think. I was relieved to hear the positive reception after it started streaming.

Given the story’s political themes, many viewers may relate certain parts to current events around the world. Are there any messages in the work that you want viewers to understand?

Terasawa: When it comes to the political themes, I tried to avoid any directive staging that tells the audience “this is how you should see it.” This is entertainment, so I’d be happy if everyone watches the work freely, each in their own way of enjoying it.

Are there any final comments you’d like to share with fans of the Nippon Sangoku anime series?

Terasawa: Thank you so much for all the incredible reaction. I hope you’ll continue to
support the anime, Nippon Sangoku.