Interview With Kyle Colby Jones

Behold, Sentai’s Superstar!

Directing the likes of monster girls, culinary showdowns, alien parasites, video game wizards and fantasy assassins is no easy task, but somebody’s got to do it! Thankfully, Sentai Filmworks and dubbed anime in general is in good hands with Mr Jones at the helm!

From gore-fests such as Parasyte to enchanting meditations on the human experience as seen in Kino’s Journey, Kyle Colby Jones has taken on numerous anime projects over the years as one of Sentai Filmwork’s most accomplished ADR directors and scriptwriters.

Thankfully, between orchestrating the madness of series like Monster Musume, he found time to chat with us about his role in the industry and the various shows he’s worked on.

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to let us probe your brain!

“My pleasure. I’m a fan of the Top Ten Lists. Probe away.” 

Starting off at the very beginning, how did you find your way into the demanding yet oh so satisfying world of ADR directing and scriptwriting?

“Once the earth cooled, I got a degree in advertising. I was a copywriter for about seven years, working on everything from candy bars and maxi-pads to Swedish furniture and electric shavers. Then one day, clearly out of the blue, I received a phone call from Steven Foster. (He came from the advertising world, too.)

He said, “How would you like to work on cartoons instead?”

“Uh…sure.”

At the time, ADV Films was the largest distributor of anime in the US, and they had just gobbled up a huge number of titles. They needed a lot of shows produced quickly. That’s where the advertising copywriter job proved useful. I had the chance to write and produce gobs of radio and tv spots. That gave me a bunch of experience in scripting, casting, working with talent and sound engineers, etc. – and do it with crazy deadlines. Plus, while growing up, my friends and I would connect two VCRs and re-dub shows for fun. Mostly the news.

“Local man eats a boloney sandwich. More at eleven.”

We were dorks.

Anyway, I took the job. Six months later the ad agency went under. Coincidence? I hardly think so.”

Do you recall the series you worked on that cemented your desire to continue producing dubbed anime?

“Back in my early days of anime, we produced each series in volumes. 3-5 episodes at a time. I was alternating between two shows, doing one volume at a time. The first was the granddaddy of teenage fighting shows, Saint Seiya. I would spend weeks of screaming and endless gutturals and glottals. But in between, I had the unique pleasure of working on Kino’s Journey. Perhaps the polar opposite of Seiya. It was so calm and thoughtful. Almost like a collection of bedtime stories strung together in a cool little steam punk universe. It just felt so smart and special. Plus, Kino gave my bleeding ears a chance to heal.

What it showed me was the grand variety of the medium. Each new project at Sentai is something unique and has its own tone and purpose. I love that. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

You have no shortage of voice roles to your name, but which of them do you miss performing the most?

“By and large, the roles I play are generally for budgetary reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the acting part of this gig. But most of my time is spent on the other side of the glass. That said, I deeply cherish the opportunity to take a small character and try to make them memorable. If you’re going to play the ‘tree’ in the school play, be the best tree on the stage.

One of my favorites was in Akame ga Kill. It was some sleazy froggy fella. The guy only had one line, but he was bragging to himself about how he had just destroyed the toilet with his fecal prowess.”

Pace from Arcana Famiglia has many endearing qualities, but would you say you share his undying love of lasagna?

“I do love lasagna! And pie. I lean key lime.”

What would you say is a more fulling experience as a director? Bringing to life a long-running epic like Haikyu or a condensed series such as DanMachi?

“Whew. Those are both very different. A longer series creates challenges related to casting and continuity. The more characters added to the story, the more complex the actor mix. Every time the boys at Karasuno play a new team, I need five to ten more dudes! As far as continuity goes, the story continues to grow. Keeping all the details and plot points together can hurt my tiny brain. That said, you get the fun part of all the hoopla. Fans are excited about Haikyu, and it’s such a blast to be a part of it all.

A shorter/lesser-known show (or a movie) is easier to get my head wrapped around – especially if I was able to write the script as well. It can turn into a more personal experience for everyone involved. I find that to be true in meeting the fans of those little subversive gems as well. It’s like a little secret we share. The Papuwa faithful are a tight group. M-baba!”

Aside from the contrasting scenarios, is there any difference in directing an adorable romance like My Love Story compared to an erotic harem style anime like Monster Musume?

“This definitely falls into that ‘variety is the spice of anime’ category – whether it’s dark or wacky or terrifying or funny or action-packed or whatever makes it is that makes a show interesting. My Love Story is such a sweet little story. And touches on themes we can all relate to. It is so beautifully human. Andrew Love and Tia Ballard (And Austin Tindle) were absolute treats to work with.

On the other hand, Monster Musume has almost zero reality. That’s when you get to let loose and celebrate in the ridiculousness of everything. We had a name for the overriding tone of the show. Do whatever you like – as long as it remains “Delightfully Tacky.” We wanted to make sure it stayed fun and didn’t get too trashy. Well, maybe a little trashy.”

Many fans consider Akame ga Kill to be anime’s answer to Game of Thrones. Did working on such a violent and rather upsetting title make for quite the challenge?

“During production at Sentai, we all knew Akame was going to end up on Cartoon Network’s Toonami, so we had some added pressure. There were a lot more eyes on us than we were accustomed. Between that and the sometimes bleak subject matter, occasionally one of the actors would have a little freak-out. But we’d hug it out and move on.

One of the perks of casting for badass characters is hiring genuinely badass people. Christine Auten and Molly Searcy could crush any one of us with very little effort. And Shelley Calene-Black just oozes goodness. I don’t even think she can help it.”

Given how it never fails to make fans laugh and cheer, I can only imagine how much fun it is working on a series like Food Wars. Do you have any particularly fond memories from directing the first two seasons?

“The food-gasm auditions. Probably one of the best weeks of work ever.”

This might be impossible to answer since no creator wants to choose between their works, but if you had no other choice, could you name which series was your favorite to direct?

“You’re are absolutely right – it is impossible to answer. So I’ll take a lesson from your book and give you a Top Ten List: Parasyte, Log Horizon, Kino’s Journey, Papuwa, Umaru-chan, Short Peace, Nozaki-kun, Akame ga Kill, Guns & Talks, Lake Texarkana Gamera”

Kyle, thank you so much for your time! If fans want to message you and declare their undying love for the Haikyu dub, where can they find you?

For things anime related, I’m most active on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/KyleColby

For artsy-fartsy stuff, Instagram.
www.instagram.com/kyle.colby

For photography, I play here:
www.kylecolby.com

Every now and again I post a video on YouTube.
Kyle Colby Jones

Oh. And I once wrote a blog about my testicles.
Sans Deferens

And finally, as an honorary member of WatchMojo, if you could choose a subject for a top ten list, what would it be?

“I love language. Its complexities, its evolution, its misuse, its manipulation, its window into the personality of its time-period and user and its environment.

And I love movies.

So. How about, “Top-Ten Movies Riddled With So Much Lingo That They Need A Glossary.”

(A Clockwork Orange and Miller’s Crossing come to mind.)”