It is hard to imagine Attack on Titan without the music of Hiroyuki Sawano, but the anime very nearly went ahead without him. Speaking at a stage greeting for the new SCREENX release of Attack on Titan the Movie: Part 1 - Crimson Bow and Arrow, the composer revealed that he originally said no when he was first offered the job.
The event was held over the weekend at TOHO Cinemas Ikebukuro in Tokyo, with Sawano joined on stage by director Tetsuro Araki and Yuki Kaji, the voice of Eren Yeager. Comic Natalie was there and reported on what the three shared about making the series.
Why Sawano Said No
When asked how he felt when the offer arrived, Sawano explained that his schedule was the problem. According to Comic Natalie's report, he said:
"I didn't know what the schedules for my other projects would look like, and I thought I wouldn't be able to take it on, so I turned the offer down once."
That was not the end of it. Sawano said that Araki and the producer came all the way to his office at the time to ask him again in person, and he went on to accept. He added that if he had not taken the offer, he would not be where he is today.
Sawano and Araki had already worked together before Attack on Titan. The composer has previously written about how much it meant to receive a second offer from the director after their first collaboration on Guilty Crown, and the pair later reunited on Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress and the film Bubble. The office visit shows just how badly Araki wanted to keep that partnership going.
The official Attack on Titan anime account thanked fans for coming out to the stage greeting after the event.
The Surprising Origin Of A Levi Theme
Sawano also shared a fun detail about one of the show's most famous tracks. He said that "The Reluctant Heroes" was written as one of the battle themes, and he was surprised to see Araki use it for Levi's entrance scene, since it was never created specifically as a Levi song.
Araki, for his part, said that he worked with sound director Masafumi Mima on how the music would be used, and he described placing Sawano's tracks into the footage as a lifelong hobby. He listened to the soundtrack every day until it was essentially installed in his head, then picked the best track for each scene. He even described Sawano as someone who gives him toys to play with.
More Stories From The Early Days
The panel was full of other behind-the-scenes memories. Araki, who was a fan of the manga before the adaptation, said that several studios had competed for the chance to make the anime. He also recalled that the very first footage revealed when the adaptation was announced did not yet use any of Sawano's music, and that Eren's voice in that clip came from Kaji's audition recording.
Kaji said he was surprised to be cast as Eren, since he had mostly played roles closer to Armin at the time. Araki explained that he already sensed the actor had the kind of intensity the character needed, and he said that later in the series he would ask Kaji and Armin's voice actor Marina Inoue for their opinions as if he were hearing from the characters themselves.
Crimson Bow and Arrow recompiles the first season's 25 episodes as the first half of a two-part film, and it is now playing in Japan in SCREENX, 4DX and ULTRA 4DX for the first time, 12 years after its original theatrical release. Attack on Titan: The Last Attack is also set to get SCREENX, 4DX and ULTRA 4DX screenings in 2027. The franchise remains active in games too, with Attack on Titan 3's Tokyo Game Show demo putting players in Levi's fight against Zeke.
Can you picture Attack on Titan with a different composer, and which Sawano track is your favorite from the series?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.