(exerpt taken from VKLL's subtitle of the discussion following Ami-chan's
special)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artists:

Producer: Toshihiko Arisaka (TA) 
Director: Takuya Igorashi (TI)  
Animation Director: Miho Shimogasa (MS) 
Screenplay: Ryota Yamaguchi (RY)  
Art Director: Junichi Higashi (JI) 
Music Director: Yasuyuki Konno (YK) 


TA: Since we're talking about this episode, let's talk a little about Ami.

YK: Ami is such a serious, straight character and she's hanging out with
this group of kids, and she's still trying to be serious... but something
is not right, even with her, and that is what I find unique and funny.

RY: And she does make some jokes sometimes, so it was a matter of how far
to take that...

TI: Ami is a good, normal girl.  In the past, we did some things that you
wouldn't expect her to do, like getting interested in music or wearing
over-alls... This time for the film too, we thought it would be interesting
to bring out another side of her.

RY: There's a scene in which she put on glasses, for example.  For me,
this act of wearing the glasses symbolizes a change in Ami.  Kind of like
Ultra Ai of Ultra Seven, who goes weird when he wears something.  Because
she never wears them, and because that symbolism is so strong in me I
thought that the "wearing of the glasses" itself made for action in the
film.

MS: I was so happy that Ami's glasses were all brushed in tint.

RY: That was really tough... I mean, in such a small space... It was
supposed to be there, and that was the plan, so we put it in, but...

MS: Ami's character was the most difficult to draw of any character
I've drawn...

TA: She was difficult to draw?

MS: Yes, it was very difficult.  Chibi-usa is the easiest, so when I
found out that the main character was Ami I thought, 'oh no'...  I
tried to make her look as cute as possible, but...

 ?: Even compared to the other four?

MS: Her droopy eyes are very difficult for me... always...

RY: Characters that women draw are very cute and when men draw, sometimes
it gets too clinical, clean, so in that sense, Ms. Shomogasa's work really
shone through.

MS: Thank you.

RY: No, thank you.

YK: Okay, so shall we do "Ami's First Love -- Part 2"?

TA: Maybe an eighty minute episode or more.

{laughter}