At this year’s Anime Expo, New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt made its long-awaited comeback with a press roundtable that reunited the original creatives from the cult classic series, animation director Hiroyuki Imaishi, creative producer and scriptwriter Hiromi Wakabayashi, and art director Shigeto Koyama. Hosted by Kadokawa, the session included candid, humorous, and occasionally chaotic reflections on the past 15 years since the original aired. From addressing fan pressure (or lack thereof) to teasing literal and figurative Easter eggs, the creators shared insight into how the “new” Panty & Stocking balances its outrageous legacy with fresh energy, all while staying true to its identity as pure, unfiltered entertainment.
Note from the Editor-in-Chief: A translator was present during the roundtable to assist in translating questions from press as well as responses from animation director Hiroyuki Imaishi, creative producer and scriptwriter Hiromi Wakabayashi, and art director Shigeto Koyama. All answers will be attributed to the staff as a whole unless otherwise specified.
Most if not all Western fans of the original Panty & Stocking with Gartlerbelt from 15 years ago would recognize the characters as inspired by Western comics, particularly The Powerpuff Girls, but it turns out that the creators pulled from a wide range of sources for inspiration.
“We also looked at lots of other cartoons and of course, anime too, because we’re in Japan,” staff members said. “That mix really adds to the charm of the show.”
And in the shift from season 1 to season 2, the visual influence has remained the same.
“There’s no real effect from newer U.S. shows. We haven’t changed the style, but the story and the jokes have definitely been influenced by films and shows from the U.S.” staff added.
Outside character designs, visuals, and the comedy, the staff was also asked about ways the new season will feel different as well as the same.
“In terms of the design and the worldview, the core has really remained the same. In the past, we worked out of Gainax, now we’re with Trigger. Over 14 years, the studio and staff have grown. A lot of the people who were fans back then are now part of the staff. We’ve brought in new cast members too. These new people have brought new expression to the show,” the staff shared. “The thing that hasn’t changed is the motivation, the desire to make a really fun and silly anime.”
With returning musical credits along with new names, James Mizutani from Anime Trending asked about the goals regarding music.
“The music producer is Taku Takahashi from m-flo. He brought together some of the hottest artists now to create different genres than before,” staff said. “The director asked to have more songs with vocals, so you’ll see a lot more vocal tracks this season.”
Animation director Imaishi was asked by Rafael from Behind the Manga and Manga Mavericks about his feelings when it came to returning to direct the series again after 15 years, as well as any challenges in bringing it to modern audiences.
“It’s taken 15 years to get here, but I wanted to do this much earlier. The fans’ voices were loud,” Imaishi said. “This is the first sequel I’ve directed. I just want to make sure I don’t disappoint fans. The most important thing is to keep it just as ridiculous as the first season.”
Seth Burn from Anime Herald asked creative producer Hiromi Wakabayashi about a quote from 2016 where he said there was enough material for six seasons and if fans can expect more.
“I don’t think it’s a six-season show. It’s a forever show. Even back then I said six seasons and a film. I even know the title of the film. But it’s not just up to us—it depends on fan reaction,” Wakabayashi explained.
The trio was asked by Emily Duffel from Shade Studios about their collaboration’s evolution and how their individual roles shaped the series.
“We’ve worked together on Panty & Stocking, Kill la Kill, Animator Expo, Luluco, Promare, and Star Wars. Our conversations have gotten faster,” the creatives shared. “Communication is smoother, with less friction. We can see further into what something means, like a newtype. The speed has tripled.”
Note: A Newtype (ニュータイプ Nyūtaipu?) is a person who has reached a new stage of human evolution in the Gundam universe. The theory behind this minor but groundbreaking metamorphosis is: in order to adapt to life in space, the human body evolved with heightened mental awareness.
When it came to my turn to ask the group a question, I had to doubleback to the Community reference and acknowledge before also asking about other references or Easter eggs viewers can look out for. And I couldn’t have asked for a better reply, as they joked about literal eggs.
“There are as many eggs as the egg section at a supermarket. People will be crushing them with every step. Even in Season 1, there are plot hints people haven’t noticed,” the staff shared. “And yes, there is a literal egg in this season. It’s a West Coast egg, a very important detail.”
Matthew from Otaku Hourly asked art director Shigeto Koyama about how his role compared to past works such as Promare, Heroman, and Star Wars: Visions.
“It’s similar to Season 1. We didn’t change the design much but did change the color. Until Gurren Lagann, we had less control over color,” Koyama said. “Panty & Stocking gave us more color control, and our experiences since have refined that further.”
Ken Dubois from The-O Network asked if recent Western animation influenced this season, but it turns out personal real life experience served as the dominant influence.
“To be honest, not at all. Not influenced by U.S. or Japanese anime. Our real-life experiences from traveling and meeting people are what influenced this season the most,” the staff said.
Jay Gibbs from Anime Corner recalled that season 1 came from a casual post-Gurren Lagann trip and asked if there were any similar points of inspiration for this season.
“Season 1 came from casual drinks. Season 2 was made in a closed-off white meeting room with compliance officers in suits. Tight schedule. Immense pressure,” the staff shared. “If you’ve seen episode one, you know how crazy it is that it came from that environment.”
Koyama was then asked if this season would introduce any new styles or experimental elements as the past art direction blended genres.
“The style isn’t necessarily genre-blending. Panty, especially, blends easily with others,” Koyama cleverly remarked.
Nicolas Eisenberg from The Michigan Daily asked if it was hard to match or exceed the vulgarity of the first season.
“Personally, I thought Season 2 was easier to watch. But others have told me it’s actually worse. Believe it or not, episode one is us putting the brakes on. I’m relieved to hear people say it’s worse,” the staff shared.
Looking back to season 1’s finale, Evan Mullicane from Screen Rant asked how the idea for season 2 evolved since the original twist ending.
“We weren’t thinking about anything when we made that ending. It was just a funny joke. We knew we’d think of the continuation later. Usually, a series plans character arcs. Here, we just go episode by episode and introduce new ideas freely,” the staff said. “Also, everyone keeps saying ‘Season 2’ but we’ve never thought of it that way. This is New Panty & Stocking. Not a continuation. Something new.”
And to close out the roundtable discussion, Koyama shared that he doesn’t really have a message for fans, “I don’t want them to think about anything.”
Wakabayashi expanded on that sentiment, “I hope audiences forget everything and just laugh like idiots for 20 to 30 minutes. Forget what they watched after. Have fun.”
“We took this seriously, but I hope audiences are very unserious. In Japan, people sit formally to watch TV. I want people lounging, eating snacks, drinking, watching on their phone. Just enjoy it,” Wakabayashi said.
“This is pure entertainment. Anime has become seen as art, and that’s fine. But we just want to entertain. No need to think deeply. No cliffhangers or mystery theories. We’re making this the same way we did 15 years ago. The brain is not involved.”
Catch New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt on Prime Video!
