Inde Navarrette, known for playing Nikki Freeman in Obsession, turned to anime to study storytelling during a period of uncertainty in her acting career. While waiting for her breakout film to reach audiences, Navarrette began examining the creative choices behind her favorite movies and television shows, with Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer becoming key examples.
In an October 14 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Navarrette explained that her interest went beyond simply watching anime for entertainment. She wanted to understand why certain stories worked and how their structures influenced the audience’s experience.
“I transitioned into studying film and watching movies and asking, ‘Why do I like them?’”
she said.
The actress then compared the storytelling approaches of two popular anime series. She described Jujutsu Kaisen as particularly fascinating because of the way it handles timelines and reveals information across multiple episodes. By contrast, she pointed to Demon Slayer as an example of a more linear narrative.
Her questions focused on how these differences change the way viewers understand characters, events, and emotional moments.
HOW JUJUTSU KAISEN’S TIMELINE INFLUENCED NAVARRETTE’S WRITING
Navarrette was especially interested in how Jujutsu Kaisen plants details early in its story that gain new meaning later. A character’s monologue, for example, might become significant several episodes afterward, even when the character is no longer alive by the time the audience understands its importance.
She explained that studying these techniques helped her think about storytelling in a more deliberate way.
“I really dove into, ‘Why is Jujutsu Kaisen so good?’”
Navarrette said in the interview. She added that she learned about timelines and narrative structure, then tried to apply those lessons to her own screenwriting.
The comparison with Demon Slayer gave her another way to examine how stories are constructed. Rather than treating one approach as better than the other, Navarrette wanted to understand why different structures produce different effects. Her comments highlight how anime can serve as a useful study tool for aspiring writers, particularly when it comes to pacing, character revelations, and the timing of important information.
During the period before Obsession reached audiences, Navarrette also streamed games on Twitch. Gaming and anime have remained important interests for the actress, who has previously spoken about wanting to explore voice acting in video games.
INDE NAVARRETTE IS PREPARING FOR HER X-MEN ROLE
Navarrette’s career has continued to expand beyond Obsession. She is preparing to play Rogue in Marvel Studios’ upcoming X-Men reboot and has emphasized how seriously she is approaching the character.
In a separate interview with LA Times, Navarrette said she had been studying Rogue to ensure her portrayal respects the character and what fans hope to see.
“I’m doing everything humanly possible because I love that character,”
she said.
Her interest in gaming has also led her to express a desire to voice a character in the Resident Evil franchise. In an earlier interview with IGN, she discussed wanting to start with a smaller voice-acting role before taking on a larger project.
Navarrette’s comments about anime offer a look into how she approaches creative work outside acting. By studying how Jujutsu Kaisen and Demon Slayer structure their narratives differently, she has been using the medium to explore storytelling techniques that could inform her own writing. Rather than simply drawing inspiration from favorite shows, she is examining the decisions behind them and considering how those methods can translate into her work.
| Date Aired (Start) | October 3, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Studio | MAPPA |
| Director | Sunghoo Park |
