Takuya Okamoto Interview #3

SHOCKED BY THE SERIOUS REVELATIONS FROM TEENAGERS WHO SAID, “GUNDAM IS NOT GEARED TOWARD US.”
AN INTERVIEW WITH PRODUCER TAKUYA OKAMOTO

Interview and Text by Kenichi Chiba

This is the first new TV series since Iron-Blooded Orphans and has garnered a lot of attention for its first female protagonist in a series and its worldview set at a school. Plus, its tie-in with PARCO had fans in a tizzy even before the broadcast began. In addition, the PROLOGUE, released ahead of the broadcast, further raised everyone’s expectations about what kind of story would be woven with such high-quality animation.

I sat down with Takuya Okamoto, producer of this highly-anticipated show, about the project, from its inception, the staff involved and highlights that he focused on during the show.

TEENAGERS SAYING, “GUNDAM IS NOT AIMED AT US,” HIT HARD.

―― This is the first new Gundam TV series in seven years. For starters, tell us a little about the circumstances that led to this production.

Okamoto: I myself started working on the series in the early spring of 2020, though I got word that it was somewhere around 2018 when talks of this project as the next Gundam began to emerge. It started with the idea of wanting to create something for the next generation for Gundam’s 40th and 60th anniversaries. So, in 2020, there were talks of “wanting to do Gundam with a female protagonist.”

―― So, from the beginning stages, the younger generation was in mind as the target mass-market segment*?

Okamoto: That would be correct. While I basically had the impression that the prior Gundam series set outside the Universal Century were aimed at the teenage demographic, I figured this series would also be aimed at them, and that’s what was ordered.

―― Was there some part of you that was aware of such a target audience when you started with the school for its setting?

Okamoto: There have been past Gundam works where schools have appeared, but I feel that most of them started with boy soldiers or were rather serious from the get-go. This time around, “The Witch from Mercury” also had several turning points involving its story, and the content of it initially started from a more somber place. But it was right around that time when I had the chance to talk with some teenagers on a social studies field trip. They told me that “Gundam isn’t aimed at us” and “If I see Gundam in it (the title), I wouldn’t watch it.”

―― That’s pretty shocking to hear, wouldn’t you say?

Okamoto: It hit me pretty hard. Of course, Gundam isn’t all about the Universal Century series. There are others, but when you think about it, it’s been twenty years since Gundam SEED. That’s practically ancient history at this point, but at the same time, it’s morphed into a sort of barrier or burden that makes it difficult for the younger generation to get into the world of Gundam. While creators have certainly taken various approaches with past works to make it easier for them to get into it, I still felt it would be better to start the show in an environment they’re more familiar with, which is why we decided to set it at a school.

―― So you would say you’re gradually adding more depth to the story rather than suddenly starting from the heavier side of things?

Okamoto: Seeing that it’s in the 5 o’clock block on Sundays, we wanted to make it easy to get into the show rather than making it too burdensome from the get-go. During the planning, I felt that a war between major powers was a subject matter that the younger generation would have trouble connecting with. So we thought about where to make it resonate a bit more with today’s youth and make them feel, “Wait a sec, this a story for us, isn’t it?”

―― Around the time the project came to you, it was already decided that the main character would be female. To what extent would you say you were aware of what you could portray because of that?

Okamoto: Of course, certain aspects can only be portrayed with a female character, but I wasn’t particularly focused on that. I felt I should just depict them as a character, as a person.

CHARACTER AND MECHANICAL DESIGNS HAVE DIFFERENT ROLES

―― I’d like to talk a little about staffing. There are four character designers on this show, and that includes mogumo, the original designer.

Okamoto: There are a lot of characters to be drawn in this series, so we’ve put together a system that adopts efforts from everyone. The main characters are handled by Mari Tagashira, while Juri Toida and Hirotoshi Takaya tackle the characters that surround them.

―― So, mogumo is basically behind the original designs?

Okamoto: I asked him to handle the student side or, rather, the younger characters. Plus, since Kobayashi is quite skilled at drawing, he often came up with some idea sketches. I play catch-up with mogumo from time to time and sometimes ask him to come up with anime character designs based on the director’s sketches.

―― There are also six mechanical designers that JNTHED is leading. I get the feeling there’s a division of roles here as well.

Okamoto: To some extent. We’ve divided the work by forces, with JNTHED handling the main role mobile suits, primarily the Gundam Aerial and Lfrith, while Kanetake Ebikawa tackles the Grassley mobile suits, Ippei Gyobu the Jeturk mobile suits, and Wataru Inata the Peil mobile suits. Takayuki Yanase and Kenji Teraoka are also working on other forces and mobile suit designs.

WANTING TO BECOME AWARE OF WHAT “WITCH” MEANS THROUGH THE STORY

―― Talking with you, I get the feeling that you’re creating something new that’s very out of the box (free-minded). Do you feel as though you’re creating something new?

Okamoto: I think it’s difficult for Universal Century series because so many things have already been established, but for those shows set outside of that, they have a certain degree of freedom to them. Still, it’s been less than thirty years since Mobile Fighter G Gundam, so I think everyone has their own vision of Gundam. So I think we need to satisfy audience needs while deviating a bit from their expectations, in a good sense.

―― So, that would mean traditional Gundam fans can enjoy some elements? You kept in mind that some would feel that “this isn’t for us” if they were aware it was focused on the younger generation.

Okamoto: I think that speaks for the depth of Gundam. The junior high and high schoolers who watched SEED are now in their thirties, so this show will have drama that even adults can tolerate, so I think it’s become something that will please a wide range of people.

―― On that note, what does the “witch” in the title refer to?

Okamoto: I think there are varying concepts of what “witch” refers to. I feel that interpretations will vary depending on who sees it, but if you watch the story, it’ll make sense, a sort of “so that’s what a witch was.” So I’d be delighted if you followed along with everything.

GUND FORMAT AND BODY EXTENSIONS ARE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF THE STORY

―― As I watched the PROLOGUE, I was still hung up on the GUND Format and GUND-BIT. I know these are essential aspects of the story, but could you please tell us about the inspiration and what you wanted to express?

Okamoto: The GUND Format is just a necessary setting for depicting what a Gundam is in this world. I can’t go into the details yet, but it’s one of the settings that are tied to one of the more crucial elements we’re attempting to show in this series. Mobile suits and Gundam utilizing the GUND Format were denied their existence in the PROLOGUE, so I hope you’ll follow along with the story and see just what happens in this show.

―― I look forward to finding out then. The GUND Format seems to be technology developed from medical tech, so did you also consider this so that it’s easy to imagine from reality?

Okamoto: In the show, it’s known as “body expansion,” though we had the idea of expanding consciousness, or rather, expanding human beings. I recall that the original concept behind Mobile Suit Gundam was based on this idea, though I’m not sure to just what extent Director Kobayashi was aware of this when he came up with the idea. But, in terms of human expansion, I think it was connected with medical treatments like prosthetic arms and legs. Mobile suits and robots may be difficult to envision, but the fact that it’s medical technology makes them feel familiar. I’d be delighted if you got that sense from it.

―― Again, on that note, how widespread is the GUND Format in this world?

Okamoto: Few people used that technology during the PROLOGUE stage, so it feels a bit like a start-up. They were working with Ochs Earth to expand possibilities.

WHAT IS THE PREFERENCE FOR HAND-DRAWN MOBILE SUITS?

―― I’d also like to touch on how you depict mobile suits. In Hathaway’s Flash, 3DCG was mainly used, and I was under the impression that future Gundam works would go with this, but this time you came in with such robust hand-drawn ones. Details were so precise, so tell us a little about your preference for drawing mobile suits by hand.

Okamoto: I still feel there are advantages to drawing them by hand, though it’s not as easy as it used to be for TV series, so I hope to take it as far as possible.

―― Were there any talks about whether to use CG versus hand drawing this time around?

Okamoto: At first, we were thinking about changing direction toward 3DCG, but there are still people at Sunrise who draw robots by hand, so I hope we can successfully weave their allure into the show. I do have to say that if you take a step back and look at it if Sunrise were to stop doing hand-drawn robot anime in TV series, I feel like there would be few other places to do so. I also have to wonder whether this culture can be sustained.

―― Would you say you have feelings about the charm and allure of hand-drawn animation?

Okamoto: That I do. I myself have been involved in a lot of robot-related projects since I joined this company. This includes 3DCG-based works, which I find quite appealing, but maybe another big factor is that I was surrounded by individuals who hand-draw robots.

THIS TIME AROUND, THE GUNDAM IS MUSCULAR, LIKE A BODYBUILDER?!

―― JNTHED, who has handled the Gundam Aerial and others, also drew for games like “Metal Gear,” so my impression is that this show is mindful of art and street culture, like the use of YAOSOBI for the theme song and tie-in with PARCO. This is quite a bit different from the context of anime and Gundam until now. What would you say your intention is behind this?

Okamoto: I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we’re focusing on art and street culture, just that there’s a part that’s aiming for a different angle from Gundam until now. As for JNTHED, his approach in the mecha design competition was different from Gundam before now, so I wondered if there wouldn’t be any chemistry, though in a good sense. Though when it comes to staffing, I’m pretty mindful of bringing in fresh blood* little by little. I feel it’s a much better stimuli for the show to have individuals from differing contexts, not some mixed martial arts tournament. As for the tie-ins with YAOSOBI and PARCO, we wanted to ensure the younger generation, those who haven’t been exposed to Gundam until now, have a barrier-free entry. So we’re well aware of further expanding Gundam to a younger generation through the help of those playing a role in culture today.

―― JNTHED’s Gundam Aerial has mysterious nuances to it. Its body is muscular, though it’s also a bit feminine.

Okamoto: I’ve been told quite a bit that it’s feminine, though truth be told, I’m not aware of it. If anything, it’s a bit more muscular, like a bodybuilder.

―― The thighs are certainly a sight to behold, and it’s quite lean in areas where it’s tight.

Okamoto: I see that too. The waist is also tight and relatively thin. Overall it gives the impression it’s packed with muscles. The director and JNTHED were playing catch-up with one another there.

―― When I hear you mention things like that, I get the feeling that it’s something that goes along with the theme this time, like body expansion. Was JNTHED aware of GUND Format from the beginning?

Okamoto: The mechanical designs were being created side-by-side with the story, but it was decided that all-range weapons would emerge. At the time, we were talking with the hobby division folks about what sort of gimmicks would be interesting as something that could be used offensively and defensively, though not necessarily for playing with the plamo and figures with your hands to make them fight. Initially, we discussed whether making the bits more detailed was possible. Of course, there’s a fine line between fantasy and reality, but we came up with various ideas, eventually leading us to what we have now.

―― You’ve managed to pack so many ideas into this Gundam, haven’t you? I look forward to seeing everything play out in the show. Thank you so much for your time!

*TL Note: The term here is literally “volume zone,” which is wasei-eigo which means premium market segment, mass-market segment, main (for price range), or largest (age group).

*TL Note: The term here is literally “new blood,” but it can mean fresh ideas, a younger generation, or vitality.

*TL Note: Special thanks to Wes Robertsons, “Scripting Japan,” for the explanation of ブンドド!

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