Note: There are parts of this interview that, although I understand and can express in my native tongue, I find hard to find the words for in English. This caused some parts of this translation to be, in my opinion, not smooth. I would be very glad if you could give me correction or suggestion that can make this translation better! The original interview is here.
Please tell us how you joined the production of Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue These.
It started when Production I.G. producer Kuroki (Rui) offered me to do the mechanical designing. He wanted me to be involved since the start of the planning, so I joined from the brainstorming stage.
What was your honest feeling when you received the offer?
I am originally interested in doing mecha and 3D stuff, but in the last few years, I.G. didn’t produce too many works in that direction. There were a few works that I could participate in. But then the offer to work on this space opera, Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu, came, and it was such a timely offer.[1] I felt glad that there was still a work that needed me. (laughs)
Before receiving the offer, how much did you know about Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu?
I used to know only a little, but I watched the animation directed by Ishiguro (Noboru). My friend Kiyozumi (Norifumi)-san participated in that. When I was helping with a work by Oshii Mamoru-san… was it GARM(WARS)?… I worked with Kiyozumi-san. Because he’d worked in Gineiden, I looked at him sideways, thinking how fun it must have been. At that time, I’ve only watched it a little on video. As for the original novels, I just began reading them when it’s decided that I joined (Die Neue These).
What do you think is Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu’s charm?
When director Ishiguro’s adaptation was being made, anime was made using cels. At that time, only a few anime titles have begun using CG. Ship battle scenes were made using hand-drawn cels during that period, but what an incredible space opera did they produce. The way the music was placed too was delicious, it was astonishing.
Please tell us concretely what’s so good about director Ishiguro’s adaptation.
The battle ships that appear in Gineiden are big ships of the 1,000m-class, and when they moved the ships, it’s not the ships that they moved much, but instead the camera pulled away slowly, showing the movement. Other than that, there’s no other visual.
That’s likely to become a plain and boring visual.
However, with classical music superimposed with the pictures, it gives off a grand atmosphere. I thought that’s very nice.
Director Ishiguro’s adaptation and Die Neue These are very different in terms of application of 3DCG in the production.
When it comes to the movement of small mechas like the Walkure (the Imperial fighters) and the Spartanians (FPA’s fighters), I think it’s absolutely fun for viewers to watch them moving fast, and if we use 3DCG for such scenes, we can depict them with greater freedom. Besides, the surrounding scenery in such scenes is inevitably battle ships. If they’re hand-drawn, for cameraworks, each time the viewing angle of the battleship (in the scenery) changes, a separate picture from that angle is necessary, but if we use 3DCG, once we create the space, we can move it around quite freely. Moreover, since Gineiden shows fleets of several tens of thousands of battleships moving, it’s difficult to hand-draw the movement (laughs). However, 3DCG makes it practical.
In Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu Die Neue These, there are three people involved in the mechanical designs: you, Usui Shinji-san, and Tsuneki Shinobu-san. I heard you’re mainly responsible for the mecha of the Imperial Forces.
When the offer first arrived, I suggested we bring in another mecha designer and divide the work between the Imperial side and the Alliance side, because I alone wouldn’t make it on time. No matter how much I try, my characteristic design lines will come out somewhere. I thus recommended Usui-san, and I also asked him myself. However, Usui-san also had other commitments, so halfway he had to leave the job. So, after the main mechanical designs for the Alliance have been finished, Tsuneki-san took over.
You also act as the ‘special effect supervisor’, but what is the role of a special effect supervisor in this work?
When I first talked with producer Kuroki, he wanted me to do the storyboard for the ship battles, and also work on directing the 3DCG. However, I could not be involved too much in those, because in the beginning my main job was decided to be designing. However, right now, little by little, I can draw the rough pictures for cut composition plan and hand them to the 3D staff. This is how we operate now, but I want to keep doing interesting things.
Please tell us if there’s any design concept common to all mecha of the Imperial side.
At the start it wasn’t clear. It took about half a year before we decided on it. After drawing many things, I felt that the form gradually solidified. The biggest difference between the Imperial side and the Alliance side is one is streamlined (curved) while the other is linear. Therefore, even when they’re shown as (smaller) silhouettes on the screen, they’re easy to be identified. Also, the Empire, with their advanced scientific power, could make their gravitational units (engine equipment) compact, and they put the units at the rear, pusher-style. On the other hand, the Alliance could not make the units compact like that, so they install the units at both the front and the rear. We decided it at the beginning before starting with the designs.
What was especially difficult?
At first I designed a general-purpose battle ship, but the biggest problem was the “1000-m class” dimension. We normally don’t see 1000-m ships floating in our familiar landscape, so I did not know how to show that size (laughs). Although we can use other things for comparison, the thing that bugged me most was how to make what is seen feel huge.
Are there designs that make it easy to show the sizes?
We determined the points and made “sparse” and “dense” parts. Great details are put in into the “dense” parts, while “sparse” parts are made faded with texture and lighting. When I found this way of doing it, I thought “I can do it like this”. For instance, the visible parts of the nozzle parts of the engine or the bow is drawn in less details.
In the PV that has been released, other than the general-purpose battleship flying near the building with the noblemen inside, we could also see Reinhard’s ship, Brünhild. Can you tell us the points of the design of each? Let’s start with the general-purpose battleships that you designed first.
Like I mentioned earlier, we approached the designs by making the ships recognizable even from their silhouettes, but, for instance, if we attach big parts like wings, inevitably the ship would look smaller. That’s why, we left out big parts and kept many, fine structures so the size can be felt.
And what are the points of Brünhild’s design?
After many times tinkering with the design, we decided on Brünhild’s current look. Because I downright thought that Brünhild’s a one-off (made exclusively) for Reinhard’s use, I put aside the detailed parts of the general-purpose battleships, and contrarily made a simple silhouette for Brünhild, wanting to show that it’s a ship with advanced technology. Also, because the crest of the Goldenbaum dynasty displayed an eagle motif, we also adapted the image of an eagle spreading its wings.
With the streamlined design, its silhouette looks different from that of the general-purpose battleships.
However, usually if we give a ship a simple silhouette, it would look smaller. I’m thinking of how to make it look very detailed when the camera zooms in, but also simple as the camera pulls away.
I thought the interior design of Brünhild’s bridge is also influenced by the drama among the characters, but what was director Tada’s order?
The thing the director was concerned the most was the size. He was concerned about whether the size still allows human voices to be heard, or, because it’s a giant ship, whether we need to enlarge the size of the bridge to the extent that human voices can’t reach. It took quite a while to search for the right size arrangement.
Concerning the bridge, is there any point that you’re very particular about?
I wanted to show Brünhild’s bridge looking like a ship’s, so I decided on a wooden deck. I wanted to make each person standing in the deck in an atmosphere that’s a bit old-fashioned. I proposed it based on this idea.
Is it so that can be more pictures showing the characters’ interactions?
Yes. Since the bridge would frequently appear, I want to make sure viewers don’t get tired of it. It’s also why Reinhard’s captain seat was made more decorative. That’s because Reinhard has this Takarazuka opera-like atmosphere. (laughs) I proposed it thinking that it would be nice to give him such an image. It’s not something dictated by theory, but I think if we could give an impact just by a glance, it would interest viewers easier. Thus we used that approach.
Please tell everyone who’s been waiting for the broadcasting of Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu the highlights of your thoughts.
Right now we’re still in the middle of the highly-acclaimed production, so what should I say… (laughs) Should I say we’re making a Ginga Deiyuu Ensetsu anime with today’s technology… Like I mentioned earlier, director Ishiguro’s adaptation got wonderful cameraworks and nice use of music. Now we can use 3DCG, use more elaborate lighting; we are in an era that allows us to use more tricks. Using various ways, our CG staff are trying their best to make something that can compare favourably with director Ishiguro’s adaptation. The hurdles are high, and there are parts that probably can’t fit into the limitations of TV series, but I want to push myself to the limit. First of all, right now I’m still exploring to set a guideline by establishing how to show things such as the standards of ship battles in Die Neue These.
What kind of work do you wish Ginga Eiyuu Densetse Die Neue These to be?
Design-wise, I want it to be different from today’s mainstream anime in Japan. I’m trying with the thought that I want to do an approach like no-one has seen before. Up to now, I have participated in various works, and I have watched various things, but within myself, I feel strongly that this is a work that I’m participating at the period when my way of thinking about and my approach to design are changing. But it’s not like “The time is ripe”. (laughs) I’m hoping I could keep growing, using this work as an opportunity and changing continuously.
Please give a message to everyone who’s looking forward to the broadcast next year’s (2018) spring.
With our utmost effort, we’re pushing our limits making the anime, searching for solutions of various things to be able to make something that can compare to the extraordinarily well-made adaptation by director Ishiguro. Thus, please look forward to it. And I’d be very thankful if you can enjoy watching the finished work.
[1] The Japanese idiom that Takeuchi used was actually watari ni fune, ‘a passing ship’ – it can mean ‘lifesaver’, ‘timely offer’, ‘godsend’.
Drifting. 