"THE THREE AMIGOS" - IMAGAWA YASUHIRO, YAMASHITE AKIHIKO, AND SHIMOGASA MIHO

Imagawa Yasuhiro, Yamashita Akihiko, and Shimogasa Miho
— by Peter Cahill

Along with other members of the press, EX got a chance to speak with Imagawa Yasuhiro (writer and director of GIANT ROBO, writer for VIOLINIST OF HAMELN, and director for MOBILE FIGHTER G GUNDAM), Yamashita Akihiko (character designer and animation director for GIANT ROBO, animation director for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ZZ), and Shimogasa Miho (character designer and animation director for CUTEY HONEY F, animation director for SAILOR MOON SUPERS, SAILOR MOON: SAILOR STARS, and SAILOR MOON MOVIE: AMI'S FIRST LOVE) about their work and the state of anime.


Shimogasa Miho (left), Imagawa Yasuhiro (top right), and Yamashita Akihiko (bottom right)

The strongest statement during the interview was in regard to their individual feelings towards the use of computer graphics in anime. All three agreed that they would not like to see computer generated animation completely replace hand-drawn anime. Mr. Imagawa pointed out that the mistakes and ad-libs of hand-drawn animation can be very good for the art form. Ms. Shimogasa commented that computer graphics can sometimes come across as cold, lacking a "human" warmth.
Mr. Yamashita said he felt that computer graphics should be used as a supplementary tool, especially for complicated sequences (air brushing, stacking many cels for slide effects, etc.). But 100% computer animation doesn't appeal to him as much as traditional cel animation.
So what about using a computer to do the coloring—still using hand-drawn characters, but replacing painted cels with CG? Mr. Imagawa doesn't think it's a bad labor-saving tool, but you don't get a trail run of the assimilated whole. This trial run allows the various departments (animation, voice acting, music, etc.) to see their work blended with the others'. Without this preview, the project can become more restrictive.
Mr. Yamashita indicated that the question might soon become academic. He's heard from

Autograph of Yamashita.

others that the materials to make cels are becoming more expensive and harder to acquire. Cels may already be on their way out...
Ms. Shimogasa told us that her CUTEY HONEY F series almost went digital. (Toei is using digital coloring for all their new shows.) But the digital coloring was canned after they saw the finished product. It was "too clear, too pretty" and didn't match the background, which was still being hand-painted. Upper management likes using CG because it saves money, but the production staff don't like it because it just isn't as good as the hand-drawn animation and painting.
Mr. Imagawa surmised that perhaps this is because people are "analog" creatures and the digital world isn't as comfortable for us.

* * *

When asked about the style of giant robot shows, Mr. Imagawa told us that his first concern when approaching such a project is to come up with a convincing world view, so that the rest of the story is plausible and feels natural. To that end, the mecha must fit with the style of the rest of the story's world. For example, GIANT ROBO's title character carries Daisaku over mountains, through walls, and across oceans; it's a sort of working relationship between man and machine. And Mr. Yamashita explained that the director wanted a heavy looking, slow robot—very different from designs like the various GUNDAM machines. In the world of G GUNDAM, for instance, that kind of machine wouldn't fit in with the boxing mecha. The theme and setting of the story heavily influence the character and mecha designs.
Of course, theme and setting affects character development as well, they added. Daisaku is an orphan who's had no clear parental guidance, yet he

Autograph of Shimogasa.

seems to have a good moral center. Is this an accident? Mr. Imagawa admits that this issue hasn't been made clear yet, but all that will change in GIANT ROBO 7, where Daisaku must make some hard choices about what to do with his powers.
Ms. Shimogasa had a few things to say about CUTEY HONEY F as well. This series is different from the old series and OVA in that its target audience is young girls. This lead to some problems with audience expectations. Old fans of the show were upset at its toned-down nature, the producers and TV people wanted the show to more closely resemble the SAILOR MOON show it was replacing (it replaced SAILOR STARS), and some parents were complaining that it isn't toned down enough to be a kids' show!

* * *

When asked about the future of anime, all three seemed to paint a somewhat bleak picture, but not one without hope. Mr. Yamashita pointed out that there seem to be fewer aspiring animators these days, while the number of titles being produced is increasing. Because of this, the quality of the overall work being done is starting to suffer, despite the small number of terrific shows that make it through. But there are a lot of new genres out there, waiting to be tested.
Mr. Imagawa was a bit more bleak; he sees a dead end looming in front of the world of anime. Echoing critics of a lot of popular television in America, he sees too much of the same thing being repeated in different shows. Once a show or genre becomes popular, it gets copied to the point that it becomes difficult to tell one show from another; only the names seem different. In terms of technique this has improved things, as each show learns from the previous ones. But Mr. Imagawa sees this as only superficial growth, not the internal growth of stories and themes needed to sustain the art form. A flashy character design and good drawings can't make up for a bad story. As a result, he no longer watches much TV anime. He spends much more of his time watching American and European dramas—cinema which he feels has depth and substance.
Both he and Ms. Shimogasa agree that this repetition in anime is leading to a narrowing of Japanese TV audiences' tastes. And like a food bias, this leads to a vicious cycle. Without exposure to other types of shows, audiences are less likely to "brave them" and give them a fair shot. Without confidence in a potential audience, producers are unlikely to make these "risky" shows. So audiences are not exposed to them, and the cycle

Autograph of Imagawa.

continues. Ms. Shimogasa said that it's becoming less fun to make anime, let alone watch it. "How can an audience enjoy watching something the artists didn't enjoy making?"
But there's still hope. To draw a parallel, there is a lot of good American TV out there, buried beneath the garbage.
And here's at least one reason to hope: 24 July 1999, Mr. Imagawa's birthday, will be the release date for his new movie (no title yet). Again, he'll be working with Mr. Yamashita. Mr. Imagawa always liked working on TV series better, but this will be his first movie. With two years to work on it, this will undoubtedly be another step in the right direction for anime.