Yuuki (middle) and his entourage.

Yuuki Nobuteru is one of the most sought-after talents in the anime industry right now. 1996 was a banner year for him; with the success of both ESCAFLOWNE and X, he has become a fan favorite with his detailed character designs. Mr. Yuuki shared his perspectives on many things during his press interview.

In the music video (X²) and in the motion picture, did you get any feedback from CLAMP as to which they liked more, and in what way?

Yuuki: I worked more closely with CLAMP on the X² video because they were directly overseeing the project. But with the movie, they had less direct involvement. One thing I really did try to preserve was the big, shadowy eyes, as that is something of a CLAMP trademark. Not everything is able to be "converted" from manga to anime, but what you have to keep are the things that are recognizable to the particular artist's style and genre. That was my greatest concern when working on the designs for X.

What are your feelings towards the increasing use of computer animation in anime?

Yuuki: I was the one who suggested using computers in the X movie. I also believe that the industry will use computers more prevalently as time goes on. However, I don't like completely relying on computer animation. I see it's role as assisting in animation, as it did with the sakura petals in X.

Is there any truth to the rumor that you were involved in the production of SATANIKA?

Yuuki: I did the cover of a short story done by the same publisher as the one which did Satanika, but I was not involved in Satanika at all.

Much of your work has been character designs based on work by other artists. How much creativity do you feel you have when redesigning characters for animation, and do you feel restricted creatively by having to work with other's designs?

Yuuki: I try hard to preserve the original manga, because if I changed the style it would contradict the original intention of the creators. But according to other people, the redrawn characters while maintaining their original look, seem to take on a "Yuuki" feel. (laughs) I personally don't see this, though. There are fads in anime drawing styles, and when one style becomes popular, everybody wants to draw in that style. People who have been making anime for a long time seem to be somewhat resistant to doing something new, and sometimes originality seems to be lacking. So I try to draw something original and not mainstream "popular" anime. Rather than drawing art that most people would comment "Ah, it looks pretty good," I would rather draw art where people would say "I hate it!" or "Oh my God, its the best thing I've ever seen!"

For future work, do you have ideas of your own that you want to work on, or do you want to try adapting another's work?

Yuuki: Well, I have been doing both. Escaflowne was original, and X was something I did for someone else. It's becoming a little repetitive. But that's how the anime industry is. You have to work on other people's things if you want to be able to do your own projects.

You've worked for many different studios, do you like being your own boss?

Yuuki: I feel more at ease when I'm working for others because all the responsibility is not on my shoulders.

Do you have a favorite character you have designed or helped design?

Yuuki: Probably Hitomi from Escaflowne, since she is one of my original designs.

There's a recurring style in your work in characters such as Pirotas from LODOSS and Kanoe from X, both of whom have a very visual sexual appeal. What kind of reaction have you received about this, and has any of it been negative?

Yuuki: It seems to be taken very well in Japan (chuckles), and I haven't had any complaints about it yet.

Is there anything you can tell us about your future projects you are working on now?

Yuuki: Right now, I'm about to begin working on the Escaflowne movie. The original production staff will be returning and we will be creating an original story. That's all for right now.

What do you do when you're not working?

Yuuki: I love skiing in the winter, but in my other spare time I like playing video games.

Did you finish them?

Yuuki: Of course!

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Yuuki: The upcoming Escaflowne movie is my first original movie, so I'm getting into it, and I'd like your readers to look out for it and I hope they will enjoy it.