Sonoda Kenichi is a name familiar to many anime fans. If you joined the ranks of anime fandom in the late 1980s or in the 1990s, one of the catalysts of your decision was probably the smash hit BUBBLEGUM CRISIS. Serving as character designer on this epic series is perhaps what catapulted him to fame, certainly at least in American circles. Since then, he has gone on to work on the fan favorites OTAKU NO VIDEO, RIDING BEAN, and of course, the manga series GUNSMITH CATS.
EX sat down with Mr. Sonoda while at Anime Central and talked about his career, his art style, his return to Chicago, and his advice for aspiring artists.

EX: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS is still introducing anime fans to your art here in America. When you look back at the series, what aspects do you find the most appealing?

Sonoda: I can't really say what I find the most appealing about BGC, but I am happy with the numerous ideas that I had for the series, such as the female mecha suits, and that they were all retained in the series the way I had envisioned them.

EX: What was the most challenging aspect of working on BGC?

Sonoda: Well, it was an OVA series with a lot of episodes, which is demanding, and incorporating my character designs into an anime form is quite tough.

EX: The City of Chicago served as a backdrop for both RIDING BEAN and GUNSMITH CATS and several years ago, you came here to tour the city and research it in-depth for your work. How does it feel to be back in Chicago and have you gotten a chance to see how much it's changed since your last visit?

Sonoda: (laughs) It's nice to come back to Chicago. However, I haven't really gotten a chance to leave the hotel but I think it would be nice to leave to visit the city. I was captured by images of Chicago after watching the movie Blues Brothers so I decided that I had to use Chicago in my work at some time.

EX: How do you think your art style has changed since your earlier works?

Sonoda: I don't think my style has changed that much. Perhaps objectively and taking a step back, an artist can subconsciously think that his art style has changed.

EX: Where do you find inspiration for your characters?

Sonoda: I'm not really aware of any particular inspirations. It's more like that there needs to be a protagonist but he/she is being driven and propelled through his/her actions by events rather than characteristics. There's very few shows that I'm attracted to, so, no, I don't really know of any particular inspirations.

EX: What do you think is the most important attribute for a manga artist to have?

Sonoda: Foremost, an artist must be humble and also have a strong enough desire to be in the manga business, to draw. While I emphasis the education system, an artist should also strive to be individualistic. There should be something within an artist to push back the set formats of our society and create something different.

EX: Whom do you think has influenced your work?

Sonoda: Hmm... there isn't just one person but many artists. Most prominent are Tezuka Ozamu and Fujiko F. Fujio.

EX: As a youth, how did your interest in manga begin?

Sonoda: I've always been interested in manga, even as a child. At school, all the blackboards always were filled with my drawings. I was heavily into mecha and large machines, YAMATO being a favorite subject of mine to draw. As a kid, I was infatuated with LUPIN III, which I suppose is where my fascination with guns came from. My interest in cars came from shows like MACH GO GO GO! [also known as SPEED RACER—ed.] and WACKY WHEELS.

EX: Do you think that American fan artists are anywhere near the level of artistry that manga artists have in Japan?

Sonoda: At this point, the talent and skills haven't gone beyond mere copying of existing work. However, I am optimistic about American fan art's future, with artists like Adam Warren taking the lead. It's difficult for artists here in America because they're trying to emulate a style that isn't really theirs. But, they should continue to work and perhaps be more aggressive, drawing more and more items like dojinshi to cultivate their talents.

EX: With computers becoming more and more prevalent in usage with both anime (i.e. GHOST IN THE SHELL) and manga (Inoue Takehiko's BUZZER BEATER being published on the Internet), do you welcome the new technology or loathe it?

Sonoda: Well, I think that the Internet is certainly a possible venue but there needs to be real structure and standards first. As for computer assisted or generated works, I enjoy and encourage it. It shouldn't become an issue of traditional art versus computer style but a mix of both.

talented.

Photography by Dana Weaver