—by Charles McCarter

Akitaka Mika has been involved with anime for a long time. His credits as a mechanical designer include work on SILENT MOBIUS, numerous GUNDAM series, and most recently, MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO. In recent years, he has also become known as the creator of the popular franchise GALAXY FRÄULEIN YUNA, which began as a single video game and has expanded across multiple platforms and into two anime OVA series as well.
EX was fortunate enough to catch up with him at Anime Expo and ask him some questions. Here is a glimpse into the man who has worked long and hard in the industry.

EX: You've worked as both a mechanical designer and a character designer. Which is easier for you and why?

AM: Strictly speaking, as a job, they are both just drawing, so there isn't really much difference between them or how difficult one is over the other.

EX: Which do you like better?

AM: Designing characters is much more fun. The reason is that I like to draw girls (laughs).

EX: When creating mechanical designs, how do you decide how they look?

AM: Well, I get a basic idea from the producers and/or directors of the show as to what the mecha is supposed to do. Does it fly? Does it have a lot of weapons? What is its primary function?
Then I determine how to design it by what looks "cool" to me. After that, the most important thing is that it doesn't look like anything that is already out there.

EX: NADESICO has a lot of fans in the United States, and it was recently licensed by the American company A.D. Vision for release here. Can you tell us something about doing the designs for NADESICO?

AM: For the television series, I got to completely design all of the mecha and ships entirely on my own. How I did this is a little complicated. For the Nadesico itself, I was very heavily influenced by the U.S.S. Enterprise from STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, especially the Enterprise D, Galaxy Class from the movie GENERATIONS. I wanted to create a feeling like the one the Enterprise inspired in me, but in my own way. The Enterprise D had a powerful impact on me and it is my favorite starship design.

EX: What about designs for the upcoming NADESICO movie?

AM: Well, I didn't do the designs for those by myself, but I was the Creative Director. In the August issue of the magazine SHONEN ACE, there is a picture of the new version of the Nadesico. It's called the Nadesico D.

EX: Did the designs for the mecha in the movie change?

AM: Only two of the designs are really different. But we think that they'll be well-liked by the fans of the show.

EX: Another favorite with anime fans in the United States is GALAXY FRÄULEIN YUNA. How did you come up with the concept for the first YUNA project?

AM: To put it very simply, Hudson came to me and asked me to make a game, so I used whatever ideas I had.

EX: Did you expect it to become an anime when you first started working on the first YUNA game?

AM: I didn't even think about it. Of course, now I am surprised when I look back and see how much has been done with it.

EX: YUNA is enjoying success as both an anime and a game. There are currently two OVA series, and several games across multiple gaming platforms. When it was decided that YUNA was to be animated, were any changes made to your story or original concept?

AM: Not really, no. I know it's a boring answer, but nothing has really changed at all. (laughs)