Among the Guests of Honor at Anime Expo '98 were two of the creative forces behind both the TRIGUN manga and anime. Appearing at the convention as a last minute surprise guest, Naito Yasuhiro (who signs his name "Nightow") is the creator of the TRIGUN manga that started it all. Yoshimatsu Takahiro is the character designer for the TV anime based on the manga, now airing in Japan on TV Tokyo. Both artists were guests of Madhouse Studios and spoke to press representatives at the convention. Of course, EX was there to listen.
Haven't heard of TRIGUN? Well, don't feel too left out. While the manga is doing well, the TV series has only been running for about 3 months, and only on TV Tokyo. This means that few outside the Tokyo area have been able to receive the show on air. Although many devoted manga and anime fans have heard of it, not many are able to see the TV series, even in Japan. This made the screening of a TRIGUN episode at AX '98 a very special treat, indeed! (As if we needed another reason to attend anime conventions!)
TRIGUN is a sort of Western set in an alternate "steam-punk" universe that is inhabited by cyborgs and mecha. Naito-san described it as "A sort of sentimental gun-manga." The hero of the story is a "pacifist-sharpshooter" who can blast the buttons off your shirt at a hundred yards but would rather settle things peacefully. When asked if he was a fan of Westerns, Naito-san said no. "I just needed to set the story in a place with no police," so that the characters could do a lot of shooting without problems from the authorities. Where better than the Old West? Add a liberal dose of retro-technology, some advanced biomechanics, a few mecha, and you've got a manga/anime dream come true.
Naito-san also explained how he became a manga artist: "I was a salaryman and one day I asked myself if I wanted to continue doing that. I decided that asking the question in the first place meant that I didn't want to, so I decided to do something else." He did some doujinshi work and later won an award from SUPER JUMP for CALL XXX. TRIGUN is his first original serialized manga.
Yoshimatsu-san is best known for his work on SLAYERS anime titles. He was the character designer and animation director for the 1997 SLAYERS GREAT movie (EX issue 2.7), and was the character designer and director for SLAYERS SPECIALS (OVAs) and the first two SLAYERS movies. He was also the character designer for the CYBER FORMULA video series. Yoshimatsu-san discussed the transition of an ongoing manga (the TRIGUN manga is still being produced.) to the TV screen. "Luckily, Naito-san is a very nice person and is easy to work with. Sometimes original authors can be very demanding and difficult," especially concerning changes needed for a successful transition from page to screen. But Naito-san was both helpful and eager.
He was also careful. Naito-san told us he'd spent about 13 hours in a restaurant with producers for the TV show. They'd spent the whole day settling details and sticking points, finally reaching a consensus that allowed Naito-san to feel at ease with passing the project over to Yoshimatsu-san. Naito-san said he understood the need for creative freedom in a new project, just as he'd want the same if he were working on someone else's original story and characters.
And of course, with Madhouse handling the production, TRIGUN enjoys better quality than the average anime TV series in Japan.
So, what about those of us who haven't seen the TV show and weren't able to make it to the AX screening? Yoshimatsu-san told us that the 26 episode show should start coming out on LD in Japan sometime around August. It is expected to be a 13 volume release, with two episodes per disc. And he also mentioned that Madhouse has received at least three offers from American companies for the North American distribution rights. Perhaps we in the States won't have to wait too long before seeing TRIGUN for ourselves—in English no less. Meanwhile, both the manga and TV series are still being produced, and neither artist wants to give it up yet. They both said they'd like to see a TRIGUN movie produced. (Cha-ching! ¥)
There were reports of Akitaka Mika (of GUNDAM and GALAXY FRAULEIN YUNA fame) buying lots of X-FILES merchandise, so both artists were asked if they planned to buy anything while in town for the convention. Naito-san planned to buy a lot of toys that he wouldn't be able to get in Japan—to add to the collection on his desk. His favorites included merchandise from shows like BEAST WARS and JOHNNY QUEST. Yoshimatsu-san revealed that he was a big fan of the WWF and planned to buy lots of videos. His favorite wrestler is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
Judging from the manga and the previews of the anime (as well as word of mouth), TRIGUN in both its forms is one of the big titles to watch. Amidst the big news surrounding CITY HUNTER and GUNDAM, it's nice to see that great new titles are still coming on strong. We hope to see both Naito-san and Yoshimatsu-san back at Anime Expo soon!