VOTOMS", "GAOGAIGER", "ZEGAPAIN" How was the lineup of works to be published on ・・・・・・ decided?　Interview with Yoshitaka Kawaguchi, Editor-in-Chief of Yarate Bunko [Part 2

Sunrise, an animation production company known for many hit titles such as "Mobile Suit Gundam. In the interview posted recently, we asked Mr. Yoshitaka Kawaguchi of Sunrise Inc., the chief editor, about the concept and current status of "Yarate Bunko" ( # ), a website operated by this top-runner in the Japanese animation industry.
⇒Why does Sunrise operate the website "Yattate Bunko"?　Interview with Yoshitaka Kawaguchi, Editor-in-Chief of "Yarate Bunko" [Part 1

In this second part of the interview, we will talk about six of the works currently featured on "Yarate Bunko" that started serialization upon the site's opening, including the impetus for the project and the concept behind it. Please check out the first part of this interview as well as the second part.

Armored Trooper Votoms: The Gorgeous Funeral Row

───Let's start with "Armored Trooper Votoms: The Glamorous Funeral Row". This is a biographical work written by Ryosuke Takahashi, director of the "Armored Trooper Votoms" TV anime.

Yoshitaka Kawaguchi (Kawaguchi): Director Takahashi has been asking me to write a novel about "Armored Trooper Votoms" for some time, and a book project was originally in the works.

Kawaguchi: So it was not a project for the Yarate Bunko?

Kawaguchi: I first announced the project in "Kunio Ohkawara Walker," which was published around the time of the "Kunio Ohkawara, Mechanic Designer" exhibition in 2015. The timing of the publication was then decided, and the timing was just right, so we decided to unveil the work at Yatate Bunko as well as to promote the book (*).
(* "Armored Trooper Votoms: Battlefield Philosopher" released by SB Creative on October 31 / Price: 2,700 yen + tax)

───Mecha designer Kunio Okawara designed the new AT (Armored Trooper), didn't he? Is this the "selling point" of this work?

Kawaguchi: Yes, I think the new AT will be attractive to "VOTOMS" fans. The "White Honor" newly designed by Mr. Okawara is a Quent AT , but it is different from the "Berzelga" used by the Quent mercenaries in the TV anime. We have created a new setting for the introduction of this aircraft, so we hope that old "VOTOMS" fans will enjoy this part of the story.
The other selling point is the trailers at the end of each chapter. ・・・・・・ is filled with the "essence" of the next trailer of the TV anime "Armored Trooper Votoms".

─ ─ When I read the trailer, I can hear the voice of Mr. Manjo Ginga playing in my brain (laughs).

Kawaguchi: I hope young people who have never seen " VOTOMS" will read this first. If you find it interesting, I hope you will watch the TV anime "Armored Trooper Votoms" as well.

Haruka no Hoshi" / "Millennium Thorn

─ "Haruka no Hoshi" is a completely original work by Yarate Bunko, isn't it?

Kawaguchi: As I mentioned last time, I added this work to the lineup because I wanted to have a work for the younger generation. For the author, Akira Kuge, this is his debut work.

─ Is that so?

Kawaguchi: Mr. Kuge is a writer of the younger generation, so you can enjoy the fresh conversation between girls that anime fans of the same generation like. Love Live! generation, it is a work that is quite different from the "heavy" Sunrise works.

─ On the other hand, "Millennium Thorn" is a very "heavy" Sunrise work.

Kawaguchi: This work is the complete opposite of "Haruka no Hoshi" and targets the traditional fans. I wanted to create a Sunrise-like work from scratch, not an offshoot, so I started from a proposal.

─ ─ According to the previous interview, the proposal was written some time ago, wasn't it?

Kawaguchi: In order for an animation to work as a work of art, it has to overcome various hurdles. This work was on the waiting list for various reasons, but we decided to have it seen first at Yarate Bunko in this way. I hope that we can start with Yarate Bunko and eventually make it into a book or a product.
Nowadays, the number of new robot animation programs is decreasing rapidly. Sunrise would like to keep that fire burning, and we would like to continue to increase the number of projects like this in the Yarate Bunko.

Entangled: Girl Maihama-Minami High School Film Club" / "The High King: GaoGaiGar vs. Better Man

─ Now, we would like to talk about the external biographies of Sunrise's two robot animation works. First of all, "Entangled: Girl Maihama South High School Film Study Club".

Kawaguchi: This is a spin-off of "Zegapain. The author, Yuya Takashima, is a science fiction writer who has published works at Hayakawa Shobo and Tokyo Sogensha. He was introduced by "Zegapain" design director HATTAIKE Hiroyuki to participate in "Zegapain ADP" as a science fiction archaeologist, which led to his subsequent participation in other works such as "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin".

─ "Zegapain" is a work that has many devoted fans, isn't it?

Kawaguchi: Yes. This year (2016) was the 10th anniversary year of "Zegapain," so we at Yarate Bunko felt we had to do something (laughs). Since there were SF authors participating in "ADP," we thought it would be a good idea to have them write a novel for Yarate Bunko, so we started this project.

───On the other hand, what do you think about "The King of Bravery: GaoGaiGar vs. Better Man"?

Kawaguchi: There was an official novelization of the anime published around the time of the release of the OVA "The King of GaoGaiGar FINAL," and a new edition of that was released in September 2016 by Shinkimoto-sha, and this novel is a sequel to that. The author, Yuichiro Takeda, was motivated to write a sequel, so we decided to publish it as a serial in the Yattate Bunko series.
The story is not a project that came out of the blue, but a picture drama that was included in "Disk Z." If you are an avid fan of the series, you will probably think, "Oh, here it is! (* "The King of Gao, the Brave King").
(* Special DISC included in the DVD-BOX of "GaoGaiGar FINAL -GRAND GLORIOUS GATHERING-")

The long-awaited sequel! I'm sure there must be many fans who thought so.

Kawaguchi: It has been a long time since then, but I have received a lot of responses from people who watched that movie back then and were looking forward to the sequel. Of course, director Yoshitomo Yonetani and Mr. Takeda had always had the idea for a sequel, but there were many hurdles to overcome before it could be made into an animated film.

IP Police Tsudzuki-chan

─ ─ Last but not least, we have "IP Police Tsuzuki-chan" by Bukubu Okawa.

Kawaguchi: When Yattate Bunko was launched, one of our editorial staff members decided to have Bukubu Okawa, who is popular among the younger generation, write a serialized version of this story! I myself am not so much interested in Bukubu's works. I myself was not familiar with Bukubu's works, but when I saw the manuscripts that came in, even we at Sunrise thought , "What? I didn't know much about Bukubu's works. (laughs) . (Laughs). This work is not only for young people, but also for the core fans of the work.

Kawaguchi──When I read the stories, I got the impression that some of them were quite close to the edge.

Kawaguchi: Of course, there may be some expressions that would be considered NG depending on the medium, but we at Yarate Bunko try to set the line as low as possible regarding those areas. ・・・・・・ However, since we have the signboard of Sunrise, how far can we go? I'm not sure how much I can go too far. I'm not sure how much I can go too far and not be offended. (laughs).

─ ─ Do you have any rules regarding the works you will feature?

Kawaguchi: The works we feature change every month, but at first we wanted to include a "Gundam" story, so we had them do "Mobile Buden G Gundam. The next one was "Aoki Ryusei SPT Reisner" because ・・・・・・ well, ・・・・・・ it was a work from the 1980s and the people involved are all adults, so I thought they wouldn't get mad at me (laughs).

─ So you are really exploring (laughs). By the way, what are your upcoming works?

Kawaguchi: In December, we are starting "Cowboy Bebop" stories, and in January 2017, ・・・・・・ is still a secret, but this is also a work with a hot fan base. Incidentally, Mr. Bubu would like to do a story on a certain idol work, but we are asking him to wait a little longer. I'm thinking that if I accumulate more "achievements" I might be able to take on the challenge (laughs).

─ ─ That is something to look forward to. Last but not least, could you give a message to our readers?

Kawaguchi: Yarate Bunko will continue to enrich its works and reading materials, so please continue to support us.

─ ─ Thank you very much for your cooperation this time.
⇒Sunrise "Yarate Bunko" has started a new project called "GUNPTAGRAM"!　Let's post photos using Gunpla!

(Reporting and writing by editorial department)

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