Character Designer Suzuka Yoshida Talks about the True Appeal of Tatsunoko Characters Now that We Know More About Them [Watching the Animation Industry No. 44

Since Tatsunoko Productions (then known as Tatsunoko Productions) was founded by Tatsuo Yoshida in 1962, the characters created by the company have been loved for more than half a century. Suzuka Yoshida, Tatsuo's eldest daughter, who was both an author and character designer for the company's early works, grew up surrounded by the youthful enthusiasm of Tatsunoko Productions, which had just been established.
What kind of thoughts did Suzuka Yoshida, who now belongs to the Contents Business Department of Tatsunoko Productions, have as she watched her father's back?　And what efforts are being made to keep Tatsunoko Productions' characters relevant to the times?　We will also discuss the endless appeal of Tatsunoko characters and their secrets with Takuma Matsuda of the Contents Business Department and Atsushi Noguchi, Senior Managing Director of Tatsunoko Productions.

The ongoing popularity of "Akubigirl" is a character that is transcending generations

─ You are currently continuing a collaboration project with "Akubigirl" at JR Mitaka Station's Atlevi Mitaka station building. Are all the illustrations for the collaboration project drawn by Suzuka Yoshida?

Suzuka: Yes, I did. The original illustrations are quite large. I used acrylic gouache and other techniques to draw them.

─ ─ But the "Akubigirl" anime program was only broadcast in 2006, wasn't it? Why is it still so popular that so many goods are sold today?

Suzuka: First of all, I think the energetic and mischievous nature of Akubi-chan is the reason why people love her. The younger generation knows "Akubigirl" through the cartoons and goods I designed, and their fathers, mothers, and grandparents remember Akubi-chan from "Haxon Daimaou" (1969). All family members, or rather, a wide range of generations, love "Akubi-chan. I think that's what's great about it.

Noguchi: To talk about business, about 10 years ago, we created a merchandising brand and a retailer commercialized "Akubi-Girl" socks. The socks were a big hit with elementary and junior high school girls. 10 years have passed, and the children of that time are now over 20 years old. For that demographic, "Akubigirl" is a highly recognizable character.

Matsuda: We have Suzuka draw new designs based on seasonal themes so that they can be used as regular products.

Suzuka: Yes, we are regularly drawing more and more new outfits and poses for Akubi-chan.

Matsuda: We are broadening our base through sales efforts so that our products can be seen in various places. On the other hand, we also receive sales calls from "Akubigirl" fans from different industries, and some of our projects are successful because of those sales calls.

Suzuka: Recently, there have been many young people who came to me with stories because they saw my drawings of "Akubigirl.

─ I heard that you have been providing various ideas to Tatsunoko Productions since 1962, when your father, Tatsuo Yoshida, founded the company.

Suzuka: I was a child who loved to draw, and I was constantly drawing pictures in my sketchbook. My father would take the sketchbook to the company and ask to borrow it, and he would show it to the Tatsunoko Productions staff. I later heard that Hiroshi Sasagawa was shown my frog drawings by my father and asked him if he could use them for a project. He asked me if I could make it into a project. That was the beginning of the creation of "Kerokko Demetan" (1973; Hiroshi Sasagawa was the general director). I didn't know anything about it at the time, but my drawings from when I was little seemed to be interesting to my father and the staff.