Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Cruz Doan" Special Feature] "The explosions in Yasuhiko's drawings look 'delicious'"? Interview with Atsushi Tamura (Chief Animation Director/Character Designer) and Shuhei Morita (3D Director) Part 2

The movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Cruz Doan" is currently being screened to rave reviews.

The 15th episode "The Island of Cruz Doan" of the TV animation "Mobile Suit Gundam," the milestone of Japanese robot animation and the origin of Gundam, was broadcast in 1979. Known as a masterpiece among fans, this episode depicts the sorrows of war through the interaction between the main character Amuro Ray and Doan, a deserter from the rival Zeon army, and is still talked about to this day.

On the other hand, it was omitted from the later film trilogy, so in a sense, it is an episode "known only to those in the know.

This time, "The Island of Cruz Doan" was unexpectedly made into a movie.

The film is directed by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, the character designer and animation director of the TV animation "Mobile Suit Gundam" and the creator of the manga "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin" ("THE ORIGIN"), which has sold over 10 million copies of its comics.

To commemorate the release of such a high-profile movie, Akiba Research Institute conducted interviews with the staff and cast. This time, we interviewed Atsushi Tamura, who is the chief animation director and character designer, and Shuhei Morita, who is the 3D director.

From left: Shuhei Morita, Atsushi Tamura

⇒ Click here to see the first part!

⇒[ Presenting a checkee! Interview with Toru Furuya (Amuro Ray) and Shunsuke Takeuchi (Cruz Doan) [Special feature: "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Cruz Doan
⇒[ Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Crucible Doan] Interview with Director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko: "I want to emphasize the human drama of the Gundam series.
⇒[ Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Cruz Doan] "Amuro and his friends are in a different position, but they are living their lives to the fullest. That is what is important in this episode." Interview with Yuma Uchida (Marcos) and Fuu Hirohara (Kara)

Both Doan's Zaku and Amuro's Gundam have become "characters" in good shape.

--The Zaku (MS-06F Zaku exclusively for Doan) that Doan will be flying was also a topic of conversation when information was released. How did you go about creating this one?

Morita: I was wondering what we would do with Doan's Zaku, no matter how much we tried to follow the TV anime, but Mr. Katoki said, "We will make it in a form that can be explained. I had worked with Mr. Katoki on past works, and he had a certain amount of trust in 3D, so I added and modified the 3D version as I went along. We exchanged ideas over and over again so that we could come to a logical conclusion, such as, "It would be better if it were a little thinner," or "This part was deformed in this way as it was being repaired more and more. The result is amazingly cool, isn't it?

Tamura: This time, I tried to "see the mobile suits as characters." I wanted to make the Zaku that Doan is flying as Doan, and the Gundam that Amuro is flying as Amuro. The Zaku that the Southern Cross team is riding is also a character in its own right. Therefore, I feel that Doan's irrationality as a character, his position, and his feelings were embodied in the form of a special Zaku. It may be the result, but I think it turned out to be a good form "as a character.

--In the TV anime, he used to fight with bullets such as fist thrusts and kicks. Director Yasuhiko said that in the movie version, he thought he couldn't win with that, so he made him carry a heat hawk.

Morita: Before this film, I helped with "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway," in which I tried to create realistic speed and altitude as the appeal of the robots. Many of the 3D staff wanted to work on a character, and when I heard Yasuhiko-san say, "He's a hero," I got excited.

The Zaku of Doan has a strong sense of Doan, and the Jim that escapes in the beginning of the film is frightened - I think it's really great that you can see the expressions on the Zaku's face. While there are cuts like that (where he looks like a character), there are also scenes where he looks like a robot from a human perspective. I agreed with Mr. Lim and Mr. Tamura to make a clear distinction between the two.

Tamura I love the expression of "Hathaway" as an attractive new Gundam, but Doan is in a slightly different direction.

--Tamura I love the expression of "Hathaway" as a new Gundam, but Doan is a different direction. The scene where the Gundam appears in the latter half of the film is also a perfect hero's appearance! It had an atmosphere of "hero!

Tamura: I think we had a very good idea of the pose in which the Gundam would appear after several exchanges of ideas. It is difficult to just stand there.

--The Gundam is a relatively simple design.

Tamura The simplicity of the design allows the body to be shown in a pleasing way, so I wanted to make the most of that.

--I hope we can make the most of it. -While the theme of the story is strong, the cool appearance and the power of the battle scenes are also something to look forward to, especially in the theater.

Tamura: After all, it is a work of entertainment. The fun and coolness of robot battles is a prerequisite.

--In terms of coolness of the battles, the movement of the Zaku (MS-06GD High Mobility Type Zaku) of the Southern Cross Squadron is amazing, isn't it? I heard that Director Yasuhiko ordered Mr. Kunio Okawara to make a "predom," a kind of "predom" before the Dom.

Morita Yes, that's right. Yasuhiko-san asked me to make it move like skates, but there are various types of skates, so I wondered what kind of skates would suit a mobile suit. I thought about it.

Tamura I have never seen anything like it.

Morita: It was a process of searching, but I think it was good that we were able to refine the 3D skating through trial and error. I was relieved when Yasuhiko-san said, "I liked the skating" after seeing it.

Attention to sound effects and Yasuhiko's signature explosions

--How did you feel when you saw the sound effects on the picture, and what was the production episode like?

Tamura: Actually, I abused my authority and was very loud about the sound effects, and I even submitted a petition saying, "Please definitely use the first (Gundam) sound effects" (laughs).

Morita So that's how it was! (Laughs)

Tamura: At first, we couldn't use the Gundam and beam saber sounds because of circumstances. We thought we might have to make them anew. But I was told, "People come to see the show because they want to hear those sounds. Can you somehow make it usable? I asked the producer, and we were able to use it.

--I am very happy about that. If it were a different sound effect, it would seem different.

Tamura: Information such as sounds and colors are important. In a remake like this, people have their own impressions of the film, and if we don't adhere to those impressions to a certain extent, we will disappoint them. Sound memory is something that arises from deep within the body, so when I actually heard the music, I thought, "This is it! I was like, "That's it! Not only the sound, but also the pictures and background art, each section was carefully considered.

Morita What makes me happy as a filmmaker is the moment when the sound effects and music are added to the images we have created, and the appeal of the images (of the film) is doubled. That's when I feel glad that I did my best. But that doesn't always happen if you don't work until the last minute.

Tamura That's really true.

Morita We are not involved in the sound, but this time, when the sound came on, we felt a different kind of "wow! It was different from the other times. The voices of the cast members are also amazing. Just hearing their voices takes me back to that time.

Tamura It really is amazing. Mr. Furuya (Toru Furuya who played Amuro) and Mr. Furukawa (Toshio Furukawa who played Kai) both said ...... even though 40 years have passed. I hope you will enjoy their voices as well.

--I thought the cast of course was great back then, and Shunsuke Takeuchi, who played Doan, was also very good at it.

Tamura I thought so too. I thought the casting was really good. I think the relationship between Amuro and Doan is even more enjoyable if you know the background of the story.

--Tamura: Is there anything else that you would like people to pay attention to, or any other small details that would be interesting to pay attention to?

Tamura: One thing I would mention is the effects. The effects are basically based on the drawings, and Hiroshi Masuda, the effects supervisor, was very particular about them. I had worked with Masuda-san on a previous work, and we were chatting about how good Yasuhiko-san's explosions were. We were chatting about Yasuhiko-san's old work, the movie "Crusher Joe" (Yasuhiko-san's first film as a director; he also directed, wrote the screenplay, and produced the movie). We had discussed the appeal of the explosions in Yasuhiko-san's old works, such as the movie "Crusher Joe" (Yasuhiko-san directed, wrote the script, and designed the characters), and I asked Masuda-san to try to recreate that feeling.

So Mr. Masuda supervised the work with great care. I think that Yasuhiko fans of yesteryear will enjoy even a single explosion. It's an expression that is hard to do nowadays.

--If you had to put it in concrete terms, what kind of explosion would it be?

Tamura: I share the same understanding with Mr. Masuda that ...... looks delicious. When I say "looks delicious," Masuda-san says, "Oh, yes! (laughs). What I mean is that Yasuhiko's drawings are very gentle, and they make me happy when I see them, and the same is true of explosions. The soft, squishy deformation of the explosions is very appealing.

Mr. Yasuhiko was unconscious about it at the time, but we found it fascinating, and Mr. Masuda said, "I'd love to do that," so he took on the challenge this time. It may not be that noticeable, but I think it is interesting to see it from that perspective.

--I think it would be interesting to see it from that point of view. I think that is what they will be saying.

Morita: Now that I've heard that, I'm thinking, "Yes, yes, yes. That's right! I am sure!" (laughs). (laughs) "Easy" is connected to "looks delicious.

Tamura That's right. I think it also adds a bit of color to the work.

--I would like to enjoy every detail, including those points. Thank you very much for your valuable comments!

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Kenichi Chiba)