60th anniversary of the industry, Director Yoshiyuki Tomino howls! Mobile Suit Gundam: Char of the Counterattack" Yoshiyuki Tomino and Yutaka Izubuchi Talk Show Report [2nd Niigata International Animation Film Festival

The 2nd Niigata International Animation Festival is currently being held from March 15 to March 20. Since the first festival in March last year, the festival has become the world's first animation feature film festival and the largest animation film festival in Asia with a wide variety of programs, and is being introduced not only to Japan but also to the world.

On March 16, 2024, the second day of the festival, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" was screened as an event screening, with director Yoshiyuki Tomino and mechanical designer Yutaka Izubuchi, who designed the mobile suits in the film, taking the stage. A talk show was held. Director Tomino's unique "Tomino-busi," which traces back the history of Japanese manga and anime while thinking about the future, is still alive and well!

This event caused a great sensation when it was announced that Yoshiyuki Tomino, a director who has been in the animation industry for 60 years, would be attending the event. 500 tickets were sold out immediately, and an unprecedented event broadcast was also announced. In front of an audience filled with anticipation and enthusiasm, Director Tomino said, "It's the 60th anniversary, and I don't like that. Another thing I don't like is that they are going to show "Gyakushaia" here today, but do you know how long ago that movie was? It was 36 years ago, and yet here we are... well, there is Takahata's film, so it may be newer than that, but... there is a way of putting it. For me, Takahata is a master. I am a little embarrassed when I say that it is nice to be screened together with my master. He said, "I'm a person who has a hard time standing, so I'm going to sit down, yes.

Mr. Izubuchi said, "I met Mr. Tomino at a year-end party a few years ago..." Immediately after Mr. Tomino said, "I don't remember! I don't remember! You don't remember, I know. But the story I told him at that time was, "You don't do Gundam any more? He said, "No, I won't! He said, "I'm not going to do it! (Laughs.) I said, "Don't you think this kind of stuff is interesting? (Laughs) I said, "I can't tell you...I don't know if it's okay to tell you, but I'm not going to do it anyway! Then, thankfully, Mr. Tomino, who was sitting there, kicked me in the face and said, "BAKAR! He kicked me in the face, and that was a great treasure for me (laughs).

This is one of the few film festivals in the world that has a competition for feature-length animation. I am a director who is famous for listening to everything my sponsors say because of the nature of my work (laughter in the audience). Short films are not something to be taken lightly, and there is one short animation that I still remember. It is Osamu Tezuka's "Jumping. It is a short animation that I saw about 60 years ago, but I still remember it. I remember this one, though it's a short I saw about 60 years ago. Unless it's something like that, you can't make it the way you want it to be. If the creator likes to make it, it won't be a movie. It would not be an animation. It would take me an hour and a half to explain what that means, so I'll stop! The adage "It doesn't become a movie if the creator likes making it!

The film "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char of the Counterattack" was the first original story in the Gundam series to be made into a movie. Mr. Izubuchi designed the mobile suits, but "just now, I was like, 'What? Did I do that? I was told, 'Oh, I didn't know I was doing it! To which Director Tomino replied, without a trace of apology, "I don't remember doing it at all. I thought he was a really dexterous and useful person, and as a designer and painter, there was no one more useful. That feeling has not changed at all to this day. He was saying earlier, "I'm not good at what I do, and I'm not good at what I do, anyway," and he was saying that he was unfaithful. Director Tomino said, "'I can only write that' means that I can only write one color. Surprisingly, it is not possible to do a wide range of work. Do you think Osamu Tezuka could make a movie about gangsters? I think Mr. Tezuka is a person who has tried various things in the manga genre," said Izubuchi. After that, shoujo manga flourished, and he just recently passed away. Then came the rise of shoujo manga, and the recently departed Akira Toriyama's "Dragon Ball," which was a landmark of its time. Just when we thought it was going to end with Akira Toriyama, another monster emerged. One Piece. There is a lineage like that. Osamu Tezuka has done it before, so it is connected to One Piece. Not only that, but in the past few years, manga has begun to surpass literary works. Fans of manga and anime can just look at it from one aspect and be happy. However, if a person has the desire to become a professional, he or she will have to have a very broad perspective.

In that sense, we were able to set our sights on a very good person. The fact that Hayao Miyazaki's "How Do You Live?" won an Academy Award. Such an extraordinary work came out. He said that in the eyes of a master of the animation industry, this is truly a turning point. He also said that this is a turning point in the history of animation. He then continued, "You young people who love images and want to work in the animation and manga industry, don't let them fool you! Don't let them take you for granted. If you don't put your life on the line, you won't be able to surpass Miyazaki. What does it mean to have to surpass Dr. Slump? I really have to think about it.

The talk between Director Tomino and Mr. Izubuchi was getting more and more exciting at a high speed. Mr. Obuchi said, "I have some thoughts about "Char of the Counterattack" right now. One is that it is a work that rediscovered and reconstructed Char. There was a man named Quattro Basina before, wasn't there? That was a failure for Mr. Tomino. Basically, he made Quattro a good person, and he thought that it might be better to keep him with Amuro and the others. But basically, Char is...some people may object to this, but...he is a psychopath," he said! He's self-righteous, he doesn't choose the means to do what he's trying to do, he has no empathy, and he lies to people. If you watch "Gyakushaia" from now on, you will see that Shia is full of lies! It's the same when he is negotiating, he lies to women, to his subordinates, and to everyone else! There is not a single word of truth in what he says. Maybe even his last confrontation with Amuro was like, "He's lying, isn't he? I think he's lying. Psychopaths seek stimulation. Director Tomino said, "This is the first time I have heard that point of view, but it is correct! In other words, I remembered that I actually had the feeling I have now when I was making the lines between Char and Amuro in the last scene. I don't really want to make it this way, but I guess I had no choice because time was running out. The first Shia is a psychopath. When Mr. Izubuchi analyzed Char, Director Tomino immediately agreed, saying, "I can say that, but that's because of the fashion. I admit that," he agreed, drawing laughter.

He pointed out that there were a number of problems with Z Gundam and the New Type, which had been neatly organized in the first Gundam, that had to be explained in the aftermath of the sequel, and other problems that were not mentioned in "Gyakushaare". Mr. Izubuchi said, "What Mr. Tomino wanted to do in "Gyakushaia" was to make people look raw. New types are not important! Even with the psycho-frames, he was clearly trying to make sense of it, but at the end, he was just showing a way of saying that he had made sense of it, even though it was a spiritual or occult development. I remember now. All the explanations of "Gyakushaia" that Mr. Izubuchi has just given are correct. There is nothing to deny at all. What surprised me was that he reminded me of all the feelings and discomfort I had when I was cutting the storyboards. I'm glad I came today! He was satisfied with his performance.

Mr. Tomino's editing is very good. He leaves the beginning of a character's next line in the middle of the character's speech and cuts it off. That creates a mysterious rhythm," said Izubuchi. The audience laughed loudly with applause. Mr. Izubuchi said, "Some of you may know Anno's story (laughs), but when I first saw "Gyakushaia," I felt a little uncomfortable. But then I went back and watched it again and thought, "This is interesting. In short, there are many things you can't understand just by watching it once. I didn't design it in a friendly way. I had forgotten about it, so I watched the first five minutes of the film today. He praised himself, saying, "I was really surprised at how good you are at editing the first three or four minutes. The interesting thing about making a feature film is that you can tell a story with the rhythm of the images. In that sense, I think "Gyakushaia" is doing a good job, so please watch it.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Izubuchi also talked about his own health concerns, saying, "Mr. Tomino is in good spirits when he has work to do," but he continued, "It was this year that director Miyazaki-san made the American film industry realize that anime is not only about Disney animated films. That means that you will be the ones to carry on the tradition. Good luck to those who are younger than me! I would rather that those of you here with children, fathers and mothers, teach your children the things I have just mentioned. In other words, thanks to Miyazaki's animation, the film industry itself is going to change," he said, reiterating his passion for the young people who will lead the future. There are a lot of mendacious animations (audience laughed). (The audience laughed.) "Anne of Green Gables" (to be screened at Cine Window on March 19 and 20) is a film I'm working on! I'm doing it! The talk event, bursting with Tomino's loving sarcasm, ended on a high note.

Event Information

The 2nd Niigata International Animation Festival

Organizer: Niigata International Animation Festival Executive Committee

Production: Eurospace + Jenco
Dates: March 15 (Fri.) - 20 (Wed.), 2024
Official Website: #

Official X (former Twitter): @NIAFF_animation
Official Youtube: #