The hidden masterpiece "Kishin Hyoudan," which boosted the OVA boom in the 1990s! Commemorating the special event, interview with director Takaaki Ishiyama

The 1990s was the heyday of OVA (original video animation). Among them, the most vigorous were the works released by Pioneer LDC.

Tenchi Muyo! The Môryôkôki, Moldiver, Yugen Kaisha, Green Legend Ran, and so on... Pioneer LDC's OVAs dominated the world with their edgy visuals, stories, and character expressions that could not be expressed in TV animation. Among these, "Kishin Hyoudan" was particularly unique.

It was the eve of World War II. Based on technology brought to them by a mysterious alien enemy, the powerful nations succeed in developing a giant robot weapon called "Kishin. The film is a masterpiece of science fiction, suspense, action, and robotics, and has many hooks.

This original video work, produced on an unprecedented scale, was highly acclaimed at a premium preview screening in 1993 and received enthusiastic support from robot animation fans, but it has since been forgotten as a hidden masterpiece.

In an effort to raise momentum for the reevaluation of "Kishin Hyoudan," it has been decided to hold an all-episode screening and staff talk show on June 8 and 9.

To commemorate the event, we conducted an interview with Takaaki Ishiyama, director of the film. Once again, what was he trying to depict in his work "Kishin Hyoudan"? He also looked back on that era when OVAs were hot.

I started drawing from the storyboard.

--Please tell us again how you came to produce "Kishin Hyoudan".

Takaaki Ishiyama (Takaaki Ishiyama): A bad friend of mine asked me, "I have a work that looks interesting, would you like to work on it? I was originally the author of the original story. However, it was originally written by the original author, Mr. Masaki Yamada, so I thought it would be impossible to deviate too much from the original work, but Mr. Taro Maki, the producer of Pioneer LDC at the time, and the producer in charge said, "Do whatever you want. I did as I pleased, and it turned out to be this kind of work.

I originally wanted to make a "manga movie" or "adventure action movie" for "Kishin Hyoudan. I was born in the 1960s, and my childhood was right around the time when anime came out with a bang! I was born in the 1960s, and that was the time when cartoons were just coming out. There were many works in which a variety of characters were active, and there were many genres that were different from those of today. There were many different genres of anime, from girls to robots, action, ninja, family, and many other genres.

Having gone through such an era, I wanted to do an anime that could be more violent, and that is when I came across "Kishin Hyoudan. It was during World War II, and there were three robots and a cool-looking older brother and sister. Plus, there's a train, and it's very cool, I thought.

That said, the story is not in the direction of depicting the vividness of war, but the story is also bizarre, with aliens and a mysterious item called a module! This is such a delicious story.

I read the original story and extracted the elements, and when I proposed it to the producer in charge, I thought he would say something, but he said, "Don't worry.

--Do you have any secret production stories that you can talk about now?

Ishiyama: For "Kishin Hyoudan," I first read the original book, talked with the brainstormers about what kind of animation we wanted to make, and suddenly started drawing from the storyboard. At first, there was no script at all.

--What?　Is that the story of the first episode?

Ishiyama: No, I drew storyboards until the final episode (episode 7) without a script. I was required to submit only the plot and the box drawings to Pioneer LDC, so I prepared those, but the rest was storyboards. I don't think there were many other films made in that way, then or now. Even now, it seems that there is always a scenario.

--Did you have the character and mechanical designs finalized at that point?

Ishiyama: We were working on them at the same time in different routes, and I told (mechanical designer) Takeshi Yamazaki, "This is what it should look like" and "This is a big robot," and I told (character designer) Masayuki Gotoh, "I just want it to be simple, distinctive, and easy to move. I told Mr. Kenshi Yamazaki (mecha designer) that I wanted a simple, distinctive, easy to move design.

--Pardon me, but weren't the staff members on site puzzled ......?

Ishiyama: I don't know. They may have been confused, but they also seemed to be having fun. You can see the fun atmosphere at that time in this photo: ....... (Ishiyama shows us a picture of the studio at that time, taken by the director) It was a peaceful scene.

I was also thinking about the episodes to get a bird's eye view of the story, "If there were 52 episodes, what would the series structure be like? and the final episode in episode 7. Originally, I had an idea for a story that would have had a story between each of the episodes.

No one else would make it, so I made it myself--that's all.

--I felt that the director was trying to create an authentic boys' adventure adventure film, just as you said earlier that you were aiming for.

Ishiyama: The films that triggered my entry into the world of film were the black-and-white "Tetsujin 28-go", "Gatchaman", and the first one-cool "Kamen Rider". Those were the three. They were kind of cool. In "Tetsujin 28-go," the robot moves with a remote control! In "Gatchaman," the bird says, "If you want it to walk, make it run. I fell in love with the directional skills of Nagayuki Toriumi, who said, "If it walks, make it run; if it runs, make it fly." It is no exaggeration to say that the first season of "Kamen Rider" was a children's program, but it had a completely adult-oriented, bizarre feel to it. As an elementary school student, I thought it was very interesting . On top of that, I wanted to do animation, which I found particularly exciting.

If you think of "Kishin Hyoudan" as the work of "Tetsujin 28-go," "Gatchaman," and "Kamen Rider," it would be easier to unravel the roots of the work.

--The story centers on the original characters of the anime, such as Taishi Takamura, Eva, and Maria.

Ishiyama: I've already abused my authority in casting them (laughs). The actors in this work are from "Carla Maiu! which I had done before "Kishin Hyoudan. In "Carla," Hiromi Tsuru and Yuriko Yamamoto played twins. In the "Carla" series, the character played by Ms. Tsuru was dubbed as the impression of the enemy's sister, so I asked her to play this role as well. From there, I asked Ms. Tsuru to play the twin sisters Maria and Eva. On the other hand, Yuriko Yamamoto said that she wanted to play a villain, so the role of Yoshiko Fujishima was born. We also asked Kaneto Shiozawa and Yusaku Yara to appear.

Yoshiko Fujita played the main character, Taishi. Ms. Fujita's boy roles include "Planet Boy Puppy. With this casting, the royal line was set.

Another young actress was Kotono Mitsuishi, who had just made her debut. She played a fat boy named Faye in a very cute role.

Also, in the prequel drama CD "Kishin Hyoudan Zero," we had Sakae Takayama of "Eight Man" fame as Daishi's father.

At the time, Pioneer LDC's OVAs gave us what we wanted.

--I think one of the charms of this work is the portrayal of a robot that gives a sense of weight.

Ishiyama: I think a boy's dream is to move big things. However, it takes a lot of time to actually move a large object. In order to express that kind of excitement, I made sure to show the scene where the god of thunder goes into battle carefully. The roots of this work can be traced back to the Gigantor in "Conan: Future Boy". I once saw Hayao Miyazaki's comment, "If something that huge is going to fly, it will take time. I certainly agree, and that was still around the time I wanted to see it.

--I was also very pleased to see that the scenes of the sorties were very carefully drawn.

Ishiyama I am very happy that you think so, and I think there is a point where you can say, "This is the way it should be. Because you want to see it, don't you? That's all. No one else would make it, so I made it myself. That's all.

The act of putting one's soul into animation

--Is the heavy depiction of robots a favorite of the director?

Ishiyama: That's part of it, but actually, the weightiness of "Kishin Hyoudan" is based on the huge size of my debut work "Gold Litan". Koichi Mashimo, who was my mentor at that time, told me, "Never shoot huge things from above, use an awning," and "Shoot from above for small Litan," and I just followed his advice. Then, if I wanted to show something in particular, I could just move my camera, my feelings, and my awareness closer to it. When I was a newcomer, Mashita-san used to say to me, "What do you want to show in this cut?

The scene where the god of thunder appears at the beginning of the first episode. This is also the same as the way Gold Raitan appears. The legs come out in a zigzag and then the main body comes out. This would be the standard. And the part where the main title gets up is exactly "Tetsujin 28.

--It is great that there is a reason for each action.

Ishiyama: It's like you are thinking, "If this happens, maybe it will move. I think that is reality. I don't know what will actually happen, but if I show it, I show it dynamically. That way, it will look real. It's all a matter of whether or not you can make people believe that's the way it is. That's what Mr. Yamazaki is able to do.

─ ─ Personally, I was also impressed by the depiction of the cockpit with its many switches.

Ishiyama: In any case, I would like to see a description of the switches that are pressed every time a movement is made. When he moves the turret of the Thunder God, it looks like he's in a hurry to move his hands around in circles, but the sense that he's trying his best to operate it is cool because it's not a one-touch operation. That feeling is the same as the cost of shooting animation in the celluloid era .

The more shots you shoot, the more work, time, and cost you have to do. These factors are directly reflected in the heat and reality of the film, aren't they?

Ishiyama: The more sheets you shoot, the more troublesome it is, and the limit for pulling a cell is three layers. But there is such an atmosphere. It is not a logical act, but an act of putting one's soul into animation. It is truly animatronics. It is the origin of the word "animation.

─ ─ Not only the depiction of mecha and military, but also the story and suspense elements are the charm of this work.

Ishiyama: I think it still has its roots in the "Tetsujin 28-go" style. The "Kishin Hyoudan" Detective Boys became involved and joined the group, but their former comrades treated them as traitors. Each character has his or her own drama. That's the kind of development I want to see.

At the beginning of the first episode, there is a 7-8 minute scene where Raijin fights the aliens, and I think that almost explains the worldview of this work. A few months later, the rescued Daishi is alive and well and has friends. This structure is based on "The Goonies. The opening of "The Goonies" introduces everyone's personality at the beginning, and I wanted to do that.

--I thought this work is like a textbook of robot animation, and I feel like I have summed up what the director has seen and learned here.

Ishiyama: I am glad to hear you say so. You must have had an itch for it.

─ ─ Perhaps young people who only watch current anime can feel the atmosphere of 90's OVA when they see "Kishin Hyoudan", where they could create works by focusing on what they like so much.

Ishiyama: Yes. I would be happy if that happens.

As long as the production site is energetic, more and more interesting things will be created.

--How did you feel when you finished the production?

Ishiyama: I was glad that I was allowed to work on it. Various problems occurred, and we had to stop the production in the middle of the project. The responsibility of the director at that time was great. As a result, the production company changed, but for what it's worth, I was happy that we were allowed to run the project until the end. Staff members who were able to continue were also allowed to continue. Mr. Maki and the producer in charge of the project did a great job.

--What was the reaction at the time?

Ishiyama: I don't know. There was no Internet yet.

--You said there were not many fan events until this talk event, so you will be able to see the reaction of fans for the first time on June 8.

Ishiyama That's what I mean when I say that I can finally come to my senses. So I am very much looking forward to it.

Module prop in the live-action trailer for "Kishin Hyoudan

─ ─ What is your impression of the anime of this period?

Ishiyama: This was the most exciting time for animation. This work was produced by Pioneer LDC, but before that, I was working for Toshiba Video Software on "Carla Maiu! at Toshiba Video Soft. Around the same time, they also produced "Otaku no Video," an animation depicting the efforts of Hideaki Anno and his team when they were young.

I think that as long as the field is energetic, more and more interesting things will be created. Because everyone comes into the industry because they love animation.

───I have the impression that the creators of "Kishin Hyoudan" are freely using their imagination in their work.

Ishiyama: I don't remember that we gave any unreasonable orders. Since they entered the industry because they wanted to express themselves in some way, it is better to let them do that. I myself said, "What I want to do is this. As long as you keep this in mind, that's all that matters. I am not an artist, so as long as I can do better than I think I can, that's all that matters.

─ ─ Isn't it a happy thing for you as a creator to be able to create such a sharp work?

Ishiyama: Yes, it is. But I didn't realize it until later. At that time, I could do what I wanted! That was all. But I believe that the original director's job is to think about how to make the staff, the audience, and the production company happy. I didn't learn that until many years after "Kishin Hyoudan" ended. Now I can only be thankful to all the people I had the chance to meet.

─ ─ In many ways, this is a memorable work for the director, isn't it?

Ishiyama: Yes, it is. Some of the people involved have already passed away. 26 years is a long time. It was a quarter of a century ago.