Gundam is not for us" - Shocked by the realistic words of a teenager - "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch of Mercury" Producer Takuya Okamoto Interview Part 1

The latest TV animation of the Gundam series, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury" ("Mercury Witches"), airs every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. on the MBS/TBS network of 28 stations nationwide.

This is the first new TV series in seven years since "Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphens" ("Tekketsu no Orphens"), and has attracted attention for its first female protagonist in a TV series and its world view set in a school. In addition, numerous topics, including a tie-up with PARCO, had anime fans in an uproar even before the broadcast began. The prequel "PROLOGUE" ("PROLOGUE"), which was released ahead of the show, raised everyone's expectations even higher as to what kind of story would be spun with high quality images.

We spoke with Takuya Okamoto, the producer of this highly anticipated work, about the project's inception, the staff, and the points he focused on in this work.

The teenager's words, "Gundam is not for us," really stuck with me.

--This is the first new Gundam TV series in seven years. First of all, please tell us how you came up with the production.

OkamotoI myself started working on "The Witch of Mercury" around the early spring of 2020, but I heard that it was around 2018 that talk of this project as the next Gundam began to emerge. They started with the idea of creating a work for the next generation for Gundam's 50th and 60th anniversaries. Then, in 2020, we were told that they wanted us to do a Gundam with a female protagonist.

--So from the very beginning, you had the younger generation in mind as the target volume zone?

Okamoto: Yes, that's right. I had the impression that previous Gundam works set outside of the Space Century were basically aimed at the teenage demographic, so I thought this work would be aimed at them as well, and that was the order of the day.

--Was there a part of you that was conscious of such a target audience when you started the story in a school?

Okamoto: There have been gundam works in which schools have appeared in the past, but I think most of them started out as boy soldiers or were serious from the very beginning. This time, "The Witch of Mercury" also had several turning points in thinking about the story, and the content started out in a rather serious place. But right around that time, I had a chance to talk to some teenagers who were on a social studies field trip. They told me that "Gundam is not for us" and "I wouldn't watch it if it had the word Gundam (in the title)." ......

--Those are shocking words.

Okamoto: They really hit me hard. Of course, Gundam is the Space Century series, but 20 years have passed since "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" (hereafter, "SEED"), even for works outside the Space Century. I think that is history, but at the same time, it has become a kind of barrier or weight that makes it difficult for the younger generation to enter the world of Gundam. Creators have taken various approaches in the past to make it easier for the younger generation to enter. However, I thought it would be better to start the work in an environment that is more familiar to them, so we decided to set it in a school.

--So you are gradually deepening the story, rather than starting from the heavy side?

Okamoto: Because it was set on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m.), we wanted to make it easy to get into the show rather than making it too heavy-handed at the beginning. Also, at the time of the project, I felt that a war between major powers was a subject that the younger generation would have a hard time feeling. I wanted to create a film that would be more accessible to today's young people. I wondered where I could make it more accessible to today's young people and make them think, "Hey, this is our story, isn't it?

--When the project came to you, it was decided that the main character would be a woman.

Okamoto: Of course there are things that can be portrayed only with a female character, but I was not particularly conscious of that. I think that I should depict them as human beings and as individual characters.

Each character and mechanical design has its own role to play.

--What is your approach to staffing? There are four character designers in this work, including Mogumo-san, who is the original character designer.

Okamoto: There are a large number of characters to be drawn in this work, so we are building a system with the help of everyone. Specifically, Marie Tagashira is in charge of the main characters, and Tamari Toida and Hirotoshi Takaya are in charge of the characters that surround them.

--Basically, did Mogumo-san create the original designs?

Okamoto: We asked Mogumo-san to work on the student side, or rather, on the young characters. Also, the director, Hiroshi Komabayashi, is very good at drawing, and he often comes up with ideas as pictures. Sometimes I play catch-up with Mr. Mogumo, and sometimes I ask him to create character designs for the animation based on the director's drawings.

--There are also six mechanical designers, led by Mr. JNTHED. Is there a division of roles here as well?

Okamoto: To a certain extent, we divide the work into groups by force, with JNTHED-san working on Gundam Aerial and Gundam Rubris and other mainstay mobile suits, Kanetake Ebikawa on Grassley Mobile Suits, Ippei Katabe on Jetak Mobile Suits, and Wataru Inada on Pale Mobile Suits. Mr. Ippei Katabe is a mobile suit from Jetak, and Mr. Wataru Inada is a mobile suit from Pale.

In addition, Mr. Takayuki Yanase and Mr. Kenji Teraoka are working on other forces and MS designs.

We want people to feel what "witch" means through the story.

--When I talk to you, I feel that you are creating new things with very free ideas.

Okamoto: I think it's difficult to create the Space Century series because so many things are set in stone, but I think there is a certain degree of freedom in the works set outside the Space Century. However, it has been less than 30 years since "Mobile Fighter G Gundam," so everyone has their own image of Gundam. I think we need to satisfy the audience's needs while deviating from their expectations in a positive sense.

--So, you mean that there are elements that can be enjoyed by traditional Gundam fans as well? I thought that if we focused on the younger generation, there might be people who would feel that it wasn't for them.

Okamoto: I think that is the depth of Gundam's nostalgia. The junior high and high school students who watched "SEED" are now in their 30s. This work contains drama that even adults can endure, so I think it will please a wide range of people.

--By the way, what does the "witch" in the title refer to?

Okamoto: I think there are various concepts of "witch. I think different people will take it differently, but if you watch the story, you will understand what a witch is, so I hope you will follow the story.

To be continued in Part 2!

(Reporting and writing by Kenichi Chiba)