Interview with Mogumo (original character designer) for "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury" - a series of designs created in response to the director's words, "I want to make a Gundam that will remain with us for decades to come.

The latest TV animation of the Gundam series, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury" ("Witches of Mercury"), is currently airing every Sunday at 5 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 it shows a new appeal with the first female protagonist in a TV series and a school setting. The prequel "PROLOGUE" was also released prior to the broadcast of the main story, which also received a great response.

Mogumo is in charge of the original character design for this latest Gundam work. We spoke with him about how he created the main character, Sletta Mercury, and other characters in a world view different from that of previous Gundam works, focusing on the secret story behind the creation of the character design.

In the competition, we fantasized about the setting and worldview and submitted them in the form of a proposal

--First of all, could you tell us how you came to be in charge of the original character design for "The Witch of Mercury"?

Mogumo: I had the opportunity to meet with the people at Sunrise (now Namco Bandai Filmworks), where I was asked, "We are going to hold a competition for the next new Gundam project, would you like to participate? I was asked to participate in a competition for the next new Gundam project as Morion Airlines.

--How did you frankly feel when you heard that it was the latest in the Gundam series, even though you were participating in a competition?

Mogmo: I thought it was an absolute great opportunity. To be honest, I didn't think I would be accepted, but it was an immediate response.

--When you passed the competition with flying colors, how did you feel about the pressure, happiness, and enjoyment?

Mogmo: Of course there was pressure. But I was more excited than that. I had heard that they wanted to create a new Gundam that was different from the previous ones, and that they wanted to take on various challenges, so I thought it would be fun to be a part of that.

--I think the design you drew at that time was somewhat different from what we see today.

Mogumo: I had already decided on a female protagonist from the beginning, so I thought about what kind of girl would be interesting. I thought that Gundam is basically a story of a slightly immature boy who grows up, so I thought it would be interesting if the main character was the opposite of that, an independent commander-type woman, so I drew a standing picture with that image in mind.

--So, I drew a standing picture with that image in mind.

Mogumo: That's right. Her personality is the complete opposite of what she is now. In the competition materials I received at the time, it was written that the character should be a female protagonist, but other than that, nothing else was decided, so I fantasized about the setting and world view with HISADAKE-san, with whom I work as a doujin (planning circle Morion Airlines), and we drew a picture saying "I think this kind of woman would be cool. I drew pictures with him, saying, "I wonder if this kind of woman would be good looking. ...... We put these drawings together in the form of a proposal and submitted it to the competition. We also came up with rival witches, and one of them even had a Gundam drawn behind the character on its own (laughs).

The school uniform was inspired by a foreign military academy

--What is your impression of the team and staff of "The Witch of Mercury" from your point of view?

Mogmo: We didn't have much opportunity to meet in person. We basically had online meetings once a week, but my impression was that they were ...... "physical ghosts" (laughs). I wondered when he was resting. I wondered when he was taking a break. He was working tirelessly on a huge amount of work, and I thought his passion and attitude toward creation were amazing.

--I was impressed by your passion and your attitude toward creation.

Mogumo: Yes, but it was not so much that I drew a lot of characters, but rather that I spent a lot of time on each of them. To be honest, I wanted to design the mob as well, but I spent a lot of time on the main characters alone.

--I'll ask about the characters one by one later, but first let me ask about the uniforms that all the characters share. Did you design the uniforms and the accessories they wear?

Mogumo: Yes, I did. I designed basically everything the characters wear.

--What were the points you focused on when designing the uniforms?

Mogmo: At first, I based the uniforms on those of foreign military academies. I imagined a fairly old-type or classical military school uniform. As the worldview was gradually determined, I added a bit of science fiction to it, and it ended up the way it is now. The distinctive feature is the thick sleeves. I wanted to create a silhouette similar to the capes worn by witches and wizards, and this shape is the result of various considerations.

--Is the pants style also your idea?

Mogumo: That was Director Kobayashi's idea. I thought it was very interesting, and I liked the fact that it was common for both men and women, so I drew it in pants style.

--The length of the pants differs depending on the character.

Mogmo: Yes. I wanted to show the differences between the characters within the same uniform. However, I didn't want to ruin the base shape too much, so I made adjustments with subtle differences.

--You have also worked on costumes for the VTuber "KMNZ," and VTubers and anime are all about movement, aren't they? When you were drawing the sleeves you mentioned earlier, did you have the movement in mind as well?

Mogmo Of course I did. That is why I thought that the thick sleeves of the uniform would look graceful as they flutter, and would create a more effective silhouette when in motion than a normal uniform. There were times when we had to make adjustments under Director Kobayashi's direction.

--So you and Director Kobayashi worked together to create the characters and costumes?

Mogumo: Yes, we worked out the costumes according to the characters' settings and personalities.

--The staff called him a "physical monster.

Mogumo: Yes, he is powerful. Director Kobayashi is very good at drawing pictures, so his images are very specific. I think he is probably the best artist I have ever met. Of course, there were times when we clashed over design, but I learned a lot from him and respected him very much.

Designing a Gundam that will last for several decades, without incorporating current trends

--What were some of the most memorable words from the producers and director Kobayashi when you were working on the design from the competition stage to the current design?

Mogmo: As I mentioned earlier, the producer told us that he wanted to challenge us with a new Gundam. Therefore, we did not dare to follow the design of previous Gundams, but rather, at first, we designed it while thinking about "what a new Gundam would be.

After meeting with Director Kobayashi, we discussed many details, and he said, "I want to make a Gundam that will last for years and decades to come. He may have said it casually, but I realized once again how important and significant the next Gundam work was, and from that point on, I began to change my mind about the design.

--What exactly do you mean by that?

Mogmo: I tried not to include too many elements that are popular now. If I included them, they would look old when viewed several years later, or they would give the impression that they were popular "at the time. Instead, I wanted to create a design that would be new and unique to this work even if it is seen several years from now.

--Now, let me ask you more about each character. Please tell us what you had in mind for Sletta.

Mogmo: I went through quite a bit of trial and error for Sletta's silhouette. For example, her ahair is a part that can easily create a distinctive silhouette, but I personally couldn't accept the fact that it suddenly stood up all by itself, so after much thought, I decided to make it look like it was done by brushing it up with a hair band. I know it may not make much difference to other people, but I try to include such details in my work.

--So, Sletta's hair color is from the beginning?

Mogmo: Yes. There was another idea, but this color seemed to fit well with Director Kobayashi.

--I heard that Miorine (Miorine Rembrandt) was more ladylike than she is now.

Mogmo Yes, that's right. That was the way it was set up in the beginning. She had a strong sense of being a young lady, and since she was not treated as a student of the school, she did not wear a uniform. I designed the costume to be more revealing, and it fit well, but then I was reassigned as a student of the school. When combined with the school uniform, it became a bit plain, and it was quite difficult to make it look the way it does now.

--What were the specific points you focused on in creating the current design?

Mogumo: I guess it was the hairstyle. I wanted to create a contrast with Sletta's, so I designed her hair to have a contrasting silhouette and the way it sways.

--Sletta and Miorine's personalities are the same, and they are like a pair, or partners.

Mogmo: Yes, because I think the two of them will be side by side quite often. I think you will notice little things like Sletta is actually taller than Miorine. Sretta is the larger of the two women.

--That's a bit surprising, given the image of the character.

Mogmo: That may be so. On the other hand, Miorine is smaller than Nika, so she is much smaller.

The secret story behind the creation of the original character designs other than Sletta and Miorine is also revealed.

--What did you have in mind when designing the three male members of the Gosanke family?

Mogmo: Basically, I thought about the balance among the three men. Gweru (Gweru Jetak) looks crude at a glance, but I designed him with a crying face under his right eye so that he looks cool from different angles.

--It is interesting that you put the weeping brow on a man of Güell's type.

Mogumo: Yes, it is. I thought it would be unusual for a mischievous character to have them. That's what I particularly like about it.

--How about the other two?

Mogmo: Elan (Elan Keres) is a character that came together relatively quickly, and I had the image of a prince in mind from the beginning. However, the design of the uniform was already decided, so we had quite a bit of trouble figuring out how to make it look like a prince. I tried putting on a cape and tights. ...... We went through a lot of trial and error to see how we could make him look like a prince. In the end, I think I was able to create the prince-like look by designing a futuristic version of the old chest ornament called a jabot.

--I didn't know it was called "Jabo" (laughs). I didn't know that (laughs).

Mogumo: I found out about it on the way to the show (laughs).

(laughs) -- Shaddik (Shaddik Zeneli) has a completely different atmosphere.

Mogmo: Shaddik took the longest time. At first, I had an image of him dressed in kimono and looking aloof, but I had to find a way to match him with Gweru and Elan, who had already been chosen. It took two or three changes while looking at the balance, but in the end I settled on the current form.

--I think it gives the impression of an easy-to-understand character with long hair and a soft side.

Mogumo: That's right. I put a lot of emphasis on the ease of understanding.

--What can you tell us about Nika (Nika Nanaura) and Tutu (Tutulie Panlanchi)? I think Tutu's hair has a great impact on her appearance.

Mogmo: At first they weren't that big, they were a little smaller (laughs).

--Now it is bigger than her face (laughs).

Mogumo: When I started designing Tutu, there was still almost no setting, and only the name had been decided. So I started with the name and just kept thinking about it. I associated it with the name "tutu," so I thought of a petite, slightly plump silhouette with hair shaped like ears. I also thought that "tutu" sounded similar to "chouchou," so I tried out donut shapes and so on. At the time, there were almost no settings, so I took inspiration from the name. I came up with this character from scratch.

--Nika is the most ordinary of all. You put a calm character in a group of characters with rich personalities, didn't you?

Mogmo: That's exactly right. In terms of the story and personality, I felt that Nika's role was to soothe or balance the unique characters such as Sletta and Miorine, so I didn't do anything eccentric with her design and didn't customize her uniform at all. I designed the character as a very standard character.

--I think there will be a lot of new discoveries when we look at the character again. Thank you very much for your valuable talk.

(Interview and text by Kenichi Chiba)