Yuichi Higuchi, mechanical designer of "Ideon," teaches about "living a life of free and unrestricted creativity without making enemies" (Anime Industry Watching No.56)

He has participated in the mechanical design of "Densetsu Kyojin Ideon" (1980), "Makyou Densetsu Acrobunch" (1982), "Ginga Kaze Brygar" (1981), "Ginga Retsufu Baksinger" (1982), "Ginga Shippu Sasliger" (1983), and the J9 series, as well as the "Raijin-o" (1991). Yuichi Higuchi led the design studio "Submarine" and participated in the Eldoran series of mecha starting with "Raijin-O" (1991). He continues to design toys and actively holds solo exhibitions, while keeping new ideas in the pipeline.
Although he is not obsessed with anime or robots, Higuchi's life is very free. At a coffee shop near his home in front of Minami-Kashiwa Station, we asked him to reflect on his life, which is as light as the wind.

When push comes to shove, I can become a portrait painter in Ueno.

─ I heard that you did not intend to enter the animation industry at first. As I recall, you first joined an accessories company.

Higuchi: To put things in order, I came to Tokyo from my hometown in Niigata because I wanted to become an apprentice under Tetsuya Chiba. At the time, I wanted to be a manga artist. The third time was on February 14, 1971, after I came to Tokyo. The third time was on February 14, 1971, after I moved to Tokyo. I thought, "If I go to Tokyo, I can make it." Through an acquaintance, I was placed in a company designing accessories. I didn't dislike drawing pictures, but I had a dim feeling that the pictures I was drawing at the company were not the ones I wanted to draw .......

The company was located in Kuramae, where there were many craftsmen who made cufflinks and other accessories. Among the craftsmen, there were several artists. I think many of them were probably working in the accessories business because they couldn't make a living from their own work. I went to Ueno because I wanted to move a little bit closer to art, too. Even now, there are portrait painters in Ueno. I asked the most skillful of them to let me be his apprentice for just one day, and I followed him around. I had a strange sense of confidence. I thought, "If push comes to shove, I can make a living drawing portraits. In fact, portrait artists sell their artwork at private exhibitions and shows, and portraits are just a subproduct, not the best artwork. But I took their stories of "building a house" to heart and thought, "I'm better than them, so I'll never lose my livelihood," and even though I had no talent, I became cocky and strangely proud wherever I went. Since then, I have never been intimidated by others. Even though I later realized that I was mistaken, I never lost that confidence.

So you can say that you were mistaken in the right direction.

Higuchi: I am sure that was the case.

───After working for an accessory company, did you join Design Mate and start designing toys?

Higuchi: No, before that, I joined an entertainment company in Yotsuya. They would hold events for the stars of the time (Mari Amachi, Saori Minami, Candy's, etc.) at large local leisure facilities, and I would collect the customers and drive them to the venue. What I was doing was flyering for those events. For a while, Momoe Yamaguchi's father was in the company, and we worked side by side for a few months. I was not interested in Ms. Yamaguchi, nor did I go to the venue, as long as I could draw.
After that, I joined a company that drew signboards for cabarets. At the time, there was a chain cabaret called "Hawaii" and I was looking at pictures, drawing pictures, lettering letters, and making calendars and flyers.
One day, I was having drinks in Koenji with a friend who had moved to Tokyo from Niigata to become an animator. We were talking about how pachinko in Koenji was not going well, and someone said, "I heard that pachinko in Nagoya goes well," so we all got in the car and headed out.


─ From Koenji to Nagoya?

Higuchi: Yes. On the way home, I think, one of my friends who was an animator said, "Why don't you come live with me?　We rented an apartment together in Kamiishakujii and began a strange life together. It was a fun time when animators from Tokyo Movie and other companies would gather at the apartment for nightly parties, but my roommate found me a good place to live. My roommate found an advertisement for a job at Design Mate.