Mizushima Animage interview
This month's anime magazines had interviews with Seiji Mizushima,
the director of the Gundam 00 series. Below is a translation of an
interview from Animage magazine. A Newtype magazine interview will
be up tomorrow.
Q: Tell us how the title "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" came about?
A: It started as a temporary title, but it ended up being the
official title. Originally I wanted to have a cool name, but we all
forgot about it. Besides the obvious reason of starting from zero,
there are other reasons. Right now it is a secret, but it will
become a keyword as the story progresses.
Q: Reason behind why this series is set in the future of our
world?
A: I personally have no deep knowledge about UC or CE so jumping
into their worlds would be inappropriate and offensive to the staff
who worked on those series. To me, it made perfect sense to make
this series connected to our world. By doing this, it is easier to
reflect our history and blend it with the series. At this moment, I
am not focusing too much about making this ultra real or serious.
This is entertainment after all so I'll mirror some of the real
world issues in this series like I have with the anime I worked on
in the past.
Q: What kind of Gundam story are you aiming for?
A: Don't know if this is a good or bad thing. I haven't watched a
lot of the previous Gundam series. When I was first offered this
job, I thought to myself, "Aren't there more Gundam-minded people
than me?" Sunrise told me "We want to create a new Gundam so the
director doesn't have to know a lot about Gundam." I have staff
like Yousuke Kuroda and mecha designers, who are Gundam fans, so
they will make sure it is Gundam while I will try to create without
thinking too much that this is a Gundam series. Perhaps, this might
be the theme, but I will bring my own Gundam-ness to the
series.
Q: What is your Gundam-ness?
A: One is writing about war. Gundam is a weapon after all. This
doesn't mean I'm going to be devoted to battles scenes. Instead I
believe it is important to approach the war theme straightforward.
(Gunota note: from here he tries to be funny) Other than that, a
mobile weapon walking on 2 legs using beam sabers and a beam rifle.
Then the basic stuff like Gundam is red, blue, yellow, and white.
*laughs* This time, we are being more adventurous with the designs.
If you have these 4 colors, they look like Gundam. *laughs*
Q: The pilots of the Gundams belong to a group who are trying to
end war. What are you trying to say with this?
A: Let's take this one phrase, "Using force to end wars" and see
what happens when someone carries out this contradicting act. "What
do you start to see?" is one of things I want to write. Since this
is a drama involving these characters, you will see "What happens
to the world when they pilot the Gundam? What will these pilots do
and how will they change?" This will be the gut of the series for
sure.
Q: How will the MS designs and battle action turn out?
A: We hope to bring 2 styles: one is the super action style from
SEED, second are actions that take advantage of the MS. When the
plot of Gundams entering the conflict was being setup, we had a
conversation saying "It might be all right for the Gundams to be
super mecha." Therefore, the antagonist's MS was designed
reflecting today's weapons and the Gundams were designed to
confront them. It will feel like super mecha vs real mecha. The
concept of the Gundam being far superior is one concept I had from
the beginning. I don't know how much of that you will see, but the
staff will follow along and hopefully you might see some odd
looking scenes.
Q: Lastly, a message for the fans of the upcoming series.
A: While this will be a drama connecting people with people or
people with the world, I will not be forcing answers on them. I'm
hoping this series will motivate viewers into thinking. A Gundam
novice like me is working real hard creating a new Gundam so I hope
the previous fans and new fans will support us.
Frm Gunota
