Animazement 2008 Gundam Panel
This panel was a bit of a washout. There was probably 50 people tops in the room. People didn’t really get into asking questions.
The panelists were (left to right) Kotono Mitsuishi, Keiko Han and Mitsuo Fukuda.
No lynch crowd!
With a straining voice, the MC introduced the panelists to us. We then watched a clip out of Gundam Seed Destiny. Man, that was actually kind of cool?
Fukuda then started talking about his involvement in the series and the challenges he faced. In a nutshell, basically he felt very fortunate being selected for the next Gundam project at the time. Being one of the original Gundam fans that got into the industry, it took him a year of planning for the next (11th) Gundam at around 2000. Gundam is hard to do. There are a lot of smartly written characters and lines to consider. He gave all he had on Gundam Seed, and he was out of stuff at the end of it. When the producers asked him to do Seed Destiny, he was surprised and in a bind because he already did all he wanted to do. It took another year for Seed Destiny to plan.
One of the hard things about Seed Destiny is to be able to do something similar to Seed but yet overcome it. It was difficult to overcome his own personal best in the sequel. On the flip side, he was the first director besides Tomino to do two Gundam series in a row. I guess he learned to not do that ever again. “Very tired.”
Keiko Han then started to talk about the original Gundam. It was 29 years ago. Then she started to talk about how fans of those days were just 11 or 12, just like Fukuda. (I guess Fukuda was 20 at the time? So he protested.) Back in those days, anime was rare and budget was small. The voice actors were hungry for work. When Han was doing the show, they felt it was just acting and not voice-overing. She really called Char captain not just because that’s who Char was, but that is how she felt about the actor (Shuuichi Ikeda).
In those days, a typical year-show is 52 episodes but Gundam only had 45 episodes. As she reflected on Gundam, she thought the show was too early for its time. In fact that it is still going as a franchise shows that it is ahead of its time. She is glad for the fan support for the franchise and is honored to be a part of it.
Lastly, Keiko Han brought up 24 to illustrate the point. When she was watching 24 for the first time, she was reminded how in the original Gundam they employed the split-screen, quad-camera shot that each shows a different character. In those days, that kind of direction was totally unthinkable for animation.
For Kotono Mitsuishi, she talked about her role as Murrue Ramius and the pink Haro. Mitsuishi talked about how Ramius was a female captain and she wasn’t sure how to perform the role, but she was glad to find out that Ramius was a strong but delicate person. It was challenging and interesting. She also recalled meeting Fukuda in Dendou and how he told her that she may be called in again to do a captain role. Then Mitsuishi recalled her first meeting with Keiko Han being an older sister figure (not quite like mom, but).
And the Q&A begins.
Where’s everyone? Here I go I guess…
Q1: How was working on Gundam Seed with your wife?
MF: I can’t say it was bad. If I did I would be in trouble. I know if I have a fight with her I would lose.
Q2: Are there any plans to continue the Seed series?
MF: I can’t say there are no plans, but there is nothing official right now about that.
*Crickets*
Q3: Why did you choose Mitsuishi for the voice over for the previews?
I think they didn’t get it.
MF: I can’t remember how it went but Morosawa (writer) was the person writing the previews. One of the rule for the preview is that they have to have the “gundam” phrase in every one of them. It was tough for her (Morosawa is the wife) to do that.
Q3: So why did you choose Mitsuishi…
MF: Captain Ramius… In Dendou, the character Vega was captain for a short time. I thought she would be good for that role. After that I thought she would be perfect for Ramius. It also just happened the role for the captain does the voiceover.
Q4: Can Ms. Han do a line from Lalah?
KH: <She says the line where Lalah first meet Amuro>
Q4: Can you do the line near the end of the series with Char?
KH <She says the line to Char about getting into the mobile suit>
Not sure what happened exactly.
Q5: Can you do the Ramius line where you launch the Archangel?
KM: <All hands to battle stations, Archangel hasshin!>
Crowd: <weak ass applauses>
Q6: Does Ms. Han know that the original Gundam would be as popular as it is today? Are you surprised?
KH: Back in those days, when I do the voice for the original Gundam, I was new. It was just a year since I started. When it was first cut short of airing I thought maybe the story was too complicated for kids. It had some difficult lines and I regretted that it got cut short. Now that the 30-year anniversary is coming up, it would be great to get together with those old friends even if some of them are no longer here with us. Again I thank the fans who supported us and the pros who were inspired by it and came up with their own works.
Q7: Was attracting female fans a consideration for planning the Seed series?
MF: Yes, in a way. I expect that there should be more female fans for this Gundam. But I heard even since the original Gundam days, there were a lot of female fans supporting the series. Part of Gundam’s popularity is that there are a lot of female fans. As a result I made the show so it is accessible for girls.
Q8: I think Seed is the first Gundam series with a female captain of a ship. Was it intentional and are you aware you are laying the groundwork for future female captains?
MF: It’s not a big deal these days. After seeing Captain Janeway from Star Trek Voyager, I thought you can do a female captain just fine. That is how I decided how it would work in Seed.
MF: “I like Star Trek Old Series.”
Q9: Are there other science fiction shows you like besides ST and SW?
MF: Yea, old American sci-fi shows, yeah. For example the Bionic Woman, the Six Million Dollar Man, Airwolf and Knight Rider.
KH: Hey, I dubbed Airwolf and Knight Rider.
MF: Nowadays when I watch TV I can’t really enjoy it because I have my job in my mind, but all those shows I watched when I was young became the basis of shows I create now.
Q10: <The MC asks> I heard that Fukuda spent a lot of effort to get the right music for Gundam and it had a lasting impact on the industry?
MF: I believe a movie consists of 3 factors–story, visual and audio. Each one is important and you need all three. The basis for this is how a musical works, that you can use music to bring out both the story and what goes on stage. So I always make an emphasis on music when I tell a story. Thankfully for Gundam Seed, many of my staff was considerate about this and Sony was helpful for allowing us to use the music.
Q11: Other than the fact that it was amazing, was there a reason why you used the first outro of Gundam Seed for half the show [i.e. all of Seed] and all the other opening and outros are used for just a quarter of the show?
Outro == Ending song. Is this guy from #Nipponsei or what.
MF: Hmm, the first ending was changed three times, including the last episode of Seed and on the 6th episode. I guess why this is, is because they are owned by different companies. The ending songs are JVC songs and opening are Sony. There are two one-shot endings which are also Sony. I don’t know how or why it had become that way but that’s how it is. “Complicated adult issue” as they say.
And that’s a wrap folks.
