Otakon 2009: Yamakan Panel 1 Dump
This is a straight up transcript of Yamakan’s panel’s Q&A section. If you’ve poured through Bayoab’s, this is a secondary reference for you. Mirrored here for your lols. There are places where I wasn’t sure what was said, so I filled it in. Yeah, them’s the rub. Partly why you want as many different transcripts as you can (ideally a nice audio clip, anybody)?
The panel has some promo stuff in the front but nothing important. It was short too and the bulk of the time is Q&A. So let’s get started. It has minimal proof reading because I more or less just copy and pasted from my transcription!
Oh, also, some juicy questions can be found right here, if you want most of the key takeaways.
Q1: what inspired you to become a director:
I want to be an animator. But I am not that great at drawing. So I became a director.
Q2: How do you get involved in 801-chan?
The title has its share of difficulties, but the creator approached me to make the show. Despite what was going on the job came to me, so maybe I was destined to do this
Q3: What are your strengths as a director and what do you bring to the works you direct?
I don’t consider myself to have any strong points. I just find myself as an orthodox director for normal stories, that might be interesting. No way I consider dancing as a strong point.
Q4: Why leave Kyoani?
(lol)
In regard to that question: there is a book on this incident. As for me, I can’t answer. Please ask Kyoani or Kadokawa Shoten
Q5: Why do you not like director Shinbo’s work?
I might have said something unkind or something that caused this rumor. But I never said I didn’t like the man. We both worked on Zetsubo-Sensei which is a top 5 2007 show. I thought his methodology was like mine, but he did it first so I might be jealous. He is my contemporary and I like his works and the people he works with. If there is any misunderstanding I apologize.
Q6: You are a young director and a critic. So what is your reason behind being a critic and director?
At no point I considered being a critic as my job. At the same time I feel there needs a venue that creators can be honest with each other. If there is a place where we can honest and complement or criticize each other’s works, we can improve. Being a critic allows that to happen.
Q7: Do you find inspiration in Ghibli’s Takahata, who cannot draw either?
Before I made a name for myself (if I did), he is one of two directors I respect greatly. Honestly speaking, without Takahata, Miyazaki would not be as famous today. Without his participation his works would not be as well-known. Ann of Green Gables is the textbook of what a director should do with a show. It has all a director needs in one show, and that is what I think how good he is as a director and how good that show is.
Q8: What are some top changes in the industry since you started in the 90s and now?
The biggest change is that people who used to go wild have gotten old, and the younger generation has gotten tame. Anno, Miyazaki, Oshii, Takahata and Tomino created shows that were expressive, and they are also expressive people. The late 90s and early 2000s, the zero generation, people have become tame and are proper, 4.0 student type, good persons. That has caused a change in trend of anime that come out. In order to bring back the way things were, I get a reputation for being a big mouth, to bring back the old way of making anime. I might rock the boat but I feel this is necessary for the indusry.
Q9: What was your favorite series as director.
Translator (Toshi): is it like asking which is your favorite children? Sou desu ne.
Sou desu ne. I love all my children. Some are good children, some are bad children, some are introverted and some are wild. The child I have the most problem with is Haruhi!
Q10: Out of all the project you worked on, was there a favorite episode you worked on?
Ones that were most memorable…as a director–I didn’t want to be emotionally worked up with my own work. But I was breaking into tears for Live Alive and last episode of Kannagi.
Q11: Were there any old shows that inspired you?
The one title that made me do what I do today, it was Laputa. If it wasn’t for that I would not be here today.
12: How did going to Kyoto Univ. influence you as a director?
A lot of people in my field went to art school, but I went to a 4-yr school to learn about asethecis and philosophical aspects. Going to Kyoto U made me realize what Miyazaki said earlier about this to be true.
Q13: Your dancing animation was good? Can you personally do the dances you directed?
Only three times. [???]
Perhaps I shouldn’t have done it one after the other…
I came up all the movement from Haruhi in my apart, I can do the moves. Kannagi was different, and I got a choreoagrapher.
Q14: Did you know how popular your dance routines would be?
No clue. As a pro, I shouldn’t say this, but it’s something I really wanted to do. By no way I’m original in doing this, for dancing OP/ED. Why not make cute girls that moves like idols? Wouldn’t it be moe and be a hit? I think that’s why people like it so much.
Q15: You said there were 2 directors you respect very much, who was the other guy?
I will keep that to myself!
Q16: Seikai-kei, does that apply to your work?
I don’t want to get into the definition, but Tanigawa-author think it is not. If anything, the SOS Brigade rejects the sekai-kei concept. The SOS Brigade stands in the middle between Sekai-kei and the world and adds uniqueness to the story. I agree hHaruhi is not sekai-kei
Q17: Do you feel it’s important to make something original for a manga adaptation, or make something that’s sticking to the source?
When it comes down to it, when making an anime out of a book or manga, some things you can’t translate directly. You respect it as much as possible but some doesn’t translate. You also want to throw in some originality. I butted head with Tanigawa with my ideas, and I think sometimes originality needs to come out in an adaptation. I felt once the show was done, I can go to Tanigawa and say this is the way it worked out best.
Q18: Can you describe what moe is to you?
I think you’re categorizing me unfairly, but rather if it is a robot show, Gurren Lagan, k-on, etc, if you’re into it, it’s moe to you. That’s how I classify. If you like it it’s moe to you.
Q19: Your shows are very detail and unique. What details do you specifically categorize as most important to express your message?
Without getting into ideologies or theories of filmmaking, there are many titles that don’t pay attention to details, but I think characters are the most important. How characters stay in character, their motivations and being consistent with that and remaining in character is the most important thing in creating a show.
Q20: IRT the industry situation, who are some promising future directors or animators to watch for?
If I said there aren’t, I might get written up badly online again…
There are expressive people in the past, I feel I’m just being a clown in the forefront. There is one creator that might surpass me if not already–Wataru Takahashi [this guy? or this guy?]. He does series direction and choreography. He is the one to watch out for.
Q21: Haruhi made a big impact on international fandom post-eva. Do you think it might have pushed the direction of fandom in a direction?
Fandom did change after Haruhi came out. One trend is the festiveness. The whole dancing-in-a-group, to party. It is one way to enjoy the show, but it’s not so much to have a rowdy festival. To come up with something new, I’m thinking what that would be to counteract it.
Q22: You cover a wide range of work. How do you approach these different type of material and if you have a preference?
It might not be the best description–as long as people are being like people, I like working on it.
Q23: Nagi-sama, a virgin?
It is difficult. First, it is not clear. Based on the original work it may be made clear in the future. Please follow that.
Toshi: When Rumiko Takahashi went to the US we went to dinner. Someone asked if Ranma can get pregant. “I’d rather not think about that, neither should you.”
Q24: Haruhi TV is out of order the first time it aired. It made some things more interesting. Do you think if that made a trend? If it made things more interesting? (Like Touka Gettan, etc.)
I can’t answer why other shows did it. For Haruhi, I wanted the last portion of the first book to be the final episode. We sat down and tried to make it work and it was not possible. The only way to make it work is to shuffle the episode order. We didn’t consider the fan reaction as much.
“[this guy? or this guy?].”
The latter, since I think Yamamoto mentioned the work he did for Doraemon as part of the reason why. At least, I think I heard him say “Doraemon”, but I do know that Yoshida didn’t relay that to the audience.
Yeah, I heard it too, which is how I found the second guy.
Some chinese site translated the q&a into Chinese, FYI…
http://blog.ticktag.org/2009/07/22/4439/
[…] him about him getting fired from Lucky Star but Yamamoto gracefully deflected the question. Omo did a great transcript of the panel if you want to learn more. I also saw Kikuko Inoue that day. She was very charming and […]
[…] him about him getting fired from Lucky Star but Yamamoto gracefully deflected the question. Omo did a great transcript of the panel if you want to learn more. I also saw Kikuko Inoue that day. She was very charming and […]
[…] For a straight transcription please refer to bayoab for what exactly was spoken in this panel, or here for Omonomono’s blog assessment and his official Ads by Project Wonderful! Your ad here, […]
[…] let’s take Yamakan’s answer for example. We can probably all agree to infer that the man had given it thought. He is both […]