Let’s continue the dive into pre-release Char’s Counterattack coverage with Animedia from December 1987, where the anticipation is building for an incredible line up of anime films in the coming year.
Movie Feature: ’88 Silver Screen Renaissance!
From the New Year through spring break, the big screens are experiencing a rush of anime for the first time in a long while! Starting with Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, which settles the feud between Amuro and Char, there are a ton of blockbusters, including the final chapters of Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura, as well as The Tale of Genji and Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Will 1988 see a return of the golden age of anime on the silver screen?
A new generation takes shape: v (New) World
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack is currently in production, slated for release next spring. Six years have passed since the previous theatrical release, and the main staff making this film are all new, with the exception of Director Yoshiyuki Tomino. Among them are four people, Hiroyuki Kitazume, Toshifumi Kawase, Yutaka Izubuchi, and Hidetoshi Omori, who are garnering attention for their talent as pillars of the v [“New”] Gundam. What kind of v Gundam are these young creators in their 20s trying to make? Let’s get an idea of the new Gundam world as shaped by the new generation through the comments of these four people!
◀ Quess (left) and Hathaway (right), the new generation who are unaware of the tragedies of the past.
Realistic acting brings fierceness to the characters!
■ CHARACTER
Character designer and animation director
Hiroyuki Kitazume
Born July 24th, 1961 in Tokyo. He graduated from Tokyo Designer Academy. First worked on animation for the movie Space Runaway Ideon. Participated in the Gundam series as a key animator for Zeta. After that, he worked as character designer and animation director for ZZ. Other major works include Heavy Metal L-Gaim and Greed.
“Don’t make the eyes bigger,” — that was the director’s first instruction. Subtle nuances in acting are achieved through the eyebrows, mouth, and overall atmosphere, so if the eyes are too manga-like, it becomes difficult. Char and Amuro in particular are older, so I tried to give them a calm, manly look. They do look younger than their actual age, though.
The story this time is centered around Char’s rebellion against the old ways of the Federation Forces and Amuro’s reaction to that, and I think it’s a personal drama that takes place within the confines of the old system. For that reason alone, there is a lot of very realistic acting, so the director’s layout checks are strict! Just like rehearsing a live-action film, the composition and acting are carefully decided on before moving to the actual key frames. The animation that we decided to do this way includes a lot of long shots. Rather than using a lot of close-ups like on TV, it feels like the characters are acting with their whole bodies. From the way it is made to the way the acting is presented, I think it feels more like a live-action film than an anime film. It’s a new work for Gundam, but I think it will create a new world for anime films too.
This dense human drama is sure to impress even adults!
■ DIRECTION
Producer
Toshifumi Kawase
Born December 8th, 1958 in Tokyo. He began as a production assistant on Future Robot Daltanious and tried his hand as producer for the first time on Heavy Metal L-Gaim. He went on to produce Zeta and ZZ, becoming a key member of the Gundam series.
I think one of the themes of this film’s production is to portray things in a natural way. Even when it comes to depicting people, there are scenes where you need to draw them in exaggerated poses to evoke something. For example, in a scene where a person is standing alone, it’s natural to draw them differently depending on their situation or role, such as with their arms crossed or leaning against a wall. This story is a serious human drama, so it has a lot of volume. That’s why I wanted to clearly depict the exaggerated parts and the natural parts, and I think that will add depth to the film. In that respect, I think it will be a film that adults can easily watch as well.
Of course, anime is now primarily watched by children, so even young children should be able to enjoy the flashy parts like the mecha battles. But when I say flashy, I don’t mean just random gunfights. Even the smoke from explosions isn’t the same patterned smoke you’ve seen in TV anime up until now, but rather how smoke looks in real life. It’s an obvious thing, but by depicting it in this way, I hope that makes the animation worth seeing.
▲ Char Aznable rises to the occasion as the young leader of the Neo Zeon forces, carrying out his late father’s wishes.
◀ The time for Amuro and Char to finally face off against each other is here. It all started with their bitter love affair over Lalah!
▼How will Amuro respond to the feelings of Chan Agi, the woman who has taken to him?
◀ ▶ Quess, who becomes a soldier under Char, and Nanai, who acts as her guardian (far right). Chan, Amuro’s MS mechanic (far left). Pay attention to the women’s drama as well!!
Simple forms that prioritize functionality and eliminate unnecessary elements!
■ MOBILE SUIT
MS Design
Yutaka Izubuchi
Born December 8th, 1958 in Tokyo. He graduated from Yokosuka Gakuin High School. Known for his mecha designs in Sunrise productions such as Aura Warrior Dunbine and Panzer World Galient, he is a multi-faceted designer who has also worked on Toei Tokusatsu series.
A penchant for curves is my specialty, and I like things that have a flowing form. I don’t like things that are too cluttered. Details, like a switch, are there because they’re necessary, so I think it’s important for them to be functionally beautiful. If the whole thing is decorated, at first glance your eyes can’t decide where to go. It’s important for animators to be able to understand the lines and grasp the form at a glance. That’s why I tried to keep the shapes simple with as few unnecessary elements as possible.
Since I created them as an extension of the previous work, it may seem like there is nothing new. However, I think I was able to capture the overall weight, the powered-up atmosphere, and the coolness while keeping the basics in mind. Speaking of my own style, there is a bit of military flavor, and I imagine MS as uniforms turned mechanical, so the military-like elements that I like are prevalent.
The design work is already done. The rest is up to the animators, but if they can capture the sense of weight, the floating feeling of spacewalking, and the fun military feel, I think it will be a success for me too.
Gundam vs Sazabi: Check out the final hand-to-hand combat scene!
■ ACTION
Mecha animation director
Hidetoshi Omori
Born November 5th, 1959 in Osaka Prefecture. His animation debut was Hana no Ko Lunlun. He subsequently worked as a key animator and animation director for Sunrise series such as Aura Battler Dunbine and Heavy Metal L-Gaim. He is particularly skilled in mecha works.
The basic idea is to bring back the flexible movements of the early Gundams. I think the more human-like a mecha is, rather than just having mechanical movements, the more empathy you can have during battle scenes. Of course, it shouldn’t be wobbly during a tense launch scene. It needs precise, calculated movements. But when it comes to actual combat, this is nicely contrasted with softer movements. In that regard, it feels like mecha action has become too focused on design work recently. I think it lacks the impact of the embodiment of the phrase, “the boosters are not light, but energy.” I’d like to put forth more of a forceful impact, or a sense of gravity. In particular, the final duel between the v Gundam and Sazabi, where they no longer have weapons and it’s just hand-to-hand combat! That scene is cool and exciting. Also, it’s interesting when the ultimate weapon is actually revealed, but it’s being kept secret until the film is released, so I hope you’ll look forward to that as well.
▼ Earth Federation Forces, Londo Bell Corps spaceship Ra Cailum
▼ The Rewloola, a Neo Zeon spaceship that will serve as Char’s base
▼ ▶ The most powerful mobile suits in the Gundam world in over 10 years, the Sazabi (right) and v Gundam will face off in a highly anticipated battle!
Production Information: Four young people tackle the fundamentals of film making!
What did you all think of these four young people’s enthusiasm for Gundam? Each person’s work will be judged based on the finished film, but one thing that can be said about the basic attitude of the creators is that they went back to their roots, which is to of course create anime as a visual medium. This leads to a return to the original form of visual storytelling, which is to be realistic where need be and to exaggerate when it is necessary.
By the way, we would like to inform you that the much anticipated theme song has been decided. It will be “BEYOND THE TIME ～Möbius no Sora wo Koete～ (working title)” and will be sung by TM NETWORK. It is scheduled to be released by EPIC Sony in early February 1988. The music will also be by the well-known composer, Shigeaki Saegusa.