Yoshiyuki Tomino Discusses New G-Reco Movies, Anime & Film Industries

Shares thoughts on your name., Kemono Friends, Godzilla, more

The original creator of Mobile Suit Gundam, Yoshiyuki Tomino, gave some details about the upcoming movie adaptation of Gundam: Reconguista in G (G-Reco). Tomino had recently hinted about a new G-Reco project at the Romics anime and manga event in Rome, Italy.

Tomino said,

The way that things are actually progressing is a secret, but this isn't anything too important so I'll go ahead and say it. One film about 1 hour 40 min. in length is in development, and we have tentative permission for a second film. If there isn't a good audience turnout for the first film, it won't end up happening. That's reality. That sort of realism makes me angry. TOHO took about three months and said, "Well, it's like this, yeah? Even if it's 1/20th as popular as your name. we won't do it," but if it's 1/20th or 1/30th of the turnout we can probably make a second film. I hope to get everyone's cooperation."

Tomino talked speculatively about scenes from the upcoming first film, saying that he hardly watches anime at all unless it's related to work, but that maybe he ought to use elements from In This Corner of the World, your name., or maybe even Ancien and the Magic Tablet. He said that this wouldn't just be because those movies were hits, because not all hit movies are actually any good, but because they all had a feeling of being "one step away from reality." Of your name., Tomino said, "I can see Makoto Shinkai's direction. Placing the music that way was skillful." However, he went on to say that he felt the construction of the story was not done particularly well.

Tomino brought up other non-anime films as well, saying, "Back in the day, Godzilla was really awful. I was able to endure watching up through Mothra vs. Godzilla. But, when they said that the reason Mothra's wings weren't moving was because of 'supersonic speed,' I thought, 'That's an awfully underhanded method.'" Of more recent films he said, "Since George Lucas and James Cameron there haven't been directors that really like rockets, so everything has been rubbish. Star Wars and Avatar were innovative."

He also went on to say, "Lately, we're overflowing with mascot characters, animated commercials, and anime images, and it's becoming more normal. I think that has a strong effect. Our ability to think about things in a 'real' way is deteriorating."

When asked by an audience member about the recent hit anime Kemono Friends, Tomino said that they shouldn't expect him to know anything about that, explaining, "From now on, I probably won't make anything using 3D CG. I want to do all kinds of meddling, but physically I'm just not able to." To the audience member who asked the question, Tomino said, "You're young, so let's just endure Kemono Friends for a year and then we can evaluate it properly in two or three years."

Source: Hatena Diary via Yaraon