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Yoshiyuki Tomino - You be the Interviewer

What is your speculation on where the the industry will be in the next 5 years, what direction is it going, and what will be your roll in steering it there.?

Question: What was the happiest moment in your career?

Question: Mr. Tomino, have you ever thought that the runaway success of Gundam...

There's been this never ending rumor...

Question: Was it your intent to depict soldiering...

Question 1 (Multi-part): Mr. Tomino, how did it feel to be a part of the black-and-white Dororo anime from 1969?...

Question 2: There have been rumors that during the production of Heavy Metal L-Gaim Mamoru Nagano...

Question 3: How do you feel about the "Kill-'Em-All Tomino" nickname some people have given you over the years, due to the manner many of your animes ended back in the 80s and early 90s?

QI: What do you believe made Gundam such an important cultural Icon for Japan (1/1 scale statues, the impact on Mecha anime, etc)? How does it make you feel as its creator?

QII: When working on the original Gundam series, were there any roadblocks ...

QIII: Are you pleased with the way new directors/animators are handling your 'child' or do you have any regrets in passing the regins?

Do you have any series that you worked on you enjoyed the most?

Do you feel that The Mecha Genre today was somewhat inspired by you and creating the original Gundam?

In the overall body of your work, how important do you feel Heavy Metal L-GAIM to be? How instrumental was your work there to your later efforts? How did it help you to develop as an artist?

With all the alleged live-action anime mecha movies ...
How would you feel about the idea, given how Transformers...
Is the fact that some of your more recent Gundam installments ...
Speaking of which, when will we get Turn A?
How was the experience of being an animator on Astro Boy different from being an animator on Gundam?
Considering the limitations of the medium 25 years ago, how do you feel to see Hollywood being able to incorporate the same elements found in Dunbine for Avatar?

Question: Were you dissatisfied with the low ratings of Turn A Gundam? Do you think it did poorly because it was very unlike Gundam, even though it, at the same time, celebrated it? Or do you think people just expected a more conventional Gundam story?

Did you expect that Gundam will be very successful up to now when Gundam was first aired 30 years ago? Thanks.

Mr. Tomino, Are there any other genres besides mecha that you wish to explore in the future? Or will all these ideas be implemented while keeping the theme of giant robots as most of your other works?

Mr. Tomino, Do you plan to write any more novels in the future or return to the Gundam franchise? (lol)

Question 1:Will there ever be a Gundam series centered around female Gundam pilots, or a single female lead Gundam pilot protagonist?

Question 2o you think a Gundam series set on a different planet...
Or a series based around the idea of a race...
Question 3:Will there be a Gundam series that involves humanity breaching out into another galaxy beyond our own?

Question 1: If hell froze over and the plans came up for a Dororo revival,would you accept the work?

Question 2: In the original Mobile Suit Gundam,were there any characters that you took out? Any plot that didn't make it in? Everyone loves Char,was there someone else that existed before him? Was he the Final Design?

Your former colleague Yasuhiko Yoshikazu has his own manga ...

In Zeta Gundam, why did the Titans launch a full-scale, direct attack on the colony laser? Why didn't they consider the very real possibility that their entire fleet would be destroyed all at once?

"Do you feel as if the ideas in Ideon were developed to your satisfaction? Did anything impede their development?"

Question 1: What do you think is the most significant change ...

Question 2: You have a new Gundam anime coming out called "Ring of Gundam". Could you please tell us about this project? Previously you had said you were done making Gundam anime. What made you change your mind and resulted in "Ring of Gundam"?

This is something I'd like to add to Mohaw52's question.
What do you think that the future holds for the anime industry when the current masters, like yourself, that shaped the anime art form into what it is today are gone? Do you feel that the medium will suffer because of a lack of new talent as your contemporaries (for example, Miyazaki) do?

In Mobile Suit Gundam Seed/Seed Destiny, many people criticized that the storylines couldn't live up to their expectation. What if we keep updating the Gundam theme corresponding to the current events and add some few twists on it? Would that work?
In your best opinion, what would you have done to improve the story and characters of Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, and Gundam 00, if you were the director of these series above? What else would you like to see and do?

Q1: At least from my experience with the English speaking anime community, Yoshiyuki Tomino anime is typically broadly defined as "depressing"...

Q2: People often debate over the presence of an "anti-war" theme ...

Q3: (related to the second question, but more broad) At lot of people try to search for a specific overall "message" or "moral" in your series. Do you think each show has something like that? Does it matter whether it does?

Question: Looking back, do you feel more at ease as a Director or as a Writer? Why?

Question: Do you think that working on several different series not related to the Gundam franchise, such as Overman King Gainer, has allowed you to express new thoughts and ideas more freely?

Question: Regarding Turn A Gundam's unconventional style. Did you intentionally want "ugly" or "strange" mecha designs for the series to combat the necessity of toy marketing? In other words, because the mecha didn't look like toys, the anti-war message would not be contradicted by the marketing?

Also, would you work with Syd Mead again on another project?

Question: I recently read Peter Carey's Wrong About Japan ...I was wondering if the matter of selling merchandise ever compromised certain story elements or certain directions for the series.

Question: Will we ever see a remake of Space Runaway Ideon?

Question 2: Will ZZ Gundam get a movie compilation?

Question 3: Are you completely done with the Gundam franchise?

Q: What are your thoughts about the upcoming Hollywood 3D-film movie adaptation of Astro Boy?

Q2: If there is an offer, are you willing to use your work e.g. M.S.G. for a Hollywood adaptation (live action or 3D animation)?

Has there ever been a dream project you've wanted to make but have never had the chance to do so?

Mr. Tomino- What are your feelings on Gundam series not created by you ...

Mr. Tomino, I know Turn A Gundam was meant to be a celebration of the Gundam franchise as a whole by representing the past series as part of Turn A's history...

Do you still have enmity towards Victory Gundam?

Question: Mr. Tomino, Gundam in general takes a very anti-war stance ... how do you reconcile the strong anti-war messages and the celebration of conflict that is Gundam at its most fundamental?

Question: A major theme in Gundam is that understanding one another can act as a symbol of peace. Do you hold out hope that humans will stop infighting? Do you believe it is necessary for humans to make a permanent peace with one another in order to truly evolve as a species? Or is war a necessary evil that spurs the human race on to greatness?

What recent artists of the younger generation do you admire? What works of theirs stand out to you?

In your story for the Gundam Evolve 5 short Quess has a much happier fate thanks to Amuro, which is a significant change. If you were creating Char's Counterattack today, how do you think the story might have been different?

I appreciate your approaching some of these with answers Tomino has alread given, but Tomino is the type who can be intentionally vague or capricious, as all directors are, so even asking some of these again might produce a different answer.

I am interested in knowing what "the war is curly" means, though. Is "cruel" the right word? Perhaps it's lost in translation?

Quote:

I appreciate your approaching some of these with answers Tomino has alread given, but Tomino is the type who can be intentionally vague or capricious, as all directors are, so even asking some of these again might produce a different answer.

i totally agree, especially TOMINO-SAN likes to talk more frankly to the foreigners, so i think this is a good idea.
still, please let me finish all the question. .......or maybe it is not necessary to do

Question 1: Muteki Choujin Zambot 3 is one of your other famous shows, but it is not all that well-known in the United States. Could you tell us a little about some of the hardships and unique aspects of working on Zambot 3 at the time, as well as your current opinion of the series?

Question 2: You worked on more episodes of the original Tetsuwan Atom than anyone else. What springs to mind when you look back on those times?

Question 3: Back before his untimely death, you worked with Tadao Nagahama on a number of shows such as Reideen and Voltes V. As he is no longer with us, and his name is not that well-known in the US, would you be able to tell us about your experiences with him?

Question 4: Similarly, long-time animator Yoshinori Kanada passed away recently. As he worked on some of the shows for which you directed, could you tell us about your experiences with him as well?

Is space travel something you personally would want to take part in

Mr. Tomino, Why did you make Gundam F91 into a movie instead of a TV series?

It's my understanding that Gundam was originally conceived as a series about infantry using powered armor, as in Starship Troopers. How would the series have been different if this idea was used in the final version?

Question: Was the happier ending depicted at the end of the Zeta Gundam movies a reflection of a happier attitude from yourself or a need to cut out certain parts of the Gundam canon you felt uncomfortable with? And do you regret not having the movies cover more ground and having more new animation, rather than the mix of old and new?

Here's one: Since Astro Boy was the first anime to have an ongoing plot and the one that really started anime's popularity, what was it like being the director at such a young age?

Hello Mr Tomino I was wondering since Seiichi NAKATANI was the Animation director in Gundam 00 and key Animaton in Gundam seed, Will he be involed in much more gundam titles (of course 00 movie)

Question 1: If you had the chance to approach ZZ Gundam in a different way(similar to the Z Gundam movie trilogy), would you change anything?

Question 2: Is there any way you could influence the release of ZZ Gundam and Turn A Gundam in the U.S? It seems like the older Gundam shows have reached a brick wall over here in terms of releases.

Question 3: What is your opinion on Gundam Unicorn, given the fact that it takes place shortly after Char's Counterattack?

1. You worked on the original Astro Boy series and directed many episodes, what were the most important lessons you learned during this time?

2. Is there any character you've created that you feel is most like yourself?

3. Which directors do you think people should look at more? Which of their works makes you think that they stand out?

4. What do you think makes you stand out as a director? Which of your works is most representative of your directing style? Which of your works is your favorite?

5. Overman King Gainer has a distinct ending but leaves itself open for more. Did you purposefully leave the series open and if so what would you have done if in continued?

6. Your series tend to be either very serious or lighthearted comedies with action. Which do you prefer to work on?

7. As I understand it, Turn A Gundam was originally supposed to have a female protagonist. Why did it change and how would the series been different if such were the case?

8. Due to various circumstances Sayla Mass was unable to be used as a main character in later Gundam series. What would you have done with her character and how would she have altered later series stories?

10. You have made multiple adaptions of your anime TV series in other media such as movies, books, and manga. Usually each iteration is different. What is your philosophy in that regard?

11. Of all the ways you have influenced anime, what one aspect would you want to be your most lasting legacy?

Question: Sentou Mecha Xabungle was a pretty light-hearted ...

Alternate Question: What do you think of Turn A Gundam's reception in Japan, and would you like to see it available in North America?

Q1: To think that you were in charged of creating a kid's program ...
Therefore, would you agree to that observation and if so, why?

Q2: Technology doesn't make war any better ... Do you hold any resentment towards Bandai's glorification on marketing Gundam as just another image label, thus result in them disrespecting your ideals of telling a story about anti-war?

Q3: You once said that as a creator, you see yourself having a responsibility with your creation. And that's a duty to create something that will challenge ... how they treat the emerging new hopes of humanity. As your view on just how the government officials, radical zealous groups, and the rest of society's norms will do to an individual's hopes and dreams about the future?

In Mobile Suit Gundam Seed/Seed Destiny, many people criticized that the storylines couldn't live up to their expectation. What if we keep updating the Gundam theme corresponding to the current events and add some few twists on it? Would that really work for you at all?

In your best opinion, what would you have done to improve the story and characters of Gundam Seed, Gundam Seed Destiny, and Gundam 00, if you were the director of these series above? What else would you like to see and do?

Sorry, but I think TOMINO-SAN would never answer this kind of question. however if you want to know how he think about this 3 gundams, you can ask in other topic.

Question: I noticed many of your [Tomino's] works contain heavy emphasis about war and combat engagements "not being a game" (Gainer, Zeta Gundam). Do these messages correlate with your views about certain media, in particular your speech in the CEDEC 2009 keynote about the evils of videogames being "unproductive"? In other words, do you think the media's portrayal of violence is destroying our society?

Question with regards to making a series: Outside of animation, what live-action television shows have influenced you in your work, particularly storytelling & pacing? (If these shows are too many to list, it would help to limit the mentions to within the science fiction genre if possible.)

Personally, I'd really like to disagree with your opinion. I'm sure that Tomino-Sensei would have definitely aligned every single Gundam Series along with his visions of perpetual peace and prosperity, and the idea that humanity could reach beyond the borders of conflicts and confrontations. I've said so because there have been many Biblical Reference in Gundam Metaseries, such as GENESIS, Messiah, and so on.

Wouldn't you like to agree with me upon that? Hmm?

Thanks, bye!