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Interview: BONES Studio President Masahiko Minami


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FlamingFirewire



Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 461
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 9:48 am Reply with quote
Great interview! Talking about new studios, is there any way we could get some interviews from the guys at Trigger?
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srlracing



Joined: 28 Feb 2013
Posts: 87
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 11:44 am Reply with quote
"Space Dandy, the universe's stupidest [baka] anime!" as far as brilliant taglines go that rates right up there with Strike Witches' "Winning the war against pants!"
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 12:03 pm Reply with quote
ANN interviewer wrote:
in the vein of moe– which foreign audiences tend not to be as receptive to.

Asian audiences, who are part of the foreign audience too, are very receptive to it. Less so than them, but still more receptive to it than the US, are some Latin American and European audiences. Many native artists there have taken up the same style. It would more accurate if that statement substituted US for "foreign", where the anime in general is not that popular anyways, comparatively speaking.

It isn't Hidamari Sketch or K-On or moe characters that is preventing people from getting into anime, considering there's a TON of non-moe works. Ask why will no one touch sports or competitive event based anime in the US, which is produced every season? It's because of anime itself. There is nowhere near the same level of cultural acceptance of the anime/manga aesthetic in general--moe or not--in the US or Anglo countries, unlike other foreign countries. It's even on Danish beer bottles. So ironically, Space Dandy will ultimately have to contend for the same limited crowd.

However, among the relatively small audience in the US (compared to country population and compared to non-anime works), it's not clear cut, since otaku, like fujoshi, are everywhere. The US companies, especially Sentai would not be continuously licensing those types of titles, if they had no good reception.
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Looneygamemaster



Joined: 21 Jan 2012
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 12:23 pm Reply with quote
BONES is my favorite Japanese animation studio--even among their few duds, there's always some sense of artistry. So I enjoyed reading this interview.

Quote:
Yes, there is most certainly a lot of moe, audience-fulfillment-based shows out there. I think of those as sort of “reaction” kinds of anime… but BONES has never really been a moe-driven production company. Our staff has worked on stuff like Cowboy Bebop and Escaflowne – shows that are very popular worldwide to this day - so I think that our work stands out, blazing new creative trails. We want Space Dandy to reach as wide an international audience as possible.


Love this. At a time when anime seems to be getting more niche and full of pandering, it's great to see an attitude like this.
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Mr. sickVisionz



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 2171
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 12:41 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
We've taken [on?] great hardships to ensure this is the universe's stupidest anime.

And with that, I'm sold.
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Cyclone1993



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 947
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 4:58 pm Reply with quote
Great interview! BONES is easily my favorite studio and I plan on watching all of their shows, so Space Dandy is definitely one on my list, even though comedy isn't always my thing, and I didn't really like Cowboy Bebop.

It's good to see that he has such a great attitude about anime as a whole, you can tell that while he does make money, he's doing it for his love of animation.

Plus, the thought of a world without Eureka Seven (my favorite anime) is scary indeed
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nargun



Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 924
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 5:31 pm Reply with quote
Cyclone1993 wrote:
Plus, the thought of a world without Eureka Seven (my favorite anime) is scary indeed


But without eureka seven there'd be no eureka seven AO, so, y'know, swings and roundabouts.
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SouthPacific



Joined: 24 Oct 2013
Posts: 689
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 6:22 pm Reply with quote
Great interview, love BONES' work. I'm hoping that we'll hear about a continuation (and a conclusion?) of Darker Than Black sometime in 2014.

Can't wait for Space Dandy! Very Happy
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Thatguy3331



Joined: 18 Feb 2012
Posts: 1790
PostPosted: Fri Oct 25, 2013 8:08 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I hope you look forward to Space Dandy, the universe's stupidest [baka] anime! We've taken one great hardships to ensure this is the universe's stupidest anime.


...Life sure is great isn't it? Very Happy
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14746
PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 1:26 am Reply with quote
It's funny he knows the story about Toonami and Adult Swim. Laughing

On Japan-side, people have been criticizing the government wasting taxpayer money from the start why "Cool Japan" campaign hasn't taken off since many of the stuff they're promoting aren't really suitable for mass export.
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Maidenoftheredhand



Joined: 21 Jun 2007
Posts: 2632
PostPosted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 2:32 pm Reply with quote
I wonder when talking about series aimed at females Ouran High School Host Club wasn't brought up?

It might not have quite the same popularity as FMA but it was still pretty popular and it was definitely a series aimed at a female audience, not just a series popular with a female audience like FMA.
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Araki



Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 381
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 4:16 am Reply with quote
Very good interview, studio's heads aren't usually this talkative.

configspace wrote:
Less so than them, but still more receptive to it than the US, are some Latin American and European audiences. Many native artists there have taken up the same style.


South America? That's hardly true. I'm not entirely sure about Europe, but moe is maybe even less popular in South America than in the US. 80's and 90's shonen are still and definitely the strongest influence in this region, where anime's popularity goes back longer, and there's a resistance to newer fads. Manga or anime like K-ON are pretty much never released around here, as they only appeal to a very specific and small crowd, which i assume is the case everywhere outside Japan, or maybe Asia at least.
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Tempest
I Run this place.
ANN Publisher


Joined: 29 Dec 2001
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 8:33 am Reply with quote
configspace wrote:
ANN interviewer wrote:
in the vein of moe– which foreign audiences tend not to be as receptive to.

Asian audiences, who are part of the foreign audience too, are very receptive to it.
I don't think the interviewer was asking about the niche market. It's well known that moe is exceptionally successful among hard-core asian fans, particularly in South East Asia. But moe titles have never appealed to non-anime fans. Moe sells exceptionally well in many markets, but it doesn't bring new fans to anime. Titles like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Dragonball and Cowboy Bebop do that.
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Nayu



Joined: 23 Dec 2010
Posts: 676
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:46 am Reply with quote
Tempest wrote:
Moe sells exceptionally well in many markets, but it doesn't bring new fans to anime. Titles like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Dragonball and Cowboy Bebop do that.


Cause you know, nothing made since 2000 makes any new fans. Only old graybeard anime can do that!

Even worse, all these anime are shonen/seinen shows. No shoujo or josei anime create new fans, only male-orientated shows can possibly do that! No fans were created by shows like Sailor Moon, Madoka Magica, Princess Tutu, Free!, or Revolutionary Girl Utena of course.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Sun Oct 27, 2013 12:52 pm Reply with quote
I agree with the above, I think moe, kawaii, the perverse, and the downright strange can still bring fans to anime without the need of a Cowboy Bebop-like crutch. Perhaps they're the kind of fan you don't want to see added among the ranks, but that's YOUR problem, not theirs. Sure I may have gotten into anime in the 90s with the likes of Project A-ko, Armitage III, and Green Legend Ran, but I quickly came back after a break with the likes of Haruhi, Shakugan no Shana Rozen Maiden, Inukami, and Zero no Tsukaima. Even if your Little Busters and Clannads don't themselves bring people into initially anime, new fans can instantly flock to them once they discover their own likes and dislikes. I'm sure Toradora alone hooked many new fans to anime.

Also the notion of COWBOY BEBOP FOR THE WESTERNERS, MOESHIT FOR JAPANESE is outdated and should make you look like an idiot, plenty of us MURRICANS love the moe and ecchi (and I suppose the shoujo and josei, since that's as opposite of CB as you could get), and buy the merchandise. There is no clear cut divide, and I would argue the greater threat to not creating future anime fans is the lack of Toonami at the 4-6 PM weekday time slot.
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