In this installment of our relay interview series, we welcome mechanical designer Mr. Kimitoshi Yamane, who expanded the world view of the Universal Century by adding a touch of military realism to its mechanical designs in such series as "MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: THE 08th MS TEAM" and "MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM MS IGLOO." We spoke with him about what he focused on in the mecha designs that appear in "MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN" (hereafter referred to as "THE ORIGIN"). Yamane: I was invited on board by Director (Takashi) Imanishi, whom I had worked with on "MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM MS IGLOO" and "U.C. HARD GRAPH." The title and the staff were all secret, but he asked me to come onto it anyway, and I thought, "Something's different this time, isn't it?" When I spoke to him, he said they were moving forward with an anime version of "THE ORIGIN," and he would like me to participate. I've had long relationships with both Mr. Imanishi and D.I.D. Studio, so I joined the project in the usual way with a please and a thank you.
Yamane: I was aware of it, but I'd only read it partially, so my very first step in the process was to look over the whole work. While I was reading it, the thing that left an impression with me was, sure enough, the "past chapters." That was because of how it was conspicuously different from the so-called First Gundam. Being able to see these unknown aspects of characters we've known all along was really interesting. Yamane: Mr. Imanishi gathered his mecha design staff and Sunrise staff at D.I.D. Studio, and held a discussion right there to divide up the duties. Mr. Imanishi asked each of the staff if there was something in particular they wanted to draw, and listened to our wishes. He didn't get any particular opinions from the designers' side, but it was just decided naturally based on the situation and whichever field was each person's forte. With regards to the mobile suits, Mr. (Hajime) Katoki was doing a serial related to the designs in Gundam Ace magazine, and he has a deep knowledge of all their variations too. Meanwhile, I would be in charge of the Guntanks and other pre-MS machines, armored vehicles, and some of the ships. Yamane: There's a notion now that "tanks = Yamane." (laughs) I've been getting assigned tank-type vehicles for a long time now. But I don't mind, since I love them too. (laughs) Of course, it would have been great if Mr. Katoki had also been asked to do the Guntanks, but they thought he was busy enough with the main mobile suit designs, so I was there to cover that for him. Yamane: From the outset, we had Mr. (Kunio) Okawara's design drawings, and they give you the impression of bulk and a low center of gravity. What Mr. (Yoshikazu) Yasuhiko drew in the magazine based on those has the atmosphere of the art that was done for the old "MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM" back then, and they have a higher center of gravity. One thing I did was I tried to be conscious of a middle ground as I was drawing.
Also, Mr. Imanishi considered the point that the Guntanks which appear in the past chapters must be of a different generation than the machines carried aboard the White Base. We speculated that an early type might have existed, I drew several rough designs based on that which Mr. Yasuhiko checked, and then we finalized the design. The previous Gundam works I've been involved with have been original anime projects. This time we were starting from Mr. Yasuhiko's "original manga work," so in terms of the details, my usual tank fixations are there, but in general I was trying to reproduce the atmosphere of the comics. That's the big difference from the Gundam works I was previously involved with. Yamane: I myself strongly felt the manga-like atmosphere of what Mr. Yasuhiko had drawn. So I thought the mecha really shouldn't have a sort of nervous aesthetic. And when it came to the detailing, I didn't want to portray something stiff and clattery, but put in an appropriate and satisfying level of density. I figured if the silhouettes resembled those of the First Gundam designs, then maybe that would be ideal.
The mecha Mr. Yasuhiko draws aren't really portrayed through lines and details. It's like they win you over with their form and weight. I really love that about them, so while I was reading the comics, I was thinking about how we could recreate this feeling. And that's exactly the reason why I myself thought I should avoid using too many lines whenever possible, to create a simple impression.
With CG being used, Mr. Imanishi said he wanted to actively include lots of markings and notes, so I was also conscious of leaving room where those could be added when I was drawing the designs. Yamane: It wasn't just the military vehicles. I was also in charge of things like the limousines that the Zabi family rides in during Deikun's funeral procession. If there was something I really fixated on, with the armored vehicle that Ral rides in, you can feel this kind of Italian mafia or gangster movie atmosphere in the way Ral and Hamon are depicted. So with that in mind, I used the form of a satisfying Italian compact car as reference. At first, there was talk that to save on working hours they would borrow the limousine design from a previous work, but that would have been a little unfortunate in terms of reproducing the world view. So I asked them, "Please let me do it." (laughs) It's a Universal Century car, but it has a 1970s sensibility. My aim was to reproduce the feeling of presence you get from the modern Toyota Century or Origin. To match the sense of great individuality of the Zabi family characters, I fiddled with their nationality. It was great fun designing the automobiles. Yamane: When work started on this project, at first Mr. Imanishi, Mr. Katoki , and myself had an initial meeting in a room with Mr. Yasuhiko and Mr. Okawara. I'd been involved in several previous works in the Gundam series, but never once had I begun working after meeting with those two. Doing it that way –meeting them properly and exchanging greetings, and only then starting work – created a different atmosphere than usual for me. Like, "This is epic!" (laughs) To begin with that unique feeling of tension made an impression.
That was my first time meeting Mr. Yasuhiko, but for me it's not just about his work on First Gundam. The theatrical version of "CRUSHER JOE" made a strong impression on me, and with his drawing and the beautiful way he depicts the movement of characters, he's also made a strong impression on me as an animator and as a director. His mecha design work on "GIANT GORG" was wonderful, too. Naturally I wondered if it was really okay for me to be working alongside such an amazing person. Yamane: What's more, this is a project that the fans are very strongly attached to. People who love First Gundam are looking forward to it, and there are also a lot of fans of the "ORIGIN" manga. So when they announced an anime version, I think to some degree the fans already had a fixed image of what it would look like. To what extent will we be able to equal that image? If they're going to make an anime version of "THE ORIGIN," I myself would have the desire to see Mr. Yasuhiko's artwork just as it is, but in motion. Considering that level of expectation, this is different from previous Gundam series.
As a work, it's being checked by First Gundam fans and "THE ORIGIN" fans, and then the actual production must be double-checked by both Mr. Yasuhiko and Mr. Imanishi. So in that sense, you can really feel how the responsibility of this project is heavy and difficult to bear.
The process of recreating designs for the anime that already exist in the minds of the fans makes it a completely different job than the vectors involved in a so-called original work. Yamane: The Guntanks are well done, but I was surprised that in general the CG effects have a very hand-drawn look. The CG unifies the outlines with this pencil-like line, and I think it's very well matched. Although it wasn't a part I was involved with, the movements of Char's Zaku in the Battle of Loum and the explosion of the Salamis felt like they had Mr. Yasuhiko's style in them. Yamane: The Guntanks are well done, but I was surprised that in general the CG effects have a very hand-drawn look. The CG unifies the outlines with this pencil-like line, and I think it's very well matched. Although it wasn't a part I was involved with, the movements of Char's Zaku in the Battle of Loum and the explosion of the Salamis felt like they had Mr. Yasuhiko's style in them. Yamane: I mentioned it before, but each of the props that appear in the comic has a lot of invisible perfectionism put into it by the anime staff. After you enjoy the drama, I think it will be fun to compare the comics with the details which were added to the filmed work, and see how they function. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished film as a Yoshikazu Yasuhiko fan, too.

The relay interview series will continue talking to other mechanical designers, following on from Mr. Yamane. Next up will be mechanical designer Mr. Mika Akitaka.