Interview: Gainax on Gurren Lagann

Gainax the last series of giant robots Gurren Lagann is doing route to the coast of the Americas this month, the first subtitles DVD is now in stores, and dub the first tonight at 11:00 pm ET / PT on the Sci Fi Channel's Ani - Monday block of programming. To mark the occasion, we talked with the producer Yasuhiro Takeda, Project Planner (Gainax and co-founder) Hiroyuki Yamaga, mechanical designer and animation director Yoho Yoshinari, and Deputy Director Masahiko Otsuka.

Anime News Network: As a See-Saw, Gurren Lagann looks backwards and a serious tone of the comedy - often several times in the same episode. How they balance the seriousness and language-in-cheek things you want to represent?

Takeda: In general, we decided what to do iban in each episode, then the rest is the screenwriter (KAZUKI Nakashima) to achieve a balance of what works and what does not.

Yamaga: We have worked together for so long that we do not have to have a discussion about where to have comedy and where we will have serious consequences. Only heard much of what evolves naturally and functioning smoothly.

ANN: Are there any ideas or models that have been suggested, but not to make the final animation because they were too serious or too stupid?

Takeda: I mean, not in terms of being too serious or comic or something like that, but there were no more, we wanted to represent them in the series, such as wanting to spend more episodes of what it was like to live below ground - in two episodes less. Another example is that of history spent in prison. We wanted to spend more time with it, but we could not.

ANN: Much of the style of art, especially in the early episodes, said [director Hiroyuki] Imaishi other management jobs, dead leaves, and I see that Mr. Yoshinari also worked on these two projects. What has been to maintain the specificity and fast-paced yet tongue-in-cheek style in a more rigorous program of television, in front of a movie?

Yoshinari: Artist, [animation] is very complex, but the truth is that during the design phase, is actually very easy to animate. When all the design is being created, we took into account the movement. Thus, even if it seems difficult, it is not difficult to animate.

ANN: Are there any episodes or themes that stand out in each of their minds as the most difficult as a facilitator and creator?

Yamaga: Episode 15 (laughs).

Yoshinari: Episode 15 was the most difficult because there are so many plans (cuts) compared to a typical episode. It is at least a year and half the value of episodes of fire because there were so many things that we need to be covered.

Yamaga: When it comes to scripts, we need to know how many plans, it will have to see history. When he returned to it, the same amount of time to do this episode [as in any other episode].

Takeda: When [the famous host] sushi was presented to the FanimeCon meet and greet, he called himself the "super facilitator" [because of its extensive work he did in episode 15].

ANN: In the same note, which was the most satisfying episode at the end of the day?

Takeda: It should be the last episode. This means that it is done, finally. If you do not finish then none of this would matter, so the last episode was undoubtedly the most satisfactory.

ANN: Mr. Yoshinari, who Mecca Did you enjoy designing the most among the many unique models that are brought to the series?

Yoshinari: Nothing that was fun, it is difficult (laughs).

ANN: After that one was the most difficult?

Yoshinari: Deciding on the final design of Gurren Lagann [robots] that is the basis for everything else in this world.

ANN: What about the original design of Gurren Lagann was difficult?

Yoshinari: Ultimately, when deciding what Gurren Lagann finished design would be to choose the level of reality that you will allow the series. Once your decision, you will be subject to the design, etc. end Gurren Lagann design was the most difficult to do.

ANN: Gainax has faced the concerns of television stations with regard to the maturity of images and themes in previous cycles. For Lagann Gurren, transmission to children of time last year, is that all television stations has raised similar concerns about the series?

Takeda: Well, Gainax is not the problem - that television is "problem (laughs). We had a number of problems, though - in particular episode 6, bathroom episode. If only television stations just to see Thanks to the original scripts when we sent to them instead of waiting until the sequence has become lively. When, in fact, first suggested [episode], they said "Oh, should not be a problem." However, when he finished filming animation and he showed them, he said, "It is not possible, we can show." The biggest problem is that peeking in the bathroom of women -- Alone - is illegal. Hence, we can not prove that the child over time. Why can not we have said it gave them the script before? So we had to do everything possible to achieve in the air. I mean, we script for them, we took the scripts for them, and finally, when we finally took the animation sequence to them - only then, did they finally say they have a problem with him .

ANN: Both sides in history, with several years of difference between, is a very special characteristic of history. How early in the process decided to develop the story into two parts?

Takeda: It was decided from the outset.

ANN: Gurren Lagann indirectly reminded me of another series of Gainax, Otaku no Video, even if there was a two-part compilation with the structure of several years of empty, and that both deal with themes of the revolution and what to do after the Revolution. Changing the world is easy; run the world and face the consequences is difficult. It is the similarity intentional, unintentional or simply a series of similar experiences that Gainax has faced over the years?

Yamaga: Doing such a thing was not done, in principle, but one of our jobs is to create a character in a global environment, and it is very difficult to describe such a thing realistic. Now, to get this person, ask them to grow, it creates a bit of reality… [pause] It is human nature that when you were a child, you want to be an adult. Then, when you grew up, the question is: are you living in an idealized world adult? No, it is a reality for everyone and this is part of history, we wanted to show in the two-part series.

ANN: I understand that you made two films. Is it going to reflect the same story structure?

Yamaga: The first film represents the first part of history.

ANN: In a previous committee convention, it was mentioned that the first episode of the scene introducing a story a little differently than the end because history has changed during production. What are some reasons why he changed the history of the introductory scene as we know it now?

Otsuka: This is where we thought we were going to spend the first time, are represented. But when they were allowed increased well beyond the magnitude of what had originally imagined it would be small differences have been reported.

ANN: I would like to clarify some things that were mentioned in previous groups convention: we are talking about three different projects [to Gainax] at the moment: a television project, a film project, and where the release did not been decided. Is it possible to extend to all?

Takeda: We would like, but we gave away more than they should. We have all these things in mind and planned, and then some. [Note: ANN confirmed that in May was the adaptation of Gainax Yoshiichi Akahito Hime Shikabane sleeve a television as animated series.]

Yamaga: We hope to work Gurren Lagann for the next decade. This work is known as Gurren Lagann will continue.

A special thank you to Toshifumi Yoshida for the interpretation and interview with Jeremy snow to transcribe.


Libera me from hell - Gurren Lagann OST