Bringing dreams to girls with the forgotten "magical girl stories"
The "Pocket Monsters" anime (April 1997-present) continues to captivate people around the world. Anime director Yuyama Kunihiko, who has worked on several series, got a feel for his own directional style in a very modest work.
"It was when I worked on the first episode of 'Josefina the Whale' (April-September 1979). Until then, I had been working according to the impressions of the original work, but for the first time, I was able to direct in my own way that I was satisfied with."
Based on a story by a Spanish author, this is a fantasy series about a shy boy, Santi, and a mysterious whale, Josefina, whom only he can see. He was in charge of the surreal episode in which Santi returns home to find that his parents' appearance is the same but their personality has changed as if they were different people.
"I was able to successfully express the conflicts and anxieties of a boy in the process of growing up. I realized that it was 'possible to depict such a world in animation.'"
He was a child who loved anime and manga. After failing the university entrance exam, he began working part-time as an animator at an animation production studio near his home.
"I did other part-time jobs, but drawing pictures was not hard for me, even if I had to concentrate on it for about 20 hours a day. Later, when I was also assigned to storyboarding, I wanted to try directing as well."
Ashi Productions, which produced "Josefina the Whale," did not turn a blind eye to his talent. They hired him to direct "Sengoku Majin GoShogun" (July-December 1981), and entrusted him to be the chief director for the next production.
"I had wanted to do a magical story after watching the drama 'Bewitched.' Magical girl stories had ceased to exist at that time, but then the project for 'Magical Princess Minky Momo' (March 1982 - May 1983, October 1991 - December 1992) came up."
A long-awaited piece of work. However, due in part to Ashi Productions' original policy of "doing something no one else has done," Momo was restricted to using only magic that would transform her into an adult woman.
"The only way to make use of this trait was to give it a social aspect, so Momo was transformed into a nurse or pilot, which were real-life professions. At the time, it was rare for women to work in society, so we wanted to encourage girls to do their best."
The response was great. Girls were thrilled to see their future selves in the transformed Momo. However, due to the social nature of the series, unforeseen circumstances also arose.
"When we were working on the second series, the script had the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union as the background, but the Soviet Union collapsed before the show was broadcast... I was troubled by that."
"Mewtwo Strikes Back" is a worldwide smash hit
When Yuyama, who skillfully projects children's thoughts and feelings onto images, was approached about making an animated TV series based on the very popular game "Pocket Monsters," his first instinct was apprehension.
"This was because until then there had been no successful animated series based on a game. But when I tried the game, I was surprised. It felt nostalgic. When I was in elementary school, I spent all day in the summer running around in the fields catching grasshoppers and such. I could really understand how I felt back then."
A role-playing game in which you continue your journey by battling other Pokémon with the Pokémon you have caught. It is the perfect subject matter for depicting a hero and his followers. However, Yuyama's emphasis was different.
"Communication was a major theme. Pokémon that do not speak and the hero, Satoshi, or fellow Pokémon communicate with each other. I wanted to describe what that looks like."
In 1997, when the TV show began airing, the response was not limited to children. The strong bond between Satoshi and Pokemon attracted even parents who did not play video games. Pokémon has gone beyond the boundaries of video games, and a movie was also set to be produced.
"In the case of movies, more serious themes can be tackled than in the case of TV. So, after discussions with Shudou Takeshi, who wrote the screenplay, we decided to use the universal question for children, 'Who am I?' as the main theme."
The first theatrical film, "Mewtwo Strikes Back" (1998), makes us think about cloning technology and life, concerning Mewtwo, a Pokémon created by humans. Although somewhat esoteric, it was an explosive hit, grossing 7.3 billion yen at the box office. As a result, it was decided to release the film in the U.S., but...
"I always make films, except for original works, with an eye toward foreign countries. This time, however, I was told that I did not need to be conscious of foreign countries, so I made the film with the impression of Japan in the mid-1950s. That is why there are signs in Japanese in the film."
Despite these concerns, the box office in the U.S. exceeded $800 million, an unprecedented amount in the history of Japanese movies.
"I thought Hollywood was a different world, so I had no sense of reality when I heard it was a blockbuster hit. So I saw the film in American movie theaters, but the audience reaction was no different than in Japan."
Pokemon is now a universal language. In July 2008, a new film, "Giratina and the Sky Bouquet," will be released.
"Creating a new film is like farming: sowing the seeds, plowing the field, and harvesting the crop. This time, while maintaining a grand scale, I want to return to the roots and depict the familiar interactions between the main characters and Pokémon."
Children are excited by the universe of "Pokemon"
What is the role of Pokémon animated films in relation to video games? Yuyama sees it this way.
"We are allowed to handle aspects not present in the games. First of all, in the cartoon, you can see 'Pokémon that are alive and moving.' Animation has the excitement of actually seeing an elephant at the zoo, which you had only seen in picture books. In the beginning, children in movie theaters would point at Pikachu and say, "Oh, it's Pikachu!"
That is why he is especially careful when he brings Pokémon from the games into the animated series.
"We discuss this with the game production staff and carefully determine their personalities and behavior patterns so as not to disappoint the children. Pikachu also did not have a cry in the game, and for the first time in the show, we decided to make him cry 'Pikachu.' If people had not thought, 'Oh, I see, he cries like that,' the popularity of the show would have ended there."
Pokémon's distinctive characters stir the imagination endlessly.
"The real fun of Pokémon lies in enjoying its universe. It excitedly inspires someone's imagination, 'In this kind of world, you could do this kind of thing,' or 'If Pikachu were here in this kind of situation...' I may be the happiest Pokemon user in the world, as I am enjoying myself while creating the anime."
The secret to the adults enjoying it as well lies in the fact that philosophical content is always woven into the story, as in the first film, "Mewtwo Strikes Back."
"Pokemon is a family movie. Therefore, if not only children but also their parents cannot enjoy it, the audience will not come. Scriptwriter Shudou Takeshi has also worked on musicals for children, and he really understood this point. I feel exactly the same way."
How does the future look in the eyes of the bearers of Japanese animation, which has become a worldwide hit?
"I feel that it is a tough one. First of all, the fan base is narrow. It is fine to have such shows, but I feel that it is desirable to have works that can be watched on TV at 7:00 p.m. to some extent, and that attract many parents and children to the theater. With the development of computer graphics technology, the original manga works are increasingly shifting to live-action, so we have to keep pushing for expressions that are 'unique to animation.' I hope that those who aspire to this sphere will broaden their horizons and have the determination to create works that can be accepted overseas as well."
(Published on January 31, February 7, and 14, 2008)
Yuyama Kunihiko
Born in Tokyo in 1952. He began his career as an animator after working part-time at an animation production studio. In 1978, he took charge of episode direction for the first time with "The Galaxy Express 999." Since then, he has been involved in shows produced by Ashi Productions, and in 1982, he served as the chief director of "Magical Princess Minky Momo." From 1997, he was the chief director of the "Pocket Monsters" series until 2019, and also directed all the theatrical films of the series from the first to the 20th film.