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These are some of the top anime industry professionals, the people
who set the pace for the stories you like. From left to right are Hiroyuki
Kitakuba, director at Production I.G.; Maki Terashima, international operations
manager for I.G.; Kazuto Nakazawa, animator and character designer; an
interpreter; and Shinichirou Watanabe, director at Sunrise Studios. |
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Do these industry pros make anime for themselves, for the sponsors
who back their work, or for the audience they expect will watch their films?
Their answers sounded much like the tales told by the old Warner Bros.
animators, who said they made their cartoons for themselves and not for
the studio. Kitakubo was a little sardonic in his answer, as ever: "I try
to think that everyone in the world thinks the way I think. If I enjoy
it, everyone in the world enjoys it." |
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"I don't make it for a specific type of people," added Watanabe, director
of Cowboy Bebop. "I want everybody to enjoy my work, but that doesn't mean
that I give them what they expect. Some fans want to see a certain type
of animation, but I try to give them something different that they can
enjoy." Even though sponsors have major influence on anime, Watanabe said
he can't think of any director who, deep down inside, really makes a series
just to please a sponsor. |
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Is anime like food, and is a series like El-Hazard like a gourmet meal?
Nakazawa thinks so (he cooked up the El-Hazard characters). "I make it
to please myself," Nakazawa said. "If I get good comments, I'll be happy.
Anime is like cooking. You make it for yourself and if you don't like what
you get, you won't serve it to others." |
