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Interview: Akihiro Kanayama




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mdo7



Joined: 23 May 2007
Posts: 6482
Location: Katy, Texas, USA
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 11:38 am Reply with quote
The interview was very interesting to read, thanks for posting this up ANN.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:31 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
But now anime's main target isn't kids, anime's main demographic is otaku! *laughs*


Except for all the stuff still made for kids? The rest is late-night stuff in a market that didn't exist 25 years ago.

Quote:
Really, it's the sponsors and production committees that are primarily pulling the strings. I think producers need to take back their power! Unfortunately, the sponsors are the ones with the money. I think it'd be great if they could strike some sort of balance.


Yeah, that kind of power can never be wrestled back, money is power.
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Khooni



Joined: 27 Oct 2012
Posts: 99
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 12:41 pm Reply with quote
A true "for the cause of anime" veteran! I totally agree with this
Quote:

One more question. If there's one important lesson you think the anime industry of today could learn from the anime industry of the past, what do you think that would be?

You have a lot of producers in the anime industry, but their position has weakened. Really, it's the sponsors and production committees that are primarily pulling the strings. I think producers need to take back their power! Unfortunately, the sponsors are the ones with the money. I think it'd be great if they could strike some sort of balance. Maybe we can create a new animation process.

Also: we should stop producing for such a small audience. Right now, foreign animation really is better, because you still have a lot of it being made for kids. These are the kids who will grow up treasuring this stuff and will become the next generation of creators.


They should really do something about this. Many anime with great potential are left behind to rot because of this situation ( Like air gear, getbackers and a ton of other shows). Well, i'm happy as of now because of so many ecchi anime (guilty as charge Embarassed ) but there is a part of me that longs for great shows like dragon ball Z, Beyblade and many more (the anime that made my childhood so awesome). Money is important, I agree, but so are the feelings of the fans.
however, I did read somewhere that the majority of the income of the anime industry comes from these "small audiences", which are 18-30, whose main anime consumption is of seinin category. Guess they aren't going away anytime soon.
great interview! Need more people like this in the anime industry!
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reanimator





PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 1:12 pm Reply with quote
Very interesting interview. I like the somewhat of diverse subject matters in interview despite short period of time.

However, I felt that Kanayama's view on Japanese animators are bit dated. While I don't doubt that Japanese animators have been using manga art as reference, but I think more and more talented animators are observing from real life when time allows them.

I did some research and he did some manga before joining the animation industry. As a retired artist, he have been active with gallery shows of his works past few years. Also he is credited on key animation credit on an episode of Tytania because Artland's Ishiguro (RIP) invited him to work. Personally I'm fascinated with Kanayama's one-man solo animating of Southern Cross opening animation (also used widely in Robotech opening).

I remember seeing a Filipino fan who brought Voltes V LP record at Japan Expo for autograph. It was sad that no one in the dealers room sell anything related to Kanayama's work. Too bad I couldn't get Kanayama's autograph. I wanted to get his autograph with Southern Cross sketch for a friend of mine, but I became too busy with work.
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grooven



Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 1429
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:37 pm Reply with quote
That was a great interview. I really fished I could've attended this.
*dies inside* Oh god do I ever want that sketch of Leo D:

Quote:
So when I saw The Lion King many years later, I was impressed at just how much research the animators at Disney had done.
Well, not quite enough research Wink [/quote]
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noblesse oblige



Joined: 22 Dec 2012
Posts: 282
Location: Florida
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:56 pm Reply with quote
I have so much respect for this man, not only for his storied career, but for being so open and honest about his thoughts on anime. It's refreshing to see an animator speak so candidly about this, without any of the usual scripted, PR-dictated responses.

I was surprised to learn that Tezuka's use of recurring characters was inspired by American comics. Kanayama has such an invaluable wealth of knowledge spanning decades across the animation industry. I would love to see him come back for a second interview. But I'm not sure how likely that is.

Meeting him at Japan Expo was such an honor. (I actually got to play a game similar to Pictionary with him). Deciphering his drawing of a donut was more difficult than I would have imagined!
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Kaioshin_Sama



Joined: 05 Feb 2005
Posts: 1215
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 4:14 pm Reply with quote
It says a lot that I routinely find anime that is largely aimed towards younger audiences and which air during the day to be tighter written, better produced and often better executed than a lot of the stuff that airs late at night and is supposedly aimed at more mature and genre savvy audiences. I really do think there's something to be said for the whole otaku pandering thing even still. It just seems to cloud out things like basic logic, coherent storytelling and most importantly a sense of purpose a lot of the time and just doesn't tend to feature a whole lot of what led me to fall in love with the medium in the first place.

That's why when I hear things like Tomino saying he plans for the new G-Reco anime to be something that kids can watch I actually get excited cause that means I probably won't have to deal with any sort of modern otaku oriented sensibilities in the franchises construct. Not that I really see any other Gundam series besides maybe Seed as really gravitating strongly in that direction since it's one of those franchises that somehow even to this day really doesn't have to rely on that audience to stay profitable and relevant. Lucky it I guess.
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1770
PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 5:58 pm Reply with quote
Ah, Kanayama took a pic with the tea I gave him. Hee hee.

Kanayama was such a cool guy and I feel fortunate to have spent some time with him at JX. I originally went to JX because I had a great time with Matsumoto at PMX and went to see him, but had a great time with Kanayama as well. I wondered why he was a little hesitant at first with Americans, but after reading in your interview that Americans were responsible for his fathers death during WWII, it makes sense. Having been to Hiroshima with some elderly folk who, sixty years after the fact, were still angry at Japan for the war, this attitude is very prevalent amongst those lived through that time. He really opened up to a group of us, and he was almost in tears as he told us that, while he had met many kind people in other countries, he never thought he'd meet any Americans like that. His translator had to practically pull him away by his ear to get him to stop talking. I'm glad that Kanayama was able to see a positive side to America instead of the one that foreign media usually portrays, and I hope his positive experience with Americans will make him want to come and visit the US in the future.
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wonderwomanhero





PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2014 9:00 pm Reply with quote
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Quote:
But now anime's main target isn't kids, anime's main demographic is otaku! *laughs*


Except for all the stuff still made for kids? The rest is late-night stuff in a market that didn't exist 25 years ago.


I think he's being sarcastic.
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enurtsol



Joined: 01 May 2007
Posts: 14893
PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 12:08 am Reply with quote
wonderwomanhero wrote:
walw6pK4Alo wrote:
Quote:
But now anime's main target isn't kids, anime's main demographic is otaku! *laughs*

Except for all the stuff still made for kids? The rest is late-night stuff in a market that didn't exist 25 years ago.

I think he's being sarcastic.


Well, "main" doesn't mean all. If ya count how many of the 40-50 anime each season.
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Banjo



Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 798
PostPosted: Tue Sep 02, 2014 1:05 am Reply with quote
these days anime inspires otakus to make more otakus shows and hentai. Laughing
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Blackiris_



Joined: 06 Sep 2013
Posts: 536
PostPosted: Wed Sep 03, 2014 7:38 am Reply with quote
Great interview. I totally agree with the second-last paragraph.
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