Anime Round Table

A number of people come to Japan, an advanced country regarding anime, from overseas to study anime. We, att. Japan asked some of them about the situation in their country, impressions of Japanese anime and their aspirations for the future.

Profile
HW: Huan Wei-Ni (Taiwan)
She majored in economics at college in Taiwan. After graduation, she came to Japan aiming to become an animator. She studied at a Japanese-language school for one year and entered an anime vocational school, where she has studied anime pictures and is graduating this March.

LY: Lin Ya-Ting (Taiwan)
Studied art at college in Taiwan, then came to Japan. After studying at a Japanese-language school for one year, she entered an anime vocational school to learn anime pictures. She is graduating this March.

KK: Kim Kangwon (South Korea)
Working as a professional manga artist in South Korea for ten years, she came to Japan for more study. As she studied Japanese language on her own in Korea, she entered an anime vocational school soon after she came to Japan and has studied character design for a year.

HJ: Huan Jian Zhen (China)
He studied art at college in China and worked as a teacher for two years. He came to Japan to study and try new things. After one year of study at a Japanese-language school, he entered an anime vocational school to study background pictures. He is graduating this March.

JJ: Jang Jae Bong (South Korea)
He studied design at college in South Korea and then came to Japan. After studying at a Japanese-language school for one year, he entered an anime vocational school to study anime pictures. He is graduating this March.

--What anime works are you impressed by?

HW: There are so many that I find it difficulty to choose one..., but, well, I like "Toki o Kakeru Shojo (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time)" screened in 2006. I felt it was an anime film attracting people of any age. Makoto, who is the heroine of the film and a high school girl, always does ridiculous things, but which are somehow loveable. She is cute and I empathized with her. The story and music are outstanding as well.

KK: I also like "Toki o Kakeru Shojo." I was moved to tears.

HJ: I was impressed by the background pictures of this film. Later I heard that the art director of the film was Art Director Nizo Yamamoto who directed "Momonoke-hime (Princes Momonoke)" and other films of Studio Ghibli and understood why the background pictures were so excellent.

KK: I know background pictures are a critical element of anime. I love many anime works, but, especially, I like works by Director Mahiro Maeda. Also I like "Code Geass."

HJ: I like "Kumo no Muko, Yakusoku no Basho (The Place Promised in Our Early Days)" and "Byosoku 5 cm (5 Centimeters per Second)" by Director Makoto Shinkai. I have seen all the productions of Studio Ghibli because the background pictures are undoubtedly excellent and the stories are interesting, too.

JJ: I prefer "Code Geass" and works by Director Shinichiro Watanabe. "Princes Momonoke" and "Kaze no Tani no Naushika (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)" produced by Studio Ghibli are also impressive, as I like works depicting the relationship between human beings and nature.

--When you were in your childhood, what anime works did you watch? And which productions are popular in your country now?

HW: When I was a child, I watched robot anime works and Disney movies. As few anime works had been created in Taiwan, most movies I saw in my childhood were from Japan. Now I am living in Japan, so I don't know well the current situation in Taiwan. Generally, works which are popular in Japan soon become popular also in Taiwan. "Doraemon" and "Chibi Maruko-chan" are loved by a lot of people of any age. However, "Sazae-san"* has not been aired. I think most topics in Sazae-san are too peculiarly Japanese and non-Japanese people have difficulty to understand the story. (*Note: Sazae-san is one of the most popular TV anime series with average audience ratings of around 20 % since the start of the airing in 1969.)

LY: When I was little, I loved "Sailor Moon."

KK: I usually watched Japanese anime works when I was a child. Especially, I loved robot anime, such as the "Mazinger Z" and "Gundam" series. Now digital anime has developed in South Korea, for example, "Wonderful Days," which was a long theatrical anime film created in South Korea and screened in 2003. I have heard that "Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone" is attracting a large number of viewers in South Korea.

JJ: In my childhood, I was familiar with Disney movies and characters including Donald Duck. Now "ONE PIECE" and "Naruto" are popular, like in Japan.

KK: Collecting information about popular works in Japan is easy via the Internet and DVDs are soon on the market. Quite a few anime buffs in South Korea come to see anime-related events in Japan. Now we share the same things at the same time, wherever we are, for example, in Japan, South Korea or the U.S.

HJ: I watched Disney movies and Japanese anime works including "Dr. Slump & Arale-chan." I enjoyed the above-mentioned "Wonderful Days." Chinese anime works are not so good at creating a story, but recently an anime film based on an online novel was produced in China. As there are many anime studios and the government is now promoting anime, I expect them - the studios - to create interesting anime works within the coming decade.

--What is the difference you feel between anime works in your home country and those in Japan? In addition, based on your experience, what is your aspiration for the future?

HJ: Most people in China think anime works are for children. In Japan, there are many works for adults. However, as some works are good but depict violence, they cannot be aired in China because they would provoke criticism. My aspiration is to create works like those of Studio Ghibli. I hope to become a full-fledged art painter of background pictures and later go back to China to contribute to the industry.

LY: The target market of anime works are thought to be children in Taiwan, as well. Most stories are gloomy or based on old tales. I'm going to work as a CG designer in a Japanese game company from this spring. As I love drawing illustrations, I'll go back to Taiwan and publish my book of illustrations at some point in the future.

JJ: The situation is the same in South Korea. Most anime works are thought to be for children and their story lines are weaker compared to Japan. Multimedia collaboration is also not so popular. As for me, I want to be a full-fledged animator as early as possible and desire to be an animation pictures director, and eventually an anime director. I have gotten so many things from anime works. I hope to give such excitement to other people via the anime works I myself create.

HW: Robot anime works are not found in Taiwan. I'll work at an anime studio in Japan and I want to share my experiences with Taiwanese people in the future.

KK: The Japanese anime industry uses to advantage various resources. Anime films and series are created based on manga, while figure models are made based on anime characters. Various types of media collaborate with each other, which is the strength of Japanese anime and the manga industry. There is shortage of anime schools in South Korea and many people come to Japan to study anime. So, making the most of my experiences here, I will contribute to the anime industry in South Korea in the future.

--We look forward to their successes and the realization of their aspirations to become bridges between Japan and their home countries through anime.

Anime Fair
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Museum and Center on Anime
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Anime Round Table