Interview The Witch from Mercury
Mobile Suit Gundam The Witch from Mercury , the latest Gundam TV series after a long absence since Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, finally started its broadcast on Sunday, October 2, 2022. Those who have seen the long history of the popular “Gundam” series and the prequel “PROLOGUE,” which has been shown in various places, may already have high expectations for this work.
In addition, the fact that the opening theme Blessing will be performed by popular artist YOASOBI may also interest those who have never heard of Gundam before.
Click on the image to go to the youtube video. ↓
Animate Times conducted an interview with Takuya Okamoto, the producer of this work.
We asked him about the story of the first female protagonist in a Gundam TV series, the story behind the production of “PROLOGUE,” and the balance between the approach for fans of the series up to now and those who know Gundam from this work, among other points of interest related to the work.
Quote Anime Times
Interview 【The Witch from Mercury】 Producer Takuya Okonamo
-The hit of “Gundam Hathaway” as an introduction has given me a sense that the Gundam boom is reviving. The “Witch from Mercury” will be broadcast in such a context, but do you feel that there are high expectations for the work?
Producer Takuya Okamoto: I feel that the Gundam series has been gradually gaining momentum since the “Gundam UC” series. We are grateful for the success of “Gundam Hathaway,” but we also felt that the Gundam series as a whole, including from a business standpoint, is still expanding.
Even as we were working on the production of this work, I had the sense that the Gundam series is spreading further than I had imagined. I think that the expectations placed on this work are even greater than they were a few years ago.
Although “Mobile Suit Gundam” was created 43 years ago in 1979, Gundam works set outside the space century, such as “G GUNDAM” in 1994, have already accumulated a considerable amount of history. The generation that watched “GUNDAM SEED” and “GUNDAM 00” in real time as elementary and junior high school students are already in their 30s.
The series of works that we have produced over the years is the history itself. The Gundam works that have been created by various creators have become a certain thickness, and the pressure we receive from them is very great. Thankfully, each work has its own fans, and it is because of this foundation that we are able to do what we do. However, there are also difficulties because of that.
Of course, we want to include things in this work that will please fans of the existing series as well. However, since we are creating a new series, we also want to target people who have not been exposed to Gundam before.
We have a wide age range of fans who already know about Gundam, and we want to please a new generation as well. I think it’s wonderful that “Gundam” has become a common language for people of all ages. I hope that everyone will enjoy this work as well, talking about it every week.
Gundam : Birth of the Witch from Mercury
-When was the timing of the launch of the project for Mobile Suit Gundam he Witch from Mercury and when did the idea born?
Okamoto: I heard that it was around 2018 when we started talking about a new project. It was the early spring of 2020 when the talk came to me. At that time, I was working on “Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE”.
In the midst of all this, there was a request to have a Gundam with a female protagonist created, and among the ideas submitted to the planning competition by Morion Airlines (the creator team to which Mogumo, the original character design designer, and HISADAKE, the setting collaborator, belong), was the word “witch The word “witch” was one of the ideas submitted in the competition. I found that concept interesting and was drawn to it. I talked with director Hiroshi Kobayashi and series director Ichiro Okochi, and we started the project in a way that would make the most of this idea. In the end, the four of us, including Seiichi Shiratsuchi, who was in charge of the setting research, started meeting in the spring of 2020 and gradually developed the project into what it is today.
The Witch from Mercury character modeling
-What were the characters and modeling of the main characters, Sletta and Miorine, decided at what stage of the project?
Okamoto: Initially, we planned to start the story from a more serious point, but we had an opportunity to discuss the direction of the work and made the decision to change course, even though we had already completed the script for the first episode.
From there, we made a series of minor changes and settled on the current form. So the characterization of Sletta and Miorine was also decided while creating the story.
About Gundam The Witch from Mercury PROLOGUE
-The prequel “PROLOGUE” has also been released. What was the reason for creating an episode that shows the worldview of the work?
Okamoto: Since this is the first Gundam TV series in 7 years since “Iron-Blooded Orphans” started airing in 2015, we thought we wanted to create something that we could show before the main story for the series fans and viewers who are just getting to know Gundam.
We had a lot of trouble deciding on the content of the episodes that would be shown before the main story. However, the length was set at about 20 minutes, so we wondered if we could present a solid worldview within that time frame, and that was the foundation of PROLOGUE.
Click on the image to go to youtube. ↓
On the Unusual Development of the The Witch from Mercury
It seemed unusual to have a Gundam performing an all-range attack so early in the animation. What was your intention in this area?
Okamoto: To make the “cursed mobile suit,” which is denied existence at the end of “PROLOGUE,” more convincing. When I thought about the theme I was trying to depict in this work, I considered what the position of the Gundam should be, and I decided to adopt the all-range weapon from the first move.
In the worldview of this work, the weapon called “Gundam” exists as a mobile suit with considerable strength. Since it exists as a strong weapon from the beginning, I would be happy if you could see it by paying attention to the part of how it is perceived in this world and how the surroundings move against the Gundam.
Also, I think there was a scene in which Ericto talks to Gundam Lubliss. That scene is one of the expressions of how she sees the Gundam as an existence. For her, the Gundam is a familiar existence that her parents, who are researchers, are devoting themselves to, but she is 4 years old at the time and does not yet understand that it is a weapon.
As we can see from the scene where she is talking with Cardo Nabo about Lublis, I guess Elikut himself understands to some extent that Lublis is special. Maybe he sees him as a friend or a brother.
In fact, Director Kobayashi had written a kind of image board for the scene where Erict talks to Lubliss from the scenario meeting stage. He thought it would be good to depict a small Erict and a large mobile suit and the value of their relationship. This was one of the reasons for creating the story.
About The Witch from Mercury battle scenes
-There seemed to be a lot of enthusiasm for animation in the battle scenes. Was the production still hard?
Okamoto：There have been many spirited works such as Hathaway and Cucuruz Doan’s Island in the recent past. The production process and style of this work has changed from the past, and there are some parts that are difficult to get used to, but I am determined to create a video that will please the audience.
I have been thinking for some time about what I can do with the images outside of the story, and I have been wanting to steadily try new things in this area. I think this is now taking shape.
A New Approach to The Witch from Mercury
-Since PROLOGUE had a serious content, do you think the main story will develop in that way as well?
Okamoto: I will not touch on specific contents at this time, but the reason we chose a school as the setting for the main story is because we thought it would be good for people who are living their school life right now to be able to empathize with the story.
Originally, when we started planning this work, we were asked to create a work for the younger generation in order for Gundam to continue for another 50 or 60 years. That was definitely the starting point, and it should be no different for “Gundam Seed,” “Gundam 00,” and “Iron-Blooded Orphans,” and that axis has not been shaken in this work.
As for “PROLOGUE,” we had actually already created the first two episodes of the main story, and then we started working on it after that. We decided on the setting and many other things at this stage, and it was a good opportunity to look back and see what the characters in the main story had been through.
-What do you think today’s young generation, including junior high and high school students, are looking for in a Gundam?
Okamoto: I once had the opportunity to talk to teenagers and asked them, “What kind of image do you have of Gundam?” “If Gundam is in the title, I won’t watch it.” “It doesn’t feel like an anime aimed at us.” I was shocked to hear that they said that, and I was shocked to hear that they were taken that way.
Some of the children had seen “Iron-Blooded Orphans,” but although they had seen “Iron-Blooded Orphans,” they did not particularly want to see a “Gundam,” which made sense to me. Although it was not a Gundam, I had some memories of a similar feeling, so there was a connection within me.
So I wanted to keep that kind of feeling in mind as I was targeting the younger generation.
As this work also claims to be Mobile Suit Gundam, there is a part of it that has to be a Gundam.
From “SEED” to “Iron-Blooded Orphans,” there are parts that follow the structure of the space century. They are wars between people using weapons called “mobile suits,” or they are youthful ensemble dramas.
Personally, I think that these are the essence of Gundam, but I also think that they have become a thick barrier that makes it difficult for the younger generation of fans to enter the series. That is why I wanted to take a different approach from the past series.
What The Witch from Mercury wants to say to its fans
-This work is expected to be a new Gundam work, but what would you like to tell people who are experiencing Gundam for the first time?
Okamoto: The Broadcast Time Zone will be broadcast in the evening and will also be distributed, so there will be many opportunities for people to see the series. I hope that people will watch it without preconceived notions that it is a Gundam. Even if you haven’t seen the previous works in the series, you should be able to enjoy it.
Each of the various elements depicted in the work is very well thought out. It does not matter where you begin your interest. Please enjoy the elements that interest you the most.
-And. I’m sure that fans of the series from long ago will be looking forward to it. Do you have any words of advice for them?
Okamoto: I know there are many people who are not comfortable with this work, but I think it will meet everyone’s expectations. I hope you will enjoy it.
-Thank you very much.
Thank you for reading. See you soon. (*’ω’*)ｂ
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