March 24th, 2022 
deackychu Continuing on with my quest to bring accurate information regarding all things Gundam, here is the first of a two-part interview summary/translation regarding the Cucuruz Doan’s Island movie from the latest issue of Great Mechanics G! Up next will be the interview with Yas, so stay tuned!
An adaptation of Cucuruz Doan’s Island surprised everyone. A project that normally would’ve seemed impossible to realize, but when the thematic elements from the original episode along with Yoshikazu Yasuhiko’s characteristics as a writer were combined, a new One Year War film was born. What were the thoughts behind this project?
Interviewer: Hiroyuki Kawai
INTERVIEW WITH SUNRISE PRODUCER
NAOHIRO OGATA
For starters, I was quite surprised by the making of an independent film with Cucuruz Doan’s Island. How did you react to this?
Ogata says that if he’s being honest, he was “taken aback.” “Are we really going to do Doan?” he asked. There are varying reasons for how it all came about, but basically, Yasuhiko has been working on Gundam the Origin for quite a long time and had a strong desire to finally make a movie with the Gundam. But, he was also quite surprised by his proposal to turn Cucuruz Doan’s Island into a film. Laughing, he says that five years ago, he didn’t think anyone would have believed that Hathaway’s Flash and Cucuruz Doan’s Island would become movies.
I suppose you’re right (laughs). I was wondering whether it was intended to bolster the series based on the so-called One Year War.
Ogata says that for the overall strategy of the Gundam series, this year, they have Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury as the title to expand the base to the younger generation. Plus, there are titles for those who have supported the Gundam series, whose goals are to broaden the base of the series, such as Iron-Blooded Orphans and the Gundam SEED movie that’s currently in production. The same can be said for Hathaway’s Flash and Gundam UC. Both are closely connected with each other in supporting the series, but this time Cucuruz Doan’s Island is a work that is positioned to delve deeper into the latter (he’s referring to the theme of the movie).
For fans, I think that part of them is honestly wondering, “That Cucuruz Doan?”
Ogata says that’s because there are many meanings to Cucuruz Doan, after all. He doesn’t think that those who made the original episode, along with the staff, including Director Tomino, were satisfied with it. We only know what went on during production at the time through hearsay, so we don’t know exactly what happened. Even as a filmmaker, there is this sense that it’s not something that can proudly be shown off to the world. Even for Director Tomino, that episode was locked away for a time, or so he says. He could sense that he wanted to keep it tucked away from people. But, recently, he had the nuance that maybe it was possible to preserve it in the world in terms of its historical (documentary-like) value and the fact that it was created.
Maybe that’s because Yasuhiko looked at it up close and felt deeply embarrassed by it?
Ogata says that is due to him being part of the main staff. He feels it means a lot for him to have said that he wanted to make Cucuruz Doan. If you think about it, the themes of Cucuruz Doan’s Island are certainly very suited to Yasuhiko: the underlying elements that he focused on, like “anti-war” and “smaller battles,” are crucial.
THE NUANCE OF THE ONE YEAR WAR IN YASUHIKO’S WORLD
What also surprised me was that “THE ORIGIN” wasn’t attached to the title.
Ogata: I know, right? That was my initial thought as well. My understanding was that the project’s direction was to do what we couldn’t accomplish with “THE ORIGIN.” However, when deciding on the title (at that stage), Yasuhiko says, “This time, it will not be ‘THE ORIGIN’.”
In terms of story development, it’s along the axis of THE ORIGIN, right?
Ogata: Yasuhiko’s sense of the timeline (lit. time basis, time axis) and location of Gundam differ from the setting of Gundam as depicted in THE ORIGIN. The timeframe of Jaburo and the location of the island of Cucuruz Doan in this work are based on the axis of THE ORIGIN, but Yasuhiko has emphasized that this work is a film adaptation based on episode fifteen of Mobile Suit Gundam.
Oh, I see. So rather than THE ORIGIN, this is a remake of episode fifteen of the series?
Ogata: That would be correct. Yasuhiko insists to the end that it is still “Mobile Suit Gundam.” The film is being finished now, and I think it will change the perception. You might feel betrayed but in a good sense. “What would happen if we made a 100-minute film of a single episode from the TV series?” Gundam series up to now have been targeted towards middle and high schoolers and youth in their formative (sensitive) years. But, Cucuruz Doan’s Island is very much from a child’s perspective. If we look back on past Gundam series films, I don’t think there has been a single film that you could say from the getgo “it’s recommended to watch as a family.” It has a sort of anti-war movie touch to it, like the ones we used to watch at school during summer break when we were little. There are also elements of juvenile elements for kids, so I think it can be enjoyed by families and even enjoyed as a film that brings back times of being a boy. I’m sure this is a movie that dads can use as an excuse for spending time with family and taking everyone to see it.
That certainly changes the impression to an extent, then, doesn’t it?
Ogata: It results in a “what have you done?” but I think that maybe that’s the potential the episode had from the very beginning, something I feel the work may not have satisfied at the time. I think Gundam was revolutionary in robot animation at the time, in so much that it was possible to include an episode like Cucuruz Doan’s Island. I felt that breadth again with this film adaptation. I had first wondered if we could really expand on that story, but my worries turned out to be unfounded. Plus, what I personally feel is significant about this was that there hasn’t been a work that properly depicts the RX-78-2 Gundam since the original work.
That makes sense. Sure, there have been games and special footage, but nothing in the main series.
Ogata: I think we depicted the RX-78 standing up in the special video for THE ORIGIN, but I don’t think there was any other footage of the RX-78 in action. This is the first time Sunrise has done this since the film trilogy, isn’t it? I’m from the Gunpla generation, so the impact of the RX-78 in action in 2022 is quite significant.
I’m aware that you explored various other media for expressing this, but what made you choose a film?
Ogata: We wanted to make a film from the very beginning, and we couldn’t imagine an OVA-like series, so we had no other alternative than to make it a single movie.
IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT VARIOUS EPISODES COULD BE MADE INTO A MOVIE?
You have continued using CG since THE ORIGIN in terms of the mecha. I know there’s been requests for hand-drawn mecha using Yasuhiko’s drawings, but…
Ogata says that they asked Yamato Works to handle the CG this time, and Shuhei Morita (of the same company) considered utilizing 2D-like rendering in 3D and believes they have achieved a new expression of Gundam mobile suits through Cucuruz Doan’s Island. He goes on to say that he too enjoys hand-drawn mecha, but the aging of mecha animators has become a huge issue. He believes that Sunrise is one of the only companies that have some resources left, but 3D rendering will become a critical element in supporting hand-drawn animation in the future. Mobile suit battle is a hybrid of primarily 3D with the addition of hand-drawn mobile suits. Even in a trial sense, the movie will expand the possibilities of mobile suit battles.
The interviewer says they’re surprised that they dared to incorporate elements from the original episode designs, designing the Zaku as something exclusive to Doan. Laughing, Ogata says that Katoki also had strong sentiments towards this. He agreed with him on it, though. When asked about what sort of discussions they had, Ogata mentions that they talked about which aspects of the old episode they’d bring back when re-imagining it. Each one of the staff had their own style, and they all clashed with one another, yet managed to balance out to create the film. He says that Yas was rather unenthusiastic about that aspect of the film and seemed that it was unnecessary to go to those lengths for the film.
In the future, I’d like to see the possibility of adapting an episode into a film like Cucuruz Doan.
Ogata: The third Gunpla I bought was an Adzam, so I’d love to do the The Red-Hot Adzam Leader (The English title was Zeon’s Secret Mine).
I wouldn’t mind seeing that either (laughs).
Ogata: By turning an episode into a movie like this, it’s my hope that in the future, various other directors will say, “I want to do that episode!” That could be better than simply remaking Mobile Suit Gundam, not just with Cucuruz Doan’s Island, but also episodes that didn’t make the cut in the movie trilogy, such as “Time, Be Still,” or even the main story would be just fine. What I’ve learned with this movie is that it has an intensity that is completely applicable today, one where you can once again feel the marvel of those who created the original and rediscover the splendor of the original series.
I feel that many fans are disappointed that the OVA series of THE ORIGIN is over and expanding on the One Year War, or First Gundam, won’t be happening. I only hope that the One Year War will be fully recreated through film adaptations much like this.
Ogata: I think you’re right. As I had mentioned earlier, I myself have a special place in my heart for the RX-78, and “I want to watch this all the time.” I feel that the success of this movie is the first step in realizing an adaptation of each episode. I hope everyone will go see it in theaters and say, “I want to see this episode next!” No one believes me when I say that this is a family movie like none other in the history of the Gundam series. Please, bring your entire family to see it! I think I’ll probably be chanting that until summer (laughs).
PUBLICATION INFORMATION
Publisher: Futabasha
Released: 2022.03.17
Price: 1650 yen
Size: —
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