INTERVIEW WITH MOBILE SUIT V GUNDAM CHIEF DIRECTOR
YOSHIYUKI TOMINO

So far, we’ve shed light on the many facets of “Mobile Suit V Gundam.” However, I believe it’s high time we bring Director Tomino into the limelight for the closing remarks. After all, the image of this series in the minds of many is, in no small part, colored by the director’s provocative past remarks. In light of its 30th anniversary, we’ve taken the opportunity to invite him to look back on the series once again. So, without further ado, let’s hear what he has to say!

Composition by Hiroyuki Kawai

THE FRIGHTENING COINCIDENTAL RELEVANCE TO MODERN WARFARE

―――The year 1993, when Mobile Suit V Gundam (hereafter, V Gundam) was on the air, can be said to be a time when fans who were around elementary to high school age and had led the Mobile Suit Gundam boom had been away from Gundam for about ten years. On the other hand, 1993 was a period after the end of the Cold War between the East and the West, and it was also a time when war felt less relevant, and the interest in war had diminished for the Japanese. Compared to Mobile Suit Gundam, which presented a clear conflict structure reminiscent of World War II or the East-West Cold War, V Gundam might have had difficulty captivating interest.
　　However, looking back, it’s clear that V Gundam is undeniably part of Tomino’s works that lead up to “Reconguista in G” (hereafter, G-Reco), a distinctive “Gundam-like” creation. Looking back at the series on its 30th anniversary, I believe many aspects can be understood and appreciated, including the social climate of the time. That’s why I would like to ask Director Tomino how he feels about V Gundam today.

TOMINO: With the 30th-anniversary interview request, I revisited V Gundam and reviewed some of it. As far as directing is concerned, there were shortcomings and looseness in the direction, but there was also the opposite impression. And that is the relevance to the times. It’s been a year since the war between Ukraine and Russia started. To me, V Gundam feels so on the nose it’s like it’s entirely about Putin’s war. If Putin had watched V Gundam, I think he definitely wouldn’t have gone to war.
　　Previously, a sociologist said, “Putin’s war is a war of the medieval royalty and titled nobility, not a modern war,” and that’s exactly it. A “war of the royalty and titled nobility” is a war where the king’s direct forces arrive at his call and retreat once he is satisfied, not a total war involving the economy and everything else between nations.
　　From the 19th to the 20th century, wars should have been fought between nations. Even in the Middle East, depending on the situation, sectarian or regional wars had an atmosphere of major power collisions. However, it has regressed to classical warfare.

―――Indeed, there are undoubtedly various aspects that seem to correlate.

TOMINO: We live in strange times, don’t you think? Given the current reality that we are being confronted with, there may be a sense in which the values of V Gundam are being reevaluated. It almost feels like we’ve narrowly escaped something. However, I also find myself thinking, “Is it really appropriate to discuss works that are categorized as ‘robot-themed’ solely based on that criteria?”
　　I recently saw a poster for ‘Science Ninja Team Gatchaman’ downtown. There might be people who would say, ‘I love Gatchaman; it looks so cool,’ but such praise is not usually directed toward V Gundam.

――― I don’t think there are many people who remember the details of the story of “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman” (laughs). On the other hand, V Gundam directly interprets the era and reflects it in the work, and after 30 years, we are reminded of the strength of that reflection. I recall a previous discussion where you mentioned that it is “impossible to create a work while ignoring the spirit of the times.” Your comment reminded me of that.

TOMINO: The fact that there was a work called “V Gundam” in 1993 that fits so perfectly with Putin’s war may seem to have foresight at first glance, but I believe it merely illustrates that events could only unfold this way and that humans could only evolve in this manner. Since the advent of the six major religions, nothing new has emerged in human history. For 1,000 years, humanity hasn’t done anything novel. Sure, scientific advancements have increased productivity, and energy has switched to electricity, making life seem ‘new’ and convenient, but we haven’t achieved a lifestyle that doesn’t structurally depend on energy.
　　In ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ with the Newtype theory, I once believed that ‘humanity might be capable of evolution,’ but now I feel, ‘Perhaps not after all.’ However, when considering the history of humanity and the world order after Putin’s war, today’s 10-year-olds will grow up experiencing this peculiar warfare. They will have a completely different experience growing up compared to the previous generations who experienced the Vietnam War and the Cold War, so humanity might start to change a bit from here on.
　　If you look back at human history, there are hardly any cases of philosophers becoming politicians. The reason is that politics is for those capable of handling practical affairs, not for the likes of philosophers who can’t manage such tasks. But, I believe the children growing up knowing the facts of this war may not turn out to be the type of politicians we’ve come to expect. It’s conceivable that we may see the appearance of people who, while not Newtypes per se, engage in politics in a Newtype-like manner. Right now, we know one such politician.

――― Who might that be?

TOMINO: President Zelenskyy. When faced with external pressure, the one who had the strongest resistance was someone who doesn’t fit the traditional image of a politician… He was a comedic actor who appeared to be at the bottom of the hierarchy among actors.
　　I had been vaguely thinking about this, but when he came to Hiroshima, I realized he was the ‘real deal.’ His actions are unlike those of any previous politician. EU politicians might wonder, “What’s there to come all the way to the Far East for?” But everyone knows what happened in Hiroshima, and it has actually made news worldwide. The idea that “a different type of politician may emerge” or “the world may change a little in 20 years” became conceivable because I made V Gundam. Even for ‘G Reco,’ I feel it could have been created because there was V Gundam. It all forms a perfect flow.

INCORPORATING ISSUES OF RACE AND GENDER NATURALLY

―――In the context of the times, I presume your visit to Eastern Europe before producing “V Gundam” was also looking ahead to the post-Cold War world.

TOMINO: It is true. I often find myself pondering, ‘Why did I travel to Prague?’ The answer is unequivocal. Eastern Europe was the crossroads of the West and Asia. The races present there, and the atmosphere encompassing that place are the most representative of the world. I knew it would be a mistake to conceive a story from the Far East alone, and thus, Prague became my chosen destination.
　　On setting foot on the land, the feeling of continuity struck me. The military conflicts that arose post-Alexander in Europe, the Viking invasions, the prosperity of the Roman Empire…when you contemplate it all, it comes down to the importance of this sense of continuity. That’s when the reality of how the Roman Empire managed to rule the entirety of Europe dawned on me.
　　The sense of continuity displayed till the point of Gibraltar’s escape in the first half of V Gundam stemmed from this very experience. And this experience was duly utilized in “G-Reco.”
　　This sense of continuity, however, is hard to grasp in Japan, even if you understand it intellectually. Watching “What Will You Do, Ieyasu?”, it’s evident that Japan’s Sengoku period was, after all, just wars fought within five or so territories. It’s different from waging wars, where simply crossing two mountains would suffice. That’s why I felt that a different atmosphere was necessary when I conceived the character setting of someone from a family related to the guillotine in “V Gundam.”
　　Moreover, numerous female characters were introduced. The primary reason being to convey a consciousness of various lands and countries. The ladies in Prague were all beautiful, each of a different type, something hard to fathom in Japan.
　　The reason I introduced so many female characters is that if you only focus on mecha and approach everything from that perspective, it becomes monotonous. So, when humans reach adulthood, what concerns them the most? Issues of the opposite sex. Hence, the simultaneous introduction of Mariaism and the desire to firmly establish the sovereignty of femininity, but this overlapped strikingly with today’s gender issues. So, there was a sense of disgust once the creation was complete, but upon revisiting, I was surprised to feel, ‘Isn’t this a completely different work from what I initially envisioned?’

―――In V Gundam, you managed to have racial representation, something you reflected on as being quite challenging to accomplish during the original Mobile Suit Gundam era, and that is another aspect that I feel captures the essence of the era.

TOMINO: The issue of race is something that keeps following us more and more, moving into times like the present. Forever, it seems. I often think that this is an issue humanity might never surpass. And the gap that is most felt is not between white and black.
　　In Japanese, it would be commonly referred to as “kinship hatred,” but it seems that humans instinctively harbor a sense of wariness towards those who are “similar but a little different.” I find this more concerning than the current gender issues.
　　On the other hand, I think it’s easier to understand when there are clear differences. In fact, it’s the case with my family. My daughter’s husband is German and Swiss, and we still don’t communicate fluently. But I bet I’d prefer him over a Japanese son-in-law if I had one (laughs). I don’t know the exact reason for that, but maybe it’s because they have the determination that “even if we can’t understand each other’s language, we have to be together,” which allows them to have more tolerance.

――― This isn’t just about guest characters but about making the main characters embody strong racial identities.

TOMINO: What surprised me this time was the skin color of Marbet and Shakti. I didn’t expect them to be this dark. It reminded me of something that I had long forgotten, which was when Ryu Jose’s skin color was made lighter in Mobile Suit Gundam, and I was really angry about it back then. With Ryu, there were complaints from the TV stations.
　　So, I feel like there was a sense of the era that finally allowed the use of black skin. In reality, no one said anything about Marbet and Shakti’s skin color being that way. And even when we introduced Tomas and Karell later on, nobody made a fuss. However, now that I think about it, I can’t really figure out why Shakti’s particular skin color worked so well (laughs).

――― Judging by the name, I assume you were envisioning someone of Indian descent. When many Japanese think of black people, they often picture individuals of African descent. Introducing a black Indian character was an intriguing endeavor, don’t you think?

TOMINO: Absolutely. Shakti is, after all, one of the most common names in India. In hindsight, I feel like we could’ve made her more Indian. But I suppose I was just glad to finally portray a black character properly.

――― The subtlety of Usso’s age was striking too. Amuro felt like a child among adults, whereas Uso’s age places him squarely among children, a clear outsider on the battlefield. This alien presence also gives rise to drama among adults.

TOMINO: The older ladies in the Shrike Team certainly don’t see Usso as a man, do they? They keep calling him ‘boy.’ And Usso, for his part, doesn’t feel any kind of sexuality, even when his face is buried in Lupe Cineau’s bosom. To Usso, it’s like taking a bath with his mother. On the other hand, he admires Katejina, but Uso’s sense of sexuality is entirely based on my experience.
　　As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, where my father worked at a junior high school. Many of his students were innkeepers, and we often visited their houses and used their baths. Back then, the Hakone Yumoto had a public bathhouse with a thousand-person capacity, and it was coed. I loved being the first one in the bath, and when beautiful older girls came in pairs, I would just think, ‘Oh, they’re pretty.’ I never made a fuss about bathing with the opposite sex, and I never understood men who did.

――― The sense that mixed bathing is normal and the feeling that older women are beautiful are two things that probably only coincide at Uso’s age.

TOMINO: I doubt it would have worked if he were 15. Reflecting on how I perceived sexuality in relation to older women when I was a child, I must admit I think Usso’s age was set perfectly. Only because he was a ‘boy’ I could depict the blossoming aspect of a ‘boy.’ However, this is something that only works in anime.

――― In terms of depicting a young boy, there was a term not yet widespread in Japan in 1993, “gifted.” It’s impressive how you integrated the perspective of “even with the power of a genius, they’re still largely a child” in “gifted education.” Director Tomino, you have been hailed for your “foresight,” but I think it’s not so much prophetic as it is a matter of “how you interpret and perceive reality.”

TOMINO: I’m grateful for such comments. When planning, in my case, when using the medium of anime, I can’t fill everything with lies. In other words, I can’t depict a character like Lum-chan (laughs). Especially after 30 years, being able to actually feel such things makes me think that looking back at ‘V Gundam’ as a work of retrospective theory was probably a good idea.”

THE TRUE VISION OF GUNDAM HE WANTED TO ACHIEVE

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THE UNYIELDING STRENGTH OF THE STAFF CARRIED THEM THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

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THE MEANING BEHIND REEVALUATING V GUNDAM FROM A MODERN PERSPECTIVE

This section is still being translated.