Today, Budding Newtype Have Emerged

22nd Anniversary Commemorative Edition
Gundam Series Chief Director
Yoshiyuki Tomino
Interview

SEEING A BUDDING NEWTYPE IN PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY

―――This issue marks the 22nd anniversary of Gundam Ace.

I’ve received interview topics about post-corona, AI, and such, but they were pretty generic. Instead, I have thought of a more apt theme for your 22nd-anniversary cover feature: “Budding Newtype have emerged.” This is something I can discuss.

―――We would love to hear more.

About a month ago, I encountered an individual who I thought might just be a budding Newtype. It was Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy. Around three years ago, I saw a documentary on NHK about him, so I was aware of his past as a comedian. The last movie he appeared in was about a comedian (played by him) becoming the president of Ukraine, and in reality, he did just that.

I wasn’t very familiar with Ukraine’s situation, so at first, I thought it was a clever, fictional narrative devised by filmmakers. But reality differed, and the film was a biting satire. The political situation in Ukraine was disastrous, rampant with corruption. The politicians were all up to no good. This was the backdrop of the film, and consequently, a real-life comedian ended up as the president.

Observing Ukraine’s situation led President Putin to initiate what he called a ‘special military operation.’ He probably thought he could easily topple the Ukrainian government with a fool like Zelenskyy at the helm. But the moment he started the war, President Zelenskyy transformed.

―――The NHK program showed footage of the Eastern Bloc leaders’ meeting where President Putin seemed to belittle President Zelenskyy.

Afterwards, when President Zelenskyy started considering NATO membership, this was the moment that provoked the war. Essentially, it was President Putin’s archaic mindset that instigated the conflict. He sought to crush Zelenskyy’s administration through war, reintegrate Ukraine into Russian territory, and make it a distribution hub like in the days of Imperial Russia. There’s another reason too. Are you aware that at one point, President Putin considered the possibility of Russia joining NATO?

―――This was clarified in a fact-checking program discussing his similar remarks in a meeting with the NATO Secretary General.

Yes, exactly. Ultimately, when it became clear that Russia would not join NATO, I believe Putin must have snapped. And just at that moment, a comedic actor like Zelenskyy becomes the president at Russia’s doorstep and even begins considering NATO membership. This would have been Putin’s thought process. When I say ‘if it were Putin,’ I mean that individuals stuck in old ways of thinking eventually revert to self-preservation.

So, war was initiated. But Putin does not refer to it as a war. It serves as an excuse, and he presumed it could be subdued through localized operations and limited mobilization, justifying it as a part of his scheme. This was not in line with the methodology of modern warfare. Sociologists and war critics have also said that Putin’s approach resembles medieval warfare. In other words, the scale of the conflict is not an inter-state war.

A sociologist compared it to battles conducted by Imperial Guard regiments during the Tsarist era. As it’s not a state war, so Putin is holding back on full-scale mobilization, instead relying on the private military company Wagner. Hence, we can call this ‘Putin’s War.’ He finally used the term’ war’ in his Victory Day speech this year, but his inability to mention a national victory essentially admits that this is not a war between nations. So ultimately, his approach and thought process reflect those of a rogue gang leader. The top brass in the Russian military, the leader of Wagner, don’t they all have rather villainous faces? These are the kinds of individuals incapable of properly managing a nation or an organization. Despite their incapability, they delude themselves into thinking they can, causing havoc and blaming allies when things go south. The question is, “Who are you even fighting?” These lowly characters have created nearly 10 million refugees and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands, all while continuing the war.

Even the Vietnam War, horrific as it was, was a war between nations. The current abnormal situation, akin to ‘Putin’s War,’ is unprecedented in human history. I think this might have become the breeding ground for the emergence of Newtypes. Do you understand what I mean by breeding ground?

―――Could you elaborate?

One aspect is the absence of a third party who could silence President Putin since the start of the war. This is a diplomatic issue. The 20th-century style politicians and diplomats bear this responsibility; one could even say they’ve grown senile. Despite knowing the history of conflicts in the Middle East, the Vietnam War, and even earlier, the Pacific War, these individuals have been incapable of action. On the other hand, children around the world, from around 7 to 15, are starting to learn and think, “something is wrong.”

President Zelenskyy, a man of 20th-century thinking, was transformed by “Putin’s War,” but these children are growing up with the potential to become Newtype, both environmentally and intellectually. I believe that when these children reach their 30s, the world will begin to change.

―――Like how the children in “Gundam” witness human conflicts and become Newtype?

You could say that, but to be honest, that expression itself is dated. We attempt to explain things within the structures we know, hence such phrasing. More accurately, we can say that humanity, a species gifted with wisdom, has finally gained second and third tiers of wisdom, thus elevating it as a species. This phenomenon has finally begun to occur.

POTENTIAL VALIDITY TO THE THEORY OF HUMAN NEWTYPE

――― Is President Zelenskyy an example of the budding ‘Newtype’ you mentioned earlier?

That’s right. Given my position, I’ve been compelled to speak about things in terms of anime concepts, but with the emergence of someone like President Zelenskyy, I’ve started to think that the theory of a human ‘Newtype’ could truly be possible. Although it will likely take at least 50 more years for the ‘Newtype’ to actually become rooted, I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to propose this concept from an anime perspective.

In this regard, there’s another point that people in my position need to speak about: the issue of our planet. Putin’s War has brought the issues of food and energy to the forefront. In Europe, wind power was becoming quite well established, but now we’re seeing the farcical resurgence of nuclear power. Children are witnessing this. When I was 10 years old, there was nothing like this.

This issue is directly linked to the overpopulation of our planet. In short, it’s unsustainable. Up to the 20th century, we consumed the earth’s resources without limit, but in the latter half of the 20th century, alarm bells started to ring around the time of the Rome Conference, warning that oil would only last another 30 years. We can see the real-time operation of planes around the world on the internet, and the total number is staggering. It illustrates just how much energy is being consumed daily.

If the population continues to balloon to 10 billion within our finite resources, it will be disastrous. Yet, we don’t hear these words from the people of the 20th-century mindset. For example, do you know the mission of Japan’s Minister for Measures against the Declining Birthrate?

――― Policies to increase the number of children and create a society conducive to child-rearing.

That answer is already wrong. What the Minister really needs to do is something completely different. Our current social system was built in an era when the population was continuously increasing, but from here on, there will be a surplus. This means there will be vacant houses, so the Minister should be working on creating a balanced society where a population of around 50 million can live. Yet, they are still saying, ‘have more, increase the population.’ This is the thinking of people stuck in the 20th-century mindset of mass production and mass consumption, the excessive capitalism.

The reason why old-fashioned people end up there is that there used to be a national theory based on prosperity through military strength and maintaining a strong military force. The most dangerous aspect of this national theory is that it places people who can only think about military matters at the top. If this happens, the country will be destroyed because the construction of a sustainable economy is left behind.

We need to definitively state that we must abandon the mindset of the 20th century to sustain the Earth. If we don’t reduce the population, there is no future for the Earth, and we need to understand that there is no hope for those who do not understand this.

TO THE CHILDREN POISED TO BECOME NEWTYPE

――― Many readers of Gundam Ace are parents themselves, but they often struggle with how to communicate these ideas to their children, as opportunities to discuss such topics are not easy to come by.

That is a struggle I share. The notion of being someone who can only survive within Tokyo, for instance, doesn’t sit well with me. That’s why I don’t entertain the notion of arrogance. I appreciate the time I have left, knowing that death could soon be upon me. Yet, this does not mean I wish to instill pessimism in children. I would never create a movie like Armageddon. Entertainment should be enjoyable; I want the children to feel uplifted. That’s why I created a fantastical action adventure known as G-Reco.

But remember, while anime can and should contain elements of fantasy, there’s also a need for a touch of reality. The book Tokarevs in Both Hands illustrates this well, uncovering the truth that Britain was not always the gentlemanly country we’ve come to know. As you read it, you begin to see the poverty and welfare problems of Britain and start to question its political trustworthiness. Have you heard of Britain’s Home Children system?

――― No, I’m not familiar with that.

I urge you to look it up. Essentially, it’s a system that forcibly relocated children to other countries that were colonial territories – a sort of expulsion of homeless children. Such an outrageous policy could only occur in a country like Britain, which held too many colonies. To fill the labor shortage in the colonies, they hunted homeless children and continued this practice until the 2010s—an unthinkable act. And guess what the reception centers in those colonies were? Churches, all because the government provided subsidies for them. Now hold on a moment… That’s no charity, is it? As a result, these children often lacked access to compulsory education and grew into adults without any formal schooling.

The harsh reality revealed by Tokarevs in Both Hands makes it a worthwhile read. Anime is finally being recognized as mainstream culture, and now it’s a matter of how we continue to communicate through it. Will it be worthwhile to watch? I, for one, am a man who attempted and failed to articulate the theory of Newtype through a giant robot anime like Gundam. However, today, I believe I’ve finally found a promising bud, and I’ve begun to think about the Newtype theory in a more realistic way.

NEWTYPES: EXISTENCE WITH SOCIETAL RIPPLE EFFECTS

―――You’ve mentioned President Zelenskyy as a budding Newtype. There were articles in other media where you’ve discussed baseball player Shohei Ohtani and shogi player Sota Fujii as Newtype.

I don’t remember exactly what I talked about in those articles, but I didn’t categorically claim them to be Newtype. My reasoning is this: Ohtani, as much as I sense immense potential in him, reeks too much of sweat to fully embody the idea of a Newtype. While he is remarkably distinct within the realm of baseball, I don’t view his talent as universally applicable. Perhaps, he might evolve…

―――What about Souta Fujii?

I cannot fully acknowledge him either. His prowess is undeniable, and his presence has indisputably elevated the whole realm of shogi, as evident by Yoshiharu Habu. However, much like Ohtani, his skills are limited to a specific category. A Newtype, as I perceive, transcends a singular field. They possess societal versatility and universal reach. Keeping this in mind, while I do acknowledge their talents, I wouldn’t categorize them as Newtype. When considering the concept of Newtype, I place great emphasis on societal impact.

―――Something akin to influence on social transformation?

That would be a fair way to put it. In the past, there wasn’t a need to consider such factors, but today, we have reached a point where if society isn’t transformed, the Earth won’t be able to sustain itself. So, I’m taking this matter very seriously.

To clarify, while discussing these two, a particular expertise often narrows one’s perspective. Their depth of understanding and imagination within their field is profound, but it isn’t as extensive elsewhere.

―――You mean they tend to delve deep into their field?

Indeed, a deepening of knowledge is commendable, but what I’m referring to are issues relating to human existence. We, as humans, grow daily, navigating through diverse processes in our lifetimes. Virtually no one can live purely through specialized actions. If you consider that even Tomitaro Makino (the model for the morning drama ‘Ranman’) had romantic feelings, it becomes clear.

One can see the potential impasse of relying solely on specialization. There needs to be a revolution in the way we think. However, words like ‘innovation’, ‘revolution’, ‘reform’ are as misleading as communism—they tend to push us towards a totalizing way of thinking, synonymous with socialism, which inevitably leads to totalitarianism.

Totalitarianism is akin to dictatorship; hence, by default, we should lean towards democracy. But democracy is perpetually plagued by the issue of populism—if we were to consider all public opinions, the end result would be indecisiveness. That brings us back to the paradox of needing some form of control over the whole.

―――Hence, the necessity of Newtype?

The Newtype I envision is an entity that transcends those limitations, one that integrates opposing views and the status quo, while simultaneously seeking a novel system or direction. Humanity needs an Aufheben – to transcend and sublate. This diverges from the traditional notion of revolution, and is certainly not the same as reform. This isn’t a matter of right or wrong. Considering its social impact, there’s hardly anyone, including those in their 30s, who can articulate and contemplate this issue accurately. They are all Oldtypes, and hence, President Zelenskyy is just a budding Newtype.

The children of today, aged around seven to thirteen, who can precisely grasp the explicit issues surfacing in Putin’s War, and discern a future path forward from a neutral perspective, are the ones who may embody the Newtype once they assume decision-making positions. It’s your generation’s duty to ensure they safely reach adulthood. This is something beyond my capabilities now, so please, do persevere.