Interview and text by Daisuke Sakaya (A4studio)

■ ANNOUNCED IN 2006, IT FINALLY DEBUTS!

At long last, we get to see that continuation!

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM is an entirely new work in the SEED series that’s finally debuting on January 26th.

The TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED aired for one year, from October 2002 to October 2003. Then, the sequel Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY aired for one year, from October 2004 to October 2005. Production of a theatrical film of the SEED series was announced in 2006, but after many twists and turns, it is being released about 20 years after the TV series.

So, on the eve of the release, I conducted an interview with Mitsuo Fukuda, the director of the SEED series.

■ WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE CRITICISM AND PRAISE DURING SEED’S BROADCAST?

――With the SEED movie’s release just around the corner, could you share with us some of your candid feelings about it now?

Fukuda: It’s a bizarre feeling, you know? I’m like, “Are we really doing this?” (laughs). For me, it doesn’t feel like 20 years have passed, more like just two or three. So, I’ve been working hard on this with the mindset that not much time has passed.

――When the first SEED series was broadcast, there were many initial criticisms from fans, like, “Isn’t it just ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ all over again?” However, as the story progressed into the midway point and beyond, the major plot twists and developments led to wide acclaim and praise. How did you feel back then?

Fukuda: I didn’t pay too much attention to that (laughs). It’s got Gundam in the title, and there’s a huge fanbase from the original. That criticism comes with the territory when you try something new. People around me had warned me not to look at comments online, so I actually didn’t know perceptions changed midway through. It was only later, when I heard about the incredible DVD sales, that I realized its success. Even after SEED wrapped up, I didn’t really have a sense of how big a hit it had become.

――The SEED series went on to revive and become the “pioneer ancestor” of the entire Gundam franchise, also giving birth to other popular works over the past 20 years like Gundam 00 and The Witch from Mercury. Have you watched any of them?

Fukuda: I haven’t, actually. I knew on some level that if I watched those other shows before finishing FREEDOM, they might seep into my consciousness and influence me. Whether I liked it or not. I decided not to watch any new Gundam shows until FREEDOM was wrapped up.

――Is this part of your style as a director? Was there any point in making this new work where you felt production should stop completely?

Fukuda: No, it kept going steadily the whole time. At my workplace, there were always draft scripts and outlines around. It’s like I’m still in the mindset from 20 years ago. But I do worry if the story and themes seem outdated.

――I was particularly interested in how Kira Yamato, our main character, would be depicted in this new work. In SEED, his struggles and growth were central, but in DESTINY, he seemed more enlightened, almost like a sage who had comprehended everything. This made me wonder if expressing emotions as a main character was challenging.

Fukuda: In DESTINY, there wasn’t much “drama” piled on Kira, unlike the protagonist, Shinn Asuka. Kira had already reached his conclusions about what needed to be done, so he didn’t have conflicts and seemed like he was taking the long view (seemed like he was enlightened). But more than enlightened, I’d say he was just emotionally exhausted by DESTINY. So, for FREEDOM, I wanted to walk Kira’s arc back. After all, he was originally just your average, non-political college student (laughs). So this time, I’ve created a “dramatic” situation for Kira that troubles him, and once again, I’ve depicted him as someone who frets and struggles through his conflicts.

―― We definitely seem to see a return to the Kira from his days in SEED. Despite being the main character in DESTINY, Shinn had some dark aspects, though he has a more positive demeanor in the film, and I thought, “This is the kind of Shinn’s performance I wanted to see!” so it was a pleasant surprise. (laughs)

Fukuda: With so many characters in the SEED series, it’s tough to give them all spotlight scenes. Obviously, a 2-hour movie can only show so much, and honestly, I didn’t want to cut anyone. But Shinn did sink into darkness in DESTINY, while initially he’s a sweet, straightforward kid brother character. So I’m glad we could show his brighter side this time.

■ OBSESSIVELY DETAILED MOBILE SUIT BATTLES

―― In this latest work, what were your particular focuses on the mobile suit battles?

Fukuda: The biggest difference from the TV series is the incorporation of 3D CG for the mobile suit depictions. But we didn’t make everything CG – it’s a hybrid of traditional hand-drawn animation and 3D CG. Some scenes were easier to express with CG, while others had more impact with hand-drawn. so we used both appropriately. We made sure to use each method where it suited best.

―― So, viewers can enjoy spotting which parts are hand-drawn and which are CGI?

Fukuda: Exactly. For the finer detail work, I was really meticulous with the sense of speed and motion for things like missiles and beam weaponry. Missiles don’t fly at a speed where they linger on screen. Beams are even faster than that. So, portraying effects like that realistically was a priority.

―― High-speed mobile suit battles are a hallmark of the SEED series, after all.

Fukuda: Yeah, that’s the impression a lot of fans have. We’ve got some young staffers who grew up as SEED fans themselves. But early on, there was a bit of disconnect around what constituted SEED-esque action to them. The way the younger staffers thought it should look was basically modeled on climactic battle sequences from late in the TV series. But if you look back, battles in the first half were portrayed as more grounded – focused on realistic robot mechanics and movements that your eyes could still track.

―― That makes sense now that you mention it.

Fukuda: Over the course of the TV series’ 1-year runtime, we gradually ramped up the speed and intensity of the battles to represent the mobile suits technologically evolving and becoming more powerful. We compressed that same concept into the 2-hour runtime here. So some staff tried to make the suits move incredibly fast, even in the early scenes, because they thought that was SEED-like. I had to remind them to save that look for the finale. For the opening, we went for realism, without tricky movements, to maintain a sense of authenticity.

―― It wasn’t just the mobile suits; the battleship combat was also impressive to watch.

Fukuda: Well, I’m a huge battleship fan personally, so portraying them as badass was a top priority for me. Any fellow battleship fanatics out there should take note of the sleek new designs we’ve got! And I made a personal commitment that I would properly depict these warships taking flight this time! (laughs)

―― The SEED series has always been big on paying homage to legacy Gundam works, and this film was jam-packed with references! Some almost felt like self-referential celebrations of SEED itself – giving the movie an appropriate “festival” atmosphere!

Fukuda: I consciously included a lot of those references, specifically to works like the original Mobile Suit Gundam and Char’s Counterattack, plus even references to Metal Armor Dragonar, which I directed. There are lots of subtle ones, too, so you’ll impress me if you spot them all (laughs)!

―― With all these crowd-pleasing scenes back-to-back, any Gundam or SEED fans absolutely need to experience this one on the big screen!