Have you noticed? The art of SF movies is changing. The simple designs that Stanley Kubrick pursued for functional beauty in 2001: A Space Odyssey have been replaced by mecha that emphasize “character” in Star Wars and Alien. They are returning to decorative mecha that gives a sense of life.

Of course, there are pros and cons. The simple mecha of 2001 may be the most accurate prediction of our non-American lives. Here, we would like to introduce the world of Katsumi Itabashi, one of the creators of mecha filled with character.

As you can see from his profile, Itabashi studied under Leiji Matsumoto, whose work astonished manga fans and the manga world. He was also an assistant to Matsumoto-san, who was responsible for the “mechanical boom.” This was the beginning of his involvement in designing wonderful mecha concepts. We asked him about the most important points in creating concepts for mechanics and machines, not only for anime, but also for movies and TV shows.

Itabashi: A thing is a thing, right? Even if you give them human-like personalities, they become anthropomorphic. It gets strange, doesn’t it? It would be fine for gag manga, but…in the case of SF for example, there is Analyzer in Yamato, C-3PO and R2-D2 in Star Wars, and so on.

But for battleships and fighter planes, performance is the most important point. Of course, a sense of intimidation and speed are also important, and these can be expressed by the body style of the spaceship. But what is similar to the character of a person? The performance of each ship and aircraft — speed, power, equipment, weapons, etc, I think this is the part that especially requires plausibility.

Interviewer: Matsumoto-sensei often draws spaceships and robots that borrow ideas or forms from insects, animals, plants, and other natural objects. What is the origin of your ideas for mecha and machines?

Itabashi: I don’t have anything so fanciful as an origin of my ideas. Of course, there are works in which I used images from the natural world, such as caterpillar-shaped fighter planes and Mizusumashi-class torpedo boats. But the fundamental idea behind the work of both Matsumoto-sensei and myself is originality. What supports this is the power of observation.

It may sound a bit exaggerated, but all you have to do is look carefully at real world machines and mecha such as ships and airplanes. That becomes a latent image when it comes time to draw. The ideas will be selected from what’s in your head and synthesized to create a new type of image. I believe that the power of observation is the source of creativity.

Interviewer: I see. A mindset that pays close attention to the smallest details. How careful do you have to be in order to express that specifically in mecha?

Itabashi: Anime, which is two-dimensional, can only be expressed in lines and surfaces. So, how to express mecha-ness? I think the only way to express its uniqueness is to look at and study real mecha. Even if it’s just a curve or a straight line, it will be different if it’s based on the texture of the real thing rather than drawn from your imagination.

If you create a real spaceship or even a crazy, distorted one, fans won’t be satisfied. I don’t like making them that way either. So, what’s likely to satisfy everyone? I think it’s born from imagination and creativity after carefully observing existing ships and aircraft. It’s a way to create a unique presence. It also means making sure to account for the parts that cannot be seen.

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