From the Star Blazers/Yamato Premium Fan Club magazine Vol. 17: Yasushi Ishizu, mecha designer for the Garmillas side of the remakes, discusses his craft from the very beginning of 2199 all the way through 2205. How did he tackle the enormous responsibility of modernizing the classics? Find out in this expansive interview.

Mechanical Designer Yasushi Ishizu Interview

Depicting Garmillas: The Craftsman’s Journey

Yasushi Ishizu has been in charge of the mechanical designs for the enemy forces, the Garmillas, since the planning stages. The Garmillas designs, along with the Earth ship mechanical designs handled by Junichiro Tamamori, form the core of the remake series. How did mechanical designer Yasushi Ishizu come to take this path, becoming the “artisan” in charge of depicting Garmillas? We look back on his journey, along with never-before-seen visual materials he has selected (the background is a rough sketch used to confirm the shape of the unpublished “Reflector Satellite Cannon”).

Translated by Anton Mei Brandt

Debuting as a Mecha Designer but Shifting to the Game Industry After a Few Years?

Interviewer: First, could you share what led you to working in the anime industry?

Ishizu: During my student days, I attended a workshop hosted by Crystal Art Studio, the predecessor of Studio Nue. Masahiro Chiba, and others I would later work with on Super Dimension Century Orguss, were also participants. There, they invited me with the question, “Why don’t you do some part-time work?” That’s how I got started with part-time mecha design work in the anime industry. The first thing I worked on was Golden Warrior Gold Lightan. Shoji Kawamori was in charge of the mecha designs, but due to circumstances he had to take a break for a while, so I joined as his replacement/substitute.

Interviewer: What did you work on for Gold Lightan?

Ishizu: Just enemy mecha that appeared in one episode. I also designed some of the small props that show up briefly. I would do the rough drafts and pass them to Kazutaka Miyatake, who would clean them up. It’s the opposite of the usual order, but Miyatake said, “That way is much more efficient.” Looking back, he may have been right that laying out the structure of the drawing first works better.

Interviewer: With that experience under your belt, you then officially joined as a mechanical design collaborator on Orguss, right?

Ishizu: When I was first asked to work on Orguss, I thought “Huh, me?” I was told I would be taking over from Miyatake, which was a bit daunting. My first thought was “Can I really do this?” That’s how I started on that job. To be honest, I don’t have very fond memories of Orguss. As a result, I ended up moving away from the anime industry for a while after that.

Interviewer: What were you doing during that time away?

Ishizu: I was directing, or more like supervising, games. I spent about seven years straight working on a tank game called Panzer Front. During that time, I hardly drew at all.

The Garmillas Design Concept Built Together with “Comrades in arms/war buddies”

Interviewer: What led to your return to the anime industry after that?

Ishizu: Yutaka Izubuchi. (Laughs) I was having trouble getting any game projects green-lit and was just drifting around when Izubuchi contacted me, “Why don’t you do some anime again for rehab?” That (work) was Toward the Terra.

Interviewer: When I spoke to Izubuchi before, he said, “Since Ishizu-san looks at similar things as me, if I say, ‘I want to do something like that,’ he immediately gets what I mean and can draw it.”

Ishizu: We do go way back. (Laughs) So I understand what he’s looking for. I suppose our tastes are pretty close. That’s probably why I was put in charge of the Garmillas designs for the remake. In the early stages, Izubuchi and I were both working on developing the Garmillas aesthetic.

Interviewer: What kind of back-and-forth did you two have while co-designing the Garmillas?

Ishizu: First I’d show him rough designs and say “How about something like this?” Then he’d go “Not quite, more like this.” We went back and forth like that a number of times. The one we had the hardest time agreeing on was the scout plane, the FG156 Sumaruhi. I think we went back and forth for over 2 months on that one. Finally, I proposed, “What if we use the Zeon forces as a reference?” and Izubuchi said “That’s it!” So that’s how we settled on it. (Laughs)

Interviewer: What exactly did you mean by “using the Zeon forces as a reference”?

Ishizu: Basically, making the (Garmillas) designs lean a bit more toward human-like aesthetics. The Zeon force designs from the early Gundam had kind of an alien feel to them, didn’t they?

Interviewer: A prime example would be the Zeon headquarters tower.

Ishizu: Exactly. (Laughs) That thing is totally alien-looking. Having something similar in mind is what let us break through on that (subject).

Designing Massive Battleships is a Continuous “Soul-Grinding” Task

Interviewer: For the Gatlantis designs that debuted in Ark of the Stars, how did you approach differentiating them from Garmillas?

Ishizu: I didn’t particularly consciously try to differentiate them from Garmillas. The original Gatlantis mecha designs already had a pretty well-defined concept, so I just modernized those.

Interviewer: Were there any mecha you particularly struggled with?

Medalusa TV version (by Katsumi Itabashi) and Playstation version (by Kazutaka Miyatake)

Ishizu: Probably the Gatlantis Megaluda. The Medalusa it was based on (from Yamato 2) used very loose, flowing lines in the design, you know? At first I tried working from that. So the overall length was only around 200m because no matter how I calculated it, that’s as big as it would get.

Then Miyatake’s Playstation version design elements were incorporated bit by bit until we arrived at the final version. We made pretty quick progress packing all that work into a short period. Designing 300m-class ships is kind of a “soul-grinding” experience though. You constantly have to keep in mind, “Is this the right size relative to a human?” It’s really draining. Tamamori-san said similar things. He mentioned Miyatake had said something along those lines, too. (Laughs)

Interviewer: It can look totally different when converted to 3D CG models too, even if the 2D art looks right.

Ishizu: Definitely. Since we assume CG will be used, being able to design in actual meter units helps capture the proportions accurately. There’s no way to draw the early Gostok-class missile battleships by hand anymore. That’s just impossible. (Laughs)

Shulz’ battleship, original designs by Naoyuki Kato (angles) and Kazutaka Miyatake (plan version)

Refining the Essence Left by Predecessors into Modern Designs

Ishizu: I brought some materials that Yamato Fan Club readers might find interesting. These are from when I was working on the Schulz ship (Gaiderol-class Space Battleship) designs for 2199. At the top is (Kazutaka) Miyatake’s design art, the bottom is (Naoyuki) Kato’s concept art from 1974, and in the middle are my own rough sketches from when I was designing it. We laid them out like this to explore how to adapt it for the new anime.

Interviewer: Lining them up, you can really see how Miyatake and Kato’s approaches differed considerably.

Ishizu: Quite a difference, yes.

Interviewer: And you’re picking elements from each – this part is riffing on Kato’s version, etc?

Ishizu: Exactly. As we progressed, Izubuchi’s red pen notes indicated adjustments, like “Maybe shift the intake further back?” At this point it was 320m long. Though it ended up 350m in the final version.

Interviewer: I’m seeing these roughs for the first time too.

Ishizu: This is the initial rough I submitted for the Deusula (Core Ship). The proportions are a bit more slender here. I showed this to Izubuchi and he said “No, not quite” and sent over his own rough (sketch) instead. I basically just traced over that for the finalized design. At this rough stage, the balance matches Kato’s original approach. I was working from his concept, adapting it (with) modern design sensibilities (in mind).

Interviewer: And there’s no Dessler Cannon at this point.

Ishizu: Yeah, we decided from the outset not to include/load the Dessler Cannon. So we buried the tip of the gun and made it protrude.

Interviewer: With the nod to the Dessler palace’s shape from the old series, it’s got a really iconic Garmillas look.

Ishizu: I ended up doing a lot of this kind of “wasted” work. (Laughs) Though in the end, it’s not really wasted; it’s all part of the verification/review process.

Interviewer: Aligning your vision with the director’s is crucial. Did you go through a similar process on more recent works?

Ishizu: No, just that first 2199 project felt like groping our way through establishing an approach for the remake series.

Interviewer: The experience must have allowed you to develop your own formula for constructing the Garmillas mecha going forward.

Ishizu: There may be some truth to that. While working on 2199, I was picking up on how Izubuchi conceived of “what Garmillas should be.” There were several points where I thought “That rationale makes sense,” so I incorporated those ideas.

Mecha Design Efforts That May Never Be Broadcast

Interviewer: As you mentioned earlier, the “Schulz ship” left the biggest impression on you among the 2199 mecha?

Ishizu: Another memorable one is the Scheherazade interstellar transport ship from Iscandar. That was probably the first finalized mecha design submitted for the remake series.

Interviewer: Symbolizing your “first step” into 2199?

Ishizu: It did feel like things were finally getting started. At that point, I don’t think any other designers had finalized designs yet. Mr. Tamamori had just begun working on Yamato itself. I drew the Scheherazade in December 2008, then the Schulz ship the following summer. I must have been sketching all sorts of things in that six month gap.

There was a period where the remake project stalled too, but we all kept designing without stopping. My thought was “If it falls through, at least I got to design a Schulz ship I was happy with”. (Laughs) Once I completed a version I could be satisfied with, I felt I could walk away content.

The Changing Environment Between 2202 and 2205

Interviewer: Moving into 2202 without Mr. Izubuchi as your partner, you continued designing for the Gatlantis forces from Ark of the Stars. Was there any trial and error involved?

Ishizu: Being a sequel with a tight schedule, we dove into 2202‘s production without the meticulous preliminary meetings we had for 2199. I just steadily continued the design work under those circumstances. Even for something major like the Large Battleship [Kalaklum], I only received broad instructions. In that sense, getting less feedback from the production staff than before was a bit unsettling. (Laughs)

Interviewer: Any particularly memorable moments while working on 2202?

Ishizu: Just that it was incredibly grueling. (Laughs) The order timing for the Large Battleship, the missile ships, and also Baruzey [Apocalix-class carrier] all overlapped, so I wondered “Can I really get all this done?” The Neu Deusula orders piled up, too. 2202 was really tough. I didn’t even meet anyone on staff – maybe the director Nobuyoshi Habara once? It wasn’t until 2205 that I finally met Harutoshi Fukui and Hideki Oka in person. From then on, we collaborated back-and-forth, exchanging ideas like we do now.

Interviewer: Sounds like communication with the production greatly improved.

Ishizu: Fukui must have facilitated that, yes.

Interviewer: Of the 2205 designs you worked on, which left a particular impression?

Ishizu: The Deusula III took quite a bit of time. Also, the Garmillas hospital and evacuation ships – those were basically just for fun. I don’t think Fukui and the others planned to feature them, but since I designed them already they figured, “Why not use them?”

Interviewer: Like the Balanodon transport ships?

Ishizu: Heavy equipment haulers. (Laughs) I figured why not include those? Garmillas is a military nation, so they don’t really have civilian ships. For this, I incorporated commercial vessel designs, too. Garmillas society doesn’t seem to have much beyond military applications.

Interviewer: With large-scale emigration to Earth underway by 2205, beyond just diplomatic personnel, we may see more Garmillas civilian ships appear in 3199.

Ishizu: If so, I’ll have to design those too I suppose. (Laughs)

Drawing is Torture!? Yet the Reason He Continues…

Interviewer: You’ve worked in both anime and games. What do you find rewarding or appealing about anime mecha design work specifically?

Ishizu: Good question, I’ve never really thought about it. (Laughs) It’s almost like being at war – “If I don’t design these weapons quickly, we’ll lose the battle!” That’s the mindset I slip into.

Interviewer: A sense of duty, then?

Ishizu: Maybe similar to the line in the Yamato theme song: “Someone must take up this task.”

Interviewer: But you enjoy the actual process of drawing the designs, don’t you?

Ishizu: Not at all. Drawing itself is torture for me. I only enjoy the conceptualization part.

Interviewer: Yet you’ve continued this line of work since returning to it.

Ishizu: I have, since there’s nothing else I can really do now. (Laughs)

Interviewer: Like they say about pro athletes – you were just good at this so it became your path.

Ishizu: Could be. More simply, I just really like mecha.

Interviewer: In that sense, you could say the encounters and opportunities you’ve had were fortuitous.

Ishizu: Yes, you could view my path that way – I’ve been lucky.

Interviewer: It’s quite rare to find opportunities in this anime mecha design niche to begin with, let alone make it your life’s work.

Ishizu: To be honest, I’m not even sure if mecha design properly qualifies as a “profession” for me personally.

Interviewer: You still have doubts?

Ishizu: Yes, constant doubts.

Interviewer: Any advice for young designers aspiring to get into mecha work?

Ishizu: Are there really any these days? Manga artists and illustrators often handle mecha designs now. Or people come in from industrial design backgrounds. I don’t think anyone specifically aims for “mecha designer” as a career path anymore.

I was just discussing this with Izubuchi the other day – the peak for dedicated mecha designers was really the 80s. That was the heyday when the craft truly shined. Nowadays I don’t think there are many pursuing it single-mindedly. For me, it wasn’t about aiming for “mecha design” so much as just really liking submarines, tanks, that kind of thing. Mecha work is just where those interests naturally led. It found me, more than me specifically pursuing it.

Interviewer: Following your passions, in other words?

Ishizu: Exactly, that’s where you arrive. So I wonder if there really are people nowadays “pursuing it” in that focused way. I feel like there are more creators who happen to also do cool mecha designs for their own manga or whatnot. With that perspective, I can’t offer much advice. The only path is through genuine enthusiasm for the subject matter.

The Deusula – A Blossoming Lotus for the Seated Buddha!

Interviewer: If you do eventually retire someday, do you have any unfulfilled ambitions?

Ishizu: Retire… I’m not sure, really.

Interviewer: Do you see yourself continuing to take work as long as production keeps calling?

Ishizu: Probably. A lot of people talk about “retirement,” but what does that really mean? Kunio Okawara is still actively working at his age, right?

Interviewer: Of course, he’s still very active professionally.

Ishizu: And Miyatake is still going, too. What exactly is “retirement age” for a mecha designer, anyway? (Laughs)

Interviewer: When you mentioned feeling “drained,” I thought maybe you wanted to step away and just relax somewhere.

Ishizu: I do get that urge, yes. But then maybe something new would come along, who knows?

Interviewer: It’s not that you want to quit this line of work entirely, then?

Ishizu: Right, I’ve never actually wanted to quit. I’m still not even sure what exactly qualifies as the “mecha designer” profession, really.

Interviewer: Lastly, (do you have) a message for the Yamato fans awaiting the eventual 3199 sequel?

Ishizu: I can only really say, “Please keep waiting” since I’m in that same boat myself. (Laughs) I’ve never really thought much about the audience beyond the immediate production. Just making it is already an all-consuming task. At most, my thoughts only extend as far as the back-and-forth with Fukui and Oka over the work itself. I don’t really consider much beyond that, same as always.

Interviewer: You’re focused on seeing your own designs realized and brought to life, then?

Ishizu: There could be some truth to that. Maybe part of the fulfillment is going “Oh, that turned out well” or “Ah, that was a miss!” Possibly that sense of a craftsman evaluating his own work is part of what drives me.

Interviewer: A real artisan’s mentality.

Ishizu: I’m not sure about that “artisan” label, but Oka did once refer to me as a “Buddhist sculptor” of sorts. (Laughs) I thought that was an odd thing to say at the time. Does that make spaceships my “Buddhist statues” or something (laughs)?

Interviewer: Imbuing spacecraft with your spiritual hopes and wishes! (Laughs)

Ishizu: I imagine all designers invest their works with personal thoughts and concepts to some degree. Hopefully those come across, though sometimes they absolutely don’t and people just pan the designs. (Laughs) Nothing you can do about that, I suppose.

Interviewer: If spaceships are your “Buddhist statues,” then the Deusula is the blossoming lotus that Buddha sits upon!

Ishizu: I see! The Deusula as a lotus blossom, huh. (Laughs) I can roll with that, sure.

Profile: Yasushi Ishizu

Born in Chiba Prefecture. Made his debut in 1983 as a mecha designer collaborating with Kazutaka Miyatake, Masahiro Chiba and others on Super Dimension Century Orguss. Subsequently worked on titles like Macross: Do You Remember Love? and Dirty Pair (TV and OVA). Currently an active freelance mechanical designer.

See his credit list at Anime News Network here

Sketch commentaries

Initial rough sketch of the Sumaruhi scout plane that appears in Yamato 2199, Episode 1. According to Ishizu, he and general director Izubuchi had difficulty aligning their image for this design initially, since Ishizu made it look too alien. Using “the Zeon forces” from Gundam as an example of something between an alien world and the real one helped them settle on the direction for the Garmillas military designs going forward.

The Medalusa-class Heavy Assault Battleship Megaluda, prepared for the Yamato 2199 movie Ark of the Stars was originally based on the Medalusa that appeared in Yamato 2, designed by Leiji Matsumoto and Katsumi Itabashi (300m class). It also incorporated elements from Kazutaka Miyatake’s version from the Farewell to Yamato PS game. Details like the number of gun turrets and overall size proportions were re-examined.

The “Schulz ship” or Gaiderol-class Space Battleship is cited by Ishizu as one of his favorite designs from working on renewing the Garmillas mecha for 2199. To find the right direction, he sketched his own concept (middle) between Miyatake’s established design (top) and Kato’s 1974 version (bottom).

The finalized 3-view drawing below incorporates that balance, with Izubuchi’s red pen notes indicating revisions on Ishizu’s inked rough concept. The need for 3D modeling is likely why they fine-tuned the design in orthographic views.

Initial rough sketch for the Deusula (Core Ship) that was rejected

An early rough of what would become the Deusula II Core Ship carrying Dessler. The distinctive Dessler Cannon at the bow, a signature of previous Dessler ships, was omitted from the start per director Izubuchi’s instructions. The slender proportions actually resemble the crumbling tower of the Dessler palace that fell from Gamilas’ hanging city during the final battle in the old series. Since the 2199 version didn’t feature a hanging city and the palace was a ground-based building instead, the more spacecraft-like finalized Deusula made more sense.

Initial rough for the Scheherazade interstellar transport, previously mentioned to have been Ishizu’s first submitted design for the remake. Even at the rough stage, you can see he referenced Leiji Matsumoto’s comic designs for details like the proportions and balance.

Rough sketches testing 400m (top) and over 1000m (bottom) scales for the “Baruzey” (later renamed Apocalyx), the Gatlantis flagship commanded by Admiral Baruzey

In previous works, the Baruzey was only around 315m long, so the initial 400m explorations (top) make sense given the largest Gatlantis ships like the Naska-class Strike Carrier were set at 334m in Ark of the Stars. However, the director requested an even more massive 1240m length, leading to the heavily-detailed design on the right, adjusted for that incredible scale. A 400-450m version may have been viable for model kit production.

Rough sketches of the Neu Deusula from top/bottom, side and front views at 768.5m length

Built around the core ship that escaped the scuttled Deusula II in 2199, with a new Gatlantis-designed hull grafted on. While the Deusula II was 638m, this upgraded version is around 20% larger at 768m with nearly double the weapon complements. The isometric projections show top/bottom (top image) and front/rear (bottom image) to fully capture the 3D form. Labeling dimensions was likely done to help facilitate using existing 3D Gatlantis weapon assets at appropriate scales.

Ishizu’s proposed landing gear design for the Gelvadez-class carrier

Seen landing at the Domel fleet’s spaceport on Garmillas in 2199 Episode 19. Previous Yamato works rarely depicted landing gears, so their inclusion here adds realism. The tracked pads rather than tires convey the ships’ immense weight, with the angled shock-absorbing struts indicating flexibility in motion.

Ishizu’s self-rejected bridge interior concept for the Gaipelon-class

An abandoned bridge interior concept by Ishizu for the “Triple Decker” Gaipelon-class multilayer carrier. While self-rejected, it captures all the key elements of a Garmillas bridge. The remake aimed to maintain consistent scales between exterior ship sizes and interior spaces.