Yoshiyuki Tomino has always been straightforward with his answers. He never felt shy about answering something related to the Gundam franchise or the anime and manga industry. The 82-year-old mangaka created the first Gundam anime in 1979, which has turned into a multi-billion dollar franchise. People are massive fans of his works, but not so much of his words.
The anime and manga industry has changed for the good. It has gone mainstream and has attracted millions of overseas viewers. With digitalization’s help, manga artists can design their characters using computer graphics. Being a mangaka of the older generation, Tomino is dead against computers taking over hand-drawn characters.
Yoshiyuki Tomino Is Not A Fan Of Computer Graphics
Computer graphics has the entire anime and manga industry within its grasp. While the old generation mangaka is shifting to digitalization, the new generation is beginning their career using G-Pen to design their characters. The analog line drawing has become a concept of the past and most manga artists do not have so much to carefully design their characters. However, the Gundam creator believes that hand-drawn pictures are better than computer graphics.
When asked to share his thoughts on integrated computer graphics, Yoshiyuki Tomino said, “I think the original drawings are far superior to the CG characters. If I had a choice between a hand-drawn Mickey Mouse and a CG Mickey Mouse, I’d go with the hand-drawn Mickey Mouse. There must be something in between.” The mangaka also said that he is not a fan of Pixar or Disney, and Astro Boy in 3D left a poor impression on him.
Hand-drawn pictures have a certain aura about them. They carry the essence of the creator, but the CGI characters often feel weird and out of shape. Manga artists have a busy schedule, especially those who are publishing chapters weekly. They shift to digitalization because of the work pressure.
However, the true form of a manga can only be enjoyed when the characters are hand-drawn. So, even though digitalization has benefits, Tomino still prefers the old way.
Yoshiyuki Tomino Regretted Making Gundam About Giant Robots
Mobile Suit Gundam premiered in 1979 and instantly became a massive hit. Since then, there has been so much stopping the franchise with more movies and anime released in the upcoming years. Even though Gundam helped Yoshiyuki Tomino earn worldwide fame, he regretted making it based on giant robots involved in intergalactic wars. The anime had a hidden meaning that most of the fans failed to recognize.
They were busy with their obsession with the androids. Tomino also regretted making the anime too focused on wars, even though the target audience was children. On the other hand, the movies had fewer wars and more stories but were targeted at adults. Yoshiyuki Tomino always wanted the best for the industry, and even though his words sound bitter, fans realize the hidden meaning later.
Mobile Suit Gundam is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
