Yoshiyuki Tomino is one of the living legends of the anime and manga industry. The mangaka has been ruling the mecha genre for more than four decades. Mobile Suit Gundam was released in 1979 and has since become one of the biggest franchises in the world. Gundam has multiple series, movies, and video games, and all of them happened due to Yoshiyuki Tomino.
Even though he is one of the most celebrated figures in Japan, he believes that he made a big mistake in his younger days. His masterpiece became so popular that the fans were not ready to see him in any other role. Eiichiro Oda faced the same scenario with One Piece, where no one would accept him in a different genre.
Gundam Has Its Advantages And Disadvantages
Mobile Suit Gundam revolutionized the mecha genre with giant robots shooting laser blasts during intergalactic wars. The humanoid mecha caught everyone’s attention, and they became more important than the inner message of the anime. The anime became a $26 Billion franchise, but it took away a massive opportunity from the mangaka. Yoshiyuki Tomino earned wealth and fame from the series but lost the ability to pursue another genre.
He was associated with Gundam, and the fans did not want to see him in another franchise. A mangaka of his stature could have excelled in any genre, but his working field was narrowed down. His narrative, world-building skills, character detailing, etc., were perfect. Even though he was multi-talented, he remained restricted to one series. When asked why it happened, he answered, “That’s because I never got any other job.”
Tomino and Gundam always go together and have become inseparable. Not only do the fans, but the studios also do not want to break their partnership. As a result, the mangaka never really got a chance to explore his options. He could easily create more masterpieces, but creating Gundam came with its advantages and disadvantages. Some even argue him to be a better storyteller than Eiichiro Oda. Unfortunately, both suffered because of the magnum opuses.
Yoshiyuki Tomino Wants The Anime And Manga Industry To Revert To The Old Days
Yoshiyuki Tomino created all of his works using analog line drawings. During his time, there was no concept of a digital pen. Even though digitalization has made it easier for manga artists to finish their work, the legendary mangaka believes that it will ultimately cause harm to the industry. He believes digitalization to be a momentary boom and has made the industry get a Disney makeover.
The manual hand drawing was more real compared to the modern generation methods. Many may argue against it, but most iconic manga artists like Eiichiro Oda, Akira Toriyama, Masashi Kishimoto, etc., all used the same method. Due to the analog drawings, the fans could witness the minute detailing and proper storytelling abilities of Yoshiyuki Tomino.
Mobile Suit Gundam is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
