{"id":24236,"date":"2017-11-11T12:37:48","date_gmt":"2017-11-11T20:37:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/?p=24236"},"modified":"2018-11-01T12:24:53","modified_gmt":"2018-11-01T19:24:53","slug":"265a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/265a\/","title":{"rendered":"Kia Asamiya interview, September 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1711icon\"<\/p>\n

From Ship\u2019s Log<\/em> fan club magazine #19, September 2017: for the first time, illustrator\/animator Kia Asamiya talks about his involvement in Yamato<\/em> from the very beginning as a loyal viewer to his first professional experience and finally his participation in both 2199<\/em> and 2202<\/em>.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> was the trigger to become an animator, and the first pro job was also Yamato<\/em>!!<\/h2>\n

Kia Asamiya is the animator of the opening and the illustrator of key visuals, and also works on box art for models. We listened to his love of Yamato<\/em>, an association that has been long and deep.<\/p>\n

From the Yamato Crew Premium fan club magazine <\/em>Ship\u2019s Log issue 19, September 23, 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Awakened to anime by Yamato<\/em>, and the first job as an animator was for Yamato<\/em>.<\/h3>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Was the broadcast of the Space Battleship Yamato<\/em> TV series your first Yamato<\/em> experience?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Yes, it was. I was a fifth grader at the time. In fact, I was paying attention before the broadcast. I saw a TV commercial and thought, \u201cWow, it\u2019s starting!\u201d I started watching without even thinking of other programs, and six months later I was already crazy about Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> It was said that Yamato<\/em> made you think about becoming an animator. What was it that attracted you?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> I didn\u2019t think about it at all when I was in elementary school, but the anime boom arrived when I was in the second year of junior high and the theatrical version of Yamato<\/em> was released (1977). Animage<\/em> was launched [in 1978]. When I read Animage<\/em> I saw a profession called \u201canimator,\u201d and I thought it would be great if you could pay for your meals by drawing pictures. I had to go to high school first, but \u201canimator\u201d existed as a later option. <\/p>\n

When I became a high school student, I was really immersed in anime, but it was quite an insular thing. You were looked down on for liking anime, and no one could talk about Yamato<\/em>. It was like being a closeted Christian. (Laughs) But in the end, I said to my teacher, \u201cfor my career, I want to become an animator\u201d and my teacher said, \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I explained it to the teacher and said, \u201cI want to go to a vocational school.\u201d He asked, \u201cCan you go to a vocational school to become an animator?\u201d I said, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cCan an animator feed himself?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do your parents say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re against it.\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s a sound argument. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> As a parent, I\u2019d want my child to be a civil servant with a stable income. However, my parents had gone to Tokyo for two years of vocational school, and if it didn\u2019t work out I\u2019d just come back anyway\u2026so that\u2019s how they sent me to vocational school.<\/p>\n


\n1983 promotion for <\/em>Mad Machine, a series that never aired, with mecha design by Nobuyoshi Habara.<\/em><\/p>\n

I went to Tokyo Designer Academy, and at that time I also learned about Nobuyoshi Habara. One day Animage<\/em> reported on a series from Reed Pro called Mad Machine<\/em>, and an illustration appeared by Nobuyoshi Habara. He wrote that he went directly to work at Reed Pro right out of high school, which was a big surprise. He was my age, but he had already drawn a copyrighted picture for Animage<\/em>. So what was I doing at a vocational school? I was impatient. I met Mr. Habara after I got free, and he\u2019s still one of my best friends in the industry.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

After graduation, I was able to go to work for a video company that was a subcontractor for Toei Animation. It was a good learning experience, since some members of the company were chosen to work on Nausicaa<\/em>. I drew about 1,000 pieces. I did in-betweens for Mr. Kaneda, Mr. Nakamura and Mr. Anno\u2019s key frames. One of them was Kushyana shouting. I wasn\u2019t able to talk to Hayao Miyazaki, but I was lucky enough to see work by people at the top of their craft.<\/p>\n

Actually, the first job I did at that video company was Final Yamato<\/em>. It was a shot of a Dengil Empire battleship firing a beam.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Then, your first job was\u2026<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Yes. The first work I did was on Yamato<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> When I think of Yamato<\/em> as the trigger that woke you up to animation, even though it\u2019s a coincidence it seems like fate. What did you do after that?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Since I was working as an animator, I got more work as an illustrator of laserdisc and video jackets, and I came to do Yamato<\/em> work because of that.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

2199<\/em> had to be accepted as the comeback of Yamato<\/em> to anime after 20 years.<\/h3>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> How about your relationship with Yamato 2199<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> I heard a rumor that 2199<\/em> would be made, but after I heard it the first time there was nothing more for a few years. One day I went to talk with Yutaka Izubuchi about another project, and he said, \u201cActually, I\u2019m working on Yamato<\/em> now.\u201d I said, \u201cI know, I know, I want to do it!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you want to see the designs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to see them!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen let\u2019s go.\u201d So we went somewhere else and he showed them to me. All I could say was, \u201cThis is good, this is cool!\u201d He said, \u201cDo you want to get on board this ship?\u201d<\/p>\n

I just talked to Mr. Izubuchi the other day and he said, \u201cI never said that.\u201d (Laughs) Nevertheless, thanks to him I got to do 2199<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Becoming Urashima Taro at the full CG site, and sudden pressure<\/h3>\n[Translator\u2019s note: Urashima Taro<\/a> is a character from Japanese folklore, a man who found himself thrust into the future where he was completely out of his depth.]
<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You went to the work site after that.<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> It had already gone to CG, so I felt like Urashima Taro. There was a lot of jargon I didn\u2019t understand, so I got some glossary documents from the production manager at Xebec. (Laughs) The first thing I worked on was a battle scene on the floating continent. I did original layouts. The storyboard was by Shinji Higuchi.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Suddenly, in an amazing place.<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right! Well\u2026I was on the scene for the first time in decades, and thinking about CG for the first time, since it was all CG scenes. Besides, I didn’t work on character scenes. I\u2019m all about mecha through and through. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Surrounded by full CG and storyboards by Mr. Higuchi. Sudden heavy pressure\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> I thought, \u201cwhoah!\u201d (Laughs) I was in charge of about 30 shots, and when the meeting was over I bumped into Mr. Habara. I said, \u201cI\u2019m doing about 30 shots or so\u2026\u201d and he said, \u201cEh? You\u2019re doing that much? They probably gave you the most because you\u2019re Kia Asamiya!\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Therefore, the part where they\u2019re on the floating continent firing live ammunition, it\u2019s all my layouts and timing. Generally, it is often thought that CG scenes are made of all CG, but there is a storyboard man and a layout man, and the movement reference is properly drawn. The CG people do a lot of work including the programming, but I want you to understand that the timing and layout of the movement is still an animator\u2019s drawing, after all.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You were also involved with the opening.<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Yes. One action shot with Kodai and Yuki, and the shot with the full view of Yamato<\/em> with Okita in the captain\u2019s room and Kodai, Yuki, and Shima. I had only three shots with characters. It was good to have been able to do the opening. I\u2019m always glad to see my name listed. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

After the episode with the floating continent, I also worked on the next episode. The scene of Susumu Kodai and the Garmilloid fighting on the stairs in the wrecked Yukikaze<\/em>. This time it was human action, and it was very hard. (Laughs)<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I was in the troubled state of Urashima Taro the whole time. I wasn\u2019t at all familiar with the first original and second original system. Because I did the first original, I didn\u2019t know how far I could go with the drawing, including shadows. Would I be responsible for the entire thing? I couldn\u2019t figure it out for a while. After that, I began to do more layout correction work. I did layout correction on the scenes of the equator-crossing ceremony and the observation room.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You also did the ending films for the TV broadcast.<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right, for the TBS rerun version. They had to review everything from my roughs. The mecha was done in CG, but my images for the ending were hand-painted. I had dinner with Mr. Habara, who told me, \u201cI saw the ending. I can do all those angles with CG!\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, but I did them by hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cREALLY!?\u201d (Laughs)<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s an anecdote unique to the times of \u201cCG mecha,\u201d isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> I do it by hand, and I\u2019ve been doing it that way for a long time now. I did various things for 2199<\/em> and it was fun.<\/p>\n


\nAsamiya (left) and Habara discuss their opening title sketches at a Yamatalk event, October 31 2017.<\/em><\/p>\n

The opening for 2202<\/em> was created in a family restaurant<\/h3>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> I\u2019d like to ask you about Yamato 2202<\/em>. This time, you were involved in the opening from the conceptual stage.<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> I was told that they wanted me to do the opening. I\u2019ve been doing opening titles with Mr. Habara since the days of Sonic Soldier Borgman<\/em>. This time, the two of us talked about it in a family restaurant. He gave out his ideas and I gave mine and we had a discussion and I drew them on the spot. He did the storyboard based on that.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You also did layouts, right?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Yes. In the end, I did the layouts and the original art. Once I got started I realized, \u201cYou know what? This is hard work!\u201d But I was na\u00efve about it, so I couldn\u2019t complain to anyone. (Laughs) I didn\u2019t make progress at all, and Mr. Habara said, \u201cThis is hard, isn\u2019t it?\u201d and I said, \u201cIt sure is!\u201d (Laughs) But I managed to finish it, and the backgrounds and special effects in the opening were wonderful. The characters were also painted with my style in mind. Truly, a background depends greatly on the power of special effects, and I\u2019m grateful.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You\u2019re also doing the box art for the model kits. What are you currently working on?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Currently I\u2019m doing the 1\/1000 Yamato 2202<\/em> model. It has to be done this month (August), and I think I\u2019ll finish the painting next week. I always talk with the person in charge at Bandai and get to draw what I want to draw, so I\u2019m grateful. I still think there needs to be a painting on model kit packaging, and even if it seems pretentious, I want to protect that tradition.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You\u2019re considered to be a guy with an active imagination for images.<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Oh, yeah. (Laughs) It is such an image. It\u2019s a scene of Yamato<\/em> taking off from the sea this time, and I personally wanted it to have the atmosphere of a ship model. The feeling of seeing it through a telephoto lens. The sea in front is rough, but the weather is sunny. Does it give you the feeling of seeing the launch scene from another angle?<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> My imagination is boiling. There are many ways you could come up with a diorama for the packaging, and such suggestions are good for a builder, too, aren\u2019t they?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> When the box art work started up, I thought, \u201cAll right!\u201d I was a plamodel kid. When all the box images were lined up at a store front, I always thought, \u201cAwesome!\u201d The next one I\u2019m working on will be for the Garmillas battleship set.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> I\u2019m looking forward to the future!<\/p>\n

The reason to work on Yamato<\/em> is because it\u2019s Yamato<\/em><\/h3>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> You were in charge of mecha for the key visual of Chapter 3, Pure Love Chapter<\/em>. How was the composition decided?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> The rough layout for the key visual comes from [Character Designer] Nobuteru Yuuki. He does the characters and I do the mecha. The CG team sends me the mecha (3D model) for reference, and I change the balance when I look at it. For example, the Cosmo Tiger II has changed its weight considerably. It is correct because it\u2019s CG data, but when you look at it it\u2019s unexpectedly stocky. <\/p>\n

The Cosmo Tiger II image in my head has its nose stretched out, which gives it a little more \u2018swoosh.\u2019 I also referred to the CG for Yamato<\/em>, and the weight balance has changed. For me, the best masterpiece in Yamato<\/em> is the scene where the high-speed carrier is destroyed in Episode 2 of the first TV series. The animation art by Kazuhide Tomonaga is the best. I want to get close to that.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> It has the atmosphere of a mini-climax\u2026<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> Oh, yeah! (Laughs) There are the main batteries and the secondary guns, but just the thin gun barrels. There\u2019s a part where I want to pay homage to Mr. Tomonaga\u2019s image a little.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> Even though it was drawn in 1974, it is still\u2026<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> It\u2019s really great. When the first and second main batteries come up in front of the bridge, it has the feeling of a mountain rising, doesn\u2019t it? That\u2019s the persuasive power of Mr. Tomonaga\u2019s picture, and a great story behind it that gets Mr. Habara going.<\/p>\n

For the Chapter 1 key visual, Yamato<\/em> rising from the sea is an arrangement of CG parts and Mr. Yuki\u2019s hand-drawn rough. I also added detail to Andromeda<\/em> in the key visual for Chapter 2. I asked Mr. Habara if I could detail it up to my liking, and he said he was glad I asked. I increased its density while keeping in mind what Masanori Niishi did on 2199<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Interviewer:<\/em><\/span> From the key visuals for the opening of 2202<\/em> to being in charge of the box art seems like a huge amount of work. Are you doing all of this because it\u2019s Yamato<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Asamiya:<\/em><\/span> That\u2019s right. I do it because it\u2019s Yamato<\/em>. Everything I\u2019ve done so far is because of Yamato<\/em>. It\u2019s really big. Thanks to Yamato<\/em> love, I think I can handle any amount of work.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

See galleries of Mr. Asamiya\u2019s Yamato<\/em> work at these pages:<\/p>\n

2199<\/em> art canvases<\/a> | 2199<\/em> art collection<\/a> | 2199<\/em> postcard set<\/a><\/p>\n

See his entry at Comic Book Database here<\/a><\/p>\n


\nBox art by Kia Asamiya for model kit reissues, December 2009<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[123,135],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-yamato-2202","category-yamato-2202-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24236"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24236\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24239,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24236\/revisions\/24239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24236"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24236"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourstarblazers.com\/vault\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}