Interview with Animation Creator Junichi Yamamoto [2/3]

Yamamoto told us in the first part of the interview that “in the end, movies and anime give us hope.” He started from copying other creators’ works, and now he is challenging himself in creating work of his own. What is it that motivated him to walk the road of an animation creator?

TOM: Is it true that even among anime, you especially like the Digimon Adventure series?
Yamamoto: I love it! I play the PSP game every day. I finished it and now I’m playing it for the second time.

Digimon is very famous. I feel that Digimon has changed my world. The members who gathered in the anime were good. Mamoru Hosoda and Hiroyuki Kakudo [1], along with producer Hiromi Seki [2] were all involved in the production, and the songs were also magical and wonderful. Digimon wasn’t created by one genius, it is the result of the chemical reaction of everyone’s good performances. When I was watching Digimon as a child, I was shocked in a positive way. The shock was so strong that there is no doubt it swelled my desire for making anime.

Digimon was created with the approach that children are equal to adults. It never makes light of children; that's why it was able to win their hearts. I remember how I thought the creator’s approach was cool. Through public broadcast, it equally reaches children with different family backgrounds and becomes their place to cling to. They truly admire it. I too want to make things that shake up other people, and myself as well, in the process.

TOM: Before the interview, we asked you via email, “If you could have one of the following things, which one would you choose: Kamen Rider’s [3] belt, a time machine, or the ideal lover?” Your answer was Kamen Rider’s belt. What is the true meaning behind that?
Yamamoto: On a commercial basis, you could say being able to make anime that entertain people is a unique ability; it is the power to make people happy by broadcasting anime on public television. That power (including luck) is not something everyone has. It is talent and the fruits of hard work, something only a minority of people can pull off. Kamen Rider’s belt is one such thing. I think the person wearing that belt has a responsibility that he cannot avoid fighting, in other words, the responsibility of power. The belt would be wasted on someone who doesn’t even notice it. Of course, this doesn’t only refer to making anime. Every person is born with a unique belt of their own. Some people excel at composing music, others excel at writing literary compositions. Making delicious food is also one of these abilities, isn’t it?

There are also people who realize the existence of their belt, but pretend not to see it. I catch sight of people who reluctantly choose a future where they can’t demonstrate their powers. This can be because of various reasons, such as being concerned with how they will be viewed by society or if the risk is too big. So, when I see people like this, I kind of want to control them with a game controller, like “no, that’s not your path! This way, this way!” (laughs)

TOM: So, Yamamoto, you believe in the existence of your own belt, and chose the path of a freelancer. Have you felt conflicted by that choice?
Yamamoto: Right now, I’m accepting various job offers, and I’m in the middle of widening my field. Sometimes there are things I don’t like so much, but there are no strong conflicts. The fun of learning various styles and movie syntax, these feelings have the upper hand. I want to become a creator who always surprises the people around me, freeing myself with new styles in the process. That’s why, it is possible that tomorrow I’ll be tackling an entirely different thing. Jobs where you can experience conflicts on the contrary act as stimuli; they are walls that are worth challenging.

© Junichi Yamamoto

Notes:
[1]: Animation director. He directed Digimon Adventure and Digimon Adventure 02. His latest work is Saint Seiya Omega.

[2]: An anime producer affiliated with Toei Animation. The main works he supervised include the Magical DoReMi series, Ashita no Nadja, and HeartCatch PreCure!.

[3]: A special effects hero series based on Shotaro Ishinomori’s original work. It is a drama where the main character transforms into a hero by the power of his belt and battles mysterious, evildoers.