Interview with Gen Urobuchi, Composer and Scriptwriter of “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet” [3/4]

The secret of being a writer

Ishikawa: Well then, onto the next question. You have written scripts, scenarios, and novels for works other than Gargantia as well. Could you please talk about how you ended up as a writer? Was there something that spurred you on?

Urobuchi: Well, it was an outcome of something else. You know, I failed once.

Ishikawa: Is that so?

Urobuchi: I had a period when I wanted to become a light novel writer. I didn’t have luck with my submitted works, so I figured I should become an ordinary working adult. I entered a design company, and the topic of making a new erotic game came up.

Ishikawa: A game?

Urobuchi: Yes. At that time, I came forward, saying, “Actually, I used to write novels before,” and was told that I could try to make the scenario. So that is how it started. I gave up once, but found my luck at another place; it was a miraculous sequence of events.

Ishikawa: That is also a way to start. What is the secret to this job? What do you keep in mind when writing?

Urobuchi: I should take this as limited to anime scripts only, right?

Ishikawa: Yes. Please talk about anime scripts.

Urobuchi: Above everything else, the most important is to believe in the director and rely on him.

Ishikawa: A relationship based on mutual trust!

Urobuchi: You could also call it the chain of command. Anime is fairly special in that respect. In the end, it’s a workpiece belonging to the director. The position of creator, where he can have his own way, is best limited to one person. I think that’s the secret of coherence. That’s why the scriptwriter has to turn over the biggest authority, to do what he wants, to the director. We have to engrave in our hearts that this is not that kind of a position.

Ishikawa: So you are saying that it’s still about mutual trust, even if you have to know your position.

Urobuchi: The ultimate goal, above everything, is to make a wonderful work, and the script is nothing more than a blueprint. It’s not the work itself. So in order to be able to deliver the best work, you have to anticipate that and write the script accordingly. It cannot be completed with only the script. The director and the storyboard maker read the script, and, well, this might sound a bit forced, but the voice stars read their lines, and then it’s completed. That is where it’s different from a novel. A novel is something that gets in direct contact with the customer’s eyes, but a script is something a customer doesn’t see.

What kind of people do you like working with?

Ishikawa: Since the subject of mutual trust came up, what kind of people do you think are good to work with?

Urobuchi: Well, let’s see...clear directions are essential for making the work easier, and for the mood. If we have a similar sense, he can see if my proposal is suitable or not. It’s best to have a person like that who can put me into more effective use.

Ishikawa: You have pretty high expectations.

Urobuchi: I present the plan, but I appreciate someone who can kill 120 people with a plan that was made for killing 100.

Ishikawa: Meaning he can put it to better use?

Urobuchi: Exactly.

Ishikawa: I see.

Hirasawa: If someday, someone told you, “I’m sorry, could you take care of this kid?” and an apprentice-like person came to you, what would you prefer that person to be like?

Urobuchi: The most important thing is curiosity. Curiosity and flexibility. Poorly put, someone who likes new things even more than himself because they can grow easily.

Ishikawa: Someone who likes new things even more than himself...

Urobuchi: Those who like themselves the most are inflexible, because they are only interested in themselves. Those who have outward-facing interests don’t seem to have a fixed foothold, so they might feel pretty lost in the beginning, but the more they go on, the more they learn. The more you get in contact with various things, the more you’ll pick up. That’s why, in the beginning, you don’t need to be thinking about what you ultimately want to do. You can think about that after collecting experience and becoming a pro.

Ishikawa: Not taking a fixed mindset right away, but instead enjoying various areas of interest is better, isn’t it?

Urobuchi: Yes. Even though being able to enjoy one’s work is most important, those who can only enjoy themselves when doing things they are good at can’t do anything else in the end. That’s why you can’t afford to really have fun, because you came to work with goals to leave a good score behind or do a meritorious deed first. You will absorb the situation itself if you look at it from a stance that you’ll enjoy it no matter the outcome.

Ishikawa: I see. That can be said about many other occupations as well.

Urobuchi: Maybe, yes.

Ishikawa: Since I’m inexperienced in every field, I thought I’d like to try out various things. Curiosity really is important! I came to understand that.

Urobuchi: What kind of work you’ll be writing is decided fairly later on. In that sense, curiosity is even more important. You don’t need to decide right in the beginning which field will be your specialty as a writer. Your area of expertise is something you will realize in the distant future, so people who narrow their area from the beginning and become radical, thinking, “This will sell well,” might, on the contrary, have a hard time advancing.

Ishikawa: Indeed, it feels that if you arbitrarily decide on your specialization, you won’t have room for improvement.

Urobuchi: But since young people are impatient, there are a lot of people who want to enter like that.

Ishikawa: I can relate to that (laughs).

Urobuchi: There are a lot of people who hurry in the direction of their talent first.

Ishikawa: I’m very pleased now (laughs).

Gargantia x Tokyo Otaku Mode Special Site:
http://otakumode.com/sp/gargantia

Source:
http://gargantia.jp/#kaito_0 (Japanese)

© Oceanus / Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet Production Committee