Interview with Takanori Aki (Good Smile Company), Planner of “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet” 1/4

Good Smile Company: a reassuring advisor

Ishikawa: I’d like to cut to the chase. In what form is Good Smile Company related to Gargantia?

Aki: The main profile of Good Smile Company is making figures. Since we are figure makers, we don’t have the capability to be tightly involved in the production, we would like to cooperate by handing something to the customers to make them love the anime for a long time. Aren’t the pictures done by Naruko, who did the original character designer, well, how shall I put it, lovely? If they would be in your reach in 3D, you would be happy, right? I think our role might be to put those feelings of the customers into commercial goods.

Ishikawa: There is a Nendoroid Amy here. When did you create this figure?

Aki: Let’s see... We barely finished it before WonFes 1.

Ishikawa: So, when we introduced it at WonFes, it was freshly finished. You look at the illustrations and the settings, deform them, and create a Nendoroid. Wasn’t it kind of hurried finishing it just before WonFes?

Aki: When we make a Nendoroid, we usually ask a person who specializes in drawing Nendoroid pictures to redraw the character, and we make it into a small Nendoroid while trying to preserve the style in which it was drawn by the original character designer. Usually, when we have the time, we can go slowly, but this time, since we had to do it in a hurry, we didn’t have it redrawn. This was a case when we went through trials and errors with the model sculptor, and created it directly because it was easier to show the characteristics of the anime that way. However, it is very hard to create a Nendoroid like that, and drawing a Nendoroid-like deformed picture first makes it easier for the model sculptor. Nevertheless,this difficult task of imagining the deformed Amy and starting production from step one was entrusted to a very skillful sculptor.

Ishikawa: Indeed. Amy’s clothing looks like some national costume; it is very unique. Did you have any troubles with that during production?

Aki: Actually, we have been participating from the beginning of the planning, and we voiced our opinions to the original designer so that it would look more appealing when made into a Nendoroid or a bigger figure. Since we were involved from the planning stage, the model sculptor shouldn’t have suffered too much.

Hirasawa: As a matter of fact, Amy’s belly wasn’t showing in the beginning. In the original design, her brown undershirt would continue to under her belly button. Not only that, she was wearing tights under her skirt. Then, Good Smile commented that it would be better to have more skin-colored parts.

Aki: Isn’t it nice?

Ishikawa: I think a lot of people like it (laughs).

Hirasawa: Saaya’s clothing was also modified to look a little sexier.

Ishikawa: Even Saaya!

Aki: Yes, in order to increase the attractiveness as a whole. Looking at our characters can gradually become a fetish.

Ishikawa: Fetish...

Aki: Sculptors have differing preferences, but they have some areas they fixate on in order to make the character stand out more, like the pose of the body or a clothing that cleverly shows some parts. In addition, if there is nothing there when deciding on the pose, sometimes the space is not filled enough, and giving it long hair might solve that problem and turn it into a more decorative figure. Or, if it’s holding a weapon or other small accessories, it is easier to associate to a pose. We often make such suggestions at the character planning stage and have them implemented.

Ishikawa: When do you have such discussions?

Hirasawa: They were already over by this time last year.

Ishikawa: I see. So you have participated in the project from quite an early stage.

Aki: Yes, secretly (laughs).

^1^ Wonder Festival, the world’s largest scale garage kit event, sponsored by Kaiyodo. It is abbreviated WF or called WonFes for short.

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

Source:
http://gargantia.jp/#kaito_5 (Japanese)

© Oceanus / Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet Production Committee