Interview with Takanori Aki (Good Smile Company), Planner of “Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet” 2/4

Ishikawa: You were talking about making modifications to Saaya’s clothing. That means...

Aki: Well, we probably asked them to add more skin color to all the characters (laughs). I’m not sure if it’s going in a good direction, though.

Hirasawa: It is.

Ishikawa: Are you saying that we can expect a 3D Saaya, too?

Aki: We had a say in her design.

Ishikawa: How about Ledo?

Aki: About Ledo’s design...well, we didn’t really make suggestions about him. Maybe we should write in the ending credits that, “We are not involved with Ledo” (laughs).

Hirasawa: Regarding Ledo, there were second opinions from the person in charge about the picture Naruko drew where Ledo is sitting embracing his knees that is used in character introductions and such. Actually, about the poses, there were second opinions for all the characters.

Aki: I see. In which case the person in charge had to take responsibility (laughs).

Ishikawa: As if Ledo alone was an outcast...

Aki: Actually, making male characters into figures has some hard points. You see, there is bound to be a sexual part in a person’s reaction toward that figure. It’s easy for a boy to say he likes girls, but it’s difficult to say in public that he likes boys, so there is a resistance when it comes to getting the figure. For that reason, we need to nicely clear that away when making Ledo into a figure. In order to avoid people who like Ledo not wanting to buy it, we have to knead on it, so he might be the last in the row. It depends on how popular the show gets (laughs).

Ishikawa: That part will be fine. I’m looking forward to a 3D Ledo!

**Until the Nendoroid is ready**

Ishikawa: I’m not really familiar with the production of Nendoroid figures. Could you tell me about the process of how they are made?

Hirasawa: If you could tell us about what process takes how many months...

Aki: First, we make a prototype/model. We base it on the original picture, and create it while discussing it with the model sculptor in a fashion of, “If we make it like this, that will bring out the character’s traits.” Then, we show the finished model to the character designer for supervision.

Hirasawa: This time, it is supervised by director Murata, not Naruko.

Aki: After receiving permission to go on, we have to make a metal shape. Figures are made just like taiyaki. First, we make a metal shape based on the prototype; then, we pour melted plastic into the metal shape under high pressure. After it solidifies, it is in a state similar to that of a plastic model before assembling, which, in Amy’s case, is about 30 parts.

Ishikawa: 30 parts…

Aki: I think that’s not even a lot. So, we cut apart the conjoined parts one by one. At that time, just like on a taiyaki, there is a small protrusion on the edge where it was inserted between the shapes.

Ishikawa: Like barbs?

Aki: They sometimes come up, and the lines are visible, so we scrape them off by manual labor, and after that, we also use rasps.

Ishikawa: You do it by hand?

Aki: Yes, all by hand. After that, we evenly paint the parts with spray, and we also put gradation on the hair. After the coloring is finished, the parts are assembled and the figures are sent to Japan.

Ishikawa: So it’s mostly build-to-order manufacturing.

Aki: Yes. Designing the metal shape takes a lot of time, and during the time it is made, we decide on the contents of the various handiwork to be done, such as who colors the fingers, how to print the eyes, we calculate how many times to spray paint for hair gradation, and so on. We divide the work processes in a factory, let’s say, for 500 people, saying, “You will paint hands, you will go paint the legs,” and everyone starts working simultaneously. The calculations for this are also pretty time consuming. If the calculations are right, the work proceeds smoothly. If they are off, the legs take up an enormous amount of time, and the others will be waiting for the legs. That’s why it takes about eight months after the planning starts until a Nendoroid is delivered to the hands of the customer.

Ishikawa: Eight months.

Aki: Yes. It takes a lot of time. If we assume Amy is not very well-known and popular now, even if we get the order, it won’t be such a great number. However, if three months later everyone in Japan knows her, that won’t be enough. At that time, we work hard and increase the production, but it is a while later until it gets to the shelves. It’s like printing, you can’t increase the quantity suddenly just because everyone wants it, so you have to order it beforehand. For that reason, it sometimes happens that the number produced is either insufficient or superfluous.

Ishikawa: Finding the balance seems very difficult.

Gargantia x Tokyo Otaku Mode Special Site
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© Oceanus / Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet Production Committee