Shopping Guide
Game Creative Exchange, a seminar for illustrators and art directors, was held at the National Art Center Tokyo.
The guests of this first time were Yoshitaka Amano, the person who draws the illustrations in the Final Fantasy games, and Shuichi Miyawaki, a leader in the Japanese figure industry and representative director of Kaiyodo. The numerous young creators present all listened carefully to what they had to say.
After the event ended, we got a chance to ask a few questions from them.
◆ What are your impressions on your fans throughout the world?
Yoshitaka Amano:
“The fans’ eyes were the same whether I went to Brazil, to France, or to America. Those eyes that say, ‘I love games! I love anime.’ This is because media distribution is high. It feels like the content not only spreads in Japan, but also throughout the world. There aren’t many differences in the culture of countries, they are accepted in every country. For example, if I asked a question at an event, the same replies would come flying anywhere. I don’t really sense a difference between countries.”
Shuichi Miyawaki:
“I often go abroad because of my work. I have the impression that Japan is in sync with the world, and that overseas fans and Japanese fans are the same. They are so alike that sometimes I wish they were different in each country to make it more interesting (laughs).
They give me a warm welcome when I go overseas, saying, “Kaiyodo!! I’m a fan!! Banzai!!” It feels so nice I sometimes get embarrassed. The blessed circumstances now are the result of making figures in Japan for 30 years and continuing our mission. Next generation creators can start from these favorable circumstances, so I look forward to to seeing what they can do and how high can they jump using us as a springboard.”
◆ A message to your fans overseas, please.
Shuichi Miyawaki:
“Culture is passed onto the world bit by bit. There is no shortcut. It’s not like Gundam, Yamato, Evangelion, or Pokémon became big hits all of a sudden. You can’t take aims when making something in the otaku business. Making good things is without question. What to do next? Now I was able to hold a lecture at the National Art Center Tokyo. I’m happy that I kept on going. I feel that if we follow in the footsteps of pioneers like Amano, and even younger people follow in ours, we can make a bright future.”
Yoshitaka Amano:
“Although it’s still like this, in the past, a lot of music and fashion came to Japan from overseas, allowing for the creation of a unique culture. If in the future we could export Japanese culture such as anime or games overseas, I look forward to seeing how people overseas take it, and what kind of original culture they build up from it. Because culture is something that takes various influences as it evolves. It might take time, but I look forward to how the amazing cultures of different countries grow.”
