May 04, 2011 19:59:00

A report on the 'GONZO Chronicle' talk event at Machi★Asobi vol.6, which was packed with the history of GONZO's rise and fall and its internal affairs

During the talk show where GONZO staff talked about their new work, a promotional video

for 'Kopihan,' a completely original new work created in collaboration between GONZO and KEI, the character designer for 'Hatsune Miku,' was shown and a production announcement was made. However, separate from this, there was an incredible segment where the internal workings of GONZO, which have been a hot topic mainly on the Internet, were explained using a timeline made by the staff themselves.

First, Satoshi Obata (left) and Hitoshi Sugiura (right) took the stage to talk about the 'GONZO Chronicle' aspect.

GONZO's Satoshi Obata (hereinafter, Obata):
The new work '

Nyanpire ' is not like GONZO's usual style, and has a very different atmosphere from their past works. Mr. Sugiura, who is in charge of the work, told us about the process of its production.

GONZO - Hitoshi Sugiura (hereinafter, Sugiura):
Just to explain, the title of 'Nyanpire' is a guess, but to tell you the real story, I have a friend who works in charge of a gachapon manufacturer, and he introduced me to the project through that connection.

As for why I decided to work on a character project with GONZO again, I've only been with GONZO for about 5 or 6 years, so I still have a long way to go, but I thought that GONZO was a company that produced a lot of big, epic productions such as ' Blue Submarine No. 6 ' and ' LAST EXILE .'

Sugiura:
So, I thought that unless we create something that people can love, apart from those things, they won't love the company. Our company has been the subject of much ado on '2chan.'

Obata:
Has the dubbing for 'Nyanpire' started yet?

Sugiura:
The first recording is over. All four cast members gathered together and it was a lively session. You'll have to wait until you see the final version to see how it turns out, but I think the cast members were more motivated than usual.

In particular, there is a very interesting episode about 'Nyatenshi' voiced by

Jun Fukuyama , so I hope you will enjoy it. There is also a white cat that 'Nyatenshi' always plays with, and the cast members gave the cat a name.

Obata:
Aren't most of the cast members from the same agency? Do you have a strong sense of unity?

Sugiura:
There is a strong sense of unity. I heard from Fukuyama's agency, Axel One , that he is the only one in a different agency. At the recording studio, there was a scene where Fukuyama was the only one who was pushed to the side, with the other companies being told to go to the back (laughs).

Obata:
Is the production going well?

Sugiura:
Yes. It's going well. Originally, this work started as a doujinshi, and the original author, Yukiusa , was not used to the process of adapting the work into an anime, so it was difficult to communicate with him, but now I'm enjoying it. 'Nyanpire' is currently being serialized in Shufu to Seikatsusha's anime magazine ' PASH! ', and it seems that a post-dubbing report will be published in the next issue.

Obata:
What do you think the anime will have?

Sugiura:
Basically, four cats appear, starting with 'Nyanpire.' All of the cats are male, and there is a character named 'Masamunya' who falls in love with the male 'Nyanpire.'

Obata:
Is that the kind of thing you're into? (laughs)

Sugiura:
Masamunya-kun is a very carnivorous guy, so he might be a good reference for people who are into that kind of thing these days (lol).

'Nyatenshi' is a mean and cold character, and 'Chachamaru' is a cute but devious younger brother of Nyanpaia's owner Misaki, who was given him by her friend. This is a very funny story about four cats playing together.

Obata:

The official Nyanpaiao Twitter account was launched yesterday or the day before, is there anything else you'd like to announce?

Sugiura:
As I mentioned earlier, the original author, Yukiusa, made his professional debut as a manga artist and has been serializing his work in PASH! since February 10th. He also appears in the character magazine ' Ne-Ne '. He is also featured in the 'Character Search Land' published by the same publisher as a spot the difference game, so I hope you enjoy it before reading the main story.

Obata:
Will any additional information about 'Nyanpire' be revealed around summer?

Sugiura:
We will provide more information as it becomes available. Merchandise is also available at all Animate stores, so please check them out. That's all for now on Nyanpaia, so please keep watching Nyanpaia.

Obata:
Today we have the announcement of a new work, which I'm sure you're all most interested in, but some of you may be thinking 'what's the big deal now?' since we're now going to be producing three new anime shows, so I'd like to take a look at the history of the company GONZO.

A handmade timeline was brought onto the stage.

Obata:
To look back on our history, we've invited someone who has been with the company for longer than us, the person with the longest tenure: our producer, Kojima-san.

Producer Tsutomu Kojima (hereinafter Kojima):
Hello, I'm Kojima from GONZO. Today I'm going to talk about technology, but I hope you'll take what I'm about to say home with you as an 'urban legend' (laughs).

Kojima:
In fact, GONZO is a company that has been around for almost 20 years. It first started as a group of creators who set up an office in Takadanobaba, Tokyo.

Obata:
It was made by members who had left

Gainax , right? What an incredible group of people.

Kojima:
It was made just as 'Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water ' had finished, and some of the members had left.

Sugiura:
There's nobody left now though (laughs).

Kojima:
Shoji Murahama started it all. Then, after that, there was a merger. GONZO became a pioneer of digital animation by making 'Blue No. 6', but at the same time, they met a company called ' Digimation ', had a meeting and decided that 'if we joined forces, we could create something even more amazing', which led to the merger. After the merger, they settled in Ogikubo and worked on the TV series ' Gatekeepers '.

Sugiura:
I've heard that even though they merged, they didn't get along well...

Kojima:
No, I think it was a good time. It takes time for new people to come together, and by making two TV series, the unity was strengthened. This is where the ' dawn period ' ends.

Next came the ' growth period .' At this point, new ideas emerged from the management team, and the company moved to a building in Nishi-Shinjuku that had once been the location for '

Tokyo Love Story ,' and began working on many TV series, such as ' Full Metal Panic! ', ' Saishuikinjo, ' and ' LAST EXILE .' The company was creating high-quality anime that combined 3D and hand-drawn animation, and while there were people who praised it, there were also those who, of course, did not. Thank you so much for starting so many threads on '2chan' (laughs).

From there, the conversation finally turns to the scale of the business. Halfway through the production of 'Agito of the Silver Hair ,' the two buildings caused poor ventilation, so there was a movement to consolidate the company into one building again. This is the ' Shinjuku Central Park Era ' in the timeline, and this is basically said to be the heyday. Of course, this is in the context of the company's history so far. Looking back now, it is hard to imagine that five or six TV series were being produced in a year.

After that, they decided to consolidate the companies in a building in Nerima. Around this time, each producer had their own 'island,' so to speak, and the influence of the directors they worked with began to show in the works. These include ' The Count of Monte Cristo ,' ' GANTZ ,' ' Bokurano ,' ' Romeo x Juliet ,' ' Strike Witches ,' and ' Saki .'

Sugiura:
I think Samurai 7 is a work from his heyday, but it falls into the 'Nerima era.'

Kojima:
'Samurai 7' was started during the Shinjuku Central Park era, and was continued even after the building was moved to Nerima, so I think you could say it was from the heyday. Now, from here on out, the main focus is...

Sugiura:
I want you to listen to it from this point onwards (laughs).

Kojima:
A lot of people in GONZO were gaining skills, and many of them were starting to want to try to create something new, to take on an adventure. How should I put it... anyway, it was a fierce 'turmoil.' It was a flow reminiscent of the Warring States period.

The group known within the company as Studio 5, which produced 'Strike Witches' and 'Saki', has now become independent and is operating as '

Studio Go-gumi ', and is currently producing ' A Channel '.

Speaking of larger companies, GONZO actually split into nine companies after the Nerima Rebellion, including Encourage Films , which produced Ontama!, and Hoods Entertainment , which did the illustrations for Qwaser of Stigmata and Level E.

Obata:
There is no capital relationship, so it would be more accurate to say that they left the company...

Kojima:
Some of these actions could be considered 'independence,' but there were even some that could be called 'declarations of war.'

Sugiura:
Well, well, you all are doing a great job.

Kojima:
In the end, the group split into two groups: those who wanted to break new ground and those who wanted to cultivate the wasteland. And so, returning to its roots, GONZO returned to Ogikubo once again.

Sugiura:
What about the arrow that extends from the founder to

LAMBDA FILM ?

Kojima:
That's because Murahama-san, who was the representative director, left GONZO in 2009.

Sugiura:
This is the ' announcement of quitting on the blog ' incident.

Kojima:
...Originally, the blog was meant to be a place where additional information was written after the official announcement, but the order seems to have been reversed.

Sugiura:
I also found out about Murahama-san's resignation through his blog.

Kojima:
From the beginning, GONZO's company motto has been 'to create content that stirs the soul,' so I think it's fine as long as we can stir within Lambda Film.

Obata:
It's amazing, this rise and fall... I'm going to do my best from now on because there is a new century. I understand that the people who are here today are the Ogikubo group (laughs). If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions here. ...I think it's better not to.

Sugiura:
And you're announcing some more new work today.

Obata:
Now, I would like to introduce two people involved in GONZO's third new work, ' Kopihan .' They are Rei Matsuzaki and producer Onuki.

Rei Matsuzaki (hereinafter, Matsuzaki):
My name is Rei Matsuzaki and I am a voice actress. Recently I have been playing the role of Kanon Mizuki in '

Jewelpet Sunshine '.

Daylight Producer Kazuo Onuki (hereinafter, Onuki):
My name is Kazuo Onuki and I am the producer of the anime '

Daylight '. I wanted to make an anime like this, so I made it.

Obata:
First of all, what does the title 'Kopihan' mean?

Ohnuki:
What do you think?

Matsuzaki:
Is that an abbreviation for 'Copy Hamburger'? (lol)

Ohnuki:
We just had the Tokushima Burger together, and it was delicious. So, as for the meaning, well... if I tell you, it'll be a spoiler.

Obata:
The collaboration between KEI, who is well known for Hatsune Miku, and GONZO feels new.

Ohnuki:
This may be the first time that a video has a proper cast speaking.

Obata:
The characters look like they have lots of personality, but what is the storyline?

Ohnuki:
I'm going to write about Tokyo in 2034. It's only 23 years from now. What do you think it will be like in 23 years?

Obata:
Well, I hope there won't be any more earthquakes...

Matsuzaki:
I don't know.

Ohnuki:
Cars probably won't fly in the sky, and buildings will surely remain. But something has changed. I hope you can see that future. I think the world has changed a lot from 2000 to 2010, so the story is about what will happen in 23 years.

Obata:
More information will be revealed in the future. So, what form will this take? A TV anime?

Ohnuki:
What would you like? (laughs) Actually, I'm already serializing a manga called 'Kopihan' in Monthly Comic Rush, and it's being illustrated by KEI. The main characters are the two people in the center of the panel.

Ohnuki:
Among them, there is only one person who did not become the main character, but all the others can be said to be main characters. Matsuzaki plays a girl wearing a shrine maiden's outfit named Tsugayama Asagi, and she is also a main character.

Matsuzaki:
Is Asagi the main character?

Ohnuki:
Asagi is also the main character. I'm thinking of abandoning the usual anime format and doing something strange. It's not like I haven't decided anything yet (laughs), but there are some things that are really hard to say.

Obata:
Let's ask GONZO's producer Takagi about the actual production.

GONZO Producer Junichi Takagi (hereinafter Takagi):
Nice to meet you, I'm Takagi from GONZO. I'm working hard on 'Kopihan' now! I'm trying to figure out how to make the characters more appealing and fun to play, but unfortunately, we have ' Last Exile -Fam, the Silver Wing- ' (announced in February 2011), and everyone is focusing on that...

However, this is the one I'm having fun making. I wonder if I can say this (laughs), but I think it's going to be really interesting. GONZO will have three colors in between the heavy 'Last Exile' and the light 'Nyanpire'.

Ohnuki:
Today, I'm wearing a 'Kopihan' T-shirt (lol). The anime hasn't been done yet, but I came here just to buy the product. It will be on limited sale at the GONZO booth at Machi★Asobi. Let's just say it's limited for now.

Takagi:
However, we only have a few prepared, and they are only available while supplies last, so in that sense they are limited. With a telephone card and set, it's a very good deal at 3,500 yen. Please tell Movic if that's too expensive (laughs). We'll be playing the PV at the booth, and we've brought along some Kopihan flyers, so please come along. By the way, this is the first time we've published information about Kopihan.

Sugiura:
I'm sorry I wasn't able to show it at the screening last night. I think some people who left yesterday weren't able to see it. Takagi-san, for example, will you ask Studio Gogumi, who you mentioned earlier, to do the animation?

Takagi:
Nine companies have become independent from GONZO, right? And there are nine main characters. ... Oh, I just had an idea. Hoods is good at breasts, and Gogumi is good at pants. It might be good to have each company make use of their selling points in that way.

Sugiura:
Well, we all started out as GONZO members (laughs).

Takagi:
Well, let me think about it for a bit.

Obata:
Can you still not tell us any details about 'Kopihan'?

Ohnuki:
We will be releasing information little by little, so if you're interested, please search for 'Kopihan'. We also have an official Twitter account, so please follow us. By the way, the two of us will be talking again tomorrow, May 5th, at 10am at the Studio Mouse booth, so if you come, you might get a special present (laughs). Let's talk about what we should do now.

Takagi:
If we don't hurry, everyone will be waiting for Makoto Shinkai (laughs).
(Note: The next event at the same venue was a talk show with director Makoto Shinkai.)

Obata:
Please support GONZO, thank you for today.