Yoshiki Sakurai interview the 2nd

By David Rasmussen
29th Sep 04

Yoshiki Sakurai Interview the 2nd
Interviewer - "The Psychomatic Poet"

Today class, we're having a substitute teacher give you your lesson for today. Pay attention to him now.
Originally done by an associate of mine from Singapore, the "Psychomatic Poet", for a publication he used to worked for. Mind you I said "used to work for" because this interview came into my hands (with his blessings) after his Editors (the bunch of spineless little weasels) "fired" him (made him resign).
Sheesh. Editors are jerks! Anyway, the following is his original interview with Mr. Sakuari before his departure which I tried to complete for him. The appearance of a second internet site seeking to post this interview meant I had to turn it in early though. At a future date, if I get any feedback on the additional questions, I'll post them. Ok. Let's get started.

"Psychomatic Poet" - Which part of Japan do you hail from?
Mr. Sakurai - Originally from Tochigi. It is about 3 hours by train from central Tokyo. It is a rural area, but Kokubunji where IG stands is closer to Tokyo (in fact it is a part of Tokyo) but even more remote.

"Psychomatic Poet" - You speak English very well. Where did you learn and refine your English?
Mr. Sakurai - I lived in UK for 3 years when I was a child (from 9 to 12). I was lucky I didn't forget too much.

"Psychomatic Poet" - What's your all-time favourite anime/manga?
Mr. Sakurai - Nausicaa (of the Valley of Wind)

"Psychomatic Poet" - What anime are you watching currently?
Mr. Sakurai - Last Exile, Texhnolyze

"Psychomatic Poet" - Did you ever expect that, in a twist of fortune, you would become an anime writer for Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex with Production I.G.?
Mr. Sakurai - Never. I still can't believe it.

"Psychomatic Poet" - How has your role changed somewhat since you joined Production I.G.?
Mr. Sakurai - I do a lot of ot her works other than writing. I feel that I am partly doing a Producer's job.

"Psychomatic Poet" - What/Who are your writing influences? What defines you as a writer?
Mr. Sakurai - Many of my ideas come from critiques. My favourite is a Japanese sociologist, Masachi Osawa.

"Psychomatic Poet" - When you start to write an episode for Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex, how do you get the creative juices flowing? Do you sit down with an idea in mind and write or do you just let spontaneous creativity take over?
Mr. Sakurai - A little bit of both. Sometimes an interesting ideas or dialogues strike my head all of sudden. Other times, I will sit at my desk and try to think of something. But I don't run out of ideas very much. At least not yet.

"Psychomatic Poet" - From your viewpoint as an anime writer, what trends do you see in current modern anime storylines? Do the trends influence you?
Mr. Sakurai - IG has a tradition of producing clever, but silent and comlex storylines (like GITS or Jin-Roh) which is kind of unique even in Japanese anime market. But sometimes, I feel simpler storyline might be more appealing.

"Psychomatic Poet" - I have noticed a rising trend in which for the last few years, a lot of modern anime seem to have something serious to say, be it social commentaries/criticisms, the need for individual self-awareness etc hidden within the intricate storylines. Your views?
Mr. Sakurai - I agree. But sometimes, simple typical storylines are more entertaining than complex intelligent manifesto. This balance is difficult. We don't want to look too dumb either.

"Psychomatic Poet" - Do you think the American animation studios will ever catch on and realize that the success of anime was built on the emphasis of strong storylines/plots rather than sitting back to harp on the post production values?
Mr. Sakurai - Strong storylines are definitely important but at the same time, we are realizing the importance of post-prod uction skills and techniques everyday. The balance between creativeness and business is extremely important for anime talents to keep on releasing interesting projects.

"Psychomatic Poet" - Seeing as how Production I.G. has a Korean and a New Yorker among their ranks, do you think that the anime industry will eventually spread to the other Asian countries or will the Asian talents still flock to Japan, anime mecca, where the infrastructure and recognition of the industry is the strongest and most well-founded?
Mr. Sakurai - At least the Japanese government is trying to do that. Whether it will be in Japan or any other country, talents from different countries should gather together to make a single project I think. If any of the talents outside Japan decide to come to I.G, I am sure Ishikawa-san will welcome you.

"Psychomatic Poet" - How does Production I.G. compare and compete with other major anime companies ie. Gainax, AIC, Ghibli etc. What is Production I.G.'s cutting edge over the competitors?
Mr. Sakurai - Production I.G has a strong tradition created by our president /CEO, Ishikawa-san that creators should be happy and content with their work. For example, Jin-Roh is probably one of the highest quality cell animation (this was I.G's last cell animation) ever, but this project was strongly led by the wills of main creators who wanted to challenge their limits. BTW, some people use the meaning of cell animation differently. Cell animation is not the same as hand-drawn animation. Cell animation means that they use cells(transparent plastic-like sheets) and painters colour directly on these cells. And they shot every single frames with large photography machines. They can never make mistakes. "Blood" was digital which means the hand drawn animation was scanned and coloured digitally on computers, and photographed digitally on computers as well.

"Psychomatic Poet" - Blue Submarine No. 6, Jin-Roh, Ghost In The Shell and Spriggan were shown in Singapore as 'art' films. Do you consider them as art, entertainment or an eclectic amalgamation of both?
Mr. Sakurai - There is probably no point in arguing whether they are art or entertainment. Once certain styles in traditional paintings or classical music were considered as mere entertainment, but they are considered naturally as art now. The difference just shows how old a certain media or style is.

That's it. The end of the second interview.
Thanks once again to "The Psychomatic Poet" for agreeing to allow us the opportunity to post this interview he did with Mr. Sakurai (thanks goes out once again to him as well for all his help in participating in these interviews).
That's it. Class is dismissed. Take care.

-- David Rasmussen 29th Sep 04