Some excerpts of a 2022 interview with one of SEED's screenwriters and setting development chief. Some excerpts:>SEED was aimed at children from day one, unlike Turn A,—I have the impression that SEED was a hit among younger generations and opened up a new era.MORITA: Yes, that's right. From the very beginning, (Mitsuo) Fukuda-san was very clear that the success of the project would be dependent on the younger generation, or to put it more bluntly, "If it does not appeal to children, it will not succeed”. Even for the name of the unit, "Strike," he had a clear order: "I want it to be in English that junior high school students can understand," and "I want to pick a cool word, even if it's goofy". (…) ∀ Gundam, the previous show, was completely science fiction. On the other hand, SEED was a younger-oriented series.
>>22581581Look!
>>22581581>Gundam as a franchise was in decadence in the late 90s.—The "Gundam" scene at that time was quite difficult.MORITA: At the end of the 90s, the dominant atmosphere was that "Gundam was passé". People who don't know what was going on at the time may wonder what I'm talking about, but that was completely true. The fans were loud, the creators were loud, and it took a lot of hard work to bring them all together.>Gundam (and NGE) are in a different category than the robot boom of the 70s and 80s and their financing scheme—It was a time when the robot anime genre itself was coming to an end, wasn't it?MORITA: Gundam and Evangelion can no longer be described in the category of robot anime, but have become independent of the genre. The category of giant robot animation, which was a higher concept than those works, is almost dead in today's animation industry.To start with, it is not wrong to say that robot animation itself has completely died out. This is because giant robot anime was allowed to exist thanks to sponsors and toys. If sponsors and toys are removed, it will not be possible to make it, even if producers in their 40s and 30s say "I like robot anime" and bring a project to the table. (…)>SEED revived Gundam and inspired a few copycats, kind of what happened with Your NameMORITA: In 2002, when SEED was aired, it was already a truism that robot animation would not sell well or be popular, but SEED was a hit, and people began to say, "We want to do something similar”. That was one of the reasons why a large number of robot animations were made about one or two years after SEED, and all of them died out.—The trend is similar to the feature animation boom that followed the release of Your Name.
>>22581591>SEED attempted to go back to the more "military SF" feel of UC, in contrast to Turn A—I think that the public was looking for a "Gundam" with a wider appealMORITA: ∀ is a good series, but in terms of the business as "Gundam," it was struggling. I think the main reason for this was that it focused on World War I-level technology. I enjoyed it, but the Gundam fans, who had been attracted by the story of the One Year War, reacted that it was not the kind of mecha or military story that they were looking for. So we wanted to make sure that SEED would appeal to that fan base. The military flavor was complemented with technical terms and science fiction terminology, and the presentation was stronger than that of 0079. We were clearly trying to create that kind of atmosphere.>Astray was made to keep the buzz going after kit releases ran late—It seemed like a big project at the time of the launch, including the products and publications.MORITA: I think it was important to be aware of the need to increase sales. I think there was a sense that the whole project would not be able to turn around unless plastic models started selling.However, the challenges were high. There was no guarantee that they would sell, so the first plastic model was a simple 300 yen kit with an instruction diagram printed on the back of the box. Moreover, the production schedule for the Strike kits was behind schedule, so we decided to launch a spin-off called Astray as a way of, for lack of a better word, paying for the exposure, so that there would be no interruption in the buzz. Everyone was desperate. We had to somehow recover the ground that had been lost with ∀.
>>22581594>female fans were key to SEED's successMORITA: (…) I was surprised and happy when I learned that the female fan base had expanded and that a culture had emerged in which mobile suits and pilots were considered the same as the characters. I never imagined that fans of Takanori Nishikawa would buy a plastic model of Miguel, the character he voiced.Of course, the appeal of Hisashi Hirai's character designs was also a factor, and it was probably linked to the boom in popularity of voice actors. At the time, I went to an event for SEED, and most of the attendees were young women, who cheered when the voice actors took the stage. I hadn't seen such a scene since Ronin Warriors. If you are not careful, you can get carried away and misunderstand what is so popular. I once told Fukuda-san, "I didn't think we would get this many young girl fans," to which he replied, "No, I knew we would get a lot of them". Well, I don't know how serious he was about it, but I thought, "That's just like Fukuda-san".
>>22581596>Morita's opinion of Morosawa as a screenwriter, plus a tangent on Ronin WarriorsMORITA: I believe that the reason why SEED was accepted by female fans was because of the OVA series of Cyber Formula that Morosawa-san worked on. (…) Morosawa-san was not involved in the TV series, but she started working on the OVA. The Cyber Formula TV series was a solid work by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama [legendary mecha screenwriter] and others who are capable of producing professional animation for children, while strongly reflecting the wishes of the sponsors. However, the popularity of the characters was a bit like that of Ronin Warriors, which probably led to the OVA.Morosawa-san had no previous experience in scriptwriting, but it is a well-known story that Fukuda-san "thought she could write it, so he had her do it," and the resulting success led to the rest. With Morosawa-san in charge, I knew that it would be a departure from the previous "Gundam" and (Yoshiyuki) Tomino's signature style.—What was your impression when you actually worked with her?MORITA: Since they are a married couple, the communication between the director and the scriptwriter was a bit more intense than usual. Basically, we read the script once a week, but in the interim, a lot of things were boiled down between the two of them. There were many times when I would say, "What you said last week is different from what I said last week!”—I feel that having a family member on the staff is a panacea in many ways.MORITA: Yes, it is. (...). Well, but Fukuda-san says that he "fell in love with Chiaki Morosawa's talent," and I think he is right. In fact, when I look at Morosawa-san's work, it is hard to believe that she had little experience. She was sensitive to what viewers want to see and made snap judgments about what is necessary and what is unnecessary. Her style of thoroughly sticking to showing only what the viewers want to see had a strong influence on me, and at the same time, I learned a lot.
>>22581598>Fukuda as a practical, visual mecha director—The Striker Pack system also shows the influence of Ultraman and Kamen Rider.MORITA: That's where Fukuda-san's thinking was flexible, and I think he intended to incorporate what was effective. But in addition to that, Fukuda-san is very good at drawing robots. It is not only the visible poses, but also the functional combinations, transformations, and the way they are reflected in the images.>Kanda (director of Vifam, Dragonar and the first six episodes of 08th) as Fukuda's mentorMORITA: There is a clear directional technique that I would call 'Fukuda's style', which is different from that of Tomino-san's. I once asked him, "Fukuda-san , who is your mentor?” And he replied “Takeyuki Kanda”. I am sure that the difference in style also lies in that.
>>22581602>as usual, Fukuda just decided to add the "SEED factor" thing halfway through, without much development from the rest of the already written settingMORITA: The topic of designer babies created through genetic manipulation and other life science topics were becoming controversial at the time. At the start of the project, we didn't put much emphasis on these topics, but as the work progressed, they became more and more important. Before I knew it, the axis of conflict between Coordinators and Naturals had become clearer and deeper.The heady moment was when Fukuda-san told me after the broadcast started that he was going to put the phenomenon named "SEED" in the show. It was a shock to my ears. I was like, "What is that?” (laughs). But it became an important element for Kira and Athrun.— [T]he setting for PLANT and ZAFT were also very well developed, weren't they?MORITA: The political system and social framework of ZAFT were all set up, and even (Hiroyuki) Yoshino-san, who was originally a history teacher, said to me, "It's so well done that I think it's fine to leave the social system as it is”.
>>22581606>answer to "why does the GINN's code number have four digits, instead of the usual two or three in the other ZAFT models": the Century Series and MSVs—I would like to take a closer look at the model numbers of SEED’s mobile suits, but only the GINN has a different model number, ZGMF-1017.MORITA: Hmm, I'm not sure (laughs). I created various MS model numbers, and the settings are still there, but I never described in words what kind of rules I established in my mind when I created the model numbers. I never explained the naming rules because it was a self-defined procedure, and I didn't put it in writing. In addition, during the past 20 years, my hard drive broke and I had to replace my computer, so sometimes the original data I submitted to the studio was lost. But that didn't hinder me in any way.MORITA: In my case, basically, what I use as a model for model numbers is the way actual weapons are modeled. I can see that there are many examples where a unit number goes from three digits to four digits, and then to two digits.In the 1950s, the U.S. Air Force had a series of units called the Century series, from the F-100 Super Sabre to the F-106 Delta Dart. But the newer aircraft that were developed later were F-14s and F-15s, so the number of digits was reduced. Because I modeled my work on such examples, I decided not to worry too much, or rather not at all, about the increase or decrease in numbers and digits. In my mind, that's just reality.I also consciously create missing numbers when I list model numbers. This is also a common practice in real weapons development. And if you make a missing number, you can say, "You're probably wondering about this missing part, aren't you? Actually, there was such a unit.” This came in handy later when I had to write an MSV (laugh).—There is an opinion on the internet that the 4-digit number was adopted as it was a typographical error.MORITA: That is news to me, but it is not a typographical error (laughs).
>>22581611>where the model numbers in Turn A's units came fromMORITA: (...)For ∀ Gundam, which I did before SEED, I even used all the birthdays of my family members (laughs).—(laughs) We don't know when the mobile suits in ∀ were made, so it's better if they are that far apart, isn't it? (…)>"RX-78" comes from the old Mazda car—I think it's a bit of an "eh…" origin, even from the RX-78.MORITA: In 1978, when Gundam was being planned, the Mazda RX-7 was a hit car, you know (laughs). But this was fresh and shocking. Until then, there were no model numbers for giant robots. The numbering of the models changed the perception of robots from super robots to so-called "real robots”. Thanks to this, the process of determining the number has become very difficult, even up to the present day.—No one expects the number to be around 40 or 50 years from now.MORITA: Even the MS-06 Zaku was revolutionary. (…) but at the time, it was something that had never been seen before. In the end, the intention was to set it apart from giant robots. I think the person who first came up with the idea was a great man.>taking inspiration from real-life sources, plus Morita's personal frustration with Turn A—What were you conscious of when you were working on the setting for SEED?MORITA: Hmmm... For example, when writing mechanical descriptions for media, I read various weapons illustrated books and tried to imitate a kind of military structure. Thanks to that, I have all the volumes of DeAgostini's "World Weapon” series (laughs) (…) Yes, I think I may have been frustrated with ∀ in my own way. After all, I like current weapons. So, I may have been conscious of that, or I may have thought to myself, "Put your heart and soul into your stories and ideas”.
>>22581614 (last one)>Morita says STOP OBSESSING ABOUT DATABOOKS—In retrospect, the setting of SEED seems to have raised the level of doing settings for animation. What was the actual reception?MORITA: None at all (laughs). We received almost no feedback back, so there was no response. Nowadays, in the age of social networks, it may be delivered immediately in both good and bad ways, but 20 years ago, there was a good sense of distance between us and our clients. It was kind of easy. I think it's hard for those who do settings now, though.—I think it would be a problem if people concentrate too much on that.MORITA: Setting is superfluous. Animation is entertainment after all, and the setting that adds flavor to it is not something that should be given much attention. After putting that aside, it is not a matter of saying, "Which one is right?”. It is better to enjoy it as a kind of puzzle, a game, rather than saying, "This is right and this is wrong”. (laughs)>the true inspiration for modern-day mecha setting development: Gundam Century, developed by Studio Nue's people (which is also Morita's shop)—It is true that the "story with setting" created by Studio Nue is the origin of this culture, isn't it?MORITA: No matter how far I go, the base of my mindset is Gundam Century. The playful spirit when that book was created. But I wonder if that was possible because the 70s and 80s were idyllic in a sense. If we tried to do the same thing now, it would be impossible, and we would probably just get angry from all parties involved.
Bump.
>>22581581>SEED was aimed at children from day oneThat explains its fans
>>22582118It's the opposite of 0079. Sponsors back in the late 70s wanted a super-robot kid's show so they could sell stuff like die-cast toys and coloring books to the youngsters, while the creators at Sunrise were more interested in a more teenage-oriented series and ride Space Battleship Yamato's coattails to a big movie release.By 2002, Gundam was already consolidated as an older-audience franchise in Bandai's eyes, while Fukuda insisted on making SEED more kiddie-friendly, with flashy poses, color-changing robots and the like.PS: marking a joke attempt with a "lel kek xd" picture only makes you appear "laugh at this, pls"
>>22582125You sound so worked up on a franchise for kids
>>22582125The interesting part is that Bandai already has a super-successful line for kids with SD Gundam. They could've milked that forever and still maintain good numbers.
https://vanishingtrooper.wordpress.com/2012/03/12/masami-obari-part-1-an-introduction/>Urushihara was Obari's friend in high school and encouraged the latter to draw and introduced him to anime>Obari ended up working in SEED as animator>Urushihara made a SEED parody for Genshiken's second OP.Imagine if SEED had Urushihara instead of Hirai as character designer.
>>22581614>(...)For ∀ Gundam, which I did before SEED, I even used all the birthdays of my family members (laughs).TopkekTurn A lore by Morita is great, I really enjoy Seed lore too.
>>22585951>MRC-F20 SUMOFebruary 20th?>JMA-0530 Wodom May 30th?>FLAT-L06D FLAT December 6th?
>>22583533Usually I don't like this artstyle but I love this picture, do you have any similar drawings of Kira and Lacus?
>>22581581okay that's cool and all but is there any other stuff about FA suits since they're on the cover and all?
>>22589060There's an interview in that issue with the Stream Base guys: Katsumi Kawaguchi, Masahiro Oda and Masaya Takahashi (Sentinel author).https://e-hentai.org/s/f78438d8b2/2604474-23In case you don't know what "Stream Base" is, here: https://www.zimmerit.moe/streambase-riding-the-gunpla-boom-in-the-early-days-of-gundam-model-mania/
>>22583533So we'd get some official porn then?
>>22582118>>22582125So what’s with the sex?
Does a non shitty clearly MTL version exist?
>>22592747Why don't you commission one yourself instead of complaining?There's tons of material in magazines and databooks that will never get read in English, so this is better than nothing.Only to name one example, Zeonic was doing the SEED MSV stories (written by Morita), but those were dropped in favor of other stuff.
>>22581591>Gundam and Evangelion can no longer be described in the category of robot anime, but have become independent of the genreConfirmation that those two need to be purged from /m/.
>>22593065>The category of giant robot animation, which was a higher concept than those works, is almost dead in today's animation industry.>To start with, it is not wrong to say that robot animation itself has completely died out. This is because giant robot anime was allowed to exist thanks to sponsors and toys.In that case, you'd only be left with stuff made before the start of Heisei or so, since (Bandai notwithstanding) there are no toy companies anymore left to sponsor glorified toy commercials.
>>22592591Or the gore and violence. I heard all about the deaths in Zeta and Victory but nobody told me about people turning into flesh balloons and exploding in Seed.https://youtu.be/jFGM1dORKy0?si=hnYt3sX3sR_LVCXw&t=488
>>22593115>nobody told me about people turning into flesh balloons and exploding in Seed.It's not our fault you've been living under a rock, Anon.
>>22593171Hey I went into gundam blind outside of a vague idea of Tomino's reputation. Guess I know better now
>>22593060Maybe you should go harass him for it since you seem to ask all the damn time He released these all in the past anyway. They're a non-shitty scan version, that's all
>>22593809>Maybe you should go harass him for it since you seem to ask all the damn timeWhat the fuck are you even on about?
>>22589511>zimmerit mentioned
