Kenji Kamiyama
“Once viewers understand the unwritten rules
behind it [Japanese anime], it’s really appealing.”
Background artist-turned-anime director Kenji Kamiyama is one of the most sought-after directors in the Japanese anime industry today. His international fame was boosted with the TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002). Currently working on Eden of the East TV series and films, which are all based on his original story, he is always moving a step ahead. Here Mr. Kamiyama shares his approach and views toward animation.
Would you describe your latest work, the Eden of the East series?
The story begins at the White House, a place Americans know well, and secrets are thrown one after the other in front of the protagonist, amnesiac Takizawa. He solves each mystery by himself and overcomes the obstacles. His struggle is what’s most highlighted in Eden.
The plot involves an amnesiac man solving mysteries while working against the power of an invincibly huge organization. This reminds me of The Bourne Identity.
When I constructed the plot in the beginning, I was aware of Bourne. You might notice the line, “It’s like Jason Bourne,” in one episode. I intentionally incorporated it into the story.
We can see lots of influences from foreign films in your works. Would you pick a couple of your favorites?
I love Hollywood films and have watched so many. If I must choose one director, I would pick Hitchcock. I think this is why I like and am good at suspense rather than action. There are not many exciting action scenes in Eden, but what build suspense are the mystery and game that central characters involuntarily got involved in. They are given a mysterious gadget called Nobles Cell Phone, which works just like Hitchcock’s McGuffin, so it’s more Hitchcock style than Jason Bourne.
How do you employ CG, computer-generated art, in your anime?
First of all, as Japanese anime takes pride in hand-drawn animation, I mainly use it. However, when it comes to mass production of drawing and realistic visual expression, CG is more convenient. To make a long story short, an object that doesn’t change its shape, such as a car driving through the city or an airplane, for example, is depicted by CG these days. Also, the point-of-view shots, in which the camera’s eye constantly moves, are CG because that’s what hand-drawn animation cannot produce so easily. I think hand-drawn animation in America is being produced less and less, but I’d like to make the most of the attraction of hand-drawn animation, instead of overusing CG. I only use it for efficiency and the depiction of dynamic camera movement.
Is there anything you are particular about when creating sound?
When I construct sound, I try to stay close to the psychology of the characters. In an action scene, I ask myself which emotion I’d like to evoke: excitement or suspense. Also, I am careful about not introducing the music in an obvious way. I prefer a more subtle way, like the music was already there when the audience notices it.
In animation, the sounds of things that are not seen on-screen often distract audiences. Therefore, even if there are times when I feel like adding ambient sound and extra sound effects, I repress the temptation and choose a minimal style. Also, unlike live-action movies, there is no ambient tone that’s recorded on the set in animation. We have to create it from scratch. It’s tough to create an ambient tone that is not really obtrusive. Human ears are actually capable of picking out many sounds, and people can distinguish between the sound of a thing dropping on cement from the sound of something dropping on a wooden floor. This makes the sound design of animation difficult. I try to create sounds that don’t cause discomfort in the audience’s mind.
Animation directors have to create everything. In this sense, they have the responsibility and the right to control everything. What do you keep in mind while executing this playing-god right?
I believe that is the most interesting part in creating animation. It’s really a pleasure, but when a story involves a number of characters, it tends to become incoherent in terms of the characters’ personality, and especially mindset. If it’s live action, actors might point out, “Does this line sound unnatural in this context?” or something like that. But in an animation production, directors have to do that. Even though we might find inconsistencies sometimes, it’s not easy to change direction once the script has been written and the production has started. So, I have to put extra care into determining whether the characters’ expressions and attitudes fit with the situation or not when we draw the animation.
Would you tell us about the strengths of Japanese anime in your opinion?
Animators in Japan have developed techniques of creating compositions, layouts, and backgrounds that are as real as those in live-action movies, although characters are manga-ish. I believe Japanese anime is good at realistic expression, and characters’ expressions are richer. Each character looks exaggerated in a unique way, but its unrealistic look and realistic emotional and psychological expression are well blended. I assume that’s what Japanese anime is good at and appreciated for outside Japan.
Anime is also loaded with a variety of designs. We can incorporate details that basically cannot be expressed in two dimensions –– like costumes and hairstyles –– to express three dimensions. I notice this when I go overseas and see cosplayers [people in anime costumes] who replicate the anime styles. They seem interested in this aspect. Complex storytelling is also appealing, I think.
Japanese animated films have not achieved commercial success in the US market. What is necessary for the Japanese animation industry to produce works that are appealing to Japanese and foreign audiences alike?
That’s what we discuss all the time here. In my opinion, Japanese anime is supported by unique fans, and there is a line between them and the people who watch Hollywood movies. There are some unwritten rules in Japanese anime: unique costumes, which inspire cosplayers, and hairstyles, which are bizarre to non-anime fans, as well as events happening in unique settings. Once viewers understand the rules behind it, it’s really appealing. But people who are not familiar with the rules often cannot become interested. This may be the reason why Japanese anime does not attract a majority of viewers in the U.S.
I personally think what Japanese anime could share with Hollywood blockbuster films are sci-fi and action elements. But in this case, the setting should be more accessible, not a completely different world. Films like this might be accepted by both Japanese anime fans and Hollywood blockbuster fans. So, in order to appeal to a universal audience, it is important to eliminate the hurdle of rules, I think. Ghost in the Shell, for example, is easier to understand because the audience is familiar with one of its rules; the setting is “cyber,” so it has become well received as people become more familiar with things like the Internet and cell phones. If we can reduce the hurdles and make viewers think, “Oh, this world is the same as the one we live in,” we will be able to invite them into the adventurous world of Japanese anime.
In this issue of Chopsticks NY, we feature Akihabara and Nakano Broadway. Would you pick a few places you like there?
I used to go to Mandarake in Nakano Broadway, but I could rarely go there once I started directing. I often went to Akihabara before it was transformed to the mecca of anime and manga, but again, I hardly go there now. Actually, I rarely go out these days. [laughs]
Any good places around your office?
Hmm, this would be interesting if your readers are anime fans… There are many anime studios along the Chuo Railroad Line, so take the Chuo Line at Shinjuku station, go westbound, and visit the area where anime studios call home, one by one. We, Production I.G, are located in Mitaka, Studio Ghibli in Higashi Koganei, Madhouse in Nakano… Most of the anime studios are on this line.
——- Interview by Noriko Komura
Kenji Kamiyama Born in Saitama Prefecture in 1966. After graduating high school, he started working as a background artist for numerous projects, including Akira (1988) and Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989). In 1996, he joined Team Oshii at Production I.G, where he worked as a sequence director in Jin-Roh (1999) and wrote the script for Blood: The Last Vampire (2000). In 2002, he debuted as a director in MiniPato (2002). His international fame was boosted when he directed the TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2002) and Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. 2nd Gig (2004), followed by the feature-length Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society (2006). In 2007, he adapted Nahoko Uehashi’s Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit for TV. In 2009, he created the TV series Eden of the East and subsequently directed two theatrical films of Eden.
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