Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

T.M. RevolutionWould you tell me about the specific manga and anime that drew you in so much?
Living in Japan naturally provides numerous chances to watch anime and read manga, and I have enjoyed such an environment. Among a tremendous number of titles, I’d say I’ve gotten the strongest impact from the “Mobile Suit Gundam” series, which I believe has attracted an American audience as well. When I was a kid, I never dreamed that I would be able to get involved in the project such an intense way. If my childhood self could know this, he would be blown away. I can easily imagine that.

Can you pick three titles you like best?
Hmm, you are torturing me. Well, now I’m invited to do live performances at Comic Conventions in the US, so if I think from this perspective, the one that opened the door for this big chance I think is “Rurouni Kenshin (The Wandering Samurai).” It’s really hard to rank them, but again I must pick the “Mobile Suit Gundam” series. I generally have a strong attachment to the projects that I work for, so the series from the beginning to the latest episode occupies a huge part in me.

What kind of manga and anime do you recommend to US readers?
There must be many that require a certain knowledge of Japanese culture in order to truly appreciate their contents. But it is also true that there are many Japanese anime, such as the Gundam series, that deal with universal themes. So it would be easier to find some works that are thematically universal. On the other hand, I was surprised to see that many non-Japanese in the US enjoyed the ones which have completely traditional Japanese backgrounds. A good example is “Naruto.” Considering this, I guess my previous suggestion sounds somewhat shaky. [laughs]

Defining what is universal and what is unique is difficult, indeed.
You are right. I think of the anime that started earlier this year in Japan that I provide the opening theme song “Soul Eater” for. It depicts a completely fictitious world, neither Japan nor America. There are gunslingers, sword fighters, etc. That’s a true fantasy. I think this anime contains a lot of factors that each viewer who has a different background can relate to. So I recommend it to non-Japanese audiences, too. Alternately, the anime “Darker Than Black,” which I also provided the song for last year, created the atmosphere of contemporary Tokyo. So it might look interesting to people living outside of Japan.

“Soul Eater,” “Darker Than Black”--both titles sound scary. What age range is their target audience?
It cannot be summarized so easily, to tell the truth. “Soul Eater” is broadcast in the evening slot and aims to attract a younger audience. But “Darker Than Black” is created to appeal to both the younger fan and the anime-savvy audience like us, who have grown up with anime and manga. So they intentionally put this anime in the midnight broadcasting slot.

Anime in the midnight broadcasting slot?
Yup! Just for your information, “Soul Eater” runs in the evening slot as I said, but after a few days, a midnight re-run version with new additional scenes is on air. It’s a new programming strategy.

You won’t do voice acting any more like you did in the “Gundam SEED” series?
Oh, that was a truly exciting experience. I feel honored to have been able to do that, really. But what made me most happy is that the director and the production staff enjoyed collaborating with me. In the beginning, the director was a fan of my music, and he gave me a chance to sing the opening song. Then things developed into those collaborations. (The director created a role specifically for T.M.Revolution in “Gundam SEED Destiny.”) It’s great to know that my music was a driving force for their creativity, and I wanted to return something to them. This is why I accepted the offer of voice acting. But to be honest, I feel a little embarrassed.

I see. Everything is connected like a chain.
In my creation process, I often work with friends and people I got to know through jobs and music projects. And, most of the time, something springs out from there naturally, like “Let’s do that,” or “Try this out.” It’s not limited to the music field. It could be craft design or graphic design. It is fun and fulfilling that my output leads to something new. It’s hard, but I enjoy that.

HALCALITell us about your favorite manga and anime.
Halca: I used to love watching “Sailor Moon” when I was little. I was not even in elementary school when I started watching it. It was a part of my childhood. I used to think she was so cute.
Yukali: Yeah. She was like our idol.
Halca: Yup. She was cute, but also had this power to save the world, sort of… that was the story of “Sailor Moon”, right? (laugh)
Yukali: Yup. (laugh)
Halca: (laughing) They all had the same uniform but in different colors. It was adorable. I used to enjoy cosplaying, wearing the Sailor Moon dress when I was younger. In terms of manga…
Yukali: …Maybe “Azuki-chan”?

Azuki-chan? What kind of character is she?
Yukali: She’s not very cute. Most main characters in manga are really cute, but not Azuki-chan. She was sort of clumsy.
Halca: Azuki-chan was the first manga I owned. I gave my grandpa chocolate for valentines day when I was in elementary school. In return, he bought me manga. That was the first time I came across Azuki-chan. At the time, I was very little, so I saw Azuki-chan as sort of like an extension of a children’s picture book.
Yukali: As for manga… Let’s see…
Halca: Maybe Gokinjo Monogatari? (Neighborhood Story)
Yukali: “Gokinjo Monogatari” was an animation written by the same author of “NANA”. I also loved watching Anpanman. (A story about a hero whose face is made of bread stuffed with sweet beans) I mean he tears his face off to save a hungry kid! In retrospect, it was a really surreal story, but as a kid, I used to think he was so heroic. He was really kind, too.
Halca: Well, what do you expect? His “only friend is love and courage.” (Quoting from the theme song)
Yukali: Still, I was really taken with it when I was a kid. I also used to go see “Doraemon” movies. I used to sob so bad watching it. If I saw it now, I think I still would.

How about manga?
Yukali: I read lots of manga, but I’m trying to think what I read most recently. Maybe “Solanin?” It’s a story about just ordinary day-to-day life, but there are subtle sentiments in the story. But I really like the author Ai Yazawa who wrote both “NANA” and “Gokinjo Monogatari”. I think I’ve read all of her work.

If you were an anime character, who would you be?
Yukali: Geese, that’s a hard one. I’m not a very dramatic person. I’ve been called Jaiko, actually because I love barrett caps, and because of my hairstyle. They actually call me Jaiko a lot.
Manager: Jaiko has a very kind heart, too.
Yukali: That’s right! She’s an artist. That’s why she wears a barrett.
Halca: For me…
Yukali: What about Benzo-san in “Kiteretsu”? Because you have terrible eye-sight.
Halca: Benzo-san? But it’s kind of hard for the readers to picture.
Yukali: That’s true. Benzo-san is probably not a major character in the U.S. You’d have to really be an anime geek to know him.
Halca: Oh yeah! I think I’d go with Arare-chan (from Akira Toriyama’s “Dr. Slump”).
Yukali: KEEEEEN! (Making Arare-chan’s SF) There you go!. You have a similar energy.

What are some of the similarities between HALCALI and animation?
Halca: I think it’s the comical, small animal-like movements. The gestures that seem easy to imitate but are not when you actually try it.

How did you feel performing at anime convention?
Yukali: Because it was an Anime Fest, lots of people didn’t know us. And many people were cosplayers, so we had lots of fun. It was like we were the audience watching all these crazy cosplayers.