Gundam creator Tomino Yoshiyuki's thoughts on the present anime boom

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Tomino Yoshiyuki was interviewed by Toyo Keizai and the legendary director/writer/novelist best known for creating the Gundam anime franchise shared his thoughts about the present anime boom. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:

Tomino said, “It is true that the anime industry is in a period of prosperity. However, it is unclear whether this situation will continue in the future. The excitement may continue for another five or six years, but by then it will probably start to decline. The same is true for novels and movies, but there are always ups and downs that occur with the changing times. Works are meant to be enjoyed by people with hearts, so if the world environment changes, the face of culture will change, and people’s hearts will also change. So, if we reach the peak now, we will reach a dead end from now on”.

Tomino continued, “Anime itself will never disappear. However, I think it would be difficult to say that a better work than now will come out. After switching from hand-drawn animation to digital, many of Disney’s works became disappointing, but that’s how they end up being reproduced. I think works like Miyazaki Hayao’s anime will continue to be seen as classic works. Don’t you think the “Gundam” series will also go down in history? I don’t mean to be conceited, but maybe at least one line will be written down”

“But to tell you the truth, I feel that the fundamental messages that I put into the work “Gundam,” such as social theory and war theory, are hindered by the shape of the giant robot that is Gundam, and are not being conveyed as well as I would like. Children like dinosaurs, and they also like giant robots. Gundam’s popularity is an extension of that preference. Unfortunately, there is a part that has been supported by mechanical cafeterias with a narrow perspective. When you look at individual works, they cannot match the popularity of ‘Chibi Maruko-chan’ and ‘One Piece'”.