Director Watanabe Talks Anime
WARNING: This article contains ENDING SPOILERS

Excerpts from the Daily Texan's 2006 interview with director Watanabe Shinichiro.
Daily Texan: Do you think your work is making animation more accessible to older age groups in America?
Watanabe: Actually, I don't know much about American animation at all. So what do you think? If there's anything that's similar to "Cowboy Bebop," please let me know. I'd like to see it.
DT: Was it your decision to work with Yoko Kanno as a composer for "Macross Plus?"
W: At the time "Macross Plus" started, Yoko Kanno didn't have a name. She hadn't made a sound track. She was mostly working in the commercial industry. So I really didn't know anything about her. Somebody from Victor Entertainment recommended her strongly. I reviewed all of the commercials that her work was used in. While I reviewed these, I was impressed with what I heard and decided by all means yes, I would like to use her.
DT: Is there a particular reason why she wasn't used in "Samurai Champloo?"
W: I wanted to use hip-hop music in "Champloo" and since Yoko Kanno is not a hip-hop musician, I decided to use other people. There were some people that suggested we ask Yoko Kanno to create some hip-hop music, but I felt that that would be more of an imitation of hip-hop music than the real thing.
DT: Any chance of teaming up with Yoko Kanno again on your new projects?
W: I do want to work with Yoko Kanno, and I do have plans to work with her again on a future project, I just haven't decided exactly which project yet.
Daily Texan: Do you think your work is making animation more accessible to older age groups in America?
Watanabe: Actually, I don't know much about American animation at all. So what do you think? If there's anything that's similar to "Cowboy Bebop," please let me know. I'd like to see it.
DT: Was it your decision to work with Yoko Kanno as a composer for "Macross Plus?"
W: At the time "Macross Plus" started, Yoko Kanno didn't have a name. She hadn't made a sound track. She was mostly working in the commercial industry. So I really didn't know anything about her. Somebody from Victor Entertainment recommended her strongly. I reviewed all of the commercials that her work was used in. While I reviewed these, I was impressed with what I heard and decided by all means yes, I would like to use her.
DT: Is there a particular reason why she wasn't used in "Samurai Champloo?"
W: I wanted to use hip-hop music in "Champloo" and since Yoko Kanno is not a hip-hop musician, I decided to use other people. There were some people that suggested we ask Yoko Kanno to create some hip-hop music, but I felt that that would be more of an imitation of hip-hop music than the real thing.
DT: Any chance of teaming up with Yoko Kanno again on your new projects?
W: I do want to work with Yoko Kanno, and I do have plans to work with her again on a future project, I just haven't decided exactly which project yet.
DT: Is Spike's hair black or green?
W: Dark green.
DT: In your lecture you said that you create characters who are constantly hungry and short on cash. In the case of "Cowboy Bebop," how are characters such as Spike and Faye able to afford smokes when they can't buy food?
W: Actually, in my cowboy universe, tobacco is incredibly cheap. And if I go on and say a little more, how do you know it's really tobacco? We'll leave it at that. [Laughs].
DT: For the "Mushroom Samba" episode of "Bebop," did you research how people, not to mention Ein the dog, would act under the influence of narcotic mushrooms?
W: It's completely my imagination. If I don't say that, I might be arrested. But Ein isn't just an ordinary dog. You may know this, but Ein is considered a data dog. As a data dog, he's different from a regular dog and has an unusual reaction or response. But actually, I don't know that much about data dogs myself.
DT: Are you involved with the video game versions of "Bebop" or "Champloo?"
W: Actually, no. I've seen a little bit of them. But I was often so busy creating the animation side of it that I didn't have any time to dedicate over to the video game side of it. So if the games aren't all that interesting, it's not my fault.
DT: You said in your lecture that the characters you relate most to are Mugen and Spike. Care to explain?
W: First, I'm often shooting people and slashing them up with a sword ... It's a joke. [Laughs] Spike and Mugen aren't very straightforward in expressing themselves. For example, even if there's a girl they like standing right in front of them, they don't pursue her directly - in fact, they do the opposite, they ignore her almost. I think that part is kind of like me. If I was to sum it up, it's kind of like being a little contradictory or rebellious.
DT: Are you talking about Spike's relationship with Faye?
W: Of course. Sometimes I'm asked the question, 'What does Spike think of Faye?' I think that actually he likes her quite a bit. But he's not a very straightforward person so he makes sure he doesn't show it.
W: Dark green.
DT: In your lecture you said that you create characters who are constantly hungry and short on cash. In the case of "Cowboy Bebop," how are characters such as Spike and Faye able to afford smokes when they can't buy food?
W: Actually, in my cowboy universe, tobacco is incredibly cheap. And if I go on and say a little more, how do you know it's really tobacco? We'll leave it at that. [Laughs].
DT: For the "Mushroom Samba" episode of "Bebop," did you research how people, not to mention Ein the dog, would act under the influence of narcotic mushrooms?
W: It's completely my imagination. If I don't say that, I might be arrested. But Ein isn't just an ordinary dog. You may know this, but Ein is considered a data dog. As a data dog, he's different from a regular dog and has an unusual reaction or response. But actually, I don't know that much about data dogs myself.
DT: Are you involved with the video game versions of "Bebop" or "Champloo?"
W: Actually, no. I've seen a little bit of them. But I was often so busy creating the animation side of it that I didn't have any time to dedicate over to the video game side of it. So if the games aren't all that interesting, it's not my fault.
DT: You said in your lecture that the characters you relate most to are Mugen and Spike. Care to explain?
W: First, I'm often shooting people and slashing them up with a sword ... It's a joke. [Laughs] Spike and Mugen aren't very straightforward in expressing themselves. For example, even if there's a girl they like standing right in front of them, they don't pursue her directly - in fact, they do the opposite, they ignore her almost. I think that part is kind of like me. If I was to sum it up, it's kind of like being a little contradictory or rebellious.
DT: Are you talking about Spike's relationship with Faye?
W: Of course. Sometimes I'm asked the question, 'What does Spike think of Faye?' I think that actually he likes her quite a bit. But he's not a very straightforward person so he makes sure he doesn't show it.
DT: Episode five of "Bebop," "Ballad of Fallen Angels," seems to be foreshadowing the events of the final episode. Is there a connection?
W: Actually all of the episodes that contain Vicious that come out in "Cowboy Bebop" are directly related to the ending. Even before I made the first episode, I already had the ending in mind. Even though I had the ending in mind by myself, I was opposed by my staff. They were upset because they were saying that we wouldn't be able to make a continuation. So I told them I'd think about it a little more, but ultimately I decided to go with my original idea.
DT: Have you received any negative feedback for Spike's death?
W: I've never officially said that he's died. At this point, I can tell you that I'm not sure if he's alive or dead. I think probably rather than being yelled at for killing Spike, I think ... people are more upset that I might make a continuation.
DT: I'm sure you've heard the next question a thousand times, and I apologize for asking again.
W: Then I pass. [Laughs]. I'm joking.
DT: When are we going to get to see more "Bebop"?
W: Someday ... maybe, someday.
DT: How was working on a movie different from the series?
W: One thing is that with a TV series, you only have 20 minutes, so you can't convey a long story. I feel like I was able to convey a longer story in the movie. For example, in the movie there is a 20-minute mecha scene. If I were to do that in the TV series, it would take up an entire TV episode.
DT: It's common to hear animators remark about how long it takes them to be offered a solo directing opportunity. How were you able to do this so quickly?
W: The animation industry is one that doesn't really rely on age or educational background. Rather, it depends more on a person's skill and on luck. So for myself, the first TV series I directed, "Cowboy Bebop," was a hit, and as a result of its success, I was offered the opportunity to direct a film. It doesn't really matter have much skill you have, if you don't have a hit work, a popular piece, you won't get any offers to make a film. In that respect, I consider myself lucky.
W: Actually all of the episodes that contain Vicious that come out in "Cowboy Bebop" are directly related to the ending. Even before I made the first episode, I already had the ending in mind. Even though I had the ending in mind by myself, I was opposed by my staff. They were upset because they were saying that we wouldn't be able to make a continuation. So I told them I'd think about it a little more, but ultimately I decided to go with my original idea.
DT: Have you received any negative feedback for Spike's death?
W: I've never officially said that he's died. At this point, I can tell you that I'm not sure if he's alive or dead. I think probably rather than being yelled at for killing Spike, I think ... people are more upset that I might make a continuation.
DT: I'm sure you've heard the next question a thousand times, and I apologize for asking again.
W: Then I pass. [Laughs]. I'm joking.
DT: When are we going to get to see more "Bebop"?
W: Someday ... maybe, someday.
DT: How was working on a movie different from the series?
W: One thing is that with a TV series, you only have 20 minutes, so you can't convey a long story. I feel like I was able to convey a longer story in the movie. For example, in the movie there is a 20-minute mecha scene. If I were to do that in the TV series, it would take up an entire TV episode.
DT: It's common to hear animators remark about how long it takes them to be offered a solo directing opportunity. How were you able to do this so quickly?
W: The animation industry is one that doesn't really rely on age or educational background. Rather, it depends more on a person's skill and on luck. So for myself, the first TV series I directed, "Cowboy Bebop," was a hit, and as a result of its success, I was offered the opportunity to direct a film. It doesn't really matter have much skill you have, if you don't have a hit work, a popular piece, you won't get any offers to make a film. In that respect, I consider myself lucky.
Want to share your thoughts on this interview? Join in the discussion in the Comments section:
HTML Comment Box is loading comments...