Is “Space Dandy” still hand drawn, or did you adopt a drawing pad for your computer? Minami: Basically, it is hand drawing, but there are animators who use a drawing pad too. I really appreciate them for bringing this wonderful result! Without our teamwork, the idea would have not been realized. And also, the production team at BONES, we keep working day and night to meet the delivery schedule for the US side to produce English version of the show. Thanks to the partners of this “Space Dandy” project including Bandai Visual, FUNimation, and Adult Swim, we all made such a lot of efforts into this project to realize the idea of simultaneous broadcasting. Though, considering it had never been done, you know how difficult it is to make it come true. Minami: From the moment we launched this project, I wanted to broadcast this show in the US simultaneously in Japan. How was it possible for “Space Dandy” to premiere in America? Usually shows made in Japan could take a few years for a port to come over to the States. When I get a chance, I play sports such as baseball and futsal (five a-side). But this job requires stamina, so I try to exercise. When you’re not working on Dandy, what do you do on your down time? Is there even down time? Minami: Being an animation producer occupies almost entire my life, so I do not separate my downtime from uptime. So I think that I contributed as to raise the recognition of Japanese anime outside of Japan. Though thinking about the shows I’ve produced such as “The Vision of Escaflowne”, “Cowboy Bebop”, and “Fullmetal Alchemist”, they were well-received and loved by a lot of anime fans outside of Japan. What would you say has contributed to the latest boom in the anime market in America? Minami: As a business side of aspect, I have not contributed. So I decided to get into this anime industry. Through learning various methods of production, I was attracted to the freedom of expression by utilizing anime. What was your inspiration to get into anime? Minami: Since I was student, I was interested in entertainment.
In order to realize it, we need support from you! Please give us your supports! (laughs)
Laika space dandy series#
We would like to develop a new series, but if we do so, the new “Dandy” series needs to be something that exceeds the current “Dandy”. What can we look forward to from the “Space Dandy” franchise after Season 2? Can we expect an OVA (original video animation) or movie? Minami: We are in the middle of Season 2 production. Same thing can be said to “Cowboy Bebop”. It is not like comparing the show to others, but we wanted to make a show which we can make only at this moment. I thought, what type of show I should make with Watanabe, in this modern time? The show should have a lot of opportunities where we can depict all the things we want to express by using anime-beyond genre, no, we thought about creating a show in which the attempt itself- the attempt to create a show through which we can even break the genre-is the challenge. What led you to create “Space Dandy”? How do you compare it to your other works, like “Cowboy Bebop”, which is regarded as one of the most favorable shows to be imported from Japan? Minami: It all started from wanting to create a new series with General Director Sinichiro Watanabe. I would be very happy if “Space Dandy” becomes manga in America! Hello publishers, please contact us if you are interested! (laughs) When will we see the “Space Dandy” manga in America? Minami: At this moment, we do not have a plan to publish “Space Dandy” in the US. Read on to see what kind of man we are dealing with here as show creator. Fortunately, for us, that’s nowhere near his style. If he wanted to, I’m sure Masahiko could just chill in Bora Bora for a bit, then unload Season 2 next year. As the creator of America’s newest anime sensation, Space Dandy, Masahiko Minami certainly shows his fair share grit by premiering Season 2 only a few months after Season 1 celebrated it’s finale.