"METAL BUILD FREEDOM GUNDAM CONCEPT 2", which received a great response from everyone when reservations started, will finally be released on August 8th. In commemoration of this release, we will release a full-size special interview between director Mitsuo Fukuda and Satoshi Shigeta, which was previously posted on the special site! "CONCEPT 2" presents new possibilities for METAL BUILD. What did Director Fukuda and Mr. Shigeta see? I interviewed the person in charge of development.
*This interview was conducted in February 2020.

■ METAL BUILD FREEDOM GUNDAM CONCEPT 2

──I have a sample this time, but what are your impressions from both sides?

Fukuda:I feel that it feels quite good. I think it's a great success, and I think that the development team "interpreted in various ways" can be seen from each of the curved surfaces. Well done. Very precise. I think it's wonderful.

Shigeta:I wonder if this is what I really wanted when I was a kid. It may sound cheap, but it's amazing, like it came out of a TV screen. It's a completely different hobby from my childhood. The form, proportions, details, and movable ver. A.N.I.M.E. are all amazing. It's a high-class hobby.

Fukuda:What's going on with the leg joints? It seems that you can sit upright.

──You can. With double joints, I also paid attention to the silhouette so that the "corners" of the knees appear when bent. Based on the joints of METAL BUILD Strike Freedom, CONCEPT 2 also adopted the same shape.

 

Shigeta:In the anime setting, I didn't draw the joint design and structure in detail (laughs). I don't think there are designers who carefully design elbow and knee joint blocks, and I think there are probably no animators who draw.

Fukuda:I don't like the fact that the joints are so loose, but even if the human skeleton is reproduced so realistically, that's not the case.

Shigeta:METAL BUILD has double joints like a mecha. When the joints are bent, the elbows and knees basically form a "<"-shaped silhouette in humans, but plastic models often have a "U"-shaped silhouette.

Fukuda:The texture of the plastic is completely different, but what is this?

── We also paint the armor. CONCEPT 2 has a slightly more chic and matte finish than last time. This is a slightly "weapon-like" approach.

 

Shigeta:If the molding color remains the same, it will look cheap.

Fukuda:I think this texture is the best.

── Thank you.

Fukuda:In the first place, it is strange that "white" is a strange weapon. If it is true, it should be a protective color so as not to be noticeable from the enemy.

Shigeta:The protagonist robots in the anime stand out, especially the white guys.

Fukuda:RX-78-2 Gundam, what appears in the animation is not pure white, but blue white with a little green. At that time, the whites of Sunrise robots were all blue-white. That's because Dragner and Gundam's white are the same (laughs).

Shigeta:I couldn't tell the difference when I was watching it on a CRT at the time... When I saw the new The Movie cut, it felt like I realized for the first time that it was really white.

Fukuda:If you think so, I think that the white of Gundam suits the matte white like this. But why (for CONCEPT 2 and the first Freedom) the shape of the shield is so different? But also wings.

──In CONCEPT 2, the image as a collision weapon is also added to the shield, reflecting the advice from Mr. Shigeta.

Fukuda:Yes, the shield is also a hitting weapon. In the first place, you can't even hit each other on MS. If you hit it with your fist, you will not be able to grasp a beam weapon, so it is a substitute melee weapon. A shield is stronger than a poor sword. Because the shield of the riot police is amazing, destructive power (laughs).

--Please tell us about Mr. Shigeta's supervision in CONCEPT 2.

Shigeta:The method of supervising a three-dimensional object depends on the person who supervises it. Some people start slowly with concept work, while others check the completed prototypes. At the time of the previous METAL BUILD FREEDOM GUNDAM, the concept was "expressing the aircraft that was drawn and expressed in animation", so I accepted if there was anything I could talk about in that part. I gave him advice such as 'I want it to look like this', 'I'm drawing with this in mind', and 'The design in the settings is like this, but this kind of processing made it look better on the screen'. rice field. However, even if I'm told like this time, "I'm going to recreate Freedom with METAL BUILD," what I can say is almost the same as last time (laughs).

――At the beginning, when you talked about the concept 2 concept, you said, “If you supervise it, you will be together with the previous one?”

Shigeta:If I were to ask if I had a clear “answer” to CONCEPT 2 this time, I wouldn’t say so. As Destiny Gundam, Strike FREEDOM GUNDAM, and METAL BUILD evolve, I want FREEDOM GUNDAM to keep up. So, this time, I only conveyed my reaction to the direction and ideas proposed by the development team.

── Mr. Shigeta gave us some advice on the Varena Plasma Focused Beam Cannon.

Shigeta:At the time of production, when I first saw the design of Freedom, I saw that the beam gun was stored between the wings, and this is quite novel! I thought. I asked that the beam gun itself be not so conspicuous when the wings are closed, and conversely when the deployment is done, make a firm assertion. After that, when I deployed the wings, I also asked for an image that the beam cannon and wings would not look as heavy as possible as silhouettes.

--At the beginning of the development, the proportions were a little more massive, but in the interview with Mr. Shigeta, you arrived at the current sharp figure.

Shigeta:When I proceeded with the same details as Destiny and Strike Freedom, I felt that the simple goodness that Freedom originally had would die. That is why we need to differentiate from Strike Freedom. Originally, there was a simple freedom, and there was a more powerful Strike Freedom in the future, so I thought it would be better if I could live properly. However, I didn't have a clear direction or idea how to arrange and express it as a solid (laughs).

Fukuda:To be honest, this time the proportion is still better. To be honest, even if you go to a place where you think, "Isn't it better than this?"

■ FREEDOM GUNDAM birth secret story

── Speaking of FREEDOM GUNDAM, the appearance scene of the 35th episode "The Descending Sword" was impressive. How did that scene come about?

Fukuda:That's because I was thinking about "The THE UNFETTERED SHOGUN" from the beginning.

--Really! ?

Fukuda:At the scenario meeting, we talked about "What kind of appearance do you have?" "From the heavens of the aurora glittering on the snowy field, I'm going down a bit," he said.

Shigeta:Mr. Fukuda is an image-first type.

Fukuda:Yes Yes. Then, when I said, "As an expression of strength, I shoot the beam in all directions at once," he said, "That's not fun." I said, "If you shoot the beams all at once, they're all peaking!", and the staff convinced me.

── It's an unkillable killer.

Fukuda:Simply destroying it from the beginning with one shot is not fun.

Shigeta:To be honest, I think "FREEDOM GUNDAM is a good aircraft for expressing the coolness of the leading robot." Just by expanding the wing and posing with Burn, you can say that it is cool even after many years. Other protagonist robots are drawing scenes that use more calories, and I think that they often don't get cool unless they show their best. After all the situation is good.

── It was also cool to appear in front of the arc angel in the pinch scene.

Fukuda:This is also a freedom with wings, so I started with an angelic image of the clouds breaking and floating under the aurora. Then, he was asked, "Where is the aurora?" and the stage is decided, "Then, North!"

Shigeta:When the weather is pecan, the tension on the screen is hard to come out and I can't help.

Fukuda:At SEED, I really thought about the stage. The place and the sky are all changing. The weather is fine, cloudy, and stormy. I use it for night, day and evening.

Shigeta:Impulse and Freedom battle scenes are snowy. You made it cloudy gray.

Fukuda:Be aware of the game. In the first place, the only way to fight is to use a beam and fight with a sword, so they are all the same. So you can't fight in the same place.

Shigeta:Conversely, if you change the situation (laughs). In the extreme, I wonder if there is anything.

Fukuda:Yes Yes. Just changing the stage will give you a different impression.

Shigeta:The situation is important.

Fukuda:If it's dramatic, it's rain and thunder! And since this is an appearance, I wanted an aurora.

Shigeta:In that way, when I decided on an image-first basis, Shigeru Morita, who had a special setting, was worried about what to do. It seems that it was difficult because the time did not match, the place did not match (laughs).

Fukuda:There are no snowfields in Alaska (laughs). Where is the consistency in the scenario? However. At that time, SEED was thinking about how to get Gunpla. Among them, there was a battle to create a picture that would make a diorama.

Shigeta:For example, in the case of First Gundam (the first TV series "Mobile Suit Gundam"), it's a scene where Char's red Z'Gok is stabbing Jim with a claw.

Fukuda:Yes Yes. Situations are made in the sense of making scenes and making poses. I thought about that first, so in the end, the stage is important. What to put in the background there. First, decide where to go, decide who and how you will fight, and finally design. So I let you draw all those important scenes (laughs).

Shigeta:As an animator, the moving cuts before and after that are the highlight of anime. However, the still picture that impresses the viewer is the still picture. Because when you want to show it, you stop and show it carefully.

──Please tell us about the history of the birth of FREEDOM GUNDAM.

Fukuda:FREEDOM GUNDAM was greatly opposed from the naming stage at the scenario meeting. Only Chiaki Morosawa of the series composition agreed.

Shigeta:A little more, I liked the twisted name. I wonder what the name means.

Fukuda:Okay, freedom and justice! At that time, because of the Iraq war, it was liar to us to name weapons as "freedom", but when we looked at the reality, we thought it was more realistic to say that the name was the opposite of the essence of words. you know.

Shigeta:Well, someone will later add the weapon's name as a pet name.

Fukuda:On the other hand, "destroy" as a weapon has the intention of inviting the opponent. I'll call it a sense of action, like Patriot.

Shigeta:It is said to carry the prestige of the country.

Fukuda:In the first place, it came from the initial project "Freedom Fighter" of First Gundam. It's kind of interesting to see "dams" lined up (laughs).

Shigeta:Is it a rhyme (laughs)?

――How about the settings?

Fukuda:From the beginning, I was thinking of making the power-up aircraft that comes out from the middle into a nuclear-powered MS. I thought, "Battery-powered as the first stage. Inconvenience makes it easy to create situations, and it's easy to run out of energy, but it's not that strong" (laughs). FREEDOM GUNDAM is positioned as the "strongest aircraft" in the world of SEED.

――How about the design?

Fukuda:At first, I ordered Mr. Kunio Okawara, "Please make an MS that combines three functions: Strike Gundam's striker system, Yale, Sword, and Launcher." But it didn't go well at the time. The staff thought about various things, and Mr. Okawara also thought about it, but the design didn't come together. It didn't turn out to be a sharp machine. However, later in "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny", we decided to do it again with the concept of consolidating functions, and it became Destiny Gundam.

Shigeta:After all, FREEDOM GUNDAM is no longer a collection of striker system functions.

Fukuda:When everyone was worried, Mr. Okawara made a presentation. Ask us, "How about the design with wings as the main?"

Shigeta:I didn't think there was a beam cannon between the wings. I was amazed at the idea of storing the Varana Plasma Focused Beam Cannon.

Fukuda:Okawara-san really thinks about ver. A.N.I.M.E.. That's what you'd expect.

Shigeta:Okawara-san also thought that the silhouette should change greatly with a simple structure. The change in silhouette is very meaningful because you can clearly see the change as an animation production.

■ For users

──Are there any mecha that you would like METAL BUILD to commercialize in the future?

Fukuda:Please make Dendrobium. I'm really interested in who buys it and how to decorate it (laughs).

Shigeta:When it was made into a Gunpla, did it last about 2 meters on a 1/144 scale? (Edit note: about 1 meter)

Fukuda:But even a life-sized Gundam is displayed in the sunrise. You just have to display it in the sunrise (laughs).

--Dendrobium? Although it is large, it will be heavy because it uses die casting.

Fukuda:Having said that, what if Dendrobium was sent to us? Do you refuse to accept "I'm in trouble!" (laughs)?

── How about Mr. Shigeta?

Shigeta:Now, I have come up with the idea that if there are 3 striker packs in the lineup, a mechanism to carry them is necessary.

── Is it a sky grasper?

Shigeta:If you play like a toy, this is an ant. It is good to display it as a striker pack or as a single weapon, but I think the combination with Grasper is quite good. The great thing about Okawara's design is that I'm very surprised at the design of the Skygrasper like "Is the turret here?" (laughs).

Fukuda:When I placed an order with Mr. Okawara, he said, "G fighter is all right!" Rather, "Please be a G fighter, you don't have to unite."

Shigeta:I think the inconvenience of operating that striker system is like that of Strike Gundam. After all, it is difficult to make Impulse Gundam ... because it is the leading role.

── As a development team, this is also the aircraft you want to commercialize.

Shigeta:Even so, why didn't the character stand in such a play? I drew it very hard...

Fukuda:Impulse?

Shigeta:It was difficult to make a BANK scene of Sword Impulse or Blast Impulse, and it was extremely difficult to draw and connect the swords, especially! But I wonder why it's not popular (laughs).

Fukuda:In the story, the spot hits were weak.

Shigeta:Another reason is that Impulse doesn't have the inconveniences of Strike. But I think it was good that all those ver. A.N.I.M.E. were like the main robots in robot animes. The upper and lower body parts and silhouette equipment fly out and combine in the air.

──Finally, please give a message to SEED fans and METAL BUILD fans.

Fukuda:It is good that commercialization continues, and I really appreciate it. That's what has evolved in 20 years. What was not possible to commercialize at that time is that now it is realized.

Shigeta:It's because I keep making it.

Fukuda:Looking now, the old ones are far inferior to the moldings and new ones. However, there are some places where it seems to be good. That's because the history is made with products alone.

--How about from Mr. Shigeta?

Shigeta:I would like you to compare the growth margin and growth of this CONCEPT 2 from the previous Freedom. I do not deny the FREEDOM GUNDAM itself, it is not good or bad, and I think that you can enjoy it by comparing the "world view". Personally, it's not that it looks like or dissimilar to the picture I drew, but that it's cool as a three-dimensional object and that the accuracy is dramatically improved, which is surprising even if I look at it by my side.

Fukuda:You can see the difference in silhouette when compared.

Shigeta:That's why it's good to compare with Destiny and Strike Freedom. After all, it is also proof that the longer the series continues, the better the "things" will be (laughs). I would like the users who have the hands to fully enjoy CONCEPT 2.

──Thank you very much.

Ladies and gentlemen, how was the interview? I hope that everyone will pick up "CONCEPT 2" and experience the evolution of METAL BUILD that Mr. Fukuda and Mr. Shigeta felt. Also, will Director Fukuda and Mr. Shigeta talk about "METAL BUILD that we want to be commercialized" in the future? Please look forward to it.