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"Medabots" is a robot breeding RPG game released in 1997. At the same time as the release of the software, a comic was serialized in the magazine "Comic Bonbon", and the setting and depiction that set it apart from conventional robots became popular with children. A sequel, Medabots 2, was released in 1999. Along with this, the TV anime will also start broadcasting. Even after the anime and comics ended, software development continued, and in 2010, the first new work in eight years, "Medabots DS" was released.

Medabots are completed by attaching a "medal" that plays the role of the brain, the head, right arm, left arm, and leg parts to the basic frame called "Timpet" (TIN PET = tin pet). "They" are autonomous robots with different personalities for each medal, and their height is about 1 meter, which is unusual for robots. In addition, Medabots can be purchased at convenience stores, and in this work, the stage where robots play an active role is expressed as a world that does not differ from reality. This realistic view of the world can be said to be the charm of "Medabots". This time, we asked Mr. Horumarin, the original author and character designer of Medabots series, to appear and ask about the setting and design of this work.

■ everyday it is a robot

- First of all, please tell us from the planning history of the game software is a series of nuclear.

HormahI was around the time of about 21 years old. Starts from a place called "stay the robot parts", view of the world and the meeting many times, went decided height of the robot, the direction and the like of the design.

Medals idea of ​​the brain than from the development side, was determined by the comparatively early stage. Proposal that has issued from me is that you have a ... stage in the "quite common in the world except you have a robot." Because it was after all a small game in which children were the target, who easy to understand is I was considered good.

For example, it is stage is likely to fight the robots, if the battlefield, the generation with no war experience I It will not come ring a bell.
In, but mom-and-pop candy store was floated as a place where children gather, was in a convenience store with the times.

If the robot will be released, I I had expected the thing that does not help absolutely.

So it means that people of "useless robot" was thought that it is realistic. But was actually appeared the first ever commercially available robot, I because I did not have something useful such a robot. I think that his theory was right (laughs).

And it is the height settings, if you want to set the height of the robot, but it will be larger or smaller or of the two 択 than humans. And "bonbon" at that time to is not an exaggeration to say that was made up in the Gundam, I thought the inconspicuous be the same size. So I was in like a younger brother of the main character size.

If I'm a good dad size you were set to move in the instruction street, it also it because it has been done already in the other. In addition, since even drama in from the initial stages of the house has been assumed, it would no longer put in the house and too large. But there is also a way to show that put in the garage, to it than is the interesting person who was sitting in plain on the table.

■ Create Medabots

――How did the design of Medabots come about?

HormahThe first to receive the order of "like this". It can not be reproduced on the screen also draw a very complex design, to too simple and draw in Ikaseru range with a dot painting to say whether. Since each other each other such Semegi, did not draw in great order street (laughs).

Ultimately, I think it would be better to make the design recognizable by its silhouette. Basically, I only draw the front, but I also draw the back and sides of the leading Medabots. The characters that appear in the manga were designed on the spot. However, the background setting of animation etc. is caused by the site.

- Whether the weapon of both arms is being designed at Ki There performance? In addition, color ring will of how a determined?

HormahWhen I was first groping state, he drew while here thought the performance. "Shoot," "hit", and the like as is evenly distributed. But, is set after the design change, there was also no longer fit weapons of appearance and effect. If such has redrawn the design again.

Because at that time did not advance the game of graphics technology is about now, the development side to think in the first as the performance of the robot is what "if you want to exchange numbers."

The order to me also, not "whether the character to do specifically", the performance of the in order to increase or decrease the number of such as "come out later bit by bit and the damage" was the basic. But the necessary on the side of the design is a concrete information "hit" or "shoot", so it does not be such as to reflect the design features say "slightly reduce by". It was hard to have to do the sliding alignment of there many times.

Most of the color ring believes the development staff of the game. Cat, dog, but Turtle of red, blue and yellow had imagined, I myself I was poised to much "whether it was a necessary What color?". After all it because the first was the Game Boy software of monochrome. Actually helmet at first it was a wine red. But the hero of the clothes has changed since the red to brownish orange. Stag is the result of taking into account the balance of the time that is aligned with the purple-ish blue of the even hero.

――Why did you set a gender for Medabots?

HormahIt's basically a game for boys to play. It is unlikely that a female type will be a big success, and if so, there is no point in putting it out. Then, I thought that if I put out a female type as a rare item, children would want it too.

In addition it is often drawn cute I female type robot, but it is so that you are also doing other work, here was aware of the same line as the male pattern. Because from female users I was able to even the letter as "female pattern is perfectly happy that cool", I think it was the correct answer.

However, from "Medabots 2" onwards, there was also a balance with the anime, so the Sailor Multi that I designed only appeared in the manga, and the cute design of the anime setting was used in the game. So the nurse-type St. Nurse is in line with "that direction." I don't think other writers can do this. I was young at the time, so I thought, "Let's flirt with adults" (laughs).

Sailor multi

St. nurse

■ molting the beetle

- So Beetle type that is a hero mechanical, please let us know the birth history of stag type.

HormahAnimals that are often kept as pets were considered for the main Medabots. That's why the three bad boys are a cat, a dog, and a turtle. Kabuto was a candidate for a supporting role when the main character hadn't been decided yet, and he was treated as a little role that fell from the tree. But after that, I thought, ``Maybe Kabuto should be the main character?'', so I redesigned the design for the supporting role to make it look like the main character.

- Please tell us each design concept.

HormahMetabi is an image of old-fashioned tanks. Was a missile of the head to duplicate formula, single-shot is because already was said to be likely to do with the other.
Simultaneous firing It is impossible that it is this structure (laughs).

The shoulder of the tank is in front wings of beetles, but I did not want to direct feather yen was the pillar.
I do not know I also what is jammed in (laughs).

Arms are the settings that are equipped with a weapon that different in the left and right, were differentiated by the number of muzzle and to dare the part itself isomorphic. The factory is an image that has been produced in the same mold. I detail is a plastic tank of the legs.

Patina was the aircraft name originally head scissors. But the beginning is called a patina is in the comics, this was to be unified in the game since the fixation. The truth was the image of an individual name to say "head scissors type of patina." Design whereas Metabi-conscious Furukusa is, here we drew the future-ish image. Existing design, such as the plastic tank does not use at all.

Actually, both of them got OK without drawing so many. As for Rokusho, it was a one-shot deal, and even though it was the main character, we never had a hard time designing it. However, it was difficult to think of both successors. From "Medabots 3", we have to think about the transformation mechanism. But personally, I had doubts about transforming. As a robot, Medabots walked a twisted path, so I felt the danger of being seen as the same as other robots.

■ Medabots symbols and naming

――There are various types of Medabots besides animals, such as occupations, aliens, demons, zodiac signs, and constellations. How did you choose these motifs?

HormahBasically motif wish was thinking the staff of the development side. So I had put the animal of one way, to find a story I think that was hard. But the early universe human type It is my idea. That guy with no detail drew to want About a body.

--Medabots has many variations, but were you aware of any kind of common symbols?

HormahFirst face is simple. It can not be reproduced in the game screen to less complex, it because a child is not me I try to draw to imitate. Also I put the screw in some places. Are many types with the dust cover to the joints, but it was assumed that the children playing in the sandbox of the park.

Because children are not yet obtained to know all of the world, what they know has to include as much as possible in the design. Well the plastic tank and a screw that was mentioned earlier. By putting such detail is why it can be seen that an artifact. But if put that on the contrary they do not know I'm threshold is high, it will have some children prefer such a grown-up design.

――Who came up with the name of Medabots?

HormahThe name was thought by everyone except a small portion. I thought was the initial of magenta cat, cyan dog, yellow turtle, and it is a roll star or the like. The basic idea of ​​the name in conjunction with the design image, you should write a note I "like this?". But it had been dismissed (laughs).

――On the other hand, in Medabots 2 (anime), the names of the humans were alcoholic beverages such as Tenryo, Amazake, Karakuchi, and Junmai, which left an impression on me.

HormahCertainly at first but it was rice. Character, but of you in the name I wanted to have a unified sense of something, what is safe is I have already been used in other works. At this time, not Kimara until the last minute, we have to eventually sake. But I thought also whether all right Toka Ikki in children (laughs).

Kaito retort I was really planned for the name of the frozen food. But I decided to retort I did not come up with a good name that comes nicely in katakana. Doing Well good but it is stored at room temperature (laughs).

■ segregation of the anime

- And in 1999, or the other TV aired on comics and simultaneously began, differentiation of the anime has been conscious?

HormahBecause it was the same time series so as not to suffer the anime version, we kept in mind so as not too different to say that either. First because I received a synopsis of the anime a few episodes, it was able to think about the cartoon of the story while calculating the previous deployment.

The animation does not often depict the destruction of Medabots, and even though it is a robot, cruel expressions were avoided. But in the manga version, I destroyed Medabots as much as possible. Isn't the scene where the machine breaks down cool? (laughs) However, it was difficult to be careful not to change the way it breaks depending on the frame.

I myself, I do not know that much technical because it does not look too much anime, I think that it was me with the attention to the movement of the delicate moment in the video.

In addition, since in the comics there is a number of constraints page not draw look at the battle scene, I was glad was available doing fine there. In particular, to be me think of running styles and footsteps of pepper Cat am grateful.

The most impressive was that of the first appearance scene of Roborobo Orchestra (Episode 6), but that gave me the "ōmagatoki" of the evening was glad. So essential to those who not bad feelings, but that came out in the evening feeling bad time zone was good (laughs).

■ correct answer of as a three-dimensional

- Please tell us your impressions, which have seen more and more of the "D-Arts" actually in.

HormahIt has been well reproduced a complicated shape.

But is a linear image I Metabi, it's actually there are many strange curve. Whether this head is in any way, because I did not know have also drew myself (laughs).

It is also good to detail is in the back of the waist cover. You joy favorite boy is saying like this. You because you wrote the children from the gap between the car tires have seen just inside.
Do not interested in the body! (Laughs).

Since the image is a last plane that cartoonist is holding, it is I'm glad to able to make this kind of thing for those of the three-dimensional professional. You will admire in this way cover the shoulders and waist to move on its own representation. Although the cartoon you need also to think until the interference between parts, so it does not go into why, if run as a three-dimensional.

Maybe the fan basis in the correct answer is the original of the picture, I think that is seeking a three-dimensional object that close to there. But, after all is because they are not real, I do not say never with the correct picture. I would like more and more suggestions if there is a part should be changed in order to move. "I did not move Once made as of the picture, because I street in the picture I do not complain," so it does not go as well in translation it. After all, because I want to play by moving as anime.

I like the weight of the metal parts and the weapon effect parts. Now you can process photos with CG, but it's nice to have it properly attached as a part. Medabots has a special height setting, so I'd like to line it up with something on the same scale.

- It was held on July 16 - 17, 2011 in the "soul Festival 2011," but commercialization decision of the second installment, green, and blue have been announced, for the commercialization, there is a personal request from the teacher or?

HormahThis is Shinzan from Medabots 5.
Since lucanus maculifemoratus that I was named "Miyama (newcomers)." I want because it does not blessed with three-dimensional together, which is the other piece of the protagonist machine Kurotojiru.

- With you to ask you at the end. Although the current is so has been a lecturer of character design, please tell us if there is a motto that "the design of the robot should be this way."

HormahRather, I don't think it's good to conclude that it should be. Of course, the design depends on its use, so there is always a "should" in terms of use. Regarding Medabots, I also said that "children can imitate and draw", but I really think it's better not to have such a rule. However, the reality is that if you draw a too original design, you will be rejected.

I'm often in the work of the design is ordered with a "The ingenious no other," but when the show actually what pieces of rough'll I would have been told "to a little more normal." (Laughs ). After all, adults seek the peace of mind when you make something.

Because I do not want to gamble is a translation that has become a company employee (laughs).
So in the last idealism of there is no "should", if the design at work "should be" is I need.

Formalin
March 1 was born / Gunma Prefecture born / limited company Atelier formalin affiliation

While attending a vocational school, he met an editorial staff member of Kodansha's "Comic Bonbon", which led him to become a manga artist. Immediately after graduating, he participated in the development of the game software "Medabots". While working on setting production and character design, the comic version of this work will be serialized in "Comic Bonbon". In 2009, he was also in charge of character design for the latest series "Medabots DS", and the comic version that started in the same year was serialized in "Dengeki Nintendo DS" published by ASCII Media Works. Currently, he is also a lecturer at a vocational school.

Official blog http://www.medarotsha.jp/ds/blog

 

D-Arts
Metabi

Price (including tax): 3,465 yen
Release Date: July 23,
Target: 15-year-old -


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[D-Arts] Series of three-dimensional in the lineup rich a new generation digital character to Variety. It adopted the size movable mechanism and materials to suit the characteristics of each piece, and then reproduced in full view of the world of the character.

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