Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • What Can You Do To Help?

      Chase Magnett
      March 10, 2005
      Meth Addict
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Suicide Squad #10 Cover. February 1988. DC Comics. John Ostrander (Writer). Luke McDonnell (Penciller). Bob Lewis (Inker). Todd Klein (Letterer). Julianna Ferriter (Colourist).

      Batman Is Up Against The Wall in Suicide Squad #10

      Chase Magnett
      August 19, 2016
      Big Two, Columns, DC Comics, Suicide Squad
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 4.5

      Review: Red Sonja #1 is a Showcase of Biting Satire

      Chase Magnett
      February 6, 2019
      Dynamite, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • Singles Going Steady, 2/10/15: A Big Week for Comics

      Chase Magnett
      February 10, 2015
      Reviews, Singles Going Steady
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Cancelled Comics Cavalcade: 30 Years Later with Paul Kupperberg

      Chase Magnett
      July 26, 2007
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Classic Interview: Nick Cardy Pt. II - "Some People liked my Work, but they Never Told Me"

      Chase Magnett
      May 27, 2016
      Classic Interviews
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • BOOM! Studios Debut Trailer for WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY’RE DEAD

      Chase Magnett
      August 7, 2020
      Boom! Studios, News, Press Release
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      Chase Magnett
      August 31, 2019
      Books, Collectibles, Collecting Profile, Columns, Marvel Comics
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past
  • Collecting Profile: Blue Beetle
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Interviews

Shinji Aramaki: The Art of the Mechs

Chase Magnett
July 29, 2014
Interviews
Shinji Aramaki has been working in animation for more than 30 years. In that time he has directed 10 films and worked on countless others. He brings a stunning visual sensibility to the field of 3-D CGI animation, pulling from his background as a mechanical designer. Appledseed Alpha, his latest adaptation of Shirow Masamune’s manga, was released last week. This weekend, Aramaki traveled to San Diego Comic-Con where he spoke with Comics Bulletin critic Chase Magnett.
Note: This interview was conducted with the aid of a translator.


Chase Magnett for Comics Buletin: This is the third adaptation of the Appleseed manga that you have directed. How do you approach adapting Shirow Masamune’s work from the comics medium to an animated film?

Shinji Aramaki: This time I wanted to return to the start of these characters. It goes back to the very first pages of the first volume. It could have been a series, but it is a feature film. We wanted to take a section of the first volume and tell the story of the two characters before they reached Olympus. We wanted to talk about their background and how they started out. Normally, when I get an idea I would take a portion of the manga and, maybe, arrange some elements from different volumes to create the plot which I would discuss with Shirow-san. I would get his comments, then turn it into a script. That is the process I go to arrive at the story.
This time the intent was to really simplify and strip away all of the complex human dramas, landscapes, and characters that are in Olympus and take the characters back to their roots. We now have a new starting point, sort of a reboot, for the franchise.
Magnett: In the process of adapting the original works to film, you’ve chosen to animate the stories, specifically using 3-D CGI animation. What attracts you to this format?
Aramaki: When it comes to 2-D animation, you have the cels ready and the layout and can tell how it’s going to turn out before you get into the final animation. You can see what it will end up as. Not to say it is a simple or easy process, but today it is more easy to anticipate what kind of look and quality it will have. When it comes to CG, you start with rough models, then start to add rough animatics. At the beginning there is no texture. There’s nothing. When you see how it is being made, you really cannot imagine what the final output will be.
It is an incredibly collaborative process, where the creative staff and artists I work with all bring something to the table. So when you get to the final stage where you are rendering and compositing and finally seeing the results, it can be much more than what you ever anticipated. You get an unexpected visual that is beyond your initial imagination. If it doesn’t go well with the staff, then you may end up with something completely different.
I like that process; imagining something in my head and having to try to visualize what the final look will be, then being surprised by it. I enjoy the complex collaboration process very much and like the final outcome. That’s why CG is much more interesting to me than 2-D animation.
Magnett: One thing that I think comes through well in the CG animation is that the designs reveal a lot of personality, specifically the mechs. Beyond your capacity as the director, how involved are you in designing the models for the film?
Aramaki: I am a mechanical designer by trade. That is my origin as an artist. I pay a lot of attention to the visual design of the film, and the look of the film, and how characters and models get designed and are finalized.
For example, when you look at a character like Iris, she looks very different like she is from another world. So when you get to the end and are told that she is a clone, you are able to understand that. There is some type of storytelling that is happening visually, by design. How does Tallus look and what does that imply about him? Even if we don’t get into the storytelling of his background, there’s a lot of storytelling that needs to be conveyed through design. That’s something I pay a lot of attention to.
Storytelling is not just about talking. It’s also about design and looks. I think the film is successful if the design conveys that. That is reflected in the mechanical designs as well.
Magnett: As someone who studies comics and visual design, I think that is clear. The characters personalities are present before they ever speak.
One other interesting design element of the film is the juxtaposition of the natural with the mechanical. Amidst blue skies, desert terrain, and human characters like Deunan, you have mechs and ruined cityscapes. Is there a different approach to designing the two and did you have a specific idea when placing these two subjects side-by-side?
Aramaki: It’s a difficult question, but the biggest visual reference I have when creating these films is the source material. Shirow Masamune is someone that almost stands toe-to-toe with Otomo Katsuhiro who did Akria, when it comes to designing this type of post-apocalyptic landscape and how they actually interact with futuristic elements.
It is a matter of the modern versus the future. By combining them together it shows people the time period and helps people understand and agree it is that time period. It is a very interesting balance to strike. Whenever I create a landscape or visual cue for the film, it is very important for me to return to Shirow Masamune’s original works and see how they balance these elements. It is pretty amazing to think that when he first created the manga, he was able to see the world like that. He makes it clear to people that it is the future, but at the same time it is a modern landscape. It is the work of a genius and I really appreciate it. A lot of that visual balance can be attributed to Masamune’s works.
Magnett: Thank you both so much for your time today.
Aramaki: Absolutely. Thank you.

Chase MagnettShinji Aramaki

Share On:
Tweet
Singles Going Steady 7/29/2014: Great Comics While You Were At Comicon
Singles Going Steady 7/29/2019: Great Comics While You Were At Comicon

About The Author

Chase Magnett
Comics Theorist

Chase is a mild-mannered finance guy by day and a raving comics fan by night. He has been reading comics for more than half of his life. After graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with degrees in Economics and English, he has continued to research comics while writing articles and reviews online. His favorite superhero is Superman and he'll accept no other answers. Don't ask about his favorite comic unless you're ready to spend a day discussing dozens of different titles.

Related Posts

  • Review: Kingsman: the Secret Service

    Chase Magnett
    February 15, 2015
  • 140 Character Reviews 11/26/14 “Somebody described TF vs. GI Joe as being like “what if Jack Kirby did Saturday morning cartoons. But it’s more like “what if he did them on acid for an underground zine.” ~ James Kaplan

    Aaron Meyers and His Amazing Review Crew
    November 27, 2014

Latest Interviews

  • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

    Daniel Gehen
    June 8, 2020
  • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

    Mike Nickells
    March 4, 2020
  • Simon Roy

    Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

    Mike Nickells
    January 29, 2020
  • Interview: V.E. Schwab on revisiting Red London in The Steel Prince

    Stephen Cook
    March 13, 2019
  • Interview: David Foster Wallace and Hellblazer, words on Wyrd with writer Curt Pires

    Stephen Cook
    February 27, 2019
  • “The Night Has Teeth” An Interview with Sarah deLaine, Artist of Image Comics’ “Little Girls”

    Jason Sacks
    February 26, 2019
  • Interview: Caitlin Kittredge talks the future of Witchblade

    Daniel Gehen
    February 12, 2019
  • Interview: Andy Nakatani and the Future of Weekly Shonen Jump

    Daniel Gehen
    December 19, 2018
  • INTERVIEW: Todd Matthy talks robots, princesses, and bridging the divide with storytelling

    Stephen Cook
    September 13, 2018
  • INTERVIEW: Gallaher & Ellis discuss THE ONLY LIVING GIRL

    Daniel Gehen, Thea Srinivasan
    September 7, 2018
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders