Amin Abbas

DUBAI: Ryusuke Hikawa is a Japanese anime researcher and visiting professor at Meiji University. He launched his own writing business, where he provides commentary on various topics. 

He also directed the “Anime Maestro” segment of the television program BS Anime Yawa and served as a lecturer at Ikebukuro Community College. His publications include 20 Nenme no Zambot 3 (The 20th Year of Zambot 3; Ohta Publishing, 1997) and Akira Archive (Kodansha, 2002).

“The first anime I was inspired by was ‘8 Man’ in 1963,” Hikawa told Arab News Japan. “It was different. I took it as what cutting-edge science would produce. For example, even in a situation where you are submerged in the ground, Atom excavates with both hands.” 

From 1975 to 1977, Hikawa was just a fan who made fan magazines. In 1977, the subculture magazine “Out” featured one of his works. “At that time I thought (writing) was temporary, and I didn’t think it would be a permanent profession,” he reflected. 

“Around 2005, I received an offer for a new book writing about anime history. I began to think about the question of why anime culture was possible to make such rapid evolution only in Japan,” he added. “In other words, it is difficult to talk about the evolution of anime only in terms of literary aspects, such as novels and manga. Creating anime requires hundreds of people. It is a technical job, and it requires a lot of funds. If so, I thought it was necessary to re-consider anime from the industrial aspect.

He explained that the sponsors for television shows changed throughout the decades and how it impacted the content. “For example, in TV animation in the 1960s, many sponsors are food and pharmaceutical companies. It acts directly on the viewer’s body and is similar to primary industries such as agriculture and fishing. In the 1970s, the number of sponsors dealing with mechanical products such as toys increased.” 

“The toy sponsor allowed the content to be free as long as the main robot was selling well. Yoshiyuki Tomino, the Japanese creator behind Gundam, decided that he could provide an advanced story to a growing audience. The 1980s era marked the era of package business. It is also an era of personal consumption by portable music players and VCRs. In this way, the animation industry is evolving in a manner similar to the development of a general industry and is closely linked to the social trends of each era. I think this is part of the reason why only Japan made it possible. I feel that more research is needed, ” he added. 

Hikawa is known for his efforts and support for the “Space Battleship Yamato” series that was created by late legendary manga author Leiji Matsumoto. He shared the story of his passion for the series: “As a high school student, I visited “Office Academy Studio,” where the animation was made. For the first time, I saw so many drawings and background works. And I learned that the settings, screenplays, storyboards, etc. were very carefully designed. There are various techniques for controlling the accumulation of human creations, the steady cooperation of work, and the huge consumption of paper and paint. The experience was so amazing.” 

“I decided that I should keep (the manuscript remains) as a cultural property for several decades. Then I formed a fan club, shared the materials, and started to interact with the fans so that their thoughts would not disappear. It was a few years before the anime magazine was created.”

“The second period was in 1977, when I entered Tokyo Institute of Technology. At that time, a special article about “Space Battleship Yamato” was published in a subculture magazine called Out. Until then, the only printed matter of anime was magazines and picture books for children. But the article introduced “Yamato” from multiple perspectives using materials,” said Hikawa. 

The “Space Battleship Yamato” was released in 1977 and received huge success at the time. “The era of “animation is only for children” was over,” the Japanese researcher told Arab News Japan. “The following year, a monthly magazine specializing in anime started.”

Furthermore, Hikawa shared that anime formats have changed throughout the years. “The cartoon-like deformed character has become realistic proportion, with more shadows, highlights, and accessories. The background also adds more realistic details and even expresses something more than only character, with more filtering and light processing. The creators are aiming to make it look like a live-action movie. Adults have come to watch anime and have come to watch it repeatedly with DVDs. The cost requires higher quality.” 

“Around the 2000’s, anime began to be produced digitally. However, it hasn’t changed much in terms of drawing most of the characters and backgrounds with hand-made 2D materials. In Japan, people are surrounded by lines and painted flat, so drawing similar to ukiyo-e is preferred,” he added. 

“In terms of animation methods, Since Toei Animation began digital production of TV animation in 1997, it has expanded rapidly. The delivery form to TV station had changed video format. PC has become cheaper. It was easy to convert to DVD media. However, in Japan, the drawing and background remained hand-made. The painting, shooting, and sound were digitized. In the background, digital work became the mainstream, and in the last few years, drawing has been shifting to tablets.” 

“You can convey a lot with less and limited information. In the digital age, the expression of light is well placed on a flat surface, and the emotion of the entire screen is emphasized. The main purpose of the symbolic expression was to save money at first. But as it was repeated, stylistic beauty was born. Japanese animation still has similar beauty as that of classic ukiyo-e. I think that the contrast of “ukiyo-e vs. oil painting” exist also in animation,” he added.

Regarding his upcoming projects, Hikawa said:” There are three missions for me. Firstly, not dividing similar cultures such as anime and clarify the interaction. I would like to find out when and who changed. I want to draw an overall map that is difficult to see from the history chronology already written. A young writer who was born and raised in a world where anime is already fully and so many made believes that the situation is “natural.” 

These activities are closely linked with the NPO Anime Tokusatsu Archive Centre (ATAC). I’m one of the directors. We aim not only to preserve the lost miniatures and original drawings, but also to use and utilize them especially for education. The NPO found to continue the activities. Right now, very limited organization, but we have successful projects such as ‘Tokusatsu Archive Center‘ in Sukagawa city and “Hideaki Anno exhibition’. We look forward to support from worldwide,” he added.