Amin Abbas Dubai

Japanese animator and director Eisaku Inoue is known for working on major anime projects like: Saint Seiya, Dragon Ball Z, One Piece and many more.

In an exclusive interview with Arab News Japan, Inoue shared his inspiration for anime & manga, saying his fascination started when he watched series like Space Battleship Yamato & Lupin III, and manga series like Devilman and Kikaider.

“I’m a fan of the works of authors like Go Nagai and Shotaro Ishinomori,” he added.

Inoue explained that his career as an animator began around the 1970’s & 1980’s, when he worked on his first anime project, which was Ikkyu-san, a popular series in Japan.

“I’ve tried my best to always consciously keep an eye on not only on my drawing, but the original work that I’m adapting and the project’s story, as well as the ways in which people move and the mechanisms that govern the motion of objects,” the animator explained about his work ethic.

He said that there will always be challenges and struggles between the demands of the work and one’s own sensibilities.

“I often find myself being asked for advice by younger creators whose senses are less honed because they’re not observing things around them keenly on a daily basis,” Inoue added.

About the differences of animation between the past & present in terms of quality & concept, Inoue said: “I think that modern animation is more stunning in terms of image quality, but I feel like the goal shouldn’t be just to draw exactly what the setting requires, to draw something beautiful, or to draw something realistic.”

“It’s probably fair to say that animation of the past was rougher around the edges than animation these days, but older animation tended to dig very deeply into its characters,” he told Arab News Japan.

Inoue said he currently works on drawing for the One Piece TV show, but he plans to eventually start working on a project like Saint Seiya independently.