"Eva" does not have an original work, but how was your experience with works that have an original work?
When I am allowed to be creative, I tend to end up with Shōnen manga.
If I tried to make a lot of movements, the drawing would end up looking like "The Gutsy Frog".
At the time, in addition to "Yokai Den Nekome Kozo," Anno showed me "Fight da!! Pyuta".
I was so inspired by them that I wanted to try something chaotic, something that would move around all the time, both in the drawings and in the direction.
However, I didn't do that because it was out of line with Shōjo manga.
Instead, I realized it in "Microman" and other projects I participated in after that.
I think Anno does a good job of keeping a distance between what he wants to do and the original work.
I also really like the final episode that Anno created.
I think it's quite strange, though.
Because he used almost only drawings from the original work.
While respecting the original work as much as possible, he created a strange footage that is not exactly the same as the original work.
In that sense, I didn't have enough wisdom to go wild at the time.
We could say that Anno made you run like a scout*.
That's all right.
At the time, I had no problem being treated as a hitman.
Whenever the boss told me to fly, I would do so (laughs).
What I thought was amazing about Anno even back then was that when the anime caught up with the original work in the second half and the number of compilation episodes increased, he took advantage of it.
He turned it into a gag of repeating the compilation.
I think he would have suffered from overdoing the compilation. But still, it is amazing that he has a solution.
*Soldiers are sent by their units to explore the enemy's situation and terrain.
I feel that Hiramatsu moves the characters based on theory.
On the other hand, I have the impression that you move them very creatively.
Just because I can't draw as well as Hiramatsu, I think this is the only way I can do it.
Is it an omission or a leap?
Well, it is both.
Animation is limiting information in the first place, or rather, cutting it down to make a drawing.
So, if the drawing is deformed, the movement should also be deformed.
That's what I've been thinking all along.
If a character has big eyes and a small nose with no nostrils, the movements should be deformed in the same way.
If a character has a fun-looking design, I want it to move in a fun way.
So you have a theory about what you do.
Well, yeah… It sounds good when you put it that way (laughs).
I'm getting good at making excuses (laughs).
I was just starting to build up my career as an animation director and storyboard artist, so I think I was very lucky to be involved in such a creative work at that time.
If it had been five years later, it would have been completely different.
Timing of involvement is important.
For example, if you did "Kare Kano" again now, would you be able to make use of your reflection?
I don’t think so...That was a job that I could only do with the kind of uncertain and baseless confidence I had at the time.
I could only do it then.
