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Pilot film of Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise

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The very first anime work produced by Gainax following their incorporation as a company in December 1984 was a four-minute "pilot film" version of their concept for an original anime project to be entitled Royal Space Force. The project had been initially pitched to Bandai in September of that year by Hiroyuki Yamaga and Toshio Okada,[1] then associated with Daicon Film, an amateur film group, many of whose staff would shortly join the new professional studio Gainax.[2] Hesitation by Bandai to enter the film business required Gainax to first make the "pilot film" of Royal Space Force as a demo to determine if the project would be saleable.[3] Shigeru Watanabe, an early supporter of the plan at Bandai who would later become co-planner of the feature-length 1987 version of Royal Space Force, showed the pilot film to both Mamoru Oshii and Hayao Miyazaki, already established as successful anime directors, to seek their views; both expressed support for the project.[4]

Yamaga would later assess the pilot film as "Ghiblish" and felt that it had been "unconsciously" created under a consensus by its animators that Miyazaki's style was a model to emulate in order to make a hit anime film.[5] Although Gainax was given provisional approval by Bandai to begin work on a feature film version of Royal Space Force after screening the pilot, Yamaga would then decide to "destroy" the world created for the pilot film in making the full-length version, believing that while it presented a fascinating world, it did not convey the alternate sense of reality that was his conceptual goal as director.[6] Yamaga considered that the actual film would have been "easier to grasp and express" had Gainax in fact modeled it on the pilot; however he argued also that his decision to change course and not attempt to emulate Miyazaki laid the groundwork for Gainax's creative independence that would, in their later works, lead to success on their own terms.[7]

Pilot film

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"This was a project that made full use of all sorts of wiles. At the time, Hayao Miyazaki said, 'Bandai was fooled by Okada's proposal.' I was the first person at Bandai to be fooled (laughs). But no, that's not the case. I'm a simple person; I just wanted to try it because it looked interesting. Nobody thought that Bandai could make an original movie. There wasn't any know-how at all. But that's why I found it interesting. No, to be honest, there were moments when I thought, 'I can't do this.' But [Gainax]'s president, Okada, and the director, Yamaga, both thought strongly, 'I want to make anime professionally, and speak to the world.' Producer Hiroaki Inoue felt the same way, as did [Yasuhiro] Takeda ... I was about the same age, so I got into the flow of all those people's enthusiasm." —Shigeru Watanabe, 2004[8][a]

First studio and new staff

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Royal Space Force was initially planned as a 40-minute long OVA project,[10] with a budget variously reported at 20[11] or 40[12] million yen; however, resistance elsewhere within Bandai to entering the filmmaking business resulted in the requirement that Gainax first submit a short "pilot film" version of Royal Space Force as a demo to determine if the project would be saleable.[13] Work on the pilot film began in December 1984[14] as Yamaga and Okada moved from Osaka to Tokyo to set up Gainax's first studio in a rented space in the Takadanobaba neighborhood of Shinjuku.[15] That same month, Gainax was officially registered as a corporation in Sakai City, Osaka; founding Gainax board member Yasuhiro Takeda has remarked that the original plan was to disband Gainax as soon as Royal Space Force was completed; it was intended at first only as a temporary corporate entity needed to hold production funds from Bandai during the making of the anime.[16]

The Royal Space Force pilot film was made by the same principal staff of Yamaga, Okada, Sadamoto, Anno, and Sonoda listed in the initial proposal, with the addition of Maeda as main personnel on layouts and settei; Sadamoto, Maeda, and Anno served as well among a crew of ten key animators that included Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Yuji Moriyama, Fumio Iida, and Masayuki.[17] A further addition to the staff was co-producer Hiroaki Inoue, recruited as a founding member of Gainax by Okada. Inoue was active in the same Kansai-area science fiction fandom associated with Daicon Film, but had already been in the anime industry for several years, beginning at Tezuka Productions.[18] Takeda noted that while a number of the other Royal Space Force personnel had worked on professional anime projects, none possessed Inoue's supervisory experience, or the contacts he had built in the process.[19] Inoue would leave Gainax after their 1988–1989 Gunbuster, but continued in the industry and would later co-produce Satoshi Kon's 1997 debut film Perfect Blue.[20]

Support from Oshii and Miyazaki

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In a 2004 interview, Shigeru Watanabe, by then a senior managing director and former president of Bandai Visual, who in later years had co-produced such films as Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell and Hiroyuki Okiura's Jin-Roh,[21] reflected on his personal maneuvers to get Royal Space Force green-lit by Bandai's executive board, showing the pilot film to various people both inside and outside the company, including soliciting the views of Oshii and Miyazaki.[22] In a 1996 appearance at the San Jose convention Anime America, Toshio Okada remarked to a panel audience that Watanabe "believes in Mamoru Oshii, just like Jesus Christ" and that Oshii's expression of interest in Royal Space Force served as a powerful motivation for Watanabe to work to get the film green-lit, although Okada joked that by the present day Watanabe had "come out of his brainwashing" and that "maybe, Mr. Oshii is sometimes wrong."[23]

As Bandai was already in the home video business, Watanabe reasoned that the strong video sales of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, released the previous year, meant that Miyazaki's opinions would hold weight with Bandai's executives.[24] Watanabe visited Miyazaki's then-studio Nibariki alone and spoke with the director for three hours, of which time, Watanabe joked, he got to speak for ten minutes. Miyazaki, who had worked with Hideaki Anno on Nausicaä,[25] told him, "Anno and his friends are amateurs, but I think they're a little different," comparing the matter to amateurs having "a gorgeous bay window" versus having a foundation: "They feel like they can make the foundation, and maybe raise a new building. If necessary, you can give that advice to the Bandai board." Watanabe laughed that when he told the executives what Miyazaki had said, they approved the project.[26]

Pitching a "Ghiblish" pilot film

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In April 1985, Okada and Yamaga formally presented the finished pilot film to a board meeting at Bandai, together with a new set of concept paintings by Sadamoto. The four-minute pilot film began with a 40-second prelude sequence of still shots of Shirotsugh's early life accompanied by audio in Russian depicting a troubled Soviet space mission, followed by a shot of a rocket booster stage separating animated by Anno,[27] leading into the main portion of the pilot, which depicts the story's basic narrative through a progression of animated scenes without dialogue or sound effects, set to the overture of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.[28] Okada addressed the board with a speech described as impassioned,[29] speaking for an hour on Gainax's analysis of the anime industry, future market trends, and the desire of the young for "a work called Royal Space Force".[30] Bandai gave interim approval to Royal Space Force as their company's first independent video production; however, the decision to make the project as a theatrical film would be subject to review at the end of 1985, once Gainax had produced a complete storyboard and settei.[31]

In a 2005 column for the online magazine Anime Style, editor and scriptwriter Yuichiro Oguro recalled seeing a video copy of the pilot film secretly circulating after its completion around the anime industry, where there was interest based on Sadamoto and Maeda's reputations as "the genius boys of Tokyo Zokei University".[32] Oguro noted as differences from the later finished movie the pilot film's younger appearance of Shirotsugh and more bishōjo style of Riquinni, whose behavior in the pilot put him in mind of a Miyazaki heroine, as did the composition of the film itself.[33] Yamaga, in a 2007 interview for the Blu-ray/DVD edition release, confirmed this impression about the pilot film and speculated on its consequences:

It's clearly different from the complete version, and by using the modern saying, it's very Ghiblish ... Among the ambitious animators of those days, there was some sort of consensus that 'if we can create an animated movie that adults can watch, with decent content "for children" which director Hayao Miyazaki has, it will be a hit for sure.' The pilot version was also created under that consensus unconsciously. However, I figured it's not good to do so, and my movie making started from completely denying that consensus. Of course, if we had created this movie with the concept of the world similar to the pilot version, it would've had a balanced and stable style, and not only for staff, but also for sponsors, motion picture companies, and the media ... it would have been easier to grasp and express. But if we had done that, I don't think that any of the Gainax works after that would've been successful at all.[34]

Notes

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  1. ^ The term Watanabe used for "wiles," teren-tekuda (手練手管), is a traditional yojijukugo (four-character phrase) with overtones of seduction, coaxing, and guile. In his 2002 memoir, Takeda notes that both Watanabe and he were born in 1957, "and the two of us have gone out drinking together many times...He is also the one who arranged for Bandai to help fund the production of our first theatrical anime release. If it hadn't been for him, Okada and Yamaga's dream of producing a feature length motion picture might never have been realized."[9]

Citations

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  1. ^ Matsushita 1987, p. 25
  2. ^ Takeda 2005, pp. 46–48
  3. ^ Takeda 2005, p. 91
  4. ^ Hotta 2005b, p. 426
  5. ^ Yamaga 2007, p. 5
  6. ^ 「プレゼンテーションの材料であるパイロットフィルムは魅惑な異世界が強調された。しかし、［王立宇宙軍］の作品世界観である現実より現実的な異世界を構築する材料ではない。パイロットフィルムで構築された異世界は破壊されて、再び［王立宇宙軍］の異世界がイメージボードによって構築される」Matsushita 1987, p. 25
  7. ^ Yamaga 2007, p. 5
  8. ^ 「『いろんな手練手管を駆使して企画を通したものです。当時、宮崎駿さん『岡田さんの企画書にだまされたバンダイ』と言われましたよ。そのバンダイでもいちばん初めにだまされたのが僕だと（笑）。しかし、だますとかだまされるとか、そんな話ではなくてですね。僕は単純な人間ですから、ただ面白そうだからやってみたかった。誰もバンダイが映画をオリジナルでつくれるなんて思わなかった。ノウハウだってまったくなかったし。しかし、だからこそ面白いと思ったんです。いや、正直に言うと、自分自身でも「そんなことができるわけがない」と思った瞬間もありましたけど。しかし社長の岡田さんも、監督の山賀さんも、とにかく「ちゃんとプロとしてアニメをつくって、世に問いたいんだ」と、強烈に考えていた。プロデューサーの井上博明さんもそうで。。。武田さんも同じ気持ちだった。僕も同じくらいの年でしたから、そうしたいろんな人の熱意の流れのなかに入って。。。」Hotta 2005b, pp. 425–426
  9. ^ Takeda 2005, p. 188
  10. ^ 「最初は40分くらいのビデオを自主製作でやろうという気楽な話だったんです。」Matsushita 1987, p. 202
  11. ^ Clements 2013, p. 174
  12. ^ Takeda 2005, p. 90
  13. ^ Takeda 2005, p. 91
  14. ^ Matsushita 1987, p. 25
  15. ^ Takeda 2005, pp. 92–93
  16. ^ Takeda 2005, pp. 91–92
  17. ^ Watanabe 1990, p. 22
  18. ^ Takeda 2005, p. 184
  19. ^ Takeda 2005, p. 90
  20. ^ Osmond 2009, p. 34
  21. ^ Hotta 2005b, p. 417
  22. ^ 「それが完成したのが'85年。そしてパイロットフィルムを社内はもちろん、いろんなところに見せてまわった。押井さんにも見せましたし。。。宮崎駿さんのところにも見せに行きました。」Hotta 2005b, p. 426
  23. ^ Thompson 1996
  24. ^ 「そしてもうひとつ、宮崎さんは『ナウシカ』の仕事で、映像の世界に確固たる存在感を示していたので、もしその宮崎さんがフィルムを評価してくれれば、バンダイの内部も説得できるようになるだろうと考えていたんです。」Hotta 2005b, p. 426
  25. ^ Takeda 2005, p. 13
  26. ^ 「宮崎さんとは3時間にわたって話して、といっても宮崎さんが２時間５０分お話しになって、僕は１０分だけでしたけど（笑）。そのときに宮崎さんは『庵野君たちはアマチュアだけど、ちょっと違う存在だと思う』と評価してくれたんです。『アマチュアには豪華な出窓はつくれても、基礎をきちっとつくるという部分でふらつく人間が多い。しかし彼らはきちんと基礎をつくって、たぶん新しい建物をつくることができそうな気がするから、もしも必要ならばバンダイの役員会の皆さんの前で、アドバイスなどをして差し上げてもいいですよ』とまで言ってくれたんですよ。もうそれだけで、僕は我が意を得たりといいますか、『これで大丈夫だ』という気分になりました。実際に役員会でも、『宮崎さんはこうおっしゃった』と伝えたら、それで企画は通ってしまいました（笑）。」Hotta 2005b, pp. 426–27
  27. ^ Watanabe 1990, p. 21
  28. ^ Studio Hard 1987, p. 85
  29. ^ 「重役会議で岡田は熱弁する。」Matsushita 1987, p. 25
  30. ^ 「この日の為に何度も頭の中でセリフを考えて、メモを作り完璧を期した。まず、現在のアニメ界の状況分析から話を始めて、市場分析から市場予測へ。今、若者たちはどんな映画を求めているのかを。最終的に、だからこそ『王立宇宙軍』という作品が必要なのだということを１時間に渡りしゃべり続けた。」Matsushita 1987, p. 25
  31. ^ 「企業として映像事業に進出する機会を欲していたバンダイは『王立宇宙軍』を第一回自主　製作作品に選んで、本編の制作は決定する。しかし、その決定は設定と絵コンテ作業までの暫定的決定であり、劇場用映画として正式決定は８５年末に再び検討するということにある。」Matsushita 1987, p. 25
  32. ^ 「『東京造形大学の天才少年達が、凄いアニメを作っている』という噂を聞いて、しばらくしてから、『王立宇宙軍』のパイロットフィルムを観る機会があった。仕事で観たわけではない。業界の誰かにこっそりとビデオを観せてもらったのだ。」Oguro 2005
  33. ^ 「映像に関しては、全体がまるで宮崎駿の作品のようにきっちりと構築されていた。。。パイロットフィルムでは、後のシロツグに相当する主人公は、完成した本編よりも幼い感じで、やや二枚目。リイクニにあたるヒロインは、完成した本編よりも美少女寄りのキャラクターだ。彼女が涙を散らして、何かを叫ぶカットがあり、それは宮崎作品のヒロインを連想させた。」Oguro 2005
  34. ^ Yamaga 2007, p. 5

References

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  • Clements, Jonathan (2013). Anime: A History. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-84457-390-5.
  • Hotta, Junji [in Japanese] (2005b) [interview conducted in February 2004]. "Shigeru Watanabe". Gainax Interviews. Tokyo: Kodansha. ISBN 4-06-364643-2.
  • Matsushita, Kazumi, ed. (1987). Ōritsu Uchūgun Seisaku Kirokushū [Royal Space Force Production Archives]. Tokyo: Movic. ISBN 978-4943966074.
  • Oguro, Yuichiro [in Japanese] (October 4, 2005). "Anime-sama 365-nichi dai 340-kai Ōritsu Uchūgun Pairottofirumu [365 Days of Anime #340: Ōritsu Uchūgun Pilot Film]". Anime Style. Studio Male. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  • Osmond, Andrew (2009). Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1-933330-74-7.
  • Studio Hard [in Japanese], ed. (1987). Oneamisu no Tsubasa: Ōritsu Uchūgun Completed File. Tokyo: Bandai. ISBN 4-89189-377-X.
  • Takeda, Yasuhiro (2005) [First published in Japan by Wani Books in 2002]. The Notenki Memoirs: Studio Gainax and the Men Who Created Evangelion. Houston: ADV Manga. ISBN 1-4139-0234-0.
  • Thompson, Jason, ed. (1996). "Return of the Otaking: Toshio Okada at Anime America '96". j-pop.com. San Francisco: Viz Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on January 26, 2000. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  • Watanabe, Shigeru [in Japanese], ed. (1990). Ōritsu Uchūgun Oneamisu no Tsubasa Memorial Box (A Wing of Honnëamise Royal Space Force Data File [liner notes]) (LaserDisc). Tokyo: Bandai Visual.
  • Yamaga, Hiroyuki (2007). "I Started from Utterly Breaking the 'Concept of Anime' That Was Within the Staff's Heads.". Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (liner notes) (Blu-ray/DVD liner notes). Torrance: Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. ASIN B001EX9YSQ.
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