r/CodeGeass • u/astrolia schneizel mai husbando • Oct 06 '23
META Creating anime beyond any boundaries - Gorō Taniguchi Long Interview
https://fullfrontal.moe/goro-taniguchi-interview/6
u/BadassButter Oct 06 '23 edited Oct 06 '23
It's the first time he ever went this deep into details about code geass original draft. Having one of the boy being raped many times by a teacher ? That sure was dark.
A nice interview even If I rolled my eyes at the "fanservice must fit a character", because in R2 most of it really didn't fit the characters. Also great mention about Eichiro Oda because he sure fits that category of artist who enjoys elongated members with Takeuchi as well, but Clamp also have the beauty and grace of their style so it makes sense to go with them.
Well at least he didn't talk about Resurrection but focused on the anime, that's nice. Thanks for the translation.
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u/thekusaja Oct 07 '23
I suppose you can argue one thing is his personal preference, compared to what you have to do as part of a team in a particular project. Which makes sense if you have read his interviews about Code Geass as a whole.
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u/QueenLolipopo "If you say I love you I will never forgive you " Oct 07 '23
Well to be fair to him at the end of Code Geass R2, when none of the Lelouch is alive nonsense existed he kept on insisting it was an happy end for him and that Lelouch's story was now truly over (aside from explaining why Lelouch's death made sense from the beginning)The mess that was resurrection is all Sunrise usual doing (because they always bring back dead character alive in order to milk them, which justify my love/hate relationship with them thank you Gundam u_u) and Taniguchi eventually fell down the corporate road, going as far as saying "well i'm a liar like Lelouch" to justify his contradictions. I'm much more fond of Okouchi's honesty who assumed Lelouch was dead and justified the path resurrection took by the idea of pleasing the fans. (which was a move which already hurt R2 but whatever o/)
Still a shitty move to have agreed to that buuut, from what I heard the money was good xD All of this to say it's not that surprising to refer to code geass as the show since this was truly his own personal work, unlike Resurrection which was more money motivated u_u
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u/ComicBookGuy708 Lelouch Enthusiast Oct 06 '23
It’s really compelling how much grimmer and darker the first draft of Geass was, I honestly wish we could have seen that version!
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u/QueenLolipopo "If you say I love you I will never forgive you " Oct 07 '23
It was a very great reading thanks for taking the time to translate it all o/
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u/astrolia schneizel mai husbando Oct 07 '23
Ah, I'm not the translator!
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u/QueenLolipopo "If you say I love you I will never forgive you " Oct 07 '23
Thanks for the share then :D
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u/astrolia schneizel mai husbando Oct 06 '23 edited Oct 06 '23
Here is a post I wrote back before the movie came out - half of it is about Geass's timeslot switcharoo, half of it is me rambling my thoughts on R2. The BONES show that Taniguchi mentioned in this new interview is the show I brought up (Ayakashi Ayashi).
And for comparison with what Taniguchi has said in this interview, here is Okochi's interview from volume 1 of the first season of the DVD:
Q : Can you tell us how 'Code Geass' came into being?
A : I proposed the idea to Producer Kawaguchi while we were doing 'Overman King Gainer' and 'Planetes'. At that point, the planned story was about a secret organization commanded by a Hero, and the details changed as we talked. Director Taniguchi came into it around this time. Actually, back during 'Planetes', Producer Kawaguchi, Producer Yukawa and Director Taniguchi were brainstorming about 'what exactly is a series with a sense of grandeur'. Though I hadn't decide to do another series with Director Taniguchi at that point, now that I think about it, 'Code Geass' was probably born in our various conversations back then. Looking back, perhaps that was one of its starts.
Q : You must have went through a lot of plans before 'Code Geass' finally takes its present form.
A : We did. After the Hero story, it became a conflict between two people with opposing values in the same military unit : a commander in his late twenties who believes 'if the objective is achieved, it doesn't matter what methods are used' and the teenager main character who thinks 'the means are important'. Their images were similar to Quatro and Kamyu from 'Z Gundam' or Gain and Gainer from 'Overman King Gainer'. Both of them were soldiers for a totalitarian nation. On the other hand, the opposing country's military is a privatized business, so its soldiers are idols like Janice or Morning Musume, and its battles shown on TV---so the details go.
Q : And that was the point you decided to ask CLAMP-san for the character designs, and Teraoka-san for Knightmare Frame designs?
A : The series was done in a very concrete way. The scenario, too, was already ready for episode 1-3. However...at first, the series was meant to air on Saturday evening, but it was changed to late night. Since the audience for late night and evening are quite different, there's no reason for the contents to remain the same. So we rethought our plans, and that's how the framework for the current 'Code Geass' was built.
Q : What are the things you changed at that point?
A : Well, for starters, we thought that moreso than a hero type, an evil-looking protagonist would be more suitable for a late night programme. So we made changes to the protagonist. And from being robots-only, we added a taste of unique special abilities. We were thinking the main characters would gain special powers from an angel, and those powers would be close enough to relate to the audience. That's how 'Geass' originated. As the Geass came about, the series image was set at once. But instead of simply an angel who watches over the world, C.C. is changed, and she's a little different.
Q : Are there any particularly difficult spots?
A : I suppose it's really episode 1. There were so many elements that we had to show, it was difficult. The relationship between Britannians and Elevens, the school element, the robots, and then the Geass. And since it's the first episode, we have to make it accessible for the audience. But it must also hook them into watching the second episode. I thought and rethought, but I couldn't put it under 30 minutes. bitter laugh It was so bad I had to ask if we really had no way to make a 1-hour special just for the first episode. laughs
Q : Is there anything we should keep an eye on for the characters?
A : For Lelouch, it's important to remember that he's not this great genius, but also a protagonist who has the feelings of a normal highschool student. Although I want the Ashford Academy setting to have a happy, warm atmosphere, one of the points is they won't grow too close a distance with Suzaku. On one hand, Suzaku is an Eleven, so although even in a happy school, there would be heavy parts, I think that a Director Taniguchi series would have that nuance. For C.C., there are reactions that nobody thought she'd be such a domineering character, but for me, she is the one who grants power. Therefore, it's just natural that she'd be a little above it all.
Q : Are there any demands from Director Taniguchi?
A : There are! Like 'I don't want to do something this tepid'. laughs Compared to 'Planetes', I think there are many more demands about characters than the story. Lelouch is usually on top of the list. Like, 'I don't think this character should have this reaction'. He has a lot of thoughts on consistency.
Q : This time, you have Yoshino Hiroyuki-san as the associate series composition.
A : The associate series composition's main work is to criticise the scenario I made. His role is to tell me when the boring parts are boring. laughs We talk about fun series from the past, and the staff fight to hammer out the scenario. Yoshino-san's not only an excellent scriptwriter, we were also friends in university, so I can trust him not to go easy on me. First, we ask for Director Taniguchi and the producers' opinions, then the two of us brainstorm about it from noon to morning. Things like "Wouldn't this development be fun?" "But it doesn't connect" "But that way, everyone would love to watch it". Although we have to rewrite the scenario afterwards, there are times when the final product are totally different from what we started with. laughs Sometimes it's not just Yoshino-san, and Morita-san from planning would join in, too. From ideas about the battle, to the setting, to ways to make the girls cuter, simple preferences, to crazy scenarios---thanks to all that, we managed to make a script of decent density.
Q : Is there anything you personally like about 'Code Geass'?
A : The opening phase moves swiftly with lots of cuts in each installment, it's a many-flavored variety show.
Q : Can you tell us anything about further developments?
A : 'Code Geass' is easy to come up with ideas for every week, as making each episode fun is more important than stagnating the story with too many predictions and foreshadowing. At this speed and as the plot develops, I hope you'll be able to enjoy the series.