The Mechanic Designers Summit Vol.10 was held (March 18, 2023)

On March 18, 2023 (Saturday), we held the "Mechanic Designers Summit Vol.10"!!

How was the timeless masterpiece 'Mobile Suit Gundam' created!?

The original production team talks about the production site at that time and the story of its birth, live on YouTube Live!

The Mechanic Designers Summit (Talk Show) was this Vol.10 was the final episode!

The archive of the talk show on the day will be streamed from the "Mechanical Designers Summit YouTube Channel" as soon as it is ready.

• Mechanical Designers Summit YouTube Channel(External Link)

Event Date

March 18, 2023 (Saturday)

Event Time

From 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Talk Show Broadcast: Approximately 90 minutes from 1 PM

Venue

Inagi Base Pair Terrace (516-2 Higashi-Naganuma, Inagi City)
Access: Under the elevated track of Inagi-Naganuma Station on the JR Nambu Line

Theme

The anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam," which boasts immense popularity worldwide. It is a popular series that continues to produce new works. The first installment, "Mobile Suit Gundam," began airing in 1979. With its robust story that does not simply depict good versus evil, captivating characters weaving a drama, and mobile suit designs based on the story's worldview, it made a significant impact on robot anime that was primarily aimed at elementary school students at the time. It was an ambitious work as the third original project of the newly established animation production company Sunrise.
In Vol. 10, we will welcome Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who was responsible for character design and animation direction in "Mobile Suit Gundam," Kenichi Matsuzaki, who set the foundational worldview and also worked on the script while depicting wars in space, and Kunio Okawara, who designed the "mobile suits" that later became the cornerstone of the real robot category, to discuss how this timeless masterpiece was created, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from that time.

Performers

Mr. Kunio Okawara (Mechanical Designer)

Born in 1947, from Tokyo. Resident of Inagi City. Graduated from Tokyo Zokei University. Joined Tatsunoko Production Co., Ltd. (now known as Tatsunoko Pro) in 1972. After 'Science Ninja Team Gatchaman', specialized in mechanical design. Became a freelancer in 1978. Responsible for mechanical design in Sunrise works such as 'Mobile Suit Gundam' and 'Armored Trooper VOTOMS', as well as super robot anime like the Brave series. Currently active both domestically and internationally, receiving offers for car design and figure design from overseas, in addition to work in animation. Received the Honorary Award at the 2013 Agency for Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival.
Representative works include 'Science Ninja Team Gatchaman', 'Time Bokan Series Yatterman', 'Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3', 'Mobile Suit Gundam', 'Armored Trooper VOTOMS', 'Brave Exkaiser', 'Mobile Suit Gundam SEED', 'Gundam Build Fighters', 'Time Bokan 24', and many others.

Mr. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

Born on December 9, 1947, from Engaru Town, Monbetsu District, Hokkaido. Manga artist.
After attending Engaru High School and Hirosaki University, he entered the Mushi Production training school in 1970 and became an animator. After working at Mushi Production, he became a freelancer and was involved in numerous anime works such as "Space Battleship Yamato," "Brave Raideen," and "Invincible Steel Man Zambot 3." He worked as a character designer and animation director for "Mobile Suit Gundam." After 1990, he left the animation production scene to become a manga artist, creating mainly historical works such as "Namji," "Rainbow Trotsky," and "The Dog of the Royal Road," and received numerous awards.
From 2001 to 2011, he serialized "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN." The work was adapted into an anime, and he served as the general director, returning to the anime scene for the first time in about 25 years.
The anime "Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island," released in June 2022, has also received favorable reviews.

Mr. Kenichi Matsuzaki

Born on October 15, 1950. From Tokyo. Screenwriter. Managed the SF visual kei fanzine 'SF Central Art' while in university. After graduation, established Crystal Art Studio with colleagues Haruka Takachiho (then known as Kōkun Takekawa), Kazuki Miyatake, Naoyuki Kato, and others. Reorganized into Studio Nue in 1974.
Initially worked as an illustrator and participated in 'Space Battleship Yamato' as a design collaborator. Later transitioned to screenwriting starting with 'Invincible Steel Man Daitarn 3', and worked on scripts and SF research for 'Mobile Suit Gundam' and 'Legendary Giant God Ideon'. Contributed as original creator, screenwriter, and series composer for works such as 'Super Dimension Fortress Macross'. Planned and published 'Warriors of the Universe: GUNDAM CENTURY', which explores the worldview, mechanical settings, and war history of 'Mobile Suit Gundam' from a different perspective than the anime. Currently freelancing, writing not only for anime but also for game originals and scripts.

Moderator

Mr. Makoto Ishii

Born in 1971, from Ibaraki Prefecture. Writes mainly about movies, animation, and hobbies. Contributes to Monthly Gundam Ace, Monthly Hobby Japan, Monthly Cinecon Walker, Animedia Plus, MOVIE WALKER PRESS, and others. Also involved in the composition and writing of booklets for Gundam series works such as "Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN" and "Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team." Author of "Yoshikazu Yasuhiko: My Back Pages" (Ohta Publishing), "Master Grade: The Essence of Gunpla" (Ohta Publishing), among others.

Archived videos of past events are also available!

Currently available on the 'Mecha Designers Summit YouTube channel.'

• Mechanical Designers Summit YouTube channel(External link)

Inagi Communication Base Pair Terrace Workshop [Cancelled due to rain forecast]

Named after the tourism hub of Mechanical City Inagi, this event titled "Inagi Communication Base Pair Terrace Workshop" offers a variety of original workshops conceived by different companies, providing a hands-on experience in Japanese craftsmanship that can be enjoyed by both adults and children.

Venue

Inagi Pair Park (This is the park in front of the Inagi Base Pair Terrace)
Note: Please be aware that this is not inside the Inagi Base Pair Terrace.

Date & Time

March 18, 2023 (Saturday) from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Notes

Please refrain from direct inquiries to the Inagi Communication Base Pair Terrace.

Workshop List

	Exhibitor Name	Contents	Experience Fee
1	Kanto Seimitsu	Metal Lantern Making	Paid
2	Rocky Kasei	Making plastic keychains using injection molding technology	Paid
3	L☆Chika Factory	Electronic Circuit Experience	Paid
4	Hatano Manufacturing	Animal Creation with Screws	Paid
5	Kaori Shizuka	Creating objects made from recycled paper inspired by books	Paid
6	MisakiEura	Food Sample Art Creation	Paid
7	Duskin	Hands-on Workshop to Learn Cleaning	Free
8	Ritalico Wonder	Programming Experience	Free

Please also check the special website!

• Mechanic Designer Kunio Okawara Project Special WEB Site(External Link)

Cooperation

Inagi City Tourism Association
Twitter: @inagi_life