Gundam Creator Addresses Anime’s New Golden Age

It is hard to believe Gundam made its big debut in 1979. Over the decades, the mecha series has made big moves, and it helped overhaul the sci-fi genre. Much of its success comes from Yoshiyuki Tomino as the gifted artist birthed Gundam at Sunrise. To this day, the 82-year-old still works on Gundam’s latest projects, and a recent interview with the creator has revealed his take on the anime industry’s recent renaissance.

The information comes straight from Toyo Keizai, a popular newspaper in Japan. The publication spoke with Tomino about the state of the anime industry today, and it was there the Gundam creator broke down his thoughts. Tomino is as excited by the industry’s renaissance like most others, but he cautions burnout might be on the horizon.

“The anime boom is currently at its peak,” Tomino shared. The creator went on to say he believes the industry is in a golden age of sorts, so he’s thankful. After all, anime has become a truly global medium. Technology and social media have put anime on the map across the world, and it is very much a mainstream interest. This attention has left Tomino busy, but the Gundam creator does say the industry may decline within the decade if it follows in the steps of Disney.

According to Tomino, he sees Disney’s release plan as an example of what not to do. The company’s digitalization has rubbed Tomino the wrong way, and he has found Disney’s latest animated released “boring” and “depressing”. If the anime industry begins investing in brainless blockbusters, Tomino says the industry will hit an inevitable decline in five to six years. So if executives know what’s best, they will put quality before quantity when ordering new series.

Of course, Tomino is taking his own advice to heart so far as Gundam is concerned. These days, the franchise has a live-action adaptation in the works with Legendary Entertainment. As for the anime, Gundam has several new projects in the works. From the return of Mobile Suit Gundam Seed to a fully CG film, the series is staying busy. So if you want to check out Gundam, there’s never been a better time to catch up than now. 

What do you think about Tomino’s take on the anime industry? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

HT – Fullfrontal Moe