From
http://www.animeondvd.com/conitem.php?item=191, there's an interview with Mashimo from AnimeExpo 2002, which is ostensibly about .hack, but the Q&A gets into Noir a bit. Interesting reading for those who missed it or forgot about it. I'm "mirroring" it here for convience:
.hack//SIGN - Koichi MashimoReport by Jason Yeh(Wolve)
Koichi Mashimo (President of Bee Train, director of .hack and Noir), Ken Iyadomi (Bandai Ent. VP & panel host), and another Japanese guest (who didn't say much) were present at the panel.
This is one of the more interesting panels I attended at AX this year. Generally I don't go to GoH panels because I find most of them boring. I'm more interesting in seeing voice actors/actresses and composers than directors and character designers. But when I realized Mashimo was behind Noir and .hack (one of my favorite current shows), I thought about skipping Pioneer's panels in favor of his. In the end, I figured Pioneer wasn't going to announce anything that interesting (except maybe Chobits) and decided to attend the Mashimo panel. Looks like I was half-right about Pioneer, but I'm still glad I went to see Mashimo.
The panel started off with Ken Iyadomi introducing Mashimo. Mashimo entered the room and sat down and said hello to the eager crowd. Iyadomi said a few more words then played the .hack//SIGN trailer on Bandai's 2002 promo dvd. After the trailer ended, Iyadomi directed the panel by asking Mashimo several questions. Here's a transcription of what was said between the two men, although it is far from 100% accurate.
Iyadomi: .hack is not only an anime but also a game. Why?
Mashimo: The target audience is not only children but also older people (ages 15-30). The .hack story takes place in the real world and game world. The OAV depicts the people in the real world and the TV show depicts the video game world. The game unifies the real and virtual worlds. Something I value in the real world are the relationships between people. For that reason, .hack holds a special place in my heart.
All people wear a masks. Currently I'm wearing a mask called "director". In my personal life, I wear a mask called "father of two daughters". The characters in the anime & game wear respective masks. On the internet, everyone wears a mask of anonymity. .hack deals with the relationships between each character.
Iyadomi: The screen writer for .hack [Kazunori Ito] is the same guy that worked on the Ghost in the Shell and Patlabor movies. Can you talk about that?
Mashimo: Kazunori never does a straight depiction of what a person should be. For example, if you wee to ask him to depict a male character in a show, he would depict the other related characters . In the dailogue, the .hack characters use big words (unlike the real world). Those are all depictions and it's up to the audience to find the true characters.
Iyadomi: And what about the game designer [didn't catch the name]?
Mashimo: At Gianax, we rarely worked together. Thru Production IG, I was asked to work on Neon Genesis Evangelion. I turned down the offer. But now I'm working with him on .hack.
Iyadomi: Can you explain what Bee Train is like?
Mashimo: It's a new studio that I founded w/ Ishikawa Mitsuhisa. As a director, I tend to increase the [project] budgets. Ishikawa makes sure that doesn't go too far. Before .hack, a lot of stuff was done with the help of Production IG. Production IG tends to work on movies and long projects. Bee Train tends to work on TV series and faster projects.
Iyadomi: The OAV, let's talk about it. It will be an additional disc to the game(s).
Mashimo: As I explained, .hack has a complex storyline. In the game package, you have one depiction of the series. The TV series is another package. The depiction of the .hack world is a virtual, online game world. The video game simulates a game (pseudo online game).
Iyadomi: Let's take a look at some visuals from the OAVs and game.
[short video of game footage is shown]
The OAVs have been dubbed in English, although the final mix hasn't been made.
[clip from OAV (dubbed) is shown next]
The [.hack] series starts with the TV, then goes into the game, then the OAV.
[video of TV OP is shown]
At this point, Iyadomi opens up the panel to Q&A. Mashimo answered most of the questions.
Question: What was the inspiration for .hack?
Mashimo: The TV show is geared toward a more sophisticated audience, but we can not deny that some adults have the heart of a child.
Question: Was "Bear" [character in .hack TV] inspired by Braveheart?
Mashimo: I like Mel Gibson, there are similarities.
Question: Why are the TV and OAV in wide-screen format?
Mashimo: I can no longer do storyboards in 4:3 aspect ratio.
Question: Where did the ideas for the lingo & acronyms come from?
Mashimo: The spoken Japanese language has a discrepancy between younger and older generations. The .hack virtual world uses the spoken language of the younger generation.
Question: In Noir, character depictions are not black & white. Why?
Mashimo: I like to tell a story that's easy to understand. The real world is not as simple as black & white. This is true in .hack and Noir. I like to inspire my staff and audience that not everything is black & white. When we all make something new, we tend to present something complex. I wish I could present things simpler.
Question: Who is the composer, is there an OST coming out, etc?
Mashimo: Yuki Kajiura is the composer. I met her 6-8 years ago while working on Eatman. She likes to drink. [FYI: OST is out 7/24, got my copy preordered
]
Question: The music takes place in the scene? [didn't quite catch the question]
Mashimo: When I'm watching an American movie in Japan, I may miss some of the subtitles. The presentation of music and dailogue in movies is standard. I've tried to do some experimentation. For one show, I specifically had the music louder then the dailogue. [me thinks he's referring to .hack TV] Some people complained, but that was my intent.
Question: How are you planning to release .hack in the US?
Mashimo: Game with OAVs will come out in the Fall.
Iyadomi: Next year for TV series.
Question: What is the origin of the name of studio Bee Train? .hack seems very ambitious. How was it all planned?
Mashimo: Bee train is a very noisy / busy studio. So in reference to the honey bee, that's where the name came from. The name actually was chosen by the staff.
It's impossible to conceive a project of this size all at once. The first conception was the video game. This title was 3 years in the making. So I got involved with the game, then the OAV, then the TV series. But the project is still ongoing.
Question: Why did you chose an English OP for the TV series?
Mashimo: The OAV OP is Japanese, but uses quite violent language. The TV OP would be profane in Japanese.
Question: Are there any plans to continue Noir as an OAV or movie?
Mashimo: I don't like sequels. The only sequel I worked on is Captain Tylor. That's because my staff works on a project from start to finish. To try to create closure for something that already has closure is redundant. I will not be able to cave into your demands. [Take note all you people that want a Noir movie and/or think it's in the works ;-)]
Question: What's you take on the .hack game selling more than FFXI in Japan?
Mashimo: I don't like to compare my works with others.
Question: [My question] What's it like to work w/ Yuki Kajuira?
Mashimo: It's very difficult. Various production houses use different processes. There is a music selection process. It takes as much time to choose the music as it does for the animation or screenplay. The composer and animators never listen to the director.
Question: Who is your favorite character from Noir and why?
Mashimo: There are many bad guys in Noir and I dearly loves these hapless villains.
Question: Is Captain Tylor a parody of Legend of Galactic Heroes?
Mashimo: I am convinced LoGH is a parody of Captain Tylor. [audience laughs]
Question: Given the violent nature of Noir, is there and X rated version [R would have made more sense]?
Mashimo: Please go find it, I'd like to see it myself. [audience laughs]
Question: Do any of you play online games? If so, which ones?
Mashimo: Well I gave my staff a PC and they stopped working. So I'm pretty sure they've gone underground and play at home. And 7 of my staffers stopped coming to work. It's a true story.
Question: If [one] doesn't play the game, can [one] still understand the story?
Mashimo: The video game is a self-contained world. The OAV stands on it's own as a teenage angst story. The TV series also stands alone.
Question: Can you speak on the use of computer graphics with cel based?
Mashimo: I've been using CG in other shows, it's just not as noticeable. Since .hack takes place in a digital world, I've made the use of CG more obvious. It's really about making what the creator and audience want to see and therefore I don't want to get into debates about CG versus cel animation.
Question: What's your favorite anime?
Mashimo: Tom & Jerry. I think it's a successful and classic show, I still enjoy it.
Question: Any hints on what you're working after .hack?
Mashimo: I don't want to think about it. [audience laughs]
At this point, time ran out and the Q&A session ended. People then made closing comments.
Other Japanese guest: Well Mashimo's OAV has no robots or gunfights, but if you watch it and watch it again after playing the game, you'll understand it more.
Iyadomi: Our own staff enjoys .hack a lot. And we hope you will watch it too.
Mashimo: I see a few people [dressed up]. I love cosplay. It's a beautiful example of statement without words.
