John UM
Machinery always has a charm that is fascinating. The impressions of various gears, meters and metal pipes during the steam industry gave birth to the “steam punk” culture and style that was developed with the ultimate in steam technology. Science and technology are constantly improving, and various machinery are becoming more and more sophisticated. Although the reality has not developed into a “steam punk” steam technology to the peak of the world, but these sci-fi themes also give people a vision of future technological development
In the 1960s, the “Apollo Moon Landing Program” in the United States caused a wave of cosmos in the world. After the Second World War, many military technologies began to be used for civilian use. Everyone began to understand the equipment styling during the war. A lot of creative inspiration for people. Following this cosmic boom, it also inspired people to create cosmic sci-fi works, and many famous cosmic sci-fi works and design styles were born
At this time, in the west of the Pacific Ocean, after the war, the Japanese comic industry has developed for many years, and comics have a certain status in Japanese society. At that time, this cosmic sci-fi boom quickly swept into Japan, and many people decided to become science fiction writers. In the 1970s, the most free period in the history of Japanese comics, many classic sci-fi works were born. The most famous one is the animated “Space Battleship Yamato” created by this sci-fi craze. After the broadcast, it has also promoted the sci-fi craze of all Japan and became the classic ancestral sci-fi work of the future. The shape and conception of many ships, weapons and equipment appearing in this work have a profound influence on the creation of Japanese science fiction animation in the future. It can be said that the mechanical setting team of the “Space Battleship Yamato” has contributed. In this setting team, it includes the sci-fi illustrator Kato Naoki who is very famous in Japan in the future
In the 1960s, there were only a handful of people who would draw sci-fi style illustrations. When the sci-fi craze affected Japan, the sci-fi class began to reflect on the public. At that time, Kato Naoki, who was a teenager, saw the illustrator of the sci-fi illustrator Takehiko Ichiro, who was active at the time, in science fiction magazine, and gave him a great shock. He decided to become a sci-fi illustrator with the aim of Takeshi Ichiro. At the university, Kato Naoto joined a singer-songwriter called “SF Central Art” to create sci-fi works. This acquaintance will be the famous sci-fi planning studio “Studio (ぬえ)” Predecessor. In 1974, Kato Naoki participated in the mechanical design of the “Space Battleship Yamato” as a member of “鵺Studio”. His name appeared for the first time in the public’s sight
In addition to the work of the studio, Kato Naoto will also create sci-fi illustrations in his personal capacity. In 1975, Kato Naoki won the first prize in the science fiction art competition held by the well-known science fiction publishing house Hayakawa’s study, and then Kato Naoto began to draw cover and novel illustrations for the science fiction magazine and science fiction novels of Hayakawa’s study. Two years later, Kato Naoto was the Japanese version of the “Star River Battle Team” painting illustration, creatively creating a new design concept of “enhanced protective clothing”, which caused great repercussions in the world sci-fi circle, which also made Kato straight in the Japanese science fiction world. The influence and reputation of the company has risen rapidly. Even the steel cannons in the early generations of the Gundam also took the tribute of Kato Zhizhi’s “enhanced protective clothing”
As the first to be influenced by the work of the martial arts, Ichiro, Kato Naoto, who was on the road to the sci-fi illustrator, also had the style and shadow of the martial arts. After the death of Ichiro, the founder of the martial arts in the early 1980s, there were not many illustrators who would draw sci-fi illustrators at the time. Some illustrators who had been painted by Ichiro Ichiro had naturally found Kato Naoki as a work. Painting, this also gives more people the opportunity to know Kato Naoto and his works
In 1982, a long science fiction novel called “The Legend of the Heroes of the Galaxy” was published in Japan, and the sale was a sensation in Japan. In addition to the grand cosmology, the development of operatic stories, the intricate relationship of characters, and the fascinating strategies, the novel has specially found the illustration and mechanical settings of Kato Zhizhi, who has already had some influence in the sci-fi world.The various sci-fi concepts depicted in the novel, as well as the hundreds of ships of various forces, the cosmic fortress and the space fleet battle, have become a fascinating illustration and setting map of the cosmic warfare in Kato’s pen. Seeing blood boiling. In 1988, the “Mobile Suit Gundam’s Steelback Counterattack” was released. The music supervisor found the cover of OST painting that was released by Kato Naoki. He made a move different from ordinary people and painted a battle damage ν up to shape. The illustration is handed over to the other party. This style of illustration was unprecedented in the Gundam series at that time. After seeing it, Fuye Supervisor decided to use this picture. Finally, this battle damage ν was also the most classic cover figure of the fans in the future. One
In addition to these familiar works, Kato Naoki also has a variety of large and small illustration work, he is a frequent visitor to the Japanese Nebula Awards art competition, and has now won seven awards. In August of this year, Kato Naoki came to Guangzhou as a guest of the Much Anime Carnival. After the meeting, we had an interview with the senior Japanese sci-fi design master
Q : Kato teacher is because of the opportunity to promote you as the “Mobile Suit Gundam.” Xia Ya of the counterattack draws the job of the original soundtrack cover painting?
Kato Naoki: The first thing I found was the Nagasaki, who is the artist of the “Insurgency of Xia”. He is now a music supervisor for many animations. When he was young, he also liked science fiction works. When he received the work of “Gundam”, he usually went to an animated original artist or cartoonist to paint, but he hoped to show a realistic “Gundam”. At that time, I was able to achieve this requirement. Only me, I was born with Fan Yi and Gao Heyi, but he first thought of me, so I entrusted this job to me. But at the time, the job was different. The cover illustration did not put any text related to the title. I only used my painting to decide the outcome. The cover of the album has a girdle, and there will be a side seal there, but after I take it down, I only have my paintings, which is to compete with other records
There is an interesting thing here. After this painting is done, Nagasaki first brought this painting directly to SUNRISE to supervise Fuye. After Fusei Supervisor saw my painting, he said to the original animators of the studio, “You have all painted this for me!” The toy company of the sponsor of “Gundam” at that time must be handsome and damaged. The up to is generally not drawn. In the “Xiaia of the counterattack”, I felt that it was just plain to draw a high-quality, and I asked Fuye to supervise. I got the picture after I got the consent of Fuye. I just liked to be the first in the world, and I became the first person in the world to draw the highest damage
Q : Kato teacher once painted the cover and illustration for the novel “Leopard Head King Legend”. What is the opportunity?
Kato Naoki: “The Legend of Leopard Head King” was originally a short story serialized on “SF Magazine”. Later, when it was a long book to be published, the original teacher Li Benxun was not looking for me, but for me. It is also a very admired teacher of the Ministry of War, Ichiro, but it is a pity that the teacher of the Ministry of Military Affairs passed away. At that time, there was really no one who could paint this style. At this time, I thought of me who started to work as an illustrator because of worship and imitating his style of painting. “Isn’t the person who can draw here just here?” Because the teacher of Wushu has passed away, many of the work associated with him is I got to my hand, so I found me. So when I was painting the illustration of “Leopard Head King Legend”, I thought about how to draw if it was a Wushu teacher. It was such a passing
Q : “The Legend of the Heroes of the Galaxy” The world view of this novel is very HTC, science fiction. What prompted the publisher of the novel to cooperate with Kato teacher and let the teacher draw an illustration for this work?
Kato Naoki:To put it simply, no one would paint such an illustration at the time. When I was aiming at science fiction illustrators, no one was specializing in painting such sci-fi works. Naturally, many sci-fi publishers found me because only I could paint them, so they all came. Find me
Q : When Kato teaches a ship for the epic sensation of “Galaxy Hero Legend”, what kind of peacetime design is different, need special attention?
Kato Naoki: Usually I will paint my favorite machines more freely. Generally speaking, a work will only appear in several battleships, but there will be thousands of warships in the world of “Galaxy Heroes”. In the beginning, instead of considering the space warships that will appear in this work, we will only consider the design of the two forces of the Galaxy Empire and the Free Planet Alliance. The future warships will be mass-produced, so the big ones only need to consider two kinds. Just fine. However, the producers of the animation began to constantly comment and request, for example, hope that the admiral is such a warship. It is actually quite difficult to design a warship other than the first two warships, but the type of design has gradually increased with the requirements
Q : This animation “Day Neue These.” 』 is also the original mechanical design by Kato teacher, and it is now over. Teacher, how do you evaluate this animation?
Kato Naoki: Actually, it’s still not finished. It’s only the first season. It’s going to make the second season, so I’m still thinking about it after I’m really finished. But what I can say now is that although I participated in the drama as an “original mechanical design”, I actually hope that I can use the design of the warship I used to paint for the novel directly in the new animation. I need my permission.In addition, animation is a collective operation, mechanical design is not only responsible for me alone, I need to redesign my original design in the animation, in order to play the personality and ability of other designers, so I They will not give instructions to their designs, I hope they can freely play their creations, and I hope to do so when I sign contracts with them. So although it is “original mechanical design”, the actual design used in the animation is not my responsibility. According to the requirements of the contract, you have to use the warships that I designed in the past. It doesn’t matter. In the new version, the seat of the main character “Reinhardt”, “Brunhild”, is very big, but The design concepts of the two forces of the Galactic Empire and the Free Planet Alliance are still based on my current year, and now the designers are free to play. Let me put it this way, I don’t really want to agree with the design outside of me. Although I also have a design that I am not satisfied with in this design, it is a new animation, so it is a mechanical design that conforms to the new animation. It is recognized. Other battle scenes such as CG in the universe, this has nothing to do with my design, I am very satisfied with the view, compared to the battle scene made with the celluloid that year, there is a big leap, I In the past, the animations involved were difficult to show the scenes of the main guns launched like this. I was very touched when I saw these scenes in the new animation
Q : What is the chance that Kato’s teacher first entered the sci-fi field?
Kato Naoki: When I was a child, I liked reading books very much. I want to say why, because my father has a lot of books. In his collection, I discovered the “Three Kingdoms” written by the French writer “Alexander Ngama” and “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Yoshigawa Eiji”. The “Three Kingdoms” and “The Count of Monte Cristo” are long stories, forming the habit of reading novels. During the process of reading, I found that I still want to read more books of the same type, and then I began to read and write “Man Taishan.” The “Mars” series of the famous American novelist “Edgar Rice Barles” is a novel on the stage of Mars. At the time, when the series was released in Japan, the cover was illustrated, and the combination of illustrations and novels was very good. I was also eager to try. The person who drew the illustrator began to draw his paintings. This is the initial opportunity
Q : Where did Kato teacher get design inspiration?
Kato Naoki:For example, if I like machinery, let’s take a digital camera for example. I will buy a lot. The digital camera is being updated. I will disassemble the old machine. Even every screw will be carefully observed and then thrown away. Another example is the printer, which is the kind used by ordinary companies. If these old words are used, they will be thrown away. I will not throw it directly. Instead, I will disassemble it and carefully observe it and throw it away. I will open it to understand its structure. And working. Look for things that can be applied to the painting from the surrounding objects
Q : Kato teacher is very fond of the combination of women and mechanics, in Mr. Kato’s paintings “beauty.” ・. . メカ. ・パワードスーツ』, there are many women and mechanical integration design, please. Kato teacher, do you think that there is something special between women and machinery to attract you, so that you have a soft spot for this?
Kato Naoki: First of all, drawing beautiful female characters is a common theme throughout the world. As for the mechanical point, when you paint women, they will help her to add a beautiful skirt, but I am not good at painting skirts, but the machinery I am good at has never tried to put them on women, I like to be the first challenge. So, it became the first person in the world to choose to decorate women with machinery
Q : Kato teacher usually paints the works of the science fiction series, which is a kind of future-oriented creation. Then let’s face the past and make a hypothesis today. If you didn’t set foot on the road of painting, what other work would you do?
Kato Naoki: I think I should go to the publishing house as an editor. In fact, I want to publish my favorite works as a book. When you publish a book, you will need an illustration to make a cover, and you want to make your own choice. For example, this novel is more suitable to use the illustrator’s painting, just want to do such a job. While I am working as an illustrator, I have a certain reputation in this field. There are many illustrators in Japan, but there are very few sci-fi themes. I want to go to the illustrator and let him paint the paintings I want to see. In fact, this was originally an editorial work, but I was honored to have done it
Q : Kato teacher and another sci-fi cartoonist Matsumoto Kazuo have also worked together many times. Is there any anecdote in the previous cooperation that is suitable for sharing?
Kato Naoki: Matsumoto is also a very respectable teacher for me. I only made a fuss when I met him for the first time. Because of the work of the “Space Warship Yamato”, I had the opportunity to approach him. Once, Matsumoto Shishi teacher suddenly visited the company I established with my friends. Teacher Matsumoto is of course a highly respected predecessor for us, but then we will drink together, and I drunk that time, drunk and went straight to sleep. I wasted a great opportunity to communicate with him. Don’t know if this is an interesting thing?
A lot of people may realize that Kato is straight through the battleship of the legend of the “Galaxy Heroes”. In fact, works other than machinery, Kato Naoto’s style is also very distinctive. In his personal collections, there are often women and machinery combined, similar to the design of cyberpunk, this combination of rigid and soft and contrasted style, bringing a lot of visual impact. In recent years, Kato Naoto has studied both 3DCG and 3D printing. He also served as a company’s hand in charge of supervision. I wonder if there will be any chance to see the materialization of his works in the future? If you can make it, I believe it must be quite shocking
(Photo: Ma Shawen: Ma Sha, Sakura Innocent Editor: Ma Sha)