I guess, are there any fans of Go Nagai here? He also did Mazinger Z and Cutie Honey. I have zero experience with both. I'd really like to read more about this guy, maybe try to find some interviews with him.
Interview between Go Nagai and Hideaki Anno:
This is a double translation, from Japanese to french, then from french to english. This comes from the Devilman "Tabulae Anatomicae" book. It's also not the complete interview text, but yeah you get the point.
What was your first memory that you got from Nagai's manga?
Hideaki Anno : It was Harenchi Gakuen(Shameless School)
Of course… The prepublication in the Jump magazine?
HA : Yes. Of course, the first time it was the erotic aspect that pleased me… I was still young, so I didn't have puberty yet, oh well… In brief, I was following the manga, and I arrived to the part of the "big battle". It was something unexpected, and for a child like me, it was shocking.
Gô Nagai : And what marked you?
HA : For example, this scene where a character faced schoolgirl prisoners, who's clothes were torn, were hiding their breasts and the crotch, and tells them "Hands up !" It's remarkable, like a comical scene. I think it was one of my first memories of your work. But your influence on me is incalculable, impossible to evaluate. After all, even in Evangelion, I couldn't get away from the Devilman influence…
GN : Oh yes ? I was told that there were similarities, therefore I went to see Evangelion in the cinema with that idea, but I didn't feel that.
HA : No, but I think I didn't do it consciously… After that, people made me notice : "Ah this is Devilman", etc…
GN : You read Mao Dante?
HA : I didn't discover it at the time of prepublication, but much later, in high school, when it was out in pocket format. I remember thinking "ah, indeed, it's a ‘pre-Devilman’ !"
GN : I told myself that it was a good idea to create a hero who wasn't necessarily good, that we could have a bad hero, that's where the inspiration came. At that time I was watching movies like Godzilla and I was really identifying myself to him. Without knowing why, through the eyes of Godzilla, I felt the need to crush tanks or to disperse crowds of people with kicks, i found that entertaining… It's in the same state of mind that I started writing Mao Dante.
Did you see the first Godzilla when it was out? [In 1954 – NDT]
GN : I don't think I've seen it when it was out, but at that time, I often drew Godzilla. I think I saw the film a bit later.
You both are from two different generations. What was your idea of a monster, when you were kids ?
HA : I wasn't a big fan of monster movies, not as much as Master Nagai… I didn't hate it, but for me war movies was rather my thing. After that, I started on hero stories like Ultraman.
GN : You were not watching Ultra Q, Ultraman's prequel?
HA : I saw it, but I couldn't get a hold of it. We were seeing only monsters, and scary stuff… We can conclude that I prefer giant heroes over monsters.
GN : Someone told me that Evangelion was visually inspired by Ultraman, is it true ?
HA : EVA is an "Ultramanian" character, sure. But to be honest, the visual inspiration also comes from Devilman.
GN : Really?
HA : There's also some Shuten Douji in it. And also the idea that even demons and ogres with their scary faces. I think the thing we name "power" is something really scary. So when the design was to be made, I particularly insisted that he is scary-looking. If kids could start crying just by watching an episode, that would be ideal. To the point to make it an anti-hero, something which is scary. For that, Devilman was the perfect model. I had drawn a "rough" version of EVA which looked a lot like Devilman, with the curved back, la taille fine, a thick chest plate. It was the image that I made from Devilman. But EVA also has common points with Mazinger Z. Him too has a scary demonic face.
GN : For what is Devilman and Mazinger Z, I didn't have the intention to give them nightmare-esque faces, but that naturally came to me ! (Laughs)
HA : In Mao Dante, the ears of Ryo Utsugi become the eyes of a demon, right ? In the first version of EVA, when we looked at its eyes closely, we also noticed an influence from Mao Dante. Before that I did the Gunbuster ova, and for the robot design, I told myself that giving it two eyes was a bit dull. So I made it like a cyclop, but later I realized it was a mistake. Even with their shadow, robots like Mazinger remained recognisable, even if the eyes were no longer just two white shapes. In Gunbuster, with its unique eye, it didn't work well. I therefore told myself that next time, I will definitely make a robot with compound eyes, like an insect. For that, I coloured all of the body of the first version of EVA with a gloomy colour, except for the eyes, which I left in white, to attract attention.
GN : (Laugh)
HA : Also, this first version of EVA also had red circled eyes, like Mazinger Z.
Ah, yes it's the « make-up » that Mazinger Z had in his first apparitions in JUMP, no ?
HA : Yes. I like it when the outline of the eyes are red… The Mazinger Z of that time was particularly good. I really liked the fact that it didn't have a nose.
GN : At first, I was drawing without the nose that gave off the impression of a mask. After that, I noticed that they gave him a nose in the anime.
I
t's a particular way of drawing a face…
HA : It must be impossible to render these things in three dimensions. I like the face without relief, that it's possible to do only in drawings.
Takeshi Nagai : Without a doubt the designers of the anime didn't understand how to give off the same effet like in the manga.They must have been really embarassed!
HA : On that subjet, Shôetsu Hanetsu, the producer of Mazinger Z, did an excellent job, don't you think ? To come back to the Mazinger just like Master Go Nagai was drawing, it's neck collé d’un bloc sur le torse, et si je puis me permettre, au-delà de la forme ou du dessin, cela crée une sensation de décalage, d’inadéquation, qui me plaît beaucoup. (pas sur comment traduire)
Yes, the neck of Mazinger Z of Master Nagai was very different from the TV version !
HA : Like the Mazinger that I was recopying, i didn't really progress in drawings. (Laugh)
GN : (hollow laugh)
HA : Still concerning the face, I love Mazinger Z in profile towards the first episode in the prepublication. It's his first appearance and Kouji discovers it with a stunning cry.
GN : The scene in the house of the grandpa, is that it ?
HA : Yes, it really marked me. That must be why I gave the same kind of eyes to the first version of EVA. When I brought these rectifications on the original drawings, I couldn't prevent myself from drawing the eyes in the style of Master Nagai.
And in the first episode of Evangelion, the first appearance of EVA is a big shot on his face, right?
HA : Euh yes, that's it. (Laugh) Sorry.
GN : Fancy that ? (Laugh)
HA : I was disappointed when the prepublication of Mazinger Z in Jump was stopped….
GN : … Ah yes. Even before Mazinger was transfered to Terebi Magazine, I already had the impression of not been able to draw Mazinger with my ideas freely anymore, so I kinda neglected Mazinger Z.
HA : The manga that was appearing in Terebi Magazine wasn't bad, but however, the tv version, it wasn't it… I was watching, but at that time I was in CM2, and me and my friends had the impression that it was for little kids, and that they were taking us a bit for idiots. Same for the Getter Robo anime- The manga by Master Ken Ishikawa was like a bible to me. In the anime of Mazinger Z, there was only one episode that I liked, the n°32 ("Le Cerbère de la Terreur"), where Mazinger Z was hurled in the sky by en hanging on to the "breast-missiles" [Aphrodite Ace - NDT]. In my memory, it's the only scene that fascinated my childish heart. And for Getter Robo, it's the episode where they were forced to pilot by eyesight only…
The one where the robot gets decapitated ? (N°30 : "When the Phoenix resurrects")
HA : That's all. It's the only episode I liked, the one where Getter Robo is defeated. That seemed plausible to me. Also, I really liked the opening song, too.
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Separate Q&A:
Stumbled upon this article about Go Nagai the creator of Devilman. Sadly I never heard of Nagai until this article but I must stay he’s a striking character. You can sense the force of his pe…
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