The Straits Times (Singapore) 

June 5, 2000 

SECTION: Life; Life!; Pg. 11 

LENGTH: 536 words 

HEADLINE: Japanese director aims to animate in Hollywood 

BYLINE: Ong Sor Fern 

BODY: 
    Maeda, says he was inspired by Miyazaki's animations 

JAPANESE anime director Mahiro Maeda is most animated, pardon the pun, when 
talking about animation. Whipping out his sketchbook, he shows off storyboards 
for the latest anime (pronounced "animay") series he is working on. Leaning 
forward in his chair at the Mandarin's Observation Lounge, he brings the scene 
to life with sound effects -"poosh!" for a particular big explosion. 

The youthful 37-year-old, a self-confessed "kid at heart", looks like what you 
would expect a hotshot anime director to look like: slouchy T-shirt and shorts 
matched with funky ski hat and chunky rings. 

The creator of Blue Submarine No. 6, the hottest anime television series in 
Japan now, was in town over the weekend for AXN's Anime Festival 2000. Anime is 
Japanese animation for adults, characterised by apocalyptic visions and often 
centred on complex science fiction and fantasy stories. 

20th Century Fox is trumpeting the mix of traditional cel animation with 3D 
computer-generated images (CGI) in its upcoming summer flick Titan AE. But Maeda 
has already done it in the four-part Blue Submarine, which combines 3D graphics 
of realistically-detailed assorted machines with traditional cel-painted 
characters with the trademark cutie-pie faces. 

Cel animation is so-called because images are painted on cels, transparent 
plastic sheets, that are then photographed. It takes thousands of cel sheets to 
create an animated film. 

Trying to mix cel, which is 2D, with CGI was a big headache, says Maeda. "We 
tried for a year to develop a system for combining the two." But time 
constraints halted technical research, so they opted for a mix of free hand 
drawing with 3D images. 

But the look can be jarring to traditionalists used to 2D animation. Maeda adds 
smilingly: "They were aghast when they first saw Blue Submarine." 

But the show's success in Japan proved that the formula was a winning one. And 
judging by the presence of fans who showed up in droves for Maeda's sketch 
demonstration and talk last Saturday at Orchard Cineplex, the formula works in 
Asia too. 

Anime's popularity is fast growing in Asia, which seems more willing to accept 
the bleak storylines and adult-oriented action sequences than the West. 

Maeda was inspired to become an animator as a schoolboy after watching Konan, a 
series created by Hayao Miyazaki, who has been called Japan's Walt Disney. 
Miyazaki's animated film Princess Mononoke was Japan's highest-grossing movie 
until Titanic came along. 

Maeda recalls approaching Miyazaki for a job while he was still studying fine 
arts in university: "I found out he was working on a film project. But Mr 
Miyazaki said, "You will have jobs waiting for you in the future. Now, you 
finish your studies."' 

Since then, Maeda has racked up an impressive resume as key animator on 
everything from an animated version of the Japanese literary classic The Tale Of 
Genji to designing monsters for Ultraman Powered. 

The next step, he says with a glint in his eye, is to go Hollywood because "they 
have the budget to develop productions and software". 

* Catch the telecast of Blue Submarine No. 6 on AXN, Channel 19, on June 25, 
7pm. 

GRAPHIC: Kid at heart is how Japan's hottest anime director describes himself.