Takagi Shinji is a rising animation director, or enshutsu, at Production IG. He also has the fortunate distinction of being one of only two IG people who was not sucked into the recent EVANGELION movie project. (Our own Scott Frazier is the other). Thus, while all the rest of the IG staff found themselves immersed in the frantic schedule of trying to complete the unfinished footage for EVANGELION: DEATH AND REBIRTH, including prospective Guests of Honor mecha designer Takeuchi Atsushi and director Yamazaki Kazuo, Takagi was able to escape with Scott for his first visit to the States, literally half a world away at Katsucon 3.

Takagi on stage at Katsucon 3...

...and surrounded by fans.

EX: How did you enter the industry?

Takagi: Unlike many other directors, I did not train in school as an animator. Instead, I studied electrical engineering at Tokyo University. A fan of shows such as YAMATO, MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM and MIRAI SHONEN CONAN when he was growing up, I decided to take an animation course as an elective while continuing to work toward my EE degree. One of my instructors was a Mr. Miyamoto from Tatsunoko, who stressed the importance of obtaining a degree and made me promise to continue with my studies. In return, upon receiving my degree, I was able to sign on immediately with Tatsunoko as an Assistant Animator.
While there, I continued my training under top name director Nishikubo Toshihiko, who was then the series director for ZILLION. Mr. Ishikawa was then president of IG and also in charge of all production for ZILLION. Ishikawa took note of me and brought me into IG.

EX: How would you compare your experience between long-running TV series and video games?

Takagi: Since the focus of the two are different, producing video game openings allows for greater flexibility, both in content and production technique. I hope to use his video game work as a springboard into directing actual TV, OVA, or film series.

EX: What are some of the challenges in combining computer animation with traditional paint-on-cel?

Takagi: The largest task consists of combining the three dimensional look of computer animation with the two dimensions of traditional paint-on-cel. Making the two appear as a seamless whole involves either bringing the three dimensional feel "towards" the two dimensional appearance or to do the exact opposite and integrate into the three dimensional rendition.
For me, this was largely a learn-by-doing process since when I started working with computers, they were still very new to the industry, so there was no one to learn from. In the case of the PANZER DRAGOON OVA, the first computer production from IG, I moved toward the two dimensions. Now, with greater experience behind me, I am more comfortable with blending in either direction.

Scenes from the PANZER DRAGOON OVA.

EX: As an animator, what are your thoughts on the North American industry? (Before attending Katsucon, the two spent a couple days in LA giving Scott the opportunity to take Takagi around some of the American studios.)

Takagi: The largest difference is in the aim and vision of the American studios in contrast to the Japanese ones. Both American studios and audiences are larger than their Japanese counterparts, so the direction of focus tends to be different. I found the American approach more comprehensive; US studios, in Takagi's view, look at the entire process, from inception to final product as an entire unit, and make production decisions with this one vision in mind. Japanese studios, it may surprise some fans to know, being smaller, often tend to view each major step along the process individually and not always as part of an integrated whole. For the Japanese, each step is usually decision unto itself, while in the US, there is typically one unifying vision.

EX: What are the differences in directing an action-oriented comedy series such as RANMA as compared to a more low-key like OISHINBOU?

Takagi: The most difficult task for any series is understanding the vision of the series director. Once over this hurdle, it really is not that much different. The ease or difficulty rests entirely on the existence of a directed series vision, and, not surprisingly, strong series directors will have devised these single, directed visions before production begins. In their absence, animation directors like me are left to guess a series director's intentions and ideas.

EX: What is your favorite part about being an enshutsu?

Takagi: The entire process. I like watching an idea blossom into a full fledged production.

EX: Of which of your works are you most proud?

Takagi: I think probably RANMA NETTOUHEN episode 142 (the penultimate one), because I was able to assemble all the elements into a convincing whole. (RANMA fans will recall that the NETTOUHEN series closes with a two-part story.) The primary series director worked on both parts and produced one set of storyboards for the entire story. And though series directors typically work on the first and last episodes of a series, I served as animation director for episode 142 and was proud to have contributed to the closing of a very popular series.

EX: How has the industry changed in the past ten years?

Takagi: Personally, in the last ten years I have had the opportunity to meet an incredible range of new people developing new ideas. No single industry event, technique, or title can replace ten years of meeting good people and learning from them. With regards to a larger world view, it is not always easy to see the changes from within. Only after some time has passed is it possible to reflect back and see how far the industry has come.

EX: How do you see the industry changing in the next ten years?

Takagi: I see more computer work as the most obvious and most promising trend in the industry. For this I can feel some pride because when I first started out, I had privately predicted that the computer would soon be involved in the process, and now I am seeing exactly that occurring. Many are now discovering that computer techniques, such as those employed by Animo, allow for producing effects that in the past would have been exceedingly cost-prohibitive with traditional paint-on-cel or just plain impossible.

EX: Do you ever watch anime, or does just the thought of it make your skin crawl?

Takagi: Yes, but I have very little time. One of my current favorites is EVANGELION for its richness in stories and characters.

EX: How do you relax?

Takagi: I have been very busy, and for the longest time, when I finished one project, all that was left to do was to begin thinking about the next one. When I do have some free time, I like to tour and also watch movies.

EX: What are your plans for the future? If you complete freedom to any project you wanted, what would it be?

Takagi: My next immediate project is an interactive movie from IG that will run on the Playstation.
My dream project would be to produce an animated theatrical version of an old Hakusensha manga title, HAMIDASHIKO by Mihara Jun. The title roughly translates to "The One who Sticks Out". A human drama set in contemporary England, HAMIDASHIKO involves four characters with a history who come together again when one of them develops some sort of problem (the one who sticks out). The depth of the story is in the character interaction and I would relish the opportunity to bring this to the big screen.

EX: After three full days of an American convention, how was your experience?

Takagi: I had a very enjoyable experience at Katsucon, but my only regret is that I cannot speak English, so I could not relate to the fans directly.