When you first hear the word GONZO, if you're American, no doubt you think of the strange muppet who is a sort of bird-like purple thing with a long, curved nose/beak/whatever. But, if the word is said in connection with Japanese animation, it has another meaning entirely: a relatively new production studio dedicated to producing some cutting-edge animation. GONZO's history began in the early 1990's, as several people, including GONZO President Murahama Shoji, left the famous studio GAINAX. Spurred on by the desire to keep creating, they formed a new company and began doing some work, initially for live-action shows. Later, however, they soon found themselves swept up in the video game craze that had grown up in both Japan and the rest of the world, and soon GONZO was working on such well-known titles as LUNAR: SILVER STAR STORY and the Sega Saturn game MACROSS: DO YOU REMEMBER LOVE? Before long, however, the people at GONZO wanted to stretch their creative wings and do an original project. This is where the idea for BLUE SUBMARINE NO. 6 started to take shape. From this point on, although they would continue to work on video games and other computer-related projects (like hybrid CD-ROMs), GONZO's future seemed to be entwined in animation. When I visited GONZO earlier this year, I found it to be an animation studio much like any other. It's housed in an unassuming building, with only the name on the mailbox leaving a clue as to what is housed within. Upstairs in the crowded office, many people work to bring their products to life. In one room is the creative staff—the animators, the inbetweeners, and of course, the desk of director and mechanical designer Maeda Mahiro. In another small room are the computers, which have been so essential in so many of GONZO's past and current projects. And finally, in the front room, are all the administrative people, including the president, Murahama Shoji. Of course, Mr. Murahama explained, they also have offices in other buildings spread around Ogikubo. In fact, the main office for GATEKEEPERS was in one of these other locations. I managed to visit some of these offices later in my visit, and I was impressed by the number of computers being used in the animation process. During my visit to GONZO, I saw a lot of interesting things. But most importantly, I had the opportunity to speak with some of the creative forces behind their titles, and find out what makes GONZO different from the other anime studios out there.