Takada Akemi Guest Of Honor Panel The Takada Akemi Panel took place on Friday, in front of a near-capacity crowd. Overall she seemed delighted at being at Anime Expo and was more than happy to accommodate the constant stream of questions that were asked of her. But before that, she gave a brief self-introduction, and afterwards commented about how she gets asked many of the same questions over and over, so she decided to try and answer some of the more frequent ones with a talk on her beginnings and how she got into the industry: She liked manga; as a child her parents threw out all her manga, but she went to the library and read the very manga that they threw out! When she told her parents that she wanted to work on manga, they sent her to art school for graphic design. She realized that she had more talent in pure art than in storytelling, so she focused on becoming an artist rather than a manga creator. Takada then mused about how she got into the anime industry: As a graphic designer in school, one was supposed to traditionally start making contacts and search for jobs, but she would go to Tatsunoko Studios instead, complete with snacks in hand, so she never made any connections or inroads for jobs as a graphic designer. Thus, when she graduated, her only choice was to ask Tatsunoko Studios—"Onegaishimasu!" ("Please!") she pleaded, and she always brought cakes to give to the studio when she visited before. After they gave her a test (which she believed to be only a formality), they hired her, and that's how she got into the anime industry. Then the Q&A discussion started:

Ms. Takada then went on to make a surprise announcement that she was working on a new CREAMY MAMI TV series due out next fall.

Q: What's your inspiration / your process for creating a new character?

TA: I get a small description of the character; not much really. I then sleep and lounge about the house, and then at some point I'll stop and realize that I have to start drawing [laughs]. I'll go through a rough sketch, then let it sit for a few days. I'll then go through revisions and get peer input. Then it's finished. The inspiration comes from within. Usually the female characters are alter-egos of me. The male characters are half me, and half what a nice guy to have around me would be like [laughs].

Q: Who is your favorite artist?

TA: Early on, it was Alphonse Mucha. He had a way of depicting women with soft lines. Currently, I have no favorite artists.

Q: What was it like to meet with Matsumoto Izumi (the original creator) during your work on KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD [to sort out the details]?

TA: While I met Takahashi Rumiko briefly during my work on URUSEI YATSURA, I've never met Matsumoto Izumi, even to this very day!

Q: How much input did you have in Headgear? And are there any current plans with Headgear?

TA: We were all friends even before we formed Headgear. We decided to go to an onsen one time, but not just to go, but to go with a production plan for an anime to discuss! Thus, Yuuki Masami, Itoh Kazunori, and myself developed the idea [PATLABOR] some more and then went to Bandai to get it produced, and then Oshii Mamoru got involved. Headgear is dormant now; everyone is really busy with their own works.

Q: What's your favorite color?

TA: Pink, turquoise blue, and aqua blue. You can probably tell by looking at my artwork [smiles].

Q: Favorite anime?

TA: The show I'm working on now [laughs].

Q: Favorite setting?

TA: Fantasy.

Q: How do you reconcile your own style with the style of the original creator's?

TA: I'm not too good at changing my own style to adapt a pre-existing one, so I change the original to my own style. I apologize to fans of the original creator's artwork [smiles].

Q: Working on Madoka and ORANGE ROAD for so many years, how does it feel to have seen another person draw Madoka [for the final KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD movie]?

TA: Do you really want to know? [smiles] Don't you think mine's better? [smiles]
(at which point the crowd bursts out into a roaring applause.)

Q: Are there ever any disagreements between yourself and the director of the project you're working on? How do you reconcile them?

TA: Whenever there is a disagreement between the director and myself, the director usually wins. If you disagree, you only prolong your work [laughs]. But for original illustrations, you have total control, so that's how I keep my sanity [laughs].

Q: What are your thoughts on CG versus traditional drawing methods?

TA: Well, the "Undo" button is nice. [smiles]. Using a computer also makes it easier to get started.

Q: Will you ever have a definitive art book that collects all of your works?

TA: Yes. Actually, I have two art books coming out soon: the first one is due out by the end of this year, and the second one is due out next Spring. The first art book due out by the end of the year will be primarily be art from KIMAGURE ORANGE ROAD, with a few new illustrations. There will be a "How to Draw" section featuring my artwork as well. The second book due out next spring will feature my work on CREAMY MAMI and FANCY LALA.