{"id":71110,"date":"2026-08-18T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=71110"},"modified":"2026-08-18T16:33:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T07:33:29","slug":"mobile-suit-gundam-creator-yoshiyuki-tomino-suggests-modern-anime-and-films-lack-a-sense-of-wonder-weve-forgotten-the-principles-of-direction-and-storytelling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/mobile-suit-gundam-creator-yoshiyuki-tomino-suggests-modern-anime-and-films-lack-a-sense-of-wonder-weve-forgotten-the-principles-of-direction-and-storytelling\/","title":{"rendered":"Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino suggests modern anime and films lack a sense of wonder. \u201cWe\u2019ve forgotten the principles of direction and storytelling.\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This April, Mobile Suit Gundam<\/strong> series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino received the Order of the Rising Sun (Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon), a prestigious award granted by the Japanese government. In a recent interview commemorating the award, Tomino spoke about his commitment to anime direction, and shared his thoughts on some of the recent trends in the art of film (Kyodo News<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emphasizing the importance of a director\u2019s role in an anime or a film production, Tomino says that \u201cIn the digital age, there are people who just shoot panoramic images without an actual story and just call them \u2018movies.\u2019 What I want to say is \u2013 that\u2019s not directing<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gundam director suggests that one problem with modern day filmmaking may be the lack of a \u201csense of wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Back in the day, the pursuit of said \u201csense of wonder\u201d was a major work philosophy among many aspiring film directors and students, he says. For example, after 5 or 6 regular shots, there\u2019d be a shot which encourages the viewer to follow the characters with their eyes. Then, a shot featuring vast background scenery would appear. \u201cThe audience gets immersed in the story by searching for the characters within the huge background. That process of searching is where \u2018the sense of wonder\u2019 comes from,\u201d Tomino explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut now that digital technologies are so widespread, do films still have the sense of wonder?,\u201d he asks.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that technology has evolved to the point that you can create literally anything with it, that leaves little room for the audience to actually be surprised. \u201cCG is quite a convenient tool that lets you copy or move objects freely. However, there are so many anime and films that desperately try to show off the CG simply because they went to the trouble of making it. We\u2019ve forgotten the principles of direction and storytelling that give films their sense of wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something that\u2019s been bothering me recently. Images have become too high resolution, so when there\u2019s a close up shot so detailed you can even see the pores on the skin, it makes me think \u2013 is it really okay for them to be visible? There are characters whose pores we don\u2019t want to see. Directors have become too reliant on the cameras, which results in films that look like they were made the easy way,\u201d Tomino adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When asked about his opinion on generative AI, Tomino said that, while the technology is becoming increasingly convenient, many lack the ability to judge whether it actually suits a drama or not. \u201cI feel like the \u2018eye of the director\u2019 really isn\u2019t being exercised these days. In the case of close-ups, you can get such convenient and great shots that the actor only needs to be a little good to carry the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are even films that forget to follow the narrative. What I\u2019m trying to say is, we need to make an effort to depict the process of the dramatic play itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for Tomino himself, the director is currently working on a brand-new project of his own. Though he’s remained quite secretive about it, he says that if allowed to produce it, he’s confident it will be a masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gundam series original creator teases new work with unexpected twist, because \u201cpeople don\u2019t think anymore\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino\u00a0thinks\u00a0many\u00a0of his fans are just military geeks\u00a0who\u00a0\u201cdidn\u2019t get the\u00a0message\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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