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Gundam creatorYoshiyuki Tomino is known for his fearless words, as he never holds back from speaking his mind in interviews. He openly criticizes everything he doesn’t like, and this time around, he shares his opinion on the present state of Disney during an interview. As the anime industry becomes more and more busy with the growing demand and popularity, he fears that it doesn’t replicate the same journey as Disney.
Repeating Disney’s mistakes is a likely possibility, and if it happens anime will lose its charm, something that none of us want. Even in harsh words, Tomino highlighted a very real possibility by using Disney as an example, and here’s everything he said.
Gundam CreatorYoshiyuki Tomino Doesn’t Want Anime Industry to Repeat the Same Mistake As Disney
FromAstro Boyto theGundamseries,Yoshiyuki Tominohas maintained an integral presence in the anime industry. His decades-long experience in the industry is valued by his audience and contemporaries alike. Recently, during an interview with Toyo Kezai (via translations on X), Tomino spoke on a wide range of topics from AI to the growing popularity of anime.
Tomino isnever afraid to speak his mindin interviews. He believes that anime is in its golden age at present, but what matters is how the industry moves forward at its peak. He also mentioned that there could be a potential decline in the following years, and explained this with a few examples. Tomino mentioned how Disney’s progress and shift to digitalization made its work more impersonal and boring.
“If I had a choice… I’d go with hand-drawn Mickey Mouse”: Gundam’s Yoshiyuki Tomino Knows the Disastrous Flaws of Modern Animation
Similarly many Japanese companies moving to a bigger, more grand stage and structure could mean that the anime industry is heading down the same path as Disney. He described the media conglomerate as:
An industry making empty blockbusters without any personality.
In recent years, Disney has been heavily criticized for its focus on profits rather than the quality of its work. Everything feels extremely curated and unauthentic in the sense that the audience finds it quite hard to resonate with. Tomino’s words certainly touched upon a fear that fans have about the anime industry’s future.
Tomino’s Words Reflect Fans’ Fear As Well
With anime’s growing popularity, many media giants have taken an interest in acquiring companies that cater to the growing fanbase. For instance, Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll andpotential acquisition of Kadokawasparked concerns among fans. Some fans feared that as anime grows in popularity in the West, it could mean that the art and content, primarily definitive of ‘anime’ might transform to cater to the new fans.
This could lead to the Japanese aspects being toned down so that the medium appears more inclusive for those overseas. While this could be a good thing, the cultural aspects of anime feel fresh in comparison to everything else that is popular at the moment.
“I didn’t want to guide them in a certain direction”: Yoshiyuki Tomino Regrets Gundam Shows Doing the Exact Thing He Wanted to Protect the Kids from
So, fans’ fear of a potential end to the authentic appeal is a valid concern and a real one as well. Tomino’s words captured this discourse, which has been quite prevalent in the fandom recently, and it’s certainly reassuring to know that those in the industry are aware of what could happen.
TheGundam seriesis available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Laveena Joshi
Anime Writer
Articles Published :926
Laveena is an anime content writer at FandomWire. Having written more than 800 articles, she’s an expert in mainstream shonen series, ranging from the bizarre world of JoJo’s to the expansive worldbuilding of One Piece.With her formal education in Journalism and Mass Communication, she explores entertainment journalism through the lens of anime and manga, from mainstream and classic titles to niche and obscure ones.
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Yoshiyuki Tomino
