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[Equally impassioned about the audience appeal of his work, Goto-san wonders how his work is received in America. I take the opportunity to ask him about what America means to Production I.G as far as development and marketing are concerned. But the ever-personable Goto-san turns my dry question about intercontinental marketing into an affirmation of artistic integrity.] How conscious is Production I.G about marketing titles to American audiences? TG: "Ghost in the Shell" was a bigger hit movie in the US than it was in Japan. When we made
the title we wanted it to be global. We wanted a title that wouldn't be embarrassingly unsuccessful if
released internationally. When we make any animation we want the whole world to understand it. But,
basically, if it doesn't become popular in Japan, the company feels like it's lost its real market, so the
bottom line strategy is to make an anime geared toward the Japanese audience. Essentially, though, we make
projects that the staff really wants to make.
What kind of elements in your projects do you perceive as particularly Japanese and what type of elements do you perceive as American especially considering the glut of American culture pouring into Japan right now? TG: Good question. Yes, I know that the staff members watch American movies and I'm sure that they pick
up certain elements from this. For example, certain camera angles and shots, maybe certain memorable scenes may be
in their heads and this may come into play as a positive influence during the design and production phase of one of
our projects. Now, exactly what that is I do not know because it all varies from person to person.
I mean there are differences between being a Japanese person and an American person. The staff members
do not sit there and try to produce titles that they think would appeal more to an American audience or other
audiences. And I'm sure that this applies to American films as well. Americans do not try to produce film that
will be enjoyed by Japanese people and the Japanese do not focus on creating material for other countries. I'm
sure that our staff wants for everyone to see the film, therefore it all depends upon the staff and what they want
to show artistically.
And to close, how much do you want to cooperate with American production companies in developing material? TG: We could set up a studio in the United States. Actually, we are in the process of creating an
office in the US, just an office. We then plan on making connections through that office and sell titles. We
took a preview copy of "Blood" to different companies and we showed them saying, "Hey this is what we made, would
you like to purchase this?"
Manga Entertainment, who helped finance and released "Ghost in the Shell" in 1996, leaped at the opportunity to pick up "Blood: The Last Vampire." Manga Entertainment is currently planning to release it on DVD on July 31st. But a theatrical run isn't out of the question and rumors fly about piggy-backing "Blood" on an anniversary re-release of "Ghost." As for Goto-san, "Hunter X Hunter," though not a Production I.G title, is currently a hit on Japanese television, Goto-san having outsourced himself to another production company as a character designer. It's possible that this mainstream kids show may make its way onto American television, though nothing is confirmed yet. He's currently working as the character designer for the TV series "Parappa the Rappa" which is based on the PlayStation video game.
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