Thread by @feezy_feez

"Turn A no Iyashi" is a book by Yoshiyuki Tomino in which he writes about how creating and directing Turn A Gundam healed his soul.

Follow this thread for selected highlights from this book. I intend to release a full translation in the future, but it's a lengthy text so it'll take time! My goal is to write an article detailing Turn A's production history, and this is a pivotal source in accomplishing that.

The book is divided into three main sections: 1) before Turn A, 2) Tomino's depression and his misc. views on life, and 3) the age of Turn A

But it's largely an unorganized stream of thoughts, so I'll attempt to establish a sense of flow.

Victory Gundam was marred by unreasonable demands from Bandai & other sponsors. Gundam as a brand revolved around its toy merchandise, and by V Gundam this was heavily affecting the production process. Tomino was very frustrated and found ways to retaliate.

Once in a meeting with Bandai executives, they demanded that he include battleships into the show. Tomino lashed out by saying he'd make ground-based battleships with wheels on them (the Adrastea-class). To his surprise, they accepted his proposal.

Tomino continued to make irrational decisions like this and was disgusted by the "ugliness" of the show. That said, he genuinely put in effort into each episode. The TV station producers were satisfied, but he was prepared for Gundam to be ruined.

Tomino declined to direct the next Gundam series and was not involved in its planning process. He chose Yasuhiro Imagawa as his successor because he liked his high-spirited directing style and wanted him to make a show akin to a wrestling match—this resulted in G Gundam.

At a Victory Gundam afterparty, a member of the photography team approached Tomino to apologize for the camera-work in the final cut of the last episode. The original shot was meant to be much wider than it ended up being. This gutted Tomino because he viewed it as his own fault.

He had not reviewed nor revised the storyboard as well as he should have, and someone else apologizing for his own mistake (in his view) was a final blow to his confidence level. He wanted to fix the scene for home release but never had the opportunity to do so.

Victory Gundam exposed Tomino's mental state and resentment towards reality. He was fed up with everything. Shortly after it finished airing, he fell into depression. He began to socially isolate himself and suffered from uncontrollable bouts of dizziness and ringing in the ears.

During his time of depression (which lasted all the way through Turn A), Tomino relied on his wife Aako-san on a regular basis. She'd help him take walks, rush him to the hospital if/when needed, and took him to scheduled acupuncture appointments. He praises her nonstop.

Tomino played a lot of Puzzle Bobble for the Super Famicom as a stress & anxiety reliever. It was one of the few games he enjoyed because he could play it endlessly and rarely ever win. This allowed him to take his mind off things and relax.

In the mid-90s Tomino began a partnership with Marigul Management, who offered to provide him mental health & assistance and protect his rights. This was a huge step forward in his rehabilitation process. Coming from the anime industry, he was struck by their caring attitude.

In the years between Victory Gundam and Turn A, he wrote a number of novels: "Look for Avenir", "King's Heart", and "Garzey's Wing", the latter of which he also directed a 3-episode OVA. His return to TV animation was with Brain Powerd (1998).

Tomino felt neglected by Sunrise because they did not consult him for all the new Gundam projects being released, as if his long years of dedication had meant nothing. He often had evil thoughts of getting "revenge" but never acted on anything.

He refers to the "curse" of Gundam on many occasions, as an inescapable disease—not just for him but Sunrise staff & producers as well. They had no choice but to continue making Gundam, despite it clearly regressing and slowly being rejected by fans in the 90s.

It's no surprise to him that Gundam X's run was cut short. He sees it as the natural end-result of the downwards spiral caused by Victory Gundam, almost like a symbolic event.

Tomino admits that, as of this writing (2000), he has not watched other directors' Gundam works, at least to any meaningful extent.

Tomino doesn't like to make anime primarily focusing on romance because he believes those stories should be kept to novels and theater. He views it as a waste of time to use film/television as a medium for that.

Tomino's delusional "ideal woman" is based on a one-sided crush from junior & high schools. She was a smart, mature, and older girl. As a result, his sexual fantasies always involve mature women. He is not interesting in young girls.

(this tends to reverberate in his anime work)

However he has no desire in being physically intimate with any woman other than his wife. He satisfies any uncouth sexual urges by drawing out his fantasies. This is/was his way of maintaining balance and loyalty. He rejects the idea of being a disloyal spouse.

Early into his marriage, Tomino did not want daughters. He has no explanation for why other than preconceived societal norms and notions (i.e. "men want boys"). Fate however would grant him two girls.

He thinks having daughters changed his old-fashioned patriarchal mindset.

Tomino was an untraditional father to his children. He often encouraged them to find their own talents and to not be entrapped by social rules and customs—especially for women. He even openly discussed topics like sex in an educational manner.

Tomino has a lot to say about the idea of ancient matriarchal societies. He believes communities formed around women and it took 10,000+ years for the shift towards patriarchy.

(this line of thought possibly why the Moonrace in Turn A is a matriarchy?)

He respects men who can cook and do household chores like cleaning and laundry.

His go-getter approach to life stems from the fact that his family had inherited its wealth and his father always sought the easy way out in everything he did—Tomino wanted to do the opposite by working hard and proving himself in his own craft.

Tomino has a lot of respect for Osamu Tezuka, having worked under him during Astro Boy. He views him as a genius cartoonist and pioneer of animation, and he values how modern and innovative he and his family was. They were ahead of their time. Tezuka's death blew his mind.

The Takarazuka Revue, an all-female musical theater troupe, was an inspiration to Tomino in the 90s. They reminded him of Shochiku Kagekidan (SKD) performances he had seen as a kid, and he wanted to mimic the widespread appeal they had with Turn A Gundam.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takarazuk…

The 1996 Takarazuka Revue production of the German-language musical "Elisabeth", in particular, played an important role—Akiman would use videos of the performances as references for clothing design.

Part of Tomino's appreciation for the Takarazuka Revue comes from his respect for Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka was heavily influenced by their performances and gender representation when creating anime & manga like Princess Knight.

The Takarazuka Revue also inspired the Sakura Wars franchise. Tomino in this book apologizes to Oji Hiroi for having not yet played any of the games nor watched the anime productions.

Tomino doesn't like most science fiction films because he thinks they're all very similar to one another, however he excludes 2001: A Space Odyssey from this generalization and doesn't tend to view it as "sci-fi" anyway.

He also thinks the original Star Wars trilogy is good but hates to admit it because he was embarrassed that he had "lost" to George Lucas.

He views The Phantom Menace as a trashy film but thinks it has good costume design.

Tomino's favorite movies at the time of this writing.

Additional context: it's implied that Tomino in the 90s (amidst depression) was heavily influenced by the women in his life. His wife who he nonstop praises, his daughters who were into dance/theater, his mental health assistant at Marigul Management, etc.

https://twitter.com/feezy_feez/status/1352436548805922817

Tomino was introduced to Akira Yasuda ("Akiman") via Marigul Management, who facilitated the meeting with Capcom. When they met, Akiman sketched a Street Fighter character in appreciation. Tomino was struck by his ability and decided then and there he wanted him for Turn A.

Tomino's eldest daughter Akari is/was a director at the theater troupe Yen. She invited actors/actresses to audition for voice roles in Brain Powerd and Turn A Gundam. This included Romi Park (Kanan, Loran), Rieko Takahashi (Dianna/Kihel), Setsuji Satō (Joseph), among others.

Tomino's youngest daughter Yukio was a student at the Codarts University for the Arts in Rotterdam, Netherlands. During Turn A, he visited her mid-production to take a break and clear his mind.

Now a professional dancer, in 2014 she provided eyecatch choreography for G-Reco!

Planning for Turn A Gundam began on April 10, 1997 when Tomino was approached by Sunrise's CEO. He immediately consulted with scriptwriter Hiroyuki Hoshiyama—the two had collaborated together on Daitarn 3 and MSG and Tomino trusted him as a member of the old guard.

With the ∀ symbol ("for all"), Tomino wanted to showcase humanity's revolving nature and how one can simultaneously accept & deny their past when moving forward. He also wanted the anime to have a healing effect, to relieve stress and convey happiness.

Early concept drafts of Turn A included Newtypes but it was quickly removed, because Tomino came to the conclusion that humanity could not actually achieve the peace that "Newtypism" promoted. He viewed it as a failed ideology and amateur-like philosophy he had had in the past.

Tomino compares "Newtypism" to organized religions like Christianity in how their doctrines and standards took hundreds or thousands of years to modernize, and he does not believe religions can be unified in today's world due to intolerance. He only accepts animism.

Tomino draws a lot of comparisons to MSG in Turn A's production process. Like MSG, he wanted to create something new and atypical but had to overcome many hurdles. For instance, it took a lot of effort to get the producers on-board with the concept of the "Dark History".

MSG was initially ridiculed and had low TV ratings—people didn't like that the robots were called "mobile suits" and thought Char's dialogue was silly. Early fans of the show were young women and Tomino acknowledges and appreciates their continued support.

When Turn A was revealed, Syd Mead's designs received a lot of criticism and the titular Gundam was negatively referred to as the "Mustache Gundam". Mead's face even became an easy target for hate.

The idea of Dianna and Kihel swapping roles comes from Torikaebaya Monogatari, a Japanese tale from the late Heian period featuring two siblings. It was also adapted as a Takarazuka Revue play in 1987.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torikaeba…

https://twitter.com/feezy_feez/status/1353144698915852290

Regarding Guin Lineford—Tomino views homosexuality as natural and part of what makes humans interesting. He did not want to cap off the century with a work trapped in society's superficial idea of human sexuality.

He actually got into heated arguments with a few staff members who resigned in protest (remember, this'd be back in 1998-99). However, Tomino remained steadfast and did not allow Turn A to become "shallow".

https://twitter.com/feezy_feez/status/1363290937405755393

Turn A's 1st episode was applauded by many people. Sunrise CEO Takayuki Yoshii said it gave him chills he hadn't felt since My Neighbor Totoro. Harutoshi Fukui (who'd later pen Gundam Unicorn) said it was an honor to be involved in such a work—he was assigned to the novelization.

Tomino himself was pleased with the first episode but was overwhelmed by the feedback he was receiving from industry people. In his mind, they wouldn't be able maintain that level of quality for the entirety of the show's run.

Hilarious Syd Mead anecdote: the first episode was screened in advance to staff members and Mead was in attendance. He didn't know Japanese but kept arbitrarily saying "great!" throughout the viewing, which made Tomino question if he even understood anything that was happening.

Tomino views storyboards as "blueprints" that dictate 70% of an animated work and/or film. If the storyboard is bad, then the episode will be bad regardless of how good anything else is in the production process.

Here's a glimpse at Tomino's storyboard drawing process. To me this makes sense—his anime tend to have a lot of /movement/ in them, which adds to the charm and character.

Tomino had a bit of a hands-off approach with Turn A Gundam. He would decide the course of the story and revise scripts & storyboards as he saw fit, but he left all the fine details to others. He also did not interfere with the actual animation process.

This allowed him to be more involved in post-filming processes such as editing, voice acting & dubbing, sound/music mixing, etc., and he aimed to have friendly relationships with all aspects of production, in stark contrast to how he used to operate.

Tomino views his past-self as "arrogant" and "delusional" and surrounded by henchmen (he specifically mentions Xabungle, Dunbine, L-Gaim, Zeta, and ZZ Gundam). He did not want to be like that anymore. With Turn A he began to listen to the ideas of the everyday staffer.

Tomino has an incredibly high opinion of Yoko Kanno, calling her a genius and prodigy who's easy to work with. He respects her passion for music and enjoyed the Turn A Gundam concert she conducted. He also likes how she has high standards and is difficult to impress.

Here's the reality: Turn A Gundam was not catching on with audiences and had poor TV ratings. Tomino tried his best not to listen to criticisms in magazines, online, etc., but nevertheless the show's unpopularity was making him depressed. He had hoped it would be a hit.

People were demanding more mecha screentime, more war-like scenarios—all the typical "Gundam"-like plot elements that he wanted to avoid. However, Tomino did not let the pressure influence the actual direction of the show.

Turn A was broadcast on Fuji TV and producers Kenji Shimizu and Yoshihiro Suzuki allowed it to air as-is despite its poor ratings, because they liked Tomino & Gundam. These two are the heroes behind why Turn A was free from sponsor demands and Tomino could make a quality anime.

Turn A was scheduled to air for 1 year (50 eps), but Tomino wanted it to run for 2 years. About halfway through the show, Sunrise informed him that it'd only air for 1 year as planned. While this disheartened Tomino, he did feel that maybe it was for the best (his mind & body).

To counter Turn A Gundam's unpopularity, Tomino toyed around with the idea of giving the Turn A a mid-season upgrade with a flight pack or "Mk-II" design. However, he could not bring himself to trouble Syd Mead with the task in such a hurry.

Originally "Turn A Turn" (OP1) and "AURA" (ED1) were to be the only opening and ending songs for the show, however their CDs were not selling well. This prompted Sunrise staff to approach Tomino about a new OP/ED, which saddened him. He wished he could buy 1,000,000 CDs himself.

The Turn X and Bandit were added to OP2 in an attempt to boost the show's popularity.

Despite poor ratings, Tomino noticed that older fans were more receptive to Turn A Gundam. He also noticed that staff members and industry people were very pleased with the show. He had overheard some staff even refer to it as a "cultured" anime.

This filled him with a sense of pride. He figured that instead of caving in to the rabid Gundam fanbase, he'd be satisfied as long as true fans and talented people (such as Yoko Kanno) approved of the show.

Tomino assures the reader that he too would like to look up Kihel & Dianna's skirts.

Turn A's epilogue was a massive undertaking for the staff. They had to make sure the animation cuts matched each phrase of music, and that all the major characters were addressed. Many scenes were added, removed, or shifted around, and initially it was going to have voiced lines.

Tomino came up with the idea of using "Moon's Cocoon" in the epilogue when he first heard the track. He describes his storyboarding and the directions he gave during post-production, etc. as one of the few times he relied on "feelings" as a director.

https://twitter.com/feezy_feez/status/1369425260592914445

Turn A's final episode was screened for staff & producers a day before its scheduled broadcast date, and it also doubled as an afterparty. Tomino and his wife were in attendance. He started to cry when "Moon's Cocoon" began playing in the epilogue.

The post-screening atmosphere was lively and responses to the final episode were mostly positive. Tomino recalls it as the most entertaining afterparty since Zambot 3's. He felt validated—as if what he had sought to do with Turn A Gundam was NOT a mistake.

Yoko Kanno called the final episode "interesting" rather than "good", which to Tomino was a compliment.

https://twitter.com/feezy_feez/status/1366560363634782212

Tomino confirms that Loran and Dianna are in love, however he does not want the viewer to think that their feelings are overly complex. It can be a simple love based on their mutual respect for and reliance on each other.

As for Sochie... Tomino unfortunately doesn't offer much solace. Basically, she knows that Loran cares for her but she's not who he's in love with. Knowing this, she begrudgingly allows him to be with Dianna.

According to Tomino, Turn A Gundam is simply a story based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter / Princess Kaguya with giant robots in it. It may be the only type of story he was able to create at the time, but he does not think it was boring.

This is incredibly validating to me, as Princess Kaguya is like my favorite folklore. I've made this connection for years, and have had confirmation via other sources, drafts, and memos, but a direct quote from Tomino himself is empowering.

https://twitter.com/feezy_feez/status/1370482448488751107

Tomino rewatched Turn A Gundam THREE times in one month after it finished airing. He knows it'll sound like he's boasting, but he truly believes that there's something new to discover each time he goes through it. This pleases him.

Tomino views Turn A Gundam as his "will"; he used all the techniques he had acquired in his career, but it wasn't just his work—he listened earnestly to the opinions of his staff, especially the younger folk. This created the ultimate masterpiece.

Turn A Gundam sustained Tomino in the midst of depression and was instrumental to his recovery. It retaught him the simple things—the beauty and joys life can offer. He feels humbled to have been part of this work.

He is finally happy.

This concludes my coverage of "Turn A no Iyashi" on Twitter. I want to thank everyone for following along and spreading the word. I hope I was able to shed light on my favorite director. A complicated human who battled depression, raised daughters, and transformed as a person.

Many peoples' impression of Tomino stems from his perceived demeanor in the 80s, but it is important to learn and recognize what the 90s meant for him and how he came out on top. There is a reason Turn A Gundam is the show that it is.

My favorite anime forever.

Again—THANK YOU to everyone! I look forward to sharing more in the future. I'll also have a lot of content to share in the coming months or so, and Turn A's anniversary is just around the corner!

https://twitter.com/feezy_feez/status/1366192522750402563