Mobile Suit Gundam Creator Believes Fans of the Series Have Misunderstood the Anti-War Essence of His Works
Yoshiyuki Tomino — the creator behind the original Mobile Suit Gundam — has been unusually outspoken about how people read his work lately. He still carries memories of wartime bombings near his hometown, and that history informed the series’ anti-war impulse. Lately, though, he sounds less like an amused elder statesman and more like someone impatient with how his message has been repackaged.
Even among those who call themselves Gundam fans, Tomino says, the anti-war thread gets missed. Many viewers, he suggests, adopt a sort of military-fan mindset; they watch for spectacle, not for the cost of conflict. In other words (i.e., to put it bluntly), the original intent—trauma, loss, the horror of war—often disappears beneath neat images and flashy choreography.
Words come out of Gundam fans’ mouths like: battles of mobile suits are so cool. Nowadays young creators make Gundam, but their works have no hint of military experience; they are just picture stories. It is my fault that I did not teach them this.
He’s also pointed a finger at the media. In an interview with Kyodo News last year he argued they’ve failed to convey what soldiers actually experience, or the grim calculus behind leaders’orders—e.g., how propaganda and command decisions push people into desperate acts.
Tomino’s recent remarks read like commentary born of frustration with current politics, especially in Japan. He doesn’t hide his worry or anger.
You don’t even need to look at Nazi Germany as an example to see that dictatorships are usually established through elections. This is exactly the case in Japan today, and I think this foolish crowd of ignorant people is truly terrible.