(re : the director Toshiki Hirano)

A - What anime/films have significantly influenced you?

TH - There are a lot of works that have influenced me. I used to go to the movies a lot when I was a Junior High school student, when the fee was only 500 yen (it's currently 1,800 yen). At that time I was more into foreign films rather than Japanese ones, which at that time were dominated by hard core Yakuza films - that were being watched by a theatres full of Yakuza gang members...I also went to see those kinds of films with all those kind of "scary people" too (Shinjuku was well known for having movie theatres full of "scary people").

When I was in High school I became more interested in domestic films - it was then I started getting into films with dark and somber atmospheres.

A - Most of the films by ATG (Nihon Art-theatre Guild) were really dark too.

TH - Yes they were. From between high school to my early twenties I was really into those kinds of Japanese films. I just adored that bright spark of the film industry of the time.

A - Thinking back I consider that time was when films were made as the Directors wanted them to be.

TH - Although the budget was limited they were able to create fabulous pieces of work, unlike foreign films such as "Easy Rider". I also liked to watch Jidaigeki (Japanese samurai films) - such as "Kozure Ootami" (Lone Wolf and Cub) and " Kogarashi Monjirou" (Monjirou Kogarashi - the name of a chivalrous hero played by the famous actor Atsuo Nakamura).

A - Like robot featuring works, Japanese films have a set category as entertainment that can be enjoyed by any language, culture and race.

TH - It's true that Japanese works have unique themes - like samurai movies and robot-style works. In that sense domestic films are considered entertaining even outside of Japan. So I basically watched all the films that came out at that time but I was also heavily influenced by the Bruce Lee films that came after this time. And I've watched so many stupid Kung Fu films! I'm always searching for another Bruce Lee even though I know there isn't one, I've watched a range of Hong Kong films from the brilliant down to the really stupid ones.

A - Did your fondness for Bruce Lee affect your work?

TH - I really used to want to create a Hong Kong type of action film. I mean, those works are really great - especially after they started to use wires in the action - it's almost like they've crossed over into anime. So I want to try their film techniques, but using anime.

A - I've also noticed that Hong Kong film techniques have been cropping up more in Hollywood films.

TH - To tell you the truth I used to prefer to watch actual movies rather than anime. Of course I watched a lot of anime too - like when I was at high school - though it was pretty embarrassing - I went to the cinema to see "Manga Matsuri" (Manga Festival) and "the Masked Rider" and so on. Right now people into that kind of stuff are classed as "mania" so it's acceptable to go and see such anime, but at that time you'd always get a cold stare from the mothers there - like "What are you doing here alone?".

Also at that time there weren't any videos. So if I liked a scene in a movie I had to go back to the theatre and sit through the whole film again. Worse of all two films were often shown at the same time so it nearly killed me to have to go back to a specific place. So when I went to see "Enter the Dragon" I was there practically the whole day. From the first session to the last...(laughs)

Concerning anime, it was really "Uchusenkan Yamato" (Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato) which triggered off the anime boom. I worked on the actual animation for "Saraba Uchusenkan Yamato" (Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato - In the Name of Love - 1978). So I was a creator involved in the work rather than a fan. I'm more of a fan of the older anime that I used to watch as a kid - but then again there was really only stuff around like "Manga Matsuri" at that time.