Supporting “Evangelion”, it’s a huge hit with “Flikri”! Looking back at the path that led to director Tsurumaki Kazuya’s “Sieke Axe.”

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The latest in the Gundam series, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX -Beginning-, has been a huge hit. Director Tsurumaki Kazuya directed this film, which has attracted so much attention as it could be said to be an unusual advance screening of a TV anime film. Let’s take a look back at the career of director Tsurumaki, who has worked on many masterpieces from Gainax and Studio Color, and has also published works as a director himself.

◆Associate director of “Eva” became a hot topic for his directorial film “Flikri.”

Director Tsurumaki began his career as an animator with Studio Giants. He has participated in various works such as “Gegege no Kitaro” as original art, and joined Gainax in “Nadia of the Mysterious Sea” (1990), showing off his abilities as an animation director and directing bonus footage.

He supported the popular series as one of the assistant directors of “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” which aired in 1995. He then made his full-scale debut as a director with the OVA film “Flikri,” released in 2000. His style of work, full of pop sense and unconventional energy, has become a hot topic and has earned him a high praise.

He then directed the OVA film “Aiming for the Top 2!” in 2004, commemorating the 20th anniversary of Gainax. Although it is a sequel to the first film released in 1988, it is a space science fiction anime that also includes plenty of original settings.
After this, when Anno Hideaki established a new company, Studio Color, director Tsurumaki also participated. He will play a major role as one of the directors in the “Evangelion: New Theatrical Edition” (2007-2021) series under General Director Anno Hideaki.

He has been involved in various ways with works from other companies, including serving as the original draft of the TV anime series “The Lumbo Rabbit Weapon Mina” (2007), and has also been involved in various ways, and in 2017, “The Dragon Dentist” (45 minutes each episode) Announced. This was broadcast on NHK.

It was announced that he had become the director of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX in 2024, and his advance screening version, “-Beginning-,” is currently a huge hit. Director Tsurumaki, who has supported numerous films up until now, is once again attracting attention.

◆ Director Tsurumaki’s masterpiece

All of director Tsurumaki’s major works are unique. Its distinctive style is its commitment to science fiction and a style that makes full use of unlimited and free animation drawing. Let’s take a look back at his major directorial works.

Flikri

Naota, a sixth grade elementary school student living in a certain regional city, gets caught up in a mysterious event when he meets a mysterious woman named Haruko, who becomes Vespa. While robots grow from their foreheads and get caught up in a battle with strange life forms, the town still has a normal atmosphere. Naota also has such a daily life, and is also charming with emotional depictions of her everyday life, such as her older brother’s girlfriend Mamimi and her classmate Ninamori Eri. This work features unparalleled developments, featuring numerous animation-like depictions that feature unparalleled ideas, and is remembered by anime fans as a legendary OVA masterpiece.

Also, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Flikuri,” all six episodes of the anime will be available for a limited time on YouTube until February 28th, 2025, so be sure to check it out.

Aim for the top 2!

This film is a film that is fully sensible by director Tsurumaki, known for being a science fiction fan. Nono, a girl-type android, runs out of the house with the aim of becoming a space pilot. When he meets L’Arc, a girl who rides a buster machine and fights space monsters at his part-time job, he himself throws himself into the battle with space monsters. Only people who can ride the buster machine are called topless, with special abilities that are lost when they become adults. Nono is an android and has no topless abilities, but her origins contained serious secrets about space monsters and buster machines.

A rather dense science fiction element, such as black holes and variable gravity sources, is depicted as important elements in the story. However, the story is straightforward about Girl Meets Girl, and the bone structure is easy to understand, and the bond between girls is touchingly depicted. The large-scale depictions of battles in space are also a must-see.

Dragon Dentist

This is a feature-length anime that was born from a short story that was announced at the Japanese anime (Ter) trade fair, and is a battle fantasy teamed up with mystery and science fiction writer Maijo Otaro. This work questions the meaning of fighting and living, centering around Kishiino Noko from Dragon Dentistry, a professional group that protects dragons from tooth decay bacteria, and Bell, a boy who has been revived from dragon teeth. In the midst of a conflict between forces trying to utilize flying dragons in war and neighboring countries, humans are woven by enemy countries, fellow dentists, and those who are trying to kill the dragon dentist because of the sadness of losing their loved ones. The drama is fascinating. This sad yet beautiful work depicts the scale of the depiction of a giant flying dragon and the adventure that questions the meaning of life between a boy and a girl in the midst of conflict.

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX

Director Tsurumaki is finally released in the Gundam series. Amate Yuzuriha (Machu), a girl who lives in a certain space colony, meets Nyaan, a war refugee and living as a carrier, and gets caught up in a battle between mobile suits. Machu accidentally overlaps and gets into a mobile suit, and shows off his mysterious sensitivity ability (he calls him sparkle), and connects with Shuji, a boy riding a red Gundam, and is now in a “Grand Battle” sport of illegal mobile suits. We will challenge ourselves to “. The mobile suit battle, which uses the space freely, is extremely impressive. While there are plenty of elements that will spark traditional fans, such as characters from Mobile Suit Gundam such as Sharia Bull, the character designs are full of freshness.

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In addition, director Tsurumaki has also directed works such as the Nadia bonus film bonus for the package “Nadia in the Mysterious Sea” and the LD disc bonus for “Aim for the Top!” “New Aim for the Top! Science Course.” It’s there. He has also published short films such as “I can Friday by day!” at the Japanese anime (Ter) trade fair.

Director Tsurumaki has left a great job in many works as an animator and director, but it can be said that he has not seen the light of day enough because he tends to hide from the enormous presence of Anno Hideaki. With Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX, it can be said that the day has finally come when Director Tsurumaki will be in earnest. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of content they’ll show in the main broadcast.

(C) 2018 Production IG / Toho
（C）1999 I.G / GAINAX / KGI
(C) 2003 GAINAX/TOP2 Committee
(C) Maichon Otaro・nihon animator mihonichi LLP. / NHK・NEP・Dwango・khara
(C) Sotsu Sunrise IMAX (R) is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation.