An intervew with Kunio Okawara (mobile suit designer) about the untold story behind the creation of the Zaku mobile suit by livedoor NEWS.
Interview Summary:
- Kunio Okawara studied graphic design in an university in Japan, and his goal was to work for a major apparel manufacturer company upon graduation.
- When designing the Zaku, it was originally drawn not to be a toy (model kit), but in the form of an ideal robot weapon at the time.
- During the mobile suits design phase, he had to follow a very strict production schedule to design a mobile suit in just a few days time.
- At the beginning, he recalled his study in designing clothing/apparel was quite a different genre as to doing mechanical design of robots. But he was surprised that skill set helped.
- When it was time to design the Zeon mobile suits. He was able to freely design as he pleased, since it was an enemy mecha, there was no commercialization plan for a mobile suit such as the Zaku.
Read the full interview at livedoor NEWS (Japanese).
Tomino instructed Kunio Okawara hardly to teach him how to do designs more humanoids, both are genius.
ReplyDeleteZAKU II, best MS since 0079!
ReplyDeleteHe should design Zaku mouth better. And what's with those external pipes all over Zaku's body. Did designer have pipe fetish or something. Maybe Zaku will have tentacle attack lol.
ReplyDeleteYou're an imbecile. Pure and simple.
Delete@anon 5:40 PM
DeleteYour words speak for yourself. Yes, you are imbecile. Pure and simple.
You can't even give better opinion or counter-argument. Maybe your brain can't process more than 6 words? (LOL lol)
Your pathetic statement needed but those six words. The zaku is a classic design that has both form and function. The cables represent a German soldier's gas mask. If you pay attention at all you'd notice how heavily WWII era Germany influenced many of Zeon's concepts from suit design to their ideals. It's a beautiful design and you're an imbecile for sitting there and insulting a classic. "Tentacle attack" hah, moron.
DeleteCool, so that part in the Gundam Sousei manga was completely true.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest here. original Zaku design is dumb, feel kinda rushed design. not comparable to aesthetic of RX-78.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who like original Zaku are both dumb and idiot.
Okawara is more suited to design Gundam, not Zaku. I'm surprised he design Zaku. I always prefer Okawara's Gundam design, in contrast to that idiot Katoki who like to ruin everything. Katoki is more suited to design enemies, like Sinanju.
Modern Zaku generation are more refined. Sinanju is the perfect example. although it's not Zaku, I wish all Zeon MS are modeled after Sinanju. it's the perfect enemy for every Gundam out there.
The zaku was supposed to be in direct contrast to the gundam. That's been a running theme since the beginning. Zeon favors organic round curves, whilst the Federation leans towards hard edges and geometric shapes in their designs. The original zaku was a basic model that was built tobe modified ddepending on the situation so of course it wouldn't necessarily be complete when compared to the more high performance Gundam. A lot of people like the Zaku I and it isn't fair to call them stupid because of that.
Delete