The Birth of Myth: An Interview with Yoshitaka Amano

Summary

Dark Dice Podcast Episode Summary: "The Birth of Myth: An Interview with Yoshitaka Amano"

Release Date: May 29, 2024
Host/Author: Fool and Scholar Productions

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1. Introduction

In this captivating episode of Dark Dice, host Travis Vengraf engages in an insightful conversation with renowned visual artist and creator Yoshitaka Amano, accompanied by translator Akiko Muke. The discussion delves deep into Amano's illustrious career, creative processes, and his enduring influence on the fantasy genre.

2. Yoshitaka Amano: A Legacy in Art

Travis opens the interview by highlighting Yoshitaka Amano’s significant contributions to the world of art and entertainment. Known for his striking concept art and logos for the early Final Fantasy series (episodes one through six), Amano has also lent his talents to projects such as Gatchaman, Vampire Hunter D, Front Mission, and Sandman: The Dream Hunters with Neil Gaiman.

"Amano uses bold colors and patterns, culminating in imaginative works that are evocative and unlike anything the world had ever seen before." [00:00]

Travis reminisces about his collaboration with Amano on the music album Lost Frequency by his band Random Encounter, underscoring the profound impact Amano’s artwork has had on his own creative endeavors.

3. Reconnecting and Collaborating After Years

The conversation touches upon the rekindling of Travis and Amano’s relationship after years apart. They last connected in 2014 during Amano’s visit to Florida, maintaining a professional relationship through email thereafter.

"I became pen pals in the early 2000s and we somehow worked together on a music album called Lost Frequency by my band Random Encounter." [00:00]

4. Creative Process and Sources of Inspiration

A significant portion of the interview explores Amano’s creative process. When asked about what continues to bring joy to his artistry, Amano reflects that his passion remains unchanged since childhood.

"Not much has changed since I was young because what I'm doing now is still the same thing that I was doing when I was younger." [02:28]

He explains that his ideas often spontaneously flow onto the canvas, drawing inspiration from a vast array of experiences and external sources. Amano emphasizes the importance of diverse experiences to fuel creativity, noting that while he absorbs many ideas, only a fraction make it into his final works.

"There is so much inspiration from things outside of art. However, when it comes to creating my art, it automatically flows out onto the canvas." [02:49]

5. Influences and Fellow Artists

Amano discusses the influence of iconic artists like Frank Frazetta and Mobius (Jean Giraud) on his work. He shares memorable interactions, such as meeting Mobius in France and admiring his ongoing projects before Mobius's untimely passing.

"Mobius showed me all the projects he was currently working on at the time. Unfortunately, shortly after that, he passed away and that was the last time I met him." [03:40]

6. Evolution and Camaraderie in Fantasy Art

The dialogue shifts to the evolution of fantasy art, comparing the camaraderie and mainstream acceptance today to Amano’s early years. Amano reminisces about the 1980s in Japan when fantasy and sci-fi were niche genres, contrasting it with today's broader acceptance.

"From my own experiences around 1980, after I worked for anime, I was drawing fantasy sci-fi book cover art for Hayakawa Publishing Co. At this time in Japan, fantasy or sci-fi was not a popular genre." [04:21]

He also highlights the shift in character archetypes influenced by Western authors like Michael Moorcock and Neil Gaiman, noting a trend towards more sensitive and complex heroes in contrast to traditional macho figures.

"Neil Gaiman, like the hero, although having a very sensitive outward look, but inside was very strong." [05:20]

7. Storytelling: Art-First vs. Story-First Approaches

Travis inquires about Amano’s approach to storytelling, distinguishing between creating art first and building stories from it versus developing stories first and then illustrating them. Amano elaborates on both methods, citing examples like Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy for story-first, and Hero and Zan for art-first projects.

"There are two ways. The story first, then the art... The other way is that I create my own image art and then create the story off the image art." [05:48]

8. Landmark Projects: Final Fantasy 6 and Angel's Egg

Amano discusses Final Fantasy 6 as a pinnacle of his career, representing a synthesis of his artistic journey. He explains that its continuation from the first Final Fantasy allowed for a cohesive development of his artistic vision.

"Final Fantasy 6... it's a continued ongoing series from Final Fantasy 1. That's why I was able to do that." [08:51]

The conversation also touches upon Angel’s Egg, a project that reignited Amano’s passion for animation after stepping away from the industry. He reflects on the challenges and joys of returning to animation work with this film.

"With Angel's Egg, it was the style I was interested in doing... I enjoyed doing it." [09:28]

9. Current and Future Endeavors: Birth of Myth and Zaun

Amano shares insights into his recent exhibit, The Birth of Myth, which explores themes of success, birth, achievement, and continual reinvention. He emphasizes that while his art speaks loudly on its own, the exhibit serves to contextualize its thematic underpinnings.

"His recent exhibit the Birth of Myth, focused on the journey of success, birth, achievement, and perpetual reinvention and innovation over time." [00:00]

Discussing future projects, Amano reveals his ambitious plan to create a 100-meter canvas inspired by Greek mythology after visiting historical sites like the Pergamon Palace. This large-scale work aims to reinterpret and present Greek myths through his unique artistic lens.

"I decided to do Greek mythology. It's about what the whole world and universe is like... I need to do a much larger piece of work." [11:25]

Additionally, Amano hints at developing an animated series based on his earlier work, Zaun, currently in the scripting and storyline phase, with Dark Horse Comics slated to publish related content.

"I'm currently writing the script and storyline. So this current experience might be used for the storyline." [14:18]

10. Exhibition Experiences and Global Influence

The interview touches on Amano’s experiences exhibiting his work internationally, such as in Yoshi Temple in Kyoto and his upcoming world tour starting in Sao Paulo. These exhibitions not only showcase his art but also bridge cultural narratives through his interpretations of mythology and fantasy.

"There’s a whole Ryuji Temple in Nara, Japan... I drew on it in Kyoto. It's a universe drawn on it." [13:33]

11. Closing Remarks and Upcoming Gallery Tour

As the interview concludes, Travis highlights the upcoming world tour of Yoshitaka Amano’s gallery, beginning in Sao Paulo on March 16, with additional dates forthcoming. Listeners are encouraged to visit Amano's official website for more information and to join his mailing list for updates.

"Yoshitaka Amano's gallery will soon be on a world tour, starting in Sao Paulo on March 16, with other countries and dates soon to be announced." [14:53]

Notable Quotes

• "Not much has changed since I was young because what I'm doing now is still the same thing that I was doing when I was younger." — Yoshitaka Amano [02:28]

• "There is so much inspiration from things outside of art. However, when it comes to creating my art, it automatically flows out onto the canvas." — Yoshitaka Amano [02:49]

• "Mobius showed me all the projects he was currently working on at the time. Unfortunately, shortly after that, he passed away and that was the last time I met him." — Yoshitaka Amano [03:40]

• "There are two ways. The story first, then the art... The other way is that I create my own image art and then create the story off the image art." — Yoshitaka Amano [05:48]

• "Final Fantasy 6... it's a continued ongoing series from Final Fantasy 1. That's why I was able to do that." — Yoshitaka Amano [08:51]

• "I decided to do Greek mythology. It's about what the whole world and universe is like... I need to do a much larger piece of work." — Yoshitaka Amano [11:25]

Conclusion

This episode of Dark Dice offers an enriching exploration of Yoshitaka Amano's artistic philosophy, his enduring legacy in the fantasy genre, and his continuous pursuit of innovation. From his foundational works in Final Fantasy to his ambitious future projects like the Birth of Myth exhibit and the Zaun animated series, Amano's contributions continue to shape and inspire the world of fantasy art.

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For more information on Yoshitaka Amano’s gallery and ongoing projects, listeners are encouraged to visit YoshitakaAmano.com and join his mailing list. Stay updated on future episodes and interviews by subscribing to the Dark Dice podcast.

Transcript

[Travis Vengraf]

In November 2023, I had the privilege of meeting and interviewing someone I really visual artist, painter and creator Yoshitaka Amano and Akikomuke, who is also the translator for the discussion. You may be familiar with some of the worlds of Yoshitaka Amano. He created the concept art and logos for the Final Fantasy series, especially one through six. He helped bring to life Gatchaman, Vampire Hunter, D Front Mission and Sandman, the Dream Hunters with Neil Gaiman. From video games to comic books to art galleries around the world, his creativity shaped the generation of creatives and helped define the Fantasy gen. If you see his artwork and you certainly should look it up if you're not familiar with it already. Amano uses bold colors and patterns, culminating in imaginative works that are evocative and unlike anything the world had ever seen before. Amano is also an author creating graphic novels like Amano's Hero, Devizan, the film Angel's Egg, and Soon Zahn. In full disclosure, I'm still not sure how we became acquainted, but we became Pen palace in the early 2000s and we somehow worked together on a music album called Lost Frequency by my band Random Encounter. It was really great to see Amano San in person again after so many years. I attribute many of my own creative ideas to his artwork and the worlds that he's created. And as Dark Dice has inspired so many of you dear listeners, it feels appropriate to include this interview in our feed. His recent exhibit the Birth of Myth, focused on the journey of success, birth, achievement, and perpetual reinvention and innovation over time. And while his art can more than speak for itself, that is the theme of today's questions. This interview was edited by myself and Finner Nielsen, retranslated by Sian Francois, and to optimize the interview for the audio format, Shian Francois has dubbed over Amano San's responses. We hope you enjoy it.

[Akiko Muke]

How long have you, like, haven't seen each other?

[Travis Vengraf]

2014.

[Akiko Muke]

That was like when he visited in Florida. Okay, so after that you guys worked together, right? Yeah, but just on the email.

[Travis Vengraf]

So for our interview today, I looked at the interviews you've done over the last 15 and 20 years and I came up with questions I don't think you've been asked. So you recently stated you loved drawing as a child and it was a constant spring of happiness. What challenges or projects still capture the childhood feeling of jubilation for you?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Not much has changed since I was young because what I'm doing now is still the same thing that I was doing when I was younger.

[Travis Vengraf]

So every piece. You said that when you create art, your vision is to create a world people have never seen before. And you've created so many unique worlds. Where do you find your ideas? Or do you have hobbies outside of art that you pull inspiration from?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

There is so much inspiration from things outside of art. However, when it comes to creating my art, it automatically flows out onto the canvas. It's hard to explain and it's still kind of a mystery to me, but that's what makes it interesting. If you keep doing the same thing repeatedly, you need new and different experience for inspiration. For example, like being here, I absorbed a lot of inspiration. It might not be right away, but I feel at some point in the future it will connect to something.

[Travis Vengraf]

Yeah.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Another example is that I can grab many ideas and and have a large amount of experiences that provide all kinds of inspiration. But in the end, I'll end up using just a small percentage of what I actually absorbed.

[Travis Vengraf]

On the topic of inspiration, you had spoken about Frank Frazetta. Are there any other artists that you enjoy the work of or aspects that pull you into their worlds?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Everybody who I was inspired by has unfortunately passed away. Neil Adams. I was able to meet him at San Diego Comic Con and was able to get an autograph. Also, who I really like is Mobius. It was nice that I was able to visit his home in France. The second floor of his home was his atelier. Mobius showed me all the projects he was currently working on at the time. Unfortunately, shortly after that, he passed away and that was the last time I met him. I personally own many of his pieces.

[Travis Vengraf]

On that as well. Do you feel there's more of a camaraderie among fantasy artists now than the last 50 years? Or perhaps more mainstream acceptance of fantasy art than when you started painting?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

From my own experiences around 1980, after I worked for anime, I was drawing fantasy sci fi book cover art for Hayakawa Publishing Co. At this time in Japan. I'm not sure how it was in America or Europe, but fantasy or sci fi was not a popular genre. Also, fantasy was part of the sci fi genre in Japan. Are you familiar with the works of Michael John Moorcock?

[Travis Vengraf]

Moorcock, yes. Elric of Manibone.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Originally, the main characters from fantasy stories looked very strong and powerful. But when I read Michael's story, the main characters were more sensitive and even weak minded, which was new for me at the time. Vampire Hunter D is a good example of not being part of the standard fantasy macho hero image in Japan. There's an old samurai series called Nemori Kyoshiro, which the hero, although looks soft, weak and sensitive, was very strong, like Vampire Hunter died. So Japan has that kind of history in their stories, which I saw in Michael's stories, who's from the west, as well as Neil Gaiman, like the hero, although having a very sensitive outward look, but inside was very strong.

[Akiko Muke]

We just talked about this topic with Neil a month ago, I think.

[Travis Vengraf]

Was that an interview? I read an interview with you and Neil Gaiman?

[Akiko Muke]

Yeah, yeah. That was Interview magazine, right? Yeah, we were talking about it for the Interview magazine. But it was most of the was in Interview magazine.

[Travis Vengraf]

That looked like a lot of fun.

[Akiko Muke]

Yeah, it was like they haven't seen each other for like 20, almost 20 years.

[Travis Vengraf]

I can understand. Many people illustrate their words. In your first novel, you made thousands of drawings. And then after the drawings, made the words. Crafting a story from art as opposed to the other way around, what is that like? Can you describe that process more?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Okay, well, there are two ways. The story first, then the art. For example, Vampire Hunter D and Final Fantasy, I would draw based off the novel story. The other way is that I create my own image art and then create the story off the image art. I design. Examples would be Hero and Zan.

[Travis Vengraf]

I use both styles, which was inspired largely by New York. You said your experiences in New York, the tall towers.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

When I went to New York, I got the idea and inspiration for Zan. In my case, I would have never got that original idea without those personal life experiences. To tell you the truth. When I went to Florida, I took a long stroll on the beach one day. I found and picked up some seashells. And along with the shells given to me by your mother, it gave me inspiration. And I created around 20 small fantasy art pieces that are yet to be released. Have lots of those types of art pieces still yet to be released?

[Travis Vengraf]

That is my next question. So when you draw so many pieces, do you just store them away? Do you use them inspiration for new ideas? Do you make new stories?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

No, not really. I just draw because I want to draw. I didn't draw for anybody but my pleasure and my own memories. Kind of like a personal diary, if you will. From that I could expand my imagination. Like the earlier seashell experience. It is still stored in my memory and mixed with the image of a female character. But I still haven't done anything with it yet.

[Travis Vengraf]

Was this the origin of Takoman?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Takoman was influenced by my experience in New York. Since Spider man and Batman reside in New York, I Thought it would be interesting to also have a Taco man in New York as well.

[Travis Vengraf]

Is there a plan to hear more about him in the future?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Yes, there is. Dark Horse Comics will be publishing something.

[Travis Vengraf]

About it that's going to be awesome. I look forward to it.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

I'm so happy to hear that, and I'll do my best.

[Travis Vengraf]

And then when you first saw New York City, what was it like seeing it through your eyes? What was the feeling for you? Because it was very inspiring. And what did you see?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

The reason I chose New York was because there are many types of pop art that came out to Japan from New York. However, in 1997, when I went to New York, most of the artists were gone. I wanted to grow as an artist by getting more personal experiences outside of Japan.

[Travis Vengraf]

And then did you wind up working with Bowie? There was like a drawing you did or started to do.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

This was specifically for the fashion scene back in 2004, and it was not advertised at a Comic Con industry, so not many people outside of the fashion industry knew about it.

[Travis Vengraf]

Wow. It's a very good piece. And then you described Final Fantasy 6 as a culmination of everything you had done up until that point. It was fantasy, it was science fiction, it was Mecca, magic, coal, steam, Western, Eastern motifs. Can you talk about another project which felt like a culmination of your works? Like everything you'd learned, it was starting to click and you learned a lot on the project.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

I'm a nice man. Nope, just Final Fantasy 6. And the reason is because it's a continued ongoing series from Final Fantasy 1. That's why I was able to do that.

[Travis Vengraf]

Well, I mean, like in growth of an artist, in terms of inner growth.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

I've never really thought about it that way, but I see what you mean. But there's no other series that has ran as long as Final Fantasy.

[Travis Vengraf]

When you made a movie Angel Egg, that was a very big moment. And then another large moment that I seemed to look through as I was reading many interviews. Was Final Fantasy 6 as being one of the landmark. Mom, are there any you've done more recently that you feel have also been similar?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Well, Angel's Eggs terms were already set. It's a movie, so once the story ends, that's it. It's over. With Final Fantasy, however, each episode is a different story from the last. Also, the amount of work is not that much because it happens every once in every couple years. Also, Vampire Hunter D was released such a long time ago. Vampire Hunter D, Angel's Egg and Final Fantasy have Recently become more modern lately. When I used to work for an animation company, I quit. But because of Angel's Egg, I got back involved into animation work. When I was doing character designs for an animation company, I just did my job. Whatever the company needed from me, I did. However, with Angel's Egg, it was the style I was interested in doing. Although it was very hard work, I enjoyed doing it.

[Travis Vengraf]

And you just premiered it or you showed it recently?

[Akiko Muke]

Yes, in New York. And then it sold out in 10 minutes. It seems like people waiting waited for a long time to watch that again. And then Amano was there so they could take it. He hasn't seen that movie for a long time either. We are watching together. And then he was inspired by his film. He was inspired again.

[Travis Vengraf]

That's so wonderful. And on the topic of inspiration, what are some of your favorite monsters to draw from? Any monsters from history? From whatever you like or once you.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Meet up, Bomb is the easiest, so I like it.

[Travis Vengraf]

Benedict. Yeah, I love that one too. Do you have a favorite monster from folklore history that maybe you haven't drawn?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Well, the monsters I haven't drawn yet is basically the monsters I haven't drawn.

[Travis Vengraf]

Okay, okay.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

From now, the monsters I will draw will be the monsters I haven't drawn.

[Travis Vengraf]

Makes sense. And then on the topic of drawing things, you woke up one morning and decided you were going to make a 100, 100 meter canvas. What inspired you to begin this new mythology series which everyone's excited about.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Game or fantasy? Is to me, mythology. It's about what the whole world and universe is like. There are tons of games that have their own image from mythology, such as fighting with demons, etc. In Japan or Asia, we also have our own mythology, like Bukyo Shinto, for example. Final Fantasy. Even though I created the monster characters, the origin is from Greek mythology. One time, I received an offer to design a Greek mythology dictionary. So to get more knowledge on the subject, I went out and did some research and checked online. What I found was my own artwork already displayed as official Greek mythology monsters.

[Akiko Muke]

You know, like, he was like, that.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Was my image of the Greek mythology monsters. I didn't realize I couldn't trust anything I find on the Internet. I really didn't know much about Greek mythology, so I wanted to learn more about origins of mythology, images and stories For Greek mythology. You can find many statues, art and poems, but it's hard to find detailed descriptions. That's why I needed that size of canvas to interpret and present it in my own way.

[Akiko Muke]

So like you know, he's been studying the Greek mythology, but it's a lot of information in there so that it. So become 100 meters.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Okay.

[Travis Vengraf]

This is.

[Akiko Muke]

Yeah, because that's a very long story. And then he's not a writer, but he. He's a painter. So to do that, he needs 100 meters to do it. Yeah.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

When I saw the Pergamon Palace, I decided to do a Greek mythology canvas that is the symbol of Greece.

[Akiko Muke]

Bergamons. Yeah.

[Travis Vengraf]

We were just there before it closed. Are they closed for 12 years or 17 years?

[Akiko Muke]

They don't know. They are like fixing it.

[Travis Vengraf]

They have to renovate the whole thing because they have to modernize it. The Pergamon 3D will still be open.

[Akiko Muke]

So when he saw that one, then he decided to do Greek mythology.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Then I started thinking that I need to do a much larger piece of work. After this convention, I plan on going to Rome, then Greece to see the actual site.

[Akiko Muke]

He Already has done 9 meta now already.

[Travis Vengraf]

What was it like exhibiting in Yoshi Temple in Kyoto?

[Yoshitaka Amano]

There's a whole ryuji temple in Nara, Japan. It has a miniature shrine, Tamamushi no, Zushi, that's existed for over a thousand years. When I saw that, I got inspiration to do a modern version of that. The mythology of the Zushi is that the Buddha's bone is inside of it. I don't know if it's true or not, but I wanted to create my own version of it. And I asked someone to build one. And I drew on it in Kyoto. It's a universe drawn on it.

[Travis Vengraf]

That sounds amazing, Zan. It is transcendent medium. It started with Hero, like you said. It has gone to Deva Zan, which came out, I think five years ago. And now you're working on a animated series. Can you talk about anything if there's other Zaun things? I love Zaun. Many people out there love Zaun. What can you tell us.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Now? I'm looking for the production company to do Zaun. I'm currently writing the script and storyline. So this current experience might be used for the storyline. I'm Zaun planning by going to visit many cities in countries like Rome, Greece, New York, Shibuya, etc. I haven't decided yet, but soon I'll be able to release more information on it.

[Travis Vengraf]

Is there anything else you're excited about or would like to share in particular that you might be working on in.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

The future besides Zaun? The large Greek canvas. I want to release the large canvas to the world, not just Japan.

[Travis Vengraf]

Thank you so much for your time, of course.

[Yoshitaka Amano]

Thank you.

[Travis Vengraf]

Yoshitaka Amano's gallery will soon be on a world tour, starting in Sao Paulo on March 16, with other countries and dates soon to be announced. Links to the gallery and projects discussed are available in the show notes. Stay up to date by joining the mailing list on Yoshitaka Amano.com this interview is conducted by Travis Vengraf, Yoshitaka Amano and Akiko Muke, with co editing by Finner Nielsen and Travis Vengrof, music by Stephen Millin and production assistants. Translation and dubbing by Chien Francois. Special thanks to KA Stats, Dennis Greenhill, Michael Villegas, AJ Punkin and Carol Van Groff, our executive producers and our amazing Patreon supporters who help make this interview and all of our shows possible. This is a Foolin Scholar production. Thank you for listening.