http://www.alteredstatesmag.com/features/a...s/hi_dai-oh.php

 

I know it's over a year old, so I didn't post it in "news", but I believe not many people here are aware of it yet.

 

THIS is the man responsible for the official Binaltech background story, and also the guy who wrote and drew the "Linkage" comic.

 

He's a huge fan of Western fiction (superhero comic books), and aside from some details about how the e-Hobby exclusives and their bios are done, he also explains the fundamental difference between the Japanese and the American approach to Transformers (Japan: Power makes the hero; USA: using power wisely makes the hero).

 

I really like this guy and his work. :)

IMO this guy rocks hes like the japanese cooler version of Simon F. love his drawing skills and the BT is going gr8 same its just in writen form

He's better than Furman. He's the Japanese Kurt Busiek. :D

His art is like the Japenese Dan Khanna

I always wondered why the BT storyline was more akin to a western storytelling as opposed to everything else Takara/Aeon comes out with.  Now I know.

I always wondered why the BT storyline was more akin to a western storytelling as opposed to everything else Takara/Aeon comes out with.  Now I know.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Keep in mind that Ichikawa-san is not the only resident Western G1 fan at Takara.

 

He didn't write the bio for Takara reissue Stepper, and yet it referenced Fusion (Bluestreak's short-lived friend from an old Marvel UK annual story).

reading through that interview two things stuck me:

 

1) odd how he attributes the "Strength" of the TF brand as almost completely american.  Almost blatantly contradicting the current "gotta-catch-em-all" trend...

 

2) Did HE our BT-God the current TF-Golden boy have a hadn at designing Fattimus-Prime? say it aint soo. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He did say that designing Grand Convoy was a group effort, so it probably came out different then his original plans for it.

Overall, Ichikawa sounds like a real cool guy.

Here's another old post from Ichikawa (forwarded via Doug Dlin) about the creation of Wing Saber, which was posted before:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.to...e10875556c36eb8

 

And this is also interesting:

 

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.to...3847f79db724831

 

If I were to compare, I'd say I liked Dreamwave's ENERGON comic many times more than the SUPER LINK cartoon.

reading through that interview two things stuck me:

 

1) odd how he attributes the "Strength" of the TF brand as almost completely american.  Almost blatantly contradicting the current "gotta-catch-em-all" trend...

 

Of course, in the links that Nevermore just provided, he also says that he too wishes that the story-writing would return to American shores.  And that comment is mostly true, anyways.  Diaclone as a line was a flop.  It wasn't until Hasbro picked the line up and had Marvel develop a story for it that it became a huge worldwide success.

 

And I'd tend to agree, so long as that American writing is up to par with say, Justice League, not G1.  Or at the very least, get some solid Japanese writers on the projects, ones that are used to writing more compelling stories, not this wishy-washy kiddie fare that keeps trying to work its way into the shows.  Preferably, ones that are good enough to not simply drop plot points in the middle of a series for no apparent reason (ie: Superlink  :tfmad).