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For this edition of the newsletter, I am happy to bring you an interview with Stan Lee, the creator of Spiderman and Fantastic Four, whom I was able to meet at the New York Comic Con gathering, which took place at the Jacob Javits Center from February 23rd through February 25th. 
Yamanobe (Y) : How do you do? I am Kazuki Yamanobe, a scriptwriter and also a columnist reporting and commenting on the latest news regarding Japanese animation for a newsletter distributed by Japanese Writers’ House. I am honored to meet you. 
Stan Lee (S) :
Thank you. I am honored to meet you too.
Y : You are well known in Japan and fans there are always looking forward toward enjoying your works. Can you tell me what you find to be particularly essential about them? S : To put it simply, it's important to have characters who possess the courage to Excelsior (move onwards and upwards towards greatness). The foes appearing in the upcoming Spider-Man 3, such as Sandman and Venom, are powerful. In confronting them, Spiderman must have courage and I would very much like the audience to see this courage of his, which he acquires through his will to Excelsior. Y : Thank you. What are your views regarding Japanese animation? S : I think they're fantastic. I particularly think the use of color in them is wonderful. And I'm always impressed by how lively and action-packed they are. Y : My visit to the New York Comic Con this time has helped me reaffirm how highly famous you are in America. What can one do to become a great creator such as yourself? S : I'm very glad you consider me a great creator. Well, let's see, first you should find a creator you really respect yourself, and do your best to catch up to this person. And you should always be thinking about creating something new. While there have been many stories created until now and your story might be similar in content to one of them, you should at any rate try to change various elements, such as the period a story is set in, or its setting, or the characters appearing in it. If you do that, you should be able to give birth to new stories. Y : Receiving advice from you is an honor. I wrote the screenplay for "The Galaxy Railways: Crossroads to Eternity", an original work by the Japanese manga artist, Leiji Matsumoto, and I was wondering what your feelings are about his works? S : I'm always amazed by Leiji Matsumoto's works. I think they're terrific. I feel that works like Space Battleship Yamato and Galaxy Express 999, which are set in the universe, are fantastic works of science fiction. I'm certain that The Galaxy Railways you mention will also make Japanese fans happy. I look forward to its success. Y : I'm sure the producer, the director, and other scriptwriters in Japan will appreciate your praise. It would be nice if I could participate as a screenwriter for any of your works. S : I'm very glad to hear such a thing from a Japanese creator. I may ask you to help out, by all means. Y : Thank you. I'm grateful for having been granted this wonderful opportunity to meet you. Thank you for today. I hope you will continue to create more of your entertaining works. S : You're welcome. It was a pleasure to meet you. Keep doing your best. 
We took a commemorative picture that shows Mr. Lee holding the "The Galaxy Railways: Crossroads to Eternity"goods that I had given to him as a gift.Mr. Lee is currently active with his company, POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment, which he formed together with major partners to develop properties for film, TV, and a character development business. Apparently, the company is working on releasing big titles, such as MOSAIC, a story about a girl who acquires special powers and saves the world, CONDOR, a story about a youth battling evil, and RINGO, an adventure comedy featuring Ringo Starr of the Beatles fame. He is such a wonderful gentleman, and despite being 85 years old, he remains very creative. Meeting him this time was a deeply moving experience for me, and I have resolved, as a scriptwriter, to follow his example. Yamanobe Kazuki Scriptwriter Member of the Writer's Guild of Japan Representative Director of the scenario production company, Edgeworks:http://www.edge-works.co.jp/ "Crows Yard: KISS" by Edgeworks | ||
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