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CHUCK:
I’ve met you at several conventions (Katsucon,
Otakon). Any convention stories you
care to tell? Are there differences between the conventions?
TRISTAN:
Hoo boy, could I get into trouble here! I suppose one of the highlights
of a certain Katsucon was the Saturday evening when Gopher, John Roberts,
Punky and I rode down the escalator into the main lobby of a very crowded
and prestigious hotel singing Monty Python’s “Sit
On My Face” song. Yeah, you had to be there to really get the enjoyment
of it. We actually made the piano-and-bass duo, playing at the bar, stop
and stare at us when we got to the bottom of the escalator. As we passed
their incredulous, frozen bodies, I waved merrily and said, “So sorry—do
carry on!”
Every con has a different flavor, as well as a different energy level.
As cons grow and change, those factors also change—which loses some people
and attracts others. I’ve enjoyed every con I’ve attended (with a notable
exception which shall remain nameless—because it wasn’t the con’s fault).
As a guest, my job—my duty—is to do all in my power to make the con look
even better. I do my panels with enthusiasm, talk to the folks, have a
good time right along with ‘em. That’s one thing I hope that I never forget:
When I’m a guest at a con, I have a responsibility to be there for the
con and for the fans. It’s not about being paid to be there (which never
happens, unless the guest is a greed-head), and it certainly isn’t about
being given “star treatment” (no pointing of fingers, but boy, have I
heard some stories!); it’s about giving back to the fans all of that enthusiasm
that they show for being there. It’s a privilege, and I hope I always
live up to it. .
CHUCK:
What is the latest news on the Eva movies ?
Any difference between the TV and movie versions as too acting style or
cast ? Have you met any of the people from Gainax?
TRISTAN:
Okay, this info is kind of third-hand, so don’t take me as Absolute Gospel.
The last I’d heard, the release date was pushed back a bit in order to
give Manga Entertainment time to convince
Gainax to let them include all the outtakes on the DVD release. I hope
that they do, because there are some wonderfully outrageous outtakes in
those recordings! I think that the release has been set for late spring
2002, around May. Again, I’m not privy to the workings of the Powers That
Be, so just consider that another rumor!
CHUCK: What do you see as the future of anime
in America? Will DVD finally solve the dub vs. sub
flame war?
TRISTAN:
Well, yes and no. DVD allows you to pick your preferred format—in Japanese
with English subtitles, or in English. This won’t stop the war over which
is “better,” but at least there won’t be the idiotic price difference
between a dub and a sub tape. (Who thought up that insanity anyway? What
a nudnik…)
I have an deep-seeded fear for the future of anime in the U.S., primarily
because too few people have any access to it. It’s my understanding that
various Japanese studios have been shafted by the sharp business practices
of one or more U.S. distributors (nope, ain’t naming names here, I want
to keep Chuck away from the lawyers); because of this, Japanese studios
are demanding more money up front. A series which used to cost about $5000/episode
now costs ten or twenty times as much. This means that only the super-rich,
established companies can acquire the rights to sub/dub the new anime
that is being produced.
Unfortunately, this means that those who see anime as an artistic medium
are at the mercy of those who see it as nothing but a cash cow. As a fan
and artist, this jabs deeply at my soul. It’s why I am an avid and proud
fan-subber for Odyssey Anime
(shameless plug). I believe that anime should not be merely a means for
unscrupulous and greedy corporate criminals to make money because they
have a monopoly on the product. There are “independents” in the film market,
rivaling the corporate machinery of Hollywood; there must be a similar
movement in anime, if it is to survive, grow, and fulfill its manifest
artistic destiny.
CHUCK:
What are your current and future projects?
TRISTAN:
I’ve just recently completed my eighth fan-sub for Odyssey—another “Lupin
III” movie, this one called “Dead or Alive.” They’re anxious for me
to begin my 9th, “From Russia With Love,” so I guess I’d better not disappoint
them! I will say with deepest affection and conviction that I would be
a part of any project that Amanda Winn-Lee and Jason Lee have in mind
for their Gaijin Productions—they’re the force behind the “Eva” movies,
and Amanda truly kicks major tuchis as a writer and director.
I’m
also working on a sort of extended love-letter to my fans—a bit of a tell-all
called “Confessions of an American Seiyuu.” I hope
to have it released in Summer 2002. It will be answering all kinds of
questions, from exactly how I got started in all this silliness to exactly
what happened when ADV Films fired me on a series of trumped-up garbage
that has kept me blackballed throughout the American industry, three years
after the fact. It’ll be a “warts and all” presentation; some of it will
be hysterical, and some will be double-plus-un-pretty. I’ve already had
a few veiled threats about it—so it ought to be worth reading, eh?
CHUCK:
Any recommendation on web pages devoted to Evangelion or anime in general?
TRISTAN:
Umm… Actually, no, which is really embarrassing.
Kevin Lillard’s “A Fan’s View” is
the best source for photos and information about cons and personalities
in anime, and I respect him greatly for his work. And there’s a terrific
online comic called ConScrew,
penned by a friend named Kara Dennison. If anyone reading this interview
has an anime space that they’d like mentioned and linked from my own web
space, please let me know. Then I won’t feel like such a dweeb when
this question comes up again, as I’m sure it will!
CHUCK:
(Maybe a comment on Toastyfrogs
Eva Thumbnail Theatre?)
TRISTAN:
YES!!! This is truly the single funniest, most dead-on parody I’ve ever
seen of just about anything. I laud, I commend, I endorse, I heartily
fall upon my knees and worship this brilliant madness! Take a look at
what ToastyFrog has done with “Mononoke” and “Akira”—you’ll
howl with laughter!
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Gendo
Grandpa
Danbei
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