Code Geass’s writer takes a trip down memory lane 3!
October 20, 2017 2 Comments
I kind of wish Ōkouchi had given me another 1 day break! In any case, this set reveals some broad world-level decisions that have interesting implications for story decisions that writers might make. Quite obvious once you think about it, but really does show the importance of worldbuilding!
【ギアスの思い出15】放映が深夜枠で放映されると分かってから初めて書いた『ギアス』の第一話は、アッシュフォード学園にテロリストが逃げ込んでくる。それを追って、学園をメチャクチャにするブリタニア軍。その争いに巻き込まれた学生ルルーシュは……という話でした。
(Geass Memory #15) Having learned that the show would be broadcast during a late night slot, the first version of episode 1 that I wrote had terrorists on the run taking refuge in Ashford Academy. The Britannia soldiers chasing after them messed the school up. And the student Lelouch, having gotten caught up in that… That’s how the story went.
【ギアスの思い出16】学校を舞台にすれば、ナナリーやミレイたちも見せられるし、学校という愛すべき空間が破壊されて怒る主人公の方が分かりやすいし、ナイトメアのサイズ（ガンダムなどのロボットより小さい）も表現しやすくていいんじゃないかと考えたのです。
(Geass Memory #16) If we set the opening act in the school, we’d be able to show Nunnally and Milly and co., and it’d be easy to understand the protagonist getting angry because the beloved space that is their school has been destroyed. We’d also be able to show the size of the Nightmares (smaller than Gundams and similar mecha). That was my reasoning.
【ギアスの思い出17】ですが、実際の第一話はそうではありません。これは、アッシュフォード学園という舞台が第一話で戦争に巻き込まれてしまうと、平和な空間として切り離しずらくなる。以降、いつ戦争が入り込んでくるか分からない不穏な空間になってしまうと判断したからです。
(Geass Memory #17) But the episode that aired was quite different. If Ashford Academy had gotten caught in the war in the very first episode, then it’d be difficult to set it apart as a peaceful space. We decided that after such an incident, it’d become a turbulent place where war could intrude at any time.
【ギアスの思い出18】もし、戦争の気配が残ったままだったら、ネコを追いかけたり、文化祭をやったりというアッシュフォード学園にはしずらかったでしょう。なので、一話の舞台はアッシュフォード学園ではないのです。とはいえ、主人公が学生だってことは示したかったので（つづく）
(Geass Memory #18) If that shadow of the war remained hanging over it, then it would have been difficult to write episodes with the characters chasing after the cat, or having a cultural festival. That’s why the first episode isn’t set in Ashford Academy. But even then, we wanted to show that the protagonist was a student, and so (con’t)
【ギアスの思い出19】（つづき）ルルーシュが学生服を着ていたり、チェスの相手の貴族が「なんだ学生か？」と小バカにしたりするのです。ポイントで、学校にいるシャーリーと電話をしたり。
(Geass Memory #19) (con’t) I had Lelouch wearing his school uniform, and had the lord that was his opponent going “What, a student?” and making fun of him. And Shirley calling him from the school.
【ギアスの思い出20】そうそう。電話といえば、ルルーシュたちに携帯電話を持たせるかどうかも、議題に上がりました。今では考えられないでしょうが、その頃のアニメは、携帯を持たせないアニメも数多くあったのです。携帯があると、ドラマを作る時に障害になるのではないか？
(Geass Memory #20) Speaking of which, we also debated whether Lelouch and his friends should have mobile phones. You may not believe it, but back then, there were many anime in which characters didn’t have phones. Possibly because it’d be difficult to create dramatic moments if they did?
【ギアスの思い出21】でも結局、僕らは携帯がある世界を選択しました。理由は、その当時の視聴者がみな携帯を持っていたこと。携帯があることで作れなくなるドラマもあるけど、携帯があるから作れるドラマもきっとあるはずだと考えたからです。
(Geass Memory #21) But in the end, we chose a world in which people had mobile phones. The reason being that all the viewers watching had phones themselves. Characters having phones makes certain dramatic moments impossible, but we figured that it’d open up the possibility for other dramatic moments.
【ギアスの思い出22】携帯電話がある世界を採用したおかげで、ルルーシュとスザクの決戦前の電話とか、Ｒ２で、スザクの監視の下、ナナリーと電話させられるルルーシュとか、携帯電話を使った印象的なシーンを作れたと思っています。
(Geass Memory #22) Because we went with a world that had phones, we were able to create a lot of memorable scenes where they were used, such as the phone call before Lelouch and Suzaku face off, and in R2, the scene where Suzaku observes Lelouch after putting him on the phone with Nunnally.
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