From the Desk of
GAINAX's General Manager

or, A Few Nonsensical Words from Takeda Yasuhiro, Nicest Guy in the World

DAY 2

Takeda Yasuhiro, the man himself, tells you all about himself, warts and all, no holds barred!

"A Tale of Three Cities"

This installment is about my taking the "Tale of Three Cities" tour of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, all of which are at the height of their tourist seasons. Naturally, my main objective was to see a Budo (traditional Japanese dance) performance by my wife, novelist Suga Hiroe. There were seven of us in all: manga artists Imai Hizuru, Morino Tatsuya, and Kato Reijiro, and Gainax staffers Nakamaru, Ito, and Takeda (Nobu), in addition to myself. This photo is of us in very realistic period costuming and makeup, at the Toei Motoyasu Movie Village. The result was a nice souvenir shot of us with a courtesan. Now, can you tell who's who? Well, it was really something, I tell you. If you're ever in Kyoto, I recommend it highly.

You can hear Takeda Yasuhiro speak in his own voice (download file in WAVE format). Aside: it also helps if you understand Japanese. --MY