Interview: Hideaki Yoke

Hideaki Yoke, General Manager, Boys Overseas Development Office, Boys Marketing Department

Interview from the official Takara Transformers website 2004

My involvement with Transformers goes back to the days of Microman and Diaclone, so it has been nearly twenty years now. Following the success of those products overseas, we decided to develop them in Japan under different titles, and from then on the projects proceeded as joint production projects with our overseas counterparts. 

Unlike today, there was a considerable gap between the Japanese and American markets at the time. The means of obtaining information about each other were also limited, and even in terms of communication methods, it was only around then that fax machines were beginning to become widespread. So, when I was leading the team and moving the project forward, the issue that caused me the most concern was communication. 

Take the concept of “cool”, for example. Whether we tried to communicate it directly or through an interpreter, it simply would not come across. I think this was particularly apparent in the fact that what was considered common sense for Japanese hero robots at the time, to make the head small in order to convey a sense of “huge scale”, was described by them as making the robot look like a stupid robot with a tiny head. 

Looking back, however, I sometimes feel that I actually enjoyed those struggles. It was somewhat different from starting with a blank sheet of paper. We came together on the same ground while each side already had its own direction, and by clashing with one another we gradually brought the work to completion. I think that, at the level of the individual people involved, this generated excitement and a new, unknown kind of energy. 

I cannot help but feel delighted that what the people responsible at the time created has now become the foundation of Transformers, giving people in countries around the world a shared understanding of what Transformers is. 

The behind-the-scenes story of those twenty years was full of constant changes, so it would be difficult to talk about all of it. However, I would like to mention Transformers: Micron Legend, which began in 2003. This project was marketed using an approach fundamentally different from anything we had done before. From the very beginning, we planned for a simultaneous worldwide release, and we undertook genuine joint development with our overseas partners for both the animation and the products. 

In this project, the youthful energy of the new people in charge brought about its success. It was completely different from the way things had been in our day. I believe the result came from bringing together, from both sides, their feelings and passion for Transformers as “their own” Transformers. 

This time, I participated in a role that you might call a bridge to the overseas side, or perhaps a coordinator, so I cannot talk directly about the work itself. However, the younger generation is continuing to give it everything they've got without holding back. Perhaps there is a little of the feeling of a parent in what I say, but I sincerely hope that all the fans who have loved Transformers up to now will continue to watch Transformers as it moves forward together with this new generation.