World Seifuku Project Summit
Everything from seifuku fashion to kawaii culture and secrets of EVA(PART3)

Sakurai

Just changing the subject, did you know that there is a catalogue for nurse uniforms?

Sadamoto

Yes, I have heard of it.

Sakurai

Some hospitals have started using pink uniforms, and in no time pink has gained a positive image. What is the status of the color pink in anime?

Sadamoto

Yes, pink is the symbol of femininity. In anime we can't really use white. It would break up the background. We add a shade of another color to white, sometimes green and sometimes blue to match the character's complexion, so we often add a little pink to the white background. However, I think I put in blue for Ayanami. Pink has been popular for a long time in the anime world.
Speaking of pink, at first it wasn't used at all for Mari's plug suit and we didn't even test it. For over two weeks we would try green, then yellow, and then it struck me "Pink is it". We photoshopped in pink and it was perfect, and decided on the spot to make it pink.

Sakurai

Wow! I can't imagine Mari's plug suit being any color other than pink – it's perfect.

Sadamoto

Ayanami's plug suit is white, and Asuka's is red. Pink is in between these two colors and it loses some impact, so I did think about making it a more outrageous color. Black would be more British, but a bit harsh, so I went for green. Mari's older model plug suit is green, but I was surprised how much pink suited her.

Kitamura

This pink is a very kawaii color. I feel more kawaii just by wearing pink. My image of Mari is not kawaii, but the color really suits her.

asianbeat

The World Seifuku Project seems like it is proceeding as planned.

Sadamoto

I just saw a sample and I felt they have been able to encapsulate EVA's key colors. Up until now I have been involved in a number of product collaborations, and it is very difficult to find a balance with the key color. If you go for something stylish you must be careful to get the balance right or it will end up looking comical. The key color can be a real can of worms.

Aiura

It was a headache working out how to use the key color in the seifuku. I didn't want it look like cosplay fashion in school, but wanted to make a real uniform that you can wear and also feel like becoming a character in EVA

Sadamoto

I think the balance is right. If you go overboard it becomes purely cosplay. We discussed this very matter the other day. Today Evangelion-related goods are in its second stage. Previously we just used the #3 Tokyo and Evangelion logo as is. However, in this stage we have made separate products and will place the brand #3 Tokyo or NERV in some inconspicuous place. Some may say "That's not an EVA product", to which I will say "So what"! Those who really want to buy EVA goods will. I think we have reached a stage where this is the right balance. For example, you might see a single dot, but if you look closely it is the face of a student.

Sakurai

You can do that with ties and stuff too. I prefer the inconspicuous logo to the one that is in your face.

Sadamoto

American anime fans tend to like logos and characters that stand out, Perhaps it is part of their national character – "We like Japanese anime and this is a logo to prove it".

Sakurai

Well, America has the chain store culture. For example, if an American opened a maid café, rather than giving each store their own special atmosphere they would probably make it into a chain store franchise. High school girls adjust the length of their skirt, trying to look different to others in a way that nobody really notices, is important to Japanese. Japan likes this kind of minute, unique adjustment. I think seifuku and anime goods have reached this stage.

Kitamura

When you put it that way I have to agree!

Sadamoto

But the one thing that I don't understand is that when high school girls shorten their skirts and it becomes a kawaii trend, all tend to follow the trend. In this case a maxi-skirt would stand out more. In a way, I think perhaps this is the real fashion…but this may be a wrong idea here;-)

Sakurai

I can see what you mean – it is similar but different. It is a matter of finding the balance between the stand-out finger pointing "look at that" type fashion, as opposed to just being fashionable.

Sadamoto

Being kawaii is becoming more and more common. What happens when everyone looks the same? It just can't be!

Aiura

There is a point in time when seifuku dramatically changes. It was quite a while ago when in the TV drama "Sukeban Deka" (The delinquent girl detective), Saito Yuki wore a maxi skirt. Straight after that skirts went mini and loose socks came in. Many school girls took to this fashion back then. Next we saw the rise of the orthodox idol group and all of a sudden navy blue high school socks came in. In the cycle of fashion I think we are due for a dramatic new item to hit the scene some time soon.

Sadamoto

Character design is much the same – trying to be the first to put out the opposite of what is in fashion. Ayanami's black socks are an example. When it was first broadcast the loose socks were in the middle of a boom. I thought to myself that it would be embarrassing to draw loose socks at a time when they are so popular, so I went the other way and drew black socks. I was rather hesitant at first about drawing something "not in fashion" back then, but I thought that they would suit a character like Ayanami. Now, fashion has caught up with her and you see black socks everywhere and her socks now look common. Seifuku in its basic form has appeal so most people balk at going against the basic norms in design.

Aiura

As a fashion, seifuku has its limitations. Anything that would put off the general public is a definite no-no. It is difficult to develop designs within the limits of what people will accept, but it is an interesting challenge. Loose socks and baggy knit cardigans raised the ire of the general public and were banned from some schools so you don't see them much anymore. Seifuku has now become a symbol of upper class girl's fashion, showing that the definition of "kawaii" changes with each generation.

Sakurai

There is no doubt that seifuku will continue to be an important medium for spreading kawaii culture. It will be interesting to see the result of the collaboration between CONOMi, a company with all the seifuku and fashion culture know-how, and Evangelion, one of Japan's premier anime popular throughout the world. I am looking forward to what this collaboration will bring.