And is your artwork displayed in the gallery there?
Akio Segawa
Yes.
Mangalocity.com
Renderosity is a great website. It is one of the best virtual communities on the web. However, during this contest there were a few people at renderosity who felt that this contest was a scam. They felt it was rip off to pay $1.99 submission fee for a contest. But here you have payed $1.99 submission fee and in return you've received the grand prize of $250.00. What are your thoughts on that?
Akio Segawa
I'm sad that people didn't jump on board. The 1.99 is no big deal. Even if I didn't win I still look at it as paying just a bit for some great exposure. Its always good to get your stuff to as wide an audience as possible, you never know if your next paycheck is surfing the art sites.
Mangalocity.com
Thanks, both I and the rest of the staff at Mangalocity appreciate that. To conclude this interview, I have two more questions to ask.
Mangalocity.com
Where do you see yourself in the future as an artist. Where would you like to be five years from now?
Akio Segawa
Well I hope to be finished with school this year. I'm already working on a couple of projects with a couple of groups who are developing some really great looking games. Its all volunteer at this point as I try to earn a good rep, but in 5 years I hope to be in some kind of a modeling/concepting job somewhere. The pay scale is really of no concern at this point, as long as the rent gets paid.
Akio Segawa
I also hope to be able to be in a position to be able to work on my own personal projects.
Mangalocity.com
We wish you good luck on your career. And for our last and final question we want to know what are your thoughts on the future of cgi, and anime in general. Anime has become such a huge genre in the United States, and CGI is transforming the face of live action film. What do you think the future holds for the industry?
Akio Segawa
Its hard to say. There is a lot of talk about CG actors to replace human ones which I don't really see ever happening unless its some sort of marketing thing. As for anime I'm very happy that its getting big here. I'm second gen Japanese American. I remember having my cousins send me as much as they could fit on a VHS tape. Now its on every other channel. It's very nice now because its the only way I've known how to draw. I hope the trend continues. It will help keep me employed.
