Here's the translation for the interview Sawano had with the SuperGroupies Magazine.

Q: This project is an attempt to look into the personal aspects of people's lives, related to anime, manga, games etc. Our third guest is Hiroyuki Sawano, who has released a new album on September 20th. Sawano-san writes music for anime, namely "MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM UNICORN", "Attack on Titan", Blue Exorcist", "The Seven Deadly Sins" etc. He has also written music for dramas and movies. We heard about his collection of figures and the reasons that he fell in love with these heroes.

"The Terminator figure is getting bigger and bigger..."

Q: You seem to be crazy about all these heroes, since you sent so many photos.

HS: That's right. Batman, the heroes of American comics, Terminator, Alien, Predator, Gremlins... I really like the characters of Hollywood movies from the 80s and 90s.

Q: You have a lot of Terminator-related merchandise.

HS: I bought it all (laughs). Speaking about them, the Terminators have numbers "T-○○○". Arnold Schwarzenegger is the T-800 type. The color, design and specifications are slightly different depending on the number. I think to myself, "oh, this looks cool" and I always end up buying it. When new figures are made, I will have more and more of these in my collection. In addition to the T-800, I've also bought various other types like the T-600 & T-700.

Q: What made you want to buy and collect the figurines?

HS: When Terminator 4 came out with Christian Bale being in the title role, this film reminded me that I really wanted a Terminator figure for myself. I didn't see the first Terminator when it came out, but my parents took me to watch Terminator 2. During the show, we received pamphlets with figurines. There was a Terminator model that cost about 5,600 yen. Even now, it's not that cheap, but when I was a kid I couldn't even say that I wanted it. Growing up, I remembered this and I had to look for it online.

Q: How did you get it?

HS: My first purchase was a battle version of the T-800 with scratches and such. I wanted something more creative. I was always looking out for a brilliant Terminator. When I bought it, I wanted it to be very similar to the one Stan Stanston created. "Many different Gundam figures"

Q: Among your figures there's Gundam figures which aren't from Hollywood.

HS: This is a figure of the Unicorn Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam UC, which I made the music for. I also have Sinanju - this is my original figure, made for the Gundam Expo 2016 event. Blue and black colors represent my vocal project [nZk], so that's why the Sinanju also has these colors. Next to that is the Kshatriya.

Q: How did you get these Gundam figures?

HS: I've been working on MGUC for about five years. At the time, the producers asked me if I would like to go to France to take a picture. But I haven't had enough flights, and I avoid traveling abroad (laughs). When they asked me to come, I told the producers of what I wanted: "I'll fly if I can get my Kshatriya figure!". Mobile Suit Gundam UC was also my first work that I worked on for a very long time.

Q: Are you glad that you went to France?

HS: The flight itself was a problem (laughs). Usually every person would be happy to travel abroad.

Q: Is it difficult due to the atmospheric change?

HS: No, but it's just scary to be in a big car that is flying in the sky! (laughs). In addition, since I don't speak English very well, there are also circumstances in which you go abroad and have problems communicating.

Q: What is something you like to do daily?

HS: That would be watching movies and eating rice. I don't go to the cinemas all that often, instead I tend to watch them at home on special TV channels. I also like fig. Eating rice with friends every day is pleasing. Is my life boring? (laughs). I wish I had a more dramatic life (laughs).

Q: By the way, what's your favorite food?

HS: Potatoes. I really like potatoes. I'm glad if I can eat potatoes and drink beer. Regardless of which store I go to, I always ask: "Do you have potatoes here?" When I open a menu, I always look for potatoes first (laughs).

"I've loved heroes since my childhood"

Q: In addition to the potatoes, Sawano-san, do you like metal and machine-like things?

HS: Well, I like metallic things, for example I like Iron Man more than Spider-Man. When I was a kid, I liked "Space Sheriff Gavan", "Space Criminal Sharivan", "Space Sheriff Shaider" and "Metal Hero".

Q: Does the shine of metal or cars interest you?

HS: Of course. Even when I was making my original album, I said that the album cover would be a supernatural piano machine. There is also a clip of the singer Björk for the song "All Is Full Of Love", in which androids kiss each other. I like her a lot.

Q: Where's your collection located?

HS: I've put it in the studio where I work. At first I didn't expect to be able to buy so many things. They're located around the speakers. I put the Terminator's head on the floor, since there was no space for it near the speakers.

Q: What are the reasons for there being so many characters from 90s Hollywood films in your collection?

HS: Maybe I wanted to buy them because I found the films to be really cool and interesting. Then again, I was still a child. After all, you can easily recall the impressing that you had when watching movies like Terminator, Alien and Predator. My first movie soundtrack CD purchase was the one for Terminator 2. At the time I was still a child, bu I was impressed by the music playing in the background of the film. I'm grateful to this character for the experiences that I had, and that's why he's in my collection.

Q: Were there even deeper reasons for buying these particular figures?

HS: I think that those would be famous quotes in the movies. I really related to the dialogue in the films, and they influenced me so much that I even wanted a collection of the characters from the films. I was impressed by Christopher Nolan, the director of a series of films about Batman, and so I bought character figurines from this series of films.

Q: It's a great story, is it not?

HS: I think Christopher Nolan's script is good. And the music is also good. It's strange to say the words of the hero, including Batman's words, but I think he's saying very important things. Even when I work, I reproduce these dialogues from the film in my head. If you think that I've gone mad, I'll say that I have been obsessed with this hero's speeches for a very long time.

"As the culmination of his collection, he bought the upper part of the T-800"

Q: And the last question. What have you bought recently?

HS: That would be the top part of the T-800. I think that my habit of collecting Terminator heads will not stop, so I have to stop it myself. And I thought that if I bought the full Terminator, then it would be a little easier for me. But the full Terminator seems to weigh around 200kg (approx. 440.9 pounds). "I can't move it!". I gave up and only bought the upper body (laughs). Even then, it will be the culmination of my collection.

From Sawano-san..

For those who are just as crazy:

The influence of your favorite thing is important, and I think it will remain in you forever. Your favorite thing can give you incredible motivation to do something, or it can make you into a madman.