NSFW [Lolicon History] Fusion Product Lolita/Bishoujo Special Edition [Translation]

[Taruby]

Source:『美少女漫画大百科』1991/8/20

★★Table of Contents:
◆Interviews:
Amagi Kei (亜麻木硅)
Moriyama Tou (森山塔)
Yui Toshiki (唯 登詩樹)
ITOYOKO
Minor Boy (まいなぁぼぉい)
MEE-kun (MEEくん)
Buibui (舞井武依)
MON-MON (悶悶)
Yoshida Kei (よしだけい)
Hiryuu Ran (飛龍乱)
Nanno Koto (南野琴)
Satou Marumi (佐藤丸美)
Oonuma Hiroshi (おおぬまひろし)
Nekojima Rei (猫島礼)
※Nekojima Rei Technique
Tanuma Yuuichirou (田沼雄一郎)
Maboroshi Chouji (幻 超二)
◆Articles:
☆The History of Bishoujo as Material and Its Expression
☆The Flow of Sex and Love in Manga——Postwar 'Sex Comic' Essay——Yonezawa Yoshihiro


※～※～※～※～※


"You Won't Succeed With Half-Hearted Feelings." Scolded by his Sensei, He Chose the Path of Manga.


Amagi Kei (亜麻木硅) (Pixiv)

●You made your debut in doujinshi during your student years, and then debuted in commercial magazines after you became quite famous. What was the direct trigger that led to your debut in a commercial magazine?

I made my commercial debut in the January issue of a book called 'Shashin Jidai Junior' (写真時代ジュニア) (Byakuya Shobo) in 1987. I knew the editor from my doujinshi days and started drawing through that connection.

●What year in university were you at the time?

My 2nd year... I guess I was around 20.

●When you were published in 'Shashin Jidai Junior', were you aware this was your debut as a mangaka?

I wasn't aware I was going to be working as a mangaka. Actually, before that, I had done illustrations for computer game manuals, but well, back then, it was more of a part-time job.

●Did you like manga when you were a child?

I liked drawing.

●So, even when you entered university, you were still into manga to some extent, right?

Before I entered university and joined a Circle, I was really only scribbling doodles, I didn't feel as if I was drawing anything that could properly be labeled as manga.

●What triggered you making a living as a mangaka?

I guess it was around the time I debuted and the number of works kept increasing as I finished planning my first tankoubon. Up until then, I had been thinking of this as a side job, but as I was getting busier, I applied for a leave of absence to focus on manga, and if my manga became popular, I was planning to apply for a withdrawal. Then, my university Sensei scolded me, saying I won't succeed with half-hearted feelings, so I decided to submit my withdrawal and pursue manga as my sole path. If that Sensei hadn't told me that, who knows where I would be now.

●Which mangaka or works influenced you as you draw manga?

There isn't anyone in particular I can single out as 'this person', but I believe I was influenced by many different artists. The works I like are by Takahashi Rumiko-san (高橋留美子) and Hosono Fujihiko-san (細野不二彦).

●What is your favourite work or character from among your own works?

I like them all, but the one I'm particularly attached to is 'Mi-na 17' (みーな17), which was serialised in 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing) as it was the first that was serialised in a magazine, and its protagonist Mi-na. I like that she is an android Shoujo, which is a character I've always wanted to do, and that she's generally demure, but also has parts where she's a little strong, but helpful.

●Is the character based on your ideal woman?

I believe she's different from my ideal in reality, but as a character in manga, I believe she contains a kind of ideal or quintessence as a character image in manga.

●Who was the model for that character?

She's a character that exists in my mind.

●Is there an image of an old girlfriend in your character?

Well, I believe that has nothing to do with Mi-na (laughs).

●Do you ever use real-life female friends as models for your characters?

I don't use them as direct models. I do have an image of familiar talents as a rough image, but... Well, I use them for naming to a certain extent.

●What do you think of Gotou Kumiko-san (後藤久美子) who has been hailed as a national Bishoujo?

I don't know the details, but I heard there was a lot of fuss about her, but I wouldn't necessarily call her a Bishoujo...

He made his debut in doujinshi, and became popular even in the Bishoujo Manga World. Currently, he's under an exclusive contract with 'Bears Club' (ベアーズクラブ) (Shueisha) and doesn't draw for any other magazines.


●You're currently active in 'Bears Club' (Shueisha), but without distinguishing between all-age magazines and Bishoujo Comic magazines, which magazine would you like to draw for?

None in particular, but I would like to draw various genres.

●What about a great romance manga?

Yeah. I want to draw all sorts of things, but I feel like I'm getting more and more addicted to darker stuff... I'm also thinking about drawing a sports manga, but in my case, my specialty is sexy, so my orders tend to ask me to incorporate that...

●This is sudden, but what do you think would've happened if you hadn't become a mangaka?

I would probably be working as a salaryman at a company. Now that I think about it, I guess I'm not cut out to be a salaryman (laughs).

●What is the theme you most want to express in your works?

Nothing too grand. I feel I want people to just enjoy reading them, read and enjoy... that's what I want to say.

●What gives you power when drawing manga?

Actually, I believe this is true not only for mangaka, but for all creators, such as film directors, but the joy of creating is what gives me power.

●What point do you keep in mind as a mangaka?

I'm still nowhere near the point where I can draw anything grand, but I want to draw something interesting while my readers are reading.

●Any artists you consider to be rivals?

All the mangaka who debuted the same time as me (laughs).

●Any message to your fans?

Thank you for your continued support. Please buy my tankoubon (laughs).

●When do you feel glad you're drawing manga?

I guess when I read fan letters. And, ahh, it makes me happy to know there's people who support me.

●Do you write back?

Err, I'm not a diligent person... But I'm thinking of sending some coloured paper to the ones who always write me letters, but...

●A message to those who wish to become Bishoujo mangaka!!

If there's someone aiming to be a Bishoujo mangaka, I want them to have feelings of drawing things they honestly think is sexy to make their readers happy. They say if you love something, you'll become good at it.

●If you have any request to your editors, please say it here.

I'm still inexperienced, so... (laughs). I've heard there's some terrible editor-sans out there, but I'm blessed (laughs).

●Do you believe the image of Bishoujo will change in the future?

I believe there'll be times where cute girls are popular and times stubborn girls are popular... and their popularity will pivot back and forth.

●So, what's your ideal woman or talent?

Hmm... I'm not type who obsesses over talent girls, and... I tend to look at things objectively, like who's popular at the moment.

●What do you want to accomplish before you die?

For now, I want to build a house. I also would like to travel abroad.

●What were you like as a child?

I was a pretty average kid, I gave the impression of a class president.

●What is your ideal woman?

I don't have a type or anything, but a woman you're with where you both need each other...

●I heard you're going to get married soon (laughs). Congratulations. Please do your best with your manga as well.

... Y... yes. I'll do my best.


——Recorded at Amagi Kei's home. February 27th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


I Want to Draw Crazy Stuff Cause My Ideas Are So Strange.


Moriyama Tou (森山塔) (Twitter)

●What triggered your debut?

I guess when I was in my second year of university. I remember clearly it was November, but up until then, I had been reading manga and didn't draw anything, but I was always talking about manga, so a friend said something like, "If you're going to yap about this and that, it would be quicker if you drew it yourself." I was like, "Ahh, that makes sense..." And I started drawing. Well, when I say I started drawing, I mean doodling... After that, I spent a year or two in a daze, and then I found out about 'Gekigasonjuku' (劇画村塾), and when I went there, there were a lot of pro-minded guys, so I thought I should also become a pro... I think I was in my fourth or fifth year of university. After that, I spent a year in a daze after graduating from university, and around the end of that year, when I was around 24 (years old), an old drinking buddy happened to be editing manga, and he heard from my friend I didn't have a job, so he said to me, "If you don't have a job, please come work for us." And that's how I started working.

●What work triggered you wanting to become a mangaka? Or which mangaka?

What triggered my manga obsession was Hagio Moto-san's (萩尾望都) 'The Poe Clan' (ポーの一族). I was also moved by reading Azuma Hideo-san's (吾妻ひでお) works and thought I would also try drawing manga myself.

●What is currently your favourite manga, or mangaka?

Currently... I think Mochizuki Minetarou-san's (望月峯太郎) 'Baatashi Gingyo' (バタ足金魚) is so good, I could die, and no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to catch up to it. Also, more recently, I like 'Chibi Maruko-chan' (ちびまる子ちゃん)... and Sasaki Noriko-san's (佐々木倫子) 'Doubutsu no Oisha-san' (動物のお医者さん)... When I read 'Chibi Maruko-chan', I get the impression there's still a lot of potential in manga expression... There still are (possibilities). It's a newly made genre after all. It hasn't been around for 100 years.

●Which work up to now among your 'Moriyama Tou' (森山塔) works is your favourite, or what is your favourite character?

I guess 'Portrait of Junko-san' (準子さんの肖像), I was sleep-deprived and finished it in about 30 hours, but I was so carried away, I believe it was amazing how well I was able to create something with material that passionate... Most of my 'Moriyama' works aren't like that, though.

●How do you create your characters? For example, do you imagine your ideal and dabble...?

Sometimes I draw characters based on my ideal, and other times make up a disposable type or a stereotypical personality and play around with it... Even if I create a stereotypical character, there are still parts that go beyond that as I draw, so I let those parts gradually grow out of control...

●Are there any real life models for your characters? Do you model your characters after those close to you, or model them after your image...?

When I decide upon a girl's hairstyle, I first look at photos in 'Myoujou Hair Catalogue' (明星ヘアーカタログ) or celebrities... For the girl in the work I'm currently drawing, I drew her hair after looking at a photo of Sakai Noripii (酒井のりぴー). The girl's name is Inoue Akiko (井上明子), but that's the name of a person I loved in 'All Nighters' (オールナイターズ) long ago; they're both female university students. It's a good idea to expand on images from places like that.

●That time, were you influenced by the appearance of the real person? Is it possible their personality also transferred?

In Noripii's case, I don't particularly like her. If you ask why I imitate her appearance, it's simply because I believe it would be neat if I exposed her bad personality...

●Do you have any opinions or thoughts on the current state of Bishoujo Comic, or its future?

Yeah, I don't really pay much attention to what others do... But it would be nice if regulations were to relax a bit...

As Moriyama Tou (森山塔), he ushered in a huge boom in the Bishoujo Comic world. Afterwards, he progressed to the majors as Yamamoto Naoki (山本直樹). He was active in magazines such as 'Big Comic Spirits' (ビッグ・コミック・スピリッツ). And this year, he started drawing Bishoujo Comic again as Touyama Mori (塔山森).


●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

Hmm... It's hard to explain, but the ideas I come up with are all really strange, so I'd like to gradually turn that into reality... If I had say, I'd like to draw crazy things. The crazy parts...

●What gives you power when creating manga?

Everyday life... I like it, so I do it, but because it's the 'seed of my meals', I feel like I have to draw... Well, I guess you could call that power.

●As a mangaka, what is your policy or lifestyle?

In the end, it all comes down to whether your work is interesting or not. Whether you draw something a lot of people will approve of, or draw for a small minority of people who understand you, or whatever, the intended readers only exist in your head, so there's no point thinking about such things. You, yourself, need to determine whether it's interesting or not and then create it.

●Which artists do you consider to be your rivals?

When I read the books they send me, everyone's amazing, and...

●What advice would you give to those aiming to do Bishoujo manga in the future...?

Hmm, I wonder... Read books. Read Tsutsui Yasutaka (筒井康隆). I guess......

●A message to your fans.

Please buy my books.

●Any requests to your editors?

Please don't abandon me. Please take a long-term view.

●As an editor, it's their job, so even if a manuscript isn't ready yet, they shouldn't let it go to their heads. However, there's a limit to that. As an artist, they're working in a fight against physical time, so they want their editors to wait so a good work's ready... Is there anything you can say about that?

But there's cases where you work slowly and it becomes interesting, and cases where it spoils. If you create something in a crazy situation where you only have 12 hours left, it'll either become wild and interesting, or a complete failure. So, I don't think time matters that much. You just have to compete with the time you're given. Now I'm in a position where I can take a certain amount of time to create, but when I was working as 'Moriyama Tou', I was in a state where I was being poked in the arse. But it's thanks to that I managed to create my wild stuff, and...

●What kind of Shounen were you in elementary, middle, and high school?

I was a terribly good boy who listened to his father and mother, and studied hard, but (laughs) ... now I'm a talented ero-mangaka (laughs) ... I wonder if that's true...

●Speaking of which, you also have a teaching licence...

Yeah. If I hadn't become a mangaka, I would've become a school sensei. Honest (laughs) ... But I think there's quite a few similarities between school sensei and mangaka. There aren't many, but there are quite a few mangaka with teaching licences. Hiryuu Ran (飛龍乱) is one example...

●The contrast between a Bishoujo mangaka and a school sensei... It's very interesting.

You mean teachers being perverts.

●Are you interested in females?

Very much!!

●What do you think of the M Incident?

I guess M didn't have any friends. I don't particularly feel sorry for him, though. You could say he was a guy who tasted a concentrated moment of happiness, but I believe there are more concentrated moments of happiness and regions of happiness than that. I guess he got stuck inside his own internal circuitry and couldn't escape.

●Should the ban on porno be lifted? Also, about the social regulations on Bishoujo Comic.

It's fine if it's not lifted, but it shouldn't be regulated too much... It's complicated...

●Finally, a word to the readers of this book.

Don't just explore the manga forest. Please nurture a broader range of knowledge and interests.


——Recorded at Touyama Mori-sensei's home. February 1st of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


Realising My Creative Impulse is Pleasure and Pain, but I'm Happy when I'm Done.


Yui Toshiki (唯 登詩樹) (Pixiv)

●What triggered your debut?

I submitted 3 Cuts in the form of a reader submission to Byakuya Shobo's 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク). Back then, the reader submission corner was satisfying, so I felt I might as well join in...

●So, after you drew those Cuts, did the editorial department contact you?

Right. I sent Cuts, but before they were published, I received a letter from the editor asking me to work for them. Asking if I would like to draw a book. So I drew one. That book was 'Mermaid Junction' (マーメイドジャンクション).

●So you weren't trying to make it big as a mangaka, but rather started drawing at the request of the editorial department?

Yeah, back then, I was working in design, so I wasn't really thinking about doing it seriously. However, when I started drawing manga, I had a period where I could only sleep about two hours a day because of my side job as a designer, and I thought I couldn't keep that up, so I decided to focus on manga. I've always wanted to be a mangaka... I've challenged becoming a mangaka several times in the past.

●Did you learn about 'Hot Milk' at a convenience store or a bookshop?

No, I worked part-time at a bookshop for a while after graduating from university. I was in charge of the comic corner, and a friend of mine at the time told me these kind of Bishoujo manga were interesting, so I bought a bunch of them, and this was one of them.

●When did you develop the foundation of your drawing skills?

I've loved drawing since I was little, and drew quite a lot, but I was always drawing messy pictures, so you could say I was self-taught. But then I did the design work I mentioned earlier for about seven and a half years, and I believe that's when my drawing skills really solidified.

●Does design mean graphics?

It had nothing to do with manga, but I used to work in textile (clothing) design.

●So you learned your dessin foundation there...

Or rather I learned how to fill in a picture (laughs). I'm still not good at dessin (laughs).

●Which mangaka or works influenced you during your debut?

There's too many to choose... (laughs). But what really got me thinking about entering this world was Moriyama Tou (森山塔). Before I discovered Moriyama Tou's work, I knew absolutely nothing about this world.

●How did you learn about Moriyama-san

It all started when I bought a book at a bookshop. I believe it was 'Lolicon Diaries: Sex Education for Good Girls' (ロリコン日記よい子の性教育). I was shocked by this book... That work was great.

●What point do you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

My preference!! (laughs).

●What is your preference?

I don't narrow it down to just one person. I think of various types and then choose the person from those types who best suits my preference.

●Are these types created from an image or someone close to you?

Mostly images. I'm influenced by other people's manga, woodblock prints, anime, real people, Japanese and foreigners, all sorts.

●For example, Gotou Kumiko (後藤久美子) is a national Bishoujo and gets a lot of attention in the media. Have you thought of creating a character based on her?

No, I don't base my characters on real people. I don't want my likes and dislikes of that person to affect my character, so I draw a type of girl that probably doesn't exist in real life. I place importance on images.

Currently, he's a super popular artist whose works are serialised in 'Young Jump' (Shueisha), 'Penguin Club' (Tatsumi Publishing), and 'Hot Milk' (Byakuya), among others.


●Is there a manga magazine you'd like to draw for?

None in particular. For example, if there's a genre I really want to draw, I've thought about which publisher would be best place to publish that type of work, but...

●What gives you power when drawing manga?

Realising expressive behaviour brings me joy. It's painful when drawing, but I'm happy when it's finished. But when it's actually finished, I look at it and feel self-loathing (laughs). I guess that's what gives me energy to move onto the next one. Well, I'm happiest when an idea springs to mind (laughs).

●Do you have any rivals among artists?

I don't know about rivals. I live in Kyoto, so I feel that way...

●What is the merit and demerit of living in Kyoto?

The merit is it's a quiet place to live. It's a pretty nice place mentally, so I don't know if I could leave here for work. I believe it's possible I can do this work because of my current environment. I think there's also the possibility if I left here, I might find a different job.

●How do you feel about becoming a mangaka?

It's great doing what I like. The only thing that bothers me is being so busy!! I'm jealous of people who have one day off a week (laughs). For us, it all comes down to how many days of annual leave we get.

●A message to your fans!

To those who sent me fan letters, I'm sorry I haven't replied. I've been busy and haven't been able to write back. I do read them all, but I'm really looking forward to reading them all. I'm really sorry!!

●What is your ideal female image?

Wanibuchi Haruko-san (鰐淵晴子) is nice. Aesthetic sense is different for each viewer, but when drawing her picture, she has a well-defined face, she's better than a pure Japanese beauty.

●Any requests to your editors?

Nothing in particular... well... I wish they'd raise my manuscript fee (laughs).

●It seems manuscript fees are quite high in Western countries...

Well, ultimately it's a matter of each individual's level, but invisible labour is highly valued overseas, whereas in Japan, visible labour is still valued, but it's hard to value invisible labour. Well, it seems there are cases where the fees are so high overseas it causes management troubles that leads to company bankruptcy... I believe fees that are too high can be a problem in terms of balance, but I feel the standard in Japan is low.

●Have you always been able to draw Bishoujo like that?

I only started drawing characters like that after I decided to make my debut.

●So when you made your debut, you went through a lot of trial and error before coming up with that style?

You could say that.

●Is there some of Moriyama Tou-san's influence?

There was, but I can't even draw a single line that's lewd like Moriyama Tou's lines. Everything I draw is inorganic, it's very difficult to express sensuality, so I think my answer came from a desperate situation where I felt the only thing I could aim for was to draw cute girls. So I make my expression a little extreme, which I believe strikes a good balance. The drawings aren't extreme, so I envy those who can move others with a single line.

●Are young girls like Gotou Kumiko Sensei's preference?

Nooo way. Young girls... (laughs). After all, Wanibuchi Haruko-san (鰐淵晴子) is nice. I only fell in love with her after I hit puberty. If I had to mention someone I liked before puberty (laughs)...... I liked Yachigusa Kaoru-san (八千草薫) (laughs).

●There's a lot of fans!!

That's right!!


——Recorded at the Kyoto Café 'Coffee Party' (珈琲党). March 2nd of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


My Policy as a Mangaka is to Create Works Worthy of the Manuscript Fee.


ITOYOKO (Twitter)

●What triggered your debut?

Was it 8 years before now...? I often drew illustrations in doujinshi, and during which, I had never drawn a girl, but through some trigger, I started drawing girls and became hooked, so I started drawing manga featuring girls in doujinshi. There, I was wondering if the works I drew would become tankoubon... and then a friend, who did doujinshi with me, introduced my work to a publisher, and that became 'Let's Tatsumi' (Let'sタツミ) (Tatsumi Publishing), which sold well, so I thought I could make a living as an artist and began working as one.

●When you were a student?

No, I became a working adult and had more free time, so I started drawing there. I often drew my storyboard while at work (laughs).

●So, it must have taken incredible determination to quit your job as a salaryman and become a mangaka?

My tankoubon sold well, so I was confident I could make it in commercial magazines, and in addition, I hated the salaryman life, so... I found commuting on crowded trains to be a pain. ... I also wanted to try living on my own... Well, for the first six months or so, I struggled to make ends meet, and I had to borrow money from my parents (laughs).

●What about your parents' objections?

To be honest, I still haven't told my parents (laughs). I told them I was doing freelance design and illustration work.

●Which artists influenced you?

Konami-san (粉味) who drew for 'Shounen Captain' (少年キャプテン) (Tokuma Shoten). For a period, I admired Takahashi Rumiko-san (高橋留美子) and Hosono Fujihiko-san (細野不二彦). How do I put it? I had an abnormal fondness for people who are popular in a modern way.

●What aspects did you use as inspiration?

Their characters are incredibly appealing. More so than their stories... I believe making characters appealing is one methodology when drawing manga. That aspect is being put to good use in my current manga. I think if I create special characters everyone can understand, then things will work out somehow... That's the sort of place I started drawing manga from...

●So, what you strive to draw in manga is the characters?

I place importance on them.

●Have you ever failed when creating your own characters?

For example, there were times I came up with an idea, but it was difficult to draw (laughs). Basically, it would be fine if the character was simple, but my characters have lots of lines. Also, when their colour is black, I have to apply tones to their bodies, which means double or triple the work. It costs money for materials, it takes time... It's fun to draw, but it takes time... The stupider the son, the cuter he is... that kind of vibe.

●What about models for your characters?

I don't have anyone in particular, but when I watch a movie, if I think their hairstyle is wonderful, then I'll make use of it. When I'm stuck and can't come up with a character, I'll buy a magazine and skim through it, or read other mangaka's works and combine the best elements to create a character. Rather than drawing a character smoothly, I try to create a character that fits the story.

●How do you define the inner personality of your characters?

First, I decide on the 'trope' (お約束). If I decide on a simple trope, like this character is spoiled and effeminate, or stubborn, it makes it easier to develop the story afterwards. It also makes it easier to move the story forward. If I proceed this way, the character's personality will come out naturally. Conversely, if I don't define these tropes, the character won't have any individuality and it'll be difficult to create a story.

A popular artist active in publications like 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing). 'Dragon Pink' (ドラゴンピンク) (Tatsumi Publishing) is a big hit. The sequel will also be published this February.


●Where did you study your techniques?

I have no experience as an assistant, so I wasn't taught by anyone. Basically, I studied by reading manga by artists who are said to be particularly skilled. I also selected manga from those artists I thought I could implement into my own drawings and used them as a reference. Back then, besides gekiga, I read lots of manga, regardless of genre.

●In any case, it's study and...

Yeah, I believe artists like me who don't have a clear individuality need to accumulate good elements and draw them together. On the other hand, I believe artists with great individuality like Takahashi Yousuke-san (高橋葉介) and Araki Hirohiko-san (荒木比呂彦) shouldn't try to emulate other artists. I believe mangaka can go in 2 directions. In any case, I believe no-individuality-type artists have no choice but to recognise that and work hard. When I was a student, I was bad at drawing and drew one picture a day.

●You can't do this if you don't enjoy drawing art.

That's true. People aspiring to become mangaka should properly check that point. If you think you enjoy drawing, I think you have what it takes. If drawing is painful, then drawing is no good.

●What gives you power when creating works?

Of course, reading and being moved by the works of other artists gives me power. When I read such works, I want to create works that will inspire others.

●Any artists you consider rivals?

I don't have anyone on the level I regard as rivals. There are some incredible artists in both commercial magazines and doujinshi, but I think if you don't look at those artists with respect, you cannot really appreciate them.

●Any artists you respect that way?

I think Sadayasu Kei-san (さだやす圭), who draws 'Ahh! Harimanada' (ああ播磨灘) in 'Comic Morning' (コミックモーニング) (Kodansha) is really good. I think it's amazing to draw manga anyone can tell is amazing. I think he draws good manga, in an orthodox way. Also, there's doujinshi artists like Tanuma Yuichioro-san (田沼雄一郎)... I think he's an artist who has an impact that hasn't been drawn before. Before able to draw new things is a kind of sense. ... I'm impressed there's so many amazing people out there.

●It's very important for Bishoujo mangaka to recognise Bishoujo Manga isn't the only kind of manga, and to keep an eye on comics in general.

I don't believe you can create a good manga unless you recognise what kind of manga you're drawing. In doujinshi, you can draw whatever you want, but that's not the case with commercial magazines. It's fine if it's well-received, but if it's not, you're just causing trouble for others (editors and readers).

●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

It would be fulfilling as an artist if I could draw a work that would make someone say, "Yeah, I read that!" And, "It moved me!"

●Do you want to draw for all-age magazines in the future?

I don't have any strong ideas in that regard. If you can draw a good manga in any magazine, you'll get a decent amount of recognition, but conversely, I believe major magazines have a lot of restrictions and many conditions you cannot draw. I'm satisfied with drawing Bishoujo-type for 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing), though I'm thinking of wanting to draw manga in a different direction soon. I'd like to draw for 'Shounen Captain' (少年キャプテン) (Tokuma Shoten) or 'Cyber Comic' (サイバーコミック) (Bandai)... Though in the end, it's just an ambition...

●What is your policy as a mangaka?

I receive a manuscript fee for my work, so I want to make an effort to draw something worthy of that.

●A message to your readers.

I like humans on the side of creating things more than the side of receiving things, so I would be happy if everyone could also create things. If art is no good, then words are also fine...

●Finally, a message to your editors.

I'm sorry I'm always last to meet the deadline (laughs).


——Recorded at Café 'Village' (ヴィラージュ). February 26th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


Restrictions Cannot be Helped, but I Don't Want to Compromise my Ambitions.


Minor Boy (まいなぁぼぉい) (Twitter)

●What triggered your debut?

I was doing doujinshi and had quite a few manuscripts, and then I was approached by Shobunkan asking if I would like to compile them into a tankoubon and publish it. I was a bit embarrassed at first, but I thought, "Well, I guess it's fine...". That's how I began drawing for 'Half-Lita' (ハーフリータ) (Shobunkan)

●What was the trigger for doujinshi?

I always liked SF, so I entered Meiji University and joined the SF research club. Someone involved with Comiket was there. They took me to their Comiket room in Shibuya (a 4.5 tatami apartment room where doujinshi samples were collected and stored) and showed me a doujinshi called 'Cybele' (シベール), which sparked the flames of Lolicon. There, I received an impact, and... said, "Drawing this kinda stuff's fine!?" (laughs). Back then, during the third-rate gekiga boom, I also enjoyed reading Muraso Shun'ichi-sensei (村祖俊一). It was as if that kind of ero-gekiga collided with doujinshi... So I decided to publish a doujinshi, but there was no one else in the SF research club who could draw manga, so I had no choice but to bring in someone else who could, create a doujinshi, and then publish it... It's been 10 years since then, I believe... So, at first, I had no intention of becoming a mangaka... Well, it was around the time Comiket was growing bigger, and doujinshi activities were quite fun...

●Which artists influenced you?

Nakajima Fumio-san (中島史雄).

●What about all-age artists?

In terms of art, I'm heavily influenced by Nagai Gou (永井豪), Mochizuki Mikiya (望月三起也)... and Mochizuki-san's sense of voluptuous ladies.

●As a reader, who is your favourite artist?

The one I respect is Morohoshi Daijirou (諸星大二郎). I liked him before he drew manga. Originally, I wanted to write stories rather than draw. That's why I liked artists with a strong sense of artistry like Morohoshi, people who draw things only they can draw.

●What is your favourite among your own works up to now?

I like creating stories, so I have a lot of images in my head at first. So when I try to draw them, I always feel as if there's a gap... I thought up a great story, but when I think it would be difficult to draw, I change the story or save it for later, so I haven't been satisfied with any of my works.

●Who's your favourite among your characters?

I think the foreign female called Sharon Gardner from 'ARMOR-ZONE' I drew for (Tokyo) Sanseisha 'Loli-Touch' (ロリタッチ). She had a queen-sama like feel. At first, she was a villainess, but gradually she started to eat the protagonist.

●When you draw your characters, what do you pay attention to?

Basically, I try to draw weird or unique characters. Characters that deviate from the reader's expectations as much as possible... I like to be unconventional. Well, I often fail because I try to be too unconventional.

●What do you think will happen to Bishoujo Comic in the future?

The simple ero-manga parts will mix with the manga maniac parts. When you think it's popular with great ero, there are also works that are popular without ero. So, it's a very delicate space. I don't know what will happen.

●What do you see yourself doing in 5 years?

I don't know if I'll still be drawing commercially, but I think I'll still be doing doujinshi. With doujinshi, you can do whatever you want, and it's fun to sell them yourself. Also, you get to hear directly from your readers. Plus, you get to become acquainted with strange friends and people from worlds unrelated to yours.

Currently, he's drawing the 'Keiko-sensei series' (景子先生シリーズ) based on Sugimuara Haruya's (杉村春也) original work in Comic Bunko (コミック文庫) (France Shoin). Wait patiently for the completion of his long trilogy.


●Are the weird people that appear in your works based on the people around you?

There are probably some artists who use the people around them in their works, but I don't do that. I enjoy making up stories, and am not very good at drawing. So even if I wanted to use the people around me, I wouldn't be able to imitate them very well, so...

●Enjoying the story-creation process is important if you think you want to become a long-running mangaka, right?

I think so. It feels like this world would be tough if you entered with just your art.

●What manga magazines would you like to challenge in the future?

I'm the kind of artist who will draw anywhere if they let me draw as I like (laughs). On the other hand, if I'm forced to draw things I don't want to draw, then I don't want to draw them no matter where. Since it's in a commercial magazine, some degree of self-regulation is unavoidable, but I don't want to compromise my ambitions in order to draw.

●There's quite a few artists who want to draw for 'Shonen Jump' (少年ジャンプ).

In my mind, there's no distinction between shounen magazines, ero-manga, shoujo manga, or SF-manga...... Or rather, I think it's strange to make such distinctions. Whether it's sex, evil activity, or murder, that's a part of being human. If it's necessary for the story to progress, I think it's unnatural if those things don't appear. So, if there's a story I want to draw and there's an ero-scene, I believe I have to draw it. I think it's strange to say it's not OK because it's a shounen magazine. If it's a good story, it should be interesting regardless of the age. If I think of a story and draw the necessary scenes for it, or there's no ero in the story I thought up and draw it, I want to draw anywhere.

●You need to be particular about the vessel...

I don't want to be particular.

●You said you joined an SF research club, so what about SF manga?

Yeah... I don't think I could draw one with my current drawing abilities... But if I had time, I think I would like to draw unbelievable SF.

●What is the theme depicted in your works?

Basically, I want to depict messy human relationships. I think my stories are melodramas. So they end up being stories about fate, about likes and dislikes, and what things were like in the past, and so on.

●What gives you power to continue creating?

Right now, it's money, but I'm also happy to leave behind the things I created. That's my joy. I think it's the same as creating a child as a living being. Only a handful of people make a profit from doujinshi. They're a money pit. But they still do it because it brings them pure joy. Not money. I couldn't be happier if money is linked to that joy.

●Which artists do you consider to be your rival?

There's people I read and remember feeling jealous of. One is someone who draws things I cannot draw myself. Another is someone who inspires me when they beautifully draw something I wanted to do. I cannot remember any names off the top of my head, though...

●Anything for those who wish to become Bishoujo mangaka, or those who want to create doujinshi...?

Please draw something as lewd as possible!

●If you fake your feelings...

No, that's not it. I think my drawings really suck, so I want someone to draw the kinds of things I draw, but with better art. Also, I like long stories, so I'd like to see someone come along who can draw long stories.

●A word to your fans.

If you think it's interesting, please buy it...

●Any requests to your editors? For example, manuscript fees...

I'm not the type who spends much time drawing, but there are some artists who put a lot of time and effort, so I think it must be tough for those artists. You can't mass-produce those kind of artists, so I think it would be better to invest in them......

●Finally, what would you like to do before you die?

I'd like to set foot on all 5 continents (laughs). If possible, I'd like to go to Antarctica and outer space as well... It would cost a lot of money, though...


——Recorded at Café 'Village' (ヴィラージュ). February 12th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


Drawing the Onee-chan I Like is My Creative Energy.


MEE-kun (MEEくん) (Wiki)

●What triggered your debut?

Ookubo-san (大久保), the editor who created 'Pumpkin' (パンプキン) (Byakuya Shobo), and a mangaka friend of mine were friends, so I was introduced to 'Pumpkin' through my friend and started drawing there. There, I drew the 'Hiromi-chan Series', the precursor to 'Hiromi-chan Funsenki' (ひろみちゃん奮戦記) (currently serialised in 'Candy Time' [Fujimi Publishing]), and a SF-ish work called 'Warside Game' (ウォーサイドゲーム).

●Then you received a request from 'Erotopia' (エロトピア) (Wani Magazine-sha)

Yeah. However, first, Itou-san (伊藤) (currently the editor-in-chief of Young Paradise [ヤングパラダイス] [Wani Magazine-sha]. MEE-kun draws their covers) called me while I was away, but I thought that couldn't be right and that it must've been some kind of mistake, so I let it go. Then about a year and a half later, I heard 'Pumpkin' was in trouble, and I thought it was about time I got some other work, so I timidly called Erotopia (laughs). There, I first did a story about an alien Onee-chan ('Alien Princess ⅠⅡ' [エイリアン姫ⅠⅡ]), and then began the serial 'Burning Iron Man' (燃えよ鉄人) next.

●Who came up with the 'Burning Iron Man' project?

It felt like I pretty much left that one to the Editor-san. At first, we were planning to publish seven tankoubon, but due to it being low in the 'Erotopia' enquête, I finished only four. Though, thankfully the tankoubon sold well (laughs).

●When did you start drawing manga?

I had a vague love for drawing since around elementary school. During high school, I made something like a doujinshi and drew manga with divided panels.

●Were you in a manga club?

When I was at (Kyushu Sangyo) University, I thought about joining one, but then I met the club's president and he told me it'd be best if I didn't join... Well, I thought it would be fine if I didn't join, I could just hang out every now and then, so I ended up not joining.

●Which mangaka-san influenced you the most up to now?

I guess 'Henjin Club' (変人クラブ) by Yuzuki Hikaru-san (弓月光), 'Devil Man' (デビルマン) by Nagai Gou-san (永井豪), 'Kikaider' (キカイダー) by Ishinomori Shotarou-san (石ノ森章太郎).

●So you read a lot of manga?

In the past, there weren't as many manga as there are now, but I always bought 'TV Land' (テレビランド) and 'TV Magazine' (テレビマガジン).

●What about now?

I like 'Kiken ga Walking' (危険がウォーキング) (Shounen Captain Tokuma Shoten) by Hoshiri Mochiru-san (星里もちる). At first, I didn't like it at all, but then people around me told me it was interesting and that I should read it. I refused because I didn't like the art, but before I knew it... I'd happily work as this person's assistant for free.

●What magazine would you like to draw for right now?

Hmm, I wonder... 'Dragon Magazine' (ドラゴンマガジン) (Fujimi Shobo) will be releasing a manga book around next year... I'd like to draw for that if possible.

Rumour has it even though he's only doing 2 books for 'Erotopia' (Wani Magazine-sha) and 'Candy Time' (Fujimi Publishing), for some reason, he's slow to UP his manuscripts.


●Who is your favourite character in your long series, 'Hiromi-chan Funsenki' and 'Burning Iron Man'?

I sympathise more with supporting characters than main characters, but...... as for 'Burning Iron Man', I feel like the supporting characters move around more than the main character......

●What do you pay attention to when creating your characters?

I pay attention to the balance between the face and body.

●When creating characters, do you create them entirely in your head, or do you have a real-life model?

Most of them are real-life.

●'Hiromi-chan' was real-life?

Yeah. I'm not good at choosing names, so I sometimes borrow names from real people.

●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

I'd like draw something more romantic comedy, or more higgledy-piggledy like SF or fantasy, but I'm not sure if I'm up to it (laughs)...

●What gives you energy during the manga creation process?

Drawing a one-scene with an Onee-chan I like.

●What's the good part of drawing a work?

I guess receiving postcards and letters makes me happy. It's great to receive feedback from my readers. Truly.

●A message to your readers who love the Bishoujo Hiromi-chan!

I believe Hiromi-chan is a cute girl who strays from the concept of Bishoujo...

●Any requests to your editors?

Please deliver the book (Candy Time) of my serialised works as soon it's completed!

●Would you like to have a female assistant?

Somehow, I feel like they would be difficult to manage and scary...

●What would be your ideal assistant?

Someone who can prepare meals... Someone with a wide repertoire would be nice. And talented... Also good-looking (laughs).

●Which artists do you see as your rivals?

If I had to say who I admire, it would be Yuuki Nobuteru-san (結城信輝) (Dragon Magazine) Tsuruta Kenji-san (鶴田謙二) (Afternoon). I love their black manuscript paper. I admire them.

●What did you do as a child?

I used to doodle all day (laughs). I also used to go out and play with the Onii-chan in my neighbourhood!

●Ahh... No!! (Laughs)... Speaking of which, I heard you liked udon...

The udon from Kanto bukkaked with soy sauce is no good. Kyushu's udon is good. It has a strong flavour, but that's because of the dashi, which is a little different from Kanto's.

●Do you also like News Station (ニュースステーション)?

Hmm, I watch it almost every day. I like Kume Hiroshi-san (久米宏), but I also like people who get straight to the point like Kamioka Ryuutarou-san (上岡龍太郎).

●Do you enjoy drawing 'Hiromi-chan'?

Drawing itself is enjoyable, but as I learn more about the industry and get influenced by it, it's not always enjoyable, though...

●Do you worry about a lot of things when you start working on a project?

Well, the storyboard stage is the most fun and motivating, the moment the Name is done, I feel a sense of satisfaction it's finished (laughs). Drawing art is the act of tracing what's already been created inside your head, the finished product.


——Recorded at MEE-kun's home. February 28th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※

'Hiromi-chan Funsenki' (ひろみちゃん奮戦記)

※～※～※～※～※


I Want to Destroy the Concept of What's Natural; I Don't Want to do the Same Thing as Others.


BUIBUI (舞井武依) (Wiki) (Home)

●'Nassh's Children' (魔王の子供たち) and 'Nassh's Children Strike Back' (魔王の子供たちの逆襲) were big hits, how do you feel?

Oh my——y, I didn't think they would become this well-received.

●What triggered your debut?

To be honest... I don't quite remember (laughs). A friend showed me a manga by Chimi Morio-sensei (ちみもりお) from a certain Lemon People (レモンピープル) magazine, and I thought to myself, I also wanna draw in this kinda style...

●That was what triggered you becoming a mangaka?

... One of them.

●Is your current style and composition also influenced by Chimi-sensei?

It's a bit different, but...

●Which manga and mangaka influenced you the most up till now?

In terms of story, Tezuka Osamu-sensei's (手塚治虫) 'Thunder Mask' (サンダーマスク). I was influenced by its theme more than its art.

●Any manga you like at the moment?

I like 'Charm the Cat' (チャーム・ザ・キャット) by TRUMP.

●So, among your own works, who is your favourite character?

It's Nassh, the Otou-san that appears in 'Nassh's Children' (魔王の子供たち).

●What do you like about Nassh?

He looks like a monster, but his appearance doesn't necessarily match his inner self, which makes him a nice character.

●What do you like most about drawing this character?

The fact he doesn't have any sudden or strange changes in personality.

●What do you think you'll be doing in 5 years?

I'm hoping I'll be working as a mangaka.

●What do you think of Bishoujo Comic's prospects?

A very bright future awaits it!? (Laughs). Well, I think there'll be a wave depending on the period, but I think it'll survive by riding those waves. It will never go away.

●What was the model for the characters in 'Nassh's Children'?

My bunny rabbit at home. (Laughs).

●What's the manga magazine you most want to draw for right now?

'Marvel Comics'!! (Laughs).

●You said you'd like to challenge 'Comic Morning' (コミックモーニング) or 'Afternoon' (アフタヌーン), but...

That's correct.

●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

Something similar to what I'm doing now, so I guess a happy family drama.

●If you hadn't become a mangaka, what would you have done?

I would be a d... designer (laughs).

●What genre?

I'm sure I would design pop art for shops.

●What is the theme of your work, the part you most want to express?

I want to break down conventional concepts. I don't want to do the same as others.

●... That's important. With that in mind, what do you think gives you power when creating your works? If possible, please be specific.

Music, I guess.

Currently serialised in 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing) and 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク) (Byakuya Shobo). 'Nassh's Children Strike Back' (魔王の子供達の逆襲) (Tatsumi Publishing) is a big hit.


●What genre?

Movie soundtrack. Currently, the music of a guy called 'James Horner' is the best.

●When you listen to that, it gives you an urge to create, right?

That's right.

●What is your stance and policy as you continue as a mangaka?

My policy is to not force myself to change who I am now, but to continue naturally the way I've always been.

●Right now, you're at the peak of your popularity, so I'm sure you're very busy, but do you use any assistants?

I receive help from an assistant pro* (アシ・プロ) mangaka-san.
※T/L Note: this could also be 'Ashi Productions'.

●If you were to hire a female assistant, what type would you like?

A strong woman. Physically...

●Ehh!! Physical strength?

After all, cause it's an irregular job, you need physical strength.

●By the way, which artists do you see as your rival when it comes to drawing works?

TRUMP-sensei (laughs). Ginkamen-sensei (銀仮面) (Laughs). Kokomahi-sensei (ここまひ)!! ... (Laughs).

●Please give a word to those aiming to be Bishoujo mangaka in the future.

Please don't draw manga better than me!! (Laughs). Well, if you relax your shoulders, you'll be fine, you'll definitely have to tread through some tough paths, but so long as you're prepared for them, you can do it.

●Have you had any good experiences since becoming a mangaka?

I've received all sorts of things from fans.

●Well then, a message to those fans.

Please continue reading, have fun and smile!!

●How long will 'Nassh's Children' continue?

Depends on the Editor-san (laughs).

●What do you think about the Bishoujo characters appearing in today's Bishoujo manga?

It looks like the artists are drawing while looking at real Bishoujo, and it feels like they're drawing phonies, not the artist's own 'Bishoujo'. Will there be an increase in artist's own 'Bishoujo' trending towards the more real in the future?

●What is BUI BUI-sensei's image of a Bishoujo?

A Bishoujo that isn't controlled by her surroundings, she moves towards her will as the wind blows.

●Self-centred?

No, she has a good personality, but she makes it clear she has her own way of living... But it would be a bit of a problem if she were like Ishihara Mariko (石原真理子).

●What do you want or need to do before you die?

I want to release original goods!! (Laughs).

●That can be achieved (laughs). And next, you want to be united with your ideal woman!? ... What is Sensei's ideal female image?

She appears in my manga, so if I were to use a character from my manga, it would be Okaa-san (Ryouka Nassh [良華ナッシュ]).

●So, if a woman like that actually appeared in front of you, and if you won a hundred million yen in the lottery, would you donate it?

No, if I won a hundred million yen... I'd go to Mongolia (laughs). But a hundred million yen is so unrealistic, I cannot imagine what I'd spend it on. I'd like to have it, though (laughs)...

●Finally, if Sensei has any requests to the editors he's working with...

... I hope... they would be nicer....

●Are they strict?

Please don't just throw away my art storyboard (laughs). Please let my storyboard pass through (laughs).


——Recorded at Comic House Satellite Office (コミックハウス分室). February 6th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※

'Nassh's Children Strike Back' (魔王の子供たちの逆襲)

※～※～※～※～※


Don't Draw for Self-Satisfaction, Learn Techniques That Can Be Applied to Normal Manga!!


MON-MON (悶悶) (Home)

●MON-MON-sensei is famous in the anime world for his character designs in works such as 'Lemon Angel' (レモンエンジェル), but what triggered you becoming a mangaka...?

When I was in university, I was in Kumamoto, and I had decided to move to Tokyo to become a pro animator, but I had heard animators in Tokyo had low salaries and struggled, so I started drawing manga as a form of insurance.

●You wanted to earn a living from manga.

Yeah. So, I started by sending illustrations to a book called 'Burikko' (ブリッコ) (Byakuya Shobo), which was doing an illustration recruitment. My illustration was selected, and the editor-san asked, "Wanna do a manga?" So I started drawing.

●Have you drawn manga before then?

I read manga, but I had never drawn it. So when he said that, I immediately began. That was 'Burikkomimi' (ブリッコミミ).

●So at that time, manga was nothing more than a side-job.

Yeah, 'Lupin Ⅲ: The Castle of Cagliostro' (ルパン三世・カリオストロの城) was my first encounter with anime, and I thought it was amazing, so I watched the TV anime 'Future Boy Conan' (未来少年コナン) and 'Mobile Suit Gundam' (機動戦士ガンダム), and became completely absorbed in anime. So at that time, I just wanted to become a pro animator.

●Which manga and mangaka influenced you?

The ones that influenced me the most are ones like Nagai Gou (永井豪) and Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫). Right now, my favourite manga is 'Dragon Ball' (ドラゴンボール) (Art: Toriyama Akira [鳥山明], Shonen Jump, Shueisha) and 'Parasyte' (寄生獣) (Art: Iwaaki Hitoshi (岩明均), Afternoon, Kodansha).

●What do you think about 'Manami-chan to Asobou' (まなみちゃんと遊ぼう) (Fujimi Publishing)?

I like the direction of the contents, but I started it on an experimental scale, so there's a lot of mistakes. As for the characters, I like the girl called Rie-chan, who appears in it, the most.

●Rie-chan is the one who always bullies Manami-chan.

Hmm. Perhaps empathising with bullies makes me an S (laughs).

●What point do you pay attention to when drawing your characters?

If nothing else, I consider how they must absolutely look lewd. Also, to get a lot of people to read my work, I draw with a cute art style... I pay attention to things like making the atmosphere of the story cute.

●When creating a character, do you model them after someone?

I completely create the character's personality from imagination.

●What magazine would you like to draw for?

A shounen magazine would be most ideal, but a seinen magazine would be what suits me best. I'd like to draw something with an SF feel.

●What is the theme of your work?

Essentially, something that looks bright and is readable.

He draws the cover illustration for 'Candy Time' (キャンディータイム」) (Fujimi Publishing). He has worked as an illustrator on many occasions, including illustrations for game books. He's currently preparing to be serialised in 'Candy Time'. Look forward to it.


●What is your energy source when drawing manga?

An improvement in my living level, being able to buy a car and big TV... Those sorts of joys. Also, my actual energy source is the ginger grilled swordfish I get at a nearby restaurant (laughs). I don't have a gas range, so I can't cook at home, so I eat out, but this ginger grilled swordfish is so delicious!!

●What are the merits of drawing manga?

After all, I get to meet people I wouldn't normally meet. I guess the good thing is that I don't have to join a company, so I'm not tied down and can do things alone.

●Any artists you see as rivals?

There's some growing artists. I'm most interested in them. I'm also interested in people who are good at storytelling and directing. I cannot remember any specific names, though...

●A word to those aspiring to become Bishoujo mangaka in the future!

I don't believe it's a good idea to draw for your own satisfaction. I believe it's better to draw ecchi manga while acquiring skills that can be applied to normal manga.

●What would you be doing now if you weren't a mangaka?

I believe I would be an animator.

●What about your current job?

I'm a little worried whether this is a job I can do for the rest of my life, but it's the best job I can do right now.

●What would you do if you won 100 million yen in the lottery?

I'd probably save it and live off the interest, or I'd use it to make game soft.

●Are you interested in games?

I like them and play quite often. Same goes for music, I'm into game music and right now, 80% of my CDs are game music. The music for Actraiser on the Super Famicom is amazing. It's a difficult game, and I've never played one that difficult before. When I'm tired from work, playing games is a good way to change my mood. I wish I could just stop at changing my mood, but... they keep dragging me along... (laughs).

●Your penname is quite easy to remember.

I wanted one people could remember after hearing it just once. Also, it sounds Bishoujo manga-ish.

●What about the future of Bishoujo Comic...?

If regulations become stricter, I think their numbers will decrease. I don't think it's a bad thing that needs to be weeded out like that... But still, there are so many being published and they're selling reasonably well, so I guess there's a demand...

●Any experience with doujinshi?

Yeah. I sold them and made quite a delicious profit, but I'm busy now...

●Do you have absolutely no assistant experience?

I worked as one one night at Ikuta Maki-san's place (いくたまき), but I wasn't able to be any help at all... Guess my personality's unsuited to being an assistant...

●You're currently recruiting assistants. What sort of person would be best?

It would be great if it's someone who can do the work. Or rather, there's no point if they cannot do it...

●Finally, what is your ideal female image?

If you like them, there's parts you can forgive, so the bottom line is I believe it's fine so long as the bare minimum is met.


——Recorded at MON-MON's home. February 25th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※

'Manami-chan to Asobou' (まなみちゃんと遊ぼう)

※～※～※～※～※


Even if I Become Major, I Want to Continue Only Bishoujo Comic.


よしだけい (Yoshida Kei)

●What triggered your debut?

I always had feelings of wanting to make a living on my art, so at first, I worked as an animator, but I grew tired of drawing for other people every day, and around that time, I was creating doujinshi, so I thought maybe manga would also be fine... At first, I went to Shogakukan and other magazines to peddle my work, but those major magazines wouldn't publish me right away... Around that time, there was a flood of Bishoujo Comic, so when I saw their contents, I thought maybe I could make my debut... (laughs). Anyways, I was in a situation where I would be forced to work if I didn't show my parents I had become a mangaka, so I made my debut with Bishoujo manga.

●Your parents were the biggest trigger?

That's right (laughs).

●What triggered you entering doujinshi?

When I was attending the Tokyo Designer Academy, one of my friends was my neighbour, and we thought we should make a doujinshi together...

●Who else from that Circle became artists?

Half the assistants at Fujishima Kousuke-kun's (藤島康介) place participated. One of my assistants was also there.

●What kind of activities for that Circle?

About 7 years ago, we did something called 'Zetsurin Kikaku' (絶倫企画) and around the 22nd or 23rd Comiket, our sales were enough to put us in 9th in the best ten at the back of the Comiket catalogue. With that, I thought this kinda thing's profitable... (laughs).

●Which mangaka influenced you the most?

The one who influenced me the most when I was little was Nagai Gou-sensei (永井豪). He was doing a series called 'Maou Dante' (魔王ダンテ) in 'Bokura Magazine' (ぼくらマガジン), and I always eagerly bought it. I was completely devoted to Nagai Gou-sensei until he did 'Mazinger Z' (マジンガーZ) in 'Shonen Jump', but after that, I followed the trends of the period and used them as references. There are so many talented artists now I couldn't possibly list them all.

●What's your favourite manga right now?

Shirou Masamune-sensei (士郎正宗).

●What do you like about him...?

His muscles are well-developed. I'm interested in people who can draw body lines with that sort of firmness. I'm not interested in his SF parts, but... I can respect someone who can draw that well and knows so much......

●What is your favourite of your own work so far? Or your favourite character?

Every time I finish drawing, I start thinking about my next work, and the next one, so I like the one closest to me I'm currently serialising... The one that moves the easiest among my recent characters is 'Satsuki' (五月) from 'WelCome' I'm drawing for 'Penguin Club Yamazokuban' (ペンギンクラブ山賊版) (Tatsumi Publishing)... And I'm finally starting to grasp the personality of 'Eri' (エリ) from 'Love Doll Eri-chan' (愛・ドールエリちゃん)... I think...

●What point do you pay the most attention to when creating a character?

Hmm. Until recently, I didn't really think about character traits... (laughs). Recently, I've started paying attention to things like, "What would that character be wearing?" Or "What would they own?" Also, this is a very basic thing, but I also think about how the character thinks... Because if I don't pay attention to that, the story will go off track.

●What do you think will happen to Bishoujo Comic in the future?

As a genre, there's a lot of public criticism, but I think it has an established customer base, so just as kannou gekiga has survived even when (its circulation numbers are) low, I think Bishoujo Comic will also survive even when they're low...

●What manga magazine would you most like to draw for right now? 'Shonen Jump' (少年ジャンプ)?

I have an image the place called Shueisha is difficult to enter...

Currently serialised in 'Hana Ichimon Me' (花いちもんめ) (Mediax), 'Penguin Club Sanzokuban' (ペンギンクラブ山賊版) (Tatsumi Publishing), and 'Flamingo' (フラミンゴ) (Sanwa Publishing). Currently challenging a fantasy work.


●What do you think of 'Afternoon' (アフタヌーン) that your friend Fujishima Kousuke-sensei is drawing for?

That's right. However, I don't have the skills to go there yet... I'm working hard at the places that called out to me.

●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

In terms of characters, I would like to draw a person who is a bit more selfish. I, myself, am quite selfish, but I haven't created a character like that yet...

●Like Lum-chan from 'Urusei Yatsura' (うる星やつら)?

That sort of style, I believe readers feeling they can forgive her selfishness is fundamentally necessary. It's not good if the reader receives her in the wrong way. It's not good if they feel she's just an individualist or a twisted person. On the other hand, I think the key is that she's selfish, but doesn't seem selfish. If I could do that well, I'd be able to portray a selfish person in an interesting way, but I haven't established the technique to 'not make them seem selfish', so even though I want to portray selfish people, I'm not really sure... If I portray a selfish person as selfish, they would simply be an unpleasant individual......

●What gives you power when creating your works?

The interesting things around me... If I come across something interesting, even if it's just a small piece of information, I'll take it in, and those things become my power...

●What if those things disappear?

Rather than those things disappearing, I guess I would no longer find them interesting, and if I lose my sensitivity to those things, I believe I'll be destroyed as an artist. So, to keep my sensitivity up, I've started looking for information more and more after my debut. After all, I'm gradually becoming an old geezer...

●What is your policy as a mangaka?

Even if become major after this, I still want to keep doing Bishoujo Comic...

●So you like it?

That's right... The greater the magazine's circulation, the greater its restrictions, so there are a lot of things that cannot be depicted in them, so I believe Bishoujo Comic is an interesting place where I can express those things.

●For example, would the current form of Yui Toshiki-san (唯登詩樹) be best?

That's right. If only I could as major as that...

●Anything for the people aiming to be mangaka in the future?

Most Bishoujo Comics have cute girls as their protagonists, so wouldn't it be beneficial to put everything you got into the cute girls...? I've been straying from that path recently, but...

●What do you need or want to do before you die? Like a personal mission...

First, I need to die after my parents to build a proper grave for them... (laughs).

●What kind of Shounen were you in elementary, middle, and high school?

I was a comparatively honour student type. And yet, deep down, I bore feelings of 'I'm the best in the world' or 'the world keeps turning thanks to me' while on the surface, I'm a guy who keeps up an overly smooth appearance.

●Any manga theories?

If you think about that, there's no end to them... but isn't it fine if the person himself believes they're right and continues to pursue their opinion......? I'd like to become an artist with that kind of clear individuality... but... I'm not really that kind of mangaka with a consistent line of reasoning... (laughs).

●Any character theories?

I definitely don't want to make a child younger than middle school into a protagonist (laughs). I don't really like children...

●So that's why they don't appear in your manga......

It's becoming harder and harder for me to understand the feelings of children like that, and it's annoying to look back on myself at that age...


——Recorded at Comic House Satellite Office (コミックハウス分室). February 21st of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


Whenever I read Boring Works, I Wonder Why They Charge Money for Such Things!!


Hiryuu Ran (飛龍乱) (Home)

●What triggered your debut?

When I was studying to walk the path of a teacher in university, there was an unexpected trigger... Or rather I was tempted... I wanted to draw manga (laughs). So, because I wanted to do manga, I became Moriyama Tou-san's (森山塔) assistant. One day, an editor came to Moriyama-san and asked him to draw a 16-page manuscript, but it just so happened Moriyama was busy at the time and couldn't draw the manuscript, so he asked me if I wanted to do it, and I was suddenly asked to draw it (laughs).

●So you made you debut by drawing to fill a hole (laughs).

Yeah, it would've been nice if I could've been as successful as Motomiya Hiroshi-san (本宮ひろ志). (Motomiya Hiroshi-sensei made his debut by drawing 'Otoko Ippiki Gaki Daishou' [男一匹ガキ大将] to fill in a hole left by Kaizuka Hiroshi-sensei [貝塚ひろし], who suddenly fell ill.)

●Any mangaka who influenced you?

There's a mountain of them. I was only an assistant to Moriyama-san, so he was a particularly big influence on me.

●What did you learn?

Moriyama-san respected the individuality of his assistants, and he let us do what we wanted, so I got the impression that with manga, it's fine to mess around a lot... (laughs) ... I guess I learned manga is freedom.

●What point do you pay attention to when drawing a work?

Making it easy to read and interesting.

●What do you mean specifically by interesting......?

If it's a gag, then it should be funny, if it's lewd, then it should be really lewd, if it's gross, then it should be gross; it should leave the reader with some kind of emotion. Readers pay money to read it, so I believe I need to leave them with something.

●How do you go about creating your characters?

I combine elements, like selfish, cheerful, earnest, brave, spiteful, honest, and so on. For example, if you combine different elements like earnest and selfish, or selfish and honest, and move the character along, their personality will naturally develop. So, you don't have to decide on a personality from the beginning, just decide on simple things, and then it will solidify as you bring out these various elements little by little.

●So, what point do you pay attention to when moving your characters?

Akagawa Jirou-san (赤川次郎) seems to always give every one of his characters at least one highlight, but when I hear that, I try to do the same as much as possible... Although, sometimes things don't allow me to do that... If possible, I'd like even a sub-character to have enough elements to tell a full story...

Currently, he's serialising 'SUPER SISTER FATE' in 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing). 'Material Girl 2' (マテリアルガール➋), which was scheduled for release February of this year, has been delayed due to social circumstances!! Such a shame!!


●What manga magazine would you like to draw for right now?

It would be amazing if I could draw for something like 'Shonen Jump' (少年ジャンプ) (laughs).

●What sort of works do you want to draw in the future?

Everything's haphazard (laughs) ... If manga itself doesn't work out, I'd like to draw scenarios for Famicom games... there's a lot of boring games out there, so...

●What gives you power when creating your works?

Reading interesting works, wishing I could create works that are just as interesting, and reading boring works and thinking, "Why would they charge money for something like this?" These two sides... Also, it's the seed for my meals... you could say...

●What is your policy as a mangaka?

Don't have one... Rather I want to do a presentation of interesting things... I'd be happy if readers also find these things to be interesting...

●A word to those aiming to be Bishoujo mangaka in the future.

Rather than aiming for Bishoujo manga, I would prefer people aim to be mangaka... These Bishoujo manga didn't exist in the past... In the past, everything was split into gekiga and shounen manga, and in the heyday of Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫), Ishinomori Shotarou (石ノ森章太郎), and Nagai Gou (永井豪), everything besides those 2 were pushed aside and no one could make their debut. Now, with this genre of Bishoujo manga that makes it relatively easy to make your debut, all you have to do is draw naked girls, even if it somewhat goes against your imagination, so I believe it's a good idea to try making your debut that way. Once you gain some skill, you can just draw what you want to draw... It's a grace period, so to speak, to gain strength...

●Any artists you believe are your rivals?

It may be somewhat presumptuous to call him a rival, but I'd say Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫) (laughs).

●If you hadn't become a mangaka, what do think you'd be doing?

Maybe I would be a school sensei or salaryman... I'm sure I would work hard. I'm pretty hardworking for a mangaka, so I think I would be able to do a good job as a salaryman.

●A word to your fans.

I believe I'm very grateful. When I hear people lined up the day before for an autograph session, I feel extremely grateful. Personally, if it was for Dragon Quest, I'd be willing to line up the day before, but I'm not willing to go that far for a mangaka's autograph. I couldn't believe there's people doing that for me.

●What's your image of Bishoujo 50 to 100 years from now?

I think it'll be different from now... However, when I look at photos of Yoshinaga Sayuri (吉永小百合) when she was a child, she's still cute even now... It's hard to know for sure...

●What do you want to do before you die?

I want to create a blockbuster movie. ... And an ero-video!! Ero-videos these days are boring... I think people who used to talk about Fellini and Visconti are the ones unable to make it into the majors and now they're creating ero-videos, so they're inserting philosophical stuff into their videos. Making a woman say something like, "I despaired at today's humanity." ... That's something the audience doesn't want to see. They should cut that kind of stuff out. I'd like to make ero-videos a broader audience wants to see.

●What is your ideal female image?

Even if I think they're a little fat, if there's a skinny girl and cute girl, they're both fine, I believe... Well, as long as they're cute, anything's fine...

●Any requests to your editors?

Please extend my deadlines (laughs). Please increase my manuscript fee. Also, please increase the number of first edition copies of my tankoubon to 50,000 (laughs). ... Just kidding...


——Recorded at the Higashi Ginza café 'Black Coffee' (ブラックコーヒー). February 27th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※

'SISTER FATE' (シスターフェイト)

※～※～※～※～※


Please Read Without Thinking Deeply; I'm Happy if You Laugh.


Nanno Koto (南野琴) (Twitter)

●What triggered your start in manga?

I didn't look at anime or manga, but when I was in my 2nd year of high school, the art club sempai made an anime, which influenced me into starting to look at anime and manga. After graduating from high school, I spent about a year hanging around doing part-time jobs and such, and then I joined an anime company. I went from studio to studio, but somehow I started to think I'd like to try drawing manga, so a friend of mine, who was a mangaka, introduced me to an editor-san.

●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

For now, I would like to try drawing a Teisu (ていす) story as a spin-off of 'Golden Wolf' (ゴールデンWOLF)...

Something with a comedy-touch, like a comedy act between Teisu and her Onii-san... But I have to work as an animator for about four months from March, so if I do it, it will have to be after that...

●What do you most want to express through your manga?

Liveliness (元気)!! Lively boys, girls. I think about things that will make the reader feel lively... and draw it.

●What were the models for your 'Golden Wolf' characters?

No one in particular, Minmi (ミンミ) was based on a dog I raised.

●Dog?

Yeah, wolves are also canines (laughs).

●What motivates you to create your works?

The voice of my readers. And the sense of satisfaction of finishing a project. ... I hope to receive more fan letters.

●What is your policy as an artist?

It's not like I have a policy, but since this is art I'm showing to others, I try not to cut corners.

●What kind of manga do you want to draw most right now?

An action one set in a school.

●What is the origin of your penname?

My Tatemae answer is it's based on Orpheus' lyre... but to be honest, I didn't put much thought into it, I just picked it out of the blue (laughs).

●What do you think you'll be doing in 5 years?

I believe I'll still be drawing manga.

●Any artists that influenced you?

Hosono Fujihiko-san (細野不二彦).

●A word to your fans.

Please don't think too deeply about my works when you read them. I'll be happy if they make you smile.

●What do you want to do before you die?

If possible, I would like to create a big hit, but... It would be nice if my popularity explodes and my work is turned into an anime...

●Advice to those aiming to do Bishoujo manga in the future.

Draw lots of cute girls, and well, meet your deadlines (laughs) ... Also, I think it's best to draw easy-to-understand stories......

'Golden Wolf' (ゴールデンWOLF) serialised in 'Candy Time' (キャンディータイム) (Tatsumi Publishing) is tentatively complete. He's planning to focus on anime (still a secret) for now.


●Whenever a manuscript is completed, you always deliver it on your bike, do you like bikes?

Yeah, right now, I'm riding an off-road called a Yamaha DT200R, and I often ride on it through forest roads. Off-road is fun. There are sheer cliffs with 30cm drops... (laughs).

●As an editor, I hope you stop doing such dangerous things. You can still draw manga even if you break your leg, but if you injure your right hand, then...

I'll be fine. Even if I crack my head, I'll protect my right hand (laughs). ... After all, good ideas won't come if you don't take a breather once in a while......

●It's also a good way to change your mood.

Yeah, and riding a bike gives you alone time. I hate crowds on trains. I like to go at my own pace. Perhaps that aspect suits me to being a mangaka.

●Apart from bikes, what do you like?

Hamada Shougo (浜田省吾). From the old to the new, everything's great!! As for novels, I like the 'Kindaichi Kousuke' (田一耕助) series (Yokomizo Seishi [横溝正史]). Mystery stories are very helpful when drawing this sort of manga.

●If you weren't a mangaka, what do you think you'd be doing now?

I love dogs, so probably a pet shop, or a dog trainer...

●What is the future for Bishoujo manga?

It will gradually become the same as all-age magazines. All-age magazines will become more Bishoujo-ish, and Bishoujo manga will gradually become less and less ecchi... I believe the difference between major and minor will disappear. I think it'll be an era where... it'll be placed next to 'Shonen Jump' (少年ジャンプ)... The old ladies at the PTA will be scary, but...

●Any manga you read recently that's interesting?

What I read are mostly used-books... shoujo manga from two generations ago. The ones by Takemiya Keiko-sensei (竹宮恵子), Ooshima Yumiko-sensei (大島弓子), and Hagio Moto-sensei (萩尾望都) are the best.

●What about TV?

I often watch quiz shows.

●Any talents you like?

I like comedians like Ucchan Nanchan (ウッチャンナンチャン) and Tunnels (とんねるず). Their influence appears in my manga (laughs).

●What kind of magazine would you like to draw for in the future?

Anywhere that'll publish my work... I won't limit myself. I'm not in a position to be picky (laughs).

●What type do you like?

I don't have anything where I'll dislike someone if they're not particularly this, but... well, so long as they're nice...

●A message to your fans.

Thank you. People often ask me to sign their things. I'd like to do a signing session... if the opportunity arises...

●What point do you pay attention to when drawing girls?

Femininity. I pay particular attention to the overall lines of their body. Also, things like atmosphere...

●Sensei's art is very impressive, but what about your pen?

Zebra G-pen only.

●Any new tools you'd like to try?

I don't know much about the tools themselves. There's some. If there are any mangaka who know how to use an airbrush, please teach me!! I'd really like to try one out.

●Finally, any requests to your editors?

I'm free to do what I want, so I don't have any requests.


——Recorded at his home. February 25th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※

'Golden Wolf' (ゴールデンWOLF)

※～※～※～※～※


Those Aiming to be Mangaka in the Future Should Have Skill in Their Hands.


Satou Marumi (佐藤丸美) (Blog)

●For Sensei's works, your husband comes up with the ideas and you draw the art, and together, you call yourselves 'Satou Marumi' (佐藤丸美), but does Sensei really not come up with any ideas?

Tentatively, we consider them together. My husband comes up with the initial Name, and then we study it together. When he's not feeling well, I'll take over his half and do it...

●I feel there's two kinds of works: thoroughly ecchi works and ones that aren't so much, but...

We mostly do what the editors request. If they tell us the theme is dark, we'll think of something sinister, and if they tell us to do a thoroughly ecchi one, we'll do that... Otherwise, it depends on a movie we've seen or how we're feeling at the time.

●What are the difficulties of working together? For example, when there's differences of opinion...

What men consider to be lewd and what women consider to be lewd are quite different, so we often fight over that...

●How do you settle your quarrels?

Whenever one of us gives up (laughs). But I'm aware my readers are men, so I'm at a disadvantage.

●What triggered your debut?

I lived deep in the mountains of Hiroshima. I'm a country girl. After graduating from high school, I didn't want to work at the city hall, so I came to Tokyo on the pretext of enrolling in an English vocational school. I thought if I came here, I'd live here, so I started working part-time at a coffee shop as soon as I came to Tokyo. There were no coffee shops out in the countryside, so I wanted to try being a waitress. After that, I worked as an animator and a typesetter, and then I met my husband at a manga Circle. My husband was an assistant to Yamagami Tatsuhiko-sensei (山上たつひこ) and took his work to Akita Shoten and Shueisha, where he met Nakajima Fumio-san (中島史雄), learned about the world of Bishoujo manga, and decided to try drawing it. Then, when his storyboard was OK and I was about to add the illustrations, he received a request from Shueisha, and he became busy, so I drew it for him, and it was OK. I was good at imitating his style because I worked as an animator. That's when we started working together. However, even though I had been working as a typesetter, and had a stable life, once I started drawing manga, my life became unstable again... For a while, I worked from home using a word processor while drawing manga.

●So things became rough after your debut?

Even when I was working at the typesetter shop, I was working from early morning to late at night, and sleeping until late in the afternoon on Sundays. He was also a professional pachinko player while drawing manga... It was also rough beyond rough before my debut, you see...

●Did the hardships you went through back then prove to be beneficial when you draw manga now? For example, did it make you mentally stronger?

It didn't become a plus!! You really need time to read books and watch movies.

●Any artists you like among Bishoujo manga?

My husband likes Dirty Matsumoto-san (ダーティー松本) and I like Shirai Gunpan-san (白井薫範). I think Dirty-san is very much a moralist. You have to be a very sensible type to create depraved works, you see... I also like Shirai-san, and I like the depraved worlds of these two.

●What is your favourite among you works up to now?

I can't remember what I drew (laughs)... But if I had to choose, it would be 'Let's Cycling' (サイクリングしようぜ) I drew for 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク) (Byakuya Shobo, included in 'Pure, Totally Mature Girl' [純情完熱娘]), I guess.

●The one with the tire grinding...

Yeah (laughs).

●About the future of Bishoujo manga.

I think it would be interesting if there were no restrictions. ... If it were sold in convenience stores, various problems would arise... The ones that are an extension of doujinshi are the most interesting.

At a pace of 3 works a month between 'Young Vitamin' (ヤングビタミン) (Tatsumi Publishing), 'Lemon Club' (レモンクラブ) (Nihon Shuppansha), and 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク) (Byakuya Shobo). Is this the limit of meeting their deadlines...?


●Any worries about being a mangaka?

I can type on a word processor, and I have machines, so even if manga doesn't work out, I can still make a living from that, so I'm not worried. People aiming to be mangaka in the future should have some skill in their hands. After all, manga has a momentary glow. I feel the most beautiful thing...... is to quickly draw something while you're young and then disappear (laughs). In my case, I would like to become an artist who can live a long life (laughs).

●What do you think you'll be doing in 5 years?

When you get to be this age, 5 years passes in the blink of an eye... I'll probably be raising children. ... I want children...

●Any artists you believe to be rivals?

Wa——hh!! Such a scary topic...

●What do you think will happen to Bishoujo manga in 50 to 100 years?

I wonder if there's a future for it... I feel story-focused computer games will be more developed than they are now. Probably...

●Any requests to your editors?

They're all so nice (laughs).

●Many artists ask their editors not to abandon them...

I see. Artists aren't in a position to talk big... Their editor-san is a god.

●Despite that, many artists are late with their manuscripts. It's rare to find an artist like Satou-sensei who sticks to her deadlines.

That's because I'm timid (laughs). Taking things seriously is my only principle. Honest.

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

That would be spoiler... (laughs).

●What is the theme of your work?

Basically, my husband and I like sad stories, so we want to draw those sorts, but...

●Which mangaka influenced you the most?

Sugiura Hinako-san (杉浦日向子). In the past, I wanted to draw art like hers!! Though I started copying my husband's art, and that's how my current art became what it is...

●What gives you power when creating your works?

I guess my royalties (laughs). But I also like seeing the printed versions of my work.

●A word to your fans.

Please buy a bunch of my tankoubon!! 'Heisei Flower Garden Story' (平成花園物語) and 'Pure, Totally Mature Girl' (純情完熟娘). I feel sad whenever I go to the bookshop and see they haven't run out of stock. *sob*...

●About manga Otaku.

I appreciate them. When you go to a manga specialty shop, there's a lot of young boys. They're all younger than me, so I think they're cute. But you can't just read the manga while standing there!! You have to buy them (laughs).

●Are there manuscript requests you wish wouldn't come your way?

Ones about rape without salvation... I'm on the side of the weak, so I don't like bullying the weak. I prefer punchlines where they get revenge even after being bullied.

●Anything to those aiming to do Bishoujo manga in the future...?

Experience is everything. It's better to play outside. Going out with women is also important!!

●Y... you mean women who work in the sex industry?

Women who sell their bodies only provide one-sided service, and that's it. There's no way they'll understand women with that, is there? Please date amateur women!!

●And also have lots of sex?

Hmm, I'm not quite sure about men, but there isn't much to know about sex for women... Anyways, looking at a human is important.

●Where do you get the material for your stories?

Photo magazines are really interesting. I can find a lot of material from the personal experiences submitted to magazines.

●Finally, do you believe it would be good if they lift the ban on porno?

It would be nice. It's better than banning it half-heartedly...

Editor: The photo was edited at Satou-sensei's request. I would like to add she's such a beauty it's regrettable.


——Recorded at the first editorial department of Tatsumi Publishing. February 15th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


Now That I'm Stuck, I Cannot Help But Worry.


Oonuma Hiroshi (おおぬまひろし) (Pixiv)

●What triggered you thinking about being a mangaka?

Because I was having trouble finding a job... I like manga, and in high school I thought it would be nice to earn money from my art, so I became an animator. But there wasn't much money in that world, so I quit soon after. Then I dropped out of high school as well, and while I was just hanging around without a job, someone asked if I wanted to join the Self Defence Force, and since I didn't want to join the Self Defence Force, I drew one manga in a week to find a job... And then it was published in a book just like that... and I've been trudging along ever since...

●Did working as an animator help you a lot?

Yeah, a lot...

●Any mangaka that influenced you? Or any works?

There are so many people... However, there isn't one artist who has particularly influenced me. I tend to think of it as something like... I'll steal just the delicious parts.

●Who is your favourite artist right now?

Ooyama Akira-san (大山玲), who's doing 'Midsummer Night Yukionna' (真夏の夜のユキオンナ) in 'Young Magazine Kaizokuban' (ヤングマガジン海賊版)

●Among Oonuma-sensei's works, 'Body Hunter' (ボディハンター) seems to be the one you put the most effort into, or rather it's the most different from the others, but...

That was the first work I drew in that one week I mentioned earlier, and it was compiled into a book called 'Body Hunter'. At the time, it was the only thing I was working on (per month), so I was able to concentrate on drawing it. Also, I like fantasy stories like that... I'm currently working on something similar for (Tokyo) Sanseisha (it's going to end after 2 more parts, though...), but I'd like to continue doing fantasy in the future.

●If you ask another editor——

Another editor-san talked to me about that, but we couldn't work it out due to time constraints... This sort of thing takes twice as long as a normal one. Well, I'd like to try it if I can manage within my schedule, but...

●Is it difficult because fantasy is different from the style of your other works?

I'll get bored if I only create just one story, so it'll be good to do one fantasy.

●What do you like most about your own characters?

Hmm... I like them if I draw them cutely...

●Then what point do you pay attention to when drawing? For example, do you try to bring out a cute personality...? Many of Oonuma-sensei's characters seem to be bright and energetic girls.

I don't pay attention, but it seems my preferences come out. After all, it's better for them to be energetic than sickly...

●What kind of work and world would you like to draw in the future?

Right now, nothing comes to mind. I've thought something a little more twisted and fantasy-like...... For example, in fantasy, swords are often swung around, right? So something about someone who doesn't pull out a sword very much, though I doubt it would be well-received...

●Any words to those aiming to be mangaka in the future?

If you really want do it, there's no helping it, but I wonder if it would be best to step back and think about it... (laughs). It's not good for your body!!

●Is it tough?

It's physically tough when I'm under pressure to meet a deadline, but it's also mentally tough when a Name doesn't appear in the previous stage, it drives me half-crazy. Especially recently, even with the things I've been working on, I hit a plateau and am running out of ideas...

●A slump?

Yeah, it happens about once every 4 months.

Currently a best-selling artist with 4 works a month, including 'Hostage Man' (人質男) (Young Vitamin, Tatsumi Publishing) and 'FESTAL' (Cotton Comic, Tokyo Sanseisha).


●How have you overcome your slumps up to now?

By trying to do other things... Usually, I ride around on my bike, or go into the studio every day and try to play drums... But if that doesn't work, I drink sake and go to sleep. Finally, I just give up. There's no point in getting anxious...

●However, your recent slump isn't a wave that happens once every 4 months, it feels like a much bigger wave...

I'm bored. I'm currently in the process of changing my art style, and it's pretty boring. It's currently a Lolicon-style, where it looks like an elementary schooler no matter who looks at her... There's no point drawing something serious with a character like that. That's what makes it boring.

●You want to draw something serious?

It's not like that, I want to draw adult scenes, not childish scenes... In terms of age level, I want to draw a story about characters a little older than I'm doing now...

●As you get older, it's harder to draw stories about the ages you've been drawing...

It's not like that, I want to bring out a more adult feel. When I draw high schoolgirls, I can draw cute art and stories, but I believe it's not as if they're no longer cute once they graduate from high school. University students, OL, and even old ladies are cute. I want to try drawing that side...

●If you do that, your art style will change...

And that's why I'm in a slump right now. Well, I guess I can't help from worry about it...

●Are you thinking about your readers?

No, if I think about my readers, I'll fail... Once I worry about something, I end up making something really boring. I think by doing what I want, the people who understand will understand.

●Any happenings whilst drawing Bishoujo Comic till now?

When I still didn't have a fax machine, I went to send my Name from NTT, but even though I was going to send a Name for an ecchi manga, I was embarrassed as the NTT Onee-san made me sign it... (laughs). Also, I was on my bike and a police officer stopped me and when I told him I was a mangaka, he made me draw him an autograph. I was forced to draw a picture and was even fined. Also, a drunk guy started bothering me late at night and said, "You shouldn't be out playing at this time." So I told him I was a mangaka on my way home from work, and he asked me, "What kind of manga are you drawing?" So I told him, "Ero-manga." Then he said, "Those helped me out when I was young." (laughs).

●Are you embarrassed to be drawing ecchi manga?

I lost my cool recently. Work is work. I'm doing something legal, and it's not like I can't tell others about it.

●But in the eyes of the public, it's still...

The people who say such things are probably doing even crazier stuff than manga. If they're going to tell me to stop drawing this kind of thing, then I hope they'll also stop that sort of stuff as well...

●What is the theme when you create your works?

I think I try not to draw girls being bullied too much... Though I'm a sadist. I don't bully girls, but I often bully guys.

●Girls are to be cherished...

Yeah...

●So if the editor requests a girl crying, you'll definitely UP it even if you don't sleep for 3 or 4 days...

I'll do my best regardless (laughs)...

●What gives you power when creating?

I suppose it's the desire to do new things before anyone else does them, and that's what I want to do... I like doing things not many people do.

●All of Oonuma-sensei's girl characters are small and delicate girls, do you like that?

Yeah, I like those kinds of girls.

●What do you think will happen to Bishoujo Comic in 100 years?

They'll still be around, as manga... Well, they might go underground... but this kind of stuff will definitely stick around. Cause humans wouldn't be around in 100 years if they weren't perverts...


——Recorded at the conference room of Tatsumi Publishing. February 8th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


Be Honest with Yourself and Draw a Bishoujo You Believe Wants to do Ecchi Stuff.


Nekojima Rei (猫島礼) (Twitter)

●How many years since your debut?

About 3 years. I was exactly 20 years old at the time.

●What's your debut work?

Weekly Comic Morning's 'Open Zoukan' (オープン増刊) (Kodansha).

●What triggered your debut?

When I was working as an assistant at Yamamoto Naoki-sensei's (山本直樹) place, an editor from Morning came by and asked if I would like to bring some of my work over...

●What triggered you being Yamamoto Naoki-san's assistant?

The person, who's now the editor-in-chief of a certain comic production, was an old acquaintance of mine, and through that person's introduction... Back then, Hiryuu Ran-san (飛龍乱) was also with me.

●Did you originally aspire to be a mangaka?

I never thought about being a mangaka. But then my work was published in 'Open', and it was like my work was published in a commercial magazine... Then I started showing my face to publishers of Bishoujo-type, which brings me here. I just happened.

●Which mangaka-san influenced you?

Takahashi Rumiko-sensei (高橋留美子). I'm mainly influenced by her works, such as 'Urusei Yatsura' (うる星やつら). In terms of ecchi manga, I'd say Amagi Kei-sensei (亜麻木硅), Yamamoto Naoki-sensei (山本直樹), and Yui Toshiki-sensei (唯登詩樹), who are my sempai, I guess.

●Who is currently your favourite mangaka?

Shirou Masamune-san (士郎正宗).

●He's a completely different genre from your own.

Well, it's a genre I want to draw!! It's just I cannot draw it. What I really want to draw is SF.

●I'm looking forward to an epic SF work in the future.

I finally got the chance to draw fantasy recently. In 'Comic Master' (Hobby Japan)...

●So you have your work cut out for you.

Yeah, a whole range of genres, so I draw it unbeknownst to my 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing) readers. Also, I'm drawing for 'Susperia' (サスペリア) (Akita Shoten) and a Lady Comic called 'Forte' (フォルテ) (Akita Shoten).

●Are you going to be indiscriminate of genre in the future?

I would like to draw as much as possible whenever I'm given the opportunity.

●Who's your favourite character among your own works?

It would have to be Rudo (ルド) from 'Dream Guide Cat' (夢先案内猫).

●What parts do you pay attention to when drawing your characters?

Rudo is the protagonist, but he also serves as the narrator, and I particularly want him to be a troublemaker. A character who causes problems. As for really important main characters, I want to draw girls the male side would want to have by their side.

●Are the models for your characters real? Or desire?

I create them on the desire that wants a girl like this to exist. They don't have the personalities of normal women, so when I'm working, I find myself thinking, "I want them as my wife!?" So I draw based on the desire if I were to find a wife, I'd like her to be like this.

●When you're Nekojima Rei, do you become male?

While I'm working, I mostly draw with male emotions. After all, needs are needs. And I wanted to be born a man rather than a woman. Ever since I was a child, I've always done boyish things. I had more boy friends than girl friends, so I thought and did the same thing as boys and somehow I understood what it was like being a man... I feel like I'm drawing the girlish parts of myself I don't possess.

●Do you still yearn to be a boy even now?

I do.

●Despite that, you look feminine!! (Laughs)

E—hh, no way (laughs) *Gyakyo~n*!!* (Laughs)

Currently, she's drawing for 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing) and 'Susperia' (サスペリア) (Akita Shoten) among others. She's a popular artist active in areas outside Bishoujo manga.


●About your outlook for Bishoujo manga.

I think it'll branch out in various ways, and SF and fantasy works will be created in the form of Bishoujo Comic, but it won't develop any further. Just like the world of shoujo manga is read by girls of a certain age for years and years in search of the ideal male image, Bishoujo manga is read by men from 15 or 16 to 20 years old who wish they had a girl like this, so I feel it will be read forever.

●In that context, what do you yourself want to offer, Nekojima-san?

I want my readers to read something that's as close to everyday life as possible, but completely impossible... For example, the girlfriend being an android.

●What magazine would you like to draw for?

Just once, I'd love to be featured in 'Shounen Sunday' (少年サンデー) (Shogakukan)!! (Laughs)

●If you received a request from there and were told you could draw whatever you wanted, what would you do?

I would probably draw a story about my ideal girl overcoming hardships and having a happy end.

●What is the theme of your own work?

It's ordinary, but it has a happy end!! I want to pursue happiness for my readers!!

●What gives you power when creating manga?

My complex about being clumsy and crap (laughs). Everyone mercilessly keeps telling me I'm crappy and untalented, so it's like a grudge (laughs) where I shout, "Damn it all, I'm gonna get better (laughs)."

●What's your position as a mangaka?

One who absolutely wants people to enjoy my works.

●Has a pro attitude started to sprout?

There's many times when my work doesn't improve and it takes a long time to complete, so I want to be more aware of this!!

●What if you were to recruit male assistants?

Male assistants have no other choice but to debut, so I'd like them to have an obsession to debut at all costs. It might be good to turn assistants into pros full-time, but I'd like them to be featured at least once. Women have marriages, so—no matter what people say—they can do that.

●Which artists do you consider to be your rivals?

It may be a bit presumptuous (laughs), but Hiryuu Ran-san (飛龍乱).

●A word to those aiming for Bishoujo manga!!

Draw what you want to draw. Do your best!! Be honest with yourself, I guess. If you draw a Bishoujo and it's a girl you want to do ecchi stuff with, then there's probably 30 other people who'll agree with you.

●A word to your fans.

I'm working desperately, as if I'm going to die!! Desperately!! Desperately!! I'm working as hard as I can, so I'm sure one day, I'll draw a manga that'll make you say this is amazing, so please don't abandon me (laughs).

●Please buy your tankoubon as well!?

Just stand up and read them (laughs). If you look at them...

●What do you want or must do before you die?

I want to have a chat with Arnold Schwarzenegger (laughs). I've had chances before now, but I couldn't because of work.

●Do you want to hug him?

If I could hug him... And if he could even marry me... I'd like that to happen (laughs).

●Any requests to your editors?

I'd like them to nitpick my work as much as they can. If they place too much importance on the enquête, they'll become complacent when the enquête are good and won't lift a finger until the results start to worsen, and while it would be tough cause they're busy, I'd like them to point things to me every single visit.

●What were you like as a Shoujo?

I was a bad girl. I don't mean to sound mean, but I liked studying, and to put it simply, I liked the bad learning methods used in Japan today. I liked getting 100 points on my tests (laughs).

●Do you have a boyfriend at the moment?

If it's a boyfriend, I don't have many, but it's interesting the men I dated would give me advice and bully me.


——Recorded at Nekojima Rei-sensei's home. March 6th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※

Technique (Technic)​

Nekojima Rei (猫島礼) (Twitter)


Colourisation Practice


Pay close attention to dirt!! Colour multiple times to make it look good.


My colouring is mainly done with colour ink. The advantage of colour ink is that it's transparent. It's good for people who like blurring. The disadvantage is that it's difficult to express three-dimensional objects. I think it's better to use acrylic to express three-dimensional objects. Also, colour ink takes time to apply. It takes about 10 minutes to apply, so it can only be used if you have plenty of time.

In my case, I colour the skin with four colours. First, I paint the brightest pink as a base. Next, I paint the shadow parts with an orange colour, and then paint the whole thing with yellow to suppress the fluorescent colour. Finally, I paint the cheeks and other parts with a strong pink colour as if I were applying makeup.

To colour the eyes, first paint the central cornea black and fill in the shining parts with white. Add a gradation to the parts other than the black parts. There will always be a shadow just below the upper eyelid in the white part of the eye, so colour that area with a grey pen or something similar.

When colouring hair, I use an airbrush. When using an airbrush, first mask the area so that no other colours will get on it. Next, fill the nozzle with colour ink and spray it. If you mix the colours on the palette and then put them in the can, they will get mixed up if the ingredients are different, so I think it's better to layer each colour on top of the other as much as possible. Also, if you use it continuously, the air pressure inside the can will decrease, so I think it's better to use it in lukewarm water, or prepare two cans and use them alternatively.

↓
Paint the entire body with pink as the base. The point is to create a three-dimensional effect.

↓
Even if you think the colour ink is dry, if you apply water on top, it will become blurred, so colour in the small gaps with a marker or something similar.

↓
After spraying with an airbrush, remove the masking and it's finished.

On the left is a set of colouring tools. Colour ink can be purchased for about 500 to 1000 yen per bottle. The one on the right is a cylinder-type airbrush that can be purchased for a set at about 15,000 yen. There's a nozzle at the end of the hose, and you fill it with colour ink and use it. If the can is warm, the pressure will be too high and the ink will spray out, so it's best to do a few test coats. Also, be sure to wear gloves. If you get oil on your hands and that gets on your manuscript, the colour will blur and look bad.

※～※～※～※～※

※～※～※～※～※


There Isn't Sound in Manga!! I Want to Convey Pseudo-Sound to My Readers.


Tanuma Yuuichirou (田沼雄一郎) (Pixiv)

●What triggered your debut?

My actual debut began with my current penname, but drawing for the 1988 December issue of 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク) (Byakuya Shobo) was my debut. I was renting an apartment at the time. A group of friends gathered there and we had a great time making a doujinshi called 'Tororoimo' (とろろいも). Then, the editor-san in charge of 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク) asked if I would like to try drawing manga, and I realised this would be my actual debut, so I completely changed my style and made a new penname of my own, which brings us to now.

●What triggered you becoming a mangaka?

I've liked drawing since I was little, and I've had the desire to become a mangaka ever since I was in elementary school. In the end, it might be cause I read manga from a young age... I was also good at drawing.

●So, you're currently drawing for magazines known as Bishoujo manga, but would you like to try your hand at all-age magazines in the future?

Yes. Right now, I've been approached by a certain major publisher...... I'm also surprised, and I don't have a clue what to draw (laughs).

●Apart from that, are there any magazines you would like to draw for?

As for that, I'd say... the pinnacle would be 'Shonen Jump' (少年ジャンプ) (Shueisha)!! Apart from that, I'd actually like to draw for magazines aimed towards elementary schoolers like 'CoroCoro Comic' (コロコロコミック) (Shogakukan) or 'Comic Bonbon' (コミックボンボン) (Kodansha)... They would be simple and clear stories anyone can easily see are interesting. I really admire manga for children because it eliminates unnecessary ties to humans, things you need to think about, and serious problems, which allows an artist to pursue pure entertainment alone (laughs).

●Which artist or work had the most influence on your art style?

Hirohiko Araki-san (荒木飛呂彦). Of all the manga I've read, Araki-san's series of works have been the most shocking.

●What are your influences?

I didn't get into manga with Araki-san's 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure' (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険) (Shonen Jump), but there was a work from much earlier that was only serialised for 10 weeks. It was a mystery-like work with a completely different style of art to what he's doing now... I was drawn in by the interesting story and the sense of it. I thought the art was kind of... (laughs). But my own policy is that it's fine if the art is a little... as long as the story is interesting. Well, I think my own art is the zenith of suck (laughs). But I think that's also my strength.

●What other works do you like?

I have quite many. As for art, other than Araki-san, I also like Ishikawa Ken-san (石川賢), Fujiko Fujio-san (藤子不二雄), and Yokoyama Mitsuteru-san (横山光輝)... It's only recently I realised the things I've read since a long time ago are actually quite useful...

●What do you pay attention to when drawing your characters?

Well, I'm not the type who worries too much about that when I draw, but I think it's fine as long as the facial expression is clear. I don't like expressions that don't convey joy, anger, sadness, or pleasure. So even when I'm drawing a cute girl, I draw her mouth as big as possible if she's yelling.

●You pay close attention to deformation...

Yes, yes, that's right. Someone I know called it deformed art. When I say deformation, I don't mean the cute shrinking head-to-body style that's popular nowadays, but rather an exaggerated deformation. That's why my drawings are completely different depending on the frame.

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

Visually, something that has an impact would be nice. Well, that's what I've been doing up until now... I'd like to draw art that makes people go, "Ohh!!" For example, in the published tankoubon 'Princess of Darkness' (プリンス・オブ・グークネス*) (Byakuya Shobo), the main character transforms. On the left page, the protagonist transforms, and on the right page, their transformed form appears in four stages... I like anime and movies quite a lot, so I'd like to be able to express movement in that way. Also, manga doesn't have sound, so it's always a challenge to express manga that gives the feeling of sound. Onomatopoeia effects are added with written characters, but I'd like to draw manga that appeals to readers as a sense of pseudo-sound from my manga...
※Error in the original text, it should be 'プリンセス・オブ・ダークネス'. The incorrect title was 'Prince of Gookness' (プリンス・オブ・グークネス).

A notable artist who has been serialised in 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク) (Byakuya Shobo) and 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing) and also been commissioned by a certain major publishing company. 'Princess of Darkness' (プリンセス・オブ・ダークネス) (Byakuya Shobo) is a hit.


●What is the theme you want to express in your work?

That's a difficult question... I usually draw my works without much thought.

●Well then, what if an editor asked if you'd like to try drawing a sports manga, for example, a boxing manga?

Well... If they said it was fine to make it my own, I might draw it. If I drew it, it probably wouldn't be your typical boxing manga.

●What motivates you to create manga?

Even when I'm drawing and get tired, what motivates me to keep going is the desire to show the reader art like this.

●A word to those aspiring to become Bishoujo mangaka in the future!!

If possible, I don't want them to appear (laughs). Drawing cute girls is important. This is also important for drawing normal manga. A sense of beauty, stealing the good parts of other artists. And also being convinced in your own art. Like telling the readers, this is what my art is like and they should all conform to this. I believe that's necessary. 30% is your original sense of beauty, 30% stealing the good parts of other artists, 20% being particular about drawing, and the remaining 20% being convincing.

●What do you need or want to do before you die?

That's a very difficult question!! I'd like to live in a place with a bamboo forest within an hour of Tokyo. A bamboo forest is great. A small Japanese-style house in a bamboo forest would be good. Something like that...

●Any problem points with editors?

What's most important is we need a good feeling about each other. It's really tough when they don't understand what you're saying right away. An editor once asked me to fix a drawing because it was off, but at the time, I thought it was my selling point, so I thought, "Oh, this guy doesn't get it." He can't tell the difference between an exaggerated drawing deformation and an error caused by insufficient drawing skills... Also, one of the ways I present my work is with strange poses. Like, I wouldn't pose like that in a scene like that... My joints don't bend that much... I think this might look really strange to some people as well.

●When you were a child, what kind of Shounen were you?

I was quiet, didn't talk to people, and had the atmosphere of being a bullied kid. Does that make me gloomy!?

●Do you have any complexes?

I have all sorts, but... I won't say!! (Laughs)

●Any talents you like?

They've passed away, but I like Kishida Shin-san (岸田森) and Hirata Akihiko-san (平田昭彦). I don't really have any particular female talents I like...

●Many people who are called Bishoujo mangaka are like that.

... I suppose. It feels like a 2D-Complex. A feeling the girls in art are better. I definitely believe that's true!! You spend more time hanging out with art. But if you were to actually date a real girl, it'd be more fun. I think I do have a great attachment to the girls I draw.

●Finally, what makes you happy as a mangaka?

What makes me happy is when someone shows me the enquête postcard from a magazine that says, "Tanuma-san's work was interesting." That's a big motivator for me drawing manga.


——Recorded at the Ikebukuro café 'Takizawa' (滝沢). March 3rd of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※


I Cannot Express Myself Well with Words, so I Express Myself through Manga.


Maboroshi Chouji (幻 超二) (Wiki)

●What triggered you becoming a mangaka?

After graduating from high school, I moved to Tokyo from Okayama to enrol in the Tokyo Anime Academy, and a teacher there asked if I wanted to become a mangaka.

●Who was that Sensei?

It was Daifunka Gorou-sensei* (大噴火五郎). He was working part-time at Tokyo Anime Academy back then. He invited me to draw manga with him in the instructor's room. Eventually I stopped attending classes and started drawing manga all the time.
※This is one of at least 20 pennames for Denkousekka Gou (電光石火 轟) (Wiki).

●About your debut?

I made my debut from Tairiku Shobo (大陸書房) through an introduction from Daifunka Gorou-sensei. I think I was 18 years old. At first, I was drawing every other month, but then I started getting offers from Byakuya Shobo and Comic House, and that's how I got to where I am today.

●Was studying at Tokyo Anime Academy useful?

Hmm... I didn't attend many classes (laughs). Well, I did meet some blessed people... Originally, the reason I went to Anime Academy was because I wanted to do work drawing art. It wasn't that I specifically wanted to work in anime.

●Which manga or mangaka influenced you the most?

He's not a mangaka, but I'd say the illustrator Amano Yoshitaka-san (天野喜孝). After all...

●Among your own works, which do you like the most?

None in particular. I think they're all equal, but...

●What do you pay attention to when drawing your own works or characters?

Let's see. I guess making them black and not white... After all...

●Is making things black your purpose in life?

That's right. If it's black, then I can accept it.

●Is there a model for your characters? For example, a girl close to you, or a male friend...

Err, I don't base my characters on faces, but I do base my characters on personality traits. For example, I'm bad with directions, so I try to give my characters that kind of personality.

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

Right. I'd like to try my hand at something a bit more SF.

●Do you think you'll still be a mangaka in 5 years?

It's doubtful (laughs).

●Is there a theme you most want to express in your own work?

It's a bit abstract, but I'd like to express 'this sort of pattern is also permissible'.

●What gives you power when creating your works?

It can be anything. Whether it's art or an object, if there's an emotional element to it, it all becomes my power.

●Does that mean you're also inspired by them?

Yeah... When I'm moved by the art another artist-san creates, it makes me want to try my hand at it as well. I don't want to lose to them.

Currently active in 'Hot Milk' (ホットミルク) (Byakuya Shobo) and 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing). Planning to draw at the request of 'Comptiq' (コンプティーク) (Kadokawa Shoten).


●What is your policy as a mangaka?

Right, after all, it's 'so long as it's black, it's good!!'... It all comes down to this.

●Why do you want to make things black?

I guess it's the influence of Amano Yoshitaka-san (天野喜孝). I like black because it tightens the art and gives a strong image. However, I think once a drawing is solidified, it's finished, so I'm thinking of changing things little by little in the future.

●Any artists you consider to be rivals?

Hmm... I haven't really thought about it. I guess I'm the only one who stands out, so everyone is my rival, or maybe no one is my rival.

●You are your own rival?

That's right. I'm my own enemy.

●A word to those aiming for Bishoujo Comic in the future.

After all, I think it's best for those lacking confidence to have fun through doujinshi...

●What have you gained from drawing manga?

Gained!? ... I guess I got to hear some funny stories from within the industry (laughs).

●What do you think will happen in the Bishoujo Comic world in the future?

I think it'll decline a little. Public opinion is horrible and there's a lot of criticism... Also, it's saturated to a certain extent... I don't know for certain, but...

●What kind of Shounen were you as a child?

As for art, I enjoyed and drew quite often when I was a child. I have memories from my third year of elementary school of a friend praising the art of my manga and from then on, I started to like drawing manga. I was also a boy who liked making models.

●A word to your fans.

I'm a careless human, but I'd appreciate it if you continue to support me.

●Careless?

Yeah, I desperately consider things, but I'm unable to express (convey) it well to others, so I believe I, myself, am careless.

●You're bad at expressing yourself...

Yeah... Which is probably why I want to express myself through manga. Though, I don't know if I'm able to express myself well even in manga.

●What are the difficulties when drawing manga? Is it hard to draw without an assistant?

Yeah (laughs). Mine aren't works where you can simply paste the tones.

●What do you do when you're stuck for ideas?

I force myself into a dazed state (a state of Mu [無]) and wait for a moment of inspiration to strike. I place great importance on the image I have at that time. I also pore through materials to obtain hints.

●Do you like games...?

Role-playing games are interesting and useful for reference due to their silly systems. Simple systems (how things unfold) are relevant when creating stories.

●What kind of materials are useful when you're drawing manga?

Mostly fantasy books. Also, books on weapons and books on monsters... I also use videos if they're available.

●Finally, do you think the ban on porno should be lifted?

I think it's better it not be lifted. If it were lifted, people would lose interest in it.


——Recorded at Maboroshi Choujisensei's home. February 28th of 1991.

※～※～※～※～※

'GORGON'

※～※～※～※～※

☆The History of Bishoujo as Material and Its Expression​

Manga has long been for the youth. Therefore, the worlds in manga are for Shouen and Shoujo. Girls admire the Bishounen in manga, and boys have feelings for the Bishoujo in manga similar to those felt for idols. This is not Hentai or anything of the sort, but rather a very normal emotion from adolescence to youth. Manga is the first entertainment children encounter.

Just as young film fans of the past yearned for the Bishoujo and Beauties on the silver screen, the postwar generation of young men and women yearned for the Bishoujo and Bishounen in manga or anime. And then there was doujinshi. The world of manga and anime doujinshi, which centred around those in their late teens to twenties, was a young generation, and so they sought romance or a secret form of love in their works, which initially caused Bishounen to thrive in manga. Bishounen were teased, tortured, and made to perform Aesthetic dramas in a homosexual world that had no relationship with girls.

The answer from the boys to this was the incorporation of Bishoujo Hobby using the keyword known as 'Lolicon' into manga. This has almost no relation to 'Lolita Complex' by its original definition. The flippant sound of 'Lolicon' gave permission to love and play with the Shoujo in manga or anime. 'Cybele' (シベール), 'Doll Princess' (人形姫), and 'Clarisse Magazine' (クラリスマガジン)... These legendary early Lolicon doujinshi were filled with love for Shoujo characters, love as a theme and motif, and a Shoujo Hobby-ish 'world'.

However, the 'Lolicon Boom' that formed in this environment led to the launch of commercial magazines one after another, and at the same time, the sacred 'Shoujo' began to change in various forms. This was around 1984. Shoujo became associated with various things such as SF, splatter horror, fantasy, grotesque, eros, parody, and mechanic, and developed through each of these. Words such as 'Alice', 'Cybele', and 'Lolita' as sacred Shoujo were forgotten, and 'Shoujo' became a natural theme in male-oriented works. Of course, this was also deeply related to the love comedy and Bishoujo Boom in shounen manga. In the late 1980s, 'Bishoujo' became an essential item for men in doujinshi, and 'Bishounen' became an essential item for women. This was used as a lever to expand a manga-ish imagination power.

In addition, the world of eros that evolved from Bishoujo began to feature wives, adult women, new halfs, and for some reason, muscle beauties (Pumping Iron), and Shoujo clad in battle suits. Strong fighting Shoujo were a popular staple in doujinshi. Furthermore, Hentai themes such as SM, lez, D-cup, etc. began to be depicted. Motifs such as 'gender', 'eroticism', and 'SEX' were indispensable and important to the younger generation, who were trying to express something. This is not only true in manga, but in all forms of expression.

The Yaoi movement (No Peak. No Climax. No Meaning, anime parodies that deal in Homo) centred around 'Captain Tsubasa' (キャプテン翼) gained popularity around 1985, and captured more girls' hearts than 'Shotacon' (Shotarou Complex, Short Pant Shounen Hobby) that emerged in opposition to Lolicon, producing love comedies and love stories about lively, sports Shounen. In the face of the overwhelming power of these girls, male Circles declined. This was partly because the times did not allow the creation of replacements for the Shoujo characters of the Lolicon Boom period, such as Clarisse, Lana, and Lum, and partly because of the rise of doujinshi-style manga and erotic comedies in commercial magazines. In any case, male Circles were in a slump between 1985 to 1988.

However, the times began to change around 1989. The decline of Bishoujo Comic commercial magazines, the M Incident etc. triggered an increase in male original work Circles, while traditional Circles began to work harder. Professional artists like 'Ura Outlanders' (裏アウトランターズ) started to enter the doujinshi world, 'UNION OF THE SNAKE', and Kotatsuya (こたつ屋) published long works (50~60 pages), and circles like T2-UNIT, Tenguza (天狗座), and Studio Gzzy (スタジオギジー) published books with well-edited themes and concepts with each of their issues and have started to become popular. Also, from among purely original work-type Circles like 'Nouvelle Vague' (ヌーベルバーグ), Murakami Michiodou (ムラカミミチオ党), and Kamonegi Switchblade (鴨ねぎスウィッチブレイト) started to capture many readers. Circles that simply undressed Shoujo characters from anime and manga started to recede, and proper works, proper editing, and sense started to become necessities. It was a situation where thing were gradually moving in a positive direction.

In addition, female artists began to rediscover Bishoujo. Originally 'shoujo manga', where the Shoujo is the protagonist, were drawn by women. What triggered the Bishoujo Manga Boom was perhaps Takahashi Rumiko (高橋留美子). Girls began to buy the books of male Circles, and girls started creating books for boys. Conversely, boys began to buy girl books and Yaoi books created by women, and a mixed situation was slowly, but surely, beginning to develop. That was the situation in 1990.

As we sort out the beginning of this new period in 1990, I would like to introduce the state of doujinshi within the framework of Bishoujo, and then introduce doujinshi in concrete terms. I will divide the artists and books, albeit a small number compared to the whole, that give off the feeling of 'Bishoujo' with an inherent eroticism rather than being straight ero or lewd, into three parts: 'Idol', 'Parody', and 'Original', and examine each of these.

☆The Charm of Idols and Bishoujo Characters​

For one reason or another, the Shoujo idols of television are rarely featured in doujinshi. Among girls, there's a genre called 'Entertainment' (芸能), but boys don't really turn to real Shoujo. Most books of this type I came across this winter were written by women. The most popular appears to be 'Wink' (ウインク).

'WINKISSIMO' (Apple House Eimu Products [あっぷるはうす絵射夢PRODUCTS], B5, 26P)

In a book created to depict manga with the theme 'bittersweet girl's feelings', a work by Kouga Shinobu (甲賀忍) called 'Dear Friend' (DEAR・FRIEND), which depicts the friendship of two Shoujo and the heart of a girl torn between love towards a man, with illustrations by WINK included. ...... It's a shoujo manga.

'REPLICANT' (Mizumaze Club [みずまぜくらぶ],B5,12P)

A Moritaka Chisato (森高千里) book. A tasteful one with illustrations, poems, conversations, etc. by members such as Okazaki Takeshi (岡崎武士), Mizushima Tooru (水縞とおる), and Kasagi Kichirou (笠置キチロウ), with the theme of doll-like Shoujo. The book itself feels like a body of work (作品). And, as expected, when it comes to idols, the most tend to be those from anime. In other words, works like 'Idol Legend Eriko' (アイドル伝説エリ子) and 'Youkoso Youko' (ようこそヨウコ). Doujinshi that delve in these waters treat anime characters as if they're real idols, creating an idol book.

'LOCOMOTION･DREAM' (Seikimatsu Kashira [世紀末かしら],A5,20P)

An 'Eriko Book' (えり子本), by the popular Yaoi-type artist Phoenix Kosuri (フェニックスこすり), a booklet of 2~4 pages of comedy-touch parodies plus a dress-up set, but it's a tastefully cute book that captures the charm of Shoujo. The line breaks are very nice.

'Ai Ai no Uta' (アルアイノウタ) (Matsu no Joudan [松の上段],B5,26P)

An 'Eriko & Rei-san Book' (えり子本) by Takahashi Nano (高橋なの). It combines the love story of Eriko and Rei with hit songs and illustrations, and tries to portray the romantic excitement of a Shoujo in a serious way, making it feel like a revival of shoujo manga of old.

'POYOYON' (Erikodou [えり子堂],A4,90P)

An 'Eriko Book' (えり子本) by male artists that includes eight pages of colour illustrations. The opening story is 'Shocking Climax Song' (衝撃の絶頂曲) by Amagi Kei (亜麻木硅). Rei and Eriko engage in a lez-battle over a song. Also included is a hilarious Ueda Hajime (うえだはじめ) parody Dokite Tsukanpo's (土器手つかんぽ) 'All-Star Swim Meet' (オールスター水泳大会), and a wealth of well-crafted works by a menagerie of talented artists. The sexual depictions are kept barely within the bounds of professionalism, as you'd expect. Even without explicit depictions, it creates an impact.

'High! Tanaka Youko Photobook' (HIGH！田中ようこ写真集) (SYSTEM GZZY,B5,40P)

Various artists contribute illustrations using Youko (よう子) from 'Youkoso Youko' (ようこそヨウコ) as the model. Members include Shinkaida Tetsuyarou (新貝田鉄野郎), Morino Usagi (森野ウサギ), Araki Akira (あらきあきら), Sasaki Kazuhiro (佐々木かずひろ), SAWAKI Midori, and others. From fashion photography to shot-style, the Shoujo are depicted in a variety of styles and touches, creating a pleasingly beautiful portrait. Unusual for male artists, the resulting work is tastefully crafted and beautifully presented, making it a book likely to appeal to girls as well. Providing proof such erotic books can be created without all nudes and hardly any sexual entanglement.

The combination of costumes and Shoujo creates a certain charm. There are many books that focus on such.

'Hobby Uniform Book' (趣味の制服本) (SARIA・FACTORY,B5,26P)

A book of illustrations and chatter on the theme of Shoujo and uniforms, including stewardesses by ROUTE 39, that includes '112 Imperial Japanese Army and Navy Tragedy Collection' (112大日本帝国陸海軍軍悲集) by Nakajima Katsusato (中島克郷) and Tadano Imunerou's (只野伊宗郎) super lingerie, and sailor uniforms by Tachibana Shun (たちばな俊). In addition to a Mori Nobuyuki (森伸之) 'Middle Schoolgirl Uniform Encyclopaedia' (女子中学生制服図鑑) doujinshi version, there's a hobby 'Elementary Schoolgirl Uniform Encyclopaedia' (女子小学生制服図鑑), and quite a few doujinshi that show a penchant for unique costumes, such as leotards, policewoman, nuns, and so on. Rather than calling it fetishism, it would be best to look at it as play......

☆Shoujo/Women Exhibition by Girls​

It's not that women have stopped drawing 'Shoujo'. However, it's true such artists have become the minority. Artists such as Saegusa Jun (さえぐさじゅん) of 'Sangatsukan' (三月館), Maki Muumin (槙夢民) of 'Muuminfuu' (夢民風), and an artist called Anmu (杏夢), who paints a fantasy world filled with Shoujo Hobby with a warm touch, are supported by many male fans. Newer artists to watch include Kyuubi Takako (九尾たか子) and Mizusawa Michiru (水沢充).

'The Moon and You Know' (月とあなたが知っている) (Mignome・inc,A5,40P)

Kyuubi Takako (た九尾たか子), who attracted the attention of male readers with her 1989 swimsuit book, is an artist who depicts the vibrant world of Shoujo. The title story is a fantastical encounter between a Shounen and Shoujo, while 'SONG' captures a moment from everyday life. The Shoujo is mundane yet displays an erotic tenderness. A work collection was subsequently published.

'BABY・FACE' (Alice・CLUB,A5,46P)

Mizusawa Michiru's (水沢充) personal-zine is mainly an SF that depicts the journey of a Shoujo-type android and a newspaper reporter, it also depicts a Shoujo who tries to appear cute in front of men. As the title suggests, a baby-face Shoujo is quite attractive to men.

'ABBEY・ROAD' (ABBEY・ROAD・STUDIO,A5,36P)

Lez-manga by the female artist RANDY・RHOAD, a 'FOR・MEN' original that turns a work that depicts the erotic dreams of a dying man into its main theme. The sex depicted by women is, of course, consensual. Love is necessary. That's what sets them apart from men.

There are many female artists who draw erotic stuff, but what exists as their school of thought is D-cup-type and SM-type. Umino Yayaoi (海野やよい), who shows an obsession with masochism and D-cup, works in such things through her personal Circle called Studio Rookery (スタジオ・ルッカリー). 'CONJUNCTION' (TL n/a[彌禰爾]), which is an illustration collection of Puwapuwamanmaru's (プワプワマン丸) voluptuous Shoujo in a design-style, has an image of fantasy of the flesh.

'COLLE・COLLE' (Hiyoko Pro [ひよこプロ],B5,38P)

Watanabe Makoto (渡辺誠), a Chinese-type Fantasy artist, has long since begun working on D-cup. This Chinese D-cup Fantasy combines two hobbies into one. It's a storybook that also features the exaggerated female form.

In SM, Demon Hole's (悪魔の穴) 'BABY・DOLL' and the Ameri-comic 'S-style Life' (S的生活) borrow Aesthetic (耽美) SM's style to create a chic world of fashion art. The fact the art and style come first enhances its abnormal mood. What's more, in both books, it is the men who are being tormented. In any case, D-cup and SM seem to be trying to become a whole new realm for female artists, encompassing form, style, and psychology. Eros from a female perspective needs to be brought out more and more. When eroticism from a female perspective is openly discussed, rather than eroticism as a service for men, feminism will also gain a different vector.

☆Bishoujo Parodies of Hobby, Fantasy, and Play​

Now then, parody. The boom in new seinen magazines that began in the 1980s saw the incorporation of New Wave, Lolicon, Love Comedies, SEX Comedies, SF, and experimental manga, all of which had previously been thought of as doujinshi-style, non-commercial works. As a result, the uniqueness of the genres originally depicted through doujinshi has been lost. Amidst this, parody was the only genre that never made its way into commercial magazines. Due to copyright issues and the fact they were aimed at a more general audience, parodies based on specific manga and anime, especially Aniparo (アニパロ), were unable to make it into mainstream magazines, and as such, they became the only unique genre that remained in doujinshi. These aren't parody in the traditional sense, but rather a form of communication that assumed mutual knowledge.

What's exchanged are things like... Hobby, information, fashion, sense, laughter, pleasure...... And sometimes, while borrowing from the original, a new world is created that surpasses the original's, and sometimes it results in harsh criticism. Or, a combination of two different things can give birth to an unexpected story. The top three Aniparo for girls are currently 'Trooper' (トルーパー), 'Captain Tsubasa' (キャプ翼), and 'Saint Seiya' (星矢), but there aren't any particular outstanding ones among boys. Starting with the ever-popular Takahashi Rumiko (高橋留美子), 'Nadia' (ナディア), and 'Kiki's Delivery Service' (魔女宅), there's the 'Dirty Pair' (ダーティペア) Fujiko (藤子) anime, 'Patlabor' (パトレイバー) and '3x3eyes', which are linked to girls, and even 'Anpanman' (アンパンマン), 'Chibi Maruko-chan' (ちびまる子ちゃん), and 'Sazae-san' (サザエさん)...... men are unscrupulous and will prey on everything. Rumiko characters, Miyazaki (宮崎) characters, and magical girls are the orthodox.

'Keroyon' (ケロヨン) (Dummy Circle [ダミーサークル],A5,42P)

A zine filled with mischievous and sly parodies by talented artists, including the controversial work 'De Palma's 『Kiki』' (Asari Yoshitoo [あさりよしとお]), which opens with a 'Carrie'-style (キャリー) take on 'Kiki's Delivery Service', followed by 'Kekkou Nadia' (けっこうナディア) (KAN2O), which depicts a crazed Nadia, and 'CATMAN2' (Oka Shouhei [岡昌平]), a devastating parody of 'Kiki's Delivery Service'.

'Honobono! Iczer-1' (ほのぼの！イクサー1) (Kotatsuya CO.,LTD [炬燵屋CO・LTD],B5,66P)

Each book is a full-length parody by 竜哭鵠 (Ryuukoku Kugui/Kou/Koku*), but when you combine entertainment with a proper dramatic beginning, development, climax, and conclusion with tasteful art, it starts to look like a wonderful work for girls despite containing ero-scenes.
※This is an alternate penname for Tatsuneko (たつねこ), Kouga Yun's (高河ゆん) husband.

'Bishoujo Kamen Poitrine' (美少女仮面ポワトリン) (Shounan Oshinobi Club [湘南おしのびClub],B5,34P)

This zine features the work of ALEX, depicting Hussein (フセイン) and Poitrine's (ポワトリン) naughty encounter, plus a lez-style Onee-sama work by KAYA. Enjoy a punchline-filled parody and a manga version of a real-life heroine.

'Powerful 2' (ぱわふる2) (PRESS・GEAR,A5,74P)

A personal-zine by the female artist Ookamikaze Ryou (狼風涼). Starting with the gentle violence manga 'Anpanman' (アンパンマン), it's filled with gentle gag parodies of 'Laputa', 'Lupin Ⅲ' (Clarisse), 'Kiki's Delivery Service', and 'Chibi Maruko-chan'. The soft warmth of the thick lines brings out the cuteness of Shoujo that differs from the original work.

'Slightly Charming Princess' (ちょっとチャームなお姫さま) (Spectrum wa Midori [スペクトラムは緑],A5,28P)

A zine featuring a 22-page long parody 'Himitsu no Sally-chan' (秘密のサリーちゃん) (SIG) about a perverted Cub (カブ) getting into trouble, as well as talks and illustrations. The well-paced narrative, clean lines, and cute illustrations make it a joy to read. The ecchi scenes are skillfully staged without explicit depictions.

'PRESCRIPTON・4' (MENTAL・SPECIALIST,B5,64P)

A 'Dirty Pair' (ダーティペア) book the pro Watanabe Yoshimasa (わたなべよしまさ) continues to publish. Bright and cute, presented with a powerful, big-screen impact. Mari* (マリ) and Kei's (ケイ) lez contest. The anime-style lively art fills the pages. If you read this for long enough, you'll find yourself growing more attached to Watanabe's version of 'Dirty Pair' than the original. This is a Circle with enduring popularity.
※Yonezawa must mean Kei's partner, Yuri (ユリ).

'Shounen Caupar' (少年CAUPAR) (Umanami Shobou [馬波書房],B5,50P)

A parody filled with play sense labelled as 'Chiraism Aesthetic' (チラリズムの美学). Starting with 'Dragon Quest II' (Umayama Akira [馬山明]), the zine parodies and author names, including 'Tantan' (タンタン) (Morichichi Chichio [森乳ちちお]), 'Teyande' (てやんでぇ) (Chinko Tatsunoko Pro [ちんこたつのこプロ]), 'Tensai Bakabon' (天才バカボン) (Akatsuka Fumichio [赤塚不倫夫]), and 'Chinpui' (チンプイ) (Fujikoji...... [フジコジ……]). Focusing on gag manga, it's bright, cute, and not too cruel, yet well-paced with plenty of adult parodies to enjoy. The table of contents and cover are also well-made.

'Saint Seiko' (性闘士星子) (Runano092 [ルナノ092],B5,46P)

A powerful 'Saint Seiya' parody book by Horikawa Gorou (堀川悟郎). The golden vibrator lodged between the legs of Onee-sama (Goddess [Athena]) must be removed within 12 hours. To do so, Saint must seek out the Pope and defeat the enemies standing in his way. The all-female cast, known as Seiko (星子), creates an epic erotic and mystical parody. Enjoy the slimy costumes, the cuteness of the girls, and the ridiculousness of their battles.

'Urusei Seven Guidebook' (うる星セブンガイドブック) (The Fourth Planet [第四惑星],A5,358P)

The most talked-about parody work of the past five years or so is Danchounana's (弾超七) 'Urusei Seven Utsukushi Ryakusha' (ウル星セブン美し略者). The idea of using characters from 'Urusei Yatsura' to create an 'Ultra Seven' (ウルトラセブン) wasn't rare, but this full-length work with a proper story, gags, and tempo is exceptionally good. In other words, the power of the work itself is what made it so popular. And Dan's next project had the ambitious task of parodying every episode of 'Ultra Seven' using Rumiko characters. This zine, which includes everything related to 'Urusei Seven', its setting materials, letters, and articles all compiled into the form of a guidebook, is a true treasure trove of the doujinshi parody genre. Dan's drawing skills have also improved, evolving the characters beyond Rumiko characters into his own original characters.

There are many other parody books, including the so-called Eroparo (エロパロ), which are often created by popular artists who have simply chosen popular works to draw them in a haphazard manner, but parodies exchanged between maniacs and fans require some form of 'love'. Even a critique spirit is nice. Among these, works such as Teyandei (てやんでい), which are volumes created by cross-party factions, are now being produced. Parodies need to have a certain degree of marketability, and parodies that are solely commercial must be artistic, otherwise they would be unbearable to read. However, there's no doubt a singular form will eventually emerge from this genre. Of that, I am convinced.

☆Seek the Light of Eros and Original!​

When it comes to the Circles popular to men in places like Comiket, there's Studio Katsudon (スタジオかつ丼), TENTOHOUSE, Circle Taihei Tengoku (サークル大平天国), Bible (ばいぶある), LOOKOUT, Luna Industria (ルナ・インダストリア), Shashamo House (ししゃもハウス), Eserori Bunko (エセロリ文庫), Tororoimo (とろろいも), T2UNIT, Kougadou (高画堂), UROBOROS, and Studio Awake (スタジオアオーク)......... If you're wondering why they're so popular, it's because they're drawn by talented artists (many of whom are pro or semi-pro) and have a solid editorial concept and sense of eroticism... And they don't just have illustrations, they're proper works.

However, as manga art are symbols of pleasure, comfort and eroticism are essential to works. Withering art, in manga, signifies 'old age'. The eyes, lips, body form, and even the lines of the Shoujo depicted speak of the fantasy pleasure of young, fresh sensibilities. No mangaka has become first-rate without a sense of sexiness in their 'lines' and 'art'.

Doujinshi boasts a wide variety of works and artists. Even if we limit ourselves to eroticism, so long as there are works based on that theme, they can sometimes have a whiff of sexuality regardless of their intent. Some show the joy of lewd comedies, while others explore what 'sex' means to humans. There is no clear line between pornography and non-pornography. It's up to the humans who read, and the ones who regulate, to decide, and in turn, lead to the minds of the former being judged.

'Ochuugen' (御中元) (Shashamo House [ししゃもハウス],B5,P)

A special issue celebrating the 5th anniversary of the healthy Bishoujo-type Circle (?) Shamo House. With Araki Akira (あらきあきら) and Minota Ken'ichi (みのたけんいち) as main writers, this issue also features Dr-MAN, Mageshia (まげしあ), Fujisawa Akira (ふじさわあきら), Bloomer Hogero (ぶるまほげろー), MOS・LIMITED, Atsumi Asami (亜津美麻魅), INAGO, Kouji (弘司), and others. A parade of soft-ero works drawn with a bright, cute, comedy-touch. Every girl is tastefully drawn and cute. A book focusing on the 'Shoujo' rather than her body. Perhaps this is a yearning for romance underlying both shoujo manga and love-comedies.

'GOMIGOMI' (Gomi-Gomi Production Committee [ゴミゴミ制作委員会],B5,76P)

In a parody of the 'commercial magazine Gomi-Gomi' (商業誌ゴミゴミ), this doujin's writers push past limitations to create a powerful, ecchi comedy. In other words, Manabe Jouji (真鍋譲二), Satou Fumihiko (佐藤文彦), Miyazawa Rieo (宮沢りえを), Sakura Souichi (砂倉そーいち), Aizawa Sanae (相沢早苗), and Hijiribashi Chaki (聖橋茶紀)...... While this may be considered a play book by talented pro artists, the work itself is well-crafted, making it a topical doujinshi of the 1990s. The editing is expertly done, and the play elements throughout are enjoyable. The same Circle also published books such as 'Ura Outlanders' (裏アウトランダース) and 'Ura Capricorn' (裏カプリコン).

'Yurusan!! 7' (許さん！！7) (Comic House [コミックハウス],B5,50P)

This is the typical Bishoujo ecchi book with a long history, created by artists such as Haja (破邪) and Hiryuu (飛龍), who've appeared in commercial magazines like 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ). The book is expertly crafted with a standard structure of current status manga, illustrations, short stories, and parodies. At its core, it gives the impression of a Shoujo's shyness.

'Yuuragi' (遊裸戯) (SYSTEM・GZZY,B5,56P)

A 50-page literary eros masterpiece by Eimu Yuu* (影夢優), who is both a pro and long-time doujinshi artist. The second work is 'Daughter Doll Keeper' (娘人形飼首). With a decadent mood and a theme of old-fashioned incest, this work meticulously depicts the bond between father and daughter, and the pain and pleasure of a Shoujo treated like a doll. Which I believe is rare even among doujinshi and commercial magazines. This could be considered a foray into full-scale eroticism. If its themes are properly excavated and fully explored without running out of steam, it could serve as a rich harvest for the manga world.
※Alternate penname for Morino Usagi (森野うさぎ).

——Entering the 1990s, original artists have also begun to gain popularity. Representative examples include Murakawa Michio (むらかわみちお) and Naitou Yasuhiro (内藤泰弘), and the work of pro doujinshi artists such as Hagiwara Kazushi (萩原一至) has also attracted attention. It could be said men are making a comeback in the doujinshi world, which was previously dominated by women.

'THE・MADE・GENIUS' (B5,120P)

A collection of unfinished long-form doujinshi works by Hagiwara Kazushi (萩原一至), Tsuruta Hirohisa (鶴田洋久), Yumi Morio (由美もりお), and others, based on 'Made Genius' (天才はつくられる) (Mayumura Taku [眉村卓]) during their time at the Tokyo University of the Arts. While the collection, which includes storyboards and unfinished manuscripts, is problematic as a work, it offers insight into the professional apprenticeship period and offers some interesting and unexpected discoveries. ——Recently, popular writers such as Takaguchi Satosumi (高口里純), Nekojuujisha (猫十字社), and Kurimoto Kaoru (栗元薫) have been increasingly entering the doujinshi world, opening up new possibilities.

'DEFALE・THE・FACE' (Tokyo Tower [東京たわー],B5,26P)

Senkou Hanabi's (閃光花火) personal-zine, known for his outrageous experiments in doujinshi such as the 'Hoshi Ittetsu Kannou Photo Collection' (星一徹官能写真集), the barcode-based 'FAINE・ART', and the horse-nude 'Baka' (馬華). Cutely-presented Shoujo, avant-garde humour, pop art, and a touch of poison to create a unique Bishoujo world.

'Gash' (ガッシュ) (LITTLE,B5,40P)

Takese You's (たかせよう) full-length SF fantasy, which took him a year and a half to draw, was completed with its 3rd issue this winter. The adventures and romance of a Shoujo and Shounen are set in another world filled with Gaudi architecture, airships, and biplanes. Shoujo are always a good fit for fantasy. His extensive use of gold and silver in the book's design expands the scope of its expression thanks to the freedom of doujinshi.

'Rin' (麟) (Hime Club [姫クラブ],B5,62P)

A popular original Circle that can create lines. Its unit was formed to continue two long-length works, the fluffy monster 'Hyaku Monogatari' (百物語) and the Matsuda Hiroka (松田紘佳) heroic fantasy 'Black Flame' (黒の炎). In a 2 year pace, they've published 8 books by this winter. They still have a long ways to go while communicating with their readers through chat pages and private manga.

'HIS・PLACE・ABOVE・US' (Kamonegi Switch Plays [鴨ねぎスウィッチブレイド,B5,38P)

A volume wrapped in the good sense of Nightou Yasuhiro's (内藤泰弘) 30-page work 'His Place, Above Us' (僕等の頭上に彼の場所). An everyday Shoujo and Shounen Fantasy in a comfortable, albeit compelling, style, creating a sense of comfort in its words, art, and space. Of course, the Shoujo are charming. Perhaps its rapid rise in popularity is because of the well-defined world it's set in.

'Tsuyoki' (ツヨキ) (Murakawa Michio-dou [むらかわみちお党],B5,144P)

Murakawa Micho's (むらかわみちお) second work collection, who garnered attention with his artbook 'Southern Paradise' (南方楽園), which combined Shoujo illustrations with a southern-oriented aesthetic. Includes 'Enban Genji' (円盤げんじ), which depicts a UFO Shounen, the novella 'Jane' (ジェーン), which depicts another Godzilla legend, 'Southern Paradise' (南方楽園) illustrations, logos, costume designs, and more. Neither in an anime-style, nor a trending manga touch, Murakawa's unique style, possessing warmth and softness, is both narrative and erotic. Furthermore, among artists, he's conscious to expression. This orientation towards original may signal the doujinshi world is finally beginning to re-evaluate what it means to draw.

Let's wrap up this introduction and discussion of the doujinshi situation here for now. ——This is the heartfelt intention of trying to create a doujinshi guide for boys. By no means is Doujinshi an Otaku world, or a maniac world for only a select few. Manga is undoubtedly the most accessible form of expression for the younger generation, with a wide range of possibilities. If one has something that should be drawn, they may draw it. Doujinshi makes it possible to share that with many people. Also, if one isn't satisfied with commercial magazines and existing manga, check out spot-sales events, where one can discover works that may be technically immature, but offer something new, they're also places for communication.

(Note: the doujinshi introduced here are mainly those published in 1990, some are also not their latest issues. Also, please be aware it wasn't possible to introduce every popular doujinshi.)

※～※～※～※～※

The Flow of Sex and Love in Manga
——Postwar 'Sex Comic' Essay——​

By Yonezawa Yoshihiro (米沢嘉博)


☆Manga for Adults and Manga for Children Period


Once, around the Showa 20 period (1945), the story manga started by Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫) were strictly for children. The target demographic being elementary schoolers. Of course, the contents were adventure and sport stories with children as their protagonists. Educational considerations for children were necessary, and what constituted 'good children's manga' was discussed among artists. The first to be denounced as harmful manga due to its sexual depictions was the kissing scene in Tezuka Osamu's 'Angel Gunfighter' (拳銃天使). Tezuka Osamu was publicly criticised by the PTA for trying to add the scent of 'romance' from foreign films.

In 'Lost World' (ロストワールド), Ayame (あやめ) was topless, and women in costumes akin to swimsuits were flying around in Tezuka manga. For the young Tezuka Osamu, who surrendered his body to the passion of drawing, this was an essential part of his stories, and it surely resonated with the pleasure of drawing. Manga art is not simply symbolic representations of the shapes of objects; it also had to convey 'sensations' and 'moods' such as softness, creepiness, and hardness with its lines and shapes. If an adult woman didn't have a sexual smell, and a Shoujo didn't have a scent of romance, then they were meaningless as symbols.

Entering the Showa 30 period (1955), a panel from 'Fukugan Majin' (複眼魔人), an SF series by 'Lion Books' (ライオンブックス) that depicts the world of seinen manga, depicted the legs of a woman dressed as a man taking off her slacks, was singled out by the PTA. While it might have been acceptable in film, in a manga for children, it was deemed extremely obscene and harmful. After this incident, Tezuka began to clearly distinguish between manga for children and non-children.

Meanwhile, there was adult manga flowing from the prewar in this period. Erotic manga by artists such as Ono Saseo (小野佐世男), who were active during the ero-guro-nonsense period, survived mainly in postwar pulp magazines. These works differed from the simplified nonsense style of Manga Shudan-types (漫画集団) that represented newspaper yonkoma. Their art style had a concrete feel. Rather than concrete symbolism, they felt like novel illustrations and caricatures given a manga touch. Ero tastes were a weapon for artists in this period, and one of their challenges was how to portray the female body erotically. Works such as 'Atomic Obon' (アトミックのおぼん) by Sugiura Yukio (杉浦幸雄) and 'Sennin Buraku' (仙人部落) by Kojima Koo (小島功) were born from among these. Furthermore, illustrations at the time were more manga-like than they are today.

These adult manga were considered vulgar entertainment for (working) adults, but wait a minute. That means there were no manga aimed towards middle and high schoolers, or young people from their middle teens to their high teens. In a period where it was normal for people to stop reading manga when they graduated from elementary school, one had no choice but to seek slightly more intellectual artists in children's manga or read manga aimed at adults.

What filled this void was rental gekiga that appeared in the Showa 30 period (1955). They depicted the drama of the youth and the form of children in society. By depicting youth and romance, lovers and glamorous women gradually began to appear. Amidst this, 'Ninja Bugeichou' (忍者武芸帖) by Shirato Sanpei (白土三平), which sparked controversy due to its Akemi (明美) bathing scene, was deemed harmful by the PTA for being ero and cruel. This was in 1960. But of course, romance only lasted until the 'kiss' scene, and the word 'SEX' never came into being among the dazzling youth; that was rental gekiga. The success of 'Manga Tokuhon' (漫画読本) and the onset of the weekly magazine period, magazines like 'Manga Sunday' (漫画サンデー), 'Doyou Manga' (土曜漫画), and 'Manga Story' (漫画ストーリー) were launched one after the other. These were popular entertainment magazines that included true stories, essays, short stories, and adult manga, and they were nothing like the manga magazines we know today. Manga often featured erotic humour stories and SEX content. ——This not posing a problem was because they were aimed at adults, and their simple illustrations lacked concreteness and realism. Story manga, which told stories and was pioneered by Tezuka Osamu, and gekiga, which evolved from it and attempted to depict a more realistic reality, were still for adults and not the youth. However, the postwar baby boomer generation, raised on manga, was beginning to enter adolescence around the time of the Tokyo Olympics.

☆Seinen Manga and Harenchi Manga


Even after the manga generation entered adolescence, it was only around 1967~1970 that publishing companies noticed they continued to read manga and began to launch a series of manga magazines for the youth. 'Big Comic' (ビッグコミック), 'Play Comic' (プレイコミック), 'Manga Action' (漫画アクション), 'Young Comic' (ヤングコミック), and 'Weekly Manga' (週刊漫画)...... A new manga period was ushered in by children's mangaka who wanted to create more in-depth stories, and by artists who had moved on from the fading rental gekiga world. The 3 pillars among these were '3S' (Thrills*, Speed, and Sex), and erotic action stories, led by 'Lupin Ⅲ' (ルパン三世) (Monkey Punch [モンキーパンチ]), became a staple. Originally, these were aiming to provide mass entertainment for the youth.
※T/L Note: In Japanese thrills is read as 'suriru' (スリル)

However, conscious young artists saw the potential of seinen manga as a way to further develop 'manga as expression', and began to create ambitious works. The important theme of these artists was 'sex' (性). Violence, politics, and real existence—the period known as the late 1960s heralded a time of change for the youth, and a variety of themes were explored. Miyaya Kazuhiko (宮谷一彦) depicted vulvas and phalluses, Masaka Mori (真崎守) wriggled between death, SEX, and life, and Kamimura Kazuo (上村一夫) expressed eroticism in ukiyo-e-esque static images. For young readers, and for young artists, 'sex' (性) and 'SEX' carried a necessity that had to be depicted in manga. Of course, youth romance was accompanied by SEX. And the young culture that included 'Heibon Punch' (平凡パンチ) and 'Playboy' (プレイボーイ) began during this period.

Thus, youth culture influenced manga, a culture for children. 'Shounen Magazine' (少年マガジン) and 'Shounen Sunday' (少年サンデー) took on the appearance of seinen magazines, featuring youth stories permeating with the smell of 'sex' (性). Also, launching during this period was 'Shonen Jump' (少年ジャンプ), where 'Harenchi Gakuen' (ハレンチ学園) (Nagai Gou [永井豪]) became an explosive hit. This manga, which created popular pastimes like skirt-flipping and touch-boin, gained overwhelming popularity with its healthy eroticism and subversive humour. Naturally, this work was criticised by the PTA and education-minded mamas, and led to the emergence of 'modern children' critic Abe Susumu (阿部進). Due to the hit of this work, it led to shameless manga, boin manga, and violent manga being depicted in shounen manga magazines. Amidst this, the issue of sex education for children emerged, and Tezuka Osamu responded by publishing the medical-based sex education manga 'Desperate Maria' (やけっぱちのマリア) and 'Apollo's Song' (アポロの歌). As a result, the works were designated as harmful. Children's manga gradually became more mature, and 'Magazine' and 'Sunday' also gradually lowered their target age ranges.

Meanwhile, adult manga magazines and ero-magazines, as well as seinen magazines by small and medium-sized publishers, began to focus on ero in the 1970s. These ero-manga magazines became a kind of cesspool for illustrators like Utagawa Taiga (歌川大雅) and Muku Youji (掠陽児), and failed shoujo mangaka like Kimura Mitsuhisa (木村光久) and Mizushima Jun (水島順), young newcomers who couldn't make their debut at the majors, and unconventional artists who couldn't make it in maniac-magazines like 'Garo' (ガロ). Early magazines like 'Comic VAN' (コミックVAN), 'Manga Tengoku' (漫画天国), and 'Hit Punch' (ヒットパンチ) produced sloppy pages that mixed together gekiga, nonsense, and adult manga. This also produced strange works such as the kaijuu series (Suganuma Kaname [菅沼要] and Shima Ryuuji [島竜二], Manga Q [漫画Q]) that combined everything ero.

The number of ero-magazines and ero-manga magazines published by small and medium publishers such as Issui-sha, Shinju Shobo, Amatoria-sha, and Sun Publishing had nearly grown to 60 by 1975~1976. Influenced by the seinen gekiga of the 1970s, these magazines, which mainly featured short, one-shot stories of 20~30 pages, came to be known as ero-gekiga magazines, and established one pattern. And so, new talents began to emerge one after another. Shimizu Osamu (清水おさむ), Iida Kouichirou (飯田耕一郎), Inoue Hideki (井上英樹), Miyanishi Keizou (宮西計三), Hachuu Rui (羽中ルイ), and Tsutsumi Shin (つつみ進)...... and also from 'Garo' and all-age magazines, Hisauchi Michio (ひさうちみちお), Kondou Youko (近藤ようこ), Hanawaka Zuichi (花輪和一), Hiraguchi Hiromi (平口広美), Ebisu Yoshikazu (蛙子能収), etc. ...

All of this became interesting, creating a situation filled with power, and the ambitious editing of 'Erogenica' (エロジェニカ), 'Gekiga Alice' (劇画アリス), and 'Manga Daikairaku' (漫画大快楽) joined, creating a miniature boom with the naming 'third-rate gekiga' (三流劇画) around 1979. This miniature boom, coupled with the existence of Ishii Takashi (石井隆), who continued to draw the theme 'sex' (性) primarily for 'Young Comic' (ヤングコミック), gave rise to a frenzy that engulfed intellectuals and manga maniacs. Manga depicting 'sex' (性) and it being an important theme in manga was finally accepted by the general public.

However, most ero-gekiga available commercially were nothing more than a realistic embodiment of a patternised 'lonely sexual fantasy'. Only around 10% of these 'sexual fantasies' came to fruition in works. And so, starting with the banning of a publication of Erogenica, ero-gekiga magazines that had gotten carried away were condemned one after another, with the closure of the big three, they ended with a sudden decline after their boom. This was largely due to the fact readers were shifting from the gekiga generation to the anime and shoujo manga generation. Ero-gekiga was beginning to look old-fashioned.

☆The Rapid Development and State of the 1980s


Coinciding with the rise of the love comedy boom in shounen manga, from around 1980 saw the launch of a new seinen magazine publication boom with 'Young Jump' (ヤングジャンプ) and 'Young Magazine' (ヤングマガジン). Among these seinen magazines aimed towards a younger generation, the mainstream genre was youth love comedies. Eventually, these would evolve into youth SEX comedies. 'SEX' and 'sex' (性) are essential to youth romance, featuring protagonists between the ages of 18~23, and whether it was real or comedy, they were unavoidable. On one hand, the pain and frustration of realistic youth sex was portrayed seriously, while on the other, sexual adventures were light-heartedly told. The huge success of Gekkou's (月光) 'Minna Agechau' (みんなあげちゃう) (Young Jump), which emerged as a shift away from shoujo manga, further fueled the rise of this genre.

The 'Lolicon Boom' that began in doujinshi around 1980, with Azuma Hideo and Uchiyama Aki as its key figures, reaffirmed the existence of 'Shoujo' in manga. Rather than Shoujo as a sexual object, it was 'Shoujo' as a sexual being and 'Shoujo' as a mysterious space that embraced the world...... Naturally, this boom spread to all-age magazines in a simplistic form that associated Shoujo with ecchi. This led to the debut of artists like Senno Knife (千之ナイフ) and Miyasu Nonki (みやすのんき), both of whom had origins in doujinshi. At the same time, it also led to the launch of small-circulation commercial magazines such as 'Lemon People' (レモンピープル) and 'Manga Burikko' (漫画ブリッコ), which focused on young artists from the doujinshi world.

Eventually, these two pushed ero-gekiga into the background, and while they continued to interact, the theme of ecchi manga was forgotten, and 'sex' (性) fantasies, such as housewives, D-cup, uniforms, SM, and kinky, expanded its target to lead to the formation of 'ero-gekiga' drawn with a touch of anime, shoujo manga, and shounen manga.——Starting to gain momentum around 1985, it could be said that rather than being a boom, it has become established as a genre within the expanding world of manga.

Furthermore, shoujo manga that depicted the important themes of 'love' and 'romance' from the 1960s, gave birth to a new genre called Lady's Comic in the 1980s aimed towards older readers, depicting 'SEX' as an important motif, ranging from love and romance to adult women. SEX was also indispensable to adult romance. However, while men can easily connect their fantasies with visual images alone, women require drama, story, and emotional empathy, and so came to depict SEX as the encounter, rise of love, and climax.

In the summer of 1990, the 'Report of the Commercialisation of Sexuality' (性の商品化に関するレポート) counted works with 'sexual panels', many of which were from Lady's Comic. Of course, this included adult manga and seinen manga as well. However, this report eventually spread to the issue of local governments designating books as 'harmful', which led to the designation of the 'Adult Comic' (成年コミック) mark for 'ANGEL' (Yuujin [遊人], Young Sunday [ヤングサンデー]) at the forefront. It also led to the 'ecchi manga hunt' by labelling self-published works as pirated porno manga.

Without any comments being made about the 'commercialisation of sex' in Lady's Comic (from a feminist stance), the results were effectively used to apply 'obscenity' to manga as well. And this situation is still ongoing.

Manga is both an inexpensive form of entertainment for the masses and an important means of self-expression in Japan. It is a space for story and art, concrete and abstract, symbol and representation, self and other, world and individual, reason and emotion...... these various elements collided and competed with one another. I have no intention of commenting on whether or not manga is art. The fact the popular novels by Stendhal and Dostoevsky have come to be considered literature, the term 'art' has come to be applied in new forms like film and rock, and that terms like 'copy art' have been born probably says a lot about this.

And within this desire to express oneself must be an emotion towards 'eros'. As the inverse, it is none other than 'Thanatos' (death). Furthermore, the joy of life is also sexual pleasure. Anger at the destruction of nature, war, etc. is a backlash against the existential threats to 'life'. A story is the great flow of life that swells and moves everything, and it is the desire for 'life' that drives society and the world. When we narrow our discussion to the world, nation, local community, family, and even to the couple at the root of nationalism, what we must talk about is 'sex' (性). 'Sex' (性) and 'SEX' are also extremely familiar themes, where issues of race and individual unconsciously collide. Everyone thinks about it, everyone questions it, and everyone is interested in it; therefore, it can be said to be a theme with 'marketability'. Furthermore, no 'object' is as common as 'genitals', yet it has been hidden for so long. There is nothing obscene about 'objects'. The fantasies of the viewer added to these objects is what gives birth to obscenity. Of course, works expressed through fantasy are themselves nothing more than a combination of lines drawn on a white canvas. It is the lewd gaze of those who view these lines of manga that creates obscenity.

※～※～※～※～※

 

[eromaker12]

Hello eromaker12, for a moment, I thought you were Jeko's rebranded account.

The history of ero-gekiga comprised the majority of chapters in Yonezawa Yoshihiro's 'Postwar Eromanga History' (戦後エロマンガ史). I translated a few chapters for this thread if you want a sample of what to expect when you obtain your own copy. Kera wanted to find out if it was possible to negotiate the right to reprint Yonezawa's books digitally, but so far, I haven't heard any news on that front. The word nude (ヌード) appears 47 times in Yonezawa's book and he shows a lot of visual samples of nude gravure from various publications.

Chris is friends with a user called Show Showcase. They list themselves as being from the United Kingdom and have a Twitter (Link) and Facebook account (Link), but I believe they're Japanese (?) and very passionate about ero-ekiga. Translating vintage works into English so they can be appreciated by a broader audience.

Out of the four editors responsible for the manga-side of the Lolicon Boom. Kawamoto Kouji, Takatori Ei, Ogata Katsuhiro, and Ootsuka Eiji. Kawamoto Kouji and Takatori Ei both have roots as young ero-gekiga magazine editors with Takatori Ei handling the more prominent magazine Erogenica (漫画エロジェニカ) during his tenure as its third editor-in-chief. Yonezawa Yoshihiro was friend with Kawamoto Kouji, and both of them shared a passion for a wide range of manga with Kawamoto Kouji writing a gekiga essay for Labyrinth's 'Comic Critique' and a rental manga list doujinshi that Kera obtained and reprinted. One of Kawamoto's gekiga editor peers, Kamewada Takeshi, was notoriously lazy that he often left the editing of his magazine, Gekiga Alice (劇画アリス) in the hands of Yonezawa Yoshihiro and the other members of Labyrinth, hence why the history of the Third-rate Gekiga Movement is an important documented part of Comiket history.

Kawamoto Kouji wrote a book about his participation in the industry and its history in 'Showa History of Porno Magazines' (ポルノ雑誌の昭和史), which you can purchase and read digitally.

The next translation I'm going to upload is going to include a short ero-manga history lesson by Yonezawa Yohishiro, which includes ero-gekiga history. It might not have the answers you seek, but it should be a nice springboard of topics to seek and research on your own time.

This is pretty good to start looking more into ero-gekiga history. I also read there was important ero-gekiga magazines that played a roll setting up the lolicon boom that I can't find any information on.

that being Gekiga Pantsu, Manga Hotto, and another one being labeled one of the most infamous Comic Banana. these magz was made in the 1970s before 1979. So I believe these maybe the early ground works for the lolicon boom of the 1980s.

Have you found any info on them?

 

[Taruby]

The above Bishoujo Encyclopaedia translation is quite the monster, perhaps surpassing everything else I've done in this thread in terms of hours of work. And there's another Bishoujo Catalogue translation with 12 more interviews. I did research into the 16 Bishoujo mangaka introduced, but my tabs are a total mess, so you're just going to have to research these people yourselves. After translating these articles, I went and picked up some of their tankoubon that haven't been scanned (i.e. Nanno Koto, BUi-BUI, etc.), so you might discover someone who may become one of your favourite artists*. Some of them may seem familiar due to their manga (or anime adaptation) getting localised into English (i.e. ITOYOKO's Dragon Pink).
※GORGON by Maboroshi Chouji is exceptionally beautiful and has been scanned (READ IT!)

One of my purchases made while in Hyogo, this time from M. This doujin is by Maboroshi Chouji (幻超二), a talented mangaka who's works include Gorgon (ゴルゴーン_) and Border Vigilantes (辺境自警隊). Maboroshi also worked alongside Hiroshi Yamamoto on the Sword World RPG series.

However, though during the late 1990s, Chouji began to suffer from the effects of Sarcoidosis, a neurological disease which led to him having full retinal detachment in his left eye while his right eye also suffers from visual impairment. With that in mind, he has unfortunately created very few works and in 2006 fully retired from publishing manga as well as participating in Comiket. M knew/knows Maboroshi and parted with this copy so long as I would document/preserve his old friend's work, of which I was glad to do.

This is a parody manga based on the OYW in 0079 and has a unique narrative structure as a one shot. I am unsure if this was continued as each volume under Maboroshi's pseudonym differs. This doujin hails from August 4th of 1996 while the initial byline/artist's note was written on July 25th of 1996. I had to debind this copy, which wasn't easy, but was required to get proper documentation. Maboroshi's artwork is absolutely phenomenal and it's quite a shame that such a talented man was afflicted with an incurable disease.

Examples of a Tankoubon Personally Imported:

Quite a few of the doujinshi introduced by Yonezawa Yoshihiro have been scanned and uploaded to Sad Panda, though some of them have no presence on the internet. I did find a coloured cover scan of 'Replicant' when it was being sold during an auction many years ago:

Translated a couple articles from a Mizumaze Club doujinshi Tooecchi scanned on the 5th page (one of them by the editor-in-chief of Manga no Techou, and another by the president of Bishoujology).

In any case, one point I want to stress is Moriyama Tou (aka Yamamoto Naoki); he's an extremely important figure in Bishoujo manga history who did the character designs for the ero-anime Cream Lemon (I have several interviews with him in regards to that project), and was directly inspired by Azuma Hideo (I translated a talk between them, though he went by Yamamoto Naoki in that talk). Moriyama Tou's two assistants were Hiryuu Ran and Nekojima Rei, and the latter was a prolific artist who was used as an example of the kind of Lolicon that's popular among 1990s Otaku during Okada Toshio and Takekuma Kentarou talk in 'ACROSS'.

●Are the models for your characters real? Or desire?

Nekojima Rei: I create them on the desire that wants a girl like this to exist. They don't have the personalities of normal women, so when I'm working, I find myself thinking, "I want them as my wife!?" So I draw based on the desire if I were to find a wife, I'd like her to be like this.

●When you're Nekojima Rei, do you become male?

Nekojima Rei: While I'm working, I mostly draw with male emotions. After all, needs are needs. And I wanted to be born a man rather than a woman. Ever since I was a child, I've always done boyish things. I had more boy friends than girl friends, so I thought and did the same thing as boys and somehow I understood what it was like being a man... I feel like I'm drawing the girlish parts of myself I don't possess.

●Do you still yearn to be a boy even now?

Nekojima Rei: I do.

Nekojima Rei's an example of a woman who wants to become a boy so she can marry her Loli Catgirls.

One of my favourite nekomimi artists, Ebifly, was inspired by Mon-Mon's 'Burikkomimi', which was serialised in 'Manga Burikko'. For the longest time, researchers created a timeline where anime catgirls went Furry→Chibineko (Star of Cottonland)→Sham Cat (Azuma Hideo), but the reality is that Chibineko and Sham Cat are independent catgirls with the former being first by almost a year (a cat that is anthropomorphised into a doll-like girl with cat ears and tail), and Sham Cat, according to Azuma Hideo, being based on Tezuka Osamu's furry characters; Sham Cat has multiple forms, and her final one is essentially where modern day kemonomimi sprang from. However, Chibineko got an anime, so she's often people's first instance of a witnessing a catgirl before they find all of the proper anime catgirls spawned from Sham Cat's Comiket lineage. Mon-Mon's 'Burikkomimi' is based on the Chibineko-style of catgirl, where the character is in reality a cat, but to the viewer, they see a doll-like girl with cat-ears..

Speaking of ITOYOKO. Back in the 1980s, he contributed illustrations to a Mita Ryuusuke FC, and drew some nice pictures of Mink from Dragon Half. If you watch the anime adaptation of ITOYOKO's 'Dragon Pink', you can actually see a Mink cameo.

This is pretty good to start looking more into ero-gekiga history. I also read there was important ero-gekiga magazines that played a roll setting up the lolicon boom that I can't find any information on.

that being Gekiga Pantsu, Manga Hotto, and another one being labeled one of the most infamous Comic Banana. these magz was made in the 1970s before 1979. So I believe these maybe the early ground works for the lolicon boom of the 1980s.

Have you found any info on them?

I'm guessing you registered an account and haven't had time to go through all these translations yet? Do you have an online presence where you're posting your research?

The first commercial Lolicon manga by Azuma Hideo was published in 'Shoujo Alice (少女アリス), which is not to be confused with the artistic photobook by Sawatari Hajime'. On the 5th page of this thread, there's a translation of a talk Kawamoto Kouji gave at the Yonezawa Yoshihiro Memorial Museum that you should read because he talks about his involvement in editing 'Shoujo Alice'. Ogata Katsuhiro was interviewed by Kera, and he talks about his relationship with Kawamoto Kouji that you should also read (don't remember which page, but it's probably the 3rd or 4th page).

I have some pseudo-researcher privileges, but it's limited to only certain magazines (i.e. Shoujo Alice). I'm not familiar with Gekiga Pantsu, Manga Hotto, or Comic Banana (Yonezawa talks about ホット [Hotto] in his Postwar Eromanga History, but I couldn't find anything for パンツ or バナナ; one result for パンツ is 平凡パンツ [Heibon Pantsu], but I think that was a typo for 平凡パンチ [Heibon Punch]). I'm only familiar with Erogenica because that's where Nakajima Fumio did his manga that were adapted into the first Lolicon anime (雪の紅化粧) (for some reason, the English wikipedia incorrectly attributes this manga to Lemon People when it's a gekiga manga Nakajima serialised in Erogenica). I translated a short interview with Nakajima Fumio in this thread (AVALON) where he talks about his feelings regarding his old-fashioned gekiga-style manga being turned into ero-anime (he was insistent about his Lemon People manga being adapted, but the person in charge at Wonder Kids was mostly a fan of gekiga [translated an interview with him as well earlier in the thread]).

Hopefully, you would get better answers from Showa Showcase about the older gekiga magazines you mentioned.

 

[eromaker12]

I'm guessing you registered an account and haven't had time to go through all these translations yet? Do you have an online presence where you're posting your research?

The first commercial Lolicon manga by Azuma Hideo was published in 'Shoujo Alice (少女アリス), which is not to be confused with the artistic photobook by Sawatari Hajime'. On the 5th page of this thread, there's a translation of a talk Kawamoto Kouji gave at the Yonezawa Yoshihiro Memorial Museum that you should read because he talks about his involvement in editing 'Shoujo Alice'. Ogata Katsuhiro was interviewed by Kera, and he talks about his relationship with Kawamoto Kouji that you should also read (don't remember which page, but it's probably the 3rd or 4th page).

I have some pseudo-researcher privileges, but it's limited to only certain magazines (i.e. Shoujo Alice). I'm not familiar with Gekiga Pantsu, Manga Hotto, or Comic Banana (Yonezawa talks about ホット [Hotto] in his Postwar Eromanga History, but I couldn't find anything for パンツ or バナナ; one result for パンツ is 平凡パンツ [Heibon Pantsu], but I think that was a typo for 平凡パンチ [Heibon Punch]). I'm only familiar with Erogenica because that's where Nakajima Fumio did his manga that were adapted into the first Lolicon anime (雪の紅化粧) (for some reason, the English wikipedia incorrectly attributes this manga to Lemon People when it's a gekiga manga Nakajima serialised in Erogenica). I translated a short interview with Nakajima Fumio in this thread (AVALON) where he talks about his feelings regarding his old-fashioned gekiga-style manga being turned into ero-anime (he was insistent about his Lemon People manga being adapted, but the person in charge at Wonder Kids was mostly a fan of gekiga [translated an interview with him as well earlier in the thread]).

Hopefully, you would get better answers from Showa Showcase about the older gekiga magazines you mentioned.

Yes I have just registered and so far been trying to read on all the info on here. I have no real online presence expect for a few social media sites i post my art on. been mostly looking into the history of modern internet nsfw art. Decided to look deeper into Americas underground comic scene. I notice a thing called bondage fairies became popular inspiring anime related looking art styles like demi the demoness and 1990s comic books like Milk! from radio comix( even in the late 1980s anime inspired erotic art works started popping up alot). this lead me into looking into lolicon boom. Getting a summary of the lolicon boom and finding out about lolicon gekiga on the Japanese Wikipedia. Decide to look around on 5ch remembering finding a thread about it with the oh so helpful auto translate talking about these ero-gekiga magz. very little info about them except one with comment about a company that used to be called self-publishing.

which ended up leading me here to find out more information on the lolicon boom.

 

[Taruby]

Source:『美少女コミックカタログ』1996/10/15

★Table of Contents:
Akifuji Satoshi (あきふじさとし)
Eno Akira (えのあきら)
Keno Yantarou (毛野楊太郎)
See.O
Chatarou (ちゃたろー)
Nishiki Yoshimune (にしき義統)
Fujisaki Makoto (藤咲真)
Miyamoto Rumi (みやもと留美)
Yuuki (悠宇樹)
Ramiya Ryou (蘭宮涼)
Ruen Rouga (龍炎狼牙)
Watanabe Yoshimasa (わたなべよしまさ)
***Following Not Translated***
Hiryuu Ran (CG Technique)
Mon-Mon (CG Technique)
Gotou Juan (CG Technique)

※～※～※～※～※

Akifuji Satoshi (あきふじさとし) (Home) (Blog)

We were telling jokes when the topic of an anime adaptation came up...


●What triggered your debut?

At the time, I was working for a company, but my workplace changed and I thought, "I can't do this anymore." I was wondering if there was something else I could do. The only thing I could do was draw manga here and there, so I submitted one to the 5th Penguin Grand Prize and was selected... Well, that's how it went. But the work I submitted was the first time I drew a proper 16 page manga.

●What was the reason you submitted to the Penguin Grand Prize?

On a whim. Right up to when the Penguin Grand Prize application opened, I was drawing horror manga for 'Halloween' (ハロウィン) (Asahi Sonorama [朝日ソノラマ]), but I made a mistake with the manuscript's size. Putting that aside, the deadline for 'Penguin Club' (ンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing [辰巳出版]) was approaching, so I decided to draw and submit this one... So, if I hadn't been selected (for the Penguin Grand Prize), I probably wouldn't have been drawing Bishoujo-type (laughs).

●What artists influenced you?

Arimura Shinobu-sensei (有村しのぶ). When I made my debut, my editor told me, "If you want to draw a proper story with good psychological portraits, please model it after their works." I read all sorts of comics and learned about things like psychological portraits.

●What's your favourite work or character among your own works?

The work 'Another Face', which was about a boy who dresses as a girl, and a girl who likes dressing as a boy. I'm thinking of having it serialised in 'Penguin Club Sanzokuban' (ペンギンクラブ山賊版) (Tatsumi Publishing) in the near future. As for character, my favourite is Midorizawa Saki (緑沢早紀), a busty girl from 'Parade♡Parade' (パレード♡パレード).

●Why do you like it?

The fact it's crossdressing themed... I don't crossdress myself (laughs), but I felt I was able to portray a part of myself, so I wanted to try doing it one more time. Saki is more of a sub-character in her series, but she's a character that acts on her own. Even when it was serialised, it was easy; whenever I got stuck in the plot, I would bring her in and it would work out.

●What is your favourite movie or anime?

'Kiki's Delivery Service' (魔女の宅急便). The scene when Kiki loses her ability to fly and goes to stay the night at the artist's house makes me cry every time (laughs). When I'm stuck for ideas or feel hopeless, I just watch that part to change my mood.

●Is there anything you pay particular attention to when creating your works?

For the time being, I would say making sure the story and character personalities are well-crafted; I treat this as a more story-driven endeavour, so I try my best not to lose to others in this aspect.

●What gives you power when creating?

When I receive letters from my readers telling me, "It was interesting." However, I haven't been writing replies recently, so they completely stopped coming (laughs). I do make it a point to send New Year's and Summer Greeting cards to those who wrote to me in the first and second half of the year, but...

●Can you please tell us your policy as a mangaka?

The works I draw are Bishoujo-type, but I don't want to do works that end in H. Of course, sometimes I draw things that end with H just to change things up. But even for girls who only do that kind of thing, I add details about their personalities and histories in a character guide. I'm personally particular about this.

●When you say, "I don't want to do things that end in just H." Do you value the process leading up to that point and the girl's feelings?

That's right, I place importance on psychological portraits.

●Is there anything you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

I'm not particularly attracted to art, so I try to think as much as possible about what kind of feelings the reader is seeking in a character. When creating a character's personality, I tend to think, "If this character was like this, they would probably act this way." And so when it comes to drawing, I pay attention to things like the look in the character's eyes. There are a lot of close-ups of the eyes and Cuts with only half the face in my works, so I pay lots of attention to the eye expressions.

●What materials do you use for clothing and accessories for your female characters?

There's a thick quarterly magazine that's like a mail-order catalogue called 'Hi-Sense Picture Book' (はいせんす絵本), but I use it to check out the clothing and accessories. I also use Non-no's (ノンノ) 'Fashion Book' (ファッションブック). Since I was working on idol stories, I used costumes from Non-no's party dress pages. Also, when working on bondage stories, I use fashion catalogue-like stuff.

●What materials do you use when deciding the pose and composition of your H-scenes and so on?

I look at other artists, and check out as many Cuts as I can to see what I think looks good. I don't think I have any particular reference material. I do pay attention to compositions that direct the gaze towards the reader, so it looks like the character's eyes are meeting theirs while reading.

●Do you have any secrets to coming up with ideas or stories?

I think for readers, they're happy to see 'people who shouldn't do something, or people you wouldn't think would do something, actually do something like this', so I choose to draw those kinds of people or occupations. I'm here for the readers, so I try to keep them in mind when creating my stories. Lately, I've been running out of ideas, so they only come to me when I'm really pressed for time, so I have to wait till then to come up with new material (laughs).

●By 'people who shouldn't do something', do you mean people, who normally make a clear distinction, doing what is considered taboo?

Right. For example, if the topic is idols, it would be an idol or news caster that appears on TV. I think readers are happy if people like that, who are, in a sense, sacred, actually do something like that. I also find it appealing when such people do it.

●Do you have any favourite tools?

I almost exclusively use G-pens. G-pens made by Nikko, I've been buying a lot of them since they've apparently been discontinued. My favourite mechanical pencil is the Mitsubishi BOXY, and I've been using only that for nearly 20 years. As for colour markers, I use Copic markers. For ink, I use Luma. I'm also in the India ink camp; my single-colour manuscripts are in Indian ink.

●So, what kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

I would like to do a story-focused one. I want to draw works that make people think a little when they read them. Even if the work itself ends with a hopeless ending, I would like to leave them thinking about something.

●Do you get turned on when you're drawing your work or reading your own work in book form?

During the stage when I'm thinking of the plot or story, err... I do get turned on (laughs). But that's because it's the same stage as fantasising in my head. Once I pick up my pencil and start storyboarding, I don't get one. Also, when it appears in a magazine and I'm with other artists, I'm the kind who can't read my own manga. I can read the works of other artists 3~4 times, but I can only skim through my own. So, I don't get turned on when I read my own manga in a magazine. It's only at the stage when other people's works aren't before my eyes that I can finally feel like properly reading my own manga (laughs).

●Are you embarrassed reading your own work?

That may also be it, but when I read the works of other artists, I start thinking to myself, "I wonder if I could do something like this myself?" My own work starts to seem increasingly hopeless, so reading it is a bit... I'm quite timid.

●What was good about being a mangaka?

'Parade♡Parade' being turned into an anime by Pink Pineapple, I thought, "I sure am glad I did an idol work!" They did the dubbing yesterday, and I was happy to be able to talk to the producers and Seiyuu.

●Is having it turned into an anime like a dream or kind of status......?

Yeah. I hadn't thought about it that way. When I had my comic published and serialised in a magazine, I was joking with other artists, saying things like, "Ah, next is an anime." "A CD drama would also be nice." And I started thinking, "I need to start drawing something that could be turned into an anime soon!" When I suddenly heard about the anime adaptation, I was like, "Huh!?" But I think it was really nice.

●So, from now on, you're going to focus on things that are easy to turn into an anime?

I'm secretly planning something (laughs). "It's been turned into an anime, so what do I do next...?" However, I feel (an anime adaptation) is an omake for the results I've achieved as a mangaka, so I can create good works, maybe they'll do something with one of them again.

●When you get into a slump at work, do you have a method to change the mood?

I'll drive down Kawagoe Kaido in the middle of the night, or take a warm bath, things like that. When I'm stuck, ideas often come to me when I'm bathing, eating out, or just clearing my mind, not thinking about manga. So, to change the mood, I go for drives or take baths. I wish I could go to an onsen or something (laughs).

●Please say a word to all your fans.

Please send fan letters! If possible, I'll write a reply, so please send them (laughs).

※～※～※～※～※

Eno Akira (えのあきら) (Twitter) (Wiki)

I had a hard time waking up in the morning, so I quit my job...


●When did you start drawing manga?

When I was in high school, I would make doujinshi with a friend and would bring some home after school... I also made doujinshi when I was working at a company.

●What triggered your debut?

I was acquainted with a guy who was the editor-in-chief of a book called 'Pumpkin' (パンプキン) (Byakuya Shobo), and he invited me, asking, "We don't have enough artists, wanna draw for us?" ... That was the direct trigger. At the time, I was working at a company, so I would come home late at night and draw manuscripts... But about half a year after I started drawing, I found it hard to wake up in the morning, so I quit my job (laughs).

●What do you pay attention to when creating?

Having fun drawing my work. That's probably the most important out of anything.

●Do you lose interest in drawing if it's boring?

I gradually put off the boring parts (laughs). The storyboard check, the complicated parts, too many requests (laughs).

●So, your power source when creating is whether you find it interesting?

That's right.

●Do you have any reference materials when drawing the clothes and accessories of your girls?

I use the girls walking around for that (laughs). When something catches my eye, I pay attention to it and remember it, even down to the smallest details. For example, the way they're wearing the accessory or the intricate details on their scarves (laughs). But it's not something I actively do... When I'm in a car with friends, we all look at the girls when we pass by them and say stuff like, "The legs of the girl just now are perfect!" (laughs).

●When drawing your works, do you pull those sort of things from memory?

Right. I remember it as, "That reminds me, I might be able to use this sort of outfit." ...

●So, do you have any materials for poses and compositions?

It's also the same for that, I just draw what I remember. Of course, when I do my manuscripts, I'm careful to not make it one-patterned.

●Well then, when you look at photo collections and the like, if you find a good composition or underwear you like, do you remember and use those?

Right. For underwear, it's good to pick up maker pamphlets from the lingerie section of a department store; they're free and have all the latest styles listed. I only look at those kinds of materials when drawing the details, like the lace parts... But generally, I don't buy reference material for work. Even when I buy fashion magazines, I usually buy them because, "Amuro's in this month's issue." (laughs).

●Do you have any secrets to coming up with or refining your ideas or stories?

H~mm, I guess naps. I fall asleep while thinking about my storyboard, it's as simple as that (laughs). You might think me obnoxious saying it this way, and it might lead to all sorts of misunderstandings, but I've never been stumped for ideas (laughs). I'll draw two or three doodles while thinking 'what shall I do', and then the idea will come to me, and I'll decide 'this is good enough'. Other than that, I'll draw things a little messily during the storyboard stage, and then I'll name some minor adjustments during the rough draft stage...

●You mean you don't nod it over and elaborate that much?

Right. I don't like finishing it at the storyboard stage. That's when I lose motivation. If I finish at that stage, anything beyond only becomes work, and it's not fun... That's why I also didn't do storyboards. In the past (laughs).

●So there were no storyboards?

I believe storyboards are unnecessary. They're only necessary due to time constraints and the fact if the editor doesn't understand the story, it won't be published in a commercial magazine. I don't think that's a problem with the artist themselves, but rather a matter of the working relationship between the artist and the editorial department. Even if you draw a storyboard, if you decide it's no good halfway through, you can simply adjust it.

●Do you ever get turned on when creating or reading your own work?

Rather than get turned on, I get pissed off (laughs). At the rough draft stage, I quickly redo around 5 things... H-scenes in particular are difficult, and because I don't draw a proper storyboard, I do them haphazardly, and end up thinking, "This is getting out of hand." And it's no good (laughs). If it doesn't work out. It just becomes an endless mess... If you look behind my manuscripts, you'll see... I draw the manuscript upside down on the tracing table because it gets so messy... I decide the size and composition to a certain extent on the front of the manuscript, and then I draw a rough sketch on the back. So when I'm drawing a naked girl, it really just feels like I'm sketching the human body (laughs). I go through all the details, like, "Where's the pelvis!?" And even draw her bones (laughs).

●Do you have a way of changing the mood when you're feeling stuck during work?

I don't change my mood. I keep going till I'm finished! In the end, what happens is it turns into a mess and I have to redraw what I drew to balance things out, but I'm not happy unless there's art in the panel and it's finished. Somehow, I feel like a loser, and I hate it!

●Do you have any favourite tools?

I use a 0.5mm mechanical pencil, a Zebra G-pen, mapping pens, and Kabura pens. But calling any of those my favourite is a bit misleading as I'm always thinking about whether there's something I can do about the nibs. But the lines I draw with a Pigma or felt-tip pen lack character... Pens are originally meant to replace brushes, so it would be ideal if they had nibs that were sturdy like a brush and could smoothly transition from thin to thick lines... But I don't have any of those, so I have no choice but to use these.

●So line touch is important?

Right. For me, my drawings don't look any different whether I draw with a pen or a Pigma (laughs). A long time ago, I tried every nib I could get my hands on, and I found several types of nibs from an overseas manufacturer called Brause could be used for manga. So I used them for a while, but they're not suitable for mass-producing works. The touch is delicate, and it requires so much concentration that drawing a single frame can leave you exhausted, so I use a Brause 66, which is like a smaller G-pen used by artists overseas to draw detailed illustrations. Furthermore, pen drawings are drawn in large sizes like B2 and B1, so it's difficult to draw the small panels used in manga. The feel and texture is really nice, though. Plus, there's a lot of variation in the product, so I have to check each nib individually at the art supply shop before buying them. So in the end, I guess I have nothing but what I'm using now.

●You're fickle about your goods...?

On one hand, I found a good Brause pen, I could draw three 36-page manuscripts with one pen tip and still have no trouble. Japanese pens draw thin lines by using the sharpness of the tip, but foreign pens like Brause take a completely different approach. They draw their lines using the elasticity of the tip, or the flexibility of the iron, like a brush. The tip is thick, but when I draw a line, it ranges from so thin it won't show up during printing to so thick if it were a G-pen, it would snap. On the other hand, it directly shows any tremors in my hand (laughs). If I press down on the manuscript with even pressure, I can draw a uniform line, but as soon as I apply pressure, the line becomes much thicker, and conversely, when I release the pressure, it becomes thinner.

●Despite giving the impression of drawing bodies naturally, when you talk about female character clothing references and storyboards, you study your pen tips...

I'm quite particular about weird stuff (laughs). I wonder if people will think I'm quite a hateful guy from this interview (laughs).

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

I think I would like to draw one with a long number of pages with a long cycle. Something in the form of an original tankoubon with around 200 pages per book, like a series.

●For example, you mean something like a light novel where you complete a few books at a pace of about one every two or three years?

Yeah, yeah. I'd also like to write a light novel. If possible, I'd like to win the Akutagawa Prize (芥川賞) before I die (laughs).

●Please give some advice to those aiming to become mangaka.

There's many who say, "I'm aiming to become a mangaka." But they don't actually draw anything. If you want to become a mangaka, you should draw something first. You have to draw. Also, you can improve quickly; people who are proactive, for example, when they're helping out and they're given instructions like 'make this part look like this' practice it properly for next time. That may make them seem like they're diligent and hardworking, but it's really just a given. That's why I think people who can do that are strong.

●Please say a word to all your fans.

Thank you for everything. I look forward to your continued support.

※～※～※～※～※

Keno Yantarou (毛野楊太郎) (Twitter) (Home)

The artist who influenced me most is definitely Yano-sensei!


●What motivated you to become a mangaka?

I'm not good at getting up in the morning, so I thought a normal job would be difficult. So, I was dawdling my time away and ended up working as an assistant to Yano-sensei* (矢野), and it was so comfy there, I ended up staying.
※矢野 健太郎 (Yano Kentarou) (Wiki)

●What works or artists influenced you or triggered your debut?

Let's see, speaking of influence, I've been with Yano-sensei for the longest time, so our art styles are very similar (laughs). Also, Yano-sensei is quite a fan of Bishoujo manga and has always been buying them, so you could say I was influenced by looking at them... In that sense, he influenced me two-fold (laughs).

●What's your favourite among your own works?

'Keno Yantarou's Work' (毛野太郎作品) is my favourite. When you don't come up with a work title in time for the enquête postcards, it winds up being 'so-and-so's work', you see. I see that a lot, and then I thought I'd give one of my works that title from the start. So, it'll start off in a diary manga-style, and anyone who sees it would think, "Oh, he dropped the ball, and drew a short one to cover for it." ... (laughs). I've come up with all sorts of stupid jokes like that.

●Are there any mangaka you're keeping an eye on, or any works you're paying attention to?

Ehh, first, despite the contents of Yabuki Jirou-sensei (千葉治郎) being lewd and exciting, his drama is incredibly solid and moving, and I think his storytelling is amazing. Also, in terms of art style, I really like MON-MON-sensei, and I also like Nekojima Rei-sensei (猫島礼), and in terms of my hobby, I'm quite fond of Umino Yayoi-sensei (海野やよい) (laughs).

●Something heavy-feeling...

Eheheh...

●Can you tell us about your hobby?

My taste are PC-98-type Bishoujo personal computer games. I don't really like live-action adult CD-ROMs or anything like that. I prefer anime art after all......

●Among the Bishoujo games you played, are there any that influenced your work?

They influenced me to a large extent. I think I've been heavily influenced in terms of poses, the way the image is composed on the screen and things like that. Rather than being influenced by them, I'd say I'm trying to get closer to the feeling of a game, but it's quite difficult.

●Personal computer games often have horizontal screens, but as a mangaka, do you find poses and compositions like that fit diagonally into the horizontal frame, or scroll up from below, interesting?

Yes, that part has impact. If you can move them however you like on paper, vertically or horizontally, it can end up fitting within the panel and lose impact. But with personal computer games, you're restricted to the horizontal format, so creating diagonal or other extreme angles, and even poses that fit within the screen can be quite difficult. In some ways, this makes them feel fresh... Well, now that it's become an established pattern, it's not as fresh as it used to be. But even trying to imitate it in manga is quite difficult...

●So, you're interested in drawing using a personal computer?

When it comes to elaborate CG, looking at it is fine, but I'm not sure about drawing it myself... PC games are made with 16 colours, and I like the feeling of that sort of thing. However, when you print them out, they look really jagged, so I haven't thought about using a computer to draw my manga. On the other hand, I'm interested in using my own art, even if it's not for a game, but for example, for something like a graphic collection.

●If you could draw the lines using CG in your actual work, would you?

Yeah, just now. I did it for the back cover of 'Mai Slave' (磨衣スレイヴ) (Fujimi Publishing) (laughs).

●What do you pay attention to when creating?

First of all, since the genre is this genre, I try to make sure no matter what story I write, it's one to arouse lust. That's the main, and I create the story by attaching it to that. Furthermore, I don't mind if the story falls apart if it achieves that...

●You think in terms of wanting to draw this kind of scene first!?

Right, there's many patterns to creating a story inductively from an H situation. I try not to stray from the idea of it being Bishoujo ero-manga to the bitter end... But saying that, I might not be able to draw anything if it goes completely off track (laughs).

●What points do you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

In terms of art style, I pay the most attention to the eyes. Also, when you think about the character, it's quite difficult. I have to be careful about finding the correct balance between the two extremes of pursuing realism, wanting it to be as close to a real girl as possible, and creating a character that will be well-received by the reader so it matches their fantasies.

●When drawing girls, are there any references you use for clothes and underwear...?

For reference, after all, magazines and videos. Also, the girls often found in fast food restaurants, though not for underwear reference (laughs).

●Are there any magazines, catalogues, and so on you regularly reference?

Yes, I often look at 'Hi-Sense Picture Book' (はいせんす絵本). It's a mail-order catalogue that costs about 500 yen per issue that appears in bookshops at a quarterly pace. It's not exactly the cutting edge of fashion, but it has things that are just right and not too tacky. Also, unlike normal fashion magazines, it doesn't cover cooking or other topics; the whole magazine is dedicated to fashion and accessories, so it's a convenient resource.

●Do you have any secrets to coming up with and refining ideas and stories?

At the moment, I'm gradually letting out the fantasies I accumulated during my time as an assistant, but I still haven't tried developing an idea from scratch, so I don't know.

●You still have a lot of plans, so there's no need to worry?

That's how it feels.

●Please tell us if you have any favourite tools. And please tell us why you like using them as well.

My pen tips are Zebra, ink is Pilot's drafting ink, and all those things are the same as the ones I used as an assistant to Yano-sensei, so I'm just continuing to use them... Well, that's the case for all my tools. I especially like Copic markers for colouring. I think most people who use colour markers also use them. There are so many colours to choose from, the pen tip, or whatever you call it, can be replaced with a brush-like one, and there's a wide selection of thinners and other products; it's easy to create a watercolour-like look, and because it's alcohol-based, it doesn't dissolve copy toner. There are so many benefits to using Copic makers.

●Please let us hear if you have any hopes where you 'want to draw this sort of work' in the future.

I think I want to do all sorts of things, so I don't have anything in particular I want to specialise in. If I were to try something unreasonable, I'd like to create an ero-manga that's in full colour from start to finish, like a 'pop-up book' (laughs).

●Stuff like if you pull here, their hips will shake, or the Onee-san's eyes will close...

Yes, yes (laughs). It's sorta interesting, isn't it?

●Do you ever get horny while drawing your own work?

After I draw the Name, I usually get a hard-on during the next stage, the rough sketching (laughs). I cannot draw H art unless I'm aroused (laughs).

●Is it because when you're working out the setting or story, or thinking up the dialogue, you still don't have a concrete image of the art?

Well, I also get excited during that stage (laughs). But when I'm making rough sketches, that's when the image becomes most concrete. So when I get to the inking stage... I'm not tracing it exactly, and I do try to make the lines a little lewd, but it's not as exciting as when I'm doing the rough sketches. Ah, also I get excited at the end when I apply tones and carve out parts like the skin. Somehow, I'm starting to feel like a Hentai (laughs).

●During production, do you ever say, "I made a nice scene. I'm a genius!"?

Hmm, all the time... Just kidding (laughs).

●Then do you have any stories of struggle instead?

I also have those in spades (bitter laugh). So, when I draw, I fluctuate between the extremes of "E—i, I can't draw very good!" to "Alright!". Sometimes I draw something and agonise over it, and then the next morning, I look it over and think, "Oh, it's pretty nice."...

●Please give some advice to those aiming to be Bishoujo mangaka in the future.

Well, I'm not trying to be mean, but I would say please stop (laughs). I don't want more business rivals (laughs).

●Please give a word to all your fans.

E—hh, as always, thank you, please look after me (laughs).

※～※～※～※～※

See.O

When a girl takes the lead, I wonder what'll happen...


●What triggered you aiming to be a mangaka?

The biggest reason was when I entered university, there were some active sempai in my manga club who were pros, and I had the opportunity to hang out with them and draw manuscripts. So, rather than wanting to draw manga myself, I had a strong desire to be accepted as one of those people. With the desire to draw something that would please those sempai, in other words, the people around me, I started to wonder what would happen if I showed my manga to strangers who didn't know me at all, and I thought I'd give it a try.

●Any artists that influenced you?

Since my debut, Shingyouji Tatsuya-sensei (真行寺たつや), after that, there's Yamamoto Naoki-sensei (山本直樹), Aizawa Sanae-sensei (相沢早苗), and Tagami Yoshihisa-sensei (相沢早苗). I borrowed Shingyouji-sensei's way of developing a story and his panel structure. Yamamoto-sensei's composition, or rather camera angles. And Aizawa-sensei's way of drawing the body of girls. I wish I could draw girls with that kind of softness. In Tagami-sensei's case, it's story.

●Are there any characters or things in your works you like?

Right after I draw them, I like them to a certain extent, but as time goes by, I start to notice things I'm unhappy with. I think, "I wish did a little more here." Especially in my case, I tend to get absorbed in the story more than the characters, so I don't have a favourite character. It's not that I don't have a favourite among my works, but after all, my debut work is an important part of me, and I do feel, "This is where it all started."

●Do you have any favourite works in particular?

Yeah. So, what motivates me to want to draw something next is the constant desire to do something about the parts I dislike about myself.

●That is your power to create......?

Right. In addition to that dissatisfaction, there's also anger. I have a pretty simple personality, so I'm happy whenever I'm praised, but get extremely pissed off whenever I'm criticised. And when I'm criticised, I'm like, "Daaamn it, I'll show you!!" But I rarely finished a work that makes me say, "How about this!?" So stress also builds up alongside that (laughs).

●What do you pay attention to when creating?

Sometimes the pages pile up simply from following the story, and the H-scene pages end up being condensed, so I always feel I have to do something about that. In this job, having only a few H-scene pages would be a scam no matter how you look at it (laughs). Next, for the same reason, I often neglect my characters, so I pay attention to them as well. I also make sure the H-scenes don't become repetitive in their composition.

●Any policies as a mangaka...?

This may contradict what I just said, but I place importance in the story. I know I 'have to include lots of H-scenes', but I feel it would all be meaningless if that ruins the story. Because it's an H-manga, the pages I pay attention to are the sex scenes, but what I enjoy drawing, and what I consider important, is the process of getting to that point. That's where I want to put my energy.

●Many of Sensei's works are told from the girl's perspective. Is that intentional?

When I considered whether it's interesting to have either a male or female take the lead in stories with H-scenes, there's a mentality that, "It's obvious the man will take the lead." So I started considering what would happen if a girl took the lead, which is why there's many stories that are led by the girl. Of course, it's from my thoughts as a man of a 'girl taking the lead that's convenient for a man'. But in that sense, I thought it would be interesting if I could depict something unlike the girls drawn by female artists, but a part that's slightly different from the 'ideal image of a girl' men normally have.

●What do you pay attention to when drawing girls?

The thing I pay the most attention to is how I draw the eyes. How the gaze is directed, or the expression conveyed by the eyes... For example, when a girl reacts to a certain situation, you might think, "Ahh, so cute." I want to capture those moments, and express, "Right now, this moment is cute." I believe that is conveyed in the eyes, so I pay particular attention to the expression of the eyes.

●When drawing girls, what references do you use for the clothing and accessories?

When I made my debut, I bought loads of reference materials, but now I often use women I see on the street or things being sold as a reference. There's many moments when I do that and think 'how nice'. That's why I find it most useful to go around looking at things personally. Sometimes there's things that make me go, "Let's remember this for later." But I end up not liking it after it's drawn, but things that catch my eye and make me think, "This sort of shape just now. The clothes had that sort of shape."

●Do you have any secrets to coming up with ideas or stories?

I often start by expanding on stories I heard from others. For example, if I hear something like, "Apparently, a couple broke up recently. The man is doing this, and the women seems to have a new lover." I'll try and create something by reversing the roles of the man and woman, and think about it in that fashion. There's a certain situation with these people, and how it would be interesting if they acted like this. That's why I often don't start with characters. The story never develops from the characters moving.

●Do you have any favourite tools that you're using?

What I'm using is a Zebra mapping pen. Sometimes, when I want to change the feel of the lines in the background, I use a Zebra school pen. For colour manuscripts, I also use coloured pencils, but haven't decided on a particular brand. I also sometimes use modelling paste when using pastels.

●What is modelling paste?

I guess you could say it's like a plaster (laughs)... For example, if you use something like this to apply modelling paste, it hardens with the touch you applied it in. If you then paint on top of it, it creates a raised look like an oil painting. I sometimes like to play around with changing the touch (laughs), and I use it when I want a different feel from the usual.

●Any artists you respect?

Tagami Yoshihisa-sensei (たがみよしひさ). I love his short story collections; they make me think, "This is how a story can be carried on with just drama." I think that might be the reason I focus more on situations and drama than characters.

●Do you ever feel aroused when creating or reading your own work?

Yeah, I do. I always feel like it would be bad if I didn't feel that way. I'm most aroused when doing the Name. If things go well during the Name, then that also includes the sketching... But most of the time I become dissatisfied when I'm inking, I start to feel dissatisfied. I think, "I wish I didn't compose it like this." (Laughs). So the moments I'm having fun thinking 'I did it' are the ones I create something I think, "This is lewd."

●What do you think was good about becoming a mangaka, and conversely, what do you consider failures?

The one I think is good is when people I meet for the first time say, "I've read your manga." And a bad one would be hurting my body (laughs).

●Is it because you keep staying up all night?

That might also be it, but I'm also a person who's always been unhealthy, and this is what happened when I started living alone (laughs). I stop eating when I'm feeling down, and I also stop eating when I'm feeling good. Then, when I realise, "I'll be in trouble if I don't eat." I start eating with incredible speed. Maybe I shouldn't repeat that cycle.

●When you're in a groove, you forget to eat or sleep... For example, do you keep a pen in your hand all day?

I'm a short-term intensive type, so once I start focusing, I just keep going with a 'dahh' until I'm finished.

●If you get stuck during creating, do you have a way to change your mood?

Impulsive purchases. I'll buy a book that normally makes me go, "I'm curious, but it's a little too expensive." Or something that makes me wonder who would buy such a thing, thinking, "Maybe if I buy this, it will make me feel better." (Laughs)

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

I'd like to draw manga driven by the strength of its characters. Also, something with a lot of H-scenes. I'm aiming for at least 1.5 times what I'm currently doing (laughs).

●Please give a word of advice to those aiming to be Bishoujo mangaka in the future.

I'm the one still hoping for advice (laughs). So, rather than advice, but speaking of what I want to become, I think it would be helpful when drawing if you have just one clear idea, like, "I want to make this type of girl do this." Or, "My tastes may be different to others, but this is how I am." I'm thin when it comes to that, so that's what I'm hoping for.

●Please give a word to all your fans.

Please give me your opinions (laughs). Simply tell me whether it was interesting, boring, not lewd, felt like a scam, or whatever comes to mind... Just one word is fine. I want proof that 'someone read it' (laughs). It makes me happy knowing people read my stuff. That's my greatest reward (laughs).

※～※～※～※～※

Chatarou (ちゃたろー) (Wiki)

The trick is to make doing it not a struggle.


●What triggered your debut?

I drew a work before graduating from high school. When I graduated, I took it to the editorial department. Luckily, things went well and I was able to get it published as a one-shot, and I've been drawing ever since... That's how it felt. However, my debut work got poor results in the enquête, so I got cancelled (laughs).

●What works or artists influenced you?

Before my debut, I liked 'macho manga' like 'Fist of the North Star' (北斗の拳) (Shueisha) and I only drew men. So, if I had to say which artist influenced me, it would be Hara Tetsuo-sensei (原哲夫). But my art didn't reach his level...... I debuted in 'Monthly Shounen Magazine' (月刊少年マガジン) (Kodansha), but at the time, I thought H-ish works would be more likely to be published, so I felt I was forcing myself to draw girls.

●Do you have a favourite character among your own works?

It's not a girl, but Wake-kun (和気), a slightly rough-and-tumble boy who appears in 'Girl Miniskirts' (女の子ミニスカート) (Fujimi Publishing) and 'Watashi to Shitemite!' (私とシテミテ！). Then there's the sex demon, the enemy character from 'Nami SOS!' (奈美SOS！) (same publisher). He seems like a hateful guy, but he's kind of lovable.

●Please tell us about your hobby.

Collecting foreign videos is my hobby, I have about 600 videos at home. I have about 12 large cardboard boxes stored in a closet dedicated to videos (laughs). If it's interesting, it doesn't matter what genre it is, but I listen to the dubbed version so I can listen to it while drawing manga. So, when I listen to it while drawing, if there's a scene that sounds interesting, I'll take a quick look at the screen, thinking, "Ah, that was interesting." And go back to drawing again. Sometimes they give me little ideas for the dialogue in my manga... I also collect toys related to 'Ohranger' (オーレンジャー) and 'B-Fighter' (ビーファイター).

●Anything you pay attention to when drawing your work?

As for my compositions, I focus on low angles. I try to use compositions other artists don't use as much as possible, and another thing is momentum; during H-scenes, it's not 'Cumming~', but rather the girls moving with a 'wa—hh'.........

●Like a sense of dynamism?

Yeah, but that would be too cool (laughs). H-scenes, in a sense, are like fighting with a girl with a lot of thumping... It's not like I'm drawing action manga as H-manga, but I've always preferred it that way (laughs).

●What motivates you to draw your works?

When I look at my older work, I think, "That wasn't very interesting." So I redraw it. I want to draw it better this time. I also look at a variety of things to pick up good radio waves from the works of other artists, and get inspired by them. I then take the good parts, digest them in my own way, and draw them.

●What is your policy as a mangaka...?

I pay special attention to the finishing touches. It may sound like I'm bragging, but it's not charming art without tones. That's why I work so hard on the finishing touches. I feel like I'm putting more effort into drawing than I did in previous issues and works.

●Anything you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

H-manga, in a sense, the body is also the face. That's why I try to make them as plump as possible. My idea is that even if the face isn't quite right, it's fine so long as the body is good. I want to make them as life-size and realistic as possible, without making them too manga-manga. It's fine if they're a little chubby, as long as they're cute. I think a curvy figure is better than a slender one.

●Do you have any reference materials when drawing the clothing of your female characters?

The clothing of the girls I know (laughs). I'm particular about miniskirts. Rather than underwear, I prefer the combination of miniskirt and panties. For example, walking around in just panties isn't very interesting, but if they're wearing a skirt...

●Like chiraism...?

That's right (laughs).

●Well then, what kind of reference material do you use when drawing arousing poses and compositions?

I often look at photo-submission-type books because they tend to have a lot of upskirt shots, but they're not very useful for my work because they're mostly shots of girls alone (laughs). As for H-scenes, I used to pause videos, but recently, I've been using my old drawings as reference or ones I see in bookshops with entangled bodies. I think anything with lots of photos of boys and girls getting spicy can be used.

●Do you have any secrets to coming up with ideas or stories?

I just go with the flow and bet on my next month's self (laughs). I make the punchline really confusing and end with a feeling, "How am I going to draw this next month!?"

●So, you start just like that and then go with the flow?

Right. I just go wild, thinking I'll just have to wrap things up towards the end (laughs).

●Please tell us your favourite tools.

I only have 0.05mm and 0.1mm Pilot pens. I also have 0.8mm ones for frame borders, those and Mckee (マッキー). I really don't have any materials. So, when the tip of my drawing pens break and retract inward, it becomes a pen for drawing thin lines (laughs). When I'm working on colour manuscripts, I use colour tones or overlays, but overlays have a strong adhesive, and when I try to remove them, they tear the manuscript as well. So I stick them on my hand or something to weaken the adhesive before applying them. Because of this, sometimes my hair gets stuck to them (laughs). I use the colour tone eraser as hard as I can to create the glossy feel of skin till I use up the whole eraser.

●So you blur, or something like that, to create that effect?

If I use a sand eraser, it looks like it's been scraped off, so I rub it in little by little with a regular eraser. Another tool I use is a French curve to create the roundness of the body. I haven't used it much lately, though.

●Are there any artists you consider rivals?

I'm a pretty laid-back person, so I still feel like a newbie. It's almost been 10 years, though (laughs). I even worked for a company between then... So, I feel like all the other artists are above me.

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

I would like to create a work in which the characters stand out. My works don't have clear-cut characters. For example, I decide on a theme, like a man-hating girl, and then progress the story based on that, so many of my characters don't have names. So, I would like to create something that is more character-ish in all sorts of ways.

●Do you get aroused while creating or reading your own work?

I wish that would happen. Nothing like that has happened yet, but my goal is to one day get an erection from my own work (laughs).

●During production, do you have any moments where you say, "I'm a genius!" Or, "Alright!"

It's not a signature phrase, but the moments I feel I drew interesting dialogue is nice. When the dialogue is more alive than the art is when I think, "I drew a good line!"

●Conversely, have you ever struggled?

I try not to struggle too much. If I struggle, it becomes too hard and I feel like I won't be able to keep it up for long. Rather than drawing the best I can every month, I tend to continue with a feeling that 'this much is good enough'. So, the trick is not to struggle too much. I do struggle right before deadlines because I don't have much time (laughs). To be honest, after finishing a work, I always feel empty for half a month (laughs). That's a good way to change my mood, and when the next deadline approaches, I'll start thinking, "Ack! I need to draw." If I draw every day, I'll get tired and it'll end up no good. After about 10 days of not doing anything, I'll think, "I want to draw soon." I'll take a break for a bit and if I feel like drawing, I'll start. I do things casually (laughs).

●Are there things that make you feel were good or mistakes about becoming a mangaka?

I'm happy my hobby has become my job, and that my work has been published in books that I can leave behind. One mistake is that I have no sense for days of the week. I don't appreciate Saturdays or Sundays (laughs).

●When you feel overwhelmed at work, do you have any ways to change your mood?

Shopping... I go to discount shops and buy expensive things cheaply (laughs). Then I search for H-books for reference. Later, I search for H-girls... Just kidding (laughs).

●Please give a word of advice to those aspiring to do Bishoujo manga.

It might sound strange to say, "Take it easy." But instead of striving to produce the best work possible, if you think you've drawn something reasonably well, I think it's best to take it to a publisher and think about it after your debut. When you take your work to a publisher, all sorts of things can happen. For example, you might be told, "Why don't you try this job?" Or at least it will give you an opportunity. So it's best to keep putting in effort. Even if one editorial department doesn't like it, maybe it will work at another (laughs).

●Please say a word to your fans.

Please read without skimming. And don't knock it (laughs).

※～※～※～※～※

I spy 'Evangelion'...

Nishiki Yoshimune (にしき義統) (Twitter) (Wiki)

Before I knew it, I had been drawing one picture for 7~8 hours.


●What motivated you to become a mangaka?

I repeated my 2nd year of university. That's when I thought, "Geez, I can't live normally (laughs), so let's become a mangaka." ... I've always liked drawing, especially girls, so I always wanted to become a mangaka, but...

●So, what triggered your debut?

I joined a manga research club in university, but I had hardly drew manga until I repeated a year. Then I decided to start drawing properly, and created a solo-zine. Then, an editor read it and we got in touch.

●Did the editor contact you and ask, "Wanna draw?"

Yeah, that's right. I made a huge fuss, back then (laughs). I've always loved drawing girls, so I was thinking of submitting my work to a Bishoujo-type comic magazine, then the editor contacted me (laughs).

●What are your hobbies? Any that influenced your work?

My hobbies are watching anime and AV equipment. I'm also a Giants fan. So, anime has had a quite an influence on me in terms of character creation and drawing.

●What do you pay attention to when creating works?

I put a lot of thought into my composition. I also try to make sure the story doesn't leave a bad taste. I want my characters to come alive, so I don't want to show too much of myself as the creator. You know, there are times when you want to criticise or appeal for something in your work? I try as much as possible to not show that side of me in my work; otherwise, the character will die. It's fine if it's just what the character is thinking, but...

●When you say composition, do you mean the arrangement of panels on a double-page spread?

Right. Rather than simply cutting each panel into a square, I often have the girl cut out into 3 stages, and then boom! When I'm drawing, it feels like I'm designing simply to include that. It's probably not good to overdo it, though (laughs). In one of my first works, there was a page that was strangely too square, and I thought it was weird, so I started adding panels of various shapes. However, I overdid it and all the panels became weird shapes, and it became kinda confusing... So, now I'm trying to keep things neatly divided into squares. Well, once you've done it too much, you know what you shouldn't do (laughs).

●So what gives you power when creating?

When I see the art of good people, I get fired up. When I see the work of good people in anime, I also get fired up (laughs).

●What is your policy as a mangaka?

I guess to enjoy drawing. You have to enjoy it the most... Even if it's difficult, there's no helping it, but it's a profession you, yourself, chose to pursue.

●Is there anything you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

Don't make them Burikko. It's fine if I draw them as a Burikko character. But if I'm trying to draw a cute character, and they end up Burikko, that's no good. It's not just the art, but also their gestures... and the lines are probably the most important. If I think too much about drawing a cute girl, and they end up becoming Burikko, it ends up looking strangely 'artificial'. I think one shouldn't make characters feel forced. Natural is best.

●What references do you use for clothing and accessories for your female characters?

I tentatively obtain fashion catalogues and the like. They don't cover anything outlandish, but they're enough for drawing normal girls, and sometimes one book's all I need. They were really helpful when I was drawing young girls (laughs). Cause I had no idea. I was like, "What kinda clothes should I give them~?"

●Do you have references when deciding poses and compositions?

I wanted reference materials when drawing high schoolgirls, so I bought a lot of magazines called 'Beppin School' (ベッピンスクール) (Eichi Publishing). This magazine has a lot of semi-nude photos, so it was perfect for referencing clothing creases. I've also tried buying nude photobooks, but the completely nude ones are a bit troubling. That's because, basically, what I get from referencing those things are stuff like creases in the clothes and textures during H-scenes. The way clothes are creased creates a sense of style.

●Do you have any secrets for coming up with your ideas or stories?

They simply come out of nowhere... Ideas pop into my head, like, "Oh, let's do this." So, it's hard to explain. I do refine the ideas that come to me, though. I start by creating the characters and then gradually expand the setting. The age of the girls that suits that idea is set in stone, so if I classify the girl as either the 'seme' or 'uke', the character's personality will come into play. I think about these settings while daydreaming. Sometimes I'll add a twist, like a strong-willed girl who seems like the 'seme' is actually the 'uke' (laughs). Sometimes I overthink things and have to erase it (laughs). I think to myself, "If I add this, it'll become a long story..." (Laughs).

●So, once the image of the girl solidifies, the rest comes naturally...?

It just happens (laughs). Once the girl character is created and the world view is established, they start to move on their own. It's a complete simulation. That's why I try not to use overly manga-like comedy, or gag-like expressions. If I add those, I won't know what to do.

●Do you have any favourite tools?

For pens nibs, I use G-pens. Sometimes I use mapping pens, but most of time I only use G-pens. I use spoon pens when drawing effect lines and so on. All of my pens are from Zebra. For colour, I use Acryla Gouache when drawing illustrations or large pictures. For the main parts of manga, I use Copic markers cause the primary lines will disappear if I paint over them.

●Is there anything that excites you when drawing your works?

Of course, there are. If there wasn't, I'd think, "This work isn't going to be any good." Also, apart from getting aroused by H-scenes, when I draw a Cut I really like because of the expression and so on, I sometimes hang it in front of me and stare blankly at it. Then I'll have a smoke while looking at it. These things happen (laughs). I have to fall in love with it myself.

●Do you have any stories about the difficulties you face while creating?

Sometimes I cannot decide on the image exactly as I imagined it. When that happens, I'll draw the same picture for around 7-8 hours. Before I notice, that much time passes for a single Cut (laughs). Because I'm drawing so much, my eyes hurt, I can't focus, and I freeze up in my position at the desk... When that happens, I'm not satisfied even after finishing it. There's no sense of accomplishment even when I'm finished. There's a limit where I think, "No! Not like this, is this all I can draw?"

●So you sometimes hang things up in front of your desk like you just mentioned?

Yeah, sometimes it goes beyond what I imagined.

●What are the good things about being a mangaka and what are some you think are failures?

I'm the type who, when I'm passionate about something, puts everything into it. Now I'm in a position where I can do what I love, manga, as a job, so I'm really happy. It's good in the sense I've found a reason to live. But one failure was that I gained weight. That was a big failure (laughs). I have a chronic illness and had surgery on my back, so it's bad if I gain weight. But I did gain weight... I need to lose a bit more weight...

●Do you want weight control?

I want it. But when I try to do that, I end up thinking, "Crap, there's a deadline!" And I end up stuck in a hole (laughs).

●When you get stuck while creating, do you have a way to change the mood?

I listen to music with the volume turned up really high. There's no one living in the room next door, so I listen with speakers during the day since no one's there.

●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

I'd like to draw a masterpiece, something that can be considered my representative work. If I only draw short stories, they might become a series, but I wouldn't call them my representative work.

●Please give advice to those aspiring to become Bishoujo mangaka.

I think the only thing you can do is draw what you love. So I'd say, "Don't worry too much about what outsiders say." If you're doing something because you love it, then in the end, the finished product will have the highest value. Doing something because you love it and expressing it means you're good at something. Also, Bishoujo manga is just a clever name... It's not like it's H-manga. You're not being forced to draw anything particularly muddy or H. The range of Bishoujo manga is quite broad, so if you want, I think you can draw a lot of different stuff. Well, I don't think there's much point in it unless you love drawing girls (laughs).

●Please give a word to your fans.

I'm sorry I sometimes end up releasing stuff even I'm unhappy with. Please don't give up on me, support me and don't abandon me (laughs).

※～※～※～※～※

Fujisaki Makoto (藤咲真) (Twitter) (Blog)

Since my slow speed period was long, I kept bring them in.


●What motivated you to become a mangaka?

I graduated from university during the so-called bubble period. That's why I thought it would be easy to become a salaryman. Since I could always become a salaryman, I thought I might try a more unusual business, and...

●So you decided to try doing what you liked?

Yeah. So, I applied for a newcomer award from a major publishing company and won. However, at the time, I didn't know much about the industry and thought if I won the newcomer award, I'd be able to make my debut right away. But that was never going to happen. Nothing is easy in this world (laughs). So I realised I couldn't continue like this, and started taking my manuscripts to various places. I had been in a slump for quite some time, and back then, I was really inept and my drawings were terrible. But I kept taking my manuscripts to various places even though they were terrible. Eventually, an editor gave up and started using them (laughs). I was really persistent back then, and I went to publishing companies here and there (laughs).

●Would you say the basic rule of bringing in your work is 'persistence'?

It's better to be persistent. I'm not that persistent these days, though.

●Which mangaka or work influenced you?

My favourite is 'Black Jack' (ブラックジャック), reading that made me want to become a surgeon (laughs). It's easy to understand, isn't it? I'm the type who admires the protagonist in stories more than the work itself. It was Hoshino Yukinobu-sensei (星野宣之) who made me want to draw stuff like that. Incidentally, the first ero-manga I saw was by Amagi Kei-sensei (亜麻木硅).

●Who is your favourite character among your own works?

I like forceful natures, so it would be Agon (アゴン) who I drew for 'Dark Wirbel' (ダークウィルベル) (Fujimi Publishing). Of course, among the girls, Nagi-chan (凪) who I drew, is pretty nice.

●Is Nagi-chan Sensei's ideal image?

Yes, that's right. Cause I wrote a girl who's convenient for men (laughs). It's amazing. She made me think, "I wish there was a girl like her."

●Do you have a favourite scene from among your own works?

It would have to be volume 3 of 'Dark Wirbel'. There were lots of battle scenes, so I like it. In particular, the first time the dragon appears.... There was no H at all (laughs). There are a lot of scenes in this work that don't have H.

●Why was there so little H?

It was partly because of the times. Doujinshi and the like were being regulated back then, and the first part of the series came out right around that time. The first thing my editor told me was, "Don't draw H-manga." (Laughs) I was like, "I can't draw nudity." And I didn't know what to do (laughs). It started out that way, and it just continued like that. But I thought it was interesting to be told 'not to draw H-manga'. I think it would still be interesting to try that now.

●What do you pay attention to when creating works?

Everything just comes to me (laughs). Or rather, stories come to me when I'm in the bath. Also, when I fail, I think, "Perhaps I can turn this into a story." I'm the type who chases the ideal image in my manga, so when I fail, I think, "If I had done this, it would've been cool." But the Ofuro is the demon's gate. I get really calm there and come up with all kinds of ideas, but I've never seen any of them sell (laughs).

●Then what about besides the Ofuro (laughs)?

Regardless, they suddenly gush out of nowhere. For them to come to me, I have to be weirdly stubborn and say, "Let's create something interesting!!" Also, when I'm talking with friends. I guess you could say talking to people might be the best treasury of ideas...

●So, is there anything you pay attention to when thinking up your characters?

I think a good character can be created well if you focus on one thing. But narrowing it down to just one thing is difficult.

●What do you mean exactly?

Even if one were to say 'cute girl', there's a lot of different elements. Instead of trying to add this and that, I steel myself and eliminate any unnecessary 'cuteness'. I create characters based only on 'cuteness' in one direction. For example, if I think of an 'old-fashioned girl', I stick to that and try to avoid as much of the cuteness of a 'modern girl' as possible; I intentionally leave it out... That's how Nagi-chan was created.

●What do you pay attention to when it comes to composition and poses?

When it comes to compositions, I draw exactly what I think, "I want to see this side of this girl!" If it doesn't flow well, I'll just boldly leave it out.

●What gives you power when you create your works?

Frustration, towards all sorts of stuff. "I can't accept this!" "Everyone around me is a girl, but this is the kind of girl I like!!" I mean, girls these days may be cute on the outside, but they're not cute in terms of their personality. Also, I cannot accept the trend that says, for example, "It's fine to have male characters that are convenient for women, but not female characters that are convenient for men." It would be fine if both were true, but it's not acceptable because it's only for one side.

●Is there anything you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

In my art, it's probably the hair and the expression of her hands. I'm not physically able to do it, so I cannot say anything with authority, but I think these are important. In the past, I used to draw them carelessly, but when I tried drawing them properly recently, they turned out a little different...

●Do you use any reference material for stuff like female character clothing?

The fashion magazine 'Vingtaine' (ヴァンテーン) (Fujingahosha). I'm currently drawing a character wearing something I thought wouldn't suit her if she wore overly flashy clothing, so I'm giving her clothes that are a little older. 'Vingtaine' has a whole bunch of instructions on how to coordinate clothes, so you can pick your own outfits. It also has a lot of information on accessories. I'm not using it at the moment, but I think I'll need it eventually.

●So, is there anything you use for reference when deciding on poses and compositions?

I look at photobooks and gravure, but I don't use them very often. There's no point in drawing them as-is, and I don't have the technique to do such. For example, when I see a nice photo, I think, "This is nice!" But when I draw it as-is, it just doesn't come out right. So instead of drawing it as-is, I first digest it in my mind. Also videos are a good reference for H-scenes; they have a (sex) flow to them. However, if I only watch intense Western stuff, the flow of my manga ends up being quite strange (laughs).

●What are your favourite tools?

As for pen tips, I use Zebra G-pens. They're sold everywhere and are easy to get a hold of (laughs). I use Pilot drafting ink. I use a ruling pen to draw the outlines. I use regular water colours for colouring, though I first used markers when I was working on 'Nagi-chan's Melancholy' (凪ちゃんのゆううつ) (Fujimi Publishing). An artist I know recommended markers to me, saying, "Markers are also nice!" But they're not really my style... I still prefer water colours.

●Do you ever get horny while creating or reading your own work?

Oh, come to think of it, I've never done that with something I've drawn myself (laughs). But I think that's at the root of it. For example, I think I get excited when I imagine something and think, "This is nice!" But when it comes to drawing, it's a little different, maybe because it's my own drawing...

●Any difficulties during the creation process?

Well, maybe not difficulties, but I had some crazy moments (laughs).

●Is it because your work is getting stagnant?

Right, especially when it comes to the art, I'm no longer satisfied with the results...

●On the other hand, while you're creating, do you ever think, "Wow, what an amazing thing I've drawn!"?

Hmm, I'm drawing girls, right? When I'm drawing them, they're the cutest girls in the world, without a doubt (laughs). Then, when I line them up with other artists' works, I think, "Great shock!" (Laughs) But while I'm drawing them, I'm probably the happiest guy in the world.

●When you're drawing cute girls?

Yeah. So when I'm drawing a girl I don't think is cute or I'm unhappy with, I get stuck. I can't do my job...

●So what happens when you get stuck?

I yell. It must be really annoying if there's anyone nearby (laughs). The moment I think, "I can't take this anymore!" I yell out loud, then I get so embarrassed I turn bright red (laughs). It comes out unconsciously.

●After yelling, you regret it?

Yeah, I do. My landlord has a puppy, and I'm even louder than it (laughs).

●What kind of works would you like to create in the future?

Something that's easy to understand, not something that requires too much thought... My works are my own aspirations, like, "It would be cool if I did it like this." Or, "I'd like to try something like this." That's why I aspire to have an easy-to-understand protagonist. I want my works and stories to be easy to understand.

●Please give some advice to those aspiring to become Bishoujo mangaka.

I think it's easy to make your debut; now is a good time. When I was submitting my works, there weren't many Bishoujo-type comic magazines. I think you can do it if you try, really. Even I became a professional using crappy drawing back when I was submitting my works.

●Finally, a word to all your fans.

Please send me fan mail. I don't get any and it makes me sad (laughs). please don't forget.

※～※～※～※～※

Miyamoto Rumi (みやもと留美) (Wiki) (Twitter) (Home)

Create works that boys will read and be interested in.


●What motivated you to become a mangaka?

My doujinshi sempai, Chimi Morio-sensei (ちみもりお), recommended I go pro, and I thought, "Guess I'll give it a shot." That was my direct motivation.

●So, what triggered your start in doujinshi?

I liked manga, but couldn't draw it myself, but I wanted to be involved in manga, so I initially thought I'd become a manga editor. So, I took another job to save up tuition to go to a vocational school. At that time, I saw doujinshi being featured in various magazines, and I was fascinated by them. Even if I couldn't draw them myself, I thought if I was going to be an editor, it would be better to know about doujinshi. I wanted to join a group of good people, so I could learn a lot, and absorb as much as I could, including form connections. Then I bought some doujinshi and made some contacts and I was able to join a Circle called 'Pentouch' (ペンタッチ), and I started drawing.

●Any manga or mangaka that influenced you?

I think the person who influenced me the most was Takahashi Rumiko-sensei (高橋留美子). When I was working on doujinshi, I drew parodies of Maison Ikkoku (めぞん一刻) that were inserted between other stories. Back then, I drew the Name, thinking, "I wonder what it would be like if Takahashi-sensei drew it." And I also remember looking 'Maison Ikkoku' to learn how many panels can fit on one page.

●Well then, any manga or mangaka that influenced you since your professional debut?

The artists I've taken inspiration from and have been influenced by when it comes to drawing are Ramiya Ryou-sensei (蘭宮涼), Utatane Hiroyuki-sensei (うたたねひろゆき), and Anyakunin-sensei (暗躍人). Whether I've been able to absorb them or not is besides the points, but they're artists I believe as ones 'I want to use for inspiration'.

●Please tell us your favourite among your own works?

My favourite is 'Tokyo Witch Stick' (TOKYO魔女すてぃっく) (Akane Shinsha). The reason is I was able to try out all sorts of things I hadn't been able to do before. There was a period in the middle of serialisation when restrictions on H were strict, so there were about three or four times when I went ahead and did things completely without any H-content. I found that to be quite interesting.

●So, any favourite characters?

It's the character called Shinobu (しのぶ) from my first serial I did (Shinobu Lunatic [SHINOBUルナティック]). From the beginning, I created her to be extremely shy. The kind of girl who wouldn't even make a sound if she was molested. As the story progressed, she grew more and more, and by the end, she was able to take action on her own initiative. So, I'm most attached to her because of the way her character changed.

●Please tell us your hobbies.

I'm doing it as my job, manga and anime. Now, I'm also really into games. That and bikes.

●Is there anything you pay particular attention to when creating your works?

The thing I pay most attention to is making sure it's practical. I think over 90% of my readers are boys, so I want my work to get these boys in the mood when they read, or for them to be something they can use for masturbation when they want (laughs).

●When you create your characters...?

I want to add as much variety as possible, so I try to bring out the character's individuality through stuff like hairstyle, facial expression, and way of speaking..

●What motivates you when drawing your works?

Talking about manga with friends is my most direct source of motivation. Also, when I see an interesting manga and think, "Ahh, I'd like to try something like this."...

●What is your policy as a mangaka?

It goes along with what I said earlier about 'things I pay attention to when creating', but it was to be practical. And by the same token, it has to be fun to draw. I think it's best if I can achieve both.

●Is there anything you pay particular attention to in order to draw cute girls?

Overall, balance is the most important, and then I try to put as much effort as possible into the finer details. Of course, this is a matter of time, so it depends on whether I can or cannot do this, but...

●By balance, you mean the art?

Right. Not just rough sketches, but for example, if it's deformed art, it's about making sure there's a balance within the deformed art...

●Is there anything you use as reference when drawing girls?

I use photos I take when I go out on the street, or photo magazines about picking up girls as clothing references... When drawing bodies, I use regular gravure magazines... Because the models have beautiful body lines, I also use mail-order catalogues quite a bit. On top of that, I choose items that suit my tastes... Also, when I go shopping, I often walk around department stores and find clothes I like.

●What references do you use for composition, poses, and so on?

At first, I put it all together in my head, but sometimes I use references to check the finer details. For example, I cannot draw the creases in clothing well just by thinking about it in my head, so I use poses in photos that have similar lines and the way clothing creases as a reference when I draw. The same goes for poses; if I find something close to what I have in mind, I'll look at a photo once, then rearrange it to get the pose I want. I also have photos I've taken and saved in a file for background reference, so I check those.

●Do you have any secret to coming up with ideas or stories?

It's H-manga, so the main theme is H, but if I went straight to H, it would be almost impossible to cobble a story together. So, I create a wall within the story. For example, I create a wall a girl has an inferiority complex about... like having small breasts, and make breaking that wall the main focus of the story, and I often do this in my one-shot works.

●So, is there anything special you do to come up with your ideas?

I used to take the train to the editorial office, and the easiest and most relaxing thing to do was just to sit and think on the train on the way home. But now that I ride a bike, I sit on my desk at home and just think. So, it's actually a problem of 'how long can I sit at my desk' (laughs). I cannot help but want to avoid everything else, so I try to stay at my desk and spend as much time as possible with my mechanical pencil in hand. But it takes me a long time to get out of the kotatsu and sit in a chair (laughs). And these days, there are all kinds of games and consoles, and other stuff, around the kotatsu... So if my cat jumps onto my lap, I cannot move (laughs).

●Any favourite tools?

Lately, I've started using Copic markers for fine details. Another thing I like is Newton's colour ink, which I use for skin tones when working on my colour manuscripts. These are my favourites.

●Depending on the colour you're painting, do you use different ink makers or types?

I do. I use coloured ink when painting skin, and to change the textures of the clothes a little, I use diluted acrylic paint, and when painting hair, I try using pastels. It's not so much the materials, but rather the texture, that determines what I use.

●What kind of pen tips do you use?

I use a G-pen as my main, and a Japanese character pen for the touches on the hair and face. For backgrounds, I mainly use a mapping pen. I use Zebra because I think it has the least quirks... But I think that once you get used to any maker's product, it will feel like your fingertips.

●What do you mean by quirk?

There's something about a pen's strength, you know? The tip of the pen has something similar. Even if you draw with the same amount of pressure, the thickness of the line will vary depending on the maker, and even if you use the same drawing technique, the line will be shorter or thinner depending on the pen tip. I think the pen that's easiest to adjust in this manner is what will suit you.

●Any artists you consider rivals?

We're not particularly what you would call rivals, but Yanagi Masashi-san (矢凪まさし) and I often ask each other, "How was it this time?" I'm curious about his evaluation.

●Well then, any artists you respect?

Chimi Morio-sensei (ちみもりお). I really respect him because he used me as an assistant and helped me out in so many ways.

●Were there any difficulties you faced during production?

It's common to get stuck in a rut (laughs). Well, if I had to talk about something that was difficult, it would be when I got the OK after cutting the Name, and the rough sketches had progressed to a certain extent, and then I was told to 'make the first four pages in colour', which was a bit... (laughs). There were times I wondered what I was going to do.

●Is there anything that makes you glad to be a mangaka, or any failures?

I think the fact I can draw manga and make a living from it is a good thing in itself. One failure is that it's difficult to get a loan, so when I make big purchases, I end up buying everything in one lump sum.

●When you're working and get stuck, how do you change your mood?

I'll go for a walk or take a short bike ride... If I'm working at home all the time, I'm bound to get stuck, so I go outside at regular intervals... Or I'll go to the convenience store, do a little shopping, and come home.

●Please give some advice to those aspiring to be Bishoujo mangaka in the future.

At first, I think the most important thing is to enjoy drawing for yourself. Then, I'm sure the editor will be able to tell you whether your work is good or bad.

●Please give a word to your fans.

I'll continue to do my best, so please keep supporting me. If you see my stuff in a bookshop, please read it (laughs).

※～※～※～※～※

Yuuki (悠宇樹) (Wiki) (Twitter) (Blog) (Home)

The plot began when I was lying down and looking up at the ceiling...


●What motivated you to become a mangaka?

At first, I worked as an animator for about 4 to 5 years. A friend of mine, who worked at the same studio, moved to manga. Then, I happened to go into a bookshop and saw a lot of Bishoujo-type comic magazines lined up, and I was like 'ooh', and received an impact.

●What triggered your debut?

A submission. While working as an animator, I spent about half a year drawing something around 24 pages and sent it off. However, I didn't hear anything back (laughs). About 3 months later, I had almost forgotten about it when I got a call asking if I wanted to try drawing. That was the trigger.

●Any mangaka that influenced you?

I think you can tell if you look at my art (laughs)... Well, I'll leave it to your imagination. I've been doing this lately, but when I first started out... Animators can draw in a variety of styles, but they're kind of a jack of all trades, master of none, so when it comes to finding my own style, it was hard to find one.

●What is your favourite among your own works?

I wouldn't say favourite, but I'll say 'Binetsu Renai Monogatari' (微熱恋愛物語) (Fujimi Publishing) was 'well done' because I worked on it for so long. I get bored pretty easily, so I usually get bored after doing 3~4 parts. That's why I think it's my favourite.

●Who is your favourite character in 'Binetsu Renai Monogatari'?

Megumi-chan (恵) who appeared in the second half. It felt like she was a character that was meant to appear. "Perhaps I like this sort of character." (Laughs)

●Please tell us your hobbies.

Right now, I'm hopelessly in love with cars. I started going to driving school around November last year and got my licence in mid-March. Then, I bought a car towards the end of March (laughs). So, right now is the most fun time of my life. I've even neglected my work (laughs).

●Anything you pay particular attention to when creating your works?

I pay the most attention to the storyboard stage... The frame layout, the overall composition, structure, and so on. Those are the parts that give me the most headaches... For my storyboards, I go through them after I add all the art, and then add the dialogue. The frame layout and composition are important stages. I create the story, of course, but the scenes that emerge from it are thought up independently. I create a plot and the like for the story, but since I put off the dialogue, it changes during the storyboard stage. That's why it can be difficult to discuss it with the editor (laughs). But I feel this is the method that suits me best.

●When you're drawing storyboards, you put the dialogue on the backburner......

Of course, I think about it in my head, I just don't put anything into words. One storyboard is about 20 pages, so I just add the pictures quickly, and then add the dialogue as I make corrections towards the end.

●What is your policy as a mangaka?

Creating stories. Not just having the entire story be full of H-scenes, but having a story with a proper ending. Even if each story is 20 pages long, it has to be a proper story. The panels may be a bit jumbled, but I want the story to progress from start to finish. When it's turned into a tankoubon, whatever point you read from, I don't want it to feel like the story fizzles out.

●What do you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

My characters are tall, so I try to make sure the overall image doesn't look too head-heavy, or unbalanced.

●What references do you use for the clothing, accessories, and so on for your female characters?

When it comes to clothing, there isn't actually much variety. I rotate them, so I don't have much reference material. I used to look at fashion magazines and the like, but it ended up taking up too much time, and I would end up getting obsessed over certain details. In the end, I thought, "It'll be faster if I do it my way."

●What references do you use when deciding on your poses and composition?

A lot of my poses are pretty standard, with set camera angles. Once I use a pose, I often unconsciously use it again. With that in mind, I guess it's just I naturally lean towards poses I like.

●Regarding your poses and composition, do you basically create what you have in mind?

Well, there are magazine-related ones as well, but... Things that left an impression on me.

●How do you come up with your ideas or stories?

First, I decide whether to make it fantasy or SF. Once I have my worldview, I can gradually build up the setting, such as the characters' occupations. Most of it's decided at this point, so it's quick once I get to that point. Getting to that point is quite difficult (laughs), and then you dive into the plot. While absentmindedly watching TV or playing games. They come out most often while I'm asleep (laughs), when I'm lying down and staring at the ceiling (laughs).

●Do you have any favourite tools?

For tones, I mostly use IC (アイシー). Recently, there have been lots of different tones coming out, so I've been thinking about trying them out, but I don't have anywhere to stick them. For pen tips, I use Zebra G-pens. I also use Kabura pens. G-pens are hard to use (laughs). Though I've gotten quite used to them lately. For colours, I use transparent watercolours.

●Are there any mangaka you think are 'amazing' or 'skilled'?

Tanaka Kunihiko-sensei (田中久仁彦), who drew 'Ruin Explorers' (秘境探検ファム&イーリー). He used colours that are reminiscent of acrylic. I'd like to try creating 3D art like that.

●What kind of work would you like to create in the future?

Something like a Japanese period drama... I just love period dramas (laughs). I don't really want to move into other genres, I've been stuck with this one forever. But I think it would be interesting to do a period piece.

●Do you ever get excited when you're drawing a work or reading your work in book form?

Sometimes when I'm creating a story or thinking up a storyboard. Once it's finished, I think about all the hard work I've put in up until that point, so I feel like, "Ah, it's over." Submit the manuscript, and that's it. Even when it becomes a book, I find myself remembering all the hard work that went into it (laughs).

●So just during the story stage?

Yeah, it's based on my imagination, so it's quite amazing.

●But once it's finished?

Yeah, it's like it's been digested and I'm satisfied... After that, it's just leftovers (laughs). I wonder if I'll get in trouble for saying this.

●Were there any difficulties while creating your works, or conversely, any moments that made you think, "I'm a genius. What an amazing thing I drew!"?

Rather than an entire work, I think that when one picture really comes together, even if it's just for a moment, I think, "Ahh!" And then after inking, I think, "What's this!?" (Laughs) So, when it comes to stories of hardships, they're all hardships (laughs).

●So, are there any good things about being a mangaka, and conversely, any failures?

I was an animator before, so this might sound a bit vulgar, but financially, it's a completely different world. I also like the fact I can draw whatever I want without any restrictions. There are no retakes, and no one gets mad at me. That way, I don't get stressed out. As for failures... It's more troubling (laughs). Because it's all my own fault. Plus, I cannot take as many breaks as I used to, and I have to take more risks, I think the balance between the good and the bad is good (laughs).

●If you're working and get into a slump, how do you change your mood?

I take a bath. If I cannot get out of it, I give up for the day. If I think about it too much, I'll lose hair (laughs).

●You drew the original art for the personal computer game called 'Valentine Kiss' (バレンタイン・キッス) (Silky's). Seeing the characters you drew on the computer screen... What was your impression?

When I saw the stills in magazines and such, I thought, "Ahh, so that's how it got coloured." That's because I was working on the original art without adding any colour. It didn't feel like I did it myself. Once the colours were added, it became something completely different. I thought, "Ahh, so that's what they did." (Laughs)

●Since you originally worked in the anime industry, do you have any reservations about the idea regarding division of labour?

Yeah, games also have a division of labour, so it's the same process as anime. You draw the original art, then add colour. It's the same with anime, but I think it's the same with the pictures you draw on a TV screen. More than that, it's more like, "So, this is how it's painted on a computer." I think it can actually be educational to see how the shading you specified yourself is processed.

●Would you like to do the original art for another game?

Yeah, the process itself was also fun. So I'd like to try it again.

●Well then, are you interested in drawing on a computer yourself?

I would like to try it, but for now, I'm still practising. I cannot draw anything that can be published commercially. To be honest, if I can improve my level, I'd like to try it with my next book.

●Do you have any advice for those aspiring to become Bishoujo mangaka?

I almost want to be taught (laughs). Like, "How do you draw so well?"

●Please give a message to your fans.

That's right, I have nothing but gratitude. All I can say is, "Thank you ever so much for reading my work." I will continue to do my best, so please keep supporting me.

※～※～※～※～※

Ramiya Ryou (蘭宮涼) (Wiki)
Note: Her husband is Utatane Hiroyuki (うたたねひろゆき).

I keep some sense of shyness in their facial expressions and gestures.


●What triggered you becoming a mangaka?

I was drawing H-type doujinshi, and an editor saw them and asked if I would like to draw. I was still a student at the time, so after drawing once, I got a regular job. I work at a bank, but I realised being an OL wasn't for me, so I thought, "I guess I have no choice but to become a mangaka." ...

●Then you quit your job...

Right. Well, I still drew a little while I was working, and I was at my parents' house, so I thought I'd be able to manage somehow for the time being...

●What is your favourite thing or character among your own works?

Hmm. I'm the type who likes things from the past... But there's a ninja story called 'Karakuri Ninja Girl' (忍法乱れからくり) that's going to be turned into an anime soon, so for now, that's my favourite... That's why my favourite character is also its protagonist, Suzuka-chan (鈴鹿).

●Please tell us if there are any works or mangaka you're currently interested in.

I really love Nagai Sawako-sensei's (ながいさわこ) 'Turtle!' (かめ！), which is being serialised in 'Weekly Morning' (週刊モーニング) (Kodansha). The turtles are so cute. I even have their stuffed toy (laughs).

●Well then, what about movies or novels?

When it comes to movies, I like splatter. And, although it's not a novel, I like forensic non-fiction, and I even buy medical books. Since it's forensic medicine, they're mainly about crimes and accidental deaths, that kind of messy stuff.

●And how do those things relate to your work?

They're not related at all (laughs). I'm genuinely just interested in them. Also, books about parasites.

●Then have you been to places like the Parasitological Museum in Meguro?

Yes (laughs). I love it.

●Can you tell us your hobbies?

I like collecting dolls and stuffed animals. I have about 60~70 of them (laughs). It was only after I started working I decided to buy and collect them myself. Instead, I only have strange stuffed animals. I also have chameleons, vipers, squids, and pearl oysters (laughs). Normally, it's not enough if they're just cute, they have to speak to my heart (laughs).

●Do your hobbies ever get reflected in your work?

Not really. Sometimes, when I draw a girl's room, I might put a stuffed animal in the corner...

●Is there anything you pay attention to when creating your works?

I'm bad at creating stories, so I try to make the story easy for the reader to understand and not become self-indulgent. I also keep the viewer's eyes in mind when it comes to the composition. Also, once I've created the character setting, I make sure the dialogue sounds like something that character would say. I try not to have the character say anything they wouldn't normally say.

●Are there any points you pay attention to when drawing girls?

I make sure to draw even their fingertips and toes carefully. I think you can add expression to even the fingertips and toes. Drawing them carefully is like the essence of the character, and those small details are what makes them cute. Also, there should be some sense of shyness in their expressions and gestures. I think that retaining a sense of shyness is the key to a cute girl.

●When drawing girls, what do you use as reference for clothing and accessories?

I use the kind of clothes you can find in regular department stores as reference. As for underwear, I have catalogues, you see, they're convenient. Imported underwear catalogues tend to the extreme of the extreme, but they have some interesting designs, so I think they might look great in a drawing.

●Do you remember the clothes you see in the department store and so on?

Yeah, I do. I remember things that make me think, "Ahh, this is cute~♡" Sometimes, I also use clothes I bought for myself as reference.

●Well then, is there anything you use as a reference when deciding on a pose or composition?

I get along pretty well without them. But even so, I do reference stuff like photobooks and photography magazines...

●Do you reference the gravure parts...?

Right. There's a magazine called 'URECCO' (ウレッコ) (Million Publishing). I like it because the photos are quite beautiful.

●Is there anything that motivates you when drawing manga?

Of course, when I see the work of talented people, it makes me want to work harder myself. Also, when I receive fan letters with comments like, "I wish I could draw like this!" They inspire me and make me think, "Is that so!?"

●As a mangaka, what is your policy when drawing your works?

I draw H-manga, but I don't want to do vulgar expressions in the art or dialogue... I still want to keep it cute, even when it's H.

●What's your secret for coming up with ideas and refining them?

I think ideas tend to come when I'm feeling relaxed. The time when they come most is when I'm in the bath and washing my hair. I keep refining them in my head while I'm in the bath.

●You're not squeezing out time when a deadline is approaching, surely, right?

Well, that's...... It's usually like that (laughs). When I'm in the bath, I have nothing else to do, so I think I can ponder such things.

●Please tell us your favourite tools and the reason why.

As for pen nibs, I use a G-pen called the Gillott 303. It's a very soft pen, and since I don't put much pressure when I draw, it suits me well. I also use a Zebra mapping pen. I used to use a Zebra G-pen, but it felt like I was forcing the lines and couldn't get clean lines... For inks, I use Pilot's drafting ink. For colour inks, I use Dr. Martens and Luma.

●Is there anything you pay attention to when drawing a colour manuscript?

I make sure to use plenty of water to paint so there are no uneven spots. I don't have much skill, so I just have to work... steadily (laughs).

●A while back, there was a game called 'Half Moon ni Kawaru made' (ハーフムーンにかわるまで) (Cocktail Soft) based on your work. What were your impressions when you saw your own characters turned into CG in the game?

I think it was nice to see them in colour on a beautiful game screen like that. Also, it's fun when others create something from your own that feels different.

●If you have the opportunity to work on another game, would you like to do so?

That's right. A game called 'Guardian Recall' (ガーディアン・リコール) (Agumix), which I worked on with Ruen Rouga-sensei (龍炎狼牙) is going to be released soon.

●Well then, do you have any plans to use a computer to draw art yourself?

I've never used a computer before, so probably not.

●Do you have any production difficulty stories you'd like to share?

I'm a slow drawer, so I wish I could draw faster. It seems like my hands are getting slower every year.

●The manual parts like inking?

Everything. I'm slow at coming up with stories, sketching, and inking... There's really nothing I can do about it (laughs). That's why I cannot get any more work (laughs).

●Well then, is there anything you're glad about being a mangaka?

It's nice to be able to draw pictures all the time. When I was little, or rather when I was a student, my parents would say, "She's drawing again." So I think it's nice to be able to draw pictures all the time. I've loved drawing, so I've been doing it since I was little. But everyone draws when they're little, right? Girls draw pictures of cute girls, right? In my case, it's just an extension of that. It feels like I'm going to continue like this forever.

●Do you ever find your own work intriguing?

It would be great if I could create works like that. That's what I'm aiming for.

●Something everyone can get off to?

That's right. It would be nice if I could do that, but it's quite difficult. But when someone I meet for the first time says, "Thank you for always taking care of me." It makes me happy. I guess it has to be H. If it's not H, it's not cute, I don't think it's cute unless it has a little bit of that.

●The purpose of reading H-manga isn't necessarily 'practicability' alone, but that's still the premise.

I tend to look at girls from a man's perspective, so when a pretty girl walks in front of me, I find myself observing her... I study her every day. On the stairs at the station, I often feel like I'm almost able to see (up her skirt) (laughs).

●Is that something you're conscious of because of your job?

No, I simply like it (laughs). That's why people still ask me, "You're really a woman, right?" And that's my long-cherished desire, I want people to think my work is drawn by a man......

●What kind of work would you like to draw in the future?

I just want to draw cute girls, so I'd like to continue drawing manga that features cute girls. I'd like to be able to draw cute and charming girls〜.

●Do you have any advice for those aspiring to become Bishoujo mangaka?

That's right, I think it's important to have a broad perspective and be interested in studying a variety of things, not just Bishoujo manga. You need to have a variety of experiences. It's good to see what's out there.

●A message to your fans.

I'm a petty artist... Just my career is long (laughs). I'll keep working hard, so please watch over me.

※～※～※～※～※

Ruen Rouga (龍炎狼牙) (Wiki) (Twitter) (Pixiv)

I want to aim for more love-comedy essence.


●What motivated you to become a mangaka?

My elder brother's friend was someone who was ridiculously good at art, and their drawings inspired me to become a mangaka. Then, when I entered high school, my friend's elder brother started publishing doujinshi, and I thought, "So there's a way to draw manga like this." So I started getting involved in doujinshi. After that, through an acquaintance, I started drawing for a Circle called 'Office=Baku' (オフィス=バク), and before I knew it, I was bringing manuscripts to an editorial department (laughs).

●What triggered your debut?

At first, I wanted to debut in a shounen manga-like place. However, when I entered university and became friends with Ogami Wolf (拝狼), he said to me, "You can't draw H-art, can you?" And I replied, "No, I can." And I drew something and showed it to him, and he said, "What, you think this is H!?" I got angry and replied, "Fine. Then I'm going to master ero!!" And so, before I knew it, I found myself competing with Ogami Wolf and entered the industry."

●Which works or mangaka influenced you?

Well, in that sense, it would probably be Ogami. I also used to look at the drawings of Amagi-sensei (亜麻木) that he drew for 'Penguin Club' (ペンギンクラブ) (Tatsumi Publishing) and elsewhere, and thought, "Ahh, I wanna be a pro." (Laughs)

●Any artists you consider your rival?

You mean Ogami, basically?

●Are you eternal rivals?

That's right, I think it's amazing we've been able to stay together for so long despite being so fundamentally different in terms of art and story. When I think about it, we've been friends since before my debut, so we've been friends for about eight years. Honestly, without him, I probably wouldn't have debuted.

●Could you say he's also an artist you respect......?

I don't want to respect him! That man (laughs). Well, in way I do respect him. I really admire the fact he's able to go to such lengths (laughs). However, to be honest, there are so many artists I respect I can't name them all. I respect anyone who draws stuff I can't draw. So, I guess everyone working at the forefront of this industry as a pro is an artist I respect.

●What is your favourite among your own works, or your favourite character?

I see, I originally submitted a manga called 'Trouble♡Evocation' (とらぶる♡エボケーション) published in 'Candy Time' (キャンディタイム) (Fujimi Publishing), and since it ended up being serialised, I guess it would have to be my favourite among my own works. It's complete, too (laughs). My favourite character is its protagonist, a girl called Ria (リア)... Also, there weren't many supporting characters, so I have a strong attachment to them all.

●What works or artists are you currently paying attention to?

They're already finished, but 'Parasyte' (寄生獣), and 'Kakugo no Susume' (覚悟のススメ), which finished recently.

●What are your hobbies? Do they relate to your work in any way?

I really love building models.

●Are you into figurines?

No! Mecha mostly. I have the impression figurines are very difficult, and I know a modeler who is a figurine modeler, so I suppose it's really embarrassing when he sees my work (laughs). I only build mecha. But in that sense, I haven't been involved in their production at all (laughs).

●What do you pay attention to when creating your works?

What I pay attention to, since I'm drawing for those kind of magazines, or what you would call H-manga, is showing as many H-scenes as possible. However, there are some H-scenes I shouldn't do, or conversely, there are times when the story requires me not to have any H-scenes, so sometimes I cannot draw or I'm not allowed to draw them.

●For example, anything specific?

After all, I cannot draw shounen stuff (laughs). Just kidding. But right, if I had to say what I pay attention to, it's that I'm not good at creating characters, so I'm trying to be conscious of that and work hard at it. But when it comes to storyboards, compositions, and sketching, I don't have the skills at all, so it's like there's nothing I can pay attention to.

●What gives you power to create?

The greatest would be the opinions and feedback of my readers. Whenever I create a work, I feel anxious, thinking things like, "I wonder if this will be well-received." Or, "Isn't this terrible?" I don't have much confidence in my own work. In that sense, when I receive feedback from readers who understand what I'm trying to say, I think, "I wasn't mistaken!" And it gives me the power to get to work.

●What is your policy as a mangaka?

For now, I guess simply trying to meet my deadlines...... as much as possible.

●Is there anything you pay attention to when drawing cute girls?

In my case, it's not that I can't draw anything except that, or rather that's all I draw, but I pay a lot of attention to the eyes. So I guess that's why my eyes end up being big (laughs). I think that's about it.

●What about the lines of the body and so on...?

As for the body lines, I wasn't concerned about them at first, but a figurine modeler I know told me, "Your rough sketches don't look right at all." (Laughs). That modeler is K. Piero-san (K・PIERO), and in any case, I receive his harsh check. He does the cover designs of my tankoubon, so I'm always grateful for his help.

●Do you have any reference material when drawing things like the clothing of your female characters?

Nahh, none at all. I pretty much draw without reading any books, so there are times when I draw clothes wondering, "Is this good?" But in my case, most of my works are fantasy and SF, so I draw with a fairly multi-national, or perhaps stateless, feel, so really, I just draw whatever comes to mind.

●Well then, do you consider the level of exposure?

I don't really consider it that much. However, I do feel like more exposure would be more popular, and I sometimes have them wear miniskirts because that's my preference. But I also like flared skirts and dresses, so I just draw what I want to draw.

●What's your secret to coming up with ideas and stories, and refining them?

I'll read other people's work and think, "I see, so that's how they do this." "Well then, maybe I can do it like this?" When I'm working, or when I'm forced to do something I don't enjoy, I'll think of something fun, and I'll come up with ideas for my own manga. Well, I think about this all the time, whenever I have free time. But those are just ideas. When it comes to stories, I'm the type who, once I've decided 'I am going with this', will add additional ideas to liven up the story.

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

During 'Trouble♡Evocation', I drew a love comedy, but it felt half-baked, so I'd like to aim for the true essence of love comedy.

●Do you ever get aroused by one of your own works, either while you're working on it or when you read it after it's been published into a book?

I don't remember very clearly, but I think I was feeling aroused when I drew the first chapter of 'Trouble♡Evocation'. In that sense, I'm sure my debut work was the one I put the most effort. Also, there were deadlines I had to meet, so I think I was pretty resigned to the fact I had work to a certain extent. Especially with 'Matou kitan ZANKAN!' (魔討綺譚ZANKAN), which I'm currently working on, getting the story done takes priority (laughs), so in that sense, I'm actually kind of worried whether the 'readers are feeling aroused by it' (laughs).

●Do you have a method to change the mood when you're stuck for ideas?

Weeell, in my case, I cover myself with my futon and go to sleep. I pull the covers over me and just sleep, then wake up and go to my desk to start digging through my sketchbook. I just keep moving my hands without any intention of drawing anything, thinking maybe an idea will come to me.

●What are your favourite tools?

Zebra G-pens. I sometimes use school pens or mapping pens, but I mostly use Zebra. However, I'm using one that K. Piero-san gave me that has the original Zebra JIS mark. G-pens stopped being JIS standardised about 3~4 years ago. The G-pens sold these days don't have the JIS mark. So, when I use the ones they sell now, some of them bite into the paper. I was worried about this, and someone told me, "The ones with the JIS mark are safe, but the newer ones are dangerous." So I was sent about 3 of those 1 set cases, but I only have one box left. So I'm worried whether I'll be able to draw in the future (laughs). I hope the JIS standard will be reinstated.

●Please give some words of advice to those aspiring to become Bishoujo mangaka in the future.

I like looking at other people's works, so I hope you all draw really lewd manga and put me out of a job.

●Please say a word to your fans.

I'm sorry for always drawing weird manga. If you don't mind, please continue to follow me for ju~ust a little longer. I'm sure in a little while, I might be able to draw ecchier manga.

※～※～※～※～※

Watanabe Yoshimasa (わたなべよしまさ) (Wiki)

Reflecting on my work is my motivation power to keep drawing.


●What triggered your debut?

I brought my work to an editorial department... you see.

●Did you narrow yourself to the Bishoujo-type genre from the beginning?

Yeah. My sempai from my animator days, a man called Ginneko-san (銀猫), loved H-manga, so I was influenced by him. So, if I hadn't met Ginneko-san, I might never have read or drawn H-manga (laughs).

●Any mangaka or works that influenced you?

There's no particular mangaka. Nevertheless, I think the novelist Yasutaka Tsutsui-san (筒井康隆) has had a very strong influence on me. I first read his works when I was in middle school, and as soon as I started, I was like, "There are people in the world who can come up with ideas like this!?" It was eye-opening. When it comes to my art, I think I've been more influenced by anime than manga.

●Do you have a favourite work or character among your own works?

That's a tough one (laughs). They all have good parts, and pitiful parts, so I don't have a favourite. As for characters, I don't like my own characters because they're bad, I prefer the art of other artists (laughs).

●Is there anything you pay attention to when creating your works?

The thing I struggle with the most at first is probably coming up with ideas.

●Do you have any secrets to coming up with ideas or stories?

Ideas aren't something I can just think up... You never know when they'll come to you. Sometimes they come while I'm lying in bed or sometimes I get a hint while watching TV, or sometimes I'm sitting at my desk with my head in my hands. It's all in the moment. If I knew the perfect way to come up with ideas, I'd be rich (laughs). Ideas aren't like drawing a picture, skill alone isn't enough to get you results... But putting those ideas together into a story takes experience and technique...

●Can you please be more specific on that point?

My way of doing things is quite unorthodox. I come up with an idea first, explain the story in simple words, and then pour a large number of the remaining pages into the H-scene. I think the reason my works end up like that is because I cut out psychological descriptions and other parts. There are pros and cons to this, so even if people say, "Other people excel in this area, so why can't Watanabe Yoshimasa-san do it?" I find it difficult to understand because there are some areas I deliberately choose not to do...

●What's your motivation power to create your works?

I guess it's regretting the works I've created in the past. I think I just keep drawing because I've been embarrassed by the past and to make up for it. Of course, there are some works I like. And even if I create one good work in a series, there's no telling whether I'll be able to create something of the same level again next time. Being inconsistent is both frustrating and painful.

●Is there anything you pay attention to in order to cutely draw girls?

The only thing I can say is I pay attention to making sure when I look at my drawings, they seem cute to me. I look at other people's work, think about why I think they're cute, fix any flaws in my own drawings, and if I can ultimately draw something people think is cute, then that's fine. So, it's difficult to answer 'what do I do specifically to make something cute'. Just because one's good at drawing doesn't mean they're able to draw cute girls... There's a sense for whether one can draw cute girls that's separate from artistic skill, and that's something that can't be expressed in words. If many people find my characters cute, then all I can say is I must have the bare minimum of that ability. But, to be honest, my ability and sense is limited. There are countless people in this world who can draw girls cuter than I can. Even if I know that, I can't improve myself. I don't know what to do. How bothersome.

●Sensei's characters have distinctive bangs, but...

The only thing that hasn't changed since the beginning is the front being higher than the back of the head. I started using that method because I was wondering how I could draw manga characters from an angle. In the past, most so-called Bishoujo-type characters had hair that was higher at the back of the head, and when the hair was from an angle, the perspective was too strong and the head looked narrow. I thought about how to prevent this, and thought if I simply lifted the front, it might look more realistic... and that's how I started drawing those bangs.

●Well then, are there any reference materials you use for stuff like girl clothing and so on?

Pretty much none, which is why the clothing of my characters are so ordinary (laughs). I don't design them with that in mind. To be honest, I'm pretty casual about that sort of thing (laughs). I just happen to see something I like and get influenced by it, but I don't consciously check them out with the intention of study. There aren't many stories that feature girls wearing flashy clothing that's popular these days, either.

●Is there anything you pay attention to when it comes to poses and compositions?

When it comes to H compositions, I thought I was pretty creative when I made my debut. I don't think other artists were using the same compositions I was using 7~8 years ago.

●So, does that have something to do with Sensei working an anime job?

I don't think it has any relation. I thought it would be boring to just keep using ordinary compositions, so it felt like, "Let's challenge something new!" I was young, so I wanted to try different things. But unlike manga, where you can change the shape of the panels, in H-games, where you have to be creative within a set frame, you often see compositions that make you think, "I see, I never thought of it that way." What I've been doing is already outdated in modern times, and I haven't made any significant progress myself. If I try to use lines that are too unusual, the art just ends up looking odd, and I don't have the ability to strike that sort of balance. Also, there are some sex positions not everyone draws, right? That's usually because they don't look cool, and there are inevitably some positions and compositions that are difficult to use, so there's not much point in striving to be different from everyone else.

●It's important to strike a balance in that area, right?

Yeah. Even if I draw something with the feeling, "I can draw this, what do you think?" If it doesn't get across to the viewer, I won't have a job. There are times when I look at it later and think, "That was weird after all." (Laughs) So, I take that into consideration and give a fair amount of thought to the poses and compositions when I draw. Also, the composition of conversation scenes still show the influence of old anime and tokusatsu works. I guess 'placing breasts in the foreground' is a composition unique to me (laughs).

●Do you ever get aroused during the creation process?

By my own works? I'm usually tired when I'm creating, so I don't get into that mindset (laughs). If I were full of energy and was able to create an absolutely amazing work, perhaps I would feel that way (laughs).

●While creating a work, did you ever think, "This is amazing, I'm a genius!"

In 'Magical Astral Projection Girl Mika-chan' (魔法の幽体離脱少女ミカちゃん), which I drew around 1990, there's a scene set in Shinjuku in 1999. When I drew not only the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which was still under construction back then, but also the Tokyo Gas Building, which was completed last year, I thought, "No other mangaka has gathered so much reference material and drawn these so neatly!" Although the story was full of errors. But there was passion, right? The work itself isn't very interesting (laughs). But there are times when an idea comes to me I think, "I did it!!" If I didn't have that feeling, I'd get so stressed, I'd die (laughs). But usually I lose interest later and think, "Ahh, after all, this kinda thing is..." (Laughs)

●What are some things that made you glad to be a mangaka, and conversely, what things made you feel like a failure?

The moments when I feel like I'm doing a good job are the ultimate joy of being an artist, like, "I'm glad I did it." But when I fail, I get pretty irresponsible and think, "That was embarrassing, let's just forget about it and quickly draw the next one." (Laughs)

●Any methods to change the mood when you're stuck?

I don't have any specific methods to change my mood, which is a bit of a problem. I try to go to sleep, but I cannot fall asleep, so I end up just worrying about it in bed, and then morning comes, and I still haven't come up with any ideas, and it turns daytime even though I haven't slept a wink. It's really a problem (laughs). I'd love to hear any good methods to change the mood (laughs).

●What kind of work do you want to draw in the future?

I'd be happy with anything so long as it's something I find interesting. I'd also like to try having someone else write the original story for me. I wonder how I'd feel working if it's just the art.

●Please give some advice to those aspiring to be Bishoujo mangaka in the future.

Becoming a pro means drawing manga and making a living from it. Don't become someone who's unclear, like someone who casually writes 'doujinshi artist' as their occupation.

●Please give a word to your fans.

Was the Watanabe Yoshimasa interview article interesting (laughs)?

※～※～※～※～※

Hiryuu Ran (CG Technique)
Mon-Mon (CG Technique)
Gotou Juan (CG Technique) (Wiki) (Twitter)

I'll share scans of these CG technique interviews on my Twitter (X) (Link). The image filesize is much too large.
Out of the 12 people interviewed here, I like Ramiya Ryou, the most (I also like her husband's work, but neither Ramiya nor her husband have any sort of internet presence). I suggest looking up their names on Sad Panda.

 

[Taruby]

Yes I have just registered and so far been trying to read on all the info on here. I have no real online presence expect for a few social media sites i post my art on. been mostly looking into the history of modern internet nsfw art. Decided to look deeper into Americas underground comic scene. I notice a thing called bondage fairies became popular inspiring anime related looking art styles like demi the demoness and 1990s comic books like Milk! from radio comix( even in the late 1980s anime inspired erotic art works started popping up alot). this lead me into looking into lolicon boom. Getting a summary of the lolicon boom and finding out about lolicon gekiga on the Japanese Wikipedia. Decide to look around on 5ch remembering finding a thread about it with the oh so helpful auto translate talking about these ero-gekiga magz. very little info about them except one with comment about a company that used to be called self-publishing.

which ended up leading me here to find out more information on the lolicon boom.

You can send me a private message (DM) if you don't feel comfortable linking to the social media sites you post art on. I'm curious about you.

'Bondage Fairies' (ボンデージフェアリーズ) by Kondom (昆童虫) (Home), eh? During the harsh regulations and stigma against Lolicon/Bishoujo manga right after the 'M Incident' (M事件), Lemon People had to branch out into different magazines with Kondom submitting his fairy-fetish 'Insect Hunter' manga to 'Lemon Kids' (レモンキッズ). 'Insect Hunter' will later become 'Bondage Fairies' when it continued its serialisation in 'Young Kiss' (ヤングキッス). I was researching the English localisation of Kondom's work for my 'Hentai History' thread (though none of that research made it into the thread because the localisers used proper terms like eros and erotic comics instead of the western slang term 'Hentai'). Despite their ignorance and insecurity regarding the word 'Lolicon', Americans really, really liked 1980s~1990s Lolicon manga and anime; Kondom's website has photos for a lot of goods he received from the North American closet-Lolicon fandom.

If you're using 5ch and auto-translate, it might be helpful if you linked to the source; there's a chance the auto-translate mangled its translation of the ero-gekiga magazine names you're looking for. Self-Publishing (aka Byakuya Shobo [Wiki]) is responsible for Ogata Katsuhiro and Ootsuka Eiji's Lolicon Manga magazine 'Manga Burikko' (漫画ブリッコ). As an aside, the incompetent translators at Fakku incorrectly translated 'Self-Publishing' as 'self-published' in Kimi Rito's book on the 'History of Ero-manga Expression'. Self-Publishing is also responsible for the Super Hentai Magazine 'Billy', and another magazine called 'Hey!Buddy', a celebrity gossip magazine that was converted into Lolicon by a man called Aoyama Masaaki (青山 正明; the penname of Ootsuka Masami, a genius law student at Keio University ) whose collapse spelled the end of the non-manga side of the 'Lolicon Boom'.

Aoyama's university doujin 'Mutation' was advertised in Comic Box Jr. (Free Space) and it is described as being a mini-communication magazine version of 'Hey!Buddy', but actually more like 'Billy' (a magazine about everything Hentai, where to commit suicide, how to cook delicious food out of feces, and so on). Aoyama's articles in 'Mutation' were responsible for inspiring the creator of Pokémon into creating his own doujinshi. I ordered the magazine 'CONTINUE' with the interview with the creator of Pokémon, so I might translate that in the future along with one of Aoyama's articles in Mutation that inspired him.

Whenever people say the Lolicon Boom is a short-lived phenomenon, if it's a literate Japanese writer, they're actually talking about 'Hey!Buddy' skirting Japanese obscentiy laws regarding photography of female genitalia and meeting their end in 1985; the Cybele Revolution, aka the Lolicon Doujinshi Boom, which is often shortened as 'Lolicon Boom' by many first-hand accounts in this thread, and a source of confusion when one's trying to research these things, is still ongoing as it sweeps across the entirety of planet Earth, killing off and assimilating Gekiga, American Comics, and the Orthodox American Furry community. Kera said he's working on a book where he interviewed Oki Yukao, who is jointly responsible for 'Cybele', so I'm hoping to translate that next year.

Because of its historical importance, I'm also hoping to one day acquire the interviews and talks published in 'Hey!Buddy'. There's an interview with Uchiyama Aki, and a roundtable talk between Nagayama Kaoru, Hirukogami Ken, and Aoayam Masaaki. Nagayama Kaoru wrote a book on Eromanga Studies that was translated by Patrick Galbraith. I did see someone trying to sell the final issue of 'Hey!Buddy' on Yahoo Auction recently, but it was really expensive (40,000 JPY), and the back cover had an advertisement for the anime 'Dream Hunter Rem':

As an aside, the administrator of Doujinshi.wiki shared a video he found about the history of manga being localised into English for North America (Link):

Since one of the the things I'm studying is the historical understanding of Lolicon from people outside Japan, I've been going through old books and American fanzines. One of the people interviewed in the above video is Frederik L. Schodt, and I wasn't aware of him being such a major player in getting manga localised into America. I read his book 'Manga Manga' published in 1983, and his understanding of Lolicon is laughably ignorant and horrible (he seems to associate it with Uchiyama Aki and his diaper fetish; zero mention of Azuma Hideo). It's apparent he didn't really do much research into Lolicon because if he did, then he would've understood that Tezuka Osamu, the man he worshipped and was desperately trying to get published in America, is ultimately responsible for anime and manga fans turning into Lolicon without civil rights... In the 1997 talk between Frederik L. Schodt and Okada Toshio, Okada included a footnote that in North America, Americans were referring to Japanese 'Lolicon Manga' as 'HENTAI' (the above Bishoujo interviews I just translated seem to avoid the word Lolicon, but Okada Toshio kept using it; he even called Shinji from Evangelion a shota; I really should update the Toudai Otaku Lectures translation in the future).

 

[eromaker12]

You can send me a private message (DM) if you don't feel comfortable linking to the social media sites you post art on. I'm curious about you.

'Bondage Fairies' (ボンデージフェアリーズ) by Kondom (昆童虫) (Home), eh? During the harsh regulations and stigma against Lolicon/Bishoujo manga right after the 'M Incident' (M事件), Lemon People had to branch out into different magazines with Kondom submitting his fairy-fetish 'Insect Hunter' manga to 'Lemon Kids' (レモンキッズ). 'Insect Hunter' will later become 'Bondage Fairies' when it continued its serialisation in 'Young Kiss' (ヤングキッス). I was researching the English localisation of Kondom's work for my 'Hentai History' thread (though none of that research made it into the thread because the localisers used proper terms like eros and erotic comics instead of the western slang term 'Hentai'). Despite their ignorance and insecurity regarding the word 'Lolicon', Americans really, really liked 1980s~1990s Lolicon manga and anime; Kondom's website has photos for a lot of goods he received from the North American closet-Lolicon fandom.

View attachment 26591

If you're using 5ch and auto-translate, it might be helpful if you linked to the source; there's a chance the auto-translate mangled its translation of the ero-gekiga magazine names you're looking for. Self-Publishing (aka Byakuya Shobo [Wiki]) is responsible for Ogata Katsuhiro and Ootsuka Eiji's Lolicon Manga magazine 'Manga Burikko' (漫画ブリッコ). As an aside, the incompetent translators at Fakku incorrectly translated 'Self-Publishing' as 'self-published' in Kimi Rito's book on the 'History of Ero-manga Expression'. Self-Publishing is also responsible for the Super Hentai Magazine 'Billy', and another magazine called 'Hey!Buddy', a celebrity gossip magazine that was converted into Lolicon by a man called Aoyama Masaaki (青山 正明; the penname of Ootsuka Masami, a genius law student at Keio University ) whose collapse spelled the end of the non-manga side of the 'Lolicon Boom'.

Aoyama's university doujin 'Mutation' was advertised in Comic Box Jr. (Free Space) and it is described as being a mini-communication magazine version of 'Hey!Buddy', but actually more like 'Billy' (a magazine about everything Hentai, where to commit suicide, how to cook delicious food out of feces, and so on). Aoyama's articles in 'Mutation' were responsible for inspiring the creator of Pokémon into creating his own doujinshi. I ordered the magazine 'CONTINUE' with the interview with the creator of Pokémon, so I might translate that in the future along with one of Aoyama's articles in Mutation that inspired him.
View attachment 26592

Whenever people say the Lolicon Boom is a short-lived phenomenon, if it's a literate Japanese writer, they're actually talking about 'Hey!Buddy' skirting Japanese obscentiy laws regarding photography of female genitalia and meeting their end in 1985; the Cybele Revolution, aka the Lolicon Doujinshi Boom, which is often shortened as 'Lolicon Boom' by many first-hand accounts in this thread, and a source of confusion when one's trying to research these things, is still ongoing as it sweeps across the entirety of planet Earth, killing off and assimilating Gekiga, American Comics, and the Orthodox American Furry community. Kera said he's working on a book where he interviewed Oki Yukao, who is jointly responsible for 'Cybele', so I'm hoping to translate that next year.

Because of its historical importance, I'm also hoping to one day acquire the interviews and talks published in 'Hey!Buddy'. There's an interview with Uchiyama Aki, and a roundtable talk between Nagayama Kaoru, Hirukogami Ken, and Aoayam Masaaki. Nagayama Kaoru wrote a book on Eromanga Studies that was translated by Patrick Galbraith. I did see someone trying to sell the final issue of 'Hey!Buddy' on Yahoo Auction recently, but it was really expensive (40,000 JPY), and the back cover had an advertisement for the anime 'Dream Hunter Rem':
View attachment 26593

As an aside, the administrator of Doujinshi.wiki shared a video he found about the history of manga being localised into English for North America (Link):

Since one of the the things I'm studying is the historical understanding of Lolicon from people outside Japan, I've been going through old books and American fanzines. One of the people interviewed in the above video is Frederik L. Schodt, and I wasn't aware of him being such a major player in getting manga localised into America. I read his book 'Manga Manga' published in 1983, and his understanding of Lolicon is laughably ignorant and horrible (he seems to associate it with Uchiyama Aki and his diaper fetish; zero mention of Azuma Hideo). It's apparent he didn't really do much research into Lolicon because if he did, then he would've understood that Tezuka Osamu, the man he worshipped and was desperately trying to get published in America, is ultimately responsible for anime and manga fans turning into Lolicon without civil rights... In the 1997 talk between Frederik L. Schodt and Okada Toshio, Okada included a footnote that in North America, Americans were referring to Japanese 'Lolicon Manga' as 'HENTAI' (the above Bishoujo interviews I just translated seem to avoid the word Lolicon, but Okada Toshio kept using it; he even called Shinji from Evangelion a shota; I really should update the Toudai Otaku Lectures translation in the future).

I draw r34 type of artworks just to let you know. I'll dm you the link to my socials just incase you want to check out my art anyways.
Gonna have to find the thread again since 5ch is the Predecessor to 2ch which 4chan was base off. so there threads don't really stay up and disappear over time.

Talking about old websites, e-hentai original site use to be called evangelion hentai club where a group of people where sharing evangelion hentai (link: https://web.archive.org/web/20010418015315/http://ehentai.fsn.net/main.html ) been looking for more info on the yahoo group to figure out the type of hentai they where sharing

I even heard that evangelion characters rei and asuka where once consider loli characters. Sadly I am unable to find info on the yahoo group and what was posted on it.
safe to assume alot of rei and asuka hentai and probably The dirty pair comics, since its also advertise on the site.


so far as I know anything about lolicon in the west mostly stem from 4chan being a big spreader of it to the larger fanbase. Had a board called /l/(lolicon), But they type it as lolikon or lorikon. It was taken down in 2004 do to a user posting csam on it. This is mostly base on my memory of using the site so it pretty blurry. Seen threads talking about why it got deleted, brought back, than deleted again. got a link of all it boards that existed https://github.com/bibanon/bibanon/wiki/4chan-History-Timeline) I remember there was a week long argument over lolicon on /c/ which form the creation of /l/. So there was people who somewhat knew what lolicon was in America in the mid or late 1990s but type it as lorikon or lolikon instead of lolicon before 4chan made it even more know. Trying to dig into it would just be google ai saying things like " late 1980s and 1990s usernet groups like rec.art.anime." with the sources being all over the place and not at all relevant when looking through them. so guessing it was very little people that knew of the term in the 1980s and 1990s or wasn't well documented. trying to see if I can find such discussion on internet archive

 

[Taruby]

Hayasaka Miki is the Lolicon Doujinshi artist introduced in the Fusion Product roundtable talk (opening post of this thread). He's also an enigmatic artist that left a profound impression with his doujinshi and manga before disappearing completely. He also discovered the power of the word 'Moe' many years before it became a meme in the 1990s, and a replacement for Cybele's concept of categorising Lolicon (i.e. in the 3D world, people have a fetish, in the 2D world, people have a Moe), and as a replacement for Morino Usagi's artistic aesthetic known as Puni-Loli. Christian Hernandez, a Mexican researcher, seems to be of the opinion Hayasaka Miki is the 'Father of Lolicon', not Azuma Hideo, but after speaking with Moetan (tooecchi) about some of the things Hernandez said about Senno Knife's doujin having photographs (人形姫), I suspect Hernandez's analysis isn't really based on a comprehensive understanding of these things, but simply his reaction and interpretation of a fan website and a few books he picked up (I still think he's interesting because unlike Patrick Galbraith, he knew about Kawamoto Kouji).

This will be a super thread that includes two interviews with Hayasaka Miki, and articles to get into his head, along with a collection of everything I currently have available for his doujin 'FRITHA" and the art from the 5~ sketchbooks 'FLICE' that were selected for 'FRITHA' and occasionally featured in various magazines and books. Tooecchi has been scanning some of Haysaka Miki's books (and plans to scan more in the future), so I recommend checking those out on Sad Panda to understand the depths of Hayasaka Miki's talents. His stories aren't long, but they would definitely make for a good scanlation project.

---

---

★Table of Contents★
Profile
◆Comic Box Junior Supplementary Issue◆
Hayasaka Miki Random Talk
↳What is the Rumoured 'Fritha'?
◆SF Manga Competition Complete Works◆
Mangaka Free Talk
Workroom Visit
◆Monthly WHAT◆
I Drink the Sea Dry Every Two Weeks
Curry That Makes Sweat Retreat
'Fantastic Talking' of 'WHAT'
◆Other◆
FRITHA and FLICE
Takanezawa Moe-kun Snap Report
Spiritual History of Otaku Afterword

●●Profile●●

Penname: Hayasaka Miki (早坂未紀)
Birthdate: 1955/9/5
Sex: Male
Constellation: Virgo
Blood-type: AB
Birthplace: Toyama

1973: Moved to Tokyo and attended the Chiyoda Designer Academy.
197?: Became an assistant to Wada Shinji (和田慎二).
1975: Joined the doujinshi Circle 'Troublemaker' (トラブルメーカー).
197?: Became an assistant to Murakami Motoka (村上もとか)
1980: Published the doujinshi 'FRITHA' at Comic Market 15.
1982: Made his debut as a pro mangaka with 'Harahara Fairy' (はらはらフェアリー).
1989: His final work becomes 'Final Run' (ファイナル・ラン).
Rumour has it he returned to his hometown and is working as a salaryman. Current status: unknown.

※～※～※～※～※

Source:『COMIC BOX ジュニア 創刊準備号』 1983/4/1

Opening Special Feature​

Hayasaka Miki Random Talk


The one most surprised the self-published illustration collection 'Fritha' (フリス) goes for the high price of 20,000 yen at used bookshops is Hayasaka Miki-sensei (早坂未紀). We interviewed Hayasaka-sensei, who has finally expanded his hands from Bishoujo manga to SF Action, showing his true abilities, and is expected to make a big impact. We also introduced the phantasmic 'Fritha'!!


◎◎If it's Gorenger Play, I have confidence... he wrote and was accepted to be Wada-sensei's assistant.

——Do you come from here, Hayasaka-san?

No, I'm from Toyama.

——So, when did you move to Tokyo?

I was 18 at the time, so it's almost been 10 years.

——So you graduated from high school and...

I graduated and went to the Chiyoda Designer Academy. I applied to the Tama Art University and the Kyoto University of the Arts, but failed, so I applied to the Chiyoda Designer Academy, which didn't require an exam. I was in graphic design. They charged me about 100,000 yen for the entrance fee, and I believe I also had to donate another 100,000 yen on top of that (☺).

——So, you graduated from there safely and...?

No, I dropped out. I was bad at writing characters, so my lettering assignments piled up and I didn't turn any in, so I couldn't advance to the next grade (☺). I should've turned in some half-baked work. Anyways, I quit. Back then, there was a guy in my class who's now the chief assistant of Yaguchi Takao (矢口高雄), and we made doujinshi together at school——we made cyanotype copies and Xerox prints for about 5 issues——and that was around the time I quit school. Then that guy started working as an assistant, and I started to also get assistant work, and I thought, manga's also nice... something like that.

——So you wanted to be a mangaka from the very beginning...?

It wasn't like that. Well, I drew manga. I just wanted to draw art. That's why I was determined to go to art school.

——What about after you quit?

I worked as an assistant for a while...

——Where...?

Ah—h, that's a bit... Should I let the cat out of the bag (☺)? Or maybe not? I was doing some shoujo manga-type work...

——Who?

I wonder if I can say their name, I wonder... People like Wada Shinji-san* (和田慎二). I was packed in there like a sardine for 8 months. It was when he started 'Sukeban Deka' (スケバン刑事) and was looking for assistants. The conditions for the job were someone who could draw backgrounds, no gender restrictions, a certain age, and at the very bottom it said 'someone who could play Gorenger' (☺). So when I applied, I enclosed a Cut and wrote something like, "If it's Gorenger Play, I have confidence." And that's how I got accepted. I was kind of a careless assistant.
※It's worth noting Wada Shinji's 'キャベツ畑でつまずいて' work is currently the oldest recorded instance of 'Lolita Complex' appearing in a manga.

——Is that also where you honed your shoujo manga-ish colouring techniques?

Nahh, Wada-sensei did all the colouring himself. I've always liked colouring since I was making doujinshi, so I learned it naturally. Particularly the sensuous part. I learned the technical aspects after I moved to Murakami Motoka-sensei's (村上もとか) place.

——Do you consider yourself as shoujo manga-style?

I feel as if I've always been influenced by Wada-san's sensibilities. But I wasn't asked to draw any characters, I just did the finishing touches, so I guess I was influenced from watching him. I've always loved Wada-sensei, and I've been waiting for him to start recruiting assistants.

It's not like anywhere is fine if it's assistant work.


★ー★ー★ー★ー★

What is the Rumoured 'Fritha'?

▲The cover of 'Fritha'. Printed in silver on black rasha paper.

▲The fantasy tone is strong throughout the work.


☺'Fritha' (フリス) is Hayasaka-sensei's privately-published illustration collection. It's a pick-up work from among 5 of Hayasaka-sensei's sketchbooks entitled 'Flice'. The former's title is said to be taken from a girl who appears in Gallico's short story 'The Snow Goose'. According to its afterword, "The extreme ones weren't included." So there's apparently an unpublished Hard-version (ハード版) lurking somewhere. 'Fritha' is now considered a rare book with a value of 20,000 yen at second-hand bookshops, but for some reason, almost half of its illustrations have been perfectly reprinted in a certain Lolicon specialty magazine, which is a bit of a problem.

★ー★ー★ー★ー★


◎◎He gets off at every station on the Yamanote Line, searching for record stores, competing to buy all the anime records...


Speaking of the influence of Wada-sensei, I started getting into anime after I started going to Wada-sensei's place. When I first went to Wada-sensei's place, even though everyone was talking about 'Horus' (ホルス), I was like, "What's Horus?" I really didn't know anything. Then, after that, I went crazy. I also liked the girls who came to play there. In my case, I started collecting records for stuff like anime and tokusatsu. I would travel all over and search for them. For example, I would get off at every station on the Yamanote Line, searching for record stores (☺). I actually searched every station along the Seibu Line and the Tobu Tojo Line. If I found one or two records after visiting around five stations, I felt like I had made a profit. I spent most of my assistant fee on them. I quit school, but I was still receiving an allowance... I was saying I couldn't make a living as an assistant... (☺). I believe I collected about 300 records, including LP singles.

Wada-sensei also collected them since long ago... which is what I thought. But later I heard from him that he collected them with a sense of crisis because if I and another girl, if the two of us were left to our own devices, all the good, old anime records would disappear from record shops (☺). We would tease him by saying provocative stuff like, "Wada-san, did you buy this...?"

——What triggered your joining Troublemaker (トラブルメーカー)?

That, well, a girl who came to help Imai Kaoru-sensei (いまいかおる), an acquaintance of Wada-sensei, was from Troublemaker. And I thought it would be fun. The doujinshi I was doing when I was a student had disbanded. I wanted some friends... Showing my face there felt kinda interesting.

——When was this?

Ehh, I joined around 4 or 5 years ago.

——How many works did you do with 'Trouble...'?

'Tokyo Guerrilla Force' (東京遊撃隊) and an unpublished sequel. One with the title '337', we did 64 pages and there were 10 pages left, but it's still undecided. Before that, I was drawing a doujinshi or something on my own, but I don't know where that book has gone. I knew a group called 'Yakan' (やかん), and I did covers and Cuts there every month... and the rest I did were a little more underground (☺).


◎◎'Fritha' was at first limited to 500 copies, and I don't want to reprint it. Feel free to copy it...


——So, what's the problem with 'Fritha'...?

How many years ago was that? Was it 1980? I started drawing 2 or 3 months before that, and if you traced it back to the source, I filled 6 or 7 coloured sketchbooks. I started drawing about a year before I published 'Fritha' and showed my sketches to Azuma-san (吾妻) when we were at 'Cattleya' (カトレア); I've been a fan of his ever since I was in middle school. I thought I would meet him at 'Cattleya' eventually, and then I recognised his face from a photo, and I had a copy of 'Manga Shounen' (マンガ少年) on hand, so I got him to sign it. After that, I started going to 'Cattleya' whenever I bought one of Azuma-san's books, and we became acquainted. Then, much later, I showed Azuma-san my sketchbook. That was the start of my relationship with the regulars at Azuma-san's place, like Kitaoka-san (北岡) (Oki Yukao [沖由佳雄]). So I thought if I simply published a book based on that sketchbook, it would sell. Well, I wanted to release a collection of my own illustrations——the ones with a pretty feeling. Since I was going to release it, I really got into it, so I made sure to properly shade the pictures using thin black ink (薄墨). Recently, I've been getting requests to reprint and sell it because it's out of stock, but during its Comiket, I only sold 250 of the 500 I made. It may have sold better than others, but it was only half, and it took a whole day. So I moved the remaining 250 around, sold them at 'Free Space' (ふりー・すぺーす) and through other means, it felt like I had a lot of trouble selling them. They're worth a lot now, but I don't want to reprint them because of the trouble I went through.

——So it's going to remain a first edition at 500 copies...?

Yeah. I explained from the beginning it's a limited first edition. However, if you copy them for personal enjoyment, it's fine to treat them the same as a borrowed record.

Even if they're copied and distributed in large numbers, I won't know about it.


★ー★ー★ー★ー★

Tokyo Guerrilla Force Digest

▲The manuscript for the sequel was also prepared. (Unpublished)

☺'Tokyo Guerrilla Force' (トーキョー遊撃隊) is an SF Action work published in the newsletter of the manga research club 'Troublemaker' (トラブルメーカー). It's also the prototype for 'Metropolis Rat' (メトロポリス・ラット), a new work in the May issue of 'Ryuu' (リュウ). Set in the ruins of 21st century Tokyo, five boys and girls fight against an unknown enemy. This is a part that shows off its car action, which is said to Hayasaka-sensei's specialty.

Of course, the girls are cute, and a slightly more mature girl character is scheduled to appear in the unannounced second chapter. The work in 'Ryuu' is the first chapter, so there'll be sequel, send them your letters～.

★ー★ー★ー★ー★


——How much did they cost? Nowadays, they sell for 20,000 yen at used bookshops, but...

300 yen. The price was around 200 yen. In reality, the original cost was 300 yen, and the printing cost for 500 copies was 150,00 yen, but the president of the printing company liked the art and reduced the price for the highlight printing, so I ended up saving about 50,000 yen. So, my group and I decided to use that money for the next book we would publish. In the end, I ended up selling something that costed me 200 yen for 300 yen...

——But if you consider the effort involved, it's a fair price.

Well, when I hear them being priced at 20,000 yen... But back then, I thought even 300 yen was too expensive.

——In your case, you didn't intend to do Lolicon, Hayasaka-san?

As it turns out, that kind of thing doesn't really matter to me.

——I guess you could say you were a victim who got caught up in the boom...

No, I'm not a victim, I was the type who got involved because I liked it (☺). I don't have any intention of continuing it forever... I think everyone feels the same way. In my case, my first job was to have my illustrations used in the special Lolicon feature in 'Fusion', and...

——Ah, so nothing at all until then...

Yeah, I didn't receive any decent manuscript fees. Ah, there was the newspaper, just a book token (☺) when I was in middle school. After that, I got eight pages in Tokuma's 'Ryuu'...

——'Harahara Fairy' (はらはらフェアリー) is going to be featured in the 'Lolicon' section of Heibonsha Encyclopaedia (☺). (※True Story) Have you experienced bringing in your own work to a publisher?

Once, I took my manuscript for 'Tokyo Guerrilla Force' to a certain 'Shounen Sunday' (少年サンデー), but they said all sorts of things and sent me back disheartened. I was encouraged by those around me to take it there, but it was a manuscript for a doujinshi, so... (☺).

——There've been rumours for some time you might appear in 'Jump', but...?

Yeah, an editor I know told me to bring him something, but every time I tried to bring him something, it was a too-good-to-be-true story... (☺).

——It's a difficult job (☺).

Give me a job where I can draw without any complaints and be paid for my work (☺).

——There must be some difficult jobs coming your way. Like bar illustrations of '○○○○○' (☺). I'm sure you're resistant to being evaluated in the form of Lolicon, after all.

I haven't thought about it that deeply. Though I'd be troubled if people thought of me that way (☺), but it's a fact manga and illustrations are being accepted in that form, so there's no point in trying to deny it.


(Interviewer: Magazine Editorial Department)


※～※～※～※～※


Source:『SFマンガ競作大全集１７』 1983/1

Mangaka Free Talk​

The Somewhat Pretentious Hayasaka Miki
The Hidden Daily-Life of the Promising New Artist, Hayasaka-Sensei!


When people ask, "What's your favourite colour?" I used to answer, "White and black, I guess."

But lately, I've been using colours more and more, so I cannot say that anymore. (Ehh, how grandiose, peh-peh.)

A few months ago, I wandered into a local art supply shop and bought some Sky Blue and Compose Blue poster paints. I actually had paints, though. It was like an impulse purchase. At the time, I believe all I could think about was the clear blue sky and deep ocean background of some anime I watched the day before (I forget what it was called). I was thinking, "I wanna paint an ocean like that." And by that time about half of my poster paint was gone; I was practically addicted to blue.

A long time ago, when I was in a design academy, there was a guy in my class who played rock (and incidentally, was also good at drawing), and I went to his house once. I was surprised when I entered his room. Everything, from the walls to the ceiling, was pure blue. The only things that weren't blue were his stereo, two keyboards, and their amplifiers.

It was midsummer and scorching hot outside, but that room felt strangely cool... As I sat down on the floor and looked up at the ceiling, I felt... how do I put it...? The tobacco smoke wisped gently through the air, and I felt like a deep-sea fish or an undersea dweller... It felt like my body was melting into the blue, and then I was sinking deeper and deeper towards a dangerous pleasure... (By the way, he's the son of a painter and apparently painted everything himself.)

On my way home, I suddenly recalled a story from the illustrator Takaya Rin-san's (高谷りん) booklet 'Rinrin Book' (りんりんブック).

'The Bottle Shop' (びんづめ屋).

The story goes that when a boy opens a blue bottle he bought on the way home from school, everyone around him, even his own eyes, turn blue.

"Ahh, so this is what it feels like when everyone around you turns blue..."

This short story unfolded within my mind. Standing on the train platform, I looked in the mirror and was relieved to see my eyes weren't blue, but also slightly disappointed. It seems my current obsession with blue may have its roots in this area.

If someone asked me now, "What's your favourite colour?" I'd probably answer, "The colour of the deep ocean."

As an aside, the other day (half-jokingly), I painted some small speakers, that used Pioneer's PE-101, blue and stuck a JBL sticker on them. A knowledgeable friend of mine said, "Ohh, amazing, isn't that JBL?"

※～※～※～※～※

JBL Speakers

※～※～※～※～※


Source:『SFマンガ競作大全集２５』 1984/5/1

Hayasaka Miki (早坂未紀)
Workroom Visit​

Here's a first look at the workroom of Hayasaka Miki-sensei, the childhood friend of the 'Maiko Series' (シリーズ麻衣子). He moved from an apartment to a 2DK mansion-block in a two-story wooden building in Oizumi for a complete change of pace. The latest chapter of 'Maiko' was born in this room!!

Is this the rumoured workroom?

His new home's one minute from the station. "It's a bit dangerous because so many people are dropping by for a quick bath or a cup of coffee on their way home from elsewhere. Its other name is Oizumi Onsen? Not yet!"

——We've just visited your room right after you moved in, so where did that huge package go?

That huge package went into the closet.

——How long did you live in your previous apartment?

I lived on the first floor for 2 years, and the second floor for 5.

——So, you feel like you're the master of apartments now?

It was the longest.

——What was the reason for moving on this occasion?

That's right. My old one was being demolished by the end of the year. The floor was tilted... During the earthquake, I was more scared of horizontal shaking than vertical.

——How's your new place?

If it weren't for the television, it would be spacious. Having that thing there is only going to get in the way!!

——But what about your videos and stuff?

'Ninja Troop Gekko' (忍者部隊月光) is interesting, but...... I don't watch it that often.

——Then you work all day?

Something like that, but not quite like that......

——What are your work hours?

I wake up in the afternoon and begin working after midnight, and stop when it gets light out.

——What do you do in the blank time before midnight?

I simply space out at Ka●re● in front of the station.

——A word about 'Maiko' (麻衣子). What kind of girl do you figure she'll be when she grows up?

I guess her powers will probably disappear when she's around 25, then she'll become a normal girl.

——Lastly, feel free to let us know what you have planned after this.

Actually, this is a secret, but I want to publish a picture book. Not as the mangaka Hayasaka Miki, but I want to come up with my own plan and take it to a picture book publisher. Of course, it'll be entirely original. But this is a secret. (Laughs Creepily)

※～※～※～※～※

Some of his reference books.

Miki-sensei heading out into the town of Oizumi.

The top of the assistant-san's desk has been converted into a storage space for some reason.

Miki-sensei playing the game 'Thunderbird No.2' (サンダーバード2号).

Watching 'Ninja Troop Gekko' (忍者部隊月光).

His closet has become storage for plastic models.

This Phone Keeps Ringing Before His Deadline.

Godzilla in the toilet.

Some of his library comic books.

A casually placed video of 'Ninja Troop Gekko'.

Girls cut out for reference material.

Miki-sensei playing with his treasured toys.

Omidakuji curtain and Miki-sensei.

Lounging in thought over a smoke break!?

Hai! Cheese!!

His brand new kitchen and frypan with freshy fried eggs.

Reference books. Note they're filed!!

Only this corner's the same as it was when he moved in.

Part of his collection. Of course, there's Cagliostro here as well!!

All of Hayasaka's colours are born from within here.

A manuscript for a certain magazine he's currently inking.

Witness Hayasaka Miki's Treasure Chest. His many Eccentric Toys.

A patrol car made by a boy fan. The siren is blaring and the lights are flashing.

All of his photography equipment. This is slightly professional (the protagonist is his NikonF3).


His new dream home! This time, earthquakes won't be problem, right!?

Convenient transportation and plenty of sunlight! Will he be able to meet his deadlines?
※This would be too much of a hassle to translate and edit, but note the aforementioned 'Fake JBL' in the upper-right corner atop Assistant-san's desk (there's another atop Hayasaka's desk to the left of it). The door to the right leads out to the kitchen, Ofuro, toilet, and entryway. The bottom left closet (yellow side) houses all of Hayasaka's plastic models, and all the anime records he bought to taunt Wada Shinji...


※～※～※～※～※

Source: 『月刊WHAT』 1986/02

'SUPER ESSAY 3' of 'WHAT'​

I Drink the Sea Dry Every Two Weeks

By Hayasaka Miki (早坂未紀)


"At the bottom of the sea..."

It was quite a while back, but there was an earthquake in Tokyo... Well, that's nothing unusual, but it was quite stressful back then. (Of course, they say it was a magnitude 5 earthquake.)

That was all because of the 120cm aquarium I set up 2 months prior. Up till then, I'd been raising a few tropical fish in a 45cm and 60cm aquarium, but as they gradually grew bigger and gave birth to lots of fry, it got so cramp, I bought a 120cm double-tiered angle shelf and a 120cm aquarium, and tentatively set the tank atop the top tier.

Then, the earthquake hit, it was shaking and shaking, and I desperately tried to hold on for a few minutes... or rather, I simply hung on, but the tank definitely started to creak. If it broke, it'd be the end. You might not understand what a 120cm aquarium means, but its dimensions are 45cm×120cm×45cm in height, width, and depth, and it holds about 250 litres of water; more than a small Ofuro. It even weighs more than an upright piano. So it's like Hajike (ハジケ) going wild in this room on the 3rd floor... Like a 'house without a dining table'. The goldfish are gonna get gobbled up.

I spilled water once before, and it leaked into the landlord's home on the second floor, causing a huge fuss. It's no laughing matter, seriously. Well, I managed to contain it with just a melon that time, but it would unlikely be as easy next time. (The amount of water was nothing compared to back then.)

The next day, I went to my favourite tropical fish shop, and sure enough, they told me about the earthquake the day before. It shook so much, some water spilled. It didn't seem like anything was broken, though. The shop clerk was changing the water in the fish tank next to me and said, "We~ell, when the shaking gets real bad, it's better not to hold on, but to just run away."

I, I suppose he has a point, but... unlike the shop, I lived on the 3rd floor of a cheap mansion-block... I guess there's no point in me mentioning that. In the end, I decided to move the water tank to a lower platform. There's nothing more I can do, so all I can do is pray to the heavens a big earthquake doesn't strike. If that doesn't work... then the building itself may be in danger.

Hahah. Oops, back to the main topic!

There's a picture book I read as a child called 'The Five Chinese Brothers' (シナの五人きょうだい). Once upon a time (I believe the title suggests it was in China), there lived 5 brothers who were close. Each of the 5 had their own special power. One, even if he was burned in a fire, won't die. One can drink the sea dry. Another can survive being decapitated... those sort of powers.

One day, an incident (or rather, an accident) occurs and one of the brothers is arrested as the culprit. The remaining 4 brothers use their respective powers to help their brother. I really like this story, especially the part about the accident. One of the brothers (who is also a kind-hearted guy) has the ability to drink all the seawater (this is amazing!), but one day, a neighbourhood kid begs him to try it, and so he does. He cannot do it for long, and the kid is told to come back before it's too late, but he goes out into the sea and doesn't come back, he couldn't endure the water. And so that kid dies... and the brother is made into a criminal.

The scene where he drinks all the seawater is shocking. Even if I say that, there wasn't anything particularly impressive with the picture itself, it was just brushstrokes of what looked like a dried-up ocean floor. But in the eyes of children, they can see all sorts of things, and they cannot help but imagine what lies beyond (the sea outside the pages). Maybe a huge fish would be flopping around after the water's gone, or maybe the remains of a shipwreck would be lying there. Of course, the shipwreck would be loaded with treasure. I could daydream about it all day long. It's so vague and confusing it makes me excessively imaginative.

That's why I'm drawing manga... Part of me is drawing because I want to see it myself. And to expect to get paid for that is pretty brazen.

This may seem unrelated to the first half of my story, but right now (or rather, for a long time now), what most stimulates my imagination is being underwater, at the bottom of the sea. I have a small sea inside my room. It's a tiny sea filled with all manner of fish, sand, pebbles, rocks, driftwood, aquatic plants, and many other things... I recently bought a small electric pump for changing the water.

Now I drink the sea dry every two weeks.

※～※～※～※～※

Source: 『月刊WHAT』 1986/06

What's Talk
Hayasaka Miki​

Curry That Makes Sweat Retreat


Hayasaka-sense, better known for 'Maiko' (麻衣子). In a previous interview, it was mentioned the room of Maiko's birth is about a minute and a half from Oizumi Gakuen Station, and readers came looking for him!! That's how it all started...

Afterwards, he received some saffron cod. Thank you ve~ery much (laughs). He wrote under his real name, so they must've used that to look up his phone number.

Hayasaka Miki, of course, is a penname. Hayasaka is the surname of a girl in a manga he read before. Please try and find out which manga she's from.

The trigger for Maiko is... He says it was to draw something that would become a serial to crawl out of that place!! Well, actually, he was thinking of writing something more cheerful (laughs).

Hayasaka-sense is blood-type AB, the same blood-type as Maiko, and a cynical Virgo. He was born on Showa 30 (1955) September 5th.

As a boy, he was always staring off into space. During English conversation class, when the teacher called on him to lead, he would read the guide word for word and show off to everyone...

He started drawing manga around the end of middle school and the start of high school. Back then, he read 'Shounen' (少年), 'Shounen Sunday' (少年サンデー), and 'Manga-oh' (マンガ王). In middle school, he joined the baseball club after watching 'Star of the Giants' (巨人の星)... He also read a lot of Ishinomori Shoutarou-san (石森章太郎). The reason he became a mangaka is because he's from the generation that read Ishinomori-san's 'Mangaka Introduction' (マンガ家入門).

Most who become mangaka are sensible people. But they have a desire to be popular with people. Really, he said he simply wanted to be popular. If he could sing, he would sing. Well, manga is all he could draw, so he simply drew manga... I think there are many mangaka like that.

Hayasaka-sense's room is full of cute girl drawings!! Is this the secret to Maiko's birth? He doesn't really trust his own fashion sense (laughs). When he walked around Harajuku or Ginza, he thought foreign children were interesting. Then foreign tourist geezers came walking around in varsity jackets and Apollo caps, with cameras dangling from their necks. Just the way they casually walked about made for a beautiful picture. For reference material, he would look at children's magazines like 'Sesame' (セサミ), or go to a local children's clothing shop and think, "Ahh, how cute."

Not only is his character fashion great, but Hayasaka-sense's curry is also the real deal!! You won't get tired of his curry even if you eat it three times a day for a week or 10 days. The curry flavour's so good it makes your sweat retreat rather than pour out! Garlic, thyme, sage, and tomato juice... Add them all up, and you'll end up with a curry that's a collection of secret ingredients. There's a secret ingredient in his manga as well, do you know what it is?

※～※～※～※～※


Source: 『月刊WHAT』 1986/12

※I currently don't physically possess any of the WHAT issues, but this one's source seems odd. The magazine only ran 1985/11~1986/10 (I was able to source the articles with the February issue on an auction website, so I suspect the above is an error of the person who transcribed or hosted the article).

'Fantastic Talking' of 'WHAT'​

"There's the sea and there's an old captain..."

When I think of fantasy, I imagine places like the ocean, a forest, a basement... and so on. Places with lots of stuff cluttered about. Places with lots of shadows... So, I don't think the insides of a home are fantastic at all (laughs). However, there's an aquarium in my room, so when I stand before it in a daze, I somehow feel like I'm in a fantasy world.

I believe fantasy is something that comes from inside the head, where it rots and ferments. When I'm drawing manga, I sometimes remember things, and it's like the things that have been settling inside my head are being stirred up, and they come out as if I've been turned upside down.

But my favourite image is the 'sea' and the 'old captain'. I believe fantasy exists in natural things, each of which has its own unique voice, and even if you reach out your hands, they're repelled. Regardless, well, fantasy starts with the image of water and earth...

※～※～※～※～※

FRITHA and FLICE

Hayasaka Miki: Yeah. I explained from the beginning it's a limited first edition. However, if you copy them for personal enjoyment, it's fine to treat them the same as a borrowed record.

Hayasaka Miki: Even if they're copied and distributed in large numbers, I won't know about it.

Unfortunately, no one has heeded Haysaka's suggestion and scanned the entirety of FRITHA; though that didn't stop sketches of FRITHA from appearing in various publications, including some some from the 5 sketchbooks it's sourced from (even the R18 underground sketches).

Source:『少女アリスVol.14』1980/9

Paper supplement (omake) that was included with FRITHA (only 50 copies of these papers exist).

Source:『ふゅーじょんぷろだくと』1981/10 (Sketches from 'FLICE', or 'FRITHA' according to Fusion Product)

Source:『ロリコン白書』1982/07 (Sketches from FRITHA)

Source:『ロリコン大全集』1982/05 (Illustrations from 'FLICE')

● FRITHA THE LAST（Source:『プチアップル・パイ』1983/06 美少女まんがベスト集成３）

Please visit Sad Panda and search for 'Peppermint Gallery' (ペパーミント★ギャラリー) to see high resolution samples of FLICE including some of the R18 sketches (9 pages from p93).

The phantasmic illustration collection 'Fritha' (フリス) was created from a selection of works from Hayasaka-sensei's sketchbooks.

This sketchbook is titled "Flice" and contains various image sketches by Hayasaka-sensei.

We are releasing a selection of illustrations from the collection for the first time! We hope you will take a peek at the origins of Hayasaka-sensei's world of work.

Takanezawa Moe-kun Snap Report

Scanlation Here:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1790480150100070485

https://twitter.com/x/status/1790481094204354757

Spiritual History of Otaku Afterword

By Ootsuka Eiji (大塚英志)


Now then, I used the illustration of Hayasaka Miki's character 'Moe' (萌) on the cover without his permission. I failed to return this illustration to him, so it's been hanging in my workplace. I looked for his contact information, but couldn't find it again. I'm aware it was an 'out' in regards to copyright, but I decided to use it without his permission because he was perhaps the first to attach the character 'Moe' (萌) to a bishoujo character. That said, he saw a girl wearing this sort of polka-dot dress among the girls of the Takenoko Tribe* in Harajuku, and liked her so much, he drew an illustration based on a photo of her. I forget why he named her 'Moe'. Or why Hayasaka thought 'Moe' was a suitable name for a yankee girl from the Takenoko Tribe back then. When I told this story to a foreign researcher who came to my workplace, he must've only heard half of it; he left excited, thinking he had discovered 'The Origin of Moe in Japanese Otaku Culture'. I don't know if he wrote about it anywhere afterwards. However, miscommunication is also part of history. I feel the globalisation of 'Otaku' is ultimately the result of this sort of miscommunication. So, I'll leave it there.
※Takenoko Tribe (竹の子族): teenagers who dressed flamboyantly and danced in Harajuku from the late 70s to the mid 80s.

When I think about it, Hayasaka was at the centre of those around Azuma Hideo who 'invented' 'Moe'-type characters in doujinshi, but I doubt he anticipated our world would turn out like this. And even if I'm writing this honestly, I'm sure this will circulate like a game of telephone that 'the origin of Moe characters in Japan is this drawing by Hayasaka Miki'. If I were to write that 'Moe' was discovered in a 'yankee culture' like the Takenoko Tribe, I feel someone in North America might write an erroneous paper quoting Saito Tamaki (斎藤環), but even amidst all this potential chaos, I still believe Hayasaka's name should be remembered more, but I don't know what he's doing.

If anyone knows his contact information, I would be grateful if you could let me know.

If Hayasaka finds it unpleasant to have his drawing used in this book, I shall redo the cover.

Hayasaka Miki Original Art Exhibit (1983/8/6~14)

 

[Taruby]

I draw r34 type of artworks just to let you know. I'll dm you the link to my socials just incase you want to check out my art anyways.
Gonna have to find the thread again since 5ch is the Predecessor to 2ch which 4chan was base off. so there threads don't really stay up and disappear over time.

Talking about old websites, e-hentai original site use to be called evangelion hentai club where a group of people where sharing evangelion hentai (link: https://web.archive.org/web/20010418015315/http://ehentai.fsn.net/main.html ) been looking for more info on the yahoo group to figure out the type of hentai they where sharing
View attachment 26606
I even heard that evangelion characters rei and asuka where once consider loli characters. Sadly I am unable to find info on the yahoo group and what was posted on it.
safe to assume alot of rei and asuka hentai and probably The dirty pair comics, since its also advertise on the site.


so far as I know anything about lolicon in the west mostly stem from 4chan being a big spreader of it to the larger fanbase. Had a board called /l/(lolicon), But they type it as lolikon or lorikon. It was taken down in 2004 do to a user posting csam on it. This is mostly base on my memory of using the site so it pretty blurry. Seen threads talking about why it got deleted, brought back, than deleted again. got a link of all it boards that existed https://github.com/bibanon/bibanon/wiki/4chan-History-Timeline) I remember there was a week long argument over lolicon on /c/ which form the creation of /l/. So there was people who somewhat knew what lolicon was in America in the mid or late 1990s but type it as lorikon or lolikon instead of lolicon before 4chan made it even more know. Trying to dig into it would just be google ai saying things like " late 1980s and 1990s usernet groups like rec.art.anime." with the sources being all over the place and not at all relevant when looking through them. so guessing it was very little people that knew of the term in the 1980s and 1990s or wasn't well documented. trying to see if I can find such discussion on internet archive

Thank you for sharing your socials in the DM. Both Chris and I work in R18 art, so you doing r34 doesn't bother me (I learned a lot from reading your posts on Twitter). I'm not familiar with the history of e-hentai, so that's interesting it was an Evangelion doujinshi website. If you create your own research thread here or elsewhere, let me know, so I can follow it.

I visited 4chan in 2004, though I was a lurker (still have a folder with the images I saved from there in 2004/1/14~, though it's hard to tell them apart from the other Japanese chan/BBS images I immediately visited after learning about 4chan on IRC). The people responsible for 4chan was a group called Raspberry Heaven, and my greatest regret was not registering an account for their forum board; it used to be up until several years ago, and I wanted to go through all the threads and archive every post (only a scant few are archived, like the thread where Shii, the true mastermind behind 4chan, got banned from Somethingawful. On Somethingawful, there still exists evidence of how they defined Lolicon their incorrect way. I do have the Steam accounts for some of the Raspberry Heaven users like Censored_Vagina, but haven't tried to contact them (I feel he and the others don't care if all of their dark history disappears into the void).

Downloaded above from 4chan in 2005/08/28.

I spoke to Moetan (tooecchi) and he gave me his personal experience of hanging out on IRC in the late 1990s, though he didn't name names, or give information on which channels he frequented. But he said the origins of the current incorrect western definition of Lolicon stems from users on IRC filesharing Japanese media while being completely unable to read the text, so they made up their own definitions for words like yaoi and loli, so essentially everyone, including the users on Varishangout, are the descendants of the worst kind of cargo-plane cult casual tourist leechers who didn't check with or learn anything from their Japanese peers. I remember visiting a BBS board called wakaba in 2004~2005 that made fun of 4chan for their incorrect understanding of Loli; these people actually visit and read the text on Japanese websites.

I've scoured googlegroups and internet archive, and still have hundreds of tabs to go through, but I hope you find some interesting information in your search. I posted some of my results in my 'HENTAI' thread, which might be interesting to you (though, most of my findings, I posted to a certain Discord channel). Moetan tried to give me the impression that the way Lolicon was understood in the west was universal, but a Japanese guy called Ryo Shiroma moved to the United States and attended a university in New Jersey towards the late 1980s and was friends with Steve Pearl, Chet Jasinski, and another person who goes by the name Armenoid nowadays (they're responsible for Anime East 95, and handling the guides and primers for rec.arts.manga). Ryo was particular about the Japanese definitions of various terms, and taught them the meaning of Lolicon (Ryo called it Lolicom because it's short for Lolita Complex, which is how Sharon Kinsella wrote it in her book).

In any case, Uchiyama Aki romanised 'ロリコン' as 'Lolicon' in the first issue of Lemon People in 1982. And I've seen Lolicon used by Peter Payne in 1996 on Usenet (I still cannot find a single instance of Peter writing Lolicon, Loli, or Lolita on his website J-List after 1997 despite him trying to sell so much of it). So if you're researching this word, you need to search for Lolita Complex, Lolicon, Lolicom, Rorikon, Lolikon, Rolicon, and so on. It's really annoying because even then, sometimes it's hyphenated.

Peter Payne: BA356 Uchiyama Aki "Best of 2"Number available AVAILABLE Weight 300 grams Price $20 Uchiyama Aki, as anyone who has seen my homepage for a year or so, is a strange artist, who draws disturbing manga about young girls, using themes of incest, rape, diaper fetish, and more. NOTE: These are just pictures, and are not based on models or anything like that. This book might be illegal depending on where you are and how fascist your government is.

Some part of me thinks I should update the Hentai thread with the above, and the other things I dug up about Peter Payne, and how Steve Pearl is likely the one responsible for the slang 'Hentai'. To me, it's hilarious that Peter would call anti-Lolicon fascists, but later bend the knee and censor his games and avoid uttering the dreaded L word.

 

[eromaker12]

I never knew that about peter payne. Pretty cool that you also was able to talk to someone like moetan and get more info about the time period. I do plan on making my own research thread and diving into various r34 artists like fogbank and artists that are consider the the old guard like zone-sama,palcomix, and JadenKaiba.

Example of Fogbank earliest (just learned how to make color text.)

 

[Lichzim]

This seems to be an incredibly high effort and high quality thread. Keep up the great work man. Now if you'll excuse me it seems like I have some reading to do.

 

[Taruby]

While not as comprehensive as the Hayasaka Miki post, this one is going to cover Kagami Akira, a half-Lolicon artist with a short professional career whose tragic death spelt the end of magazines and relationships. If you enjoy mecha anime, particularly the kind with bishoujo+mecha, then Kagami Akira's one-of-a-kind genius mecha design sense has been an influence. This post will begin with Kagami Akira's final interview before he died with the rest being interviews and articles written by people after his death.

※～※～※～※～※

Kagami Akira Birthday: 1957 October 22nd

Kagami Akira's Master:
Ishinomori Shoutarou (石ノ森章太郎)

Kagami Akira's Assistants:
船戸均 > 船戸ひとし (Funato Hitoshi) (Pixiv) (Twitter)
田中雅人 (Tanaka Masato) (Pixiv) (Twitter)
増田 晴彦 (Masuda Haruhiko) (Home) (Twitter)
大屋正宏 (Ooya Masahiro) (Kagami's Final Assistant)

■Table of Contents
★Comic Margarita Vol.4
Interview & Setting Material
★Bessatsu Animage SF&Fantasy Ryuu
Goodbye!! Kagami Akira-sensei
★Comic Margarita Vol.5
Goodbye AKIRA KAGAMI (Kawase Hisaki)
★Lady Kid & Baby Bowie
About Kagami♫Akira (Tomino Yoshiyuki)
★Manga no Techou No.21
※Partial Translation※
★Comic Shingenjitsu Vol.1
Kagami Akira and His Period (Izubuchi Yutaka × (Mo))
★Comic Shingenjitsu Vol.2
Ooya Masahiro Interview
★Comic Shingenjitsu Vol.3
About that Summer, and About Kagami Akira-Sensei (Shirakura Yumi)
★Comic Shingenjitsu Vol.5
※Untranslated Interview: Nagano Noriko (永野のりこ) (Wiki)※
★Animec 1984 July
Kagami Akira Southern Cross Interview Comic



※～※～※～※～※

Source:『Comicマルガリータ』1984/06/30

Interview & Setting Material

Deadline Magician​

Kagami♫Akira (かがみ♫あきら) (Wiki)



I head to Takadanobaba on my bike through the misty rain. On the top floor of some mansion-block I find the workplace and residence of Kagami♫Akira-sensei.

As I enter his room, I'm suddenly greeted by the roar of Godzilla! A Toho tokusatsu video was playing in the background of his workplace.

——Kagami-sensei's video collection's famous, isn't it?

Kagami: I'm surrounded by so many incredible people more amazing than me, my senses have grown numb.

But I suppose from the perspective of a normal person, I'm sick. (Laughs)

——What anime do you like?

Kagami: (Adamantly) 'Anne of Green Gables' (赤毛のアン). And more recently, Nausicaa (ナウシカ).

I bought the videos solely for the red-haired Anne. (Laughs)

It costed 220,000 yen back then. I desperately worked part-time to buy them. That's when my video hell began. (Laughs)

——What kind of food do you like?

Kagami: Cozy Corner's (コージーコーナー) pumpkin pudding! I also like Lotteria's (ロッテリア) rib sandwiches, strawberries, and melon before it goes bad. (Laughs)

I don't really have any dislikes, but I cannot eat kasunoko. So that really helps me save money on food during New Year's. (Laughs)

——What about Osake?

Kagami: I guess about half a bottle. I can't drink it straight, but water-diluted keeps the base going. However, I cannot drink that much. When I get drunk, I tend to be quite cheerful.

——Is there anything you'd like to do right now?

Kagami: I'd like to shoot a tokusatsu movie on 8mm. Even video would be nice. But with how busy I am now, that's probably a pipe dream. It would also cost a lot of money.

——Err... Are you a Lolicon?

Kagami: Only half of me... (Laughs)

——Who is this 'Apo'-san (あぽ) that's causing a controversy among readers?

Kagami: My younger brother. (Laughs)

A certain magazine said we're the same person, but that's a lie. (Laughs)

Just kidding, though the cat's out of the bag.... There are some dear readers who believed me. Well, I guess I need to go ahead and say that for their sake... (Laughs)

——What do you enjoy about becoming a mangaka?

Kagami: I can sleep whenever I want. But I cannot always sleep. Hmm, today was also an all-nighter, pretty rough.

——You make your editors cry... (Laughs)

Kagami: Everyone, I'm sorry for always being late. But, you see, I absolutely love drawing. It's especially vexing when it's a work I'm fond of.

When I'm drawing mecha-type manga, I always end up drawing more than is necessary, thinking about this and that. That's why I'm always late.

——Please make sure you meet your deadline, I beg of you.

Kagami: Yes, I'll do my best. Everyone, please support me.

But I didn't really set out to become a mangaka. I just sort of made my debut and have come this far. I still cannot believe it. (Laughs)

——What kind of doujinshi Circle were you in before your debut?

Kagami: I was a member of 'Team Cosmo' (ティーム・コスモ) for a while.

There was a member called 'Ohnari Yuuko'-san (おーなり由子) who's now active in 'Ribon' (りぼん).

I was a lazy ghost member; I didn't do much except draw Cuts.

——What about 'HAL9000' in Nagoya?

Kagami: I drew my first manga-like manga 'ES Period' (ESの時代) (32 pages). It was the summer before my debut. I'd like to draw a sequel to that one of these days. I'm not sure yet, though.

——When did you start drawing?

Kagami: I don't know when I started, but you see, I was drawing when I gained consciousness. (Laughs)

In the beginning, it was just doodles.

——Was it mecha?

Kagami: Right, when I was in elementary school, I drew things like car engines. After all, I like cool things.

In middle school, I drew nothing but bikes. I was crazy back then. I read bike magazines all the time in high school, but then I got absorbed in other things and quit drawing.

——When did you get into SF mecha?

Kagami: Probably around the second year of high school.

Not manga, just illustrations. I had no idea how to draw manga or how to structure a story...

——Changing subjects, when was your first love?

Kagami: My first conscious love was during my first year of middle school. It was a girl called Nko-san (N子), who was in her second year of middle school. She had transferred schools. I was really impressed by her long hair, which she tied up into a ponytail.

——Who are your favourite creators?

Kagami: Bradbury, Le Quin, Anne McCaffrey, Asimov, and (C.L. Moore's) Northwest Smith series, I like SF indiscriminately. I read them all.

As for mangaka, I like Ootomo Katsuhiro (大友克洋), Hagio Moto (萩尾望都), Uchida Yoshimi (内田善美), and...

——And Matsunae Akemi (松苗あけみ)!

Kagami: Ah, how did you know? It's obvious, isn't it? (As he says this, he points to the mountain of 'Bouquet' (ぶーけ*) and posters on his wall.)
※T/L Note: 'Bouquet' is a shoujo manga magazine.

——You like many female creators.

Kagami: I was sandwiched between an older and younger sister, so the only manga I could read growing up was shoujo manga. (Laughs)

I didn't read shounen manga until I entered middle school.

——Speaking of which, there's a rumour among some readers your younger sister is very beautiful. Is that true?

Kagami: If you were to ask me, I cannot think of her as anything but 'Miyuki' (みゆき). (Laughs)

"I hate Tokyo. Nagoya has the 100-metre road!" My younger sister will say.

I have an older sister, but she already has two children, and she always tells them, "Don't wind up like your uncle."

She wants to go to Tokyo Disneyland soon, so I'm planning to take the day off work and have fun with her.

——So, what kind of music do you like?

Kagami: I'm a remnant of progressive rock. Progressive means forward-thinking, it's a style of rock that emerged around 10 years ago.

I like 'YES', especially Rick Wakeman. I was obsessed with his unique style (both musically and aesthetically).

Thanks to that, I even bought a Roland synthesiser (which costed 198,000 yen at the time) without telling my parents (in high school). Of course, I paid it off in instalments.

But then I sold it during my first year of university due to financial difficulties. It's a bitter memory from my youth. (Note: Kagami♫Akira's '♫' mark was born from those memories.)

Just to give a little background, the one called Wake in this work is based on Rick Wakeman.

——Any memorable songs?

Kagami: 'Yesterday' by the Beatles. It was a favourite song of a girl I liked in my third year of high school. I can still sing it by heart.

——What do you think of Japanese musicians?

Kagami: I like stuff that make me feel relaxed like Ootaki Eiichi (大滝詠一), Yamashita Tatsuro (山下達郎), EPO, and Casiopea (カシオペア).

——What do you want to do in the future?

Kagami: I want to draw works of various types for various books.

If I only drew one genre, both myself and my readers will get fed up with it and give up.

I think I also want to create my own doujinshi. I'll have it out for the winter Comiket, so please look forward to it! (At this point, 'Yes House' [イエス・ハウス] has already been published.) I might also create a progressive rock-type hobby book. I doubt it'll sell. (Laughs)

——What will happen next for 'Lady Kid & Baby Bowie' (レディキッド&ベビイボウイ)?

Kagami: Right, the story will progress with a close connection to him in those ruins. He is a mechanism of a prehistoric civilisation, and Misa is pretty much a part of it. Actually, Misa isn't even human.

There's also going to be a side story about Laura and Wake when they were younger. They were classmates and lovers when they were trainees in the Space Force.

Then there'll be troubles between the parents and the turmoil on 'Planet Kenneth', and despite loving each other, they end up drifting apart from the difference in their positions to a relationship between enemies and allies.

Please look forward to the story from here on out. I cannot draw that many pages for each part, though. (Laughs)

——Now then, do you have any words of encouragement for those aspiring to become mangaka?

Kagami: Even someone who's crap at it like me can become a mangaka, so you can definitely become one!! (Laughs)

Don't be shy, draw lots of works and bring them!

——Finally, please give a message to your readers.

Kagami: Please send me your fan mail. (Laughs) I might not be able to reply, but I'll definitely read them all.

——Thank you very much for your time.

(1984 April)

※～※～※～※～※～※

Mechanizum by Kagami Akira's Circle, the cover was illustrated by his assistant Funato Hitoshi, whose artstyle has changed dramatically from this 1980s Lolicon-style.
Moetan (Tooecchi) bought these issues of Mechanizum and plans to scan them in the future (wait for it on Sada Panda!)

※～※～※～※～※～※

Source:『別冊アニメージュ　SF&FANTASY　リュウ』1984/11

Goodbye!! Kagami Akira-sensei​

Upon hearing the news of Sensei's passing, fellow artists and editors from various magazines rushed over one after another. Those who were close to Kagami-sensei included Izubuchi Yutaka-sensei (出淵裕), who was the very first to arrive, as well as Saegusa Jun-sensei (さえぐさじゅん), Morino Usagi-sensei (森野うさぎ), Shirakura Yumi-sensei (白倉由美), and Yoriumushi-sensei* (よりうむし). They stood there in shock or broke down in tears, and the words of comfort by others were sobs incapable of finding the right words to express themselves. "He had so many friends, why did he have to go alone?" One of them muttered――words that still ring in my ears.
*Alternate penname for Masuda Haruhiko (増田 晴彦).


※～※～※～※～※～※

Source:『Comicマルガリータ』1984/12/20

This panoramic cover is a beautiful depiction of a Lolicon SF world by Sakasai Eiji (逆井鋭二), an artist who collaborated with Kagami Akira's assistants (i.e. Funato). Be sure to highlight his name when it turns up in the interview. I don't think any of his books or doujins have been scanned yet (one of the special features in Comic Margarita was an SF-mecha parody of 'Heidi: Girl of the Alps' (an anime Miyazaki Hayao worked on).

Goodbye AKIRA KAGAMI​

Written by Kawase Hisaki (川瀬久樹), this magazine's editor-in-chief

As everyone may have well heard by now, Kagami Akira-sensei passed away suddenly on August 8th Wednesday. The cause of death is unclear, but it appears to be heart failure. His body was heating up, so he took a cold shower, which was a bad idea. He was only 26 years old.

◆　◆　◆

In addition to the mecha setting for 'Nebula Child' (星雲児), he also worked on the original plastic model design for 'Aura Battler Dunbine' (聖戦士ダンバイン), and there must've been many fans who were ecstatic when they saw the name 'Kagami Akira' appear in the credits for the movie 'Super Dimension Fortress Macross' (超時空要塞マクロス). I hear Shogakukan was also talking about serialising it in a magazine. It's such a shame as this was only just getting started.

◆　◆　◆

When Margarita was first published last year, I asked Kagami-sensei to serialise the cover work. "Among my manga, this one (Lady Kid & Baby Bowie) features the most spaceships and mecha. Up till then, I've mostly done gag or shoujo manga works, but this one will be serious."

Kagami-sensei said the above with that unique, gentle smile on his face.

He's also super famous for being a slow artist, a mangaka who made his editors cry, but this was because he was very passionate about drawing, as he said, "I just love drawing. I get particularly anxious when it's a work I like. With mecha-type manga, as I'm drawing, I end up drawing more than is necessary, like this and that... That's how I end up being late."

Kagami-sensei also loved calligraphy and title letters, and had a keen sense for letter design. It's a shame I cannot show you the title designs he drew on the labels of his treasured videos. Incidentally, the title of Margarita's 'Lady Kid & Baby Bowie' was designed by Kagami-sensei, and he himself drew the title logo for the first part of this series.

◆　◆　◆

It's well-known Kagami♫Akira-sensei lived in an apartment in Azabu, Roppongi, and his address can still be found in old Tokyo telephone directories under the name 'Kagami Akira' (鏡味晃).

There's a long hill on the way from Roppongi Station on the Ginza Line to his mansion block. While this is a personal matter, I fondly recall him walking up it many times, drenched in sweat, carrying a heavy VCR.

◆　◆　◆

This winter, three tankoubon by Kagami♫Akira will be published.

From Rapport, in addition to the serialised works in Animec, they're planning to publish a work collection of 'Wonder Trek' (ワンダー・トレック) which was serialised in Copel 21 (コペル21), a science magazine for Shounen. The total number of pages will be just over 200. It's scheduled to be released in early December, with a list price yet to be determined.

From Tokuma Shoten, Ryuu (リュウ) plans to release 284 pages of manga that appeared in Petit Apple Pie (プチアップルパイ), among other magazines, in B6 format around December 5th for a list price of 480 yen.

Meanwhile, Kasakura Publishing is already publishing the 'Kagami♫Akira Reproduction Art Collection' (かがみ♫あきら・複製原画集) for a list price of 1200 yen, and is planning to publish another tankoubon.

In addition to 'Lady Kid & Baby Bowie' (レディキッド&ベビイボウイ), which was serialised in Comic Margarita, his works include 'Summer Paperback' (夏のペーパーバック), 'Tonight is Dramatic' (今夜はドラマティック), and 'It Can Happen' (イット・キャン・ハプン), which was serialised in Shapio's Cream2. 'A Peaceful Future is Petit Pudding' (平和な未来はプチプリン), which was published by the doujinshi HAL9000. This collection, which includes the unpublished work 'Seeking Hometown' (故郷を求めて) among others, interviews, illustrations, and more, is scheduled to be published by the end of December in A6 size for an estimated 690 yen.

In addition, a doujinshi containing illustrations, cutouts, and mecha and character settings will be released early next year, but we will provide more details on this at a later date.

Sadly, this will likely be the last publication about Kagami♫Akira-sensei. I hope everyone will read it.

Kagami-sensei in heaven, we shall pray for the repose of his soul.

※～※～※～※～※～※

But after that incident, I thought I had no choice but to continue as a mangaka. That's what I thought. So when the funeral was over, we returned to Kagami-san's workplace and his parents were there, and they told us we could take whatever was in there as a memento. I was confused when everyone were saying such things; Editor K-san said with a smile, 'well then, I'll take this' and he pulled Kagami-san's favourite large double-headed desk light from his work desk, and quickly grasped it as if it was some sort of trophy.

Such a heartless world...

This is the reason why I didn't draw in Lolipop (COMICロリポップ) even when he came to request it. Thinking about it now, I may have been simply directing my anger at him to brush off my sense of loss.

Kawase Hisaki (川瀬久樹) is K-san, the editor of Comic Margarita, and the one who snagged Kagami Akira's double-headed desk light. There's previews for a Vol.6 of Comic Margarita that was never published. Many people were deeply affected by Kagami Akira's death. Ootsuka Eiji attempted to suicide 'Manga Burikko', and Hirukogami Ken, Japan's first Otaku, developed a decades long grudge towards Ootsuka Eiji regarding Kagami Akira's death, which he details in his autobiography.

※～※～※～※～※～※

Source:『レディキッド&ベビイボウイ』1985/4

About Kagami♫Akira​

By Tomino Yoshiyuki (富野由悠季) (Wiki)

Are you familiar with the work called 'Vifam'? I believe it was around the same time we were planning that series, but they came to my office for about half a year to see if we could create a mecha for a new show. I asked Nippon Sunrise, and they showed me Kagami-kun's manuscripts. It was quite substantial.

So I met with the man himself and asked if he could spend a year working on a character for our next work. I thought it was worth considering him over that long period of time.

The theme was, "Wouldn't it be interesting if rather than making them look comic-ish, he could take it more seriously and make them machine-ish."

However, he himself was at the very height of uncertainty whether to go into comics or just be a mechanic designer, so his art was very unstable.

When I first saw his art, I knew his comic line was strong. So, I was unsure how far he could go to correct his course, but I thought if he could create a machine with a bit of humour, it might dominate the market in two or three years, so I decided to have him do it.

I guess he drew more than 20 or 30 pages for this work. About once or twice a month, four or five pages at a time... We asked him to do more of that, clean up a bit like this... While we were discussing such things, we got busy with Dunbine and decided to take a break for a while.

Also, Kagami-kun was getting more magazine work.

What I just mentioned is concrete evidence of Kagami-kun's potential.

You may be familiar with the name Nagano Mamoru-san (永野護). Last year, he did all the character design, fashion, and mecha design for L-Gaim by himself. He was able to do some of the things we had planned for staff like Kagami-kun. What this means is if Kagami-kun was still alive and well, there was that sort of possibility. It was precisely because he had that quality I had been telling him for over two years to just be patient for two or three years. He was that sort of person.

So the most serious thing I told him was that his body was in trouble and he wouldn't live long if he continued to be that way.

◆　◆　◆

This is the 4th floor. I believe I told him to lose weight so that climbing the stairs to the 4th floor wouldn't be so tiring, which was his greatest task for the time being! If he couldn't do that, he wouldn't be able to work as a staff member... That was the homework I assigned him, along with talking to him about what kind of things he could draw.

On the contrary, this is something I instinctively understood after working in the anime industry for over 20 years; it's the bare minimum means of self-defence. If you couldn't do that, you'd be dead, I'm not joking.

I'm sure his parents would never believe these words, but with the way he lived his life, it might be the case he lived out his natural lifespan.

That's because that atmosphere was clearly visible for over two years... So, he had to be most careful and deal with that part. After that, I heard through word of mouth he was losing weight little by little, and I was relieved and thought thank goodness.

Don't you think the characters drawn here would look nice as a figurine made by fans today? I wanted that base to be done by Kagami-kun as well.

So, when thinking about a new project, I had already decided to do 'Z Gundam' (Zガンダム) since last summer, so to be more specific, I had plans to start working with Kagami-kun on a new show for next year or so, starting around this year.

That's why I'm so troubled. There seems to be no one like him who has what he possessed, and he's only around 20 years old...

People who are working believe they themselves can replace that, but...

◆　◆　◆

I guess I shouldn't have let him do comics after all. I should have forced him into an outdoor life.

However, I dislike talking about the dead.

That being said, if I don't do this (among other things), he'll probably come wandering around from time to time and keep me up at night. (Waves his hand as if his ghost is nearby.)

That's why I want to clearly explain my own opinions.

I have never encountered a ghost, but I believe in them. After all, Kagami-kun died first, so his will be strong.

(April 3rd, Office I.)

▲Margarita Mecha Design & ▲Sunrise Mecha Design


※～※～※～※～※～※


Source:『漫画の手帖No.21』1985

By the way, there's an interview with Tomino Yoshiyuki-san (富野由悠季) at the end of the book, and it's awful! He doesn't seem to have much sense of mourning for the dead; he's constantly babbling about selfish things like, "I guess I shouldn't have let him do comics after all." As if he was the one who raised him.

Basically, if he doesn't explain things like this, a spirit will come wandering around, and he needs to get a good night's sleep———. What an unpleasant, disrespectful piece.

Well, the fundamental distrust in humanity that can be sensed in Tomino-san's works is probably to be expected, given this sort of coldness. Still, I wish he could've been a little more humble.


※T/L Note: Moetan (tooecchi) bought this issue of Manga no Techou, but hasn't scanned it yet. I'll likely update this section to include the writer of this piece (and the rest of it, if it's about Kagami Akira).


※～※～※～※～※～※


Source:『COMIC新現実Vol.1』2004/09/29

Kagami Akira and His Period
Talk: Izubuchi Yutaka × (Mo)​

Two people who shared a close friendship with Kagami Akira look back on his personality and the fervour of his period——.


Izubuchi Yutaka (出渕裕)
Born in 1958. Started his career as a mecha designer on 'Toushou Daimos' (闘将ダイモス) in 1978. Since then, he has been active in a wide range of fields, including designer, illustrator, and mangaka. In 2002, he wrote the original story and made his directorial debut with the TV anime 'RahXephon' (ラーゼフォン).

↑ Izubuchi Yutaka (From 'Triangle Love Song' [トライアングル・ラブ・ソング])

(Mo) (（モ）)
Born in 1962. He was involved in the editing of magazines such as 'Animec' (アニメック) at Rapport, and was in charge of Kagami Akira. He's currently working as a producer of films and games at a publishing company.
※This is the penname for Yasuda Takeshi [安田猛]) (Twitter) (Weblio)
(As a fun fact, (Mo), aka Yasuda Takeshi, worked on the 'Prisma☆Illya' series, which I hear is an anime popular among western Lolicon.)

↑ (Mo) (From Chapter 3 of 'Hyperactive' [ハイパーアクティブ])


■Meeting Kagami Akira


(Mo): I was first introduced to him by Izubuchi-san. I first requested him to work on 'The Castle of Cagliostro Encyclopaedia' (カリオストロの城大事典). I suppose that was essentially his debut as a mangaka. Although he had done a lot of Cut work before then.

Izubuchi: After I introduced him to (Mo), Kagami and (Mo)-kun became more like friends than artist and their editor, you see.

(Mo): I'm terribly sorry (laughs)...... We were friends.

Izubuchi: I trusted (Mo)-kun, so I'm glad I gave Kagami proper work by introducing him to you, but in the shadows, you two were creating Lolicon doujinshi (laughs), I, who wanted Kagami to be an orthodox artist, recall being quite furious about that.

(Mo): You were furious (laughs).

——Around 1982, Lolicon doujinshi was right in its blossoming season.

Izubuchi: I can understand it now, but back then, though he was just starting out, to have someone I'm trying to turn into a pro do something like that made me feel, "This guy!" (laughs).

——Izubuchi-san, when did you first become acquainted with Kagami-san?

(Mo): I don't remember exactly when, but we first met at Ishimori Pro (石森プロ), which I was visiting for work. Someone I knew at Ishimori Pro showed me a sketch saying, "A part-timer drew this, wanna have a look?" I recall being astounded by his good sense saying, "Who is this guy!?" That was how I met Kagami Akira. Although he was with Ishimori Pro, he wasn't Ishinomori-sensei's (石ノ森) assistant. He was at Ishimori Pro in Shinjuku, which was separate from Ishinomori-sensei's workplace. He worked there as an office assistant, answering the phone, so he wasn't working in art from the beginning.

——When you say he left a strong impression, did you mean mecha. Or as a whole?

Izubuchi: As a whole. Both mecha and characters. He had a very unique feel.

(Mo): I guess you could say it feels like a fusion of Fantasy and SF, but it also has a biological-feel. There's a mysterious sense of purity...... Pure mecha have a mysterious feel to them, don't they? He's a man with that kind of image.

Izubuchi: It was a style I'd never seen before. Up till then, there had a variety of patterns for mecha, such as the 'Nue-type' (ぬえ系), but his art had something original and new.

(Mo): If I had to say, I'd say his were crustacean-type.

Izubuchi: Back then, it was a period where Shirow Masamune (士郎正宗) hadn't made his appearance yet, but the combination of cute girls and intricately detailed mecha made him a pioneer in that type of work. Though his art style was very different.

——At first glance, he had quite an impact, right?

Izubuchi: Very much so. I thought this guy was amazing. That might be something that's hard to understand if you've only seen the mangaka Kagami Akira. When he draws manga, he has a way of adeptly skipping over the details of his mecha. As a manga technique, he draws them closely to make them blend in with the characters. But if you ask him to draw just mecha, he'll also draw those intricate details. So I thought he might have talent as a mecha designer, and I started giving him work in that field as well. I introduced him to Sunrise, and asked if he'd like to help with the design of Ikegami Ryouichi-sensei's (池上遼一) 'Nebula Child' (星雲児) in Shounen Sunday. ...... No, it's not that I was just letting him help me with my work (laughs). I simply wanted him to build connections as a mangaka by working with Shogakukan. Back then, there was a magazine called 'Shounen Big Comic' (少年ビッグコミック), and I introduced him there as well. I told him he must draw at a major place.

(Mo): What Sunrise work was Kagami-kun involved in?

Izubuchi: It was 'Vifam' (バイファム). He was involved in the planning stages before it became 'Vifam'. Shou-chan (Kawamori Shouji [河森正治]) was in charge of 'Vifam'.

(Mo): Kawamori-san was also at his funeral.

Izubuchi: Kawamori, at the time, had asked Kagami to help with the design of 'Macross' (マクロス) film-version. His name appears in the end credits of the film. I showed him some of Kagami's sketches, and Kawamori said, "This guy's amazing." So he asked if he could hire Kagami for some work, and I introduced them, but Kagami didn't get to see the Macross film... he passed away before that.

■Shoujo Manga and Mecha


——When I look at Kagami-san's art, I get the feeling it incorporates elements from all sorts of genres. For example, even though it's a shoujo manga artstyle like 'Bouquet' (ぶ〜け), mecha seamlessly coexists there, and even though it's shounen manga, it tells a delicate and lyrical story. It still feels strange to me, but at the same time, I feel it's like some kind of origin that connects to the present.

Izubuchi: He liked Matsunae Akemi-san (松苗あけみ). When you look at his colour manuscripts, I think her use of colour and layout had a major influence on him.

(Mo): The way he used fluorescent pink was very Matsunae-san-esque. I believe he also successfully incorporated that sort of image when he did things like his musical Art Nouveau-esque designs.

Izubuchi: He was a guy who had a sense for design, so he sensitively responded to such things.

——Looking at the sketches he left behind, some of his art appears to be copying Hagio Moto-san's (萩尾望都), so it's clear he was a big fan of shoujo manga.

Izubuchi: He copied quite a bunch of Hagio Moto's works. From a mecha designer perspective, the mecha in his mecha feel like real-type mecha redrawn in the style of Hagio Moto.

——Mecha in the style of Hagio Moto?

Izubuchi: Yes. Even though his mecha design is based on real-type ones, the way they're processed and decorated is in Moto's style, which makes up his manga-version mecha. The way the highlights are added to the mecha that appear in Hagio SF, such as 'Star Red' (スターレッド), is very similar. But if you asked him to draw a proper mecha separate from manga, he could do it. I'm sure there's some influence from things like Douglas Trumbull tokusatsu. I sense a texture similar to the mecha drawn by Kobayashi Makoto-kun (小林誠), and it seems they had some contact, so perhaps they influenced each other to some extent. His early art had mecha with detailed strokes drawn with a mapping pen, but when he shifted to being a mangaka and began using shoujo manga-style manga techniques, he abandoned this style. After all, the cost-performance was poor.

——On the other hand, there are also pieces that are influenced by anime by artists like Ootsuka Yasuo-san (大塚康生). Back then, artists like Fukuyama Keiko-san (ふくやまけいこ) were emerging with a similar style.

(Mo): Weren't anime and shoujo manga-esque artstyles a common sensibility for the generation back then? Even in shoujo manga, there was a lot of influence from artists like Kiyohara Natsuno (清原なつの). All sorts of things were entering the picture. I believe the idea of fusing shounen manga and shoujo manga was pretty ahead of its time. In a period where everything's becoming borderless, I feel Kagami was at the forefront.

■In an Exploring Period


(Mo): I did some doujinshi with him, and Izubuchi-sensei got mad at us (laughs), but I believe he has a point about him being overwhelmed. He was so unique he wondered how much he was being accepted by readers, and how far he was going to run. When it came to short stories, during the period back then, I believe he was an innovative artist who successfully incorporated the tastes of shoujo manga, but when it came to long stories, I feel he was quite hesitant about the theme part. So, we decided to try making doujinshi with the meaning of play, "Let's take it easy."

Izubuchi: Looking back at it now, perhaps (Mo)-kun's way is correct. I understand releasing that sort of gas. I was also a fundamentalist (原理主義) back then, and I was also young (laughs). So I think (Mo)-kun noticed and cared for some of the inner aspects I hadn't noticed, both in terms of generation and hobby.

(Mo): However, it's true you were right at the halfway point of the period. It's also true many other artists were in a state of uncertainty during this transitional period. I believe it was a strange time when magazines like 'Jump' were selling like hotcakes, but there was no next step in the pipeline. In that situation, it was difficult to decide whether to become the king of the genre, which in a sense was limited to Bishoujo and Mecha, or whether to aim for something broader.

Izubuchi: I wonder if it was I who was leading him astray... It's fine if he drew for minor-types, but I often told him to draw for major-types. I once lectured him on the importance of properly grasping that side of things. Narrowing himself down to minor-types would make him a kind of pioneer if he could overcome the transitional period, but it was still a big gamble. I had a pretty strong hunch this guy would become something big. It's impossible to know what would've happened if Kagami had lived, but...... or rather, it's not that I don't know, but when I imagine it, it makes me sad, or bitter.

(Mo): On the other hand, it's because he had people there spanking his butt that he was able to leave behind so many works, so aren't both sides necessary?

■Kagami Akira's 'Kindness' and Potential


——What kind of person was he?

(Mo): He was a good guy, really. Easygoing.

Izubuchi: He felt cute. Like a stuffed animal.

(Mo): He had a somewhat girly face.

Izubuchi: He was so cute I thought perhaps he'd be popular if he shaped up a little more. So I never even considered he was older than me. I only found out after he passed away. Until then, he had said he was about two years younger than me, you see...

——His works also felt cute, but it seems he himself was also cute.

Izubuchi: What did Kagami Akira mean to you, (Mo)-kun?

(Mo): I wonder. Perhaps he's like the sparkle of youth. That and there's something warm about him.

Izubuchi: Rather than work, do you have more memories of him as a friend?

(Mo): Work didn't matter. We were just hanging out and doing stuff together, and we felt lucky we got paid for it, so it felt like we were doing something without really becoming adults. Looking back, I believe there was a certain power he possessed during that period. It was chaos, but there was something there.

Izubuchi: And he was supposed to be the face that would break through that chaos... right?

——I feel like he would've become a monumental artist. I feel like he was open to great possibilities.

Izubuchi: If I had to describe Kagami in one word, I would say he was an 'older kouhai' (wry smile). I was amazed at his talent, but now that I think about it, even though he's older than me, it felt like he was attached to me and called me 'Izubuchi-san'. I believe that's more out of Kagami's kindness than reservation on his part. The people around me, including (Mo)-kun, knew how old he was, but they didn't tell me (laughs).

(Mo): We weren't even aware Izubuchi-san thought he was younger than him (laughs). But in terms of achievements, Izubuchi-san was already a great sempai from the time you worked on 'Toushou Daimos' (闘将ダイモス) (laughs).

Izubuchi: There's a manga where he used my real name, isn't there?

——The 'Triangle Love Song' (トライアングル・ラブ・ソング) series. A character called Izubuchi Yutaka (出渕裕) appeared.

Izubuchi: I wound up becoming a couple with the protagonist's Onee-san, and I also have a younger sister, just like in the manga. I think the protagonist of that work was probably Kagami himself. Even in that story, he intuitively sees me, a younger man, as an Onii-san. And reading it, it really comes across he loved his Onee-san. Kagami himself cared very much for her, and I heard later his older sister was also very worried about him and he doted on her...... I feel like a lot of things about Kagami are projected onto this manga, and reading it makes me feel a little bitter in many ways.

(Mo): Izubuchi-san is someone who fundamentally can't leave others alone.

Izubuchi: If a guy doesn't matter, then you really don't care about them anymore.

(Mo): But I believe Kagami Akira was the kind of person others couldn't leave alone.

Izubuchi: He would get close to me with a really carefree smile. ... But later on, I found out he was older than me and was shocked, but because I thought he was younger than me, I was able to interact with him like this. So... Kagami is a kind person, so I think he was actually being considerate towards me.

■Artist's Trial-and-Error and Readers


——Just as Yuuki Masami-san (ゆうきまさみ) went from Animec to the Sunday major-type, were people around you aware Kagami-san was also following a similar path?

(Mo): I wonder. I think Kagami-kun had a very unique talent, but......

Izubuchi: In that sense, I may have been in too much of a hurry. I thought, "Hurry up and become major!"...

(Mo): Yuuki-san's the kind of person who goes at his own pace, and before 'Patlabor' (パトレイバー), there was 'Kyuukoku Choujin R' (究極超人あ~る), and before that there was 'Birdy the Mighty' (鉄腕バーディ), so I think he was good at moving forward while finding his place in the world. In the past, there was a tendency among readers to allow authors to experiment with works before creating their masterpieces. Even Takemiya Keiko-san (竹宮恵子) had a pre-work before drawing 'Kaze to Ki no Uta ' (風と木の詩). I believe there was a time when readers enjoyed that sort of thing.

Izubuchi: Hagio Moto-san's (萩尾望都) works include the short-story Gymnasium (ギムナジウム) ones as well as 'The Poe Clan' (ポーの一族) and 'Heart of Thomas' (トーマの心臓).

(Mo): I think readers were kind enough to accept such things. They seem to enjoy the history of the artist. I think they had time to do that and nurture the artist. I also feel like readers even share the worries with the artist.

——At the time, it was common for artists to write outside the panels of manga. Looking at it today, it might seem like there was some familiarity involved, but back then, it must have felt like being a kindred spirit.

(Mo): There was something there that couldn't be fully explained, I think there was some kind of feeling towards the artist and towards the readers.

——Perhaps the relationship between editors and mangaka may have also changed considerably.

(Mo): I feel like they shared a very intense time together. It was a bit like doujinshi, I'm sure.

■The Potential of Gentle Shounen Manga


Izubuchi: In a sense, he was a person who symbolised the turning point in the times. It's impossible to know what would've happened if he had continued his activities as he was.

(Mo): I feel like there are no artists who could replace him. I mean, successors. There were certainly those who drew similar things, though.

——When looking at Kagami-san's works, I get the impression he was in the process of improving as a manga.

Izubuchi: There was a part of potential. There weren't very many 'gentle shounen manga' back then. It was a time when people were beginning to see the possibilities that perhaps they could draw gentle shounen manga in a style similar to shoujo manga.

(Mo): Back then, there were people like Adachi-san (あだち).

Izubuchi: Right. However, Kagami still didn't possess the technique of Adachi-san. Adachi-san was a person who introduced cinematic techniques to manga. He used realistic descriptions of scenery and had them reflect psychological descriptions——cinematic in a different sense from Ishinomori-san (石ノ森). He also made use of the gaps between panels, calculating the reader's gaze so that this would connection to the expression and flow of time. With Kagami, he hadn't gotten that far yet. To begin with, a cinematic way of framing panels and a shoujo manga-style of framing panels are contradictory.

(Mo): That's true. However, I thought Kuramochi Fusako-san (くらもちふさこ) and Akemi Matsunae-san (松苗あけみ) had a more cinematic-style.

Izubuchi: He had a particular interest in film, or rather video, and was a greedy guy, so he might have been able to utilise those techniques in the future, but he passed away before he could reach that level. So, Kagami really felt like he was in a transitional period, like a kind of symbol of that period.

——I believe the early 1980s was a time when many different things mixed together in search of new images.

Izubuchi: Not something in reality, but something else they wished should be; they felt an invisible something and were searching for it.

(Mo): It must've been a time when people were searching for the form of an ideal they individually possessed, or something they cherished.


(2004 August 16th, Iidabashi, Tokyo.)


※～※～※～※～※

Source:『COMIC新現実Vol.2』2004/11/29

Ooya Masahiro Interview​

Back Then, Beside Kagami Akira

Interviewer: Ootsuka Eiji (大塚英志) (Wiki)


Ooya Masahiro was Kagami Akira's final assistant, working with him until right before his death, and was one of the people closest to him.

As a fellow mangaka, what did Ooya think of Kagami Akira's artstyle and technique?

From whom was he influenced, and who did he influence? A valuable interview that delves into a side of Kagami Akira that has never been discussed before.

●The Kagami Akira who Lived in the Attic at Ishimori Pro


——I've been acquainted with Ooya-kun at 'Sakuga Group' (作画グループ). That was a long time ago.

Right. We've certainly known each other for a long time. In that sense, before I went to Kagami Akira-kun's place, I started pretending to be an assistant at Minamoto Tarou-san's (みなもと太郎) place. That's why I thought of Ootsuka Eiji (大塚英志) as the senior disciple (laughs).

——I used to frequent Minamoto-sensei's place back in high school, and you were working as his assistant around the time I entered university.

Right. In the end, I couldn't make a living working for Minamoto-san, so I worked at Hijiri Yuki-san's (聖悠紀) place until I eventually went to Nakajima-san's (中島) place at Ishimori Pro (石森プロ).

——There was a mangaka called Nakajima Masatoshi-san (中島昌利) who was a Ishimori Pro-type.

Then I started hanging out at Ishimori's Yoyogi production house, and that's how I met Kagami Akira. Before we met, I thought he was a bit of an unlikable guy, but when we met, we really hit it off (laughs). He was lodging at Yoyogi at the time.

——I see, that was before Kagami-kun moved to Azabu-Juban. Around the time he was running errands at Ishimori Pro. Kagami-kun didn't spend more than six months at Ishimori-sensei's place, right?

I don't know. I believe he was there for about a year. His job was answering the phone and delivering documents.

——Did Kagami-kun go to Ishimori-san's place through someone else's connections?

No, I believe he called them himself. Maybe something happened, but he saw an ad and called, and they asked him to come over, and when he showed up, they were like, "Well then, starting today..."

——It being Yoyogi means Aoyagi Makoto-san (青柳誠) was the boss. But it's amazing, he was living at the Yoyogi Ishimori Pro.

It would be what we'd call a loft nowadays. It was like an attic, or rather a mezzanine like the ones at a warehouse, and he lived there. Back then, he was living there because there was no rent, but after less than a year, he said, "I'm going to try getting some manga work, so I'm going independent.".

——By the time he moved to Azabu, he already started working on manga. He moved to Azabu-Juban around the time someone dropped their manuscript at 'Ryuu' (リュウ), and he started work by drawing a manuscript to fill in for them.

He said, "I'm going to move to Azabu soon to start drawing manga, but I don't know how! What should I do?" So I said, "Well then, I'll be your assistant in my free time." We worked together on the original illustrations for 'Looking-Glass Country Little' (鏡の国のリトル). I went to Kagami-kun's place and said, "It'll probably take about a week." And after coming back around 3 days later, the manuscript was finished, and I remember saying something like, "Wow—!" (Laughs).

——So, Ooya-kun, you were Kagami-kun's earliest acquaintance in this industry.

Second to Buchi (ブチ) (Izubuchi Yutaka [出渕裕]). I also helped with the manuscript he drew for Mo-kun's (モー) (Yasuda Takeshi [安田猛]) doujinshi. That was the first manuscript I helped Kagami-kun with, you see.

——Back then, Kagami-kun hadn't really drawn much manga yet.

Right. Just a few pages for things like doujinshi manuscripts.

——He drew a lot of Cuts, right?

His art was incredibly good, but didn't know the existence of 'white'. Even though he what white paint was. Back then, something called 'Misnon' (ミスノン) had just started to become popular as a tool for correcting manga. It became hugely popular among mangaka. It came with a brush, and if you carried it around with you, you could make corrections anywhere.

——You mean correction fluid for pens, right?

He didn't even know it existed.

——Now that you mention it, he did use it. If you look at his manuscripts, you'll see he used correction fluid to create white effects in his original art.


●Adding Touch to Mecha was Kagami Akira's Originality


——By the way, how many years separate Kagami from you?

Four.

——Kagami's older? By the way, how long did you stay at Minamoto-san's place?

Half a year.

——Were you alone back then?

There was another... I can't quite remember their name, though.

——Someone was there.

The person who was acting as chief back then wasn't really all that serious about manga (laughs). It was difficult to continue as Minamoto-san's assistant. You have to like Minamoto-san and also be fairly serious about manga.

——In terms of art style, it was gag manga. Rather than just learning an art style, if you don't have the talent to learn more about the essence of manga, you probably wouldn't have what it takes to work under Minamoto-sensei.

Even though I spent half a year there, Minamoto-sensei told me, "Just leave the face blank and draw the rest." Or rather, "Just draw." (Laughs)

——(Laughs). That's true for all veteran mangaka. Conversely, they take pride in their faces. That's why he got angry when people started saying Gotou Shizuka-san* (後藤静香) drew his girls. Because the face is the Sensei.
※This is Minamoto's wife, she worked as an assistant in the 1970s, and at times was considered a co-artist.

As long as the Name is the up, the manuscript will be ready no matter what the Sensei does.

——I guess you were really good. When I drew the dog chain for 'Futari wa Koibito' (ふたりは恋人), I was told, "You're not allowed to hold a pen." (Laughs)

On the other hand, they wouldn't let me touch the material (ネタ). They wanted me to draw some sort of trending anime parody (laughs). I believe I was the first to draw a Gundam in a Minamoto Tarou manga.

——(Laughs). Which work did you draw?

Probably in my fifth year for 'study'. I was asked to 'draw a robot', and replied, "Robots are old-fashioned. Now it's mobile suits." So I drew them a Gundam (laughs).

——After that, you worked at Hijiri-san's place, and then Nakajima-san's place for a long time.

Even at Nakajima-san's place, I was only occasionally busy, so I had no choice but to keep drawing my own manuscripts. That's when I met Kagami-kun, who said to me, "You're going to be busy from now on." I was influenced by his skill, and there was a lot I could learn from him... and before I knew it (laughs).

——What parts were you thinking of stealing?

His mecha and Bishoujo. The mecha were really new. So I couldn't steal his mecha. After that, Kagami-kun was always in charge of anime settings, and as that happened, he would pass on all the unimportant stuff to me (laughs). But even then, when it came to the mecha, he had to refine them with his own touch in the end, or it wouldn't be his art.

——Ah, I see, I see.

After all, what I couldn't imitate was his 'Kagami Touch'. It's only around this time I realised it was OK to add my touch to mecha.

——That's certainly true. He adds texture with his pen touch. The forms of his mecha themselves are a direct follow-up to the mecha designs of old manga before 'Star Wars' by artists like Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫), and it's like he evolved them, with the texture of his touch added on top being his originality.

Kagami-kun was influenced by Jean Mœbius Giraud, you know. Fujiwara Kamuai-san (藤原カムイ) was the first to incorporate that style into his manga.

——Mœbius was big. His technique of bringing out the essence of material with pen touch. Not just shadows, but the feel of the joints between steel plates, stuff like that were definitely things Kagami-kun was good at.

I knew he was influenced; he would use Mœbius's artbooks and things like that as a reference and told me, "Use this as a reference......"

——Fujiwara Kamui also said, "I'm the one who copied Mœbius before Ootomo Katsuhiro (大友克洋)."

Every maniac knows that.

——The first to notice the style of Mœbius and deliberately incorporate it before Ootomo was Kamui.

Thanks to Kamui-san doing that, everyone thought, "Ah, so it's okay to copy it!"

——It was circulating, back then. Among manga maniacs.

Wasn't Mœbius the one that appeared the most?

——Almost everyone had his stuff back then. Kagami as well, I suppose—.

Well, it's not just him. He had artbooks by many other artists. I think it was because he amassed them all together that his art turned out the way it did.

——It's a fundamental point it cannot be considered Kagami mecha unless it's cleaned-up with touch.

●Kagami Akira Designed 'L-Gaim' Mecha


While he was doing manga, he was also doing small jobs for anime among other things.

——What was Kagami-kun doing? In terms of mecha design, he did the mecha design for Ikegami Ryouichi-san's (池上遼一) 'Nebula Child' (星雲児)

He also helped with 'Macross' (マクロス), for some reason 'CoroCoro Comic' (コロコロコミック) had a 'Macross' corner. It was only introducing the mecha, but basically drawn by the assistants and Kagami-kun added the final touch.

——Kagami-kun had that sort of corner? I didn't know.

In the end, the 'Macross' manga was featured in a special issue of Corotan Bunko (コロタン文庫), and he drew something specifically for it.

——That wasn't on the work list in the first issue of 'Comic Shingenjitsu' (comic新現実) (Laughs). I wonder if Izubuchi Yutaka-kun knows about it.

It was serialised. 'Tokimeki no Accident' (ときめきのアクシデント) (Laughs).

——Is that so? So, did the work in that area flow from Parallel Creation?

Perhaps.

——What else did he work on?

If you mean illustrations, I believe there was work sent by Tomato Aki (戸的アキ), but there was the anime mook called 'Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross' (超時空騎団サザンクロス). Also, although his name wasn't credited, he did some of the small-fry mecha designs for 'L-Gaim' (エルガイム).

——Heh—. Which ones?

A small-fry mecha that appeared in the first episode, that's the Kagami line. Though it keeps appearing later from a bank*.
※T/L Note: Bank (Wiki)

——Can you tell by looking at it?

Well, the way its chin sticks out makes it look Kagami-kun-ish.

——So the tip of the mecha is pointed and curved, huh?

That exists even in Nagano Mamoru-kun's (永野護) breakthrough work, but actually, Kagami mecha is also sprinkled there.

——How do you suppose he got involved in that sort of work?

Izubuchi-san must've introduced him to Tomino Yoshiyuki-san (富野由悠季). And then it took the form of, "This art is new, so help with 'L-Gaim'." If things had continued that way, he might've worked on several other projects.

——Has Kagami-kun met Tomino-san?

He met him.

——He—h.

Through that connection, Tomino-san contributed a piece to the collected volume of 'Lady Kid & Baby Bowie' (レディキッド&ベビイボウイ―) released by Kawase Hisaki (川瀬久樹). That's why in that piece, Tomino-san wrote, "So I told him to please lose weight."


●Kagami Akira's Nagoya Period


——Ah, I see, I see. I didn't understand what Tomino-san was writing. So, you were his assistant until Kagami passed away, right? Were you pretty much the chief assistant?

When Kagami-kun was trying to shift to more serious-types, he didn't have time to handle backgrounds and so on, so I was drawing that. There were also times when Yoriumushi (寄生虫) (Masuda Haruhiko [増田晴彦]) joined in to help.

——Huh, Masuda-kun was also there?

I believe Shimada-san (島田) brought him along. But he's a talented artist, and had a strong desire to do his own work, so he became independent after several months.

——Before he was serialising in 'Burikko' (ブリッコ)?

That's right. He was helping for about a half a year there.

——And Funato Hitoshi-kun (船戸均) came after that?

That's right. During the New Year's holiday, Itou Masaya (伊藤まさや) and Funato Hitoshi-kun came to Tokyo. There they helped for about a week, and I thought, "Itou Masaya's incredibly good! If it were him, he would be a real asset." But then Itou-kun said 'I'm gonna work diligently on my own manga in my hometown', and went back home. Only Funato-kun said 'I wanna become a mangaka in Tokyo', and came to the city (laughs).

——How did Kagami-kun and Funato-kun become acquainted?

There's a famous manga research club in Nagoya. It's a mecha-type SF doujin called 'HAL9000'. They later split up and became 'Luna Industria' (ルナインダストリア).

——Who was there?

There were people like Kio Seiji (きお誠児), and Yamashita Ikuto (山下育人) also made a guest appearance. I believe the roots of that were probably in 'Team Cosmo' (ティーム・コスモ) or something like that. And then there was Kio-san and Yama-chan's 'AKKA'. There was also a phantasmic artist Sakasai Eiji (逆井鋭二) from a doujin called 'Aichi Prefecture Army' (愛知県軍), and Kawase (川瀬) planned to sell Itou Masaya, Sakasai, and Kagami as the three pillars in 'Comic Margarita' (Comicマルガリータ). Sakasai was an incredibly talented artist, especially when it comes to mecha. Ultimately, the project didn't come to fruition.

——What is he doing now?

I'm not quite sure. He might be doing illustrations or mecha settings for games or something. I had him contribute illustrations and designs for my manga tankoubon, and then I received a message from him saying, "I'm finally gonna release my own tankoubon." So I said I'd write him a message in return, and then I hadn't heard from him for around 10 years (laughs). Maybe he still hasn't released his tankoubon yet, so he's unable to face me.

——He must've missed the timing for publication because he kept making revisions. That happens often with perfectionistic artists. Well then, Kagami-kun was involved with that Circle.

However, I also haven't heard much about his time in university.

——He didn't talk much about his university days?

After he started respecting my manga, he gradually started telling me bits and pieces from that time. Back then, I was a manga/ani-ota, and hardly dated any girls, so Kagami-kun often teased me saying, "You still don't understand anything about girls (laughs)."

●If You Shaka-Shaka the 'Ribon' Artstyle, It Becomes Kagami Akira art


——Hmm (Laughs). By the way, what kind of manga did you talk about with him?

Mostly SF and shoujo manga. We talked about artists like Uchida Yoshimi (内田善美) and Hagio Moto (萩尾望都). Our talks focused on artists who drew SF in a shoujo manga style. He said things like, "I wanna draw something as amazing as Uchida Yoshimi." That was around the time Uchida stopped drawing manga, when her series 'Liddell of Star Clock' (星の時計のLiddell) in 'Bouquet' (ぶ〜け) was ending. So, we were talking about Uchida Yoshimi and Ooya Chiki (おおやちき)......

——Kagami talked about Ooya Chiki?

That's cause Kagami-kun was a 'Ribon' (りぼん) reader.

——I see. In 'Ribon', you had Ichijou Yukari (一条ゆかり) and other 'Ribon'-type Year 24 Group members, and then later, artists like Ooya Chiki and the so-called Otome-chic faction, and the younger generation like Uchida Yoshimi, emerged all at once. Are you saying he was directly influenced by them?

Everyone knows Kuramochi Fusako (くらもちふさこ) and Ichijou Yukari, but artists who were contemporaries of theirs and had a similar impact, albeit no longer drawing manga, are largely forgotten.

——Ooya Chiki-san's name also came up during our interview with Minamoto-sensei. I recall being surprised when a woman I met while working at a Pia-related (ぴあ) think tank suddenly introduced herself as 'Ooya chiki-desu'. She used to draw for 'Pia', you see, and her art had people crowded together like 'Where's Wally?' (ウォーリーを探せ). Thinking about it, the artists Kagami-kun was influenced by were the kind 'Puff' (ぱふ) would feature back in the day. From Ooya-kun's perspective, where do you believe Kagami received his most fundamental influences from?

Probably in the same vein as Ichijou-san or Matsunae Akemi-san (松苗あけみ). He received Matsunae-san's influence towards the end, so he's probably more influenced by artists like Tachikake Hideko (太刀掛秀子) than Ichijou-san.

——That's right. You wouldn't get his delicate way of drawing arms without including the 'Otome-chic Faction' artists like Tachikake Hideko or Tabuchi Yumiko (田渕由美子). The way he drew his eyes did have a slight resemblance to Matsunae-san's style, though.

It's art that neatly packages the style of shoujo manga 'Ribon'-types.

——Yeah, the generation of 'Ribon' mangaka that came after Ichijou-san were really experimenting with different pen-touch techniques and styles. Male mangaka were all sensitive to this, but it seems only Kagami-kun was able to fully absorb and utilise those techniques. That aspect is similar to how Minamoto-sensei described Hijiri Yuki's (聖悠紀) approach.

It feels like all the new trends in shoujo manga up until around the 1980s originated from 'Ribon'.

——I totally agree.

That's why if it weren't for 'Ribon', Sakura Momoko-san's (さくらももこ) 'Chibi Maruko-chan' (ちびまる子ちゃん) probably wouldn't have been able to debut (laughs).

——There's a legend Tomoe Satoo-sensei (巴里夫) recommended her, and while that's certainly true; without Mutsu A-ko (陸奥A子), Sakura Momoko wouldn't exist. The world of those first-person monologues. She's Mutsu A-ko-san's successor. In that sense, Sakura-san is probably the last in the lineage of 'Ribon'.

That's right.

——Speaking of which, mixing together and drawing the styles of 'Ribon' mangaka is a very accurate description of Kagami-kun's art. What kind of anime do you believe he watched and was influenced by?

I believe he's pretty familiar with quite a few SF-type maniac ones. Also, in terms of girls, there's 'Anne of Green Gables' (赤毛のアン). I was also a big fan of 'Anne of Green Gables', so we really hit it off. We talked about SF, but when that topic ran dry, we'd talk about 'Anne of Green Gables' (laughs).

——I knew it. The world of 'Anne of Green Gables' and the world of 'Ribon' strangely overlap. It's not like they influenced each other, but there are similarities in things like the inner monologue of the girls, the straw hats, and the style of clothes.

I feel the 'Anne of Green Gables' animation is a manifestation of the sort of life in a non-Japanese world girls yearn for.

——Yeah. Things that don't exist in Japan. Like the bay windows drawn by the 'Ribon' Otome-chic faction, the one-piece lace hems, and the form reminiscent of the 1970's pink house (ピンクハウス). Parts of that have oddly been appropriated and specialised by gal-games nowadays. But that was the ideal life girls in the postwar 1970s yearned for. 'Anne of Green Gables' embodied that ideal, and the 'Ribon' artists depicted it realistically as their own personal dream.

That's probably true.

——Considering that, Kagami-kun falls somewhere between 'Ribon' and 'Anne of Green Gables'. Currently, within Otaku culture, the elements that were once present in the realm of 'Ribon' and 'Anne of Green Gables' are no longer visible. The reason why so many female artists gathered around 'Burikko' (ブリッコ) is because another origin of Lolicon manga clearly lay in shoujo manga's romantic and sentimental style, particularly among the Year 24 Group, so in that sense, it was quite natural. After all, Okazaki Kyouko (岡崎京子) was someone 'who intended to follow Iwadate Mariko (岩館真理子) for the rest of her life'.

That's right.


●What Did Kagami Akira Want to Draw?


——From Ooya-kun's perspective, what parts did Kagami-kun focus on when drawing? I've been wondering what he wanted to draw. He experimented with so many different things. He did SF, shoujo manga, and even mecha. I wonder which direction he ultimately wanted to tread.

Hmm...... In any case, what he was planning to do later was create a tankoubon with original art. I don't know how many books they were going to release, but Tokuma had this incredibly ambitious plan. After launching 'Zero' (ゼロ), they planned to do a bunko tankoubon with original art.

——Is that the one Shimada-san (島田) was trying to get off the ground?

I know about Satou Gen-san's (さとうげん) first book, but then the series was discontinued. Apparently, there was talk of Kagami-kun being involved in one of the later books. It was supposed to be an SF story he liked......

——The Animage Bunko ones?

So, they were trying to get him to draw 200-page manga from scratch. I thought, "That's impossible." But Kagami-kun said, "Since I can draw whatever I like, I think I'll try doing SF." We did some brainstorming and discussions about it.

——But if he drew that, it would be part of the same series as Miyazaki Hayao's (宮崎駿) 'Shun's Journey' (シュナの旅).

That original art project seemed pretty reckless. I think there was a gap after Gen-san's work, and two or three volumes weren't published. Gen-san, being a professional animator, managed to complete his work, though. I know two or three people who worked on that original art project, and it sounded quite difficult. Two hundred pages in a month means it was drawn by a group of people coming and going, a sort of collaborative effort.

——In the end, his final work was......

In the end, on that day, he was actually working on an irregular series for a special issue of Kubo Shoten's 'Lemon People' (レモンピープル). It was supposed to be 12 pages, but I told him to 'drop it' 2, 3 days before. I told him to just take a break. I talked to him on the phone the day before, but he said, "As a freelancer, I cannot refuse work." Because he couldn't refuse, he was taking on whatever work was offered to him. Since it was 12 pages, I figured if push came to shove, we could use our usual method of having a few pieces of Kagami-kun's art with the rest filled by me and Funato-kun (船戸). I was considering something like a mix-build as a last resort. So, I ended the call by telling him to at least wake up by noon. The next day, as expected, he didn't answer the phone even at noon, and since Funato-kun lived in the same Takadanobaba area, I asked him, "Sorry, but could you ask the landlord to unlock the door and forcibly wake him up?"

——Was it Funato-kun who opened it first? Then Ooya-kun and Shimada-san went in. I was under the impression Ooya and Shimada opened it. I really have no memory of that part, even now.

That's right. And then he said, "Please come immediately."......

——Hasn't it been three days since you lost contact with him?

No, no, it was the next day. Actually, we were in contact about half a day before that. It turns out he has a bad habit of leaving the cooler on......

——I vaguely recall someone going first, opening the mailbox on the door, and saying the cooler was on, someone must be inside.

The real problem was he would go to sleep right after taking a shower or bath. So, while the cooler itself wasn't the main issue, sleeping while his body was still wet and exposed to the cold air was dangerous. I had heard he already had some heart problems back then, and he was told it was serious back in the university hospital and was receiving medication. That's why I constantly badgered him to stop sleeping in such a dangerous way.

——He wasn't feeling well around that time.

Absolutely. Back then, someone was staying over at his place 5 days a week. He was spending over 10 hours a day at his desk, and then sleeping for a few hours under the desk wrapped in a blanket. That's how he managed to churn out his manuscripts. Even though he was in his early twenties and had plenty of energy, I thought, "This is a bit harsh."

——Things got incredibly busy around that time.

Around the same time his work was being published by Tokuma, he was also becoming known through works like 'Nebula Child' (星雲児). He did several one-shots for 'Shounen Big Comic' (少年ビッグコミック). I think everyone does this now, but because he was so busy, he would make a copy as soon as the character outlines were finished. Then he would write all the finishing instructions on the copy. I think he probably started this method in the early days. Before that, instructions were given directly by the artist to the assistants. But he couldn't keep up with that anymore, so he would just make a copy and write the instructions on it. It's a method similar to how things are done in animation. That wouldn't have been possible without the copier he acquired when he left Ishimori Pro (laughs).

●Kagami Akira Wanted to Draw for 'Bouquet'


——Ooya-kun, how many years did you end up working with Kagami-kun?

Besides the short stories appeared in 'Ryuu' (リュウ), I've probably been involved in some way with almost all of his manga.

——He was working in 'Burikko' around 1983, and then 'Shounen Big Comic' in 1984, so it wasn't even a year and a half. His actual debut was drawing 'Oh, Innocent Lamb of God' (罪なき神の子羊よ) for 'Ryuu', and after he passed away in 1984, his career as a mangaka was only about 2 years, incredibly short.

That's true in terms of commercial magazines.

——Things got busy for him in 1983. Before that, he was just doing Cuts for things like 'Animec' (アニメック) and 'Castle of Cagliostro Encyclopaedia' (カリオストロの城大事典). So his career as a mangaka was really short.

But I think he worked on the 'Castle Cagliostro' illustrations about six months, or a few months, before he started drawing for 'Ryuu'. That's how I became familiar with his art.

——At first, he had Shimada-san draw Cuts for 'Ryuu'. Back then, he could barely draw in colour.

Even when he drew for 'Castle Cagliostro', his colouring method was more like oil painting or traditional painting, not the typical manga colouring style. His colouring style was influence by Saegusa Jun-san's (さえぐさじゅん) colouring technique. I believe he met Saegusa-san during an SF convention, through something called Parallel Creation (パラレル・クリエーション) or similar.

——His colouring style also completely changed to shoujo manga-type. Before then, his colouring was based on just two colours like red and black. But didn't Kagami-kun actually want to draw shoujo manga-type illustrations?

Of course he did, but that's because he was appearing in 'Petit Apple Pie' (プチアップル・パイ) and 'Ryuu' (リュウ).

——I recall him saying, "I want to draw for 'Bouquet' (ぶ〜け)."

(Laughs). That was certainly his ambition, or perhaps dream. I think he definitely had a longing to draw for a pure shoujo manga magazine.

——'Bouquet' was the magazine where 'Ribon' artists could work in their own style. Also, which mangaka of his generation did he admire or was influenced by?

Probably shoujo manga ones mainly. When Wakatsuki Megumi (わかつきめぐみ) debuted, he immediately said, "This person's way of drawing is really good." And he quickly incorporated some of her techniques. The mangaka back then were constantly incorporating the good parts from each other.

——That's right. The mangaka back then were experimenting with all sorts of things. Even the 'Ribon' mangaka were all trying different things, from how to use their pens to subtle touch.

In terms of shoujo manga, that was the period when handwritten messages within the panels and notes written in the margins were the most varied.

——He's gone now, but Kagami absorbed almost all the trial-and-error the mangaka of that period were doing. His style became symbolic of the 1980s. I wonder if he read a lot of SF.

Even if he didn't read a lot, I think he was very fond of Heinlein's 'The Door into Summer' (夏への扉), and he was familiar with that sort of SF.

——There were certain SF works that were considered classics among manga fans, he definitely read those.

When someone like Hagio Moto said, "I like this book." He would follow and read that sort of SF.

——Right, right. Minamoto-san also wrote 'this is another one of the things to look forward to'. When the name Algernon (アルジャーノン) appeared in a line from Hagio-san's work, I believe it was in 'Don't Play with the Ball of Yarn' (毛糸玉にじゃれないで), everyone wondered what it was and searched for it, and then read 'Flowers for Algernon' (アルジャーノンに花束を). I also read it.

Everyone shared that experience, huh?

——We all learned about it through the dialogue in manga, and even though no one told us about it, we all shared the common experience of searching for and reading the book at bookshops (laughs). When we get to know one another, we then realise everyone was doing the same thing.

In Hagio-san's manga, she wrote, "Mitsuse Ryuu (光瀬龍) is amazing!" Then we read the original work and were stunned (laughs).

——That's mostly true, most people got into SF through manga. Conversely, there are those who came to manga from SF, so it's a two-way street.

That's true.


●Kagami Akira's Contemporaries


——Ooya-kun, what exactly did you mean when you said you were influenced by Kagami-kun?

Back then, Beta videos were gradually becoming more popular, and everyone started to build their own video libraries. So, I was also a maniac, and as it turned out, he was also a maniac.

——Kagami-kun's video library is still at his parents' house to this day.

I believe he acquired them through his connections with 'Animec'. Back then, there were things like film festivals and amateur animations, even 'DAICON' could only be seen at amateur screenings, so he was collecting these rare anime treasures. At the time, I said, "How nice, I want those videos!" And he replied, "Then you finish working on this project!" (Laughs)

——Stuff like Daicon Film, and works by the group who would later form Gainax, were secretly being dubbed onto video tapes and circulated around. Almost everyone seemed to have a copy. It's interesting Daicon Film and Kagami-kun emerged around the same period, like contemporaries.

I suppose you could say that.

——Around the time Kagami-kun passed away, Morino Usagi-kun (森野うさぎ), and his group were creating something that was clearly influenced by Daicon Film, so it was pretty much the same period. How old is Sadamoto Yoshiyuki-kun (貞本義行) now?

He's probably the same asge as me, or maybe a year older.

——I see. So Kagami was a few years older than him.

Actually, I know Sadamoto-san and Maeda Mahiro-san (前田真宏) from my days at art university. Back then, there was a so-called Bishoujo Boom. They published several doujinshi featuring Bishoujo during that time and I was even invited to contribute as a guest (laughs).

——I thought the 'Ultra Guard' (ウルトラ警備隊) manga that was serialised in 'Zozoke' (ぞぞけ) was really amazing, but I don't remember the other one.

The Bishoujo special issue they created for sales was completely terrible (laughs).

——Around what time was that?

Around the same time. The cover was illustrated by Sadamoto-san, but the contents were full of manga that weren't ero at all (laughs).

——Is Gainax like a combination of people from General Products and the Osaka University of Arts?

No, that's not quite right. Sadamoto-san and Maeda-san were both in Osaka, and apparently they were tied up working on the new animation for 'DAICON IV' throughout their entire winter break.

——I see. They came to Tokyo after entering university?

It's like everyone was connected through mutual acquaintances. So, back then, there was a Bishoujo Boom...... and while I was hanging out at the art university, I was simply invited to participate in a project to publish a Bishoujo book.

——Around the time of 'Burikko' or 'Lemon People'?

Right. It was back when things like 'Burikko' still existed. I was tentatively involved with 'Lemon'. So, I mistakenly thought, "I need to release a Lolicon book!" Then I released one (laughs).

——Mochidzuki Tomomi (望月智充) was drawing a 'Bishoujo Picture Book' (美少女図鑑) in 'Apple Pie' (アップルパイ). Looking back on it now, I think the student who seemed unhappy when I added an entry for Kinouchi Midori (木之内みどり) might have been Mochidzuki Tomomi himself.

I think that was the period when 'aniparo' became widespread. Before then, the word 'parody' existed, but it hadn't taken hold as a concept for anime parody. It spread rapidly along with the Bishoujo Boom. It might also have something to do with 'Clarisse' (クラリス) from 'Castle Cagliostro'.

——He incorporated elements he imitated in parody into his own original works, so he was probably in the process of creating something unique like 'Mecha & Bishoujo'. It was a transitional period. However, the aspect of Kagami-kun's work that combined elements of all the 'Ribon' artists ultimately wasn't carried on.

To be able to do that, one needs a certain degree of talent......

——Sadamoto-kun definitely has that contemporary smell to them.

That's because Sadamoto-san was more or less influenced by shoujo manga.

——Since he was influenced by shoujo manga of the same period as Kagami-kun, it's only natural Ayanami (綾波) would appear.

That's because Sadamoto-san's wife was originally a shoujo mangaka.

●Kagami Akira's Sexuality is Not Vulgar


——I'm sure you, Ooya-kun, have also been influenced by Kagami-kun's art in various ways, right?

Towards the end, I was doing things like preliminary sketches, but by the end, I was influenced by him.

——Your art has always had a somewhat round style. It follows the style of Ishimori-san, but it's not exactly shoujo manga.

It's not a delicate style. It's more in the style of Azuma Hideo-san (吾妻ひでお).

——But the moment you met Kagami-kun, the lines in your art became thinner. Your faces are Azuma-san-type, so it doesn't quite match (laughs).

Conversely, when I started going back to my old style, I was often told by my fans, "I liked that tiny art (チンマイ), why did you change it?"

——It was strange art. Round faces and slender bodies—it was mysterious art. It was unique.

Even I was experimenting and trying different things back then.

——The combination of Azuma-san-type Bishoujo and Kagami-kun-type Bishoujo strangely mixed together to create a unique atmosphere.

For just a brief moment, it shined as Bishoujo-type.

——You released a proper tankoubon, right?

I tentatively released around 10 tankoubon as a mangaka.

——From your perspective, Ooya-kun, what do you think was the influence Kagami-kun had on the mangaka that followed?

Well, he definitely pioneered the idea of structuring manga around mecha and Bishoujo. And I think he was also the first to depict Shoujo not in a realistic way, but specifically in the context of what happens after so-called ecchi.

——That's certainly true. He subtly depicted those kinds of scenes involving girls, like in the example you just gave. He didn't draw explicit scenes. It wasn't a sexual depiction for the sake of pornography; like in 'Wine-Coloured Story' (ワインカラー物語), for example, it's more like 'From the North Country' (北の国から), where Yuuki Nae (裕木奈江) had a relationship with Jun (純), but there's no explicit sexual content. However, it's a world where 'sex' exists. Kagami managed to incorporate such sexuality into shoujo manga without it becoming vulgar. In that sense, you could say his approach was more direct and raw.

It's mysterious, right? Since I didn't know much about such things back then, I was just drawing direct depictions.

——Kagami's expression, considering it now, were coquettish depictions like glasses breaking (laughs). But he managed to convey things effectively through that kind of method. This kind of indirect depiction was probably a style in 'Ribon'. For example, Ichijou Yukari (一条ゆかり) would depict a bed scene using only hands. I have to be careful what I say here, or Minamoto-sensei will correct me (laughs). Even within shoujo manga, 'Ribon' was doing that sort of sexual expression. People say, "Shoujo manga doesn't have sex." But Ichijou Yukari and Morita Jun (もりたじゅん) were doing it. At least, it was shoujo manga set in a world where 'sex' existed. Even when Kagami-kun used the art style of later artists like Mutsu A-ko (陸奥A子) and Shinozaki Makoto (篠崎まこと) to depict such things, it wasn't vulgar. That's actually similar to what Okazaki Kyouko (岡崎京子) and Shirakura Yumi (白倉由美) did; when you try to make shoujo manga 'realistic', you cannot avoid 'sex'. But it wasn't pornography. That's something nobody has been able to imitate even now.

That's right. It seems there was a transitional period for that too. Like when it appeared in places like 'ElleTeen' (エルティーン).


●Kagami Akira Transformed Girl Expression into an Expression from a Male Perspective


——From Ooya-kun's perspective, are there any people or animators you think have been influenced by Kagami-kun?

I'm not sure about animators, but there are quite a few mangaka. Kagami-kun even created the template for illustration essays.

——That's true. In the back of tankoubon, there are pages where mangaka exchange comments, and Kagami-kun did a great job standardising that layout.

It's basically just drawing art and writing text, but Kagami-kun put a lot of work making the text layout look a bit more stylish.

——He did a great job making it look good with his headlines and hand-drawn lettering.

I learned how to draw in a pop-style from him.

——He was really good at lettering. He seems to be influenced by the hand-drawn lettering style that originated with Ichijou Yukari and her assistants, which was then further developed by 'Ribon' mangaka. His technique of skillfully laying out handwritten text in a unique, stylised font—something the 'Ribon' folks used to do in Cuts—was successfully adopted by a male artist.

Thanks to Kagami-kun's efforts in organising things to a certain extent, it became easier for others to imitate it.

——New expressions become easier for other mangaka to imitate once they've been filtered through Kagami Akira.

Kagami-kun, a male, was doing things girls do instinctively.

——Indeed. He took all the expressions girls instinctively do and transformed it into expression from a male perspective. That's absolutely correct. Back then, all the guys were also reading shoujo manga. Kagami was both a reader and a mangaka, so rather than being influenced by it, he completely transformed those expressions into something from a male perspective. That made it possible to imitate and develop into a style. There are many hurdles to directly borrow from shoujo manga, but by going through Kagami-kun, it became easier to imitate successfully. However, the 'newness' of Kagami-kun that has become so clear today is something only Ooya-kun, who has been close to him since his debut, would understand.


2004 October 21st, in Kadokawa Shoten's 6th Conference Room


※～※～※～※～※

Source:『COMIC新現実Vol.3』2005/02/26

About that Summer, and About Kagami Akira-Sensei

By Shirakura Yumi (白倉由美) (Wiki)
Shirakura Yumi is Ootsuka Eiji's wife

Nineteen summers have passed since then. But I can still return to that summer day in an instant. Kagami-sensei, are you still watching over us from somewhere?

I'll talk about Kagami-sensei.

The white sunlight was intense, it was summer.

That day, I was helping out with the independent animation project Morino-san (森野) and the others were working on. I was sitting at a desk by the window in their old albeit large house, tracing the rough sketches onto animation cels.

Suddenly, the black telephone on Morino-san's desk, which was right next to mine, rang.

"It's from Tokuma Shoten."

Morino-san put the receiver he received to his ear and spoke a few words. Then he dropped the receiver, stood up unsteadily, and left the room while muttering, "...... Is it a lie? It can't be true......"

Those of us left in the room exchanged glances. I immediately tried calling back Tokuma Shoten.

Everyone on the other end of the phone was silent, and the call was passed from one person to another. No one would speak clearly or offer any explanation. But I persisted for a long time, trying to elicit some sort of response.

Finally, Menjou-san (校条), who was in charge of overseeing all the comic magazines published by Tokuma Shoten, answered the phone, and sounding hesitant, asked me a question.

"Have you heard anything recent about Kagami-kun?" I answered, feeling a lump form in my throat.

"...... Yes? I heard he was feeling unwell, but......"

"Kagami-kun. He passed away."

Is this what they mean by the thread being cut? Before I knew it, I was crying loudly. No one said anything, the room was eerily silent, and only the sound of cicadas could be heard.


I don't remember how we arrived at Takadanobaba where Kagami-sensei lived. The next thing I knew, we were all gathered at Kagami-sensei's mansion-block. We walked down the stuffy corridor, and when we opened the door, which had no nameplate, the room inside was freezing cold.

And in the corner of the room, I saw Kagami-sensei lying there, covered with a white sheet.

His fingers and toes had already turned blue, indicating Kagami-sensei had gone to a different place from us.

I was only twenty years old back then, and I cried, and cried, and cried uncontrollably for a long, long time. I was just a child. In the face of the absolute negation of death, all I could do at that time was cry out. I could only pound on the glass barrier that had suddenly been erected between Kagami-sensei and us.

Kagami-sensei's mother, who had rushed all the way from Nagoya, gently lifted the sheet and said, "Look at his face, please look at his face."

When I saw his face, tears welled up in my eyes and streamed down my cheeks, and I couldn't stop crying.

His pale, cold face looked as if he were peacefully asleep. His expression was so serene, it wouldn't be surprising if he had woken up, startled by my crying, and asked, "What's wrong?"

When I encountered Kagami-sensei for the first time, I asked for his autograph. He quietly took out a piece of drawing paper and, with a pencil, quickly sketched a girl with his unique, sharp lines. As I was about to accept it, saying, "Thank you." Kagami-sensei said, "Wait a moment." Then added some details with a pen. Then, without saying a word, he took out coloured inks, and coloured the drawing without any hesitation.

"Here." He said, and Kagami-sensei handed the signed paper. The whole process took about twenty minutes.

"Thank you. It's cute. I'm happy." I said, and Kagami-sensei slightly hung his head.

Under the sheets, Kagami-sensei was making the same expression on his face as he did back then.


Two days later, Ootsuka (大塚), Menjou-san (校条), Morino-san (森野), and I were on a bullet train bound for Nagoya. It was close to Obon (お盆), and the train was completely full; not only were the reserve seats taken, but even the non-reserved seats were packed with people. We stood for two and a half hours in the non-reserved section, all of us dressed in black mourning clothes.

"Honestly, to die on such a hot day, what a troublesome guy, that Kagami-kun."

While exchanging such lighthearted remarks, we forced ourselves to smile.

Because we still didn't want to accept it. That Kagami-sensei had passed away, and that we were on our way to his funeral.

Even after donning my mourning clothes and arriving in Nagoya, I still secretly hoped Kagami-sensei would appear, laughing, and say, "Sorry, it was all a lie." Kagami-sensei's family owned a large bicycle factory.

We were told that all we had to do was get in a taxi at the train station and say, "Please take us to Kagami-san's (鏡味) home." And we would arrive without any issue.

On top of the coffin, which was adorned with white flowers, was a photograph of Kagami-sensei who was the same age as me—still only twenty years old—gazing steadily at us.

"There are no photos of him after this one. He was living in Tokyo, and......" His mother muttered softly.

A room surrounded by old, polished corridors, where the bright sunlight is blocked, casting shadows.

I wasn't crying anymore. I clasped my hands together and gazed upon the photo of Kagami-sensei, a photo I had never seen before, when he was twenty years old.

Kagami-sensei, you've already gone to a far away place, haven't you?

Several people advised me against drawing manga for a magazine called 'Manga Burikko' (漫画ブリッコ).

It was an ero-book, it was a small publishing company, it's...... The reason given were all understandable. It's true drawing manga for an ero-book at the age of eighteen could easily lead you astray if you deviate from the rails even slightly. But I continued to draw manga for 'Manga Burikko' regardless because Kagami-sensei and Okazaki Kyouko-san (岡崎京子) were also working there.

Even at a young age, I realised I couldn't utilise my talents (if I had any) within a large company.

But Kagami-sensei was different.

The characters, mecha design, and detailed Names created by Kagami-sensei's hands all demonstrated a talent that would propel him to the forefront of the great stories he would undoubtedly create in the future. For Kagami-sensei, both 'Manga Burikko' and 'Shounen Captain' (少年キャプテン) were merely stepping stones.

Kagami-sensei held immense potential in his fists. Kagami-sensei was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. If there was a world called 'if', I believe Kagami-sensei would have been able to blossom his talents like a green leaf reaching towards the sun. With his mecha, Bishoujo, and stories.

But what I saw in Nagoya was Kagami-sensei, who was placed into a box, physically present but no longer truly there.


On the way back from Nagoya, I realised the time I had spent playing at 'Manga Buriko' was over.

I had to start walking down a new path. I took off my mourning clothes and changed into a one-piece, and the strong summer sun relentlessly scorched my bare shoulders.


Two months later, Kagami-sensei's parents held a memorial service for him. There, Kagami-sensei's mother told me, "My son always talked about you, Shirakura-san." I wondered why. I had only spent a short time with Kagami-sensei. None of Kagami-sensei's friends had ever heard him talk about me to them, either.

Kagami-sensei, what did you tell your mother about me?

The answer can now only be heard in the wind.


I've stopped drawing manga for now and am writing novels instead. I rewrite each line over and over again, and I sit at my desk every day.

Last summer was also very hot. Please watch over me as I feel a little lonely while being surrounded by the shimmering water and abundant sunlight. And in time, please let me cough out Kagami-sensei.

Please don't let that faint smile, the one you wore while gently hanging your head down, disappear from my heart.

Kagami-sensei, I liked you.

I'm still living that summer day. Even now, as an adult.

Photograph of Kagami Akira when he was in High School.

※～※～※～※～※

Source: 『アニメック』1984/7

Kagami Akira Southern Cross Interview Comic​

https://twitter.com/x/status/1967764358483808642

If possible be sure to retweet the above so more eyes can see it...

Recently, Moetan's secret club has been growing with 3 new members, one of them is a user I invited called Spaceleech (he e-mailed me this year asking for more information about Horror doujinshi because I commented on his website about Morino Usagi's magazine V-Zone). Last year, Spaceleech wrote a short summary article about Kagami Akira (Link). Spaceleech having a Patreon really makes me think I should add a donation button. Moetan keeps recommending a scanner called a Plustek Optibook 4800, which costs 55,900 JPY (4900 model costs 499 USD). My Canon LiDE 700f cannot scan colour images and in the past, it takes me several days to scan a full tankoubon, and according to Moetan, it's possible to scan high-quality images without debinding most books with a Plustek; he says he can finish scanning an entire issue of Lemon People within an hour.

 

[Taruby]

This is related to a compilation of talks between Hagio Moto and various artists from the early 2000s. The first chapter was dedicated to her talk with Azuma Hideo that was originally featured in the 2007 May issue of Comic Ryuu (コミックリュウ). You can read information related to the other people she talked to here (Link).

The talk is less about Lolicon and its meaning, and more about SF (science-fiction), which is an integral part of Lolicon. This will be my Azuma Hideo-related Christmas present for this year. Hopefully you'll find an author or work you'll want to add to your reading list. Enjoy～♫

※～※～※～※～※

Source:『萩尾望都作品目録』2014/5/31


To commemorate the release of the above book, the Aoyama Book Centre held a talk event between Hagio Moto and Azuma Hideo on May 31st.

Moto Magio × Azuma Hideo Talk Event Report​

●How They Met and Their Favourite Works


Moderator: When did you two first meet?

Hagio: From what I remember, we met when we were drinking at a bar along the Seibu Line. I believe we had met before then, but I recall the impact (of that moment) was strong.

Azuma: Hagio-san was chugging her drinks. I believe we met at the 1st manga convention, but whether we greeted each other, I have no memory. After that, there was a preview screening for the anime 'Nezha' (ナーザの大暴れ) sponsored by Anido.

Hagio: Yes. Sasaya Nanaeko-san (ささやななえこ) was there. Azuma-san, you drew a coloured paper for Nezha, right?

Azuma: That's right. I drew one. Everyone was drawing one. Afterwards, we went to Oizumi in the afternoon and drank some delicious and mysterious Japanese sake. It was a Japanese sake that tasted like white wine. Hagio-san's way of drinking was something else.

Hagio: Back then, I was still drinking.

Azuma: I also quit (laughs).

Moderator: What were your impressions when you first met each other?

Azuma: I thought she was a calm and quiet person, but during the preview screen for 'Nezha', they served sandwiches and Hagio wrapped one in a napkin and took it home with her. I thought she was a person who really treasured things. I had a very good impression of her.

Hagio: I remember Azuma-san drawing anime Cuts, and I thought to myself 'This is Azuma-san', which means I must've read his work.

Moderator: Did you read each other's work before or after you met?

Hagio: I believe before.

Azuma: I believe I read her work.

Moderator: Did you feel there was a gap between the work and its author?

Azuma: As for me, not particularly...

Hagio: Likewise, not particularly...

Azuma: I didn't drink that much back then. But after that, I started drinking in the morning.

Moderator: Do you remember the first of the other's work you read?

Hagio: Err, I'm terribly sorry. I don't remember.

Azuma: I think it was probably 'A Gymnasium in November' (11月のギムナジウム).

Hagio: I'm terribly sorry, it's here. (There was a book on Hagio-Sensei's table, so she hands it over to Azuma-Sensei.)

Azuma: One of Hagio-san's fans had a lot of clippings of her work, and lent them to me to read. It was wonderful.

Moderator: Please tell us which of the other's work do you currently like the most.

Hagio: I've always liked 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記), but when the alcoholism appeared in 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記), I thought that was quite difficult to portray. It was wonderful.

Moderator: What did you like about 'Absurd Diary'?

Hagio: Every part of it was interesting, but I liked the story that's basically an 'SF artist being destroyed along with SF'. Well, that's not what it was about, but that's how I interpreted it. It's full of subtle SF references. They're quite cleverly put together, and I thought, "Uwah, this person has good sense."

Azuma: I'm glad to receive this praise. I always felt like I had been losing to Hagio-san, so this helped me bounce back a bit.

Moderator: Azuma-san, what's your favourite among Hagio-san's works?

Azuma: I liked most of them, but perhaps 'Poe', I guess. This time I'll choose 'Golden Lilac' (ゴールデンライラック). It's a story that makes you cry. On page 115, the protagonist apologises to her husband, Harvard, saying, "I married you even though I didn't love you the most." And, "That doesn't matter, I loved you the most." Those lines made me also want to say them. I was moved by how mature they were.

Hagio: "Even though you weren't my most favourite, I married you." "That's fine, I loved you the most, so I married you." These are nice lines to say, aren't they?

Azuma: They're wonderful lines. I also liked Hagio-san's 'Visitor' (訪問者); for some reason, it made me cry and then refreshed me afterwards.

●When Did They Realise They Wanted to be Mangaka?


Moderator: When did you decide you wanted to be mangaka? Hagio-san, I heard you read Tezuka Osamu's 'Shinsengumi' (新選組) in 1965 during your second year of high school, and Azuma-san, I heard you read Tezuka Osamu's 'The Adventure of Rock' (ロック冒険記) and Ishinomori Shotarou-san's (石ノ森章太郎) 'Mangaka Introduction' (マンガ家入門).

Azuma: 'The Adventure of Rock' felt like a full-fledged SF manga. I believe there was a considerable gap between when it was published and when I read it. The story was about a planet similar to Earth on the opposite side of the sun, which Rock and his friends visit, interact with superhumans, and then stop a war, but the main character dies, making it a tragic story. This is Tezuka-san's first-rate satirical anti-human manga. It had a bit of Karel Čapek's 'War with the Newts' in it.

Azuma: 'Mangaka Introduction' is a book in which Ishinomori-san brainwashes naïve boys and girls into believing manga is wonderful and that it's an expression second to no other genre. Many have aspired to become mangaka after reading this book, but ended up going astray. Nagashima Shinji-san (永島慎二) also brainwashed such boys and girls. He's the one who drew 'The Harsh Story of a Mangaka' (漫画家残酷物語). Also, the genre of gekiga that emerged around this time was also amazing and produced many of the manga boys and girls of our generation. In particular, 'The Harsh Story of a Mangaka' is a dangerous book, so please be careful.

Hagio: I believe I decided to become a mangaka after reading 'Shinsengumi' (新選組). Until then, I was taught how to draw manga by having my work included in a friend's doujinshi, but after reading Ishinomori-sensei's 'Mangaka Introduction', I thought it was a very difficult job and there was no way I could become a pro, so I backed off a bit instead. Then I read 'Shinsengumi' and was shocked, and I couldn't get 'Shinsengumi' out of my head. I thought this is no good, and since I was so shocked, I had to shock someone else as well, so I decided to try becoming a mangaka. It's mysterious, but when I thought to become one, I already believed I could. All that's left was how to become one. So, I decided to submit something and started drawing the manuscript for my submission from there. Until then, I had just been drawing doujinshi all the time. When I explained 'Shinsengumi' to people, I made up dialogue that wasn't there (in the original work). I've read 'Shinsengumi' countless times, and even now, I can see the words floating in my head.

Moderator: Azuma-san, have you ever read 'Shinsengumi'?

Azuma: I read it, but I didn't fantasise about it to her extent.

Hagio: I believe it was the period I read it.

Azuma: Yeah, what they call your encounter.

Moderator: Hagio-san, have you read Tezuka Osamu's 'The Adventure of Rock' (ロック冒険記) and Ishinomori Shotarou's 'Mangaka Introduction'?

Hagio: I knew Ishinomori-san's work, but I didn't know Tezuka-san's. When I look at 'The Adventure of Rock' now, I see this sle—ender bishounen whose body is 8 heads tall. He was wearing a necktie, which was rare at the time. In Tezuka-san's works, there were a lot of Shounen wearing neckties. He was wearing a cute hunting cap. That alone made him feel stylish.

Azuma: I also love this style, so I draw girls in this style. 'The Adventure of Rock' was from what they call a first-person perspective. The bad guys were cornered through the eyes of the main character, Rock. It was a very experimental work.

Hagio: Something cinematic. There's the first page of (Ishinomori-san's) 'Dragon God Pond' (龍神沼), but it was a very beautiful image. It was from behind, so you couldn't see his face, but he was walking straight down a street while his centre of gravity doesn't shift at all, and his long legs looked so cool. That's the sort of thing I admire.

Azuma: I liked its cute country girl. She makes the god from 'Dragon Pond God' jealous. Ishimori-san says this in 'Mangaka Introduction', but he has quite the habit of tooting his own horn. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but that sort of self-love is important for an artist. I loved Ishimori-san. I practically grew up on Ishimori and Tezuka. I started drawing because of the influence of 'Mangaka Introduction'.

Hagio: You didn't draw before then?

Azuma: I drew stuff like Cuts. Copying stuff like 009.

Hagio: What was the story of the first manga you drew?

Azuma: It's about aliens invading Earth. Though I've only drawn the first 8 pages.

Hagio: What happened in the last 8 pages?

Azuma: I didn't think that far. I sent it to the doujin club I was in. Did Hagio-san also draw?

Hagio: I entered a 'Handwritten Circulation-zine' (肉筆回覧誌) in Kyushu. It was a time when magazines like 'COM' were being sold and doujinshi branch stores were popping up all over the country, and mangaka groups were clustered in various regions.
※Handwritten Circulation-zine (Link)


●'COM' Talk


Moderator: You mentioned 'COM' just now, so both of you read 'COM'. What sort of magazine was 'COM'? I'd like to hear your impressions and feelings.

Hagio: I believe it was first published towards the end of my second year of high school. Nowadays, there's actually all sorts of magazines, but back then, manga was basically for children, and their target readership were stuck around middle to high school students. Or it would suddenly veer towards ero-manga for old men. There was no group in-between; everyone picked up manga as something you grew out of. Of course, there were works by Shirato Sanpei-san (白土三平), but then a magazine called 'COM' appeared, and I thought they created a 'manga magazine you don't have to grow out of'. I bought it from its first issue. It had Tezuka-sensei on its cover, and I like Tezuka-sensei, and Ishinomori-sensei drew 'Jun' (ジュン). Every issue tried something new, so I read them with excitement.

Azuma: I also read them fervently. Tezuka-san, Ishinomori-san, and Nagashima Shinji-san (永嶋慎二), all of them drew experimental manga, which was wonderful, but what really stood out was the existence of 'Grand Companion' (ぐらこん). No other magazine has unearthed so many new talent, and so many amazing people submitted their works to it. Adachi Mitsuru (あだち充), Miyaya Kazuhiko (宮谷一彦) whom I respect, Aoyagi Yuusuke (青柳裕介), Hasegawa Hosei (長谷川法世), Kawa Akira (河あきら), Kimura Minori (樹村みのり), and Okada Fumiko (岡田史子). They were all so talented, it was amazing. There were Grand Companion branches in every prefecture, and a guy called Kawabata (川端) from the Hokkaido branch picked a fight with Miyaya Kazuhiko at Kobotan* (コボタン) and got punched.
※Kobotan is used for things the writer doesn't understand or remember, akin to writing blah-blah-blah.

Hagio: Why did they do that? Kobotan was a manga cafe in Shinjuku, right? It wasn't a manga cafe like we have nowadays; it was just a cafe with manga books, but they had original artwork on display, and I remember returning home impressed by the original work of amazing artists. They got into a fight there?

Azuma: Miyaya-san's fights are legendary. He took out Kawabata with just one punch.

Hagio: I want to know what was said that made them so angry.

Azuma: You mean Miyaya-san? He went to the art exhibition and Kawabata shrugged and said something like, "This isn't that great."

Hagio: That wasn't polite.

Azuma: Well, Miyaya-san was there and he settled it with one punch. Even now, I respect Miyaya-san, but he's currently on hiatus.

Hagio: A long hiatus. Draw and hiatus, draw and hiatus.

Azuma: When I look at this, I see that Hagio-san was there, but when was this?

Hagio: When? It says 1971. I guess that's when I drew 'Girl On Porch With Puppy' (ポーチで少女が小犬と)?

Moderator: (To Hagio-san) I heard you once submitted a work to 'COM', but it was rejected. What kind of work was it?

Hagio: I have memories it was SF. If you were to ask what sort of SF, it was about a man who meets the woman of his dreams and promises to marry her, only to find out she's actually an alien octopus. (※Note: 'Stars and Caterpillar' (星とイモムシ) wasn't a work that was submitted and rejected. It was drawn as a submission during a theme for stars and caterpillars, but it didn't make the deadline so it couldn't be submitted.)

Azuma: The work called 'Girl On Porch With Puppy' shows the bad side of SF-maniacs, not in a bad way'. It's typical for SF fans to not explain things. Only to have things explained properly in a later work.

Moderator: (To Azuma-san) Even though you own all the issues of 'COM', you didn't submit anything. Why is that?

Azuma: I dislike being critiqued by others.

Hagio: This is an amazing image scene. Like a mouse spinning round and round. The fact it's off by three points means this is the timeline.

Moderator: (To Azuma-san) I understand you became acquainted with Yamato Waki-sensei (大和和紀) and Tadatsu Youko-sensei (忠津陽子) through 'Grand Companion'. What were your impressions of them at the time?

Azuma: I entered Grand Companion during my third year of high school. I had a classmate called Matsuhisa Yuu (松久由宇), who still draws manga even now, and he introduced me to Yamato-san and Tadatsu-san, but I'm wondering if I went to Sapporo back then. Yamato-san was about two years older than us; he was calm and might've already been a pro back then. Tadatsu Youko-san was also there, and she showed me some Cuts, and when I said I wanted a copy, she said no. I have that sort of memory. Both of them had an amazing pen-touch and were skilled at drawing.

Hagio: They were skilled. The prototype for 1960 shoujo manga started with the shoujo manga drawn by Tezuka-sensei, but I believe the prototype for late 1970 shoujo manga came from Yamato-san and Tadatsu-san. Her girls were cute, aren't they? There were a lot of manga critiques back then, but not one of them said the girls were 'cute', and I read the critiques wondering if men didn't understand this cuteness.

Moderator: Both Hagio-san and Azuma-san said they were shocked by Okada Fumiko-sensei, who published her works in 'COM', so I'd like to hear more about that.

Azuma: I didn't really understand the greatness of Okada Fumiko-san's works until I was around 30 years old; when they first came out, I simply thought they were unusual manga. As I grew older, I realised what a genius she was. The genius mythology only lasted for a short period, only a year or two, so it's all the more memorable.

Hagio: All-age manga art, including gekiga, fits neatly into the category of Japanese manga, which began with Tezuka-sensei, for better or worse. For example, during the Meiji era, when everyone was wearing kimonos, Okada-san suddenly appeared, wearing a long French dress. It felt like something mysterious had appeared. If it were illustrations or paintings by an artist, the story would make sense, but it was manga. I was shocked it was manga and not illustrations, and that manga could be drawn with illustrations. But illustrators, of course, also drew manga, and I have read manga drawn by such people, but what's strange is that with the art of illustrators, each Cut is an illustration, so you end up gazing upon them separately. Your gaze doesn't flow. With Okada-san, your gaze flows properly with a delicate balance. Despite being illustration-chic. The flow of the gaze from panel to panel is really important in manga, and Okada-san properly created an Okada-style gaze flow. I wonder if I could explain it better (laughs).

('Glass Ball' (ガラス玉) by Okada Fumiko) ←Isn't this final scene wonderful? The boyfriend goes on a trip, and the girl quietly waits after seeing him off. Who could have thought this boss-like surrealistic scenery surrounding the boy on his trip could even be depicted in a manga?

Moderator: (To Azuma-san) Please tell us what you found interesting about Hagio-san's 'November Gymnasium' (11月のギムナジウム).

Azuma: Hagio-san's work changed a bit since her previous work 'Snow Child' (雪の子). It's a truly wonderful masterpiece with a complex plot, beautifully constructed with proper foreshadowing, depicting the tragic fate of two boys, but I seriously doubt the readers of 'Shoujo Comic' (少女コミック) actually understood it. Though I believe the editor was also very enthusiastic about it. To be able to tell such a story in a short number of pages, I believe she's truly a talented person.

Hagio: Thank you very much. At first, the editorial department told me to give them 40 pages, but as I was working on the Name, I realised I just couldn't fit it all in, and when I was thinking about which episodes to remove, they suddenly told me I had 5 extra pages, which made me very happy. So it became 45 pages.

Azuma: I believe this work doesn't fall into the category of traditional shoujo manga, such as romance. Hagio-san's art features bishounen, so I believe readers were drawn to the cuteness of the illustrations (although by this time Hagio-san already had a lot of male readers), but what is the weight of this story, what is its concept? It's a tragedy.

Hagio: This is because I was obsessed with Hesse. Also, I enjoyed a lot of western movies, so I guess there's a movie-like dramatic touch to it. The same characters as 'The Heart of Thomas' (トーマの心臓), Thomas, Erik, and Oskar, appear in this work, so people say I came up with 'The Heart of Thomas' after finishing this, but it's the other way around. As I was drawing 'The Heart of Thomas' with a pencil, I suddenly had the idea it would be interesting if they were twins as a side story, and that's how 'November Gymnasium' was created. It was a work where I came up with all sorts of ideas that I drew, and 'The Heart of Thomas' was one of them. I had absolutely no intention of publishing it, but then I thought it would be fine because it was a short story, so I drew it.

Moderator: (To Azuma-san) When did you read 'The Poe Clan' (「ポーの一族)?

Azuma: I read this when it first started, but much earlier, a man called Aoyagi-san (青柳) from Tokyo had drawn illustrations and a simple story of Marybelle in his personal-zine (Handwritten Circulation-zine). I didn't know it at the time, but 'The Poe Clan' started much later, so I guess the idea came 2~3 years earlier. Do you remember, Hagio-san?

Hagio: Shortly before I started 'The Poe Clan', I was allowed to draw a story proposal related to 'Poe'. I had the idea a little over a year prior, and when I told the editorial department 'I would like to draw a long story', they rejected it, saying, "You've never drawn anything long before, so it's too early." I believe Aoyagi's Cut was drawn around that time. So I drew side stories like 'Marybelle and the Silver Rose' (メリーベルと銀のばら), 'The Village of Poe' (ポーの村), and 'Glensmith's Diary' (グレンスミスの日記). As expected, the editorial department found out and remarked, "You, these are the same story." Then they said, "Well then, give us the plot." Then they gave me the pages. If you have the mind to do something, you can do it.

Azuma: Such a nice story.

Moderator: (To Azuma-san) Is your spring 1973 work 'Vampire-chan' (吸血鬼ちゃん) related to 'The Poe Clan'?

Azuma: I drew a work called 'Vampaire' (吸パイ鬼) that was published in a doujinshi by Aoyagi-san mentioned earlier. I drew 'Vampire-chan' in a shounen magazine with that flow, so it's not like they're completely unrelated. (※Note: 'Vampaire' has the subtitle 'Regarding the Foolish Clan' (おろかな一族によせて)...)

Hagio: What is the name of this 'Vampire-chan'?

Azuma: She doesn't have a name.


●Their Collaborations

Moderator: I would like to ask about your collaborations. You two published a collaborative manga called 'Love Cosmo Fishnet Zone' (愛のコスモ・アミタイツ・ゾーン) in an extra issue of 'Kisou Tengai' (奇想天外) in 1981. Hagio-san, please tell us how this collaborative manga came about.

Hagio: Didn't the editor say something?

Azuma: Oguchi-san (小口), an editor who doesn't say much, requested Hagio-san for the 'Azuma Hideo Complete Works' (吾妻ひでお大全集) (May of 1981). When we collaborated, Hagio-san had another job before this. Though it was a talk work. (※Note: It's believed to be her talk in the April 'Bessatsu Kisou Tengai' issue for the Ray Bradbury Complete Works.)

Hagio: That's the one. I feel like I was drinking before we drew it.

Azuma: We drank. We drank a lot.

Moderator: You drew this after you drank sake? How many hours did it take?

Hagio: After drinking, about 10 hours?

Azuma: It didn't take that long. About 6 hours. I'm pretty sure Koichiro Iida-san (飯田耕一郎) painted the solid tones.

Moderator: I borrowed the coloured paper Iida-san owns. He'll also be at the venue today.

Hagio: Thank you for your help (laughs).

Moderator: Though it was 30 years later since then, you two collaborated for a second time in 'Bungei Bessatsu Tokushu Special Feature Azuma Hideo' (文藝別冊総特集吾妻ひでお). The title was 'Love Nerima Sarumatake Zone' (愛のネリマ・サルマタケ・ゾーン). The collaboration took place on March 21st of 2011. I was present during the event because I edited the book, and then the Great East Japan Earthquake happened on March 11th, so it was 10 days after that. It took place at Azuma-sensei's home.

Hagio: It was raining then. It was right after the series of explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, so I believed that rain was radioactive, so I prepared myself fully for the rain when I set out. I covered all my bags, and the carry car holding my art supplies, with plastic as well, and that's how I arrived.

Azuma: I didn't believe you'd actually come (laughs). We each brought the story into our own worlds, and it ended up being a completely incomprehensible work. Hagio-san was really fast. In the end, it took about four hours. Anazawa-san (穴沢) did the rubber erasing and flat tones, and I said I would do the menial work for the final screen tones, but Hagio-san did those.

Moderator: Hagio-san was the one who applied the screen tones?

Hagio: I'm quick at screen tones. Azuma-san told me something when I was about to apply screen tones to a very complicated background.

Azuma: Something about you not needing to apply them to a place like that, right? (Laughs)

Hagio: That's right. That's what you thought when I started applying them.

Moderator: When you two were drawing the Name, you were arguing over the Name, and by the end, Azuma-san said, "Please do the punchline, Hagio-san." It was quite apparent you two share a good relationship.


●SF Stories are Endless (Part 1)


Moderator: Let's change topics for a bit. Please talk about SF. I imagined you both love SF ever since you were young. Tell us about your first encounter with science fiction.

Hagio: For this talk, I asked Azuma-san if he would like to choose two or three of his favourite SF books and introduce them, explaining why he likes them. Azuma-san agreed and gave me this data. It's all handwritten by Azuma-san, it's a full list of the books he's read in the past. There are also some little comments here and there. Thank you so much for such a valuable thing. I know I'm being kinda loose-lipped. But the 'SF Books Recommended to Hagio-san' was incredible. It listed 'Kuchu Kuchu Bang' (クチュクチュバーン) (Yoshimura Man'ichi [吉村萬壱]), 'Mucus Human' (粘膜人間) (Amemura Kou [飴村行]), and 'Yaminabe Conspiracy' (やみなべの陰謀) (Tanaka Tetsuya [田中哲弥]). I'll give them a read.

Moderator: How did you first encounter SF, Hagio-san?

Hagio: I'd been reading them since elementary school, but after reading Asimov's SF, I was hooked. When I read 'Astro Boy' (鉄腕アトム) in elementary school, I was already into SF. When I thought I was like that, there was Asimov's 'Planet SOS', which later became a proper book with the name 'The Currents of Space', but back then, it was just an appendix to the 'middle school 3rd year course'. This thin book was really interesting, and I got hooked and my head was filled with SF. After that, I started to wander around and read anything that actively called themselves 'SF'.

The Earth exploded and vanished a long time ago, and everyone escaped and spread throughout the universe. I was really shocked no one remembered the planet Earth back then when the Earth properly appears in 'Astro Boy' and '009'. I thought there were future civilizations where the Earth doesn't appear. So I got hooked. It was a shock and interesting seeing values being transformed into something completely new.

Azuma: This leads to Asimov's 'Second Foundation' trilogy. I also like Asimov, and in 'Second Foundation', a doctor of psychosociology (psychohistory?) predicted the rise and fall of the Empire will come at a certain time.

Hagio: Using the power of science, we can predict what the future will be like.

Azuma: In the first and second parts, Seldon's prediction came true. In the third and fourth parts, nobody came to listen. In the fifth part, the prediction was completely wrong. The reason being the Mutant Emperor appeared.

Hagio: An unexpected factor entered the picture, changing Seldon's predicted future.

Azuma: After that, the Mutant King dies, the First Foundation regains power, and it turns out the Second Foundation actually exists, but I don't remember the punchline after that.

Hagio: I also have vague memories of that.

Azuma: Well, in any case, it was really interesting. I'm also into Brown, Sheckley, and Heinlein. Hagio-san, what do you think of Heinlein?

Hagio: I like him. His style of good and evil is very clear in his writing, which sometimes makes me think 'umm'. Meaning, the enemy is always ugly and does evil things. I read about showing compassion even to enemies in 'Astro Boy', so that's fine (laughs). Heinlein is very good at constructing drama, so I read a lot of his works.

Azuma: I read 'Double Star'. The protagonist was a down-and-out actor. He was forced to play as a double for a famous politician and goes to Mars. Even though he's an unsuccessful actor, he has a lot of pride. He says he cannot stand the smell of Martians. So the doctor uses hypnosis to make them smell like perfume, so he no longer notices the Martian smell.

Hagio: It's an early short story, but 'The Puppet Master'. This was a huge shock. Before anyone realises it, Earthlings have been invaded by aliens. Something like a leech or a large slug sticks to people's backs and controls them. The controlled humans become like dolls and do whatever they're told, it was a scary story.

Azuma: We need to talk about this in the second half of our talk. I have a lot to say.

Moderator: What do you believe are commonalities between your tastes in SF?

Hagio: The other day, before the talk, I said to Azuma-san, "Since you also like SF, I wonder if it would be interesting if we talked about it?" Azuma-san replied, "I don't want to talk about SF with people who say they're SF fans." Then with a 'hah', it suddenly occurred to me. The reason being that up until now, I've never had a good experience starting a conversation by saying, "You also like SF? Me too." (Bursts into Laughter)

Azuma: How did it turn out for you?

Hagio: When I said, "I like Philip K. Dick." The other party said, "What's so interesting about him?"

Azuma: I only really understood Dick after growing much older. Though Hagio-san was a fan during her 20s. You can't really understand people like him unless you have a lot of life experience.

Hagio: What's nice about him is the darkness.

Azuma: Let's talk about this later.

Moderator: (To Azuma-san) When you read Hagio-san's 'They Were Eleven' (11人いる！), you said you thought to yourself, "I thought I lost. I was frustrated she had written such a masterpiece with SF." But please tell us what you felt was so great about 'They Were Eleven'.

Azuma: I believed this was truly a masterpiece, the only manga with this kind of serious SF is Hagio-san's 'They Were Eleven'. This work knows exactly what makes SF fans cry with joy. First, it starts with a 'brief history of Terra', and SF fans love timelines, and future histories or histories of a rise and fall. Some authors write their works according to a timeline, and sometimes fans create their own timelines. So as soon as this brief history appeared, it was already a masterpiece. The story pulled the SF mystery-style 'there are eleven people, one too many', but between that, there were little tidbits that will make SF fans cry. There were details like why the Terran artist's space guardian deity has nothing attached to their bow, the electric ivy, the hermaphrodites (bisexual race) of Frol and Knu, and the grandiose concept of a once-in-a-lifetime winter and once-in-a-lifetime summer. It's a story of tragedy surrounding the protagonist's ship, the Hakugou (白号). In any case, it's a masterpiece, and whenever SF fans back then got together at a meeting or something, they'll immediately say 'there's eleven of us!'. Despite there only being two or three people. It was a masterpiece that captivated all SF fans.

Hagio: Thank you very much. Back then, I was exhausted from the summer heat and various things, and I didn't have time to draw, so the drawings were very rough, I was drawing with a sense of being apologetic. By the end, Matsumoto Leiji's (松本零士) assistant came to help me. Suddenly the ship turned into the Space Battleship Yamato (laughs). I have that sort of memory.

Moderator: Hagio-san's SF short stories published before 'They Were Eleven' include 'Spirit Hunting' (精霊狩り) and 'Play Ball' (あそび玉), so I would like to hear your thoughts on Hagio-san's SF works, Azuma-san.

Azuma: 'Play Ball' has a theme that SF fans love; people with superpowers being persecuted. Though it's set in the future, it's a beautifully constructed masterpiece. 'Spirit Hunting' is interesting because the scenes progress with musical-style dancing at certain points.

Hagio: The reason why the characters suddenly started dancing is because I was a big fan of musical movies back then, like 'The Sound of Music' and 'West Side Story', so I made the characters dance while singing. I thought it would be interesting. 'Play Ball' being a story where people with superpowers are persecuted is because of...

Azuma: Van Vogt?

Hagio: No, I didn't read 'Slan' back then. I was reading a short story called 'Sombrero' (ソンブレロ) by John Wyndham*. The parents of a girl become afraid as she begins to develop ESP powers. A similar child goes off somewhere and never comes back. The mother wonders, "Will this child also go off somewhere someday and never come back?" It was a very lonely short story. I thought about the idea of being persecuted and wrote 'Play Ball' after thinking about various things. After I drew this work, an SF fan I know asked me if I read 'Slan' by Vogt.
※T/L Note: 'Sombrero' was a short story by Yoshiwara Tadao (吉原忠男) (S-F Magazine No.69 [1965/6]), not John Wyndham.

Azuma: I read it in an old book called 'New Human Slan' (新しい人類　スラン).

Hagio: In older SF, the titles are often joined together. For example, 'Childhood's End' (幼年期の終わり) is followed by 'Earth' (地球) to create something like 'Earth: Childhood's End' (地球幼年期の終わり)

Azuma: Was 'Play Ball' the first SF Hagio-san drew?

Hagio: Yes. It was my first time doing something serious.

Azuma: To be able to draw something like that right from the beginning. It's a masterpiece.

Moderator: Hagio-san serialised '10 Billion Days and 100 Billion Nights' (百億の昼と千億の夜) in 'Champion' from 1977 to 1978. Around that time, Azuma-san was also serialising 'Chokkin' (チョッキン). I often hear it was difficult to write science fiction back then. Can you tell us about that?

Azuma: How did '10 Billion...' end up being serialised in Champion?

Hagio: I wanted to draw something like a genuine SF work, but it's hard to get the OK from shoujo manga editors. I thought maybe I could draw it in a shounen magazine, so I got introduced to an editor at 'Shounen Champion' (少年チャンピオン). I forget who introduced me. The editor happened to like SF and read a lot of Mitsuse-sensei's (光瀬) works, so we got excited talking about the stories in Mitsuse-sensei's works. I told them if I were to draw a Mitsuse-sensei work, the best would be '10 Billion and 100 Billion', and since the editor-san knew Mitsuse-sensei (personally), they said they would talk to him. There were times no matter how much I insisted, the door wouldn't open, and there were times I said just a little and things started to unfold, and this time was something that just started to unfold. It was decided in no time. So that's how I ended up in 'Champion', suddenly Mitsuse Ryuu (光瀬龍), suddenly SF.

Azuma: Was that your first shounen magazine?

Hagio: Yes. I recall it was my first.

Azuma: How was it?

Hagio: It was interesting. What I understood from drawing for them is my lines were too thin. This was no good, and that shounen artists tend to draw thick lines.

Azuma: Mizushima Shinji-san's (水島新司) lines were amazing (laughs). There were also people like Kamogawa Tsubame-san (鴨川つばめ). I was drawing a story about a man whose hobby is saving money called 'Chokkin'.

Hagio: That was a story about living a tough life in a bank. It's very relatable.

Azuma: I'm often amazed Hagio-san had drawn that Mitsuse-san's story and had it serialised in Champion.

Hagio: That's right. The person in charge back then was Akutsu-san (阿久津), and he said that since 'Champion' was currently selling well because of 'Dokaben' (ドカベン) and 'Gaki Deka' (ガキでか), he didn't care if one work didn't sell (laughs).


●SF Stories are Endless (Part 2)

Moderator: I would like to ask about your reading experiences.

Hagio: As I mentioned earlier, thank you so much for writing about your reading experiences, Azuma-san. [While showing the reading notebook from Azuma-san] You mentioned the 'Hyperion' (ハイペリオン) series here, so you read all of its thick, long books, Azuma-san?

Azuma: I gave up halfway through, but I read about 4 books, maybe?

Hagio: I have about 3 of its books, but I gave up on the first one by page 8. I try again and again, but I always give up by page 8. What should I do? Someone told me, "Once you get past this, it gets interesting." And when I asked, "At what page does it get interesting?" They answered, "By around 100 pages." I replied, "Okay, I'll try my best to read up to about page 100." But later, they ringed me and said, "I was wrong. It doesn't get interesting until you've read about 9/10 of the way through." Is that true?

Azuma: Well, it suddenly gets interesting (laughs). I suppose it didn't suit Hagio-san's temperament. Dan Simmons originally wrote horror.

Hagio: Then is 'Hyperion' horror?

Azuma: The 'Hyperion' series is completely SF, but it doesn't tread any new ground; it's like a compilation that anyone who has read a lot of SF before then would understand.

Hagio: Well, I'll give it another shot.

Azuma: A race of people with crosses engraved on their chests have eternal life, but their brains degenerate, and there are lot of details. The first one I read was Dan Simmons' 'Carrion Comfort', which is horror. It's about manipulating people's minds and making them kill each other. Speaking of horror, what do you think of King?

Hagio: I love King.

Azuma: They say SF fans only appreciate King when he writes SF.

Hagio: No matter which novel I read, his story structure is very good. There's nothing superfluous or unnecessary. King is particularly good at introducing groups of people and developing a story through their relationships with each other. The interrelationships between the characters make you feel anxious and worried about what will happen next, so I believe he's very good.

Azuma: I read '11/22/63' this year, which was about the day of the Kennedy assassination, but it was really interesting.

Hagio: It's a time-slip story, but it's really well thought out. An unidentified person or event drives the case to the end, but it's never completely solved. It remains a mystery. Like a god, devil, or supernatural phenomena. So conversely, many stories end with the case solved, but with something mysterious still lingering.


●Azuma→Hagio Book Recommendations


Azuma: I don't believe you've read them, Hagio-san, but what did you think of the others I recommended by Yoshimura Man'ichi (吉村萬壱), Amemura Kou (飴村行), and Tanaka Tetsuya (田中哲弥)?

Hagio: I'm familiar with the titles of (Yoshimura Man'ichi's) 'Kuchu Kuchu Bang' (クチュクチュバーン) and 'Burst Zone: Explosive District' (バースト・ゾーン―爆裂地区), but since you recommend them, I'll try reading them.

Azuma: Yes. They're very gross (bursts into laughter). Amemura Kou's (飴村行) 'Mucus Human' is about lizard people. It's super gross (laughs). Tanaka Tetsuya's (田中哲弥) 'Monkey Station/First Love' (猿駅／初恋) is about a man going to meet his mother at a station called 'Monkey Station', but when he leaves the station, there's only monkeys. Gradually, he's surrounded by monkeys. His Ojii-san tells him 'there's a monkey-whacker over here, so whack them with that', so he starts whacking monkeys over the head. Then he winds up covered in drool and brains. You almost feel like your own mother's there, it's a horrible novel.

Hagio: Kinda like Tsuitsui-san's (筒井) guro.

Azuma: Right. I believe Tsuitsui's influence is there more or less.

Hagio: I also really like Tsuitsui-san, but I cannot read anything too scary.

Azuma: Tsuitsui-san's nice.

Hagio: I've read ones like 'Primates Go South' (霊長類　南へ), but they were scary.

Azuma: I'm a big fan of Tsuitsui-san, so I unconsciously copied his works, but I believe this is better than consciously stealing his ideas (laughs). Abe Koubou's (安部公房) 'Like Human' (人間そっくり) is very interesting.

Hagio: I haven't read 'Like Human' yet. I lean towards 'Inter Ice Age 4' (第四間氷期).

Azuma: What about Hirai-san (Kazumasa) (平井[和正])?

Hagio: Hirai-san was serialised in 'SF Magazine' (SFマガジン). I read his works up to a point. His depictions of violence are quite intense, so I gradually stopped reading him.

Azuma: That's certainly true. Halfway through, Hirai-san went in another direction.

Hagio: He awoken to god.

Azuma: Yeah. Though there's reasons I cannot go into details (laughs). Tanaka Tetsuya's 'First Love' I mentioned earlier is also a bit ero, so I cannot talk about it in public. But this guy is a story master.

Hagio: (While looking at the art of Tanaka Tetsuya's 'Yaminabe Conspiracy' [やみなべの陰謀]) Nice frontispiece.


●SF Stories are Endless (Part 3)

Azuma: They're probably the writers furthest away from Hagio-san. I've been reading world literature that wrote SF, so when I encountered Hoshi-san's writing, it was very refreshing. I was shocked.

Hagio: I believe I've read about 95% of Hoshi-san's works. We used to take turns reading his books.

Azuma: The first Hoshi Shin'ichi (星新一) work I read was 'Mr. N's Amusement Park' (エヌ氏の遊園地). It has an unexpected punch line. Then his famous ones like 'Heeey! Come on Ooout!' (おーいでてこーい). After that, I got into Brown, Sheckley, and then Asimov and Wells. Wells wrote most of the foundation of SF. As for Vogt.

Hagio: 'They Were Eleven' was heavily influenced by 'The Voyage of the Space Beagle'. When the spaceship flies, various kaijuu appear. 'The World of Null A' was also very interesting

Azuma: I don't remember (the story), but I remember it was amazing. Like a man who becomes the Earth in the end. The monster called Ixtul that appears (in Beagle) is the prototype of 'Alien'. An almost immortal alien that implants its eggs in the stomachs of living creatures, and they meet it in space. At first they fight various enemies, such as cat-like creatures called Coeurl with cute tentacles, and go on an adventure. The main character is a generalist scientist and he's really interesting... I also love Vogt.

Azuma: I also love Heinlein, and the first book I read by him was 'The Door into Summer'. It's a story that can hook almost anyone.

Hagio: Indeed. The cat is looking for the entrance, and the wife comments, "It's looking for the door into summer."

Azuma: It's a nice story.

Hagio: I like mildly heart-warming conversations like these.

Azuma: Heinlein is good at that sort of thing. Things like character portrayal. 'Stranger in a Strange Land' is about an Earthling raised by Martians. This was interesting. Like the depiction when the main character, Michael Smith, realises why humans laugh.

Hagio: That really surprised me. Michael was an Earthling who grew up on Mars, so his emotional responses were a little different from Earthlings. He goes to the zoo to study laughter. There, he comes across monkeys, and one of the monkeys hits a smaller monkey. The monkey that was hit goes 'Hii', and then hits an even smaller monkey. And that's how he figured out laughter. I was surprised.

Azuma: It's a story about realising humans laugh at the weak. It's basically an allegory. Fredric Brown had a story called 'The Angelic Angleworm', but Smith's scene in heaven where he puts an angel's halo on his head was quite fresh. That's when I realised this story was a satirical allegory.

Hagio: Is that how it should be interpreted? I didn't really understand what that part was about.

Azuma: That's why I thought it ended well. I like most of Heinlein's works, but I like 'The Puppet Masters', 'Starship Troopers', and 'Starman Jones'. 'Farnham's Freehold', 'Time Enough for Love', and 'I Will Fear No Evil' are stories where Heinlein starts to lose his sense of humour.

Hagio: Heinlein is also a very energetic writer.

Azuma: 'Methuselah's Children' is about a long-lived race. I like stories about discrimination and persecution. 'The Puppet Master' is a truly scary story about alien parasites.

Hagio: This alien Earth invasion material was quite common in SF back then, but when I think back on it, 'Puppet Master' was the scariest. Also, that goes for stories like 'The Body Snatchers' (Jack Finney). Human-like creatures emerge from giant peas. This story is similar to the symptoms of Capgras syndrome. Capgras syndrome is a type of psychopathology in which a brain disorder occurs and the child starts saying their father and mother are not their real father and mother. The ones that say they're their father and mother are very kind people, but they're wrong. They don't know why they're wrong, but they're somehow deceiving themselves. One psychiatrist was troubled and asked, "So, why do you think that (they're trying to deceive you)?" And they answered, "Perhaps they're spies from some country and are watching me." So the doctor told the parents, "Just go along with your son's delusions for once." "Your father and mother were spies, just like you said. We are your real father and mother." "So that's what they were," they say, and go home, but after a week they say, "I knew it wasn't true." I only recently learned about this syndrome when I read Ramachandran's book 'Phantoms in the Brain', and when I learned about this case, I thought it was 'The Body Snatchers'. It starts with 'an uncle who isn't uncle'. Because this is SF, he was an alien.

Azuma: Wyndham?

Hagio: Another one written by Wyndham. The titles are similar, but...

Azuma: 'The Day of the Triffids' is by Wyndham. 'The Chrysalids' and 'The Midwich Cuckoos'. I'm not sure if this is the story from earlier. I'll have to check.

Hagio: That's right. There's 'The Midwich Cuckoos' (呪われた村) and 'The Body Snatchers' (呪われた町)*. I believe there's a title called 'Green Peas'. (Note: 'Green Peas' were in Jack Finney's 'The Body Snatchers'.)
※T/L Note: The Japanese localisation titles of these books are very similar 'Cursed Village' and 'Cursed Town'.

Azuma: I believe they label Wyndham's 'The Day of the Triffids' a genre called something like 'gradual catastrophe'. It's not a story about aliens suddenly attacking and ending things quickly. In this story, people who saw the meteor became blind. Those with eye diseases had bandages on their eyes, so they didn't see the meteor shower. The story is about the world of those who survived being infested with carnivorous plants called Triffids, which had poisonous whips. It's a story of a catastrophe that progresses gradually. I love this book and have read it many times.

Azuma: (While looking at his list) I was writing material from this part in my own books, but I got bored halfway through. So looked it up on the internet and wrote what I'd read.

Azuma: 'Descending' (Thomas Disch) is a kind of absurd novel, not SF, but it's about descending an escalator endlessly with no escalator going up. It just keeps going down, endlessly, with no punch line or anything.

Azuma: There's criticism regarding J.G Ballard's 'The Drowned Giant'. It's a story about a giant's corpse washing up on the shore, and in his parody, Tori Miki-san (とり・みき) portrays a giant Bakapon papa. There's apparently giant legends all over the place, so the criticism is this isn't SF.

●Hagio→Azuma Book Recommendations


Moderator: You could talk about this endlessly, but earlier, Azuma-san gave Hagio-san three book recommendations, and it seems Hagio-san has also brought books she recommends to Azuma-san today.

Hagio: Based on my own preference, I probably wouldn't have picked up neither 'Kuchu Kuchu Bang' (クチュクチュバーン) nor 'Mucus Human' (粘膜人間), so if you were to ask, "What if you read them like this?" I feel this is also fate, so I'd like to say to Azuma-san, this is fate. There are a lot of things, but let's start with Harlequin romance.

Hagio: There's a series called 'Outlander' by Diana Gabaldon, and there's many books for it. It's a time slip story. It's about a modern British woman and a young Scottish chieftain from around 1600 or 1700 who meet and fall in love. There are revolutions, wars, and a turbulent life. Claire is from the present day, so she has modern knowledge. The British version of 'Crest of the Royal Family'. As expected, she researched the history of that era, and it's a dramatic and very interesting story. I found out about this one time when I had to go to Niigata and bought a book there. There was a stack of the 'Outlander' series. I thought people in Niigata were reading this kind of thing, so I ignored it back then. Afterwards, I had to go to Nara for business. When I went to a bookshop in Nara, I found a stack of this series, and realised it was being read in Nara as well. After that, I bought it on a whim, and it was incredibly interesting.

Hagio: 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World' (世界の終わりとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド) by Murakami Haruki (村上春樹). There are many works by Murakami Haruki, but I found them hard to get into and almost gave up after around page 50, but I was told it gets more interesting once you get past that point, and I found it to be interesting. It's an interesting adventure story that mixes reality and fantasy.

Hagio: 'Blindsight' by Peter Watts. It's a recent SF. You mentioned China Miéville, so perhaps you'll also like this one. It's a little more shocking, but it's about a group of unusual characters who go into outer space to make contact with aliens, and it's a mysterious story that makes me wonder how interesting it would be if Azuma-san were to turn it into a manga. There's vampires, a man with half a brain, a person with multiple personalities, and all sorts of things. What's more, they don't know until the very end the identity of the aliens they're facing, so they don't know how to make contact with them.

Azuma: I've never read any of these books before, so I'll give them a read. I never thought it would be a Harlequin. I was a little curious about Murakami Haruki's '1984' so I read it, and it was interesting. It's set in a parallel world, and it's very much SF.


●Each of Their Latest Works

Moderator: I believe this will be our last question. Please discuss each other's latest works. I would like to ask Hagio-san to give us her impression of Azuma-san's 'Alcoholic Ward' (アル中病棟).

Hagio: I was really impressed. How can you write such an interesting depiction of the monotonous daily life of an alcoholic in an alcoholic ward? Actually, my younger brother is also an alcoholic and suffers from depression, so I know a bit about the symptoms of alcoholism, but maybe it's because you're a mangaka you can draw it so objectively, but the fact you can draw it to this extent is amazing. We never see the insides of these wards, and we don't talk to patients about their illnesses or have serious conversations, but this relationship is full of gags, suspense, and strange friendships with a sense of distance. It was very interesting. It's the second part after 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記). 'Disappearance Diary' was also very interesting. Azuma-san, you're amazing.

Azuma: Nothing of the sort. I'm happy to have the opportunity to speak with a master today (embarrassed).

Moderator: Now then, Azuma-san, I'd like you to tell us your impression of Hagio-san's latest work 'Queen Margot' (王妃マルゴ).

Azuma: It was incredible. It was interesting. Her drawing skills, composition, characters, and pen touch have all become more refined. I was really moved to see that a historical romance could be portrayed in such an interesting way. I was reading your old diary and saw you wrote that you cried when you read 'Spring Stream' (春の小川). Hagio-san's manga always makes me cry. How long do you plan on continuing that?

Hagio: I plan to continue for another 2~3 years.

Azuma: Collecting all these documents, photos, and historical materials is hard work, isn't it?

Hagio: It's really hard work. That's why I'm just making stuff up. If someone says something later, I'll tell them I'm sorry. Or something about me being over 60 years old, so please forgive me.

Azuma: No, I think that's typical of Hagio-san. I stopped drawing manga for a while for some reason (laughs), but Hagio-san continued drawing during that time. Our careers are different. The only thing I'm a little better at than Hagio-san is I can draw girls who stimulate the libido of boys. Hagio-san can draw boys who captivates girls. I'm looking forward to the continuation of 'Margot'.

Hagio: Thank you very much.


●Q&A


Question 1: Please tell us each of your favourite movies.

Hagio: I really love '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'Blade Runner' It depends on my mood at the time, but these two films are on my list.

Azuma: I love 'Sundays and Cybèle'. The protagonist is a boy, wounded during the war, and Cybele is an orphan. She is a female symbolic lover, child, and mother, she symbolises everything. Although it ends in tragedy, I believe it's a wonderful masterpiece.

Question 2: Could you please tell us which manga currently has your attention, and which would you recommend to us?

Hagio: I'm hooked on 'Attack on Titan' (進撃の巨人). I'm reading the tankoubon, while wondering about the secrets of the Titan. There are other little things, but 'Attack on Titan' was a shock. I'm devouring it. There are a lot of spin-offs for 'Attack on Titan' that have come out along the way. Like 'Attack on Titan Middle School' (進撃の巨人中学校). I'm not sure whether or not to buy those.

Azuma: Oku Hiroya's (奥浩哉) latest work 'Inuyashiki' (いぬやしき) looks really interesting. I'm still just browsing. I've only read one other work, 'Wagahai no Kare wa Baka Aru' (吾輩ノ彼ハ馬鹿である) by Totsuka Masahiro (土塚理弘) and Azumi Saki (亜積沙紀). The guy is good-looking, but he's really stupid. It's a really funny story. Also, when I read Tamaru Hiroshi's (田丸浩史) 'Loveyan' (ラブやん), I feel healed and think I don't care about anything anymore.

Question 3: Question for Hagio-sensei. you're currently drawing the series 'Anywhere But Here' (ここではない★どこか), and I read up to volume 3. Do you have any plans to continue the series?

Hagio: I would like to write more when the time comes, but the Great East Japan Earthquake happened while I was drawing it, and for some reason I'm unable to draw it afterwards. It's a story about the gradual changes in the Ikukata family, but when I thought about whether the earthquake would come after the changes in these people, I felt very depressed, and was unable to draw more until I can sort that out, so I'm putting it on hold. I'm very sorry. Thank you very much.

Question 4: Please tell us if there are any celebrities you both like recently.

Azuma: During my alcoholism, doctors told me 'if you stop drinking, a hole will form in your heart, so you need to find something to fill that hole'. Some of them include Tabe Mikako-san (多部未華子), Ishihara Satomi-san (石原さとみ), and Shinozaki Ai-san (篠崎愛). I like Shoujo with baby faces, which are the foundation of my manga.

Hagio: I'm terrible at remembering the names of actors, and there are a lot of old people, like Kimura Takuya (木村拓哉). I want to know how old he is. I keep wondering how long he'll keep that face. It's a bit of a thrill and suspense. I like a lot of actresses, but I can't remember their names. Recently, Angelina Jolie has been showing in the trailer for 'Maleficent', and I want to see this oba-san, so I lean towards the 'older'.

Question 5: You met Ray Bradbury when you won the Inkpot Award. What were your thoughts at the time?

Hagio: I had heard Bradbury was 70 or 80, but I hadn't followed him much since then. So when I went to an SF convention in San Diego and heard Bradbury was there, I was like, "What? He's still alive?" Someone told me, "If you tell him you're from Japan, he'll meet you." So I said, "Yes, please." I didn't bring him any gifts, but I went to meet him and said, "I Love You", and went back home. He shook my hand.

Question 6: If you were to be reborn, what would you like to be reborn as?

Azuma: I don't really want to be reborn. I want to be left alone.

Hagio: There's a few jobs I would like to do, and if I could be reborn and do one thing, I'd like to make dentures. It's really strange, isn't it? I had a cavity and went to get it treated and met a really good dentist. I heard a lot about bite alignment and teeth, and I learned that making each tooth is an artistic craft; they'll actually have you bite down and they look at it and say, "Yes, that's wrong." And then fix it with a difference of about one tenth of a millimetre. I thought this was amazing, and I don't know if there will be people who make dentures in the future when I'm reborn, but I think I could make beautiful dentures. I'd like to do that sort of work. But if I broke my leg, I might want to become a prosthetic leg maker. If I were reborn, I would like to have a job where I can make something whole again.


●Finally


Moderator: With today's talk over, I'd like to ask each of you to say a final word.

Azuma: Thank you for being with me for so long. I would like to continue drawing manga if I have the opportunity, so I hope you will read it. Thank you very much.

Hagio: Azuma-san, thank you very much for today. You even prepared a file with so many books. It's such a masterpiece that if I had time, I would like to make copies and hand them out to everyone. Thank you all so much for coming today, even though it's so hot. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you so much for today.


※～※～※～※～※

Azuma: I don't really want to be reborn. I want to be left alone.

After years of Yonezawa Yoshihiro and other interviewers asking if Azuma Hideo wanting to be reborn as a Bishoujo, Azuma Hideo changed his mind and now wants Ascension (Rain World).

※～※～※～※～※


Source:『愛するあなた 恋するわたし: 萩尾望都 対談集 2000年代編』 2014/5/23

Chapter One: Azuma Hideo
"Journey through the SF Delusion World"​

Hagio: I went to the Galapagos the other day. Azuma-san, which do you prefer, coffee or herb tea?

Azuma: I prefer both.

Hagio: In that case, here's some Galapagos coffee to take home as a souvenir.

——How was your trip?

Hagio: It was wonderful. The Galapagos are a protected natural environment; 90% of which is animal land, and humans aren't allowed to enter those places. However, the long flight was really rough. If I could be given one superpower, I would like the power to teleport. What about you, Azuma-san?

Azuma: I would like the power to move things, understand people's hearts, and change history......

Hagio: Those aren't superpowers, you'd be a god (laughs).

——Do you travel, Azuma-sensei?

Azuma: I dislike travelling. Material-gathering trips are more than enough (laughs).

Hagio: There were plenty of cute girls in the Galapagos Azuma-san would've liked.


Able to Fantasise for 3 Hours with One Panel


——You two were in the same school year, right?

Azuma: I was born in 1950 February 6th.

Hagio: I was born in 1949 May 12th, so that makes sense. Where were you from, Azuma-san?

Azuma: Tokachi, Urahoro.

Hagio: I'm from Fukuoka; Hokkaido and Kyushu are on opposite sides.

Azuma: It's mysterious Engaru in Hokkaido appears in 'Otherworld Barbara' (バルバラ異界).

Hagio: That, you see, is because there was an event called the 'Engaru Town Revitalisation' around 20 years ago. Yasuhiko Yoshikazu-san (安彦良和) invited me to that event.

Azuma: So it was Yasuhiko after all! He's from Engaru, so I thought that was it.

Hagio: I was invited to visit Engaru during the summer 3 or 4 times. I ate shrimp, salmon, and pumpkin mochi.

Azuma: It appeared in 'Otherworld Barbara', but only people from Hokkaido know about pumpkin mochi.

From 'Otherworld Barbara' (2002~2005). The group heads to Engaru in Hokkaido to meet the sleeping Shoujo Aoba (青羽). Along the way from Memanbetsu Airport, they order ramen and pumpkin mochi at a restaurant. ©Hagio Moto


Hagio: I said selling this nationwide would be a great way to revitalise the town, but the people of Engaru said, "This stuff is available everywhere."

Azuma: No, it's not. It's made by mixing mashed pumpkin with potato starch and baking it. I made it at home once, but my child wouldn't eat it.

Hagio: But it's mochi-mochi and delicious.

Azuma: Many of Hagio-san's works are set abroad, but this one was set in Japan, it's mysterious how it doesn't feel out of place.

Hagio: I'm the type of person who indulges in fantasy while drawing manga, but in the past, I couldn't indulge in fantasy if the story was set in Japan.

Azuma: Hagio-san once said, "I can fantasise for 3 hours with a single panel." I'm also a fantasist, but I'm no match for Hagio-san.

Hagio: However, Japan was no good. Then I started drawing this work, and realised I could fantasise in Japan as well.

——What was getting in the way of your fantasy?

Hagio: Perhaps all the customs of everyday life. I've experienced them myself, so they get in the way. But I believe by making 'Otherworld Barbara' an SF work, I was able to free myself from those constraints.

Azuma: 'Otherworld Barbara' is difficult, but interesting. It's an SF mystery that draws you into its mystery, and it's also easy to read. My questions are...... (Pulls out a handbook filled with memos from his bag) Why Engaru, why pumpkin mochi, and why is Aoba so bad at flying?

Hagio: Oh, you noticed after all. This is the first time someone's pointed those out to me. As expected of Azuma-san. There's no benefit to the story for Aoba not flying.

Azuma: Also, why does Otou-san cry so easily?

Hagio: Watarai-san (渡会), in the past, I thought adults were more respectable beings, and I thought I would also become like that. Instead, I realised even when I turned 30 or 40, I couldn't become a respectable adult. The child part always remained a child, and even when I became an adult, I wasn't refined in the end. I wanted to express that unrefined adult part in Watarai-san.

From 'Otherworld Barbara'. Watarai Tokio (渡会時夫) is unable to be himself around his son Kiriya (キリヤ), who lives far away, and seems to cry when he's unable to express his love for him. ©Moto Hagio

——I heard you liked Watarai-san, Azuma-sensei.

Azua: I also cry easily.

——Where did the idea for this come from?

Hagio: Now that we're here, I have to wonder......

Azuma: Apparently, there's a custom of easting brains to transmit memories.

Hagio: I once heard there was a strange disease that was prevalent among cannibals. They say it was an abnormal prion disease, but in one tribe, only the women ate brains. Hence why the disease only affected women, and when Western civilisation came and cannibalism was abolished, the disease disappeared as well.

Azuma: Only women?

Hagio: I think the reason is because eating brains was the quickest way for women giving birth to get protein, but the story had a huge impact on me.

Azuma: A story about a girl who can see the future in her dreams and interfere with it.

Hagio: Right. It's not occult, but something that moves with human will or prayer. You cannot win the lottery without praying. Though you cannot win by praying (laughs). I tried to push the idea that prayer can have the power to create reality a little further. The idea of immersing yourself in someone's consciousness is based on Komatsu Sakyou-san's (小松左京) 'Gordian Knot' (ゴルディアスの結び目), and Tsutsui Yasutaka-san's (筒井康隆) 'Paprika' (パプリカ), but when I told someone about this idea, they told me about a movie called 'The Cell' (ザ・セル), and I watched that as well.

From 'Otherworld Barbara'. Aoba tells Kiriya to recall his memories of Mars. ©Hagio Moto

Azuma: I was surprised by the ending. Was that something you planned from the very beginning?

Hagio: At first, I started drawing with the intention of it ending in volume one of the tankoubon, but I had trouble getting the characters to move, and before I knew it, it ended up that way.

Azuma: You started drawing without deciding how it would develop?

Hagio: It went in a completely different direction from what I originally thought.

Azuma: Was it supposed to be a completely different story?

Hagio: My memory is hazy now, but it was supposed to be about Watarai finding his dead child, and Aoba not being able to fly was supposed to be related to that. But then Kiriya was born in the second part of the series and the story went off the rails.


Growing Up Believing SF is Natural for Manga


——Have you two always liked SF since you were children?

Hagio: About half of me is composed of SF. I started reading Asimov when I was in middle school, and then I was absorbed in an SF fantasy world. Back then, there was a lot of accessible SF, like Asimov, Bradbury, Heinlein, and Hoshi Shin'ichi (星新一).

Azuma: I started reading in high school, but I grew up in the countryside and couldn't get my hands on Hawakawa (早川) books, so I grew up mainly on Sogen Mystery Bunko (創元推理文庫). Today, I also brought along 'Space on My Hands' (宇宙をぼくの手の上に).

Hagio: Fredric Brown.

Azuma: I thought SF was comedy. I got into Brown's 'Angels and Spaceships' and 'Science Fiction Carnival', and then (looking at the list of previously published works at the end of the paperback) I read Bradbury's 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'...... But no matter how much I read, nothing happened (laughs). So I started to dislike Bradbury. Hagio-san seems to like him, though.

Hagio: 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' isn't a comedy. Though I feel 'The October Country' had a few funny parts.

Azuma: The first encounter is important, and even though I like Bradbury's works, like 'Frost and Fire'. I also liked Van Vogt's 'The Weapon Shops of Isher' and 'The World of Null-A' because they were large in scale and incomprehensible. But even though the 'Lensman' series was large in scale, I didn't get its appeal, and since then, I haven't liked space operas.

'Astro Boy' (鉄腕アトム) (Tezuka Osamu 1952-68), 'Tetsujin 28' (鉄人28号) (Yokoyama Mitsuteru 1956-66), and 'Shounen Alliance' (少年同盟) (Ishinomori Shotarou 1962), all published by Kobunsha. The illustration is Astro Boy from the special supplementary (reprint) of the 1955 January issue of 'Shounen' (少年).


Hagio: When it comes to space opera, I found Burroughs' 'Barsoom' series easier to get into.

Azuma: I bought them because of the cover, which were amazing with Takebe Motoichirou-san's (武部本一郎) illustrations, but I only read up to volume three.

Hagio: As for manga, I loved Tezuka Osamu-sensei's (手塚治虫) 'Astro Boy' (鉄腕アトム) ever since I was in elementary school, and there's also Ishinomori Shotarou-sensei's (石ノ森章太郎) 'Shounen Alliance' (少年同盟), and Yokoyama Mitsuteru-sensei's (横山光輝) 'Tetsujin 28' (鉄人28号)...... I grew up thinking it was natural for manga to have SF.

Azuma: Tezuka-san, Ishinomori-san, Yokoyama Mitsuteru-san, and Ootomo Akira's (大友朗) 'Hinomaru-kun' (日の丸くん), and 'Akado Suzunosuke' (赤胴鈴之助) were so absurd, they were almost like SF.

——Were there a lot of girls reading shounen magna back then?

Hagio: I remember quite well in the letter section of 'Shounen' (少年) there was a letter like, "I'm a girl, but I love Astro Boy and have been reading 'Shounen' for a long time. But my friends around me say I'm weird." It made me realise everyone was struggling.

——So they were in the minority.

Ootomo Akira's (大友朗) 'Hinomaru-kun' (日の丸くん) is an SF manga (1958~63) serialised in 'Hinomaru' (日の丸) (Shueisha Publishing). Hinomaru-kun invents flying machines and robots to fight bad guys.

Takeuchi Tsunayoshi's (武内つなよし) 'Akado Suzunosuke' (赤胴鈴之助) (1954~60) serialised in 'Shounen Gaho' (少年画報). It has been turned into a radio drama.


Hagio: But when I was a child, there was SF in shoujo manga as well, and Ishinomori-sensei's 'Mist, Rose, Star' (きりとばらとほしと) and 'Yesterday Won't Come, but Tomorrow Also...' (昨日はもうこないだが明日もまた･･･) were published, and Matsumoto Leiji-sensei (松本零士) also drew for shoujo manga magazines.

——Did you read shoujo manga, Azuma-sensei?

Azuma: I read Ishinomori-san's stuff later on, but I didn't read much back then. I was obsessed with 'Cyborg 009' (サイボーグ009). Ishinomori-san's Bishounen; they were so cool.

Hagio: I also liked '009', and followed it for a long time. That was Moe-type.

Azuma: I often copied Ishinomori-san's drawings. Did you copy them, Hagio-san?

Hagio: Yes, I did. Ishinomori-sensei, Tezuka-sensei, Yokoyama Mitsuteru-sensei, Watanabe Masako-sensei (わたなべまさこ), and even Maki Miyako-sensei (牧美也子).

Yokoyama Mitsuteru's (横山光輝) 'Tomboy Angel' (おてんば天使) serialised in 'Ribon' (りぼん) between 1959 to 1962.


Azuma: Who was the easiest to draw?

Hagio: They were all difficult, but the easiest to draw was Yokoyama Mitsuteru.

——You didn't copy 'Tesujin' (鉄人), did you?

Hagio: That (laughs). It was a character from the shoujo manga 'Tomboy Angel' (おてんば天使).


No One Understands. SF is Underappreciated


——You both quickly debuted at almost the same time.

Hagio: I was 20 when 'Ruru to Mimi' (ルルとミミ) was published in 'Nakayoshi' (なかよし).

Azuma: I believe I was 19 when I was published in 'Mangaoh' (まんが王).

Hagio: Was it a contribution?

Azuma: Well, it was a commissioned manuscript. I was working as an assistant to Itai Rentarou-sensei (板井れんたろう), and they approached me, but the first one was rejected and the second was accepted. Did you contribute your work, Hagio-san?

Hagio: I did both, contributions and bringing in my own work. I continued contributing my work, and when I got to the point where I was an honourable mention, I moved to Tokyo and started bringing in my own work.

☆Dojaja——n! This is what real pro-wrestling is all about!!
The artist is a real man called Azuma Hideo (吾妻日出夫)!!
From Azuma's debut story manga 'Ringside Crazy' (リングサイド・クレイジー). It was published in the appendix to the 1969 December issue of 'Monthly Mangaoh' (月刊まんが王) 'Pro-Wrestling Encyclopedia' (プロレスなんでも百科). ©Azuma Hideo


——Were there a lot of teenagers making their debut back then?

Hagio: It wasn't like that for shounen manga, but for shoujo manga, it was common for people to debut in their teens.

——How was SF treated in the shoujo manga world when you debuted?

Hagio: It was just the occasional short story. Miuchi Suzue-san (美内すずえ) was drawing stories that were a bit like SF dramas.

——Have you ever proposed SF-style material and had it rejected?

Hagio: They rejected everything (laughs). When I said 'SF', they'd say 'save it for later' and that was the end of the conversation. Finally, I was given the go-ahead with 'They Were Eleven!' (１１人いる！).

——I believe 'They Were Eleven!' started a trend of men reading shoujo manga as well. Azuma-san, what did you think when you read Hagio-san's SF works?

Azuma: I was frustrated. I wanted to draw SF, but even if I drew them, they would end immediately, and there were no editors who understood me. So, I was doing parodies under their noses. After my weekly magazine serialisation ended, I got less work, so I started drawing for minor magazines like Minori Shobo, and was finally able to do what I wanted.

Hagio: I always felt like SF was more accepted in shounen magazines.

Azuma: Even shounen magazines were stagnant. The era of sports and gekiga came, and all the male mangaka flocked to gekiga.

Hagio: 'Shounen Sunday' (少年サンデー) and 'Shounen Magazine' (少年マガジン) were competing for circulation, and 'Sunday' had 'Obake no Q-tarou' (オバケのQ太郎) and 'Osomatsu-kun' (おそ松くん), and the ninja story 'Iga no Kagemaru' (伊賀の影丸). 'Magazine' was the period of Shirato Sanpei-sensei's (白土三平) 'Watari' (ワタリ), 'Tomorrow's Joe' (あしたのジョー), and 'Star of the Giants' (巨人の星).

Azuma: Though Tezuka-san and Ishinomori-san were doing their best.

Hagio: Now that you mention it, it was a time when there wasn't much room for anything too fantastical. I liked Fujiko Fujio-sensei's (藤子不二雄) '21 Emon' (21エモン), but it was short-lived.

Fujio-sensei's (藤子不二雄) '21 Emon' (21エモン) was serialised in 'Weekly Shounen Sunday' (週刊少年サンデー) from 1968 to 1969.


Azuma: '21 Emon' was genuine SF.

——You both also had your manga serialised in 'SF Magazine' (SFマガジン).

Azuma: I was nervous when I drew for 'SF Magazine'.

Hagio: Really?

Azuma: Weren't you nervous? If you're an SF fan, usually you'd be nervous (laughs). It's rare to find someone who isn't nervous.

Hagio: I'm better when it comes to minor magazines; I actually get more nervous for shoujo manga magazines.

Azuma: I can draw without getting nervous for things like vending machine books and doujinshi. I'm happier with places that don't have many readers. I want to do something unique in minor places.

——So you're saying 'SF Magazine' wasn't minor to you, Azuma-san? You both draw for shounen and shoujo manga magazines. Did your drawing style change depending on the medium?

Around the time he was serialising 'Methyl Metaphysic' (メチル・メタフィジーク) in 'SF Magazine from the 1979 October issue to the 1980 June issue, his work 'Absurd Diary' (不条理日記) won the Seiun Award in 1979, the sequel to which was serialised in the vending machine magazine 'Gekiga Alice' (劇画アリス) and he also published the Lolicon doujinshi 'Cybele' (シベール), all of these were part of the Azuma Boom. Image from the 1979 December issue. ©Azuma Hideo


Azuma: For me, it's gags, so not really. In 'Olympus no Pollon' (オリンポスのポロン), I simply made the mood a little more gentle and relaxed.

Hagio: I don't change anything either, but when '10 Billion Days and 100 Billion Nights' (百億の昼と千億の夜) was published in 'Shounen Champion' (少年チャンピオン), I was shocked at how thin my lines were compared to other works. I knew the lines were thicker in shounen manga, but when I was published, I was shocked at how different we were. I thought that must have been difficult, but at the same time, Ishinomori-sensei's lines were so delicate, it must've been hard for him to work in shounen magazines.

'Silver Triangle' (銀の三角) began serialisation in the 1980 December issue of 'SF Magazine' (until the 1982 June issue). In 1980, she won the Seiun Award for 'Star Red' (スター・レッド) and in 1983, she won the Seiun Award again for this work. This shows Hagio is highly regarded by SF fans.
©Hagio Moto

●What sort of incident will Orion, the Greek Don Juan, cause...?
'Olympus no Pollon' (オリンポスのポロン) is his representative work for shoujo that was serialised in 'Monthly Princess' (月刊プリンセス) from 1977 to 1979. Set in the world of Greek mythology, the little goddess Pollon stirs up trouble. It was turned into a TV anime from 1982 to 1983, and a sequel was also drawn. The illustration is from the cover of the 1979 January issue.
©Azuma Hideo


——What other works are you referring to in 'Champion' back then?

Hagio: 'Black Jack' (ブラック・ジャック), 'Dokaben' (ドカベン), 'Gaki Deka' (がきデカ), and 'Macaroni Hourensou' (マカロニほうれん荘),

——Come to think of it, I heard around that time Azuma-san received a fan letter from Mitsuse Ryuu-san (光瀬龍).

Hagio: Ehh, how nice.

Azuma: I received the letter out of the blue when I was working on 'Kimagure Goku' (きまぐれ悟空), but I never read any of Mitsuse's works before then.

Hagio: Mitsuse-san also isn't a comedy-type (laughs). After reading the happy-go-lucky success stories of Asimov and Heinlein, when I read Mitsuse-sensei's novels, they're so dark and hopeless, it took me a while to acclimate to them.

Azuma: You didn't have to go to that much trouble to read them (laughs).

——When you're reading a novel, do you think of the work in your own art?

Azuma: Isn't that a bad thing (laughs)?

Hagio: Do you think of your favourite actresses and actors?

Azuma: Probably a western movie image.

Hagio: I guess western movie for me as well.

——What SF movies do you like?

Hagio: 'Blade Runner'.

Azuma: That one makes me cry. It's a tragic story, but the movie and original are good, too. Hagio-san really likes Dick, though I don't really understand him.

Hagio: I really love him. I especially like 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' and 'Ubik'. I'm shocked by the darkness of the future Dick depicts, but I think that's what makes it so sad.


Do You Want to Disappear?


Azuma: Speaking of sad, I also read Hagio-san's 'A Cruel God Reigns' (残酷な神が支配する), but I couldn't read it because I felt sorry for the main character until the father died. When he finally died, I started to feel relieved, and then he appeared as a ghost. That was so scary. He was saved in the end, but it was tough; it takes a lot of determination to draw that.

Hagio: But it was quite fun to draw that scary old man.

Azuma: Eh!? Why? He's scary!

Hagio: At first, I thought I would hate drawing him, but then I started to think he was a strange man, and it became fun. There was a part where I was venting my frustrations by making that old man do all the bad and crazy things that were done to me in the past. I bullied my characters that way.

Azuma: I'm sure Hagio-san can draw that sort of realistic reality, but I don't want to draw that kind of thing at all, so I run away. I turn it all into a joke, and make everyone good. I still haven't adapted to reality.

Hagio: It's fine; I'm drawing the art. I'm sure it must've been really cold and difficult to draw 'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記), but I was impressed you were able to draw it so casually despite that.

Azuma: Oh, by the way, Hagio-san, you were talking about G pens the other day. In order of hardness, Tachikawa.

Hagio: Zebra, Nikko. What do you use, Azuma-san?

Azuma: I'm using a Nikko G pen now, but I didn't know it was the softest until I read that. I used to use a Kabura pen, but nothing hurts my wrist as bad as that. So, I think it's a bit naïve to say that Hagio-san's G pen hurts my wrist (laughs).

Hagio: I tried to use a Kabura pen a few times when I was younger, but it simply scratched the paper and I couldn't get it the way I wanted. It required a lot of strength and control to draw a curve with it, and I wondered who would use something like that.

'Disappearance Diary' (失踪日記) is a tankoubon (2005 East Press) that compiles all the works Azuma drew from 1992 to 2005 based on his own disappearance. It attracted a lot of attention and won numerous manga awards. The illustration is from his first work, which depicts his life on the streets after his first disappearance. The misery of enduring the wind and rain of late autumn in a sheet full of holes he found is depicted as if the artist is enjoying it, and even feels a sense of poetry.
©Azuma Hideo


Azuma: Tezuka-sensei was entirely Kabura.

——How many pages do you draw per day?

Azuma: I get exhausted after drawing one page.

Hagio: I can only draw about two pages a day comfortably now.

——Do you enjoy drawing manga?

Azuma: I hate myself when I cannot come up with a gag or my drawings look bad... I envy people who enjoy drawing, who can draw like they're possessed, and who are loved by the god of manga.

Hagio: I think it's fun while I'm drawing. I can't draw if I don't feel that way. But when I think back, I think I should have drawn it this way, or that way, so I try not to reread it too much.

——When do you have the most fun?

Hagio: During the physical experience when I draw a nice line. It's fun when I can draw a face just as I wanted. It's fun when I can think up a good piece of dialogue. What about you, Azuma-san?

Azuma: About once a year, when I draw a cute girl. Hagio-san, you seem to be doing well, but do you ever have slumps?

Hagio: Once every four years.

Azuma: How long does it last?

Hagio: About half a year.

Azuma: What do you do during those periods?

Hagio: I used to drink, but I can't drink anymore......

——Do you ever feel like disappearing?

Hagio: Once every four years (laughs). But living in the park would be tough for a woman, so maybe I'll go on a trip instead.

'Shoujo Gazing into the Distance' (遠くを見つめる少女) and 'Shoujo with Braids' (三つ編みの少女) (both published in 1981). When it comes to drawing cute Shoujo, no one surpasses Azuma.
©Azuma Hideo


——Azuma-sensei, would you like to congratulate Hagio-sensei on winning the SF Grand Prize?

Azuma: Congratulations. I also want one......

Hagio: (Laughs). Will you be coming to the SF Grand Prize party?

Azuma: I can't attend those kinds of events because of alcohol harassment. So, I'll pray your party is a great success.

The 27th Japan SF Grand Prize winner 'Otherworld Barbara' (バルバラ異界) (2003~2005, Shogakukan, Flower Comics 4 Volumes).

At the Japan SF Grand Prize award ceremony held at the Tokyo Shokan on March 2nd, 2007. Hagio holding her trophy.


※～※～※～※～※

Azuma Hideo & Hagio Moto Collaboration Comics​

Azuma Hideo: Strange Rumour Barbara

Moto Hagio: Azuma Hideo and Me

I'll probably translate this page if I get a much better scan. It's a story depicting Moto Hagio reading Azuma's interesting manga, their first encounter, and them collaborating on a manga with what was supposed to be a Super Hard Space Opera, but instead turning into an SF Lolicon Fishnet Stockings manga (this was included with the Azuma Hideo long interview book) with an assistant, and them drinking delicious sake together, and finally reunited with Azuma dressed as he did when he was a Shounen, but older, and Hagio becoming a Babaa.

Azuma Hideo: Hagio-san's Manga Makes Me Cry

※～※～※～※～※

On Usenet, there's a person called Matt Thorn, who was a Hagio Moto researcher and translator. I haven't read any of Matt Thorn's books, but I'm under the impression like most people, he didn't note anything about her relationship with Azuma Hideo (googling both their names turns up nothing in relation to Matt Thorn). I also know a Matt Thorson (mattmakesgames), and a Matt Alt (zzfear thinks Matt Alt is disingenous regarding his 'take' on the Dragon Quest interview that was taken down). And both Thorson and Thorn turned into Okama, so perhaps it's only a matter of time Alt becomes the third Matt Okama... Third times the lucky charm, so they say. Last year was the first time I've seen Matt Alt's ugly mug in a video where he's shedding tears at all the 'diversity' while attending an American convention (guess seeing nothing but Blue Archive doujins at Comiket broke his brain); I've read his terrible translations and opinion columns decades ago (he translated Nakamori Akio's 'Otaku Research' columns from 'Manga Burikko'), and he also used to post on Usenet. Though as terrible as Matt Alt is, his life experience and knowledge about Japanese matters is greater than all of 4chan and Varis combined, which is absolutely horrible... Kera listed Matt Alt's name along with Patrick Galbraith as notable foreign researchers, and that made me visibly upset. If there's one thing everyone should strive towards, it's to strive towards being a better researcher, translator, and person than Matt Alt. Make this your New Year's Resolution: "This year, I'll do my best to be less terrible than Matt Alt."

Speaking of Okama, I also saw posts by Josh Lesnick on Usenet. Josh introduced me to Mita Ryuusuke's Dark Hair Captured (he localised the first chapter into an English script). Josh also had a webcomic that confused my young, impressionable brain, then I forgot about him until a decade later, I decided to look him up, and found out he became an Okama. Maybe I have a cursed variant of King Midas that if I play someone's games or read their articles, and if they're really, really old and use their real name on the internet, then they have a higher than average chance of turning into an Okama.

 

[Taruby]

Here's an indirect Christmas present from Patrick Galbraith via someone I met on Twitter (X) called Yamada Mirai (Link), who spoke with Galbraith this year and received two pdf files from Galbraith to read (this and Nagayama Kaoru's book). Yamada also follows me, and seems able to read Japanese, so I'm crossing my fingers he'll eventually contribute to faithfully archiving or translating this sort of material in the future.

This is a short article written by Akagi Akira for the 'New Feminism Review 3'. If you go back to page 5, I translated an article by Akagi Akira for Comic Box Jr about the kind of Lolicon doujinshi that sells like hotcakes. I'm curious why Patrick Galbraith thought this article was important, but I guess Patrick read an article like this (Link) and saw Bishoujo/Lolicon associated with feminism and thought it would help push his narrative. Despite this being the second thing I've consciously seen by Akagi Akira, I don't know if he's alive or has a social media presence; I'm going to need to keep an eye out for him alongside all of the other writers I'm beginning to become familiar with.


※～※～※～※～※


Source:『ニュー・フェミニズム・レビュー 3』 1992/3/1

●Pornography Front Line

The Desire Called Lolicon: Bishoujo Syndrome​

By Akagi Akira (赤木 旭)


Lolicon, among male manga fans, was a status. Some may be surprised when I say this, but around 10 years ago, there was such a movement at Comiket (a manga/anime doujinshi convention). Nowadays, due to the impact of the Youjo Serial Murder Incident (幼女連続殺人事件), the term known as Lolicon has taken on a very criminal connotation, and it has become impossible to say something like, "Actually, I'm a Lolicon."

In fact, when looking at those who refer to themselves as Lolicon, one has to wonder if Lolicon are really that criminal. Due to the impact of such a particularly shocking incident, the perception of Lolicon differs between those within and outside.

The term Lolita Complex originated from Vladimir Nabokov's film 'Lolita', which depicts the 42 year-old Mr. Humbert becoming infatuated with the 12 year-old Bishoujo Lolita. The 30 year age difference was an important factor in the concept of Lolicon. Another famous example is Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), the author of 'Alice in Wonderland'. He reportedly had a hobby of taking and collecting nude photographs of Shoujo while working as a teacher. Perhaps those called Sensei are more tempted to challenge taboos.

Like this, the driving force was the taboo surrounding social standing and status, leading to love for a Shoujo of a daughter-like age, or a child porno-esque eros hobby being labeled as Lolicon, but I believe the Lolicon surrounding manga/anime fans is best described as those seeking a 2D (manga/anime) image rather than a realistic one. Their target isn't Shoujo herself, but rather Shoujo sexuality symbolised by cuteness. Furthermore, by self-identifying as the sickness (ビョーキ) known as Lolicon, it took the meaning of liberation from all manner of constraints.

The general understanding of Lolicon has become overly broad since the Youjo Serial Murder Incident, leading to it encompassing even criminal acts such as rape and murder. "Lolicon are Hentai who lust after innocent Shoujo, view them as sexual objects, engage in ecchi, and sometimes even resort to murder."

A perception like the above. As a result, those who openly identify as Lolicon are branded as social misfits and ostracised, and Lolicon manga/anime fans have gone underground.

However, they didn't simply disappear; rather, Lolicon itself has begun to spread and is now manifesting prominently in the media known as manga.

Please pick up and look at shounen and seinen magazines. Nowadays, almost every magazine is serialising manga that features the erotic advent of Shoujo. Furthermore, the group of magazines called ero-manga, those with a gekiga-style, are laying low and being replaced by sexual depictions of Shoujo with large, cute eyes.

This kind of Lolicon manga is expressed even more explicitly in doujinshi. It's no exaggeration to say Lolicon manga began from doujinshi. What can be called the ethical regulation of the doujinshi world is one's own conscience, so it's not surprising for there to be an anarchic exhibition of sex, but it's a fact it possesses a power one step ahead of its time. (However, currently, due to regulations on comics with sexual content, the most blatant examples have disappeared, but the freedom of expression issue remains unresolved. On this occasion, I won't touch on this specially, but I hope the imposition of good sense on doujinshi will stop.)

Now then, what exactly are the trends of Lolicon manga (laughs)?

➀ SM
➁ Tentacles (Mecha or tentacles of otherworldly creatures taking the role of a penis.)
➂ Mecha-Fetish (Mecha & Bishoujo—in many cases intertwining with weapons.)
➃ Anime Parodies (Using Bishoujo from manga or anime such as Lum from the Takahashi Rumiko [高橋留美子] work 'Urusei Yatsura' [うる星やつら] as material for ero-parodies.)
➄ Anything Simply Ecchi

➀SM
From 'SOLDIER LADY'. SM and grotesque things are often used as a means of creating a strong impact. Torture also exists as a means of communication.

➁ Tentacles
From 'CO・LEMON sisters'. There is no element of pleasure derived from the mecha-tentacles or alien tentacles, the focus is entirely on the Shoujo being violated. The fact she's being violated by something inhuman might be the point allowing for an emotional connection.

➂ Mecha-Fetish
From Kimoto Yukimi's (樹本由紀美) 'Guraman' (ぐらまん). Mecha (weapons) and Bishoujo are both things boys like, and this can be seen as a modern interpretation of the orthodox pattern known as beauty and the beast.

➃ Anime Parodies
From 'LaliluleLOLI' (らりるれRORI). By drawing sex not depicted in popular manga/anime characters such as 'Urusei Yatsura' (うる星やつら), it becomes possible to convert these girls into one's personal property.

➄ Anything Simply Ecchi
From Ondada Makoto's (小野田誠) 'Dollhouse' (人形の館). Ero-manga is more popular with cute and pretty art than realistic gekiga. This is because it feels more erotic.


What's particularly noteworthy is the face of the sexual assaulter isn't depicted in tentacle stuff. In traditional ero-manga, the standard (?) protagonists are often burly, working-class geezers, melancholic and deranged SM middle-aged men, or socially downtrodden Ronin, and even in shounen magazines, there's a hero (though they rarely cross the line). The creator depicts the protagonist as someone who wields physical power, and the reader empathises with him; however, the entity violating the Shoujo in the case of doujinshi are depicted as tentacles resembling dental equipment, or something like an alien or The Thing (物体X), or it's portrayed as lez or masturbation, and it's not uncommon for the perpetrator to not even appear at all.

Perhaps this is because neither the creator nor the readers can exist as beings with great power, so they collectively and unconsciously create tentacles as faceless penises. The tentacles only serve to bring physical and physiological pain or pleasure to the Shoujo, rather than emotional experiences, and the tentacles themselves, as a substitute for penises, express no pleasure at all. Those involved in Lolicon manga demand the ecstasy of the Shoujo more than the pleasure derived from the penis. At that moment, they identify with the Shoujo and immerse themselves in masochistic pleasure by empathising with her.

The fact Lolicon manga lacks a tangible male figure and strives towards identifying with the Shoujo likely stems from a desire for self-assertion by those oppressed within this society governed by male competitive principles. The competitive principles that permeate male society force individuals to trample upon others to stand superior. Even on a cultural level, the values and trends created by media impose conformity and generate oppression. Relationships between men and women, even romantic ones, are ranked according to various criteria, and competition to obtain a better partner than others has become prevalent. The self-assertion of being a Lolicon, which emerged from this environment, represents a rejection of the competitive principal world, seeking fulfilment not in existence as a male, but in the image of a Shoujo's love and kindness, conveying a sense of protest against reality. However, Lolicon has devolved into an ero-guro world, focusing on how to depict more shocking things than others, ultimately being swallowed up by the very male competitive principals it initially sought to escape from (tohoho).

The reason Lolicon took the form of manga/anime is also because no other medium is most closest to it. It's often said those who can feel sexual arousal towards manga or anime character nudes have lost the ability to distinguish between reality and fiction. Whether one agrees with that or not, for those born after 1960, this is an extremely natural way of perceiving the world. That generation grew up surrounded by manga and anime, and as a result of receiving and learning a vast amount of information from them, they were able to develop by simulating imagination beyond what is being depicted in them (and largely without any connection to real beings or experiences).

As far back as they can remember, the 2D-world and 3D-world coexisted before their eyes, and for a generation who felt no need to take a single step outside their imagination cocoon, the 3D reality demanded they become independent in this society and take responsibility. Their physical bodies were inevitably bound to living and working within this world. Even if they immersed themselves in various images in the world of ideas and filled their hearts with images to replace reality, it remained nothing more than a highly personalised fantasy. Then, with the emergence of the keyword known as Lolicon, Bishoujo became the single greatest shared fantasy mediated through 'sex' (性) anyone could understand.

Consider, for example, the unstylish appearance of those called Lolicon (Otaku) being similar to women from the former women's lib who rejected the notion of beauty as a commodity imposed upon them by men, instead appealing for going without makeup and bras. To be popular with girls, one has no choice but to become a manual-ised cool (possessing commodity value for women) and socially acceptable 'man'. Those who find value in such, in order to become a male that attracts females, will frequent tanning salons and try to become a nice guy, but so long as there's a lack of interest in becoming such a male, then fashion is a useless extravagance. As is often said in books, "Because Otaku cannot date real girls, they escape into Lolicon."

That being said, rather on the contrary, the reason there's so little expression or self-assertion in the doujinshi world, such as Comiket, is because they have chosen the imaginary world over reality. This is their significant difference from the appeal and action of the females involved in the women's liberation movement, which means their advocacy for social reform is highly unlikely to happen. After all, reality is outside their focus.

In any case, even Otaku, Lolicon, have no choice but to live in reality, but the fact the M-suspect of the Youjo Serial Murder Incident is said to be a Lolicon (Otaku) is only intensifying the oppression against them. I have my doubts whether the suspect murdered Youjo because he was an Otaku, or whether he just so happened to be an Otaku, but it seems the overwhelming consensus is that being an Otaku was a contributing factor to his crimes. Is it because I'm an Otaku I feel Otaku are subjected to unwarranted discrimination stemming from the fact Otaku-related elements, such as owning 6000 videos or participating in Comiket, create a strong sense of alienation for many people (especially those firmly integrated into society), leading to their exclusion within a feudalistic mindset?


※～※～※～※～※
Source:『コミックボックスジュニアVol.12』 1984/12

This is the Lolicon FZ (Fanzine) that Sells like Hotcakes!!

 

[Taruby]

An unexpected find courtesy of Chris, which he acquired to help with my research. The full issue of 'Dämmerung Und Odyssee Vol. 2.5' is available on Sad Panda, and includes rules for a Table-Top RPG. One of the writers from this Circle critiques the GORO article I translated here (Link). Against my better judgement, I also translated a piece about shoujo manga. Largely because I made the acquaintance of a guy called Kea (@tern_inca), who's been following me and was interested in Takemiya Keiko's Perfect Lolicon manga 'Fly Me to the Moon'. But after translating the whole thing, it provides a window into the brains of a certain kind of Lolicon... which is briefly touched upon in a comment from an Okada Toshio video I translated earlier in this thread about Japanese men fapping to anything, even other men, so long as they're cute...

There's also an article written by someone who calls themself a True Lolicon. On 4chan, zzfear told me about a boogie-man poster called LDR (Lolis R Dead) separating anime fans between Ironic and Unironic Lolicon, reading their posts, these unironic Lolicon seem to have the mistaken notion they're Enlightened or True Lolicon when they're closer to being phonies...

Table of Contents:
★Lolita or Sailor Suits, Which is Closer to God?
By Petit-Lagrange (ぷてぃ~らぐらんじぇ)
★How Are You Doing Amidst the Shifting Lolicon Boom?
By Deming Cycle (でみんぐ・さいくる)
★Lolicon Comic Wai-Wai
By Morio Katsushi (森尾カツシ)
★Riding the Lolicon Boom
By True Lolicon (本当露理根)

---

---

Source:『Dämmerung Und Odyssee VOL. 2.5』1982/4/4

Shoujo Playing in the Spring Breeze
Lolita or Sailor Suits, Which is Closer to God?
The Sixth Root of Reason Association​

By Petit-Lagrange (ぷてぃ~らぐらんじぇ)

It was last month, I was strolling along the cherry tree-lined riverbank with time to spare. From autumn to winter, the normally uninviting asphalt sidewalk was now adorned with beautiful cherry blossoms. Through the pink, cloud-like cherry blossoms, the sky was not the dull, leaden gray of winter, but a soft, hazy blue. Just then, the sounds of something like a graduation ceremony was talking place at a nearby kindergarten. Shoujo were scurrying around in front of their young mothers dressed in kimonos. Their hearts were surely filled with thoughts of elementary school and their Randoseru. Even from a distance, it was a heartwarming sight that brought a smile to my face. Before I knew it, the lamps along the cherry tree-lined path were lit, and folks began to gather and enjoy the evening cherry blossoms. (Ahh, the season perfect for Shoujo playing has arrived once again, I thought, feeling a sense of deep emotion.)

Now then, in 'Twilight & Odyssey' (黄昏浪流) (Dämmerung Und Odyssee) vol.2, Ooya Hideki (大矢秀樹), president of the Nagoya Gakuin Sailor Suit Research Club, stated sailor suits are closer to god than Lolita. However, I do not agree with this opinion. Therefore, the following text can be considered a rebuttal to his statement.

The recent Lolicon Boom. I agree with Ooya on this point, I cannot say anything but it seems that way. There's a feeling this current boom is dancing to the mass-media (some groups have gone underground and suspended their activities). Lolicon and sailor units, and even diapers and SM, are all being lumped together in discussion. The mass-media, putting aunties over 20 with Shoujo-Shoujo, seem to be trying to categorise Sailor Suit Hobby as a kind of Lolicon.

Originally, what we call Lolita Complex was an antisocial behaviour, a kind of sexual impulse. While the current Lolicon Boom has brought a certain openness, it's still not something where one can openly declare, "I'm a Lolicon." However, with high schoolers saying things like, "I'm a Lolicon!" or "Angie! Clarisse! Zaku!" Lolicon has become something of a pose; this is where the big difference between sailor suits and Lolicon lies. Sailor suits has a form of its own; no matter what one says, it's still a sailor suit. However, Lolicon is a fragile thing that changes relatively depending on a person's perception. I also agree with what Ooya says that sailor suits can be called sailor suits when the external form and inner-self of a person become one. However, sailor suits are things that can be recognised as a sailor suit simply from its external form.

Let me give a simple example to illustrate the kind of Lolicon (which we call Loliconer [ロリコナー]) we aspire to be. Imagine you're sitting on a park bench. A Shoujo comes over to get a drink of water. It wouldn't be surprising if the Shoujo, engrossed in her play, hadn't noticed you until then. Your eyes meet for the first time. You smile, and she smiles back. For her, you were practically non-existent until this moment, but now, at this very moment, there's a communication between you two, a kind of soul connection, and then it's over. She goes back to playing. She has your gentle gaze upon her. U—gh, do you understand? This simple smile! Mamotte Agetai (守ってあげたい). The Yuming* (ユーミン) song. A passing lady. If you're still fooled by stuff like the scent of soap, you're still too young. There's no need to confine her to things like sailor suits. Look in the Pillow Book's (枕草子) 'Things of Beauty' (うつくしきもの). I believe it's a path humanity should follow.
※Matsutouya Yumi (松任谷 由) (Wiki).

Now then, Lolita and sailor suits, which is closer to god? The answer is obviously Lolita. Lolicon is about loving Shoujo platonically. Meaning, it's a form of love that loves the spirit, and consequently, the body that accompanies it. Even if they have the opportunity to ×× the Shoujo's ×××, even ××ing the ×× and involuntarily ××ing is an act of love. They approach god saying, "Oji-san, you see..." There are even believers creeping closer. The idea one must approach god with love is something that could be argued based on what one might've learned in their high school ethics or university philosophy classes. If a sailor suit is something that unilaterally provides comfort through protection, then that's just Buddha-sama, you twit! Are sailor suits a soft focus period? The vinyl books I looked at the other day, it was too sharply focused (however you looked at them, they were 15~16), it was disgusting. Lolicon is soft-focus, like Kiyooka (清岡) Oba-chan's eyesight. D. Hamilton (D・ハミルトン) Ossan doesn't even know how to focus, ya—i, ya—i.
※Kiyooka Sumiko (清岡 純子) (Wiki)
※David Hamilton (デイヴィッド・ハミルトン) (Wiki)

As I return home and spent the night contemplating these profound thoughts, I heard the sound of elementary schoolers laughing and playing outside. Ahh, it's that time of year again when Shoujo laugh and play.

Pink Petals of Cherry Blossoms, Shoujo
By Kitei (浮亭)


※～※～※～※～※

How Are You Doing Amidst the Shifting Lolicon Boom?​

By Deming Cycle (でみんぐ・さいくる)

It's been quite the boom. Even 'Tonight' (トゥナイト) on TV had a special feature (11/23) titled 'Mature, but Afraid, University Students Now Obsessed with Lolita' (成熟したが怖くて、いま大学生はロリータに夢中) (although I personally like mature ladies, I also love Youjo and Shoujo...). GORO and Non・no. Even Playboy (プレボーイ) and Heibon Punch (平凡パンチ) had special features on the topic. However, when I read them carefully, there were many absurd articles. Not to mention, I was appalled one out of every two articles tried glossing over issues like Mothercon (マザコン), impotence, and sexual immaturity by presenting them as the opinions of doctors and experts. Honestly speaking, looking at the people at the centre of the current boom, and those swarming around them, I don't get that impression at all. On the contrary, some are quite sleazy, that geezer from the original 'Lolita', who casually married Lolita's mother and deceived her......

When these kind of booms emerge, major companies get involved, but among them, Shogakukan's G×R× March 11th issue's 'Are You Really Running Away from the World of Lolicon Boys' (ロリコンボーイの世界からキミは本当に脱出しているか) is somewhat...... Does the person who wrote this feature really understand what Lolicon means? It's exactly like an article I've seen before. In particular, the one in Fusion Product (フュージョンプロダクト). The Lolicon features from FP and Animec (アニメック) have been used here and there, but...... I know, I bet the person from G×R× and the person from FP are the same person, or know each other. Yeah, that must be it. Just look at this jaw-dropping doujinshi list. In the photo, there's 'Alice' & 'Alice's Room' (Aliceの部屋), and Gifu University's 'Lita' (リータ) are mysteriously absent from the 'books read' in the main text, and the order of titles is also the same as FP's list, they even included the furigana 'furita' (フリタ) for 'FRITHA' (フリス), and 'CARICON' seems to be 'CRA・CON'. If, ten-thousand-to-one, they used FP, it would make sense. Everything that appeared in FP was in Gothic, and (what's more, 'Alice' and 'Collection' are missing) there's very old ones like Arisu (愛栗鼠) and Lolita (ロリータ), and discontinued ones like Kurama (クラマ) and Venus (ヴィーナス), and they've mixed in 'Nekolita' (ネコリータ), 'Whatever Journal' (どこでも含読), and 'Suzuran' (すずらん) with the Lolicon-zines. 'Whatever Journal' is the Azuma Hideo FC 'Lost My Tail Club' (しっぽがないの会), and even though FP described it as a 'partial Lolicon-zine', anyone who sees the real thing wouldn't call it Lolicon. 'Lost My Tail' publishes two other Lolicon-zines (one of which is Bishoujology [美少女学]), so they're not going out of their way to make their club's zines Lolicon only...... Even 'Suzuran', as readers of the zine know, declares they're not Lolicon, and even FP has them introduced as 'Lolicon Hentai (?)'.

Hmm. I thought even combining Vol.1 & 2, 'Suzuran' failed to sell a hundred copies. I believe only one copy of Vol.1 went to the Animec editorial department, and only copies of that one copy are circulating. (That's why we judge whether someone has actually read 'Suzuran', or is just quoting from a secondary source, based on how they refer to it.)

Well, it's fine since it's an article that mentions stuff like 'Little Pretenders' (リトル・プリテンダー) being released last year. But I was really taken aback when the editor-in-chief of G×R× appeared and said something about Non・no's Lolicon special feature*.
※『non・no』（1982.3.20. p59-63）「男性研究 男の心に潜むロリータ願望症を診察する 」

Eh? Let's stop making a big deal out of a mere 4-page special feature from a book. Other A4 books also feature stuff like women in their 20s being tied up and wearing diapers, describing it as Lolicon-play. (It makes 'Hey!Buddy' [ヘイ・バディ] relatively tame for an A4 book. Is this Lolicon-play Noguchi Masayuki's* [野口正之] influence?)
※Noguchi Masayuki is Uchiyama Aki (内山亜紀), the King of Lolicon.

Once the boom dies down a bit, let's take another look at everything in more detail.

Well, this is how things stand.


※～※～※～※～※

Comic! Comic!
Lolicon Comic Wai-Wai
——Shoujo Manga Special Feature!——​

By Morio Katsushi (森尾カツシ)

I would like to reconsider the definition of LC Comic. Surely, you don't think it's just Uchiyama Aki (内山亜紀) and Azuma Hideo (吾妻ひでお) entertaining our eyes? What we call Lolicon is a broad field. It's good to broaden your horizons and not be too fixated on one area, so this time, following a theme of an 'Internist... at a Clinic' (医院で……内科医), I'll be highlighting two or three cute girls from recent shoujo manga.

First, I would like to discuss 'Strawberry Essay' (ストロベリーエッセイ) (Shino Yukiko [篠有紀子]), which was strongly recommended by my dojo master. This person's art has somewhat ambiguous lines, and when viewed in its magazine, the character's charm is halved, but in its recently released comic, the line contrast is much better, showcasing the skills of the artist. Ami-chan (亜美) in her overalls is so cute I could just gobble her up! I felt like I had seen this style somewhere before, and it turns out it resembles Hagio Moto's (萩尾望都) art from an earlier period (Aah, Hagio-san, to whence did Frol [フロル] go...?). Besides her, I quite like Ritsuko-san (律子) who appeared in 'Fresh Green Season' (フレッシュグリーンの季節) and Mami-chan (麻美) from 'Girl with the Alto Voice' (アルトの声の少女) by Shino Yukiko (篠有紀子)... Personally...... There's too many others to count, so I'll stop listing them. Go ahead and do your own research. Among them, even the one called Shouko-san (承子) is exceptionally cute, so take note. (Even though she's 23 years old...)

©Shino Yukiko (篠有紀子)

Now then. Shino Yukiko (篠有紀子) and Hagio Moto (萩尾望都) are said to be somewhat unconventional among shoujo manga, but there are plenty of delicious-looking girls within more typical 'shoujo comic'. Here, I'll mention Kawahara Yumiko's (川原由美子) 'KNOCK!' as an example. I haven't read much else by this artist, but she doesn't seem to be particularly good at writing long stories. Recent shoujo manga, including Shino Yukiko, whom I mentioned earlier, and Narita Minako (成田美名子), whom I'll discuss later, seem to have a meticulous preference in their characters, lacking a sense of naturalness. (Although, overly simplistic ones like those from the past are also a problem.) However, that's just the ramblings of a single reader. Anyways, it's fine so long as the characters are cute, and if their gestures are cute, that's enough, so there's no need to nitpick. Now then, Tonami Mai-chan (十南舞) from 'KNOCK!'... Although she's a bit outside my target age range, with her wide face and dainty nose, and that sailor... Hmm!? I... in any case, she perfectly matches my hobby, or rather the hobby of my friends. (Especially her long hair...) That being said, I won't ignore all of you SA (super abnormal) readers. She does appear... Mai-chan's childhood self. (While short), if you're not quite at the SA level, there's Mika-chan* (美花). Perhaps choosing Mika-chan is the most normal for a Lolicon. No, there's no normal or abnormal in this kinda place. The one who finds the most characters that match their hobby wins. Lastly, among these types of artists, the shining star is Sakou Sakae (さこう栄), whom is recommended by everyone. This person has quite a few tankoubon and occasionally appears in magazines like Shoujo Friend (少女フレンド). Personally, I recommend 'School Press We're Fourteen' (学園通信われらフォーティーン). However, at fourteen, they seem to be beyond our target age range. If girls over 13 are treated as cute, then we might be heading towards a decline. However. In comics (especially shoujo manga), the characters' mental age and expression often make them appear younger than their stated age. Furthermore, in the works mentioned earlier, the Shoujo have a somewhat androgynous quality. This preference for androgyny is perhaps the most significant point of Lolita Complex. The type of comics discussed in Vol.2 are an extension (into sadism) of this basic principle. Therefore, the foundation lies here.
※T/L Note: Mika-chan (美花), I haven't been able to find information or volumes of 'KNOCK!', so the second character of her name might be different (please contact me if it's correct or incorrect).

©Kawahara Yumiko (川原由美子)

"After several years of venturing down the Lolicon path, we have returned here once again."

Let's return to our topic. Next, I would like to recommend a recently released comic that features the best girl character, perfect for Lolicon Hobby. Furthermore, the character's age falls within the most widely accepted range. There are even opinions it might be nominated for the Nebula Award, it's 'Fly Me to the Moon' (私を月まで連れてって). If you thought the person called Takemiya Keiko (竹宮恵子) stopped writing comedies recently, you're dead wrong! To write a comedy with such a cute girl... I also love the title, but I especially love the atmosphere of 'Fly Me to the Moon!' (the Frank Sinatra song mentioned in the opening), and I read it every month when it comes out. It's published in 'For Lady', so everyone should check it out! Aww... Nina's the best!

©Takemiya Keiko (竹宮恵子)

Now then. This isn't our ultimate recommended work for this occasion. but the editor insisted we go with this, so we'll be picking up all of Narita Minako's (成田美名子) comics. (We'll save her magazine-published works for later, as we don't have the materials on hand right now.)

Let's start from the Utty (ユーティー) series. In this series, aside from Utty's younger sister, Tila (ティラ), making a special appearance, there aren't many girls that would appeal to Lolicon. However, the fairies that appear in 'Wonderland' (ワンダーランド), which is included at the end of 'Welcome' (ウェルカム) (first work in the Utty series), and ones like Farr (ファー) from Parts 2 and 3, are quite appealing to those with a Youjo Hobby, and I believe they, along with Chassy (チャシー) from Hagio Moto's (萩尾望都) Spirit (精霊) series, symbolise the cute charm of 4-head tall characters. My reason for saying Tila is good is, as mentioned earlier, because I like her androgynous (though if I had to pick which, then boyish...!) appearance, but this might not be something everyone feels. Towards the end, Tila loses her boyish atmosphere, but her unique clumsiness was still enough to please my eyes.

Yes, clumsy Shoujo...... This is perhaps the most fitting description of the Shoujo Narita Minako draws. Aside from Farr, who is still in the realm of a Youjo, whether it's Tila, Chino-san from 'Class 2-4......' (2年4組……), or Misa-chan from 'Aitsu' (あいつ), this clumsiness is what may be captivating us. (Even if they're outside our target age range.)

©Narita Minako (成田美名子)

Now then, let's continue with Shoujo outside our age range. That said, she will also be the last one for this special feature. Well then, everyone...... Tottotto, if I end it here, the editor will become cross with me. Originally, the reason we picked Narita Minako was because some Loli* (路利) bastard was raving about how Sharl-kun (シャール) is great~. Alien Street~ ( エイリアン通り). Otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to cover a work with so many difficult characters. However, I do like Alien Street, and Tsubasa-kun is cute, and...... Anyways, the reason 'Alien...' is so good is because the protagonist, Sharl, escapes from the seriousness of guys like Utty, and is as refreshing as its California sky. The main characters are well-differentiated, and interesting stories keep coming one after another... It's like a story that takes all the best parts of the recent offering of shoujo manga. Well, there's no point in praising it so much. After all, I'm a Lolicon! Tsubasa-kun is so cute! (This text doesn't even make sense.)
※He's referring to Con Loli (今 路利).

In short, while Tsubasa-kun retains some of the clumsiness mentioned earlier, this girl has a very easygoing personality, which is so good. The problem here is that she has so few starring scenes. In the main story surrounding Sharl, she's the second most important character among the supporting cast, after Gerard-kun, but unfortunately, she has little connection to the subtitle stories, and her only appearance is in an extra edition (番外編) published in the May issue of LaLa, which depicts her meeting Sharl. Furthermore, she's barely featured in the self-selected art book, and...... I wish Part 4 was a full-blown love-comedy between Sharl and Tsubasa... While saying such selfish things, members of the The Sixth Root of Reason Association wiped away their drool as they gazed upon illustrations of Tsubasa-kun smiling sweetly.

And now! We'll conclude this corner with a Tsubasa-kun Cut collection.

©Narita Minako (成田美名子)

※～※～※～※～※

Riding the Lolicon Boom

By True Lolicon (本当露理根)

Recently, there's been a so-called Lolicon Boom, and magazines, books, and movies claiming to be about Lolicon are appearing everywhere. This is somewhat angering and disappointing to me, as someone who considers himself a true Lolicon. Lolicon, of course, refers to Lolita Complex. For those of you reading this book, there's no need for me to re-explain the definition, but some recent works being called 'Lolicon' don't fit this definition (please consider it the fundamental one). I would like to call these things 'Fake Lolicon'.

Why Fake Lolicon? (This may be due to my own personal biases and prejudices.) Firstly, I believe Lolicon should be a purely personal matter and not something to be enjoyed (how nasty) by many people simultaneously. It shouldn't be something that's openly displayed as it is now. Secondly, there's a general consensus that viewing innocent Shoujo and Youjo as objects of sexual desire is morally reprehensible and Hentai (which is also particularly wicked). The fact what is called Lolicon is being displayed so shamelessly is itself abnormal. Currently, there are numerous Shoujo nude photobooks being published (though they may not explicitly state this, their purpose is Lolicon). (Around 10 years ago, there were only a few famous ones like 'Shoujo Alice' (少女アリス) and 'Europe: 12 Year-old Mythology' [ユウロペ、十二才の神話].) I'm not saying Shoujo nude photobooks are bad or that they shouldn't be published. I'd even like to see more of them, but do photobooks these days really capture the essence of Lolicon? Some do, but the majority don't meet the expectations of Lolicon enthusiasts. Many are sensationalists, claiming to be art (Lolicon also consider this aspect), but in reality, they don't come close to being art; they're often tainted by the profit-driven motives of the mass-media. The essence of Lolicon lies in its artistic quality and its ability to stimulate Lolicon sensibilities. Even if they aren't explicitly labelled as Lolicon books, these can be sufficiently called Lolicon books. Conversely, books published as Lolicon books that lack these qualities and fail to stimulate Lolicon sensibilities shouldn't be called Lolicon books at all. These so-called Lolicon books even appear in major magazines, including certain types of vinyl books. And these publications, driven by mere curiosity and without an understanding of the true nature of Lolicon, shamelessly present themselves to the general public under the name of Lolicon. Especially in certain vinyl books, they use the term Lolicon without hesitation for women who are around 18 years old (excuse me!). Books of this type simply feature sailor suits and Shoujo Hobby-esque outfits, but their contents are merely mature women exposing their bodies and performing acts that resemble those of virgins. From a middle-aged man's perspective, they might appear to be Lolicon. However, these are the kinds of books True Lolicon, even those middle-aged or older, don't want to see. The object of Lolicon should always be Shoujo, ideally under 15 years old, fruit that hasn't fully ripened.

Currently, sailor suits are often associated with Lolicon, but this is not an accurate representation of True Lolicon. According to the representative of the Sailor Suit Research Club (セーラー服研究会), "Sailor suits and Lolicon are separate things, and we don't want our research to be mistaken as a Lolicon-zine. Lolicon is our enemy!" While sailor suits may evoke a sense of wistfulness, they are merely props, and the equation of Sailor Suit=Lolicon is incorrect.

However, the existence of General Lolicon who use incorrect analogies out of mere curiosity may be somewhat convenient for True Lolicon. Meaning, True Lolicon can hide in the shadows of these dummies and obtain sufficient satisfaction.


※～※～※～※～※

Afterword (Translated by Chris) (Chris Homepage)

"3 editors turned into 4 editors, but the futility remains unchanged. So tough~." (Con Loli [今 路利])

"A man has a man's weapon. If so, if Shoujo were to come at us with a Shoujo's weapon... what would happen? (Kurai [倉井※瞬])

"Girlsssss......... L...... Lolicon go boom!!" (Morio Katsushi [森尾カツシ])

"Please look forward to Ragnarok I advanced game, Ragnarok II, etc." (Petit-Lagrange [ぷてぃ~らぐらんじぇ])

 

[Taruby]

★Table of Contents★
Tajiri Satoshi Information
◆CONTINUE Vol.8◆
Tajiri Satoshi's 80s Period
◆Mutation Vol.1◆
Lolicon Love Story (Aoyama Masaaki)
Mutation VS Lively Lolita
◆Mutation Vol.2◆
●6th Year 4th Class Newspaper:
Ahh, Solemn Nationality Exchange Ceremony
Matsuo Hideo-kun Stinks!!
Yamaguchi Ai-chan Also Stinks!
From Sensei
Breaking News
Friends That Became 'Women' This Month
Very Strange Robot Transfer Student!?
We're Slave Volunteers
Pubic Hair from Murata Kyouko-chan's Bloomers?
What are the Roots of Tamura Masae's Gloominess?
Afterword (Yachi Junpei [谷地淳平])


◆Mutation Vol.3◆
●6th Year 4th Class Newspaper: 'Incompetent Writer Interview' (Kameyama Youichi and Aoyama Masaaki)

Tajiri Satoshi Information:
Tajiri Satoshi (田尻 智) (Wiki)


※～※～※～※～※


Source:『CONTINUEVol.8』2003/2/28

Tajiri Satoshi's 80s Period​

To be honest, there were many things we didn't ask in the previous interview. That's the reason for this second interview. However, far exceeding our expectations, Tajiri Satoshi (田尻智) candidly reflected on his youth. He himself described the night before the birth of 'Quinty' (クインティ) as having a 'punk feel'. What was he thinking and what was he trying to achieve in the midst of moratorium? We delve into those depths.

Aoyama Masaaki's 'Mutation'


Tajiri: Speaking of the 'Quinty' days, that was quite some time ago, and I thought it would be good to have some reference material, so I brought some things from those days. (Pointing to a book) The trigger that made me think of creating 'Game Freak' (ゲームフリーク) was this mini-communication zine called 'Mutation' (突然変異). It was around the time I was in high school that issues 1, 2, and 3 came out, and then after a while, issue 4 came out, and that was the end of it.

——Ahh! The mini-communication zine created by Aoyama Masaaki-san (青山正明) (editor's note: the legendary editor who edited publications such as 'Dangerous No.1' [危ない1号]. Deceased) during his time at Keio University. This is the first time I've seen the real thing.

Tajiri: I found these in a bookstore in Machida, and I received an unusual shock. Aoyama-san's writing was so interesting I thought, "If I'm going to write in the future, I want to be the kind of person who can write like this." Actually, the one I respected the most during high school was Aoyama-san; I didn't know how he could create something of this level, but I knew it was possible. He showed me if you have something you want to write or create, you can do it. He really ignited my ambition and desire for self-improvement.

——(While looking at the articles from back then) I was surprised when I read a copy of 'Game Freak' that I borrowed, because it turns out Tajiri-san started working as a writer for commercial magazines quite soon after launching 'Game Freak'.

Tajiri: Yeah, that's right. My master was a man called Nonomura Fumihiro-san (野々村文宏), and he was in charge of the pages focused on arcade games called 'Video Game Press' (ビデオゲーム通信) in 'Login' (ログイン). Then, around the time of my 2nd issue, I received a phone call saying, "We heard you're making a video game mini-communication zine and would like to talk to you at our editorial office."

——But according to the editor's note in 'Game Freak', you had a hard time meeting with Nonomura-san (laughs).

Tajiri: That bad habit eventually rubbed off on me as well, but Nonomura-san is incredibly lax about time. Even if he said, "Let's meet in front of the Otome-sando Station at 2 PM." Well, he wouldn't show up (laughs). This went on for about a month, with me calling him, but still not being able to meet him, until I finally got the location of the editorial office and met him there.

——Ahahahaha (laughs).

Tajiri: I finally got to meet him, and when I showed him 'Game Freak', he immediately said, "This kinda thing's no good." Even though it was our first meeting (laughs). He said things like, "The cover needs to be nicer." And, "Handwritten is outdated." Nonomura-san didn't mean any harm, but I was shocked by what he said, so I still remember it now (laughs). About a year later, Nonomura-san left the editorial department, but I continued working on 'Video Game Press', and then 'Famicom Tsushin' (ファミコン通信) (editor's note: currently 'Weekly Famitsu' [週刊ファミ通]) was launched, so I worked on that for a little over a year. I spent a long time working on 'Quinty', but in parallel to that, my work writing about games for 'Login' was a significant volume of my activities.

We Should Make it on the Famicom!


——I'm getting things out of sequence, but did the desire 'I wanna make games!' that was inside Tajiri-san all this time mature while you were working as a writer?

Tajiri: We talked about this in the previous interview, but it all started with the realisation, "I can draw art for video games by colouring in pixels on graph paper." So I thought, "If I come up with an idea and submit it to a game contest, I might be able to create my very own game." And I applied to Sega's game competition and won an award. Despite that, the game I was supposed to be making over at Sega never got finished (laughs). They told me, "Please come hang out with us again!" So I started hanging out there regularly. I submitted new ideas about three times saying, "If you think it's interesting, please buy it." Or, "Please look." But since they weren't properly developed as internal projects within the company, they never became real video games. That's when I realised, "It's not enough to simply give my ideas to a maker." And, "After all, I have to create it myself."

There were several options when it came to creating my own game, and back then, personal computers were available. So, I worked part-time to buy a PC-8001, and I taught myself programming and the first game I created was an Invader game (laughs). I guess that means my ideas weren't sophisticated enough to create something truly original. Anyway, I had this strong desire, "I wanna make a game take shape through my own power!" And I was completely focused on fulfilling that desire. Using that PC-8001, I created games like 'Space Invaders' and Sega's 'Deep Scan'——a game where you sink submarines moving around in the deep sea with depth charges——and through that process, I gained a realistic understanding of 'how games are structured as programs and how they worked'. But my ideas didn't extend to creating a truly original game. And while all this was happening, the Famicom was released.

——So, the Famicom's arrival was a shock?

Tajiri: "Ahh, this is it!" I thought. "This is what I should use to create games!" It was an intuitive feeling. For example, I saw 'Donkey Kong' run on the Famicom. "If it's a machine that can run arcade games, then this is what I should use to create games." I really had that hunch (laughs). But I couldn't grasp the reality of 'how do I actually do it?', so I went through a period of frustration for a while.

So, back then, because I was creating 'Game Freak', I received game information from all sorts of people through letters and over the phone. Among them were guys from Ehime Prefecture who had drawn a bunch of pixel art for games like 'Dig Dug' and 'Galaxian', and they sent these in a ridiculously thick envelope. When I read their letter, "We're people who are interested in and researching games as hardware, and as computer circuit boards." They also said, "We can understand anything if we have the circuit board, so please reply if you're interested." At the time, there was a team of about four maniacs in Uwajima Ehime Prefecture, who understood hardware, including programming, at a very advanced level.

——Did they have a team name or anything like that?

Tajiri: By putting 'TIX' into 'MISTERY', they became 'Mystix' (ミスティックス). We were geographically separated, but I thought, "These guys are amazing in a way that's different from me." And when I replied, they sent back even more detailed information, closer to specialist knowledge about game hardware. We had that sort of stimulating exchange. Thanks to that sort of encounter, the reality of 'I wanna create games on the Famicom!' became more concrete. I started thinking, "If I work with these guys in Ehime Prefecture, maybe we can create an original game."

Encounter with Close Friend Sugimori Ken (杉森建)


——How many staff did 'Game Freak' have back then? Sugimori-san was already involved, right?

Tajiri: Sugimori was already there. So, I guess there were probably 4~5 people.

——In terms of activities, the members gathered at Tajiri-san's home in Machida about once a week, and......

Tajiri: Well, it would've been nice if that were the case, but actually, back then, Sugimori was struggling over his course, wondering whether or not he should go to university. Sugimori was agonising, saying, "I wanna draw manga." So I told him, "Well then, if you come to Machida where I live, you won't starve to death." And, "I'll bring you food." (Laughs).

——Then Sugimori-san rented an apartment in Machida?

Tajiri: Yeah, that's right. "We'll be working together on 'Game Freak', so it's perfect." Then, I ended up practically living at Sugimori's apartment (laughs). Of course, the other members would come over as well, so Sugimori had absolutely no privacy. Fun things are fun, though. We talked about games all day long. It was fun, but I felt kinda bad for Sugimori...... It was a bit too thick (laughs).

——It must've felt like a club room.

Tajiri: Right. We would spend all day in Sugimori's room discussing things like, "What should we do for the 'Login' page?" Or, "What should we do for the next issue of 'Game Freak'?" Or, "We're making a game, but how should we go about it?" And then 'Game Freak' would come out about once every two months.

——What kind of person was Sugimori-san to Tajiri-san back then?

Tajiri: I couldn't draw art myself, you know? But he's been drawing ever since he first sent me a letter, and I thought his ability to convey what he wanted to say through his art was overwhelmingly powerful. He's incredibly skilled and fast. Even at the level of a simple doodle, you can understand exactly what he's trying to say. When I'm talking to people about the appeal of a game, I often use graphics or simple art to illustrate my points, and having Sugimori there made a huge difference. That was a huge deal.

——Sugimori-san was originally a reader of 'Game Freak', right?

Tajiri: After I released the first issue, he sent me a letter saying something like, "You shouldn't write the text with a ballpoint pen or pencil." (Laughs). "Wouldn't it be better to have a little more art?" Stuff like that. That's certainly true, I thought, "Well then, why don't we work on 'Game Freak' together?" From then on, it became clear I needed Sugimori whenever I wanted to talk about games through art, so I started to discuss with Sugimori all the visual-related parts of 'Game Freak', and it was naturally decided he would handle the graphics for even 'Quinty'.

——But you've been together for 20 years. I would think you had some arguments along the way (laughs).

Tajiri: Regarding Sugimori, he's not just a simple friend. When I was in a groping state where I didn't know how I was gonna sell 'Game Freak', I received a lot of support from him. I can draw small art with pixels, but I cannot draw normal art. But in his case, his fundamental drawing skills were incredibly strong. Even when we were hammering things out and having discussions, he would make art one-by-one while he talked. He was very interesting, not just for 'Game Freak', he was my important partner for my own creative work. Moreover, because we understood each other's personalities, we could work together on games knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses.


Let's Start from Analysis


——Now, I'd like to talk about 'Quinty', which took you nearly 4 years to complete.

Tajiri: To put it briefly, the group from Ehime Prefecture I mentioned earlier was graduating from high school and planning to move to Tokyo to attend a vocational school. So I said, "Since you're coming to Tokyo, give me advice on making games." However, although I had already decided to make a game for the Famicom, I suddenly faced a problem. "It seems signing a contract with Nintendo (任天堂) costs in the tens of millions of yen." And, "I don't have that kind of money, so what should I do!?" And then......

——Analysis, right (laughs)?

Tajiri: Right (laughs). First, I started by examining the insides of the Famicom. Since the CPU was a 6502, I thought an AppleⅡ would be a good computer to control it with, so I went to Akihabara to buy one. I took out the Family Basic keyboard, and by specifying the addresses using monitor commands, I could find out what was written at those addresses. That's the level I started from. So, the initial progress was very slow, you could say.

——It didn't feel like you could say, "Let's do this!"

Tajiri: Yeah. So, even though I had the technical skills to make one, I didn't understand the reality of the process to make one. To make sure we got that correct, I said, "First, help me investigate the entire internal structure of the Famicom." And, "Meanwhile, we'll think about game ideas." Then, once we understood the Famicom's internal workings to a certain extent, we would create something like a control board and get it to a state where a simple assembly program could run.

——Ahahahaha (laughs).

Tajiri: Furthermore, just when we were finally understanding the Famicom's architecture and thinking, "I can finally make one!" The memory capacity of Famicom games started to evolve. This was around the time when CM were touting stuff like '1 Mega Shock'. So, if we worked too slowly, the realistic possibilities for size would change. And while all this was happening, 'Famicom Tsushin' (ファミコン通信) was launched, and I was asked, "If you can, please help us out." So I had the option of making a living as a writer. So, the question became whether I wanted to pursue independent publishing? Or did I want to create original games? But realistically, I knew I could secure an income working as a writer. This overwhelming situation arose about a year after we started analysing the Famicom. However, once I started magazine work, it's wasn't easy to stop, so I said, "If anyone has an idea, we can make a game!" And that's how I met TACOX, do you know him?

——Yes. What was his real name again?

Tajiri: His name was Niki Yasuo (二木康夫). He was also a staff member who worked on 'Game Freak' with me, and he said, "I wanna make a game." The idea he came up with was similar to Konami's 'Gattan Gotton' (ガッタンゴットン). The screen was divided into a grid, with tracks shaped like crosses and other patterns drawn on each piece, and a train would run on them. There was one empty space, and the game involved placing track pieces to prevent the train from derailing.

——Ahh, like a 15-puzzle.

Tajiri: Niki came up with an idea that was similar to that, something like, "If a person walks from one side and the path remains uninterrupted till they reach the other side, the screen clears." Then, a member from Ehime Prefecture started writing the program based on that idea.

I was working with Niki on 'Famicom Tsushin', but one day, he told me, "I find magazines more interesting, so I want to specialise in that." I thought if he had something he wanted to do, he should go for it, and from the editorial department's perspective, the more people we had specialising in different areas, the better. Ultimately, Niki joined 'Famicom Tsushin', and that's when I made my decision. I thought, "With this, I can focus on making a game."

Moratorium Tajiri


Tajiri: By the way, the guys who were working on the program came to me and said, "We're creating a basic program where the character moves on a square grid, following Niki-san's idea, but what should we do next?" (Laughs). They asked, "It's fine to make a new game, but are we really going to start from scratch?" And I was like, "Ahh~!" At that point, I couldn't very well say something like let's go with a side-scroller or, "Let's go to space!" (Laughs).

——Well then, Niki-san's idea came first, and then it was necessary to refine it further, right?

Tajiri: Thinking about it now, I realise having certain limitations actually makes game design easier. But back then, I thought, "This is going to be a bit of a problem." (Laughs). So I told them, "For now, just get the basic program closer to a finished product." And, "In the meantime, I'll come up with some ideas." That's when the basic rules for 'Quinty' were decided—stuff like 'fixed screens are OK' and 'clearing a screen by going from left to right is out'. Also, looking back at the history of Namco's golden age, 'Pac-Man' was an eating game, and 'Dig Dug' was a digging game. In other words, their games were all based on verbs, like the English verbs I had to memorise in middle school. So, for 'Quinty', I decided on the verb 'flipping' (めくる) as the keyword.

——Back then, was the program team working for free?

Tajiri: My magazine work was actually quite convenient because it meant that no matter what state 'Game Freak' was in, I could at least keep it afloat. I left the work for magazines like 'Login' and 'Famicom Tsushin' to Niki, but the publishing industry back then was very interesting. 'Famicom Tsushin' and 'Fami-Maga' (Family Computer Magazine) were the two major Famicom magazines. So, when I stopped writing for 'Famicom Tsushin', I immediately got a call from 'Fami-Maga' asking if I'd like to write for them (laughs). That's how I ended up doing about two pages regularly for 'Fami-Maga' and also helping out when Nonomura-san started a Famicom column in 'Weekly Playboy' (週刊プレイボーイ). I used those activities to maintain the minimum infrastructure for the 'Game Freak' office.

——So, you wrote articles for magazines and then invested the money you earned into 'Quinty', is that right?

Tajiri: That's right. It ended up happening in a very straightforward way. We were working so slowly on the flipping game that 2 years passed. Naturally, the guys who had come to Tokyo from Ehime Prefecture were graduating from their vocational school (laughs). I got a lot of advice from the oldest guy, but in the end, he joined Namco. The other members also went their separate ways, one going to university and two getting jobs. That's when the project faced a crisis. But I said, "I want to continue this project." And around 1986, after finishing my daytime job, I would go to 'Game Freak', work on the 'Quinty' program, and then go home on the last train. I entered into that kind of grueling lifestyle. I would write manuscripts during the day, and when everyone finished their work and went home, I would work on the game, and when the last train came, I'd say, "Good work, everyone." That's when I thought, "It's time to finally make a decision." I was fine, but the others were in a pitiful situation.

——Whether to continue as you were and juggle these two?

Tajiri: Right. Everyone was juggling two jobs. That's when I was most seriously worried. Because even though we were saying we were going to make a game, we didn't have a contract back then. It was fine to make a game, but we didn't know if the game would actually sell until it was finished (laughs). As things stood, it was a very vague dream, or rather, it wasn't clearly defined.

——In the 'Login' article you showed me earlier, it even said something like 'Moratorium Tajiri' (laughs).

Tajiri: Yes, yes (laughs). I was in moratorium, wondering what I should really do. After much deliberation, I decided, "I want to see this project through, so I want you to quit your current jobs and work on the program full-time." I told them, "I'll hire you, and I'll pay you at least the same salary, so I want you to dedicate yourselves to developing the program." And the person who was working on the main program said, "Okay."

——That's a nice story.

Tajiri: It's still a story from the 80s, so the starting salary was only around 150,000 yen. But gradually, the game started to take form. Sugimori drew the pixel art, and I wrote the game design document. There was a guy from Ehime Prefecture who did the programming, and a few other staff members who came and went. And then, at the very end, I realised, "Ah, we need music." (Laughs).

——Ahahahaha (laughs), that's right.

Tajiri: It was a ga—n right at the very end. Until then, we had been cutting and pasting sound effects from games the programmers had analysed, but......

——That must've not been good (laughs).

Tajiri: We were casually playing sound effects from games like 'Mario' and 'Popeye' (laughs). But there wasn't anyone among the members I knew who could actually create music. So, since there was a classmate at the vocational school the programmer attended who was interested in music, I thought, "There's no guarantee he can do it, but let's at least reach out to him." That's how I met Masuda (増田) (currently the Director and Head of Development at Game Freak).

What was important at the time was the person could program and was also interested in games. Both of those conditions needed to be met simultaneously. Of course, since he was attending a vocational school, he was already interested in programming, but I told him, "You won't just be composing music, you'll also be creating the drivers for it." And not only that, but he would be creating both the music and sound effects for the Famicom. After explaining all of this, I asked him, "Would you like to give it a try?" And he said, "Let's do it." He's still my partner today, working on the music for 'Pokémon', but this encounter was less a game-only experience and more a chance encounter I actively sought out.


An Homage Dedicated to Game Centres


——So, finally 'Quinty' was complete. But you had no plan for how to sell it, right?

Tajiri: Once the game was close to being finished, I planned to take it to a maker. And the maker I had my heart set on was Namco.

——Namco or bust (laughs).

Tajiri: I was pretty much not considering anyone but them. The knowledge and various things incorporated into 'Quinty' were derived from my personal experiences and knowledge, but the most significant influence came from my experiences at game centres when many of Namco's hits were all lined up. This includes 'turning verbs into keywords' I mentioned earlier. I intended to pay homage to their many game centre games.

——What was Namco's reaction when you actually brought it to them?

Tajiri: That it was good. Looking back at it now, I think it might have been fate, but back then, Namco was one of the makers that had a contract with Nintendo allowing them to 'manufacture and sell their own Famicom games'. Several other makers that signed contracts in the early days of the Famicom had such agreements, while others had restrictions on the number of soft they could release, like '3 per year'. I didn't know any of that back then; I simply brought it to Namco because of my past game centre experience and my fondness for them.

——Did you have any acquaintances at Namco through your magazine work?

Tajiri: Yeah, there were some faces I knew. This person worked in public relations, and when I told them, "If possible, I would like you to sell this." They introduced me to the sales manager. And coincidentally, that manager happened to be the person who had direct authority over deciding which games Namco would release for the Famicom back then. So I gave a presentation explaining, "This is a fixed-screen game." And, "I believe the fun of a game lies in things like this, not in following trends, so the game won't have any movement." The character that received the best evaluation was the ballerina. All the characters that appear, and it wasn't clear whether they were male or female, had somewhat weird humans as their motif, but that ballerina would spin around and around, getting faster and faster. It would dance and twirl incredibly fast, and then when it fell, it would collapse in a very graceful, almost effeminate way. They said, "Isn't this interesting as a game?" And right then and there, they decided, "Let's do it!"

——So it was a prompt decision?

Tajiri: Yeah. It felt unusually light (laughs). It was like, "This is nice." I took it there around 5 PM, and they called over the remaining staff and asked them, "What do you think?"

——Naturally, there was also a possibility of rejection.

Tajiri: From my perspective, I was in a state of mind where I thought, "I've shown it to the person I wanted to see it most, so if they reject it, then so be it." And, "I've come as far as I can." So I expected a more detailed discussion, but it quickly turned into a conversation about whether it was commercially viable or not. Perhaps that's typical of people in sales, or maybe, it was because Namco's sales team back then was in a very aggressive, go-getter mood. But nowadays, you don't see that sort of thing much. Basically, nobody just makes a game and brings it in like that anymore (laughs). Such a thing would make people say, "Why didn't you tell us before you made it!?"

——Ahahahaha (laughs).

Tajiri: It's probably because I knew the manga world.

——Yeah, what they would call an unsolicited manuscript?

Tajiri: Take it to the editorial department, and if they thought it was interesting, they'd publish it (laughs). Back then, Sugimori was more interested in becoming a mangaka and having his own serial. He won a newcomer award from Shounen Sunday (少年サンデー) and had some work published in their special issue, and he kept submitting Names to the editorial department.

——And they looked at it out of the corner of their eyes.

Tajiri: Yeah. I thought that's how they do it with games (laughs).

——But it's reckless (laughs).

Tajiri: Looking back on it now, from my current position in the game industry, it seems incredibly reckless (laughs). But I thought creating the game and presenting it was the most convincing approach. That's why I spent so much time and effort making it.

To Live as a Member of Society


——So, the Famicom cartridge arrived in Tajiri-san's hands, right? Did you experience any particular emotions at that moment? Was it a feeling of exhaustion, or was it more a feeling of wanting to move on to the next thing......?

Tajiri: I had mixed feelings. The fact we had established a system, like a proper company, where I paid the members salaries while we were developing 'Quinty' was a huge deal. When 'Quinty' was completed and seemed like it would be reasonably successful—and at Namco back then, 'reasonably successful' meant selling around 200,000 in its initial run—that meant nearly 50 million yen would be coming in. That was a very difficult problem. We had followed our desire of, "I wanna make a game!" And made it, then brought it to a maker, and gotten this far, but...... if this was the end, it would simply be divided among us. Was that really okay?

——The production committee system used for anime production is based on that way of thinking.

Tajiri: That's right. Back then, I told the team, "I still want to make games while exploring other paths." And then I said, "You'll receive a certain amount of compensation, but we'll use the royalties from Namco to establish Game Freak as a company and use it as self-funding to continue making games." The origin of this idea came from the period just before 'Quinty' was finished, when I paid the programmers to stick with us until the end. In other words, I realised we needed a company structure to make this system sustainable. I only realised this after the release date was decided.

——Did you have any reservations about turning Game Freak into a company? In a way, it started out as more of a casual gathering for friends, right? Wasn't there a fear or apprehension about it becoming a formal, corporate entity?

Tajiri: However, ultimately, I think it was something necessary for me to end my period of uncertainty and live properly as a member of society.

——So you would no longer remain 'Moratorium Tajiri'?

Tajiri: Yes, yes. But the fact we made a game was a big deal. And I think there was a bit of a sense of inevitability about it. Even before we formed the company, everyone was already calling me 'president' (社長) (laughs). I was called 'president' even back when we were making a mini-communication zine, and there's even a scene in a manga Sugimori drew for 'Login' where I'm called 'president'.

——I read that article as a reader back then, and I thought, "So, Tajiri-san is the president of a company called Game Freak." (Laughs). Tajiri-san himself has always been the type to take the lead.

Tajiri: You could say I'm the type to take the lead... Well, when people gather together, a state where everyone is equal is impossible. I'm not talking about equality or rights in that sense, but rather a certain kind of symbolic figure becomes necessary. Initially, it was unconscious, but because I played that role, I believe it's fair to say even a reckless independent soft project like 'Quinty' was able to become a finished product.

——It's well-known 'Pokémon' was development number 002, but was the 'Pokémon' project developed in parallel with 'Quinty', which was development number 001? Or was it the first project undertaken after Game Freak was incorporated as a company......?

Tajiri: It was after we incorporated the company. We decided that for our next game, we would properly write a project proposal and sign a contract before starting work. The project proposal for 'Pokémon' was written around that time. Back then, Itoi Shigesato-san (糸井重里) was making a big deal about 'announcing a system where novelists can create games'. So, I thought if I went to APE, the company Itoi-san was running, the project would proceed like it would at Nintendo's Tokyo office. And when I actually took the 'Pokémon' project proposal to APE, they said, "That sounds nice." And we started making it... Well, this also involved just as many difficulties as 'Quinty'. It was development number 002, but we ended up having to develop 'Pokémon' while working on other games (laughs).

What Does He Find Interesting in Boring Places?


——Based on what he talked about thus far, the 7~8 years from Tajiri-san's late teens to early twenties was incredibly intense, wasn't it? Back then, games were on the rise, gaining a significant position within subculture, evolving from mere children's toys into a cultural phenomenon. Furthermore, Tajiri-san himself had a strong passion for companies like Namco and mini-communication zine culture, so I believe the culmination of all these influences led to the establishment of Game Freak.

Tajiri: Well, you could say that.

——Leading up to the release of 'Quinty', were you completely immersed in games, both in your work and personal life?

Tajiri: Well, it's true I liked games the most, but I also liked subculture in general back then. This (pointing to a book) is the autobiography of John Waters, my favourite film director, which I cherish most (Shock Value: A Tasteful Book About Bad Taste)......

——Uwa—hh, this is interesting.

Tajiri: This book is pretty much my spiritual bible (laughs). In this book, John Waters writes that 'shock makes people laugh', which essentially means the most shocking thing is a boring person. When he chose to express this concretely, he chose film, and while making 'Quinty', this theme of what it means for a 'human is shock' was something I thought about. This is also reflected in the fact the characters in 'Quinty' are not monsters, but are all human. In other words, 'humans are boring yet shocking and interesting'.

This is a somewhat complex topic, but we thought about what it would mean to express that in a game, and we decided to make all the characters human. On top of that, we wanted to focus on the strange movements of humans. So, for example, characters might be wildly dancing the Cossack, or they might appear to be simply walking, but actually be naked except for a tie. The idea was something like, "If you're wearing a tie, you'll look like you're working even if you're naked." We were thinking along those lines.

——'Quinty' was that sort of game, I had no idea (laughs). In Tajiri-san's mind, are those kind of questionable or rather unspeakable hobbies mixed together with games? You don't really separate them, do you?

Tajiri: It wasn't a direct influence, but I still gained something from it. The director's way of life itself has been quite an inspiration to me. Also, 'John' is slang for toilet, and 'Waters' means 'water' (水). So, his name means 'toilet water'. And my name is 'Tajiri' (田尻), right? So I felt a certain sympathy in that respect (laughs).

——Ahh, I see (laughs).

Tajiri: Also, John Waters was born in Baltimore, which is a suburban city not far from New York. Suburban cities are places where you can easily lead a boring, everyday life if you so choose. I think the question, "What do you think is interesting?" And, "How do you find interesting things?" Those lie in such boring places. I myself grew up in Machida, Tokyo, which is a quintessential suburban city. Back when I was growing up, it was practically a forgotten, isolated part of Tokyo.

——However, I think that sense of isolation and nothingness in the suburbs is actually clearly reflected in Tajiri-san's work, particularly in the world of 'Pokémon'. Surprisingly, it's something that's rarely mentioned, but after all, you encountered Aoyama-san's (青山) 'Mutation' (突然変異) at a bookshop in Machida...... Well, we've gone considerably over our scheduled interview time, so I'd love to discuss these topics further with you on another occasion!

Tajiri: Ahahahaha (laughs). That's right, until next time. ⓒ

※～※～※～※～※

Tajiri Satoshi:

Aoyama-san's writing was so interesting I thought, "If I'm going to write in the future, I want to be the kind of person who can write like this." Actually, the one I respected the most during high school was Aoyama-san; I didn't know how he could create something of this level, but I knew it was possible. He showed me if you have something you want to write or create, you can do it. He really ignited my ambition and desire for self-improvement.

Aoyama Masaaki (青山正明) is a fictional character created in the inaugural issue of 'Mutation' (突然変異), and also the penname of Ootsuka Masami (大塚雅美) (Wiki), a genius law student who attended Keio university. While I already translated several interviews and articles written by Aoyama Masaaki, I'll use this opportunity to translate some of the articles Ootsuka Masami has written for 'Mutation', starting with the one where he first introduced the character, Aoyama Masaaki.

※～※～※～※～※

Source:『突然変異』1981/4/15

Lolicon Love Story​

By Aoyama Masaaki (青山正明) (Anonymous)


These days, these sorts of conversations often enter your ears.

"Ohh, such nice legs—, that girl."
"Her breasts also aren't half-bad."

That girl they're talking about is a cute elementary schoolgirl with an arse that's still like white bread.

Currently, Lolicon Humans are overflowing across Tokyo. You would suppose this is also the influence of child porno, but that's not the whole story. Until an age ago, high schoolgirls were highly treasured as unripe fruit. But today's high schoolgirls are no different from OL in terms of sexual knowledge and physical maturity. One look at a man, and they wind up sopping wet. The only ones who would desire the 'light and dark of youth' from high schoolgirls are the PTA and the blind. The University Schoolgirl Salon is also known by its other name, the Oba-sama Salon......

Since it's come to this, the arrows of sexual hunters, aiming for sweet and innocent fruit, naturally turned towards middle and elementary schoolers. The innocent eyes of elementary schoolgirls tighten our hearts with a burning sensation. Memories of childhood. Nostalgia for days long past. Innocence that sublimates corrupted sexuality so beautifully. And the soft, supple bodies of angels, like cashmere.

Even if a high schooler engages in prostitution, it's no longer considered a big deal. In the past, girls of their age would've been factory workers or prostitutes, but now it's an age where they can attend high school. Perhaps the age of elementary schooler prostitution is next. Besides, prostitution involving Youjo has existed throughout the world in every era, so its absence would be abnormal.

By the way, let me tell you about my friend, the 'Original Lolicon Human—Aoyama Masaaki'. While I consider myself quite the connoisseur, I cannot compare myself to him, who dedicated his whole life to cultivating his Hentai mind. Mr. SK, an editor of this magazine, described Aoyama as a 'Walking Hentai Museum', which is quite an apt description.

When he finally entered high school, he was a Hentai, but not quite as Guro as he is now. On his way home from school, when he and his friends visited bookshops, he would become completely absorbed in children's clothing magazines and 'Shougaku Ichinensei' (小学一年生). Then, when he found a photo of a girl he fancied, he would buy the magazine, cut out her photo, and file it away. Back then, he taught me the girl from the New Beads (ニュービーズ) CF is the same one who said, "Papa, I'm glad you got Aderans (アデランス)." What's more, she was the cover girl of 'Shougaku Ichinensei'.

When it turns autumn, sports meets are held in elementary schools all over. It's his most favourite season. He meticulously researches the schedules of elementary schools across Tokyo with a smug look on his face. As usual, he also dragged me along. The sight of Aoyama, camera in hand, pacing back and forth around the girls waiting for the opening procession, was utterly comical and well-worth seeing.

After watching the elementary school sports meet, he would always steal a girl's indoor shoes before leaving. His home was filled with these stolen shoes, which he carefully sorted into those he had licked and those he hadn't yet licked before sealing them in vinyl bags (to preserve their scent). At N Elementary School in Toshima Ward, he would gleefully rummage for blood-stained napkins from the elementary schoolgirls' toilet.

After entering university (of course a different one from my own), Aoyama's methods underwent a dramatic improvement. His long-cherished wish to 'expose himself in front of children' was soon realised one spring afternoon at a children's park in Omori.

And then one day, he finally declared his intention to kidnap an orphan. After constructing a detailed plan, he brought me to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. On the 9th floor of the 3rd building, there was a department called the Children's Department, where he spun a web of lies to obtain a 'Children's Welfare Facility Directory' from a Lolicon-esque employee. His face cracked into a wide grin. This was a very detailed document containing the locations, nearest train stations, phone numbers, and capacity of 64 childcare facilities (aka orphanages), both public and private. For someone planning to kidnap a child, this was an invaluable resource.

Immediately, he started calling all of the orphanages listed, skilfully extracting information about the number of elementary and kindergarten schoolgirls at each facility. Saint Francis Children's Home in Kugahara, Ota Ward, had 75 girls, but it was strictly off-limits to men. Male volunteers were not accepted. Ultimately, his focused narrowed down to two private facilities in Tokyo. Being cautious and meticulous in his planning, he avoided visiting the facilities directly; instead, he went to the 'Tokyo Goodwill Bank' (東京善意銀行), volunteer agency in Kudan, and obtained a letter of recommendation. He even registered there and had his name published in the Tokyo Shimbun as a technical donor. Armed with this letter, he confidently visited the facilities. Such meticulousness in his actions reveals the extraordinary vividness of his Hentai.

There's a pretty big problem revealing his subsequent actions and achievements to the public, so I'll omit them, even though I anticipate this may anger some readers.

Instead, I will simply introduce my readers to what he has been saying recently.

——Hatayama Hitoshi (畑山博) reported this in 'Inner Trip' (いんなあとりっぷ). The other day, during a physical examination at Z Elementary School in Hachioji City, it was discovered six female students were pregnant. Teachers have the most opportunities to interact with children, you see. According to Hani Gorou (羽二五郎), if you're a member of the Japan Teachers' Union and do something like this, you'll be subject to disciplinary dismissal (without severance pay). However, if you're on the Ministry of Education side, meaning you're not a member of the union, you'll apparently receive a more favourable outcome: encouraged resignation (with double the severance pay). Those who become teachers because they want to touch the arses of children should definitely refrain from joining the Japan Teachers' Union.

——As for those who don't want to become teachers, they can work as tutors or volunteers in their free time. A Tokyo Metropolitan Government employee named Okamoto Chiyoichi (岡本千代市) was arrested for molesting two Vietnamese refugee girls at a 'House of Meditation' (黙想の家) in Kamakura, but he was careless and got caught.

——Anyways, parents are the greatest obstacle. That's why I target children without parents. They don't have any money, and since they're not given private rooms, they don't have the opportunity to think for themselves. meaning, they're slow and easy to deceive. And they're starved for affection.

——The trending baby hotels are also nice. But simply exposing your dick to a baby is hopeless. You have to darken the room and then illuminate your cock with a torch. That way, they'll grip it with incredible force. If you're going to put chocolate on it and let them lick it, and the baby has congenital teeth, since that's a nuisance, you should take them to the doctor and have the teeth extracted or shortened.

——If only I had money, I'd go to Brazil or India and have all the fun I want with children...... Someday, I'll buy a child from somewhere in South China. Of course, it would be under the pretense of adoption. When she's around high school age, I can start using her even in Turkey. I could even send her back. I'd have paid a lot of money to provide her an education, so I deserve some kind of reward.

Recently, a friend from the Children's Culture Research Society claimed to have seen Aoyama on a field trip organised by the 'Japan Epilepsy Association'. Coincidentally, this is the International Year of Disabled Persons. It seems he has finally begun to extend his reach to those with disabilities.

※～※～※～※～※

It's Finally Real! Mutation VS Lively Lolita​

《Lolicon Trio, Going into Battle in Kashiwa》

We, the three staff members of 'Mutation' (“突然変異) (Kurumada [車田], Nishimura [西村], and Ootsuka [大塚]) are self-proclaimed, pure-bred Lolicon Humans. The very reason we even started this time-consuming and expensive magazine project was simply to create an excuse to talk to girls and take their pictures. There you have us, on the morning of February 9th, armed with cameras and notebooks, infiltrating Kurumada's alma mater, 'Kashiwa ● Elementary School'. First, we went to see Vice Principal Y, who had repeatedly beaten Kurumada when he was a student there. Claiming to be from the Keio University Psychology Research Laboratory, and under the pretext of preparing a report on 'Advertising Media and Elementary Schools', we obtained permission to take photographs in the schoolyard during lunchtime.

Just as they were about to enjoy their lunch break, an announcement echoed throughout the school, "Onii-sans from Keio University have some questions for everyone. Please answer them properly if they speak to you." From then on, chaos ensued. We were chased by a mob of brats, and taking pictures was out of the question. Somehow, we managed to make a promise to meet two sixth year beauties after school and left the scene. At 4 PM, two cute girls (A/B) arrived, bringing with them a not-so-cute, but seemingly nice girl (C), and a seemingly smart girl (D), who wasn't cute and had a twisted personality. Let us begin.

《University Schooler Breaks Elementary Schooler》

The location is the Thirty-One* (サーティーワン) near Kashiwa Station. The spacious shop was filled with over 50 high schoolgirls. 3 Oji-san, accompanied by 4 elementary schoolgirls, stood out conspicuously. The 7 of us sat down, and then Kurumada ignited the conversation.
※Also known as Baskin-Robbins.

♂ "What do you think of our current meritocratic society?"

♀ "Be nicer—"

♂ "H—mm. What's your consensus on George Bataille's theory of excessive consumption?"

Faced with us 3 geniuses, the 4 elementary schoolgirls were left speechless and bewildered. Afterwards, in response to the challenging questions they posed, we used our mastery of geophysics, taught to us directly by Takeuchi Hitoshi (竹内均), to provide brilliant answers, establishing our overwhelming superiority, and thus we started the discussion.

《Hikaru Ippei》

♂ "What type of boy do you like?"

♀ "Someone nice, honest, and doesn't cheat."

Kurumada: "Then a boy around kindergarten age?"

A: "They're cheeky, no way—. Much smaller boys are nice—"

This must be what they call Reverse-Lolicon.

B: "Hikaru Ippei (光一平), Hikaru Ippei, Hikaru Ippei, Hikaru Ippei, Hikaru Ippei, Hikaru Ippei, Hikaru Ippei."

Kurumada: "Well then, what type do you dislike?"

♀ "Nasty people!"

Pointing to Ootsuka, "This kinda guy?" The girls nod in unison. Taken aback by the girls' intuition, Ootsuka nods.

《Mutation》

D: "What magazine is this?"

Nishimura: "Mutation."

A: "What's that?"

D: "Is it the name of the book?"

Nishimura: "Like I said, Mutation."

B: "What's that? Gross name. Nobody'd buy it."

D: "That's a stupid-sounding name."

A: "On the bestseller list...... it would be last."

Are they right!?

《Delinquent Reserve Army》

Ootsuka: "Do you have confidence you won't become delinquents when you become middle schoolers?"

Akiko (晃子): "I'm being influenced by my older sister......"

Nishimura: "Ehh, how old is your Onee-san?"

Akiko: "17."

Nishimura: "What's she doing at 17?"

Akiko: "Until before, she was terrible, her skirt's hanging down and her bag's all battered."

The surrounding high schoolgirls all turned to look at her.

Akiko: "The other day, you see—, my Nee-chan's friend, you see, made someone put their head in a flush toilet and told them, 'Apologise!'."

Ootsuka: "Wow."

Here...... 〈Summary of Key Points〉

Older Sister (17) 〈Currently: Delinquent〉
〈Characteristic〉 Battered Bag and Hanging Skirt
〈Hobby〉 Attending Kohoku High School
+
Older Brother (20)
〈Skill〉 Puroon-Purooning Motorbikes
〈Habit〉 Kitamura-san (北村) and Tennis
〈Characteristic〉 Regent→Curly Hair
=
Akasaka Akiko (赤坂晃子) 〈Delinquent Reserve Army〉

《Kawashima Kunio-kun, Failed Kaisei》

Ootsuka: "Say, what kind of kid is this Kawashima-kun you were talking about earlier?"

D: "He's an annoying guy. Whenever we say something, he says, 'Ah—isn't that wrong?'."

Ootsuka: "Sounds like a smart kid."

D: "But his test scores are always 80 points."

Ootauka: "Kinda shallow."

"Kawashima-kun passed the Kaijo exam, but failed the Kaisei exam, right?"

A: "That's right. When I told my Okaa-san, she was so happy, she cooked red bean rice!"

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

*There's illustrations and photographs... I won't reproduce them here...*

During our conversation, I definitely saw it.

Nishimura had an erection......

I definitely saw it.

Kurumada had an erection......

And I could clearly feel it.

Mine was also magnificently erect......

■Exclusive Scoop: 6th Year 4th Class Newspaper Exposes Masuda Seiko's Past!■

♂ "What type of girl do you dislike?"

♀"Matsuda Seiko (松田聖子)—!"

♂ "Ehh, why? Isn't she cute?"

♀ "That kamatoto* woman!"
※A synonym that supposedly comes from the way such a woman feigns ignorance. She is likely to look at a kamaboko (a fish-paste sausage mounted on a wooden slab) and ask something silly like, “Is kamaboko a kind of fish (toto in baby talk) that has wood on its belly?” Hence, the word kamatoto. (Source: Kittredge)

D: "She's always lying. It's not just that she doesn't cry. It's that she doesn't have any tears to shed!"

B: "Her skin's dirty. That woman's ugly."

A: "She's extremely bow-legged. And she wears those expensive shoes—"

D: "She's always singing with upturned eyes."

Ootsuka: "Kawashima or her, who do you dislike more?"

♀ "Matsuda Seiko—!"

C: "Is it true she used to be a delinquent and extort money?"

D: "It's true! It was in the 6th Year 4th Class Newspaper! She had a perm in high school."

Nishimura: "H—mm. It was in your class newspaper?"

A: "Kamatoto Woman Has Plastic Surgery!"


Here, the 3 of us from Mutation couldn't hide our shock.

The scandalous articles we had read about the rumoured truth all plagiarised the Kashiwa ● Elementary School 6th Year 4th Class Newspaper.

〈Analysis〉

Here, we were compelled to investigate and examine the 6th Year 4th Class Newspaper. While we don't have the original document on hand, and therefore cannot say anything with certainty, even based solely on their previous statements, it's undeniable they possessed an extensive information network far exceeding the norms of the modern mass-media world, and are organised by a highly cultivated team of reporters. Later, we at the Mutation company intend to risk our company's future to establish contact with the 6th Year 4th Class Newspaper. There's a high possibility we might be absorbed by them. It would be ideal if we could form a partnership like Daiei (ダイエー) and Takashimaya (高島屋), but...... The life or death of the mass-media now rests on the shoulders of the 6th Year 4th Class......

《Nishimura Rejected》

Nishimura: "Would any of you like to go out with me?"

ACD: ...... Ignores him and continues talking.

B: "Mm, OK. Let's go on a date in Suehiro. I want to eat beef steak."

Nishimura: "Umm...... That's impossible." "Please shake my hand."

Girls in Unison: "Your hand is dirty—"

《Kurumada-san-zan》

Kurumada: "Your eyes are big, aren't they?"

A: "Not as big as yours. Yours are gross."

In Awa Province, there was once a man called Kurumada Shouichi (車田正一). When he strained himself, his eyeballs would suddenly bulge out like a crab's. As a warm-up exercise, he would tie small stones to strings and hang them from his protruding eyeballs. Next, he would hang three sake cups from his right eye and a sake flask from his left. Then, he would successively hang bento boxes and sake bottles, all tied with strings, until finally, in time with the music of stage musicians, he would freely pop his eyeballs in and out.

〈Summary〉

This conversation wasn't planned in advanced and was decided on the spot. And, being inexperienced in such matters, we ended up wasting this precious time on aimless chatter. However, this experience made us realise something profound. "Children are full of potential." And, "They possess a flexible way of thinking we adults cannot even begin to imagine." This might seem obvious, but for us 3, it was a completely new experience. Our interest in children deepened considerably. Next time, we hope to hold a more fruitful panel discussion with a theme that fully utilises the potential of these children. (End)


※～※～※～※～※

The above is the origin of the '6th Year 4th Class Newspaper' Aoyama began to publish in subsequent issues of 'Mutation' before he garnered the attention of 'Self Publishing' (Byakuya Shobo) who hired Aoyama to write more of the '6th Year 4th Class Newspaper' for 'Hey!Buddy' before it eventually turned into 'Flesh Paper'. I'm going to be selective and translate a few of these columns from the 3rd issue of 'Mutation'. Like Danny Phantom pointed out, Aoyama will write about all sorts of topics, so I think this will be a good opportunity to understand why Tajiri Satoshi, the creator of 'Pokémon', was influenced by Aoyama.

※～※～※～※～※

Source:『突然変異』1981/7/15

■Ahh, Solemn Nationality Exchange Ceremony

On the morning of June 15th (Monday). A very cute girl stood next to Kojima-sensei (小島), who entered the homeroom. Excited, the boys in class sharpened their cocks into fine points. "She's △△△-chan, who transferred all the way from 〇〇 to Japan." When Kojima-sensei mentioned △△△-chan's nationality, the merriment of the class till then instantly changed, becoming an unsettling and suspicious atmosphere. Taking a single glance at the situation, Kojima-sensei cleared his throat loudly to quiet everyone down and said the following. "Ah~. Listen, everyone. I understand how you all feel. Actually, Sensei also hates 〇〇 people. When I see them in town, I often feel an impulse to shit on their faces. So why don't you leave this to Sensei? I have a good idea." After a short pause, he continued. "Oi! The ugly over there! You. Orihara Rika (折原理香), come to the front. Hurry." And then, "Yosh, from now on, you're going to be a 〇〇 person. Okay, you got that? There's no way someone with your prominent cheekbones and flat face could be Japanese. Well, Ogata Ryousuke's (緒形涼介) an exception, but...... Now then, △△△-cha~n. From now on, you're Japanese. Understood? Now then, let's cancel second period's social studies and hold a nationality exchange ceremony for Rika and △△△-chan."

"Wa~." The whole class hurrahed. Finally, the bizarre nationality exchange ceremony was about to begin.

Under the direction of Kojima-sensei, the desks were first moved to the back of the classroom. With a scraping noise across the floor, a single chair was placed in the centre at the front of the classroom, and △△△-chan sat there. Around her, Orihara Rika, with her barely-budding boobs and arse exposed, hopped and bounced. "Oihara, say it in a louder voice—" Sensei roared, and Orihara squeezed words from the back of her throat.

"I am 〇. 〇. I am 〇. 〇. An inferior race. I am a 〇〇 person. I am 〇. 〇. I am 〇. 〇."

"Yo—sh, △△△-chan, from today, you will abandon that name and henceforth be known as Nose Keiko (能瀬慶子). Now, please express in words your joy at becoming Japanese." "I'm Keiko. Neither 'Attention Please' (アテンションプリーズ) nor 'Barefoot Young Love' (裸足でヤングラブ) sold well, but I'm Keiko. I'm cute. I'm Japanese. I'm Keiko. I'm even gonna go to the Märchen Terrace 'Milky Way' (ミルキーウェイ) in Ikebukuro." At the centre of Orihara Rika, who was clumsily bouncing around making weird noises, Keiko tightly closed her legs. From today, she is Japanese.

■Matsuo Hideo-kun Stinks!!

"Hie～～, smelly～～, gyu～～."

Letting out groans akin to beasts of the field, on the afternoon of June 23rd (Friday), during the 5th period Japanese language class, Nakajima Akemi-chan (中島明美), who was high* (ラリパッパ), tumbled from her chair. Despite the immediate efforts of the school nurse's assistant, Satou Akira (佐藤彰) (12 years old, ejaculated, circumcised), Akemi-chan's braggable nose was bent out of shape. The cause was immediately apparent. The setting sun was shining on Matsuo Hideo-kun (松尾英郎) (age unknown, circumcised, pearled, irezumi'ed*, extra-large glans), who was sitting in front of Akemi-chan by the window, causing the foul odour permeating his body to evaporate. He stank like hell. Matsuo stank. It was unbearable. Unable to stand it any longer, Kojima-sensei grabbed a 3m bamboo pole that was propped at the front of the classroom, and poked and threatened Matsuo with its tip.
※Irezumi (Link), Pearling (Link)
※Raripappa (ラリパッパ): someone who is drowsy or muddleheaded due to drugs, or anyone who behaves similarly without the influence of drugs.

"Matsuo! Oi! You stink, go away. Get out. Don't ever come back. Hore-hore."

"Uoh～"

Matsuo desperately resisted, but the chanting 'Matsuo stinks! Matsuo stinks!' from the entire 6th Year 4th Class seemed to have taken its toll, and after a while, he hung his head and left the classroom from the back.

■Yamaguchi Ai-chan Also Stinks!

The Killer Stink Oni Matsuo Incident was resolved with his forced transfer to another school, but a similar incident occurred the following week. This time, the source of the foul odour was Yamaguchi Ai-chan (山口あい) (12 years old, irregular menstruation, excessive vaginal discharge). In our 6th Year 4th Class, we decided to take preventative measures to ensure that such an embarrassing incident would never happen again, and we dedicated homeroom period to discussing the matter. The lively discussion that took place will be reproduced here.

"By the way, Sensei, Ai-san stinks. She's unbearably stinky."

"......"

"You, do you properly wipe after you pee—?"

"......"

"She doesn't wipe even after she shits."

"Your Kaa-chan works that small restaurant on 4th street, right? You must pick up leftover scraps when you return home and eat them, you—"

"......"

"Hey, everyone. I saw brown panties in her bag the other day. Ya—i, brown～."

"......"

"Also, Ai-san, even though she's an elementary schooler, she's growing armpit hair. Gah, it stinks, it stinks."

"Ai-san, what's the matter? Everyone's worried about you. Hurry up and answer."

Although Ai-chan was bombarded with many productive questions, after about an hour, Ai-chan, who had been looking down and holding back tears, suddenly burst into tears and left through the door at the back of the classroom. Disregarding our good intentions.

■From Sensei

"Sensei, I don't get it no matter how much I think about it." Tanaka-kun (田中) said one day. "Sensei and Okaa-san said if I study hard, I'll become a great person and be happy. But there's this Oji-san who studied hard, worked diligently, graduated from school, and now works at a small company making very little money. What's the deal with this Oji-san?" Meaning, there are many humans who suffer even when they do things honestly. Otou-san, Okaa-san, what do you think about this?

■Breaking News

On June 14th (Sunday), the murder* of an elementary schoolgirl occurred at Kashiwa 3rd Elementary School, the very school collaborating with this class newspaper. Initially, it was feared the crime might've been committed by someone within our group, but subsequent detailed newspaper reports revealed the victim, Hatano Midori-chan (波田野みどり), had suffered horrific injuries and there were no signs of sexual assault, thus disproving the theory of an internal perpetrator. It's likely an idiot who read some article and then committed the crime. However, this issue contains one very dangerous article. If it's discovered, we'll all be arrested. Even with our 1st issue, the police came to the printing press to threaten us...... I don't know anything. I just want to do a good job.
※This is based on a real incident (Wiki).

■Friends That Became 'Women' This Month

Takaiwa Miyuki (高岩美由紀) (Showa 43 [1968] April 5th, 12 years old)

Kishida Kyouko (岸田京子) (Showa 44 [1969] September 17th, 11 years old)

I'm so embarrassed, but...... But I was happy when my Okaa-san said, "With this, Miyuki-chan is one of the adults." I don't quite understand what that means yet, but I guess I should be happy. I'll tell you what happened when I'm a little calmer, wait for it, okay? Ahh, also, I decided to use Charmnap Mini Alpha (チャームナップミニα) after Akemi-chan recommended it.

In Kyouko-chan's case, there was no report from her directly, but based on the testimony of her younger brother, Nobuyuki-kun (信行) (3rd Year 2nd Class, 9 years old, hasn't ejaculated yet, attends Yotsuya Ootsuka Cram School), we concluded it was almost certainly true and published it. According to Nobuyuki-kun, that night, he went to the toilet immediately after Kyouko-chan used it. He said the toilet bowl was bright red with blood. The next day, the whole family ate red rice together for dinner, which is the typical pattern for celebrating a girl's first menstruation, so there's no longer any doubt about Kyouko-chan's menses.

I, Nishii Masahiro (西井幼名 [=Aoyama Masaaki]) (Showa 35 [1960], 21 years old, ejaculated), possess exceptional intelligence, a great sense of humour, and a refreshing eloquence, and I'm offering to tutor children. However, applications are limited to elementary schoolgirls. I will not charge any money. In exchange, for two hours a week, I will accept two pairs of your daughter's stained panties, a cup of her warm urine on the spot, her dirty shoes, her chewed-up gum, or anything else is fine. Details will be discussed in person. Please contact the editorial office of this magazine using the return postcard.

■Very Strange Robot Transfer Student!?

Another amazing transfer student has arrived at our 6th Year 4th Class. Her name is Ishii Yoshie-chan (石井良恵) (11 years old, menstruating?). On July 1st (Wednesday), Yoshie-chan appeared for the first time in the classroom accompanied by Kojima-sensei. She was wearing protectors on both shoulders, like those used by the Yale University football team, two cool leather belts around her waist like the ones Robin Hood wore, and a vest with complex mechanical equipment. From her very first day of school, she immediately attracted the intense attention of the boy students. Many girl students were also captivated by her freak fashion, which was even more outrageous than Techno or New Wave. The high Nakajima Akemi (11 years old, menstruating), who was declared the most wonderful* in class, couldn't help but be in awe of Yoshie-chan. Yoshie-chan herself seemed a little bewildered by her abnormal class popularity. Even so, she couldn't hide her inner joy, swinging her four arms around excitedly. Our 6th Year 4th Class reporting team interviewed her.
※Hakui (ハクイ): literally means 'white', a slang term that was popular among delinquents for something that is good or wonderful.

"Good afternoon, Yoshie-chan. Right now, everyone in class is talking about you."

"Eh—, really—?" She said, blushing and flapping the two arms protruding from her chest.

"By the way, what do you call that fashion of yours? Freak Fashion?"

"No. I think it's called Thalidomide...... It was a fashion that trended 20 years ago."

He—eh, is that so. How long have you been dressing like that?"

"Since the day I was born."

"Ehh, are your parents also like you?"

"No, they say my mother was taking a lot of sleeping drugs from Daito Pharmaceutical during her pregnancy. That's how she intentionally created me."

"He—eh, that sounds a bit suspicious, but you're saying her taking Daito Pharmaceutical's drugs was what makes you so wonderful?"

"Yeah, I'm very grateful to my mother. If I didn't dress like this, no one would even look my way. I'm going to also take a lot of Daito Pharmaceutical's drugs and give birth to a cute child. Being perfectly normal isn't interesting at all, you see."


■We're Slave Volunteers

I'm No.1. My father passed away 4 years ago. Now it's just the 4 of us living together, my younger sister who turned 4 years old, my younger brother who started elementary school this year, my mother, and me. My mother, who is in poor health, was forced to work after my father's death, and she now works as a factory worker at the Nissan automobile factory in Yokosuka. The work sounds very hard. One day, she had a clump of hair torn off by a machine in the morning, leaving a large bald patch, and even though the pain hadn't subsided, she was forced to continue working the assembly line in the afternoon. Although she has been suffering from salpingitis for the past 2 years, my mother recently seems to have gained more confidence and smiles more often. I am now in the highest year of elementary school, and I applied hoping to lighten my mother's burden even a little. I would be happy if I could buy my younger siblings some sweets once a week.

Name: Maeshima Hiromi (前島裕美) (12 years old, menstruated)
Birthdate: Showa 44 (1969) July 2nd
Height: 145cm Weight: 40kg
Bust: 73cm Sitting Height: 78cm

Medical Conditions: None in particular (had measles and chickenpox).

Physical Characteristics:
●Scar on Right Forearm (Size of a Red Bean)
●Two Herpes Simplex Scars on Left Buttock
●Good Physical Development (Pubic Hair Present), Fair Complexion

Personality: A gentle girl, but also has a strong and persistent will.

Sexual Relations: She's very afraid, but her body is fully developed, so it's a matter of psychological readiness. If you say, "This is for your mother's sake." She will comply, albeit trembling. Forcing her could lead to suicide, so let's proceed gradually.


I'm No.2. My intelligence quotient is 45, and I cannot keep up with schoolwork at all. I won't be of any use if I continue to middle school like this, so I consulted with my parents and applied to this form. I'm only confident in my physical strength. I'm too stupid to do anything but simple tasks like carrying wood and bamboo from one place to another, but I'll work very hard. I want to become a useful person.

Name: Nishimura Kouichi (西村宏一) (11 years old, ejaculated, circumcised)
Birthdate: Showa 44 (1969) November 20th
Height: 157cm Weight: 53kg
Bust: 82cm Sitting Height: 84cm

Medical Conditions: Retarded (IQ: 45; trainable).

Physical Characteristics:
●Arm strength equal to that of a 15~16 year old boy. Strong legs and back. Leg hair present. Pubic hair present.

Personality: Obedient. Will happily do anything if praised.

Sexual Relations: Difficult techniques are impossible, but with training, he has the stamina to continue piston movements for 1 to 2 hours The key is to patiently teach him simple movements. (Written on his behalf: Kojima-sensei.)


I'm No.3. I'm high (ラリパッパ), Nakajima Akemi-chan—. I didn't apply to this form to become a slave or anything. My father is a lawyer, and my mother is a beautiful female doctor. I'm pretty smart, and a beauty, you know? I don't lack anything, but... I simply want to make men happy. Of course, I'll accept money. But it depends on you. If you're gentle, I'll do it for free. If you call me, I'll licky-licky Onii-chan's peepee. I'll even stroke it with my tiny hands. If you desire, I'll even pee in front of Onii-chan. Please look after me!!

Name: Nakajima Akemi (中島明美) (11 years old, menstruating, upper development, herring roe ceiling and three tightening point vagina)
Birthdate: Showa 44 (1969) December 24


I'm No.4. I'm still an elementary school first year. But there's something I like about it. I love walking around with big Onii-chans. I've always wanted an Onii-chan who would take me to the movies or amusement parks. I don't mind being tickled, but I don't like pain. Please, will someone be my Onii-chan?

Name: Oni Emiko (小野恵美子) (8 years old, pre-menarche)
Birthdate: Showa 48 (1973) January 12th
Height: 127cm Weight: 28kg
Bust: 60cm Sitting Height: 59.5cm

Medical Conditions: None in Particular, had measles, but not chickenpox.

Physical Characteristics: Underdeveloped but well-nourished. Her plump arse is exquisite.

Sexual Relations: Intercourse is impossible, but sufficient satisfaction can be obtained by utilising her clearly defined arse. Other sexual activities (fellatio, masturbation, etc.) can be easily achieved by offering her gifts.

■Pubic Hair from Murata Kyouko-chan's Bloomers?

On July 2nd (Tuesday), shortly before summer vacation, our homeroom teacher, Kojima-sensei, showed us photos from the spring sports day and sold us the ones we liked for 50 yen each. However, a rumour then spread that there were 'non-public photos' circulating. Apparently, these were photos that shouldn't be seen by students, and we heard they were being traded among the faculty staff for a premium of 1,000 yen per cabinet-sized print. We absolutely had to get our hands on them, so on July 9th (Thursday), we embarked on a daring plan to sneak into the elementary school at night, which was equipped with infrared sensors, and thoroughly investigated the staff room.

That day, we enlisted the help of our neighbour, Kaieda Masashi (海江田仁) (37 years old, self-employed), who was unusually knowledgeable about these sorts of things, as our special commander. After meticulously planning in the forenoon, the Midnight Elementary School Infiltration Plump Lolita Toilet Masturbation Go-Go operation commenced. (Kaieda Oji-san called it such.)

At 2 AM, I (Koike Youichi [小池洋一]) and Oji-san climbed over the back wall surrounding the school grounds and landed on the narrow strip between the club room building and the wall. When I told Oji-san the building we landed near was the girls' badminton club room, he suddenly became restless and stammered, "I, is that true? I heard you right. Youichi-chan, is that really true?" Finally unable to contain himself, he turned his back to me, fumbled around, and pulled out his magic staff (如意棒). He rubbed it against the wooden wall of the girls' badminton club room... and climaxed. I remember it only lasting about 4 or 5 seconds. Oji-san pulled some weeds growing along the ground and regretfully wiped the tip of his magic staff. "Too bad~. Youichi-chan, Oji-san already came. Too bad~. Oji-san......" He repeated this like a mantra, and I urged him, "We cannot linger here." When I nudged him in the back, Oji-san crawled silently and swiftly to the window of the night watchman's room. Only this one window emitted a bright light into the dark schoolyard. Peeking cautiously over Kaieda Oji-san's shoulders, I saw the old night watchman masturbating inside. He had magazines to fuel his lusts scattered everywhere and had a bottle of aphrodisiac in his right hand as he vigorously stroked himself, but eventually his flaccid penis released a stream of white fluid. At that moment, I distinctly heard this shitty geezer's voice, muffled by his dentures. He was muttering, "Kyouko-chan... My cute Kyouko-cha~an." Meanwhile, Kaieda Oji-san took a wire cutter from his pocket and, with practised hands, opened a small box attached to the top of the night watchman's window frame, cutting the wires inside. "Now the infrared alarm won't go off. The police won't come." Saying this, Oji-san crawled silently along the side of the school building once again, stopping in front of a glass window. Before I could even reach him, he had already attached a sticky plastic sheet to the glass, cut a hole with a glass cutter, inserted his finger to unlock the window, and slipped inside. I followed him. "Youichi-chan, Oji-san's dream you see, when I die and become bones, I want my bones to be taken by a ceramics company. There, I want them to grind my bones and mix them into feldspar powder. But I want them to create a toilet bowl out of that. Then I want that installed in the girls' toilets of some elementary school. Once that's done, every day, elementary schoolgirls will show their cute little bottoms and straddle me to pee and poop! Uki~." He blurted out this nonsensical statement and rushed headlong into the girls' toilet. I couldn't deal with him any longer, so I snuck into the staff room alone. I opened Kojima-sensei's desk drawer, illuminated the insides with a torch I prepared, took all the notebooks and envelopes, and then left. And now, as I'm writing this article, my arm movements are so shaky I can barely hold my pen. Among the things I stole was the photo in question. The subject of the photo was Murata Kyouko-chan (11 years old, menstruating). No, that alone wouldn't be enough to excite me. The photo was truly amazing. And this photo was the key to understanding the true intentions of the school authorities who decided to purchase all the girls' bloomers in bulk. I want you to see this problematic photo. Something incredibly embarrassing was clearly protruding from between the legs of Murata Kyouko-chan, the girl praised for her innocence and beauty. Ahh, I don't have the courage to say it out loud. Since I don't have the courage to say it, I'll write it. Pubic hair was sticking out. And I'll present one more important document here. It's the 'Girls Short-Pants Survey Form' the school authorities secretly created. This will easily provide the answer to why the school authorities decided to purchase Christy's in bulk.

This table reveals Daiei's Christy is the most prone to tearing, stretching, and absorbing sweat (easily retaining odours). Furthermore, according to Kaieda Masashi, Christy's are somewhat smaller than comparable products from other companies in the same size, and the elastic is also more prone to stretching.

Based on this investigation, it has become clear the school decided to bulk purchase bloomers following the incident involving Murata Kyouko-chan's pubic hair poking out of her bloomers, and the expectations of the school authorities regarding bloomer accidents is far beyond what we imagined.

■What are the Roots of Tamura Masae's Gloominess?

While we always talked about the high Nakajima Akemi-chan, our 6th Year 4th Class has other cute girls. One of them is Tamura Masae-chan (田村勝恵) (12 years old, menstruating). Masae-chan is a cute, doll-like girl with big, bright eyes like Sheena Easton, but her personality is somewhat gloomy. While other children rush out to the playground like bullets after lunch, or chatter and laugh in the hallways and classrooms, she sits alone, engrossed in shoujo manga. She has never spoken up in class. Even when the teacher calls on her, her big eyes only fill with tears as she makes a silent plea. Throughout home economics class, she remains silent, but diligently dedicates herself to her creations, producing the best work in class, whether it's knitting or cooking.

She cowers at the warm comments from the boys in class, such as, "I wa~anna lick yer pus~sy." She does her homework diligently, is smart, and has a pretty face, so why is she so fundamentally gloomy? To answer this question posed by the male students in class, our reporting team has formed a special project team to thoroughly investigate her from the following points.

One, the root of Masae-chan's gloominess is due to her physical defects. (Example: the mark on her arse, her solitary nipple, and her middle-age hag third-stage belly.)

Two, the root of Masae-chan's gifts are due to her parents. (Example: her father has a criminal record, her mother has xxx.)

■Afterword (Yachi Junpei [谷地淳平])

Aoyama Masaaki wrote his first piece of fiction in the 2nd issue of 'Mutation' (突然変異). '6th Year 4th Class Newspaper' (六年四組学級新聞). It was incredibly interesting. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who found it interesting because Byakuya Shobo's 'Hey!Buddy' (ヘイ!バディ) contacted Aoyama to request a manuscript for '6th Year 4th Class Newspaper'.

Aoyama was hesitant, saying, "I think I'll decline. I used up all my material for 6th Year 4th Class for the 2nd issue of 'Mutation', so I don't think I can manage a monthly serialisation."

I suggested, "How about I help you come up with ideas?" Aoyama replied, "Ah, if you can do that, then I can do it."

We decided to write it together, and I stayed at Aoyama's apartment in Oppama, and we brainstormed enough material for two parts.

It was so much fun. '6th Year 4th Class Newspaper' continued for about five parts.

Because we were writing for another magazine, the '6th Year 4th Class Newspaper' for the 3rd issue of 'Mutation' was terrible, and we received complaints from our readers saying, "That's not the real 6th Year 4th Class Newspaper."


※～※～※～※～※

Source:『突然変異』 1981/12/24

6th Year 4th Class Newspaper:
'Incompetent Writer Interview'​

Sacrificial 'Weekly Houseki' (週刊宝石) Writer: Kameyama Youichi (亀山洋一)
Interviewer: Magazine Editorial Department Ootsuka Masami (大塚雅美 [Aoyama Masaaki])


O: Hello, it's been a while.

K: Well, hello. I was really grateful for your help with that vulgar article 'Lolicon Hobby Explode Among University Students and Businessmen!' (大学生ビジネスマンの間に『ロリコン趣味』が激増!) in the 2nd issue of 'Weekly Houseki' (週刊宝石). I was running out of ideas and almost lost my job.

O: Yeah. I was the one being interviewed for that article, but today I asked us to reverse positions for this interview. I'm curious about a freelancer who could so easily mock people who gave them material......

K: Feel free to ask me anything.

O: Sure thing. Speaking of which, looking at the articles written by freelance writers in weekly magazines lately, I'm quite impressed, but how do you suppose a human becomes that incompetent?

K: Well, you see. Most freelance writers are incompetent like me. They spend all their time drinking with influential people from various fields and magazine editors to build connections, they don't have the brains to write an article in the first place. The only time we use our brains is when we're forced to perform tricks at bars. When it comes to writing articles, we borrow ideas from more intelligent amateurs and just assemble them like a puzzle. The only world where you can keep such incompetent and stupid people employed are the majors. In short, you don't need any talent to be a freelance writer.

O: So you idealise that sort of parasitic lifestyle?

K: Well, yeah. Sakuwa Touru (佐桑徹) of Keio, who created the 100 yen writer group, is also in this category. Because he lacks talent, he gathers students with ideas and uses them to write articles.

O: Yeah. The 100 yen writers seem to be writing quite a lot using 'Mutation' (突然変異) as material. Things like 'Chuo University Punch' (中大パンチ) and 'Rumoured Truths' (噂の真相). They seem to think 'Mutation' was published by the Keio University Journalism Research Club, but that was only the nominal publisher for the first issue. They're writing without investigating those sorts of facts.

K: Hahaha. I'm the same way.

O: By the way, what's Sakuwa-san been up to recently?

K: Ahh. That guy's essentially the kind of human who's like a fly or cockroach. He got a job at Keidanren (経団連) this spring, but he seems to have a lot of free time, so he's freelancing as a writer, mooching off students.

O: By the way, the article Kameyama-san (亀山) wrote for 'Weekly Houseki' used a photo from 'Mutation' without permission, even the cover photo. Do the majors really do things like that so casually?

K: Well, they do depending on the other party. If we went against a big shot, a no-talent writer like me would quickly lose their livelihood.

O: Hahaa, so freelance writers have that kind of old-fashioned, albeit NOWi, sense of morality and policy. Speaking of which, a writer called Nozawa Jun (野沢淳) from 'Angle' (アングル) came to me, tricking me into giving him a catalogue of imported ero-magazines under the guise of an interview.

K: Anyways, I don't have any policy or new perspectives. I just flatter editors to get work, so I can brag to others that I'm a writer.

O: However, isn't a considerable amount of sharpened mental strength necessary for a human to be that much of an idiot?

K: Well, not to brag, but I've always been like this.

O: Thank you very much for today.


※～※～※～※～※

Congratulations, out of the 489 million people who bought a Pokémon game (dubious source), you get to be one of the enlightened few who actually get to learn about Tajiri Satoshi's influences that aren't found on any wikipedia page, nor any Pokémon fansite. I heard people threw a huge fit during some leak about Pokémon marrying and having intercourse with human girls (or was it a boy marrying and banging his Pokémon wife?). But the truth of the matter is that Tajiri Satoshi is a huge fan of this sort of writing and humour, which should've been evident to anyone who has ever played a Pokémon game, or consumed any of the media associated with it.

I do feel it's unfortunate I'm the only one who has bothered to translate any of Aoyama's writings into English. He's not the kind of person who can easily be summarised beyond quips about him being the 'original evil that ruined Japan'. And to be honest, I'm having enough problems as it is trying to level myself up to being anything remotely akin to an Azuma Hideo expert; just because I'm the only one who has translated the words of all these people ignored by the rest of the incompetent anglosphere doesn't mean I'm in a position where I can confidently summarise anything about them.

In any case, please link this post to anyone you know who is a 'fan' of Pokémon so they can learn about the man who created it and its dark history. With all of the terrible things by ignorant and evil payment processors, platform hosts, and horrible members of the gaming, manga, and anime fandom. Maybe these people can burn their Gameboy cartridges and join ranks with the parents and pastors denouncing Pokémon for being demonic; after all, Tajiri Satoshi enjoyed Demon Style, and its influence is subtly present in all of his work starting from his mini-communication zine 'Game Freak' (there's scans of many of these issues on Internet Archive, so please check them out).

O: However, isn't a considerable amount of sharpened mental strength necessary for a human to be that much of an idiot?

K: Well, not to brag, but I've always been like this. (The English-speaking Fandom in a Nutshell.)

 

[YamadaMirai]

I've finally had the time to set aside to read everything here. Some parts multiple times for a reason I'll explain later. I've been working through it since I was first made aware of your work. I'm a bit embarrassed in my digging skills trying to find all English writings on lolicon that I never stumbled across this forum on my own... I need to work on my digging skills.

I think Twitter DMs are an awful way of having a conversation as it is too easy to talk past one another and formatting makes it difficult to properly quote and respond since Twitter breaks long messages into multiple parts and keeps jumping around. Reading your last response to me was a pain (e: due to Twitter - not you) and so my response in return ended up being a bit rushed. But to move forward with why I'm here, in this post you spoke about time-vampires. Particularly this line.

> Being contacted by an exceptional person like Kera was worth being contacted by hundreds, maybe thousands, of people's worth of disappointing time-vampires.

While my purpose was only to explain Western Lolicon Culture "as-is"--meaning complete with the misunderstandings & differences it has from Japanese Lolicon Culture--I did not intend to bastardize Japanese Lolicon Culture in doing so and further contribute to the Western misunderstandings. I also do not wish to be seen as a time-vampire.

While I pray it's only that you've been too busy, being left unread gave me the sense that I had, unfortunately, gotten on your bad side as a time-vampire. With my "history" page (deserving of the scare quotes) being horrendously misleading to anyone who wasn't already familiar with Japanese Lolicon. Whether this is the case or not is irrelevant. My feelings are not hurt either way because either way I was in the wrong. I hope some good will have come from this.

In the event I was seen that way - I sincerely apologize. In the event you've simply been too busy and you did not feel that way at all - I still sincerely apologize. The way I was going about things was spitting all over your work these past few years and further contributing to the West's misunderstanding of Japanese Lolicon. I promise that wasn't my intention but whether it was intended or not doesn't change the fact that that is what I was doing.

My interest is not in Japanese Lolicon in the same way that I would say your interest (although your true interest is the history of cat girls as I gather?) or Dr. Galbraith's interests are. My interests align more with Western Lolicon Culture and how it relates (contrasts rather) to the drastically different Japanese Lolicon Culture. The perspective of a cultural critic rather than a historian. For my purposes, specifics like "who" or "when" didn't really matter outside of "someone" and a date range of "around this time". I do not believe that Western Lolicon was born in a vacuum separate from Japanese Lolicon. Due to what Western Lolicon Culture is today certain details simply "must be true" as a simple matter of cause->effect or else Western Lolicon wouldn't have the differences that it has from Japanese Lolicon. (ie. assuming Western Lolicon did not form on its own in a vacuum and the fact the modern understanding is that it a kind of 2D Complex then it necessarily must have been introduced to the West by an unknown Japanese Otaku who described it as a 2D complex. If not then it necessarily must have formed in a vacuum; which I do not believe to be the case.

With how much of your information I was relying on for me to not bother with getting the specifics right and represent your information accurately... I owe you an apology. I would not want to speak or work with someone who does not care enough to accurately represent the work that I've spent years on either. I ask for your forgiveness of my rudeness.

So I did exactly what you said I would need to do. I deleted the entire page and started over. This time with less hand-waving over the Japanese side of things to be more respectful of your efforts. I am also trying to work with some of my followers who have volunteered as editors to help ensure I properly cite information, try and make it obvious when I am sharing my own personal speculations, and that I haven't made mistakes or screwed up any details as these 6 pages have been a lot to take in. The new page was hastily made live, replacing the old garbage, while highlighting the fact that it is still a work-in-progress until such a time that my editors have made any necessary corrections. I'm positive there are still mistakes due to the hasty rewrite, but I hope it is at least an improvement over what was there before.

In the process of rewriting my page I also managed to completely change my mind about 3D Lolicons from what I told you over Twitter DMs. The reasoning is simple: 2D Lolicons cite Japan's low CSA rates all the time. With how massive the 3D Lolicon community is in Japan, if the statistics are good enough to defend 2D Lolicon they must, necessarily, be good enough to defend 3D Lolicon equally. Either the statistics are good (and so 3D=2D) or they aren't making it hypocritical to then use them to defend 2D but not 3D. I try my best to not be a hypocrite.

I also want to clarify that my Japanese is probably barely N2 nowadays. It's been 5 years since I lived in Tokyo and was immersed daily 24/7 with the language and I have spent hardly any time studying/reading/writing/speaking Japanese since returning home and starting a family. I find myself making rather embarassing mistakes. I'm nowhere fluent enough to be sharing translations with others beyond the most simple of texts which is why I wasn't interested in helping translate. It's a matter of lacking skill rather than lacking resolve.

Apologies for such a long post that is only tangently related to your thread. I hope this isn't more of me being a time-vampire...

 

[Taruby]

This is something completely different. Several Interviews with Mita Ryuusuke, one of my top ten favourite mangaka. Though, outside Japan, most people only know him for his 'Dragon Half' serial, but he did several other manga I consider to be just as good (a common theme in his manga are children with irresponsible parents). Unfortunately, Mita developed a condition in his eyes that led to him retiring from drawing manga and doujinshi, but despite this retirement, he has drawn a few illustrations here and there, and even was contacted by overseas game developers to do the character designs and illustrations for two of their projects. Astalon (Link) and just releasing today on Steam, Lovish (Link). I don't know if Mita Ryuusuke is receiving royalties for game sales, but please check out the game and support it if it's your thing. Despite its flaws and lack of balance (i.e. Boss Rush mode), I thought Astalon was quite fun and interesting (unlike other games that have super hard secret endings, Astalon gets easier and easier the further you progress).

I spoke to one of the developers (Matt Kap), who composed the music, and he said he was a fan of Mita Ryuusuke ever since he picked up a Chinese copy of Dark Hair Captured near where he lived, but he couldn't read the text, so he simply admired the art. It's easy to tell Mita and his wife, Ogishima Chiaki (御祇島千明), really love video games, especially Final Fantasy, from their doujinshi, which I've been collecting; commercially, she did a manga for Megami Tensai among others, though I believe the only thing of hers translated to English was a fan translation for 'Choseikenki Mikazuchiden' by Studio Robb over 20 years ago.

---

---

Source: 『「ドラゴンマガジン」創刊物語』 2018/1/31

Ⅲ　Mangaka Interview Mita Ryuusuke​

'Mita Ryuusuke' Recent Photograph

＜Interviewee Profile＞

Mita Ryuusuke (見田竜介) (Twitter) (Wiki)

Born in 1967. Belonging to the editorial production company 'Studio Hard' (スタジオ・ハード), he illustrated game books published by Futabasha and Keibunsha under the name 'Futeki Manzai' (不敵万才). He made his debut as a mangaka with 'Dragon Half (ドラゴンハーフ) in the first issue of 'Dragon Magazine' (ドラゴンマガジン). His other notable works include 'Darkhair Captured' (黒髪のキャプチュード) (Kadokawa Shoten), 'Aiten Myouou Monogatari' (愛天明王物語) (Kodansha), and 'Senkouka Rubikura' (閃光華るびくら) (Enix).

'Dragon Half' was a manga that began its serialisation the same time 'Dragon Magazine' launched, and continued to be a staple of the magazine for six long years. By incorporating a gag twist into an RPG-esque fantasy world, the series breathed new life into fantasy at the time, and is now remembered as one of the most representative works of the early 'Dragon Magazine'. The protagonist, Mink, is also renowned as one of the magazine's first Bishoujo characters, and has captivated many readers to date. We spoke to its creator, Mita Ryuusuke, about the birth and growth of Dragon Half.


※～※～※～※

The Longitude and Latitude of Dragon Half's Birth


——Please tell us the longitude and latitude until your debut as a mangaka.

Mita: Before my debut, I worked at the editorial production company 'Studio Hard' (スタジオ・ハード). And I believe it was around the time Studio Hard was approached about the launch of 'Dragon Magazine' when a high-ranking official from Fujimi Shobo came and asked, "Do you know anyone here who can draw lively pictures?" It seemed they were looking in other places as well, but it wasn't an open call for applicants, so I participated in the call. After I completed 16 pages of a manga's Name and a two-page spread, they judged my submission. I recall my debut was decided about six months before the magazine's launch.

——How did they initially describe 'Dragon Magazine'?

Mita: I believe their idea was to create a 'flashy monthly magazine that is both a novel magazine, and not a novel magazine'. Then, when I heard the famous Inomata Mutsumi-sensei (いのまたむつみ) would be participating in the same magazine, I jumped for joy!

——Mita-sensei's 'Dragon Half' (ドラゴンハーフ) was a gag-based fantasy, which was unusual for the time (1). Regarding this content, did the editorial department request it in advance?

Mita: I believe it wasn't quite that sort of request at first. If anything, the editor-san said, "When I saw Mita-kun's manga, I thought gags were worthy of consideration in fantasy." When I heard the words I would be creating a new genre in fantasy back then, I felt very happy (laughs).

——How did you come up with the concept (2) of a 'gag fantasy'?

Mita: I believe it's based on 'Urusei Yatsura' (うる星やつら) (3) and 'Project A-ko' (プロジェクトA子) (4). I love both of those as slapstick comedies, so I considered how I would want to mix in some fantasy elements, and that's how I came up with the concept for 'Dragon Half'. Incidentally, the main character, Mink, was born from the image of combining 'Lum-chan's horns with A-ko's red hair' (5).

——Now that you mention it, that certainly seems to be the case (laughs). You said you mixed fantasy elements into both works mentioned earlier, but what sort of image did you have of fantasy when 'Dragon Magazine' was first published.

Mita: For me, the image that was the strongest was the 'world of video games'. RPGs filled with romance like 'Dragon Quest' and 'Legend of Zelda' made up a large part of my sense of fantasy.

——So 'Dragon Half' was born based on this fantasy perspective?

Mita: Right. I believe 'Dragon Half' is full of 'elements to make the heart happy' and 'feelings of excitement' that I love, just like 'Urusei Yatsura' and 'Project A-ko'.


※～※～※～※

The Fantasy 'Dragon Magazine'


——What were your thoughts when you first saw this magazine?

Mita: I was thrilled! The first issue featured many respected artists, like Inomata Mutsumi-sensei (いのまたむつみ), Izubuchi Yutaka-sensei* (出渕裕), and Suemi Jun-sensei (末弥純), and I remember being really excited (laughs). And the image on the cover was absolutely fantastic.
※Izubuchi Yutaka is the artist who did Lolicon doujinshi with Kagami Akira (see 'Kagami Akira and His Period').

——The cover of the first issue featured a female idol dressed in cosplay. That cover must've been quite unusual for a novel magazine.

Mita: That strangeness was fantastic!

——'Dragon Magazine' used the catch-copy 'FANTASY SENSATION'. What did Mita-sensei think about this point?

Mita: As the catch-copy says, 'Dragon Magazine' was a magazine that emphasised fantasy elements, but I believe fantasy is a 'world that gives wings to children who don't have them yet'. It didn't feel like escapism, like being able to fly away from a stagnant place, but more like flying to a world of hope filled with expectations for your future self. 'Dragon Magazine' matched up very well with this sort of fantasy image and magazine concept.

——The idea of a 'world where wings are given to children who don't have them yet' is a very interesting one. In that sense, it feels like 'Dragon Half', within Dragon Magazine, played a role in giving readers hopes and expectations, by using 'elements that make the heart happy' and 'feelings of excitement'.

Mita: Thank you very much!

——So, I would like to ask about the 'strangeness' you mentioned earlier. Serialising a manga in a novel magazine was something unheard of back then, so was that something you were conscious of when you were creating it?

Mita: Though they were large pages, the page numbers were few, so I was conscious of creating content in a volume that would allow people to reread it over and over until the next issue was published. I wanted to create a world view, a 'rich world view', that could be loved along with the novels.

——What sort of reaction did you receive from readers when the serial first began?

Mita: It was very well-received! Readers were like, "I've never read anything like this before." In fact, the serial was originally supposed to end after four issues. But I believe the reason it was able to continue for about six years was entirely due to reader support. (6)

——Was the impression of it 'being something they never read before' due to the fact it was a 'gag fantasy'?

Mita: The fact it was a 'bright and fun fantasy' was a big factor in it being well-received. Also, the main character, Mink, and the 'Dragon Half' race were my vision of Bishoujo, so I believe that was well-received by the readers. (7)


※～※～※～※

'Dragon Magazine' was a 'Sea' filled with Hope and Yearning


——Earlier, you mentioned you wanted to create a world that could be loved along with the novels, but what specific efforts did you make when creating 'Dragon Half'?

Mita: Actually, I was born with weak eyes (sweats). It's hard for me to look at a lot of printed text. So I would read the novel parts and supplement the rest with the wonderful illustrations. Well, my personal circumstances aside, the illustrations were a huge help when reading novels. Text and illustrations are the two wheels of a novel, and they really expand the worldview. I believe 'Dragon Half' developed while I was immersed in the worldviews created by the Sensei I respect.

——This is the synergistic effect that comes from being in the same magazine.

Mita: A world that was majestic and elegant, filled with works and Sensei I admire——that was 'Dragon Magazine'. When I was being serialised, I was secretly living there as well, always watching in awe of my surroundings. The atmosphere was so comforting, I believe that's why 'Dragon Half' was able to survive as well.

——'Dragon Half' was also being media-mixed during its serialisation in 'Dragon Magazine', but how did that come about?

Mita: From the character merchandise to the anime, games, and TRPG, the editor-san would tell me things like, "We're going to do this next." To be honest, I was passive (laughs). Also, in the case of the 'Dragon Half TRPG' (9) published by Fujimi Dragon Book, I felt appreciated when someone from Group SNE said to me at the end of year party, "We love 'Dragon Half', so please let us develop it into a TRPG." When I first heard that, I thought 'is this a dream?'; I was so happy (laughs).

——As the original artist, do you have any thoughts about the story and characters of 'Dragon Half' spreading across different media?

Mita: I was simply happy. It was a dream come true. By the way, when I was in high school, my dream was to become an animator and character designer! As a result of the media-mix, Mink from 'Dragon Half' was developed in different media, and seeing her being cherished by so many people made me feel like my dream had come true as the original artist.

——What did the magazine 'Dragon Magazine' and the work 'Dragon Half' mean to you?

Mita: For me, 'Dragon Magazine' was a 'sea' filled with hope and yearning. It had the image of a clear and sparkling sea where everything was new, exciting, and full of pride. I believe 'Dragon Half' was a fish that swam in that sea, a colourful fish no one had seen before. Thanks to the people who pioneered this sea, a new and different world was born, and many children grew up in it——in other words, the conditions were right for a wide variety of works to be born. Once again, I would like to express my gratitude from the bottom of my heart to the many people involved in the launch of 'Dragon Magazine'!


(Recorded via e-mail on 2017 March 21st)


※～※～※～※

(1): The cover of the first volume of the comic features the promotional text, "The world's first RPG (Role-Playing Gag) comic by the up-and-coming artist, Mita Ryuusuke, is finally here!!!"

(2): In an interview for the 'Dragon Half Special Feature' published in the 1989 October issue of 'Dragon Magazine', Mita was asked, "Dragon Half has idols and TV, but where did this worldview come from?" He answered, "When the series first started, there were no RPG world gags, so I thought it would be interesting to do gags in a fantasy worldview." (p13)

(3): A manga by Takahashi Rumiko (高橋留美子) serialised in Weekly Shonen Sunday (Shogakukan) from 1978 to 1987. It was an SF love-comedy centred around the protagonists Moroboshi Ataru and Lum, an oni-type alien girl, which won the '26th Shogakukan Manga Award in the Shounen and Shoujo category' in 1980. It was turned into a TV anime in 1981, and was later made into an anime film and an OVA.

(4): A series of animated films and OVAs released between 1986 and 1990, an SF action comedy in which Magami Eiko (A-ko), Daitokuji Biko (B-ko), and Kotobuki Shiiko (C-ko) get into all manner of crazy situations. It has also been novelised, such as Koshinuma Hatsumi's (越沼初美) 'Project A-ko' (プロジェクトA子) (Kadokawa Bunko, 1986).

(5): In this story, she's introduced as a 'Dragon Half' Bishoujo, a girl born to a human father (dragon slayer) and a dragon mother (flaming red dragon).

(6): The serialisation of 'Dragon Half' lasted for about six years, from the first issue of 'Dragon Magazine' to the 1994 June issue, and the comics were published in seven volumes by Fujimi Fantasia Comics.

(7): The first fan illustration of Mink from the reader submission page 'Dragon Scramble' in the 3rd issue (1988 May) with the reader comment, "Of all the characters, I like Mink the most. She's just so cute." Since then, many illustrations related to 'Dragon Half' can be found in the same corner with a focus on Mink.

(8): In 1993, it was turned into an OVA ('Mink's Journey', 'The Brutal, Killer Martial Arts Tournament') and into CDs ('New Lucid Dragon Half', 'Dragon Half ~Popular! TV Manga Daikoushin'), and games were also released for the PC98 and PC-Engine.

(9): In addition to Kiyomatsu Miyuki (清松みゆき)/Group SNE 'Dragon Half RPG' (Fujimi Dragon Book, 1991), 'Dungeon of Laughs: Dragon Half RPG Scenario Collection' (Fujimi Dragon Book, 1992), and 'Quest of Laughs: Dragon Half RPG Scenario Collection 2' (ibid.).


※～※～※～※～※


Source: 『月刊ドラゴンマガジン』 1989/10/1

Mita Ryuusuke Interview​

We've just directly interviewed the high-spirited artist.
If you read this, you'll also be a Dragon Half expert!

Q: Do you have any secret stories to share about Dragon Half?

A: At first, it was supposed to be a much more serious story. It was about a Shoujo with dragon blood, and she was being hunted because she had horns... But then I made Mink's mother a dragon, which turned her into such a powerful character. (Laughs)

Q: So it was supposed to be a serious story?

A: Yeah. But the basic premise of an unfortunate Shoujo hadn't changed. She is half-human, half-dragon, after all.

Q: Dragon Half has idols and TV, but where did this worldview come from?

A: When the series first started, there were no RPG world gags, so I thought it would be interesting to do gags in a fantasy worldview. There were periods I agonised over various details, but nowadays I draw those things freely and uncontrolled. I believe that's the best way to draw manga. If you don't enjoy drawing it, then it won't be conveyed to the readers. That especially goes for gag manga.

Q: In that sense, do you have a message for those who want to draw?

A: Motivation. No matter how good someone happens to be, if they're not motivated or have an abnormally humble personality in a bad sense, they'll say 'I am no good' and not do it. In the end, I believe it's motivation. Also, I cannot help but dislike losing. That might be important as well.

Q: Like getting obsessed with a game?

A: Yeah. I don't want to lose at anything. For example, I get worked up over stuff like card games.

Q: What happened?

A: I recently grew by about 3 millimetres, though nothing like that happened (laughs).

Q: Well then, a word to the readers.

A: I'm glad to receive your support. Please continue to support me. Also, I read all fan mail and reply to everyone, so please wait patiently.

And then......?

※～※～※～※～※


Source: 『月刊ドラゴンマガジン』 1994/6/1

Final Chapter Special! ◎Mita Ryuusuke Interview​

At First, It Was Supposed to be a Serious Story with a Heavy Setting

——The adventures of Mink and friends are finally coming to an end with this month's issue. So today, please tell us some behind-the-scene stories you can now share because it's the final chapter. Let's begin with how the story was born.

Mita: Actually, at first it was a more serious story with a heavy setting. But as I was redrawing the Name, the comedy tones grew stronger...... which decided the shape during the first volume of the comic. The reason is because I was thinking of a story that would fit my style of drawing, but Dragon Magazine is filled with great artists and writers, including Inomata-Sensei, who I'm a big fan of. I thought to myself, "I came to this kinda incredible place (laughs), so how am I going to survive?" So I thought my work should be a break from the other serious works.
※Inomata Matsumi (いのまたむつみ) (Wikipedia)

——So you found your selling point?

Mita: At the time, I didn't have any assistants yet, but I looked at myself objectively and realised I couldn't suddenly improve the level of my art. So I thought about how to satisfy readers with the contents of the Name to make it easy to get into.


The Strongest Character in the World!


——Why is she a Dragon-Half?

Mita: I simply wanted Mink to be a ridiculously strong girl. And what's strong in an RPG world...... is a dragon. So she's a Dragon-Half (laughs). In terms of design, I wanted her to stand out, so I gave her a tail and horns (laughs). As for the sub-characters, I had an image of Vena as a rival earlier than Rufa and Pia. She's also a Slime-Half (laughs). I wanted to make her a contrast to Mink in many ways. It actually took the whole of the first volume to figure out Rufa and Pia's personalities. So, if you look at the second chapter, you'll notice Rufa and Pia were saying sensible things (laughs).

——All three of them have really grown up.

Mita: I once heard characters that stand on their own start acting on their own, but it's true. I've always liked supporting characters with a sense of foundation, but Damaramu and Rosario have grown into actors I'm proud of no matter where they appear (laughs).The supporting characters pull Mink, who is honest and straightforward, in more ways than I could've ever imagined. They showed me all sorts of possibilities. So there was much I learned as I was drawing, and it was always a serious challenge. I couldn't let my guard down for a moment during serialisation...... So now it feels like a lo—ong time has passed (laughs). It feels like I've been drawing for over a dozen years now. What's more, it's been turned into an OVA and a game. It really feels like a dream, I still cannot believe it.

——Were there things you didn't draw......?

Mita: At first, Pia was supposed to be a boy whose growth was inhibited by his magical armour, but in the final episode, he becomes a fine young man. I also thought about pairing him with Mink and then pairing Saucer with Vena (laughs). Also, there was a joke the Pido Potion was actually a potion to become a human girl, so I also had it so Azatodeth was going to become a girl (laughs)......


And their World Continues Forever——


——Is Dragon Half a Cinderella Story?

Mita: I would say it's more a drama involving an assortment of characters. In the world of Dragon Half, there lives all sorts of characters with their own personalities, and it just so happened I merely shined a spotlight on two of them: Mink and Saucer...... Please think of it that way. Their stories will continue to progress from now on.

——Any last words......?

Mita: This is my first work, so there are many immature and embarrassing parts, but the more poorly a child behaves, the cuter they are (laughs). Right now, the 6th volume is on sale, but I would be very happy if we could meet them again in a side story. I will continue to work with a sense of tension—a beginner's spirit—and ambition. I don't know how to express my gratitude to all the readers who always supported me, but I would like to continue creating characters that will remain in everyone's hearts forever.

※～※～※～※～※

Creator Interview
Mita Ryuusuke-Sensei​

Mita-Sensei→
(Pardon me.)
N, no way... DH is~.
Q: What tools do you use when drawing manga?

↑Yamanashi Prefecture: Aul Toba Tieh (アウル・トバティーエ)

This month's interview is Mita Ryuusuke-sensei, who has completed the final chapter of his serialised comic 'Dragon Half', which has been running since Dragon Magazine's inaugural issue.

Question: Please tell us the origin of your penname.
Tokyo: Mita-Sensei Support Squad (見田先生応援隊・都)

Sensei: This is...... my real name. My name also has dragon in it, and the year I started Dragon Half in Dragon Magazine, the Chunichi Dragons won the championship, so I seem to have a connection to dragons.

Question: What was the trigger for your debut?
Hyogo Prefecture: M.A.?

Sensei: There was a competition when DM launched, and I was asked, "Why don't you try drawing something?" I had only submitted a manga once in high school, and I had hardly drawn any manga before, but what I drew then was the first chapter of DH. Before that, I worked as a writer and did illustration work at an editorial department.

Question: Is it true you like games?
Saitama Prefecture: Shiawase no Sonemi (しあわせのそねみ)

Sensei: I love, love, love them. I fundamentally like RPGs, and I'm quite fond of 'FF'.

Question: What do you pay the most attention to when drawing girls?
Chiba Prefecture: Takami Saeko (貴海冴子)

Sensei: I draw while paying the most attention to their eyes. Also, stuff like body lines.

Question: How long does it take to think of a story for a single chapter?
Aomori Prefecture: Yoshino Yuu (吉野悠)

Sensei: About 2 or 3 days. Sometimes 1 or 2 days when I'm in a hurry.

Question: Are there any differences when you draw 'Captured' (「キャプチュード)?
Iwate Prefecture: Irukuramu (イルクラム)

Sensei: In the case of Comic Dragon, there are over 10 manga series being published, so I'm completely focused on making mine stand out (laughs). What I consider first is making mine approachable with large pictures, a clear story, and easy-to-read content.

Question: If there's a mangaka you like, please tell us.
Aichi Prefecture Saiki Ryou (斉木涼)

Sensei: Uchida Shungiku-san (内田春菊) and Matsumoto Taiyou-san (松本大洋), Shimamoto Kazuhiko-san (島本和彦), and countless others. I was influenced by Takahashi Rumiko-san (高橋留美子), you see. I used to read 'Urusei Yatsura' (うる星やつら) and always wished I could draw a manga with so many characters like that. DH is very much influenced in that sort of way.

Question: Do Rogue (ログ) and the others have a mother?
Hyogo Prefecture: Aikawa Izumi (哀川泉)

Sensei: In the underground setting, they had a mother who was killed by Azatodeth (アザトデス), but I didn't have time to include her.

Question: Any hobbies?
Yamanashi Prefecture: Aul Toba Tieh (アウル・トバティーエ)

Sensei: I'm thinking of wanting to be involved in game production, not just the graphics, but also the system, so planning those projects is a hobby of mine. But my number one hobby is 'drawing manga'.

Question: Which character from the DH series left the greatest impression on you?
Kanagawa Prefecture: Maki Ayumi (槙亜由美)

Sensei: After all, it's Mink (ミンク). Until a certain point, I liked Ruth (ルース) the most, but as I progressed to around the 3rd volume, I grew very attached to Mink. I also like the Dead Lai group (デッドライ), including Yone (ヨネ).

Question: Do you have any plans to draw a DH gaiden?
Tokyo: Sasaki Tai (佐々木泰)

Sensei: Actually, there's some empty space in the latter half of the 7th volume, so I'm planning to include a gaiden there. I'm thinking of making Mink and Saucer's daughter the protagonist.


Lastly, we received a message from Sensei. "Thank you so much for your support over these 6 long years. Thanks to all of you, I was able to have a stage for special features and interviews, allowing me to conclude the series in the best way possible. I will definitely create even more interesting works in the future, so please look forward to them."

***********************

Dragon Magazine Dragon Half Fanart

***********************

Source:『ドラゴンハーフぷち原画集』1999/12/24

Dragon Half Petite Original Art Collection​

★This book is a petite original art collection for a Dragon Half click manga I'm planning to release on the Playstation/PC next February.
Unfortunately, as far as I'm aware, despite showing 26 of the 100 pages Mita Ryuusuke had planned for this click manga project (think of it like an interactive digital manga where there's animations and effects as you click to progress the pages and story), he never finished it on 2000 February.

While we're here, as a piece of trivia, Mita Ryuusuke painted some of the scenes for the Studio Ghibli film 'Laputa: Castle in the Sky', so if you thought a particular scene looked beautiful, that may have well been Mita's work. Mita also influenced several artists I like, notably Bloomer Hogero (ぶるまほげろー; a male artist who draws in a shoujo manga style, but often with the same anatomy as a Mita Ryuusuke character), ITOYOKO (he participated in a Mita Ryuusuke Dragon Half fanzines in the 1980s, and the anime adaptation of his work 'Dragon Pink' has a Mink cameo), and Morishita Futaba (森下双葉; a kemonomimi artist who draws under the Circle F-Graphics I really liked; click to check out his fanart for Mink).

 

[Taruby]

Aocchi discovered this article last February (2025), and told me he was working on a translation, but he hasn't uploaded one to his blog (Link), so in my curiosity and impatience, I bought the magazine in question and translated it myself. Also shared it with Kera who thought it was interesting enough to share my scans with his followers.

This is a rare article about Lolicon written by Harada Teruo (原田央男), the first representative of Comic Market, who resigned to leave Yonezawa Yoshihiro, the second representative, and Aniwa Jun to deal with the emerging Lolicon Doujinshi Boom. In 'Monthly OUT', he writes articles under the penname 'Anime Jun' (アニメ・ジュン), and like Yonezawa Yoshihiro who has several different pennames covering different topics that he often collaborate with each other when those topics overlap; Harada Teruo did the same thing when Anime Jun credits Shimotsuki Takanaka (霜月たかなか), which is another of Harada's pennames when he acts as a freelance writer and manga critic.

This article bashes Lolicon, and if you skipped every translation in this thread and you're still completely clueless about what Lolicon means in 1982, then you'll probably think he's bashing something completely different to what he's actually criticising when he bashes Clarisse doujinshi artists, and not mangaka like Azuma Hideo.


※～※～※～※～※

Source:『月刊OUT』 1982/6/1

Anime★Jun's Great Discovery

Petite Angie Hunting
——Incidental Story——​

I discovered a 'Petite Angie' research article in a certain anime magazine. And it was in colour.

——What in the world is happening!? Though it's downriver of the Lolicon Boom, they're seriously taking up the uncool work 'Her Majesty's Petite Angie' (女王陛下のプティアンジェ). Why? The one who popularised 'Petite Angie' was Azuma Hideo (吾妻ひでお), but wasn't that one of his typical jokes?


——Technique One: Lolicon is an Onion——


Unable to distinguish the serious from the joke, the boom's beginning to walk on its own two feet. That's how booms have always been, but for all I care, the Lolicon that have been clinging and multiplying in manga and anime are becoming some sort of tumor. That said, I wouldn't want it to become a malignant one, a cancer that eats away at manga and anime.

So, I want to clearly define 'what is Lolicon in the present day?'. If Lolicon is a sickness, then I believe we ought to at least create a medical record even if we don't have a prescription for it yet.

Rather than undress the Shoujo, I shall undress the Lolicon.

First, Lolicon is not Lolita Complex.

My eyes have never come across articles like 'Lolicon Anime Fan Kidnaps Youjo!' (I don't know what the future holds, but don't do it!). Obviously. While there are fans of anime Lolita characters, Bishoujo shounen manga, and Lolicon gekiga, there are practically no fans who chase after Shoujo in the city, and even if there were, I don't think anime or manga fans would consider them a kindred spirit. Simply put, these self-proclaimed Lolicon—so long as their infatuation is directed towards cathode ray tubes or screens, or characters on pages—are more accurately fetishists (物神嗜好者) than Lolicon.

Since they get excited by images they can play with even in their imagination, they're probably a form of narcissist (自己愛主義者). They're chasing insubstantial virtual images (or depicted realities), so their fancy inevitably leads to an endless escalation we can all agree is meaningless. While this is something they do of their own accord, it doesn't give them the right to impose it on others. If it's an orthodox Lolicon following in the footsteps of Lewis Carroll dedicating themselves to solitary play, then we can simply say good luck to the self-proclaimed Lolicon fools shouting from the rooftops.

And whether or not they're orthodox, that doesn't change the fact it's an onion game without a destination for Lolicon. Speaking of Lolicon Boom, isn't the very phrase Lolicon Boom a terrible contradiction?

——Technique Two: Lolicon means 'Anime'——


The term animation becoming commonly used is relatively recent. Before, it used to be called 'moving pictures' (動画; douga).

Lolicon is also similar to this.

Now that the term Lolicon has become widespread, anime Bishoujo and those obsessed with them have been receiving a close up. But of course it's not as if there weren't anime and manga fans who fit the label of Lolicon before that. There were plenty of Tezuka Osamu fans who would get excited at the sight of Uran (ウラン) from the time her manga was serialised in magazines, and the same goes for Hilda (ヒルダ). These are nothing more than Bishoujo character-loving manga and anime fans.

It's their degeneration (!?) into a fan that scours anime and manga for the sake of the latest Bishoujo that is unquestionable. It's due to the word called 'Lolicon'. When a Bishoujo-loving Shounen uses the word Lolicon to inversely-define himself as a Lolicon, he transforms into a Shounen who has eyes for nothing but Bishoujo. At this point, he has no choice but to continue being a 'self-proclaimed Lolicon'. Because without the label of Lolicon, he's nothing more than an ordinary Shounen.

It doesn't matter if they're a Shounen, Shoujo, or Ojisan. There are hardly any anime or manga fans who hate cutely drawn Bishoujo. Therefore, for those who feel insecure they have no distinguishing title besides their personal name, Lolicon is the easiest passport to obtain. Anyone can become a Lolicon.

Could the very discovery of this keyword be the reason Lolicon is booming? If so, then to all you self-proclaimed Lolicon, Lolicon is nothing more than a pose.

When Azuma Hideo simply mentioned 'Petite Angie', people swarmed to it without knowing whether or not he's joking. And then, to top it all off, they started saying it was amazing. Indeed, one couldn't write a prescription for such a thing. As they say, there's no cure for stupidity——.

——Technique Three: Lolicon is a Product——


That being said, perhaps we shouldn't blame just Lolicon fans. Seeing a trend, people are creating Lolicon special features and even entire special issues of magazines dedicated to it (I'll tentatively set aside Lolicon photo magazines for now as they're a slightly different ilk). Those who instigated this are also to blame. In that sense, since OUT also does this, I cannot say anything haughty, but we also publish Anti-Lolicon Campaigns (?), so I think we're somewhat better. However, generally speaking, they're creating manga and anime Bishoujo character catalogues, and shouting Lolicon! Lolicon! So considering how few treat Lolicon seriously beyond just being a product, you could say they're equally guilty.

In this way, Lolicon rose to the mass-media level (?), making self-proclaimed Lolicon unnecessary; simply saying a character like Lana (ラナ) was cute would immediately spread the mood called Lolicon. Then, once again, magazines, even those unrelated to manga or anime, jumped on this as good material, and the Lolicon labelling syndrome spread to their readers. A vicious cycle. Thus, Lolicon critics emerged, and Comic Market? "Ahh, you mean Lolicon doujinshi?" You may say. And even knowing it's a vicious cycle, magazines and self-proclaimed Lolicon fans welcomed it, completely distorting the original meaning and image of Lolicon.


——Technique Four: Lolicon is... not a Story——


The reason Shoujo manga fans drew a line between themselves and Lolicon is because the art of shoujo manga is not simply a depiction of a Shoujo's physical body. Even taking Ooshima Yumiko's (大島弓子) art as an example; those delicate lines are abstract signs representing the existence called Shoujo, and it is by making the Shoujo's existence emerge within the context of the story that the art captivates readers.

In contrast, what self-proclaimed Lolicon aim for is the Shoujo's physical body directly, and regardless if it's the simplified outlines of an anime character, what they're seeking is the curves and contours of a Bishoujo's body.

If that's the case, then the story is merely an omake, nothing more than a pretext for depicting a Shoujo's body.

While shoujo manga tells various stories with the premise they're for Shoujo, Lolicon manga can only tell stories that revolve around the bodies of Shoujo.

Even so, given there are only a few artists capable of doing otherwise, like Azuma Hideo, it's safe to say for Lolicon, stories are merely an afterthought. The majority of Lolicon works are simply Bishoujo sketchbooks, and the increase in such works, which are praised solely for the superiority of their technique, clearly indicates a retreat from story in manga and anime, and even a retreat from manga and anime themselves.

Manga and anime also being nothing more than tools for depicting Bishoujo.

For example, Azuma Hideo tells stories as a parody. The Petite Angie, which he inserted into his stories as a playful aside, has become an object of worship for Lolicon fans. Even if it's simply a joke among Lolicon fans, it's still a decidedly malicious joke for anime fans. This is because the relationship between the cuteness of Bishoujo characters and the interestingness of anime is nothing more than a minor one. I want to make it clear what I want to see is not a second or third Clarisse (クラリス), but rather a second or third 'Castle of Cagliostro' (カリオストロの城). Nevertheless, if Clarisse is the priority, then there's only one way for me to respond. Eat shit! Lolicon!

(End)

(Cooperation: Shimotsuki Takanaka [霜月たかなか])

---

---

It's thanks to Paul-chan, Moetan+Randoseru, and Chris archiving Lolicon doujinshi that we're slowly uncovering the actual thoughts and opinions of the self-proclaimed Lolicon people like Harada Teruo are criticising. Just the other day, Moetan uploaded 'Lolita' (ロリータ) vol.2 by Hirukogami Ken in 1979. Arisu (Alice) was the first Lolicon doujinshi by Hirukogami Ken, and after he did that one, he released Lolita alongside the releases of Cybele, and Hirukogami's doujinshi also has art by Cybele members; in Lolita vol.2, Moetan identified Mr. Y.T. as Toyoshima Yuusaku, who is a furry that attended America's first furry convention 'ConFurence' in 1994 and 1995 with Dan Kanemitsu and later TRUMP.

 

[Taruby]

A friend of Chris, Proxyman, commissioned me to translate a couple articles from a book his friend scanned a while back about Nakajima Fumio and a roundtable talk between the staff responsible for Lolita Anime by Wonderkids, the first ero-anime based on manga by Nakajima Fumio. I also included an interview with Nakajima Fumio conducted in an older issue of Manga Burikko. The commission total is between 400~500 USD, but I told Proxyman I would prefer he help Moetan and Randoseru (tooecchi) with cleaning and editing their scans whenever possible; they have a massive backlog of books and magazines, which includes issues of Manga Burikko (after vol.14 due to the difficulty of acquiring the first 6 issues after its renewal). Otherwise, I would've used the commission money to buy the scanner Moetan recommends along with an external harddrive, but that would push me towards juggling scanning and translating (I'm going to receive a doujinshi Proxyman wanted later this year, so hopefully my old scanner is suitable enough to scan the colour cover in a way he can colour correct it himself).

You can find the doujinshi Proxyman scanned and edited on his Sad Panda account under Pr0xy010.

Contents:
★Manga Burikko
・Special Feature: Nakajima Fumio (中島史雄)
・Additional Contents from the Vol.14 of Manga Burikko (Taruby)
★Lolita Anime: Wonder Kids Special Issue
・Nakajima Fumio's Lolicon World (Ikemoto Kouichi)
・Workplace Visit! Nakajima Fumio / Special Interview
・Lolita Anime Inside Story!?
Matsumoto Ken'ichi (松本謙一): Planning: Wonder Kids
Kuni Toshirou (クニ・トシロウ): Direction & Storyboard (Ⅰ・Ⅱ), Supervision (Ⅲ～V)
Kurahashi Tatsuji (倉橋達治): Animation Direction (Ⅰ・Ⅱ)
Mickey Masuda (Mickeyますだ): Direction & Storyboard (Ⅲ～Ⅴ)
Kawamura Tetsuo (河村哲生): Music Production (Ⅲ～Ⅴ), Lyrics (Ⅳ～Ⅴ)
Sudou Kazuo (須藤一男): Composition & Arrangement (Ⅲ～Ⅴ)

---

---

Source:『漫画ブリッコ』 1983/11

Special Feature: Nakajima Fumio (中島史雄) (Wiki) (Twitter)

——The Home Run King of Lolicon Shoujo Ero.​

◎Interview with Nakajima Fumio: A Sensible Man in the Ero Gekiga World
◎One New Illustration Plus Two Reprints

"For those of us in the ero-gekiga camp, this year could truly be called the inaugural year of ero-gekiga." So excitedly says the former editor-in-chief of Gekiga Alice (劇画アリス) (I'll refrain from mentioning his name because kids these days probably won't know it) around 1978. Nakajima Fumio, one of the core artists of that ero-gekiga camp, once appeared on a television broadcast along with several other artists.

Among the ero-gekiga movement that brought Dirty Matsumoto (ダーティー松本), Shimizu Osamu (清水おさむ), Inoue Hideki (井上英樹), Miyanishi Keizou (宮西計三), and Hisauchi Michio (ひさうちみちお) and Hiraguchi Hiromi (平口広美) to the world, Nakajima Fumio was the one who most sought Shoujo (the weak) as sexual objects, but his appearance on the Braun tube left a strong impression of a sharp, handsome young man.

I'm unable to reproduce the exact exchange, but in answering the question, "What do you think of people who read ero-gekiga and indulge in masturbation?" I believe he answered, "It feels good." Nakajima Fumio was a strangely healthy ero-gekigaka. I decided to interview Nakajima Fumio to get a glimpse of the steps he took from the Shoujo ero world, known as the 'Cherry Sex Faction', to our own Lolicon camp.

In 1975, shortly after he quit his job as an assistant, he created 'Riding the Light' (ひかりにのって). A cheerful ero-manga that remains unpublished.

■It Must've Started with Erogenica——

——Have you always lived in Hachioji?

Nakajima: No, only about 3 years. I used to live in a place called Hibarigaoka.

——Were you always in Tokyo?

Nakajima: No, around 10 years in Tokyo. Back then, I was around 9 years old.

——Pardon me asking, but what were your scores?

Nakajima: 32.

——I first started seeing Nakajima-san's work around your time in 'Erogenica' (Note 1), but when was your actual debut?

●Note 1: One of the three houses of third-rate gekiga, which were 'Gekiga Alice' (劇画アリス), 'Manga Daikairaku' (漫画大快楽), and 'Manga Erogenica' (漫画エロジェニカ). With artists such as Dirty Matsumoto (ダーティー松本), Muraso Shun'ichi (村祖俊一), Nakajima Fumio (中島史雄), Shimizu Osamu (清水おさむ), and Nojima Michinori (Taniguchi Kei) (野島みちのり [谷口敬]), who became central figures in the ero-gekiga movement. The publisher is Kaichosha, known for 'Jazz Land' (ジャズランド) and 'Crowd Under the Moon' (月下の一群).

Nakajima: It was 1975, but I ended up drawing for 'Erogenica' in 1977, so I didn't do much with the two years in between.

——What was your debut work?

Nakajima: It was in Hobunsha's magazine, in the form of an omake in a special issue on Nakano Yuu-san (中野ゆう) (Note 2). It was a yakuza story called 'Nigorigawa Shigure' (濁川時雨).

●Note 2: A veteran Kannou gekigaka, recently contributing to 'Manga Boin' (漫画ボイン).

——It wasn't a Shoujo story at all!

Nakajima: Yeah.

——Ero-gekiga?

Nakajima: Not really. But it was hard gekiga. It was around the peak of such things. Yakuza stories, you know.

——I suppose you started drawing manga before your debut, right?

Nakajima: No, this was actually before I started drawing manga. Before then, I was an assistant for about 2 years.

——For who?

Nakajima: Masaki Mori-san (真崎守) (Note 3).

●Note 3: Mangaka. Began drawing from the rental magazine period, but the works he published mainly in 'COM' around the 1970s captivated manga maniacs of the time with his manga of new trends in both contents and technique. He also writes manga critiques under the name Touge Akane (峠あかね).

——Ah—, that's right. What made you become his assistant?

Nakajima: Eh—, I had a setback when it came to finding work.

——So it wasn't something that happened all of a sudden.

Nakajima: It was by coincidence Masaki-sensei was recruiting assistants for 'Action' (アクション). The training for the company I joined was in Higashikurume (Note 4), the same place as Masaki-san. So, I snuck out of training and went to Masaki-san's place. Well, he turned me away back then, but I thought I'd already gotten a job, so I went to the company for a while, but didn't last long, and when I quit, I told him "I quit." And he said, "Well, you won't make a living." So he invited me. There were about 4 of us there back then.

●Note 4: The 12th station from Seibu Ikebukuro, after Hibarigaoka. Higashikurume.

——All sorts of people came from Masaki-san's place.

Nakajima: Yeah, that's right.

——Who was there back then?

Nakajima: People like Miyanishi Keizou-san (宮西計三) and Hashimoto Tetsuji-san (はしもとてつじ), they were there long before me. I believe I was the very last of his assistants.

His debut work 'Nigorigawa Shigure' (濁川時雨). It's a dark story about an impotent yakuza (やーさま).


■Lolicon Practice?


——Your debut work was about yakuza, so how did you wind up with your current Shoujo story style?

Nakajima: After all, it began with 'Erogenica' (エロジェニカ). It felt like I was free to draw whatever I wanted, so I drew pretty much whatever I wanted, and it turned out like that......

——Then you're saying you've had that sort of Hobby for a while now?

Nakajima: Well, it's always been, you see, like a yearning...... Though yearning sounds a bit cheesy.

——Rather than Shoujo, you're more into underdeveloped women?

Nakajima: Not really. My range is from the first year of middle school to the third year of high school.

——What about elementary schoolers?

Nakajima: Well, I suppose it's fine if it's just looking.

——After all, they need to be a target for action, right?

Nakajima: Yeah, if it's going to lead to action, around the second year of middle school's about right.

——How about in practice?

Nakajima: Practice is no good. It's not very interesting if I can see them naked. If they're wearing clothes, it makes me wanna undress them.

——Over the last 2~3 years, there's been a Lolicon Boom, but I believe there's some differences in the thinking between that sort of movement and the world Nakajima-san carries. For example, what do you think about all the photobooks being released these days?

Nakajima: Photobooks. They were releasing a bunch of mook-versions for a time. There's ones called 'Youjo Pussy Collection' (幼女オメコ集), 'You'ome' (幼オメ), you see.

——For example.

Nakajima: Ehh, stuff like 'Romance' (ロマンス) and 'Little Pretenders' (リトルプリリテンダー). Recently, there was a Lolicon-specialty magazine that opened up reader submissions, and that was kinda, you know.

——Would you prefer Shoujo in a city landscape? What you would call fairly demure Lolicon.

Nakajima: Yeah.

——You're a weak Lolicon.

Nakajima: That's right.


■He Loves Chiba Tetsuya's Girls


——Among manga in general, are there any you particularly liked, or ones that influenced you? When you were a child perhaps?

Nakajima: I come from a bookshop-san family. Used bookshop-san

——You were truly blessed.

Nakajima: What I read in kindergarten was stuff like 'Goroppe' (ゴロッペ).

A story about a teacher captivated by a 13-year-old Shoujo, even though he stopped drawing the first draft in 1976. Back then, Lolicon works were taboo, and it was left unfinished.

Its plot appears as-is in 'Uniform Ark' (制服の方舟) (1980, 'Erotopia' [エロトピア]).

——I don't know that one.

Nakajima: There was a story called 'Goroppe'. I believe it was by Yamane Hifumi-san (山根一二三).

——I know the name if it's Yamane Hifumi.

Nakajima: It was this period, you see. Then there was 'Saikoro Korosuke' (サイコロコロ助) and 'Youtarou-kun' (与太郎くん). This was around the launch of Magazine and Sunday, but that line of Chiba-san works (Note 5).

●Note 5: Mangaka Chiba Tetsuya (ちばてつや). He produced numerous masterpieces, such as 'Chikai no Makyuu' (ちかいの魔球), 'Shiden Kai Hawk' (紫電改のタカ), 'Harris no Kaze' (ハリスの旋風), 'Ashita no Joe' (あしたのジョー) (based on the original work by Takamori Asao [高森朝雄]=Kajiwara Ikki [梶原一騎]), and more recently 'Ore wa Tetsubei' (おれは鉄兵) and 'Notari Matsutarou' (のたり松太郎). Even now, he mas many passionate supporters.

——I also read 'Yotarou-kun'.

Nakajima: So, I really liked Chiba-san's girls. There's the younger sister from 'Chikai no Makyuu', but her personality's nice. Plus, he drew her skirt in such a way you'd get tantalising glimpses of what lay underneath, almost visible, yet not quite (☺). As for shoujo manga, what did I read?

——You started reading shoujo manga at a relatively early age?

Nakajima: Yeah, though back then, Chiba-san's shoujo manga were the ones I mainly read.

——Rather, back in those days, it wasn't uncommon for men to be the ones drawing shoujo manga.

Nakajima: And in them, the girls would appear in their slips. 'Yuka o Yobu Umi' (ユカを呼ぶ海), I believe it was called, but that one got my blood pumping. There was that and stuff like 'Ichi Ni San to Shi Go Roku' (一二三と四五六). There was a scene where she's in the Ofuro, and her little brother entered the Ofuro!

——Scenes like that were extremely rare in those days.

Nakajima: It felt so fresh and novel. Even looking at it now, the way he drew the folds and wrinkles of his skirts was so good.

——Ahh, so you go back and reread them from time to time?

Nakajima: Yeah, I reread them.

——I see.


■Even Nakajima Fumio Won't Draw This Much......


Nakajima: And from there, gekiga began. Even now my lines are hard due to the influence of gekiga. Speaking of tankoubon, there's 'Keiji' (刑事) (Tokyo Top-sha), 'Machi' (街) (Hinomaru Bunko), and 'Gorilla Magazine' (ゴリラマガジン) (Saitou Pro).

——I'm no good. I'm not familiar with that area.

Nakajima: It was pretty much only gekiga back then.

——Was this when you were in middle school?

Nakajima: Yeah, of course I was reading 'Sunday' and 'Magazine' alongside them, but I was reading that area every month. If I had to choose, you could say I was seinen magazine-oriented, and later, stuff like 'Young Comic' (ヤングコミック) (Note 6) and 'Manga Action' (漫画アクション) were launched. That said, I never really wanted to try drawing it myself.

●Note 6: Created in 1967, this magazine was a pioneer in seinen gekiga magazines, and a significant producer of many works and artists. However, it was recently discontinued. Published by Shounen Gahousha.

——However, before you became an assistant, you must've been drawing a little.

Nakajima: Ah, I drew for 2~3 years. Around 8 pages. 'COM' (Note 7) had just launched and Okada Fumiko-san (岡田史子) (Note 8) was there, I was imitating her style.

●Note 7: Launched in 1966 by Mushi Pro Shouji (虫プロ商事) under Tezuka Osamu (手塚治虫). While primarily featuring manga from the Mushiro Pro and Tokiwa-sou Group, it's a manga specialty magazine dedicated to publishing manga information and research articles, as well as scouting for new talent. A significant number of mangaka currently active in the industry—particularly those representing new artistic trends—were individuals who once submitted their works to 'COM'.

●Note 8: Regarded as a representative of the artists of the new styles that were born from 'COM'. His art-style is somewhat amateurish in appearance, but highly valued for its introspective expression.

——Ahh, the 'COM' period. Did you submit anything?

Nakajima: A couple times. My results weren't exactly stellar, but stuff like 'one more step'.

——Did you use your real name?

Nakajima: Yeah. But looking back on it now, it was a pretty pretentious magazine. They even wrote on the cover that it's a 'manga specialty magazine for manga elite'.

——(☺) I see.

※～※～※～※

——When you started drawing manga, were there any people you liked?

Nakajima: People like Kurata Emi-san (倉多江美) and Azuma Hideo-sensei (吾妻ひでお). I really liked Azuma-sensei's 'Eight Beat' (エイトビート) and 'Kimagure Goku' (きまぐれ悟空).

——As for 'Mousou Pan no Monshirochouya'* (妄想パンのもんしろちょう屋), didn't that appear in Nakajima-san's 'Monshirochou no Pantsuya-san' (もんしろちょうのパンツ屋さん)?
※This is from Azuma Hideo's 'Buratto Bunny' (ぶらっとバニー), which was serialised in 'Ryuu' (リュウ), a magazine Ootsuka Eiji helped edit.

Nakajima: Do you think so?

——How about nowadays?

Nakajima: People like Takahashi Rumiko-san (高橋留美子), she has a knack for delivering her punchlines in just a tiny quarter-sized panel on the very last page.

——I see.

Nakajima: It's just, I like listening to those sorts of short stories.

——What about Lolicon-types? Quite a few youngsters are emerging from there.

Nakajima: They're all good. Like these (points to the contents of 'Burikko'). I like the girl kiss scenes (points to Oohara Ayao [大原彩生] from the July issue).

——Girl kissing girl?

Nakajima: Yeah.

——This 'Burikko' book is quite ero. Especially among the new Lolicon-type books.

Nakajima: However, it can get pretty intense. There's stories where they go at it from beginning to end. Even Nakajima Fumio won't draw this much (☺).

Nakajima Fumio during his trip to Thailand this past spring. For the record, this particular trip was by no means undertaken under the pretext of visiting Chiang Mai (チェンマイ).


■He Wants to Do Light, Round, Manga-esque Art


——Do you have a stance when you draw, a particular sense......? For example, many of your protagonists are girls. Do you draw while cross-dressing, I'm joking of course, but do you immerse yourself in the bodies of the girls you draw?

Nakajima: That happens. It's, to be honest, I don't fully understand it myself, but it's probably simpler to say I have a feminine side. Rather, it's more that I want to understand women. Hmm...... How do I put this......? It's fun to draw based on the idea of 'I wonder if a girl would think this way'. Hm, consequently, whenever I try to make a guy the protagonist, it doesn't work out. That's the reality (☺). So, you see...... You know how when a female artist draws a male protagonist, she draws him in a really lively, vibrant way? Take Kurata Emi-san's (倉多江美) 'Seventh Snar'* (セブンスナー), for example, I felt she captured the essence of a boy remarkably well even from a male perspective. I suspect the reverse may be true for me; perhaps I'm able to draw things, specifically regarding female characters, a female artist may feel too self-conscious or embarrassed to draw herself.
*T/L Note: The original story has it written as 'スナー' (Suna-), but Japanese natives believe it's a typo for 'スター' (Star).

——Is there anything you want to draw in this regard? A theme you want to tackle in your next work?

Nakajima: If possible, I would prefer not to draw it.

——Not draw?

Nakajima: What I mean is, well, it's not really realistic...... But, well, I'm an ero-mangaka, one whose primary battlefield is the realm of Kannou Gekiga (Note 9). In that space, I would like to shift towards lighter and rounder art...... To put it simply, I want to do more manga-esque art, something that would allow me to bring out the charm of my art, but no matter how much I insist, my editors always push back against it.

●Note 9: Kannou-type Gekiga. That is to say, sensational gekiga that directly engages in the sensual or sexual organs, also known as ero-gekiga.

——Changing the nature of the product.

Nakajima: It's partly that, but there's another reason, art that mimics realistic photography with shading, tones, and detailed linework... is simply seen as more persuasive and easier to grasp.

The simpler the art becomes, the more my own personal taste shines through; essentially, it means that while it might resonate with some readers, others would absolutely detest it. Navigating that particular dynamic is currently one of the major challenges I'm facing......

●Note 10: Seiyuu (女優). She served as the cover girl for 'Ribon' (りぼん) for 7 consecutive years, a tenure so long it was as if she was walking around with the magazine plastered to her face. She was active in both television and film during the late 1960s. She eventually married the guitarist for Kayama Yuuzou's (加山雄三) back band and retired from the industry.
T/L Note: Naito Youko (内藤洋子), who married Kayama Yuuzou's cousin (on his mother's side), Kitajima Osamu (喜多嶋修). This note doesn't appear to be associated with anything mentioned in this interview...


The interview, spanning over two and a half hours, continued to grow livelier as the conversation turned to his travel hobby, Otaku, and his wife. Indeed, rumour has it his wife's very presence is the secret ingredient that lends such depth and realism to Nakajima Fumio's manga. His wife, who insists on tagging along on every single one of his trips (whether it's domestic or international, Hawaii last year, Thailand this year) must be a petite, cute woman, much like the Shoujo that populate Nakajima Fumio's manga...... So I believe.

Nakajima Fumio, who describes himself as a sensible man walking the ero-gekiga world, turned out to be a man leading a far healthier lifestyle than the vast majority of so-called sensible people you would encounter these days.


Interviewer: Endou Yuichi (エンドウ・ユイチ) (Wiki)

※～※～※～※～※

Additional Contents from the Vol.14 of Manga Burikko:
​

Jabba The Knight by Nakajima Fumio
(Slave) Princess Leia: "Ahh—Better than Solo."

Uchiyama Aki (King of Lolicon) and 'Hey!Buddy' (the magazine whose downfall spelt the end of the Lolicon Boom) cameo from 'Jabba the Knight'.

●Kawai Kazumi is certainly cute, but her breasts are way too big.
Yokohama／Rinmon Kei (麟文京)

Kawai Kazumi (可愛かずみ) was incredibly popular, gracing the opening pages of GORO, yet she was fervently met with disapproval in 'Burikko'. Why do you suppose that is?

Vol.14 is the first issue after the photographs were removed from Manga Burikko (despite that, there were advertisements for 'Lolicon Land' and 'Peeping' magazine); the previous issue had photographs of Kawai Kazumi, who was around 18 years old. In a later comment, the editor (Ootsuka Eiji?) revealed the demographic of the people sending postcards to the magazine. Over 10% were girls, and the vast majority were high schoolgirls (1983/10). The content that was at the top of the WORST ranking from the postcards were the photos of Kawai Kazumi, and the editor lamented the fact they paid such a high guaranteed fee for Kawai Kazumi. The editor also mentioned Ogata Katsuhiro being hospitalised due to a traffic accident and Ootsuka Eiji temporarily taking over the column duties until he returns for the next issue.

It's odd people are getting way more mileage out of the photographs being removed from Manga Burikko, twisting it into the foundation of a cult-like religion, without researching or citing the primary source like I have done, or paying attention to all of the magazines around it. But after translating the comments of the elementary schoolgirls from Mutation lambasting Masuda Seiko for being an ugly phoney, it makes you wonder about the contents of the unpublished letters and the true nature of the people sending those... As I mentioned earlier in this thread, after Ootsuka Eiji suicided Manga Burikko, its successor 'Hot Milk' was taken over by the 3rd editor responsible for Manga Burikko, and the photographs returned in 'Hot Milk'. One of the artists that was popular in 'Hot Milk' is one cited in Nagayama Kaoru's book and this is how Patrick Galbraith translated the artist's introduction:

What is Bishoujo Manga by Rie-chan-14-Sai:

The art style of Rie-chan-14-sai (りえちゃん14歳) (Wiki), one of the forerunners of Moe, didn't originate from manga like Azuma Hideo, the Father of Lolicon, but rather from burusera magazines and Lolita photobooks in addition to general women's magazines like 'Olive'. The one that influenced him the most was a photobook called 'Kimi wa Kirari' (君はキラリ) (Wiki), and his penname originated from a 3D Loli called Sugimoto Rie (杉本理恵), who would've been 14 years old in 1988 when Rie-chan-14-Sai made his debut. Drawing for him was a substitute for photography to create realistic, yet fantastical worlds. An issue of 'Alice Castle' (アリスの城), which was a sister magazine of 'Alice Club' (アリスクラブ) and was part of the 1990s 2nd Lolicon Boom, had fanart of Rie-chan-14-Sai by Machino Henmaru (町野変丸), who is likely a name familiar to anyone into bizarre hentai manga.

In any case, I've been mostly focusing on the 1980s, and the above would be more towards whenever I get around to Lolicon History research in the 1990s with 'Bishoujo' manga and artists like Rie-chan-14-Sai, who is part of the reason why modern day Moe and Bishoujo are significantly more anatomically correct than manga style Lolicon by artists such as Azuma Hideo and Kazuna Kei. I've read this incredibly ignorant and incorrect etymology and history of Lolicon, and the person who wrote it is the typical American trying to push a completely false narrative about 'Otaku' culture and the meaning of these words. People who write nonsense like that should retire from writing false information not substantiated by primary sources and purchase a scanner or an image editing tool to help Moetan or Randoseru archive primary sources so they can get their facts straight. Whenever I go on Twitter and search Lolicon Boom or Azuma Hideo, all I see is lies, lies, and more lies (Grok also contributing by saying Azuma Hideo was an assistant to Tezuka Osamu).

※～※～※～※～※


Source:『映画の友増刊ロリータアニメワンダーキッズ特集号』　1985/3/15

Nakajima Fumio's Lolicon World
Idly N-Sensei​

Ikemoto Kouichi (いけもとこういち)

In all honesty, I merely wanted to start a fan club for Nakajima Fumio-sensei (中島史雄).

But I don't know where I went wrong... But I'll declare this now——

"I am a Nakajima Fumio fan!!!"

However, it's difficult to deal with malignant faddists, even as fan club activities, they're troubling and completely useless.

I am a human who simply loves third-rate gekiga (三流劇画).

From Manga Erogenica (漫画エロジェニカ) to Gekiga Etsurakugou (劇画悦楽号), from Manga Erotopia (漫画エロトピア) to Lemon People (レモンピープル), born from my love for gekiga, I offer praise to N-Sensei——

Some time ago, I spoke with Mr. U, a Lolicon mangaka, over the phone, but——

"Lately, N-Sensei's mostly working in a cute art-style, why do you suppose he stopped drawing the gruesome rape scenes he used to draw?"

"Maybe his beautiful wife won't let him draw it?"

N-Sensei's wife—who apparently has had a significant influence on the image of girls he draws—appears in 'Chotto Tameshite' (ちょっと試して) volume 2 and gets into a fight with Itsuko-san (何日子).

Whether this Yoshiko-san and the real Mrs. N are similar or not——I don't know, as I've never met her. I've only heard rumours she's a very talented woman, but...

There are even opinions suggesting the reason the Shoujo appearing in his work are so full of life is 'because his wife is serving as their model'.

A high schoolgirl who read an N-Sensei tankoubon for the first time said the following——

"Is this N-Sensei a woman?"

Her saying these words made me convinced as well.

N-Sensei, as many of you probably know, lives in Hachioji.

So, the train appearing in his works are from Keio Teito, and the heroine breaks her journey at the Chofu Station. On Saturday afternoons, she goes to Shinjuku, and if she's taking a car, she goes to Yazaru pass, and there are Keio Line stories in works such as 'Chotto Tameshite', full of universities, and where Itsuko-san lives is Chitose Karasuyama, and her high school is Sakurajosui... She's pretty much a Tokyo local!!

Speaking of city, it's Hachioji, the terminal station of the Keio Teito Line. This realistic Bishoujo gekiga actually uses real geographic locations like this. Wanna try tracing the routes yourself?

N-Sensei's hobby is travelling, and he goes on overseas trips at least once a year.

Last year, around the time of the anime adaptation for 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃんのいる店) was being made, he apparently went to Egypt, and I believe he had previously travelled to Southeast Asia. He's quite the travelling maniac.

There's talk that after finishing a long-running series, he always goes on a trip to somewhere.

Of course, his wife also joins him, but——

N-Sensei's works can be roughly divided into 4 periods.

1st Period: The period of comical gekiga such as 'Pink Slumber' (ピンク・スランバー) and 'Shameful Uniform' (恥辱の制服) when his brushwork was full of power. (Before Showa 53 [1978].)

2nd Period: The period of orthodox gekiga such as 'Girls Tortured with Roses' (少女薔薇刑) and 'Time Limit' (タイムリミット), where his art-style became extremely detailed and the heroines were innocent-looking Shoujo. (Showa 53~54 [1978~1979].)

3rd Period: The period of Bishoujo series such as 'Sakurambo Front' (さくらんぼ前線), extending to more recent works like 'Chotto Tameshite' (ちょっと試して). During this period, the Shoujo's eyes changed from almond-shaped to round ones, and their proportions shrank from 7-heads tall to 6-heads tall. (Showa 55~57 [1980~1982].)

4th Period: The period of Youjo-Shoujo heroines such as 'Whimsical Season' (気まぐれなシーズン). The character proportions are 5-heads tall and their faces are round. (From Showa 57 onward [1982~].)

Please feel free to check out his work collection~♥

About 2 years ago, there was a Nakajima Fumio special feature in 'Manga Burikko' (漫画ブリッコ). It included a detailed interview regarding N-Sensei's artist life, so if you can find it at a used bookshop, I recommend reading it.

The contents cover his period as Masaki Mori-san's (真崎守) assistant, and includes interesting insights into his views on Lolicon and Gekiga.

Also, the contents of the short special feature include reprints of 'Jabba the Knight' (ジャバ・ザ・ナイト) and 'Little Love Truck' (小さな恋のトラック便), and a newly drawn work called 'Hinako' (雛子).

Are works such as 'Uniform Hunting' (制服狩り), which were released by Sun Publishing, still available for purchase? Or have they gone out of print?

I recently saw them in a bookshop shelf just once, but I believe it was N-Sensei's first single-volume tankoubon, either 'Uniform Hunting' (制服狩り) or 'Lewd Sailor Uniform' (淫楽セーラー服). I intend to buy them if I see them again, but I haven't been able to find them at all since then.

For recent fans, it has become impossible to collect all of N-Sensei's tankoubon.

I've included a list of all the tankoubon that are currently available, but...

It has already been a year and a half since N-Sensei received a proposal to adapt his work into a video anime.

The first video anime project was planned from the start to consist of a total of 10 volumes. The characters bore little resemblance to those in his original work, and the stories weren't particularly suited for anime. The studio responsible faced considerable difficulties until 'The Reddening Snow' (雪の紅化粧) was completed. It was their very first adult-oriented project, and they were fumbling in the dark how to animate the characters, which was a complex and challenging experience for N-Sensei.

※～※～※～※～※

Now he likes his cute art-style. ↑ From 'Space Detective Jariman' (宇宙刑事ジャリマン)

Workplace Visit! Nakajima Fumio / Special Interview​

The original creator of Lolita Anime, the workplace of Nakajima Fumio, is located in Hachioji, Tokyo. I was able to meet Nakajima in a room in a mansion-block. Anyways, I was surprised by his youth. Nakajima Fumio is not only a Lolita comic artist, but also a long-established and popular figure in the adult gekiga world due to his wide array of styles. I had imagined him to be an older man. The real Nakajima was born on December of 1950, making him 34 years-old at this time. Incidentally, he hails from Kokura, Kitakyushu. Now then, let's begin the interview at once.


——When did you begin drawing Lolita manga?

Nakajima: 'Youjo to Shoujo ga Monchichi' (幼女と少女がもんちっち) was the first one. The one where I consciously had a Youjo appear... I had wanted to draw one before, but regulations were too strict. That was in 1979, and I guess that's around the time Uchiyama Aki-san (内山亜紀) also debuted.

——By that, you mean you debuted before that...?

Nakajima: My debut was in 1975. After that, I went through a period of hardship (laughs), and only started making a living around 1978. That's when 'Erogenica' (エロジェニカ) started selling well. 'The Reddening Snow' (雪の紅化粧), which was included in 'Lolita Anime' (ロリータアニメ) was published in that magazine.

——What were your thoughts on having your work adapted into an anime?

Nakajima: Hm—m, I also wanted to watch something like 'Lolita Anime', and... Back then, there was 'Sasuga no Sarutobi' (さすがの猿飛) and 'Stop! Hibari-kun!' (ストップ！！ひばりくん！). After several meetings, they picked from gekiga-esque ones.

——What was your impression after seeing the finished work?

Nakajima: To be honest, I wished it was a little brighter... Speaking of which, during 'Itsuko should Die' (何日子の死んでもいい), there's a line where she says, "Call me Itsuko!" That was embarrassing.

——What do you mean?

Nakajima: In adult gekiga, there were stock phrases like 'Call me~', or in housewife stories, there's 'You're better than my husband', which brings back memories of the past (laughs).

——The 3rd one 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃんのいる店) became quite bright.

Nakajima: That original work still hadn't been published into a tankoubon, so the production staff had to track it down. While they didn't strictly follow the original story, perhaps that's a good thing, since it allowed for multiple viewings on video. I really liked their ending.

——Were you involved in the anime production?

Nakajima: I pretty much left everything to the staff. It seems they drew the storyboards directly from my manga... Although 'Surf Dreaming' (サーフ・ドリーミング) didn't have a manga original work, I came up with the story myself.

——By the way, does Nakajima-san have a Lolita-orientation?

Nakajima: You could say that. Younger is better than older, so... After all, I suppose elementary 5th~6th years would be nice. It's no good if they don't feel embarrassed when they're undressed.

——I see. What about the university schoolgirls that are in vogue...?

Nakajima: Not interested. Female university students don't have any distinguishing characteristics. It's better to break something that's restricted than something that doesn't have any restrictions, you know.

——When drawing adult gekiga, are there a lot of restrictions regarding things like subject matter?

Nakajima: No, I'm allowed to draw whatever I like. I want to draw unusual things, novel things, things no one else has done before. That's also how I started drawing Lolita manga.

——Doing that, you must be quick to incorporate the latest trends...

Nakajima: In that sort of sense, I'm not bound by trends. Fuuzoku* (風俗) and adult gekiga aren't related. Rather, each cherishes their own world and strives to create a fictional world of desire.
※Sex trade and sex services may be referred to as fuuzoku (風俗), which also means "manners", "customs", or "public morals".

——Finally, I'd like to talk about your future aspirations...

Nakajima: I want to draw in a style I'm completely satisfied with! I've been saying this for a long time, though (laughs).

——For example, drawing something like a long, epic Lolicon manga (laughs)?

Nakajima: That would be nice. I might use that as my catch phrase (laughs).


Throughout the interview, Nakajima maintained an ever-present smile, giving an impression of refreshing charm, much like his recent works. He also seemed to possess many naïve and poetic qualities. He currently draws 70 pages per month, working closely with his wife, who also acts as his assistant. When asked about fan letters, he says he receives only 2~3 a year, and that he hopes to receive some from girls.

If You Don't Know This, You Cannot Call Yourself a Fan
The Representative of Lolicon magazines, Lemon People.

※～※～※～※～※

※～※～※～※～※

Lolita Anime Inside Story!?
Maker Roundtable Talk​

The current blooming-out-of-season Lolita Anime Syndrome!? We asked the staff of Wonder Kids (ワンダーキッズ), pioneers in the video world, to share a wide-ranging discussion of the area around Lolita Anime!!

Attendees:

Matsumoto Ken'ichi (松本謙一)
Planning: Wonder Kids

Kuni Toshirou (クニ・トシロウ)
Direction & Storyboard (Ⅰ・Ⅱ), Supervision (Ⅲ～V)

Kurahashi Tatsuji (倉橋達治)
Animation Direction (Ⅰ・Ⅱ)

Mickey Masuda (Mickeyますだ)
Direction & Storyboard (Ⅲ～Ⅴ)

Kawamura Tetsuo (河村哲生)
Music Production (Ⅲ～Ⅴ), Lyrics (Ⅳ～Ⅴ)

Sudou Kazuo (須藤一男)
Composition & Arrangement (Ⅲ～Ⅴ)

■Did Lolita Break the Stereotypes of Anime?

——Thank you very much for taking time from your busy schedules to gather here. First, I'd like to ask each of you to briefly share your thoughts on the parts you were handling.

Masuda: I directed Ⅲ・Ⅳ・Ⅴ. It's hard to digest, after all.

Kuni: I directed Ⅰ・Ⅱ. It's hard to digest (laughs). As for me, I did my best. There were many things I regret and feel I should've done differently.

However, I still don't know what direction Lolita will take.

Matsumoto: I'm doing the planning for Wonder Kids. There's a lot going on, and it's exhausting. Only this is true (laughs). I'm really exhausted, that's all I can say.

However, I would like to make another contribution to the animation world in a different form.

Kawamura: I produced the music for Ⅲ・Ⅳ・Ⅴ. It was really interesting creating girl characters through music. I believe what can follow the expression of art to make cute girls cuter and bullied girls strangely lovable is the music. I haven't calmly listened to the voices of others yet, but I feel I understand this sort of thing.

Sudou: I was in charge of the composition and arrangement of the music from Ⅲ to Ⅴ, as well as being the musician. It was quite challenging, but I had a lot of fun doing it.

——What was the process like planning Lolita Anime and creating the company known as Wonder Kids?

Matsumoto: Wonder Kids is a sort of joint venture formed by advertising agencies involved in CM. We decided to do a video, and we came together to try something new. So, we started by re-examining the world of various video soft.

When it came to what was selling, the one unavoidable thing was porno. Among them, the world of Lolita was attracting a lot of attention. And the other was the world of animation. We thought if we combined these, perhaps it would do quite well and become well-received. So we went ahead and did it.

Kuni: You could say we were bold, or maybe reckless...... (laughs).

Matsumoto: At the very beginning, we had already came up with the name 'Lolita Anime' (ロリータアニメ); we had a feeling where we wanted to do Lolita. Then, when we actually started, we had all sorts of opinions on what we're going do with the characters. I personally was of the opinion she had to be cute, and that she needed to be childish.

When we finished Ⅰ, we received all sorts of feedback, but if I were to share my preference, she's a little bit mature, and the story was dark.

Kuni: I believe that's a matter of taste after all. As for me, I quite liked Ⅰ's 'The Reddening Snow' (雪の紅化粧). This is an excuse, but we didn't have time and there were other issues, but I wanted to digest it a little more in my own way. I'm sure there are fans of that sort of work. But parts Ⅰ・Ⅱ are still quite dark (laughs). On the other hand, part Ⅲ suddenly became bright (laughs).

In Ⅲ's 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃんのいる店), I believe we went in another direction of Lolita Anime, but I didn't really understand it when I first spoke with Matsumoto-san and the others. But when it came out, I thought, "Ahh, so this is what Matsumoto's happy with." (Laughs)

——Did you consult with each other before choosing Nakajima Fumio-san (中島史雄) for the original work?

Matsumoto: That's right. He was selected through Wonder Kids. But first and foremost, Nakajima-san himself was on board. When doing something like this, it's best if the original artist is also on board.

↑ 'The Reddening Snow' (雪の紅化粧)

Kuni Toshirou (クニ・トシロウ)

Kuni: Nakajima-san was on board. He was genuinely happy to see his art in motion.

Matsumoto: We were using his original works at first, and were very careful to ensure Nakajima-san would approve of our art. But the reality is that it seems Nakajima-san's opinion also rose when we moved away from his original art (laughs).

(Due to work commitments, Kurahashi-san arrived late.)

Kurahashi: Sorry I'm late.

↑ 'Girls Tortured with Roses' (少女薔薇刑)

Matsumoto: This is Kurahashi-san, the animation director for Ⅰ・Ⅱ.

——What are Kurahashi-san's thoughts on part Ⅰ・Ⅱ?

Kurahashi: The other day, a late-night TV broadcast had a Lolita Anime introduction, but not ours. One of their cast was indignant, saying they made something with children as characters even though its creators probably had children of their own. It was the first time I saw something like that, and I felt like they were talking about me (laughs). For a brief moment, I felt a huge sense of responsibility.

Kuni: I actually have a high school son. The other day when I told him I was making Lolita Anime, he was surprised and told me to stop. Even though I haven't done anything particularly bad (laughs).

Kawamura: Did you feel a sense of sin? (Laughs)

Kuni: No, I just said I didn't feel a sense of sin (laughs). I mean it passed through Viderin (ビデ倫), the ones who majestically rule us under the heavens, so I felt nothing of the sort.

Matsumoto: Because it's decided animation is for children, people tend to think this kind of thing is bad. But it's not like that, it's a form of expression. It's wonderful anime can be for adults and can express all sorts of things.

Matsumoto Ken'ichi (松本謙一)

■The Staff Aiming to Create New Music for Video Anime


——What is the reason you switched to Hi-Fi from part Ⅲ?

Matsumoto: Because we live in an age where sound quality matters. If we're going to make it, then we need to do it with Hi-Fi.

We received quite a few enquête that Ⅲ was very wonderful because it sounded like BGV, you see.

Kawamura: Honestly, I'm happy. I thought it would be better to have BGV in the storyboard, so I made a conscious effort.

However, since I went too far with the music, the people who bought it might not achieve their original purpose (laughs). I've reflected on that for the next part.

——I believe SM is unique material in music, so do you consider how you're going to do those scenes?

Kawamura: That was the most difficult part. For normal sex scenes, quiet music is fine, but that's not the case with SM. If I make it a little too hard, I can't help but feel annoyed while listening to it (laughs). But I try to keep it to a minimum and think about what to do if it becomes unbalanced with the image. There are still parts of SM I don't know how to express.

Sudou: I wish we had a little more time for the music. Apparently, the budget was also a problem...... (Laughs).

Matsumoto: That's how it turned out because the recording schedule was already set. But the rest of the work got delayed a little.

Sudou: I heard about that later and wished we had an extra week. At that stage, we had a schedule that worked backwards from the idea we wouldn't be able to finish the track down (TD) in time.

↑ 'Altar of Sacrifice' (いけにえの祭壇)

Matsumoto: This is turning into a grievance meeting (laughs). In that sense, I'm reflecting on the fact we didn't have a lively discussion, you know? Instead of talking while looking at storyboards. I wish we had more fun. For example, with the SE (sound effects), I thought it would be good to try adding something unusual like that. I was hoping to create something that would give it a certain vibe.

Kawamura: Even SE is developing through synthesisers, so I wanted to continue developing SE with originality.

Matsumoto: I feel like that sort of adventurous spirit is lacking. By packaging something TV stations and the like don't show, I thought it would be interesting if it took the form where it's a request from the music side to the art.

The last scene of Miu-chan from part Ⅲ was very well-received. It's a composition that wouldn't have worked without the music, you know? It's just a bunch of images with little movement that appear quickly. So I feel it would be good to think of ways to take advantage of the music.

'Itsuko Can Die Happy' (何日子の死んでもいい)↑

——As the director, when you're cutting the storyboard, do you have an image of sound in mind?

Masuda: Since we're going to add sound, I want art that suits it. I have a taste in Western music.

——Kuni-san is from a different generation, so his tastes are probably different, right?

Kuni: I guess it's Enka (演歌) for me (laughs).

Kurahashi: Everyone's gonna fall (laughs). It's a matter of period.

Masuda: It might be an extravagant way of making it, but I first upload the film and look at it while composing the music. With that, I would like to use the image of the music to change the art, redraw it anew.

Kawamura: If we do that, the ideas of the creator of the art side and the creator of the music side will collide and be refined.

Masuda: If we don't do that, we'll just end up with only our own image of what things should be like.

Sudou: This is turning into a self-reflection meeting (bursts into laughter).

Matsumoto: If we go without a self-reflection meeting, I think there won't be any next step.

Sudou: Since my work is responsible for the sound, I want to create something good. In that sense, it's an opinion in the form of a self-reflection meeting.

Matsumoto: As for the music, it's actually been like this since Miu-chan. There are voices from the general public asking us to release records. Our individual works have been well-received, but as Wonder Kids, I want to always maintain a fresh and forward-thinking attitude.


■That Voice Back Then, Fake or Real? A Huge Debate Unfolds!?


——How did the Seiyuu-san feel during the dubbing? Were they shy?

Kuni: They weren't shy at all. Though that surprised me.

Masuda: They're very pragmatic. It's their job, so they think of it that way.

Kurahashi: Is it because the voice is fake? Because they don't make that kind of voice when they're real (bursts into laughter).

Kawamura: Perhaps there's some out there (bursts into laughter).

Masuda: That would be difficult.

Kurahashi: Because no one makes that sort of rhythmic voice (laughs). It's like in cassette tapes, you know? They're so close to the real thing that they're made-up. There are some voices you just can't produce through acting. When you hear those voices, they sound so fake.

Matsumoto: But you could say it's good because it's organised. It's a work of art. But if it comes with such an unstable rhythm, it's probably no good.

On the viewer side, they have a sense of anticipation that it's coming, it's coming, so maybe it needs to be in such a way that 'it comes!', you see.

Kurahashi: When I read women's magazines, I often find myself thinking I have to read out loud because it would be bad for my partner (laughs). But I believe there are some voices that just can't be performed.

Matsumoto: But as a director, did any opinions pop up about it not sounding real?

Kawamura: As far as that is concerned, we knew from the beginning what we were doing is fake. However, can you really tell whether it's fake or real?

↑ Kurahashi Tatsuji (倉橋達治)

Matsumoto: Isn't it common to make that sort of voice and then just roll with it?

Kurahashi: Similar to karaoke (bursts into laughter).

Matsumoto: It feels that way. So, let's say there's a girl who watches a Roman Porno (ロマンポルノ) and thinks that's what her voice is supposed to sound like. That sort of steady rhythm (bursts into laughter).

Masuda: I once asked a Seiyuu-san directly how they make that voice. Though they dodged the question (laughs).

Kuni: In that sense, I didn't judge the voices back then to be real.

Masuda: Ultimately, it comes down to whether it creates their image.

Sudou: Speaking of image, I also did the music solely on imagination. It was tough. There were no storyboards or anything (laughs).

Matsumoto: A world that's hard to imagine.

Kuni: With post‐recording, atmosphere is important, so it makes a big difference whether or not you have art.

Masuda: The Seiyuu-san were also young, so it must've been quite tough.

Kuni: In that sense, you have no choice but to work on a conceptual level. That's what makes it special (laughs).

The sound director-san also worked extremely hard. I thought he was a really serious person (laughs).

Kawamura Tetsuo (河村哲生)

■Exploring the Attitudes of Young VS Middle-Aged Lolita Anime Fans


Matsumoto: We've done 5 works, but do you suppose the fans are actually Lolicon?

Kurahashi: But the customer base is completely different, you know? Didn't they fall short of our original target?

Matsumoto: Well, it's not like we had an original plan or anything. But if you look at the distribution of opinions in the enquête, it's a fact they're unusually divided. Some viewers found them boring as Lolita fans while others found them unsatisfying as porno fans.

In the end, when it comes to the quality of the work, I feel it all boils down to whether there's a certain level of story sense and musicality, and whether the characters are cute.

Kurahashi: You mean anime fans? Are they the ones buying them?

Matsumoto: I believe half of them are that sort.

Kuni: 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃん･･･) has a wide overlap with anime fans.

Matsumoto: That wasn't the case with Ⅰ・Ⅱ. I believe there's more of an overlap for that sort of thing with video fans than anime fans.

Kurahashi: Weren't you initially targeting wealthy middle-aged guys?

Matsumoto: We weren't limited to them, but in a sense, we were going for Lolita fans.

Masuda: Aren't those types old? (Bursts into Laughter).

↑ 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃんのいる店)

Kurahashi: Speaking of middle-aged guys, there's a feeling of secretly watching videos in the middle of the night, right? Now it's different. I believe it's young people who own the most videos. And if they're single, they can watch them casually. I feel that sort of thing is less common for middle-aged guys.

Matsumoto: It tends to be that way.

Generally speaking, salarymen don't have much pocket money. Youngsters tend to have more money.

Kuni: You could say that. For example, if you compare me to Mickey, I make more money, but in terms of luxuries, Mickey is superior.

Kurahashi: He doesn't own a car (laughs).

Masuda: Do you spend money on different things?

Kuni: Well, that's probably true (laughs).

Kawamura: He doesn't go to Shinjuku. (Bursts into laughter.) Ah, am I wrong (laughs)?

Kurahashi: Middle-aged guys go to no-panty cafés and those sorts of places, but there's many young people after all.

Matsumoto: There's also a difference in sexual outlets. I think there's fewer young people. They're more active.

Masuda: But they don't view them as an outlet. They're places to go and have fun.

Mickey Masuda (Mickeyますだ)

Kawamura: Nowadays, middle-aged people are somewhat limited financially. They own things like houses. So they worry they'll get ripped off it they go to places like that. Video boxes are quite popular right now. You go into a private room, insert a thousand yen and choose a tape you like, and then feel refreshed (laughs).

Matsumoto: That's also play?

Kawamura: It's a desperate desire (bursts into laughter).

Masuda: Those sort of places are what make young people gloomy. If you say you're going, then everyone......

Kawamura: I doubt they say that.

Masuda: No one wants to play anymore (laughs).

Kuni: For us, it's a given.

Matsumoto: So that's why I believe it's rare for them to do stuff like pick up girls.

Masuda: No, that's not true.

Matsumoto: No, I think so. When I think back to my younger days (bursts into laughter). There aren't many people who can do it.

Kurahashi: What shocked me was how bright young people are these days. It's like they're comfortable letting out the things we've been hiding and agonising over.

Kuni: That's why the fans of 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃん…) are mostly young people.

Musada: That's right. In 'House of Kittens', part of me was conscious of that. Whether it was parody or play...

Matsumoto: You could say it's a social movement, and if society is moving towards that sort of awareness, then doing something like this in the world of anime is significant. Though we're still in the early stages (laughs).


■The Difference Between Obscene and Erotic Coming from a Generation Gap!?


Kuni: Everyone discussed this, but there's cute girls in series anime, right? I believe there's naturally a hidden SEX side to them as well. I thought it would be best to portray that in a straightforward way. I want to depict that side of them.

Matsumoto: It's a very abnormal world, so if you encourage it, you'll be judged for not feeling a sense of sin.

Kuni: It's the same with other criminal cases, but I don't particularly think those kinds of things encourage it.

Matsumoto: Just like there are dramas with murder as their theme, there should be something with SEX as a theme.

Kuni: Naturally that sort of criticism would pour out. I think it's a bit simplistic to say Lolita Anime encourages maniacs.

↑ 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃんのいる店)

Matsumoto: For example, everyone draws other anime, right? During those times, do you draw while telling yourself dreams are for children?

Kurahashi: I don't think so. After all, there's a strong desire to satisfy your own creative desires. Rather, aren't there many people who become frustrated when they can't do that?

Kuni: If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to draw while chanting 'erotically, erotically' to convey a more realistic feeling, though people may draw it that way (laughs).

Kurahashi: It's not like that, when drawing porno-esque stuff, I consider what I need to draw to make it look obscene. I actually like the word obscene (ワイセツ). Erotic has a lighter feel to it, while obscene feels more lewd (laughs).

Kuni: I guess there's a generational difference in that. I'm definitely on the erotic side. In Kurahashi-san's case, it's obscene (laughs).

↑ 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃんのいる店)

Kurahashi: There's a rawness to it, obscenity. It feels just how you say it.

Kuni: When Kurahashi-san creates characters, his personal preferences come through too much. For some reason, he likes glamorous women (laughs). He just can't make them look slim no matter what (laughs).

Matsumoto: For the art used on the first package, he told the designer to make the stomach more toned (laughs).

Kurahashi: Right, there was a risk of leaning too far towards my own preferences. All around, voices were saying to make it harder, not show the whole body, or make it a line of woman with no experience at all. I had no idea and was really troubled. So I looked up Lolita-related books and studied a lot. It was only after I separated myself from it I finally realised 'ah', so it was like that (laughs).

Masuda: You don't really have a Lolicon Hobby.

Kurahashi: That's right. If I had to say which, I have an Older Woman Hobby (bursts into laughter).

Kuni: In terms of Hobby, I don't know anything about SM. People who like it say it's the pinnacle of love or the pinnacle of kindness. But because I don't understand it, I always end up describing the scenery.

Kurahashi: When it comes to SM photos, 80% involve tying up voluptuous, curvaceous girls so the rope can dig in, so many of the models used are relatively close to my Hobby.

↑ 'House of Kittens' (仔猫ちゃんのいる店)

Kuni: You've done a lot of SM (laughs)?

Kurahashi: No.

Kuni: Don't hide it (laughs).

Kurahashi: No, no, not at all! (Bursts into laughter).

Kuni: It's potentially there (laughs).

——Ⅰ・Ⅱ by Kuni-san, I felt he brought out a sense of obscenity that was lewd (laughs).

Kuni: If you divide video into topside and underside, I wanted to see how close I could approach the underside.

Kawamura: You mean live-action underground video?

Kuni: Yeah. But I couldn't do it.

Kurahashi: Also, Japan is quite weak to Pink-esque things, right?

Matsumoto: That's right.

Kurahashi: You know, those French ones are kinda comedy-esque. And sex comedy-style coming-of-age films. Like geezers, best friends, all sorts of characters run around.

Kawamura: And yet they're made in a very sexy and smart way.

Matsumoto: We're not particularly pursuing the abnormal world. We just want to see how we can express the anime world differently.


■Wonder Kids Who Tasted the Harshness of the Frontier


——How do you create the music after looking at the storyboard?

Kawamura: I receive storyboards of the general parts, and then I think about what it should feel like. For example, if the theme is the beach, then I'll go for something summer-like. Even though it's the same summer, for us, the 1960s feels very summer-like. I thought it would be interesting to use modern instruments.

Sudou Kazuo (須藤一男)

Sudou: When we don't have storyboards, I sometimes measure the time based on my imagination.

Masuda: It's like that at times, the result's completely different to what I had in mind. For me, it's different when it's drawn, and then it's different again when colour is added, and then it's different yet again when sound is added. So, I feel like there's nothing I can do about it (laughs).

Kawamura: No matter what kind of sound, it tends to deviate as it's being processed.

↑ 'Variation' (変奏曲)

——Masuda-san, were you conscious of other anime when it came to part Ⅲ's 'House of Kittens'...? You introduced a lot of different characters during the disco scene.

Masuda: I thought the quickest way was to appeal to anime fans (laughs). I thought it would be better to do various things outside the main story, even if it didn't necessarily tread into play.

——How about for Ⅴ?

Masuda: Part Ⅴ's 'Surf Dreaming' (サーフ・ドリーミング) is completely different. I heard the ending for Ⅲ was well received, so I made it along similar lines.

What I felt after making it is that it's not interesting to create a work that would be what you would call a porno. Instead, I wanted to make it something that's porno-chic, so there's no choice but to classify it as an adult video. From my perspective. If you create porno from the beginning, you'll inevitably have to place emphasis on that point.

↑ 'Variation' (変奏曲) (Both above and below.)

Kuni: That's the difference between Mickey and me. We were like, "Let's create porno from the beginning, yoosh!" But it didn't work out at all (bursts into laughter).

Kurahashi: I guess it's because I'm not that obscene (laughs).

Kurahashi: No, we're also no good (laughs) (Sudou leaves the stage due to work commitments.)

Kuni: I'd like to make something really cheesy at least once. Something cheesy I'm happy with (bursts into laughter). It might be different from the Wonder Kids approach, but I'd like to try it once.

Kurahashi: Until the Lolita Anime project took shape, everyone had their own idea of what was obscene or erotic. We were completely different, so when we finished them, I realised everyone was different (laughs). I guess that's why it was so difficult for it to gradually take form as we went along.

Matsumoto: We've all had our fair share of struggles.

Kuni: We've fully experienced the pain of being pioneers (laughs).

Matsumoto: For better or worse, we've developed a reputation and there's many expectations, but we don't want to be tied down by that and continue making porno. Even if you look at our other works, this is quite unique (laughs). We feel like we're revisiting the series with Ⅴ. As Wonder Kids, we'd like to find different approaches to porno-chic material.

——We'll be looking forward to your new work. Thank you very much.

---

---