Template:Interviews3

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 * Nisio Isin Chronicle (01/30/2006)|

Nisio Isin Chronicle (01/30/2006)
Published in Nisio Isin Chronicle, translated by Sword Translations

Nisio Isin: Author of Monogatari Series, Katanagatari, etc.

Hirohiko Araki: Author of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures.

Interviewer: MYST

4

Interviewer: So apparently, Araki-sensei made his debut in the same year that Nisio-san was born.

Nisio: I was born in 1981.

Araki: I made my debut in the 1981 New Year’s issue [of Weekly Shounen Jump].

Nisio: It feels like fate…if you can call it that, haha.

Araki: That’s amazing. At 24, you’ve already written so much in 4 or 5 years.

Nisio: I’m not sure how long I can keep writing, but for now I’ll keep writing as much as I can. I’m on my 15th book now.

Interviewer: Araki-sensei, did everything go smoothly after you debuted?

Araki: Not at all, it feels like I only started polishing my skills after I debuted. They let me debut before I had any style or originality as a manga artist. I had to learn a lot then, and it wasn’t until Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures that I really got started.

Nisio: I also loved your manga before Jojo, like Mahou Shounen Biitii, Gorgeous Irene, and Baoo Raihousha. Your manga all feel like my roots, there’s so much I’ve learned from them.

Araki: Oh yes, your novels do seem to have some points in common. I’ve started reading from Kubikiri Cycle [first book of Zaregoto Series] and haven’t read your latest books, but your characters all seem modern. It might also because a lot of them are geniuses, but they all think they’re superior and don’t respect others. It was interesting how the main character tries to confront those geniuses despite feeling inferior.

Their dialogue sounds like advertising slogans. I like that. Like those lines at the beginning of each chapter. The main character keeps banging out lines like that. That was very fresh and interesting.

Nisio: Thank you. My hands are trembling. I’m so happy that you’ve read my books.

I think Jojo is a wonderful manga, and I wish I could have all of humanity read it. It’s so good that it makes me want to recommend it to other people…somehow it feels like I have to go out of my way to say how much I like it.

4

Nisio: Earlier you said that I write lines like advertising slogans, but I think that’s partly because of your influence. It’s more than a verbal tic, it’s a single line that encapsulates a character. A line that only that character could say…

Araki: I try to include a character’s personal philosophy in what they say. Their unique way of thinking.

Nisio: That might why you’re different. Even in another story, no one else could say those lines. Even if somebody else used your lines, they wouldn’t become famous quotes. “Road roller!” only leaves an impact because it’s Dio who says it.

Araki: You have some great ones, too. “There’s always someone better, but at the top they’re all below you.” and a lot of others. Those are really good. They make you think. I think everyone likes those. They make you stop and think ‘that’s true’.

Interviewer: They’re cool and hook you in, and they’re convincing.

Araki: Lines like that make characters seem more powerful. It makes you wonder what would happen if that character was the culprit. It’s hard to stop reading.

Nisio: Jojo had a big influence on that. The enemy characters in Jojo all have depth.

Araki: Yes, I was going for that.

Nisio: There are no throwaway characters. Especially after Stands come into the story, there are Stands that seems weak but can be strong depending on how they’re used. Like (Stand: Bad Company. Only 10 cm tall, but 500 in number!) might just be the strongest.

Araki: That’s right, haha. Well for manga in the eighties, the enemies always keep getting stronger and stronger. But there has to be a limit somewhere, and it gets tremendously exhausting.

Nisio: Like when they go ‘the one you just defeated was the weakest of us.’

Araki: To break through that, I tried to have characters that are strong from an alternate point of view, or who are only strong in a single aspect.

Nisio: So like ‘There’s no such thing as strong or weak.’

Araki: It’s so exhausting to write manga where the enemies keep getting stronger and stronger. It’s like, “they’re already this strong, and they’re still getting stronger!?” and every week you worry about what you’re going to do. And then you get to the height of the bubble and it’s like, what now? It’s a very scary writing method. It’s fine if you do it once. When the strongest enemy gets introduced, you’ll get so popular that the publisher tells you not to stop. But as a writer, you can’t go any further.

Nisio: I wonder who started this inflation of power. It must have been a really crazy idea at first… Whoever it was, using this technique is like reaching a dead end or slash-and-burn farming. I think Jojo was a revolution in that area.

Araki: It was more like an escape route than a revolution, haha. But I think that’s how people work.

It’s like how someone with a strong punch isn’t necessarily strong.

Nisio: Someone you could beat depending on your strategy, I guess.

Interviewer: If you’re fighting Bush and he has nuclear missiles, you still might beat him with a bat. For example, Hara Tetsuo wrote Fist of the North Star so that whoever says the most powerful lines wins.

Nisio: That makes sense.

Araki: That seems like something you’d be familiar with.

Nisio: Novels are only words, after all. The main thing is dialogue. So characters that say powerful lines do become stronger.

Araki: I’ve also noticed something unique about your characters. They’re mentally strong somehow. They’re complete geniuses, but also lacking things or searching for things. That’s something refreshing, and it makes the story’s world interesting.

Nisio: Thank you. I have no words. Speaking of characters, I like Part 4 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures because it has so many unique characters. I like Tonio the most, but it’s such an all-star cast.

Araki: Thank you. I hear that the writer Otsuichi-san [mystery/horror writer] also likes Part 4 the most. I wonder if it’s a generational thing.

4

Nisio: When I read your manga for the first time, it was when Ebony Devil, that doll from Part 3, slices off a hotel worker’s face with a razor. I remember it being really scary.

Araki: That must have been tough to read as a kid.

Nisio: Of course, I didn’t understand what Stands were, and that made it even scarier. I was creeped out by this weird armored warrior but thought Joutarou was really cool. I didn’t understand the logic or style of it so it was completely mysterious, but I could tell that it was in a different vein from the other manga being published at the time.

Even now, Jojo hasn’t fallen behind to imitators. Nowadays Shounen Jump has more manga with Stand-like abilities, but Jojo still sets itself apart. It’s not that it’s the original, but there’s something clearly different about it.

4

Araki: What made you decide to be a writer? How did you get started writing?

Nisio: To be honest, I originally wanted to be a manga artist. But I quickly realized that I couldn’t draw. No matter how I practiced, I wouldn’t get better. Then thought that since writing get printed, it doesn’t matter if my handwriting is bad or anything. So in a way, I’m writing the novelization of a manga that’s in my head.

Araki: So you might get your novels adapted into manga?

Nisio: That’s true. There are many scenes in my head that I have an image of. Like someone standing in front of the sound effect “ゴゴゴゴゴ.” I think Kadono Kouhei-sensei said something similar. [author, mainly known for Boogiepop series]

Araki: So you start with an image and replace it with words. The desire to write feels like something that comes welling out, but I wonder how that works.

Nisio: When you read something good, it makes you want to try it. Of course, reading your manga gives me motivation. It’s something like that.

Araki: Like ‘I could make something a little better’.

Nisio: When you see something wonderful, you can’t help but want to try doing it.

Araki: That’s true. Drawing is like that for me, like when I see a drawing that makes me wonder how it was drawn. It’s like a riddle I want to solve.

For example, there are manga artists who can draw lines in unbelievable directions. Normally you go from up to down or right to left, but they’re clearly doing it differently. Like Hara Tetsuo. I don’t know how he draws those lines, if he does them upside down or what.

For painting too, I wonder how someone made a color and things like that. It fires me up somehow.

Interviewer: Did you solve Hara’s riddle?

Araki:Not quite. I tried to draw beautiful smooth lines like him, but it wasn’t the same.

Nisio: I’ve thought something similar when reading your manga. When I read Janken Kozou for example, I was surprised at how you could portray Rock Paper Scissors. I thought that I couldn’t casually play Rock Paper Scissors anymore. To me, you’re not just a manga artist, you’re an artist.

Araki: I can’t really see that, haha. I’ve always felt lacking as a person somehow, and I want to become a full person. I’m not sure exactly what a full person is, but I’ve always wanted to become one since I was young.

Interviewer: Nisio-san, when you finished your Zaregoto Series after 9 volumes, you’ve said that “after finishing this piece of work, I’m not a rookie anymore.” Araki-sensei, with which manga did you feel like you’ve finished a job?

Araki: I don’t think there is one. My publisher keeps telling me I should write something new besides Jojo, but it feels weird to start something new before finishing Jojo. So I might keep writing it.

Nisio: For your entire life?

Araki: I don’t know.

Nisio: As long as there are Jojo stories, at least.

Araki: That’s true. But I’m writing about human relationships, so it never ends. Until humanity dies out.

Interviewer: How about when you stopped feeling like a rookie?

Araki: That would have to be when new manga artists come out. Before I knew it, the only one who’s been in Jump longer was Akimoto Osamu [author of Kochikame, the longest-running series in Weekly Shonen Jump, running 1976-2016], and I thought, “Huh, there’s only Akimoto-sensei?”, so I definitely couldn’t think of myself as a rookie anymore.

Interviewer: That’s quite some time since you debuted. [8 years?]

Araki: Yeah. I was trying to write with a youthful feeling. But then at like parties, when I looked around everyone was younger than me, and I went “Wha-?”. They would say “we can’t get started until you drink”, and I thought “Oh, this is bad”. Nisio-san, a time like that will come for you, too. It’s a lonely feeling. It really is nice to have some elders around.

4

Nisio: Before, I said that Part 4 was my favorite, but sometimes it’s Part 1 or Part 2…

Interviewer: You like all of them, haha.

Nisio: I like how the enemies were defeated in Part 1 and Part 2, before Stands were introduced. They were mental, tactical battles, and it might just be because I like mystery books, but I love those kind of strategical tricks. Even after Stands came into the story, the mental battles were the most captivating.

Araki: Ah, yes. In shounen manga, there’s this pattern of beating enemies using willpower. I couldn’t accept it. I thought, “Are you really going to use willpower here?”. There is that amazing strength people that have during fires. That makes sense, but I still couldn’t accept it. Like, “If you’re going to do it with willpower, show it in your attitude.” I wanted some kind of logic behind it.

A long time ago, Shirato Sanpei-sensei used to write ninja manga (such as Sasuke, Ninja Bugeichou, and Kamui Gaiden), and they don’t defeat enemies with ninjutsu or magic in those. They used these kind of tricks, things with logic behind them. Like digging a hole in the ground and setting off gunpowder. It made me go “wow”. That influenced me.

Nisio: Like this thing you have to explain.

Araki: It won’t seem interesting unless there’s some kind of reason.

Nisio: In Part 2, did you just come up with the idea for the battle with Wamuu to be on chariots?

Araki: No, I think I was inspired. In shounen manga, I like when the battles are one-on-one in some kind of arena. This arena could be a narrow clifftop, or one where you lose if you leave the arena, and it’s fun to make a lot of rules. I think that’s where the idea for that chariot battle came from. Having some restrictions, so it’s not everything goes.

Nisio: In Jojo, the fights are one-on-one, or at most two-on-two, aren’t they?

Araki: That’s true. If there’s too many people, it’ll become like one of those old war manga. That seems tiring to just to write, so two-on-two is the most for me.

4

Interviewer: As a writer, is there anything you’re jealous about Araki-sensei for?

Nisio: I’m very jealous that unlike novels, you can draw backgrounds in manga. It’s hard to portray backgrounds in novels.

Araki: But even if you don’t write anything, the reader can imagine something.

Nisio: Drawings have incredible persuasive power. There are things that you can draw, but when you write about it, it turns into an explanation.

And then, you go “oh, I wrote an explanation” and feel intense regret… It won’t be a slogan anymore. I have this obsession that once I write an explanation, it’s all over, and it’s hard to deal with. So when I have insert illustrations in my books, it makes me feel that I can’t match the strengths of visual information.

Araki: I once read a story about a beautiful picture. There wasn’t any description about the picture. But the readers can imagine something. If you wrote a manga with that story, you would have to draw the picture. Even if it was Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, it would just be a copy. It’s something that gets ruined if you draw it. But if you don’t describe the picture like that story did, if you just say it’s amazing, then the reader will believe it.

Nisio: Purposefully not writing something.

Araki: I think it’s better if you don’t write about it.

Nisio: I’ve used a technique of writing something that’s impossible to visualize a few times. I think that’s the only way to explain something that isn’t there… You can write about things that you can’t even draw.

Oh yeah, I’ve used that technique in Shin Honkaku Mahou Shoujo Risuka, which is illustrated by Nishimura Kinu-sensei. I wrote about a ‘jacket like a safety pin.’ It was supposed to be clothing from a fantasy world, and then Nishimura-sensei ended up drawing it. I thought ‘oh, it got drawn.’

Araki: That’s impressive. I’ve also drawn a few insert illustrations. There was a character who has an arm injury throughout the book. So I drew an injured arm, but then at the end it said that the injury was on the left arm, and I had drawn it on the right arm. I thought, “do I have to redo the whole thing?”

You really have to read carefully. Insert illustrations are hard to draw, too. That’s why it’s impressive. Figuring out what a jacket that’s looks like a safety pin is like…

Nisio: When I know that there will be insert illustrations, I try to make it easier for my illustrators to draw them.

Araki: The illustrations for Zaregoto Series have an atmosphere to them too.

Nisio: Take-san is the one drawing them. I remember at first, when I was talking to my editor, I asked for them to be ‘Jojo-ish’, haha. That was supposed to be about the level of realism or reality in the illustrations…and then they came out like this.

Araki: It’s nice to see that the Jojo-ish part came through. When you line up the 9 volumes like this, you can really see an improvement in skill. I like these pop-style backgrounds, too.

4

Araki: Nisio-san, which authors do you like?

Nisio: I’d have to say Kadano Kouhei-sensei. He’s famous for being a Jojo fan. He’s the biggest Jojo fan among writers.

Nisio’s editor: Just a while ago, when I told him that you were going to see Araki-sensei, he went silent for a few seconds and coldly said, “Oh, is that it so”, haha.

Nisio: A long time ago, when I read an interview between you and Otsuichi-sensei in Yomu Jump [magazine associated with Weekly Shounen Jump], I was so jealous that he got to meet you.

Araki: Otsuichi-san was writing for Shueisha [company publishing Jump], after all.

Interviewer: Nisio-san, if you were going to write a novelization of Jojo, what would it be like?

Nisio: I would write about Part 2, or maybe Part 1. Where the enemies are vampires and perfect lifeforms.

Araki: Not violence.

Nisio: I would choose not to use Stands. That way there wouldn’t be anything in common with Otsuichi-sensei is doing. [Otsuichi’s Jojo novelization is set in Part 4]

Araki: You don’t want to do the same thing as him?

Nisio: I really don’t to do the same thing as anyone else. If I did, it would turn into a contest with Otsuichi-sensei. What if I lose? If winning makes you the bigger Jojo fan that’d be terrible.

Interviewer: You can’t stand losing, not as an author, but as a fan?

Nisio: They might say “you call yourself a Jojo fan, but that’s all you can write?” or “you don’t love Jojo enough”, and make fun of me, haha. So if that happens I’ll say “Oh, my favorite part is Part 1” to get away.

Interviewer: For Part 1 and 2, there’s the issue of viewpoint. Whose perspective would you write from?

Nisio: Part 4 is Kouichi-kun. For Part 1, it’s Speedwagon. Part 2 was…did he have a name? That pickpocket boy at the beginning…ah, I can’t remember. This is bad.

Araki: He was there, haha.

Nisio: Otsuichi-sensei and Kadano-sensei are laughing right now, haha.

Interviewer: When did you understand how Stands worked?

Nisio: I somehow figured it out as I was reading. Like how when Stands get injured, their users also get injured. There was an explanation of what Stands were at the beginning of one of the volumes, and it all made sense after that. That was really helpful.

Araki: It’s a good thing I wrote that, haha. Most people said they didn’t understand Stands.

Nisio: I liked the battles with the D’arby brothers. That’s how I learned how to play poker. I was in elementary school and didn’t know the rules of poker, so I didn’t know what kind of battle that was, haha. So I went to a bookstore and browsed through a poker rulebook.

Araki: Oh really? When I was writing that I assumed everybody knew how to play poker. It seemed like everybody at least knows poker.

Nisio:I was in elementary school, after all. After that I really wanted to play poker, haha. I wanted to say things like, “I bet all six chips.”

Interviewer: You’ve learned a lot from Jojo.

Nisio: That’s absolutely true. I want to keep learning more and more.

Araki: Thank you. I can tell how strong your feelings are.
 * French Reportage (09/20/2006)|

French Reportage (09/20/2006)
""To be honest becoming a mangaka was my childhood dream. When I was about 9, I was drawing all the time at school and my friends I was showing my drawings to, like them a lot. It gaves me the bravery and desire to try my luck in that field. And after at universty I could participate in a contest which allowed me to begin my career as a mangaka."

"When I was young in the early 70's there was a huge amount of manga that I liked. My favorite ones being those with stories dealing about sports, horror, and even sci-fi. Therefore I was inspired by all of this to create my own stories. I'm not sure but still I consider having been inspired a lot of by the works of my elders and I reckon my work wouldn't be what it is "without them. Anyhow I'm still attached to the past of manga and there is still today influence by the authors I'd read as a teenager."

"What I've been trying to do when I started manga was to make evolve the drawing which was somehow too flat, but from the 80's on mangakas started to inspire from Michaelangelo's work. The generation of mangaka I belong to was inspired much by the artists like Michaelangelo or some French painters in order to create characters whose physical aspects was more striking."

(On Tetsuo Hara, I suppose) "The fact that our drawings look alike is very easy to explain. We started at about the same period in the early 80's and it was then too that movies starring Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger started to come to Japan and all these action movies were big hits there. Actually I reckon we wanted to make manga starring macho characters, with big muscles and fighting all the time, a bit like the heroes of the action movies."

"Before the 5th part I reckon, the story was too long so I'll try to make them shorter now."

"The new generation of mangaka is about 10 years younger than me, so they've read Jojo in their childhood, and so it's normal that it has inspired them."

"What I've been trying to do when I started Jojo is to implement a powerful and invisible force which would overcome my characters during the fights. So the idea of stand came to me by thinking of shintoism, which teaches us that our ancestors are always by our side to protect us."

"It's a real pain in the ass for me trying to show the good side of some of my bad guys as it's always very hard. I'd rather go for a more stereotyped approach where I create a hero who will fundamentally be good and to make it balanced, oppose him to a truly evil being."

"About the animé nothing is planned so far but maybe in the future the 5th part will be adapted to TV too." (!?)

"I've no experience as a prisoner myself but I've visited jails and made researches on the subject to make my scenario credible and I've no real mesage to pass on except maybe the condition of mangaka regarding to their editors. Every week I've to hand in 20 new pages to mine. I work simply, on friday I imagine what's next in the story and write the scenario, then from saturday to tuesday I create the drawings, so normally I've two days off a week, but I mainly use them to imagine the sories of weeks to come."

"I deal with the main drawing but my assistants are the ones who deal with the details. And if I can be here today it's only because I've just finished the 6th part so I'm entitled to a few holidays. But the rest of the time I'm very busy.""

- Hirohiko Araki


 * Tokai Lecture (06/2006)|

Tokai Lecture (06/2006)
Renowned artist and ageless wunderkind Hirohiko Araki (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Baoh, Steel Ball Run) recently gave a lecture at Tokai Junior & High School in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, as part of their Saturday Program series, as transcribed/compiled by @JOJO, Japan's premier site for Jojo-related news. Due to its length this entry will be broken into 2 parts.

The lecture hall was filled to its 1,500 person capacity. There were so many people that there was a delay while people moved in and out of the hall, and the lecture began 15 minutes later than planned, at 12:45.

12:45: The Lecture Hall

After a student MC introduces Mr. Araki and his body of work, he abruptly pops up on stage, at which time the hall erupts into a deafening round of applause. Mr. Araki, quite nervous at the reception, immediately has a slip of the tongue, saying "I'm a little honored to meet all of you today." "I'm a little..no..quite messed up. I feel like I've met an entire lifetime's worth of people today." Although he claims that he is not a performer, and asks not to expect laughs, he claims "I'm just going to meander along today," scoring some unintentional laughs.

Reason For Accepting The Invitation

Araki, who marks his 25th year as a manga artist this year, used to dislike (from well over a decade ago) being told "I used to read your comics!" "I was a fan when I was young!" etc, since it stirred fears within him that perhaps he was getting old, and becoming irrelevant. But in the past 5 years or so, he has had a gradual change of heart, and has begun to enjoy and appreciate the accolades he gets, especially from older people and people in esteemed positions in society. Also, when he was younger he may have been writing manga to benefit himself and his publisher's bottom line, but now he has a slightly different point of view and wants to give back to people, especially younger people. That's when he got an invitation from Saturday Program, and, figuring it would probably just be a classroom of 30-40 people, he said "sure, I'll do it." However, he arrived today to this circus, and thought, "this wasn't what I signed up for." (audience bursts into laughter)

Motives For Drawing Manga, Family, Days of Youth

Young Araki lived with his father, an office worker, his mother, a stay-at-home mom, and younger identical twin sisters. Those sisters were quite a handful: for example, if there were 3 snacks, the sisters, upon arriving home first, would eat all 3, and then proceed to conceal any traces of evidence. Growing up, young Araki, thinking that there weren't any snacks, "would think 'man, I'm hungry' and go chew on something like a really old piece of kamaboko." (audience bursts into laughter). And when his sisters' evil doings came to light, a fight would erupt; and this would occur on a daily basis. (yet more laughter) He would often feel such a sense of exclusion and ill-will towards his sisters that he didn't want to come home. He used to find relief in spending time along in his room, reading classic manga from the 70's and his father's collection of art books, which he supposes was his motive for drawing manga. He figures that had he not started drawing manga, he "might have gotten out of hand and killed my sisters." (laughter)

Days of Submissions and Rejections

He attended a prep school through junior high and high school, but a friend complimented him on the manga he drew (apparently he drew his first manga while he was in 4th grade), which made him think that if his very first fan thought he was good, he might want to become a manga artist. So, he began to secretly draw manga when his parents were not looking. He first began submitting his work during his first year of high school; however, all of his submissions were rejected. At the same time, a rash of artists who were the same age (Yudetamago) or younger than him (Masakazu Katsura) continued to make big splashes with their debut. But Mr. Araki could not understand why he was rejected, and decided to finish off a submission on an all-nighter and go on a 4-hour trip to pay a visit to the editors in Tokyo, and to ask them for an explanation. At first he intended to visit Shogakukan, which published Shonen Sunday, but he was intimidated by the size of their building, and decided to take his submission into the smaller Shueisha building next door. It was noon when he visited, but one rookie editor (about 6'2", or 185 cm, tall) happened to be there, so he showed him his work. However, the editor, after reading the first page, promptly quipped "your white-out's leaked (you haven't fixed it)": he was criticized every time the editor flipped through each page; Mr. Araki, already exhausted from having been up all night, felt like he was going to pass out. However, after he was finished, he was told that it might be good, and was immediately told to fix it up for the Tezuka Awards in 5 days. That submission was "Buso Poker (Armed Poker)", which won was the runner-up prize at the Tezuka Awards.

The Jump Editors At The Time Were Really Scary

At the time, Mr. Torishima (Akira Toriyama's editor, and inspiration for the Dr. Slump character Dr. Mashirito) would take submissions out of their envelopes, glance at the folder, promptly go "I don't want to see this style!" and order a rewrite. Apparently, he wanted people to draw in such a way that looking at the cover was enough to make people want to read the manga. The editorial department as a whole was always on edge at the time. But he also mentioned in the latter half of his lecture that manga editors were like golf caddies; they provided objective information like "why don't you hit this way" or "you're X meters away from the green" and that he appreciated them. He also said that people who wanted to become manga artists had to get along with editors.

Drawing Manga, Araki-Style Part (1): 10 Meters

Drawing styles which are so distinctive that you can look at a person from 10 meters away and go, "oh hey, he's reading that manga" are incredible: Araki managed to make his debut, but didn't feel like he had that unique style. And so from 1981 onwards he started thinking about how he could achieve that distinctive style, something that would make people think "oh, that's him!"

Drawing Manga, Araki-Style Part (2): The World's Most Simple Drawing

(Showing a blank piece of paper) If you told your art teacher "this is a drawing of 'snow" he would be very upset at you, but in manga you could say this was "the flash from a nuclear bomb" or "my soul is barren" and that would fly. And here Mr. Araki drops a bomb: "There are people who get paid for stuff like this." (audience bursts into laughter) "It's amazing, really. You know, like....I guess I could get in trouble for mentioning names." (more laughter) [Note: probably in reference to Shaman King, which printed a blank 2-page pullout to supposedly express an "incredible move"] "And coloring the page all black, and saying "he went to hell." Sort of like in the last few chapters of Death Note." (audience goes into hysterical laughter, applause) Mr. Araki tried to patch things up by claiming that he was joking, but could not help further mentioning how much per page said-artists were probably paid for those particular pages.

Drawing Manga, Araki-Style Part (3): The Ultimate Character

Araki introduces modern abstract art such as Barnett Newman's drawing of an orange square on a piece of canvas, Agness Martin's drawing of nothing but a pencil line on white canvas etc. And then he drew the following, calling it the ultimate simple, ideal character in manga anybody could draw:

Oh no, we're gonna get sued! "I might get in trouble for displaying this in public, so." (audience bursts into laughter)

He also introduced things like the smiley face and Morizo and Kiccoro (Mr. Araki thought that Akira Toriyama had designed them), and explained that he respected these types of drawings that anybody could recognize, and that it was what he aspired for. "It's incredible. It's the ultimate style."

Drawing Manga, Araki-Style Part (4): Gauguin

Gaugin's art, while having depth, also did things like contain certain colors within certain areas, paint the ground pink and the trees blue etc. Araki loved Gauguin's art ever since he was a child, and has been deeply influenced by him. When Jojo became an OVA, one of the animators asked Araki, "What color is Jotaro?" however Araki had no such concept. He colors everything based on calculation. For example, in Volume 54 Giorno's clothes are pink, but in Volume 63 they are blue. Also, regarding the color cover illustration, he explains that placing the color blue beside pink exudes more power. He says that he gets his inspiration from 80's art, shading techniques in Western art, classical paintings and gets inspiration for his various poses from sculptures. All of this research, blended with Araki's own personality, result in Jojo's art style.

Drawing Manga, Araki-Style Part (5): Aim & Direction

(Araki shows a diagram mapping the world of manga, broken into 4 quadrants with the X-axis labeled　"Using classical methods to portray reality" and "Impressionist markings and symbolic fantasy" and the Y-axis labeled "Treating introspective themes such as inner emotions as the central focus" and "Putting weight on the plot structure. "Suspense" and "creating a sense of the world")

If you don't think about "where you stand," you won't have any sense of direction even after you become a mangaka, wandering from idea to idea, not knowing what you want to write about and ending up becoming one of those people who asks their editor, "What should I write?" In the case of Jojo, Araki is trying to pursue reality by portraying things with classical methodology, but he gives precedence to emotion and inner thought over plot structure, trying to portray the protagonists' destiny, so he ends up in the bottom-left quadrant.

Drawing Manga, Araki-Style Part (6): The Theme is "Mystery"

Araki was fascinated by mysteries ever since he was a child, fantasized about deserted islands and believed that King Kong and Nessie existed, and so writes his manga with "mystery" as the central theme. In Jojo, Araki wondered what "superpowers" really were, and if he could portray "energy" itself, which lead to Parts 1&2, and the Stands in Part 3, which were like guardians who could "destroy boulders and stuff." They would "stand" by their master and would be called "stands." Apparently Part 3 began immediately after Part 2 with no interval in between.

Drawing Manga, Araki-Style Part (7): Like an RPG or Board Game

At the time, the "pyramid (tournament) formula" (A would fight & defeat B, then fight stronger character C, and on and on) was all the craze in Shonen Jump. But, Araki wondered, how strong could they get? Wouldn't the entire system collapse as soon as you reached the top, much like the economic bubble of the 80's in Japan? It wasn't like there could be an infinite number of levels of strength. So, he decided to create an RPG/board game-style system where characters traveled to different places to fight enemies, as seen in Jojo Part 3, where the protagonists traveled across Egypt while battling enemies

Araki's lecture ended here and proceeded to a Q&A with students, which may or may not be posted here as Part 3.

13:38: Araki-sensei's Talk Ends Here

From now on the lecture will be a discussion between Araki-sensei and the students of Tokai Junior & High School. Since there were a lot of questions, they'll be summarized and presented together in a certain order.

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (1): "When You Were Young, What Was Your Source of Inspiration?"'''

"Manga, movies... I didn't have any collections; neither did I have any 'solid' objects like plastic models. I enjoyed drawing pictures. I was a boy who wanted to live in a world of fantasy with movies and novels.

(When asked what influenced his works) "After achieving success, respecting my sempai was the most important thing for me. It all started with Da Vinci - reading about such people was very important for me. I learned about the things they mastered, and through their discoveries, I found my own answer.

As for manga I read when I was a boy, the most significant one was Kajiwara Ikki/Nagayasu Takumi's Ai to Makoto (Love and Truth), the scene where the protagonist is stabbed by a knife... although the manga ended in the next issue (a January New Year's double issue), it was still a rather extraordinary experience for me. When I was in middle school, I joined the kendo club because of Tetsuya Chiba's kendo manga Ore wa Teppei (I'm Teppei)."

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (2): "The Model for Morioh Town, Sendai City"'''


 * Morioh Town is a town in JoJo, while Sendai is Araki's hometown.

"Sendai, when I was a kid, was an old and historical city. Since the '80s, construction began on a new residential district. The new houses were beautiful, but strangers from who-knows-where were scary, and those personal experiences have been tied together with the town itself."

"Well, I don't think there are any homicidal maniacs, but..." (Everyone starts a roar of laughter). Of course, Araki-sensei likes his hometown very much, but he was intimidated by the rapid increase in stragers, maybe Morioh Town was made based on his "disdain" of that situation. Of course, using the real name of the city in his manga may anger people, so Araki-sensei changed the name to something else.


 * 1) Also refer to Kahoku Shinpou: Araki Hirohiko's "Buried Gold Requires Daily Expedition" and Araki Hirohiko's talk-essay "My manga are the 'outcries of my heart'"

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (3): "What About Love and Passion?"'''

Although he went a boy's school, he had a girlfriend. "There's not much to add, since it's what causes the most problems in today's relationships" (everyone starts a roar of laughter).


 * 1) By the way, Araki-sensei is married, and according to an interview from "Weekly Shounen Jump", Araki met his first love during his first year in high school, and his preference for the opposite was "a woman who is not ladylike."

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (4): "What Model Did You Base Your Protagonists On?"'''

"Eeeeh?" Araki-sensei appears worried. There was no model, but there were influences from "muscle movies" such as "Rambo" and "Terminator." Jotaro Kujo (a character from JoJo) feels like Clint Eastwood: he doesn't run, his movements are minimal and he's a silent person. "On the other hand, the Stands are fast." The personalities of protagonists' from each part are different. After drawing Part I, I wanted to do something I haven't done before. (1st Part: Serious --> 2nd Part: A crazy person)

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (5): "Irene = Gorgeous★Irene?"'''

What is the relationship between Irene of Gorgeous★Irene and the Irene who made her appearance in the last part of "JoJo 6" (Stone Ocean Volume 17)?

"I was just having a good time, there is no deep meaning behind it, I'm sorry." (Everyone laughs).

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (6): "About the Ability of 'Time'"'''

The most powerful technique: "Time". Stopping it, returning to the past, watching the future... if there were people who can control such a thing, they'd be invincible. For a main character with powers that aren't invincible, I want to have people wonder how such a character could win. The ability to control physical things, such as gravity, is also very powerful.

From Araki Hirohiko/Shibasaki Tomoka's Osaka University of Arts, College Manga Vol. 4:

Araki: About time, when I think about it, it's incredibly powerful. You can do things like repeating the same morning over and over, stopping time while jumping, and the people who become visible only at a particular time, etc. But if I used that concept every time, someone would say: "Is JoJo only about 'time'?" So... (laughs).

Shibasaki: Is it because you're interested in the representation of time?

Araki: It's an interesting and powerful concept. To what extent is it changing? Is the other side of the earth being affected by it as well? And things like that.

Shibasaki: What is the maximum affected range when time is stopped?

Araki: All the way out into space. Speaking of which, what kind of energy would that be?

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (7): "Joseph Joestar"'''

And now the 'forbidden question': "Why, as an old man, is Joseph such a lustful man?" "Although JoJo was a story that ended naturally after Part 3, I asked myself: 'Should I draw a 4th part? There shouldn't be anymore Jojo!'" (Everyone laughs). Since I didn't know what would happen in the future, even though I wanted to keep his personality, the personality did match up with his age (Joestar is an old man in Part 4).

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (8): "Lineage"'''

When asked about the reason why he's only focusing on the story of the "Joestar family", according to Araki, going back, back, way back, all the way to the origin of the family lineage, his character's lineage gives him a feeling of pride - the wonder and the mystery that exists within the "lineage". "I put more importance on such things than others (said with a serious tone)".

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (9): "If You Can Describe Manga in A Single Word"'''

Troubled by the question, Araki replied: "My combined feeling would be 'the salvation of the heart'? I think it's very important."

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (10): "Western music and its influence"'''

Using names from Western music to name his characters and "Stands" is a "simple hobby" for Araki. It's also a way to pay his respect towards rock artists. "But the fact that nowadays there aren't many names of bands to use is becoming a problem". (Everyone starts a roar of laughs). The imitative sounds of Jojo is also influenced by music (This was said on "Weekly Shounen Jump"as well). While on the subject, according to SOUL'd OUT, their music is influenced by JoJo. So while "JoJo" is influenced by Rock, it is also influencing "Rock"!

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (11): "About the Change in Design"'''

When asked about his designs that continue to change, Araki replied that since he's not trying to draw using classical techniques, the designs won't be the same, and usually experience rapid changes. "I'm not concerned about the old drawings (assertion)." Though the readers may get confused, I wonder if they will forgive me".


 * 1) It has also being reported that in Hirohiko Araki's collection of short stories, Gorgeous★Irene, the illustration of Irene that was drawn for Ultra Jump in 2003, was originally a character drawn in 1985 as an entirely different person. At that time, the comment from UJ PRESS was: "I can't draw in my old style anymore".

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (12): "You Stopped Drawing Your Self-Portrait"'''

Often fan letters would ask: "Please take out that character from the manga", but since the character is almost complete, I don't want to take it out, and that is all. Although "Baoh the Visitor" ended as though it will later continue, but...

'''Question for Araki-sensei! (13): "If you can describe JoJo in a single word"'''

To a question that he hates to answer, Araki-sensei's answer was: "'The enigma of human beings', it's something I wanted to draw". As a human who works with a theme that will last for an eternity, that's all. Moreover, the manga is also being drawn for people who have committed crimes, it will make them think: "How did I become like this? Is there a meaning in this existence?" It's a "eulogy of human".

Conclusion

And so the time has come, the last words from the moderator, and the falling of the curtain. The clock says it is 2:05 PM on June 24, 2006. An event of about 1 hour and 20 minutes long, but to Araki's fans, without a doubt it was a "golden personal experience." Escorted by applause heavy as thunder, Araki-sensei disappeared behind the curtain with a smile on his face.

- End -

Translated by Aldo }}


 * Phantom Blood PS2 (2006)|

Phantom Blood PS2 (2006)
"Your thoughts about your 25th anniversary as an author?

I think that it was a very quick 25 years. But when I look back at my work...it's kind of like the stuff around the Phantom Blood era is the work of someone else. Yeah, that's what I honestly feel. So, when I read it I can kind of read it objectively; I can read it as though I was a fan.

Do you read back on your old work?

Not very much, but if there's a game or something released like now, I'll read back and think "Ohh, so I was writing this kind of stuff?" Once the Stands started coming out, I often forget about some characters. Someone will mention a guy and I'll be like, "Who was that again?" and I'll read back and say "Ohh yeah there was that guy." Kind of like that. The readers know more than me.

Next year will be the 20th anniversary of JoJo.

Well, they let me debut on the New Year's of '82 but that still felt a bit vague to me. I couldn't really imagine myself as a manga artist; it wasn't clear on what kind of manga artist I was going to be. It was like I just was incidentally awarded the Tezuka Award, it wasn't really like I was aiming to win it. So that was kind of when I began training. And...when I look at the other Jump artists manga, they all had their own distinct styles. So the period when I was thinking about what style and what kind of manga I should draw was right before JoJo. I sort of feel that I finally became a pro with JoJo; it was like everything opened up in front of my eyes.

How was "JoJo" born?

I liked movies and at the time Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were popular. They're both muscular characters and their bodies are covered in muscle, which made me think to myself "I wonder who the strongest person in the world is?" This question was basically the beginning of the idea of JoJo. Themes such as immortality, seeking life, justice and things that humans innately seek spawned from this and eventually lead to the creation of Part one. So basically stuff to do with immortality and super macho guys and how strong they can get; that was what I was pursuing. Also, I had gone on a trip to Italy about 2 years before that and you may already know but, the art in Italy kind of strives for human beauty. When I saw the original artworks, it made me want to do the same.

The origin of the name "JoJo"

I wonder if it's okay to say this..? Umm, the place I used to hold meetings with the editor was at a local family restaurant in my neighborhood called Jonathan's. We were thinking of making the name "Jonathan" Something, and you know how a name can be two S's like Steven Spielberg? I wanted something like that so I thought "Well if it's Jonathan then it'll start with J so...Joestar should be okay." But that was really adventurous for a Shonen manga because it was taboo to have a foreigner as a main character; it was that kind of era. It was a big adventure so I was really grateful to my editor at the time.

Regarding the birth of the arch nemesis, Dio

He's full of confidence, very arrogant and he's aiming to become a God, or top of the world. Because of this, I used the Italian word, 'Dio,' that is used to refer to a God, as well as the 'Dio' that plays Heavy Metal. I like Heavy Metal and Rock so I used those as a reference to make characters. They're also characters that I created to signify 'black and white' or good and evil.'

Part 1:Phantom Blood

What were your initial ideas?

Back when I started drawing part one, I liked stories that went over several generations like 'East of Eden' and the show 'Roots' that they did on TV. The lead character changes but it kinda continues; it's something like an American periodical drama or periodical novel. And I don't think it was very Jump-like in style but I thought that it might be good to go where nobody else had before.

There's also a manga that I really respect called Babel II by Yokoyama Mitsuteru which has fights that follow rules. I also wanted fights that followed rules in JoJo, so the Ripple was one of those things. Also, you can't see psychic abilities right? Like if you concentrate your mind and something breaks, you can't really see it. But it's a manga so I thought I should be able to draw it and try and make it easy for readers to know what kind of psychic powers they were, which is how I came up with the ripple. It kind of spread from that like how ripples slowly spread, no pun intended. (Slowly is 'jojo' in Japanese)

When I look at him now, I think Jonathan is too much of a good boy. If I was to draw him now, I'd probably show more of the weaknesses of his heart too.

Part 2: Battle Tendency

Was Joseph's personality affected by Part one?

One more thing that you weren't supposed to do in those days was to let your main character die. That was another forbidden act. We had a discussion as to whether that will happen first and it was eventually decided in a meeting that we'd kill the main character. Because of this, I had to drastically change the story's characters and portray events that I didn't show in part one in part two and then similarly portray events I didn't show in part two in part three. That was my plan. I had a story devised up until part three, but because the story convention required Part 2 to be different to Part 1, I created Joseph. He does share similarities to Jonathan though in that he is also a muscle type.

Was it always your plan to revive Dio in Part 3?

I really wanted to draw him being dead for awhile and then coming back to life, but if I was to do that I needed something to happen in between (Part 2). Yeah.

Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

How was the process of changing from Ripples to Stands?

I tried portraying the ripple through pictures and I also tried portraying the psychic ability of Stands with pictures too but, how should I say it... I wanted to have punches from here (away from body). I had a meeting for it where I was asked, "What are you going to do next? You can't use the Ripple anymore." But when I said, "Well, a punch comes out of here (referring to the front of the body) and breaks stuff," they'd be confused and wouldn't understand me. So I was like, how should I say this...? Well, there's a thing like a guardian spirit and...it comes out and attacks." That's how I explained what the new ability would be and nobody would understand what I was on about. I told them that I think I could create alot of characters this way; I could make like a green colored punch or a sharp thing spawn and make them fight. Unlike the ripple, I can do lots of variations. That's how I started with Stands, though I originally thought that people who read it at first wouldn't know what's going on. Stands gave me alot of trouble when it came to explaining them, but I really felt that I could keep inventing new characters and ideas this way forever. It was like I dug up a gold mine. No one else thought it was gold, but I was like "Wow, look what I dug up!"

Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable

What were your ideas from Part 4 and onwards?

Part 3 was a story that had the shape of a role playing game. It's like a board game where you go here and there. There's a book called "Around the World in 80 Days," which I made Part 3's story with that as an influence. If that's the case, then enemies have to be types that come and attack Jotaro themselves, though they might be waiting for them too. So when i was thinking of ideas I thought of people that were willing to wait in their positions for a long time: like people that live in houses and attack when customers arrive, people with personalities like trapdoor spiders. I had a lot of these ideas left over and so I thought that I could probably use all of them within a single town. There were various incidents back then such as a serial killing incident that sent huge shockwaves across Japan. The feeling of your neighbor possibly being a serial killer was the perfect atmosphere, so I used that idea when positioning lots of Stand users around the town. That's basically how Part 4 was born and you can see how it's different from part 3. Making Part 3 different to Part 2, and making Part 4 different to part 3...is the way JoJo was made.

Up until Part 3, the setting was in an imaginary, mythical kind of world but for Part 4 I drew an everyday world so I feel more closeness to Josuke, which is why I like him the most. I found it really fun to write, it was like he became a friend of sorts. Jotaro, however, is someone that you admire, like a hero from a mythical tale. But Josuke seems more like a friend or a senior.

Josuke is supposed to be the child of a lover but...?

Yes, he is. If I could write more of Part 4, I'd like to explore that more specifically. You would probably develop some complicated ways of thinking if you were a child of a lover and Josuke was also meeting his dad for the first time in a while, so I'd like to write more in depth about that. If I had the opportunity to write that, I would really like to. Part 4 isn't really finished yet. If I decided to continue it, I could as much as I want.

Part 5: Vento Aureo

Why did you make the hero Dio's son?

Oh yes right. In part 5, he's not really a blood relative...well kind of. I find great importance in the upbringing and background of the characters. Stuff like what kind of place they were born, and what their parents were like. If I know that then it makes it easier to understand and write. That's what I do it for, so I find bloodlines very important. It might seem like a bit of a stretch, but that's how Part 5 started. During Part 4, the editor said to me, "Are you able to draw sadness?" But life is a sad thing though isn't it? He asked me if I could draw that, and initially I said that it wasn't really my style but during Part 5, I suddenly felt to urge to draw just that. Like the sadness of being ostracized by society but still having a sense of justice. That was what I tearfully wrote for Vento Aureo.

Part 6: Stone Ocean You once said that you can't draw females. Back then, it was an era when it was unthinkable to have a female character taking punches and in JoJo, arms can go flying if you're not careful. I felt that I wasn't able to draw that with female characters and the readers wouldn't be able to keep up. As I grew older, the difference between genders became less important, and I started to feel that I could actually draw a tough female. What I came up with was Stone Ocean, whose takes place in a prison setting.

About the end of Part Six

The last boss in JoJo has to be made incredibly strong. And I already made Dio stop time, so I figured the readers wouldn't be happy unless I thought of something even stronger. That factor had become a bubble-like situation and so I thought what would happen if you sped up time really fast, and ended up going full circle. Your brain goes strange when you think about infinity.

What are your thoughts regarding time?

It's mysterious isn't it? If you think about time, it feels mysterious and possibly the ultimate power if you could control it. My thought process involved coming up with this ultimate power and then thinking up how on earth you'd defeat it. Even while writing JoJo I myself often thought, "Oh...they're going to lose this one, they can't possibly win." But thinking about how it will be done is how I go about making this, so even now I still think about the question from Part 1, "Who is the strongest person in the world." I find that there's a great deal of romance there.

Manga Artist Araki HiroHiko

About drawing old characters.

I really find it hard being asked to draw previous characters. I wonder why that is..? I just get really tired. First, I have to try and draw the essence of my older style and then I have to fuse it with my current style, which made drawing the cover of this game really tiring. Though I did end up drawing it anyways after telling them that I can't draw older characters.

Second, artwork always changes; for example, I said before that muscular characters were really popular in the 80's but that wasn't really the case anymore in the 90's. I think it's strange to keep drawing muscular people if that's the case. So when I started on a new chapter back then I made Giorno Giovanna quite thin to be like a normal sized person. From around the time of Josuke, I decided to change from a mythical kind of person to a more ordinary size. That's the kind of way that artwork changes. Well, that's what I think. Also, I don't know about my art getting better. You could say that I was bad at the beginning though. I don't really try to keep it like my older styles; they're pictures that I've drawn in a classical kind of method, so I don't really mind if it changes.

About the game's cover

Well I first imaged it as having the ripple, but I was requested to have Dio and Jonathan fighting with the stone mask but I basically tried to bring the stone mask to the front more. The stone mask is like the game's emblem or the game's mark, so I put water and ripples over the background to lessen its impact. Usually, the main character is right at the front for package illustrations but I kind of made it the opposite of that.

About the poses.

The poses are influenced from Italian sculptures. I really like the way the bodies are twisted and it makes me want to turn them into a drawing. Also, you might not understand unless you're a person that draws, but the pelvis moves up and down and that's what I find fun. Like doing this... and stuff like if you move your wrist than you move up here. (Hand gestures) It's fun to draw while you theorize about that. Well for example, I'll show you here...If you put weight down on your right leg like this, your left shoulder drops and stuff. Or if you raise this hip, you go like this; it all moves oppositely. If you raise one hip then a shoulder goes down. If you concentrate on it you'll notice it, I found that about the human body very interesting and I really find it fun putting that into a drawing.

Also, it's not related but I actually enjoy drawing skin getting peeled. So I had alot of fun when drawing Koichi turning into a book. Not because it's grotesque but I think it's because I have to theorize what it might be like. It's strange. Also, things like what would happen if you bend a finger this way. You can make it possible by drawing. I think those are the kind of things I like, though I like drawing the poses too.

About the unique 'sound words'.

Oh, right. They're influenced from horror movies and rock music. In progressive rock and horror music, they use synthesizers and an instrument called a mellotron and sometimes I really want the tinkly kind of sound it produces for some scenes. Also stuff like "Chwween" and "Kyun Kyun Kyun!" You know how they often have noises like that in horror moves? I get the feeling of wanting those in my work. So I just write them out using letters and they naturally become the sound words I use, and I'm not really conscious of it.

Is the model of Kishibe Rohan yourself?

Everyone I meet for the first time thinks that I'll be like Rohan, so it's a bit of nuisance. I once thought about just acting like that character but that is something I aspire instead and I'm sorry if I break anyone's dreams, but I'm not really like that. Everyone comes into my house a little bit frightened. Sorry, but I'll use this to change my image now.

Do you lick spiders like Rohan?

Well, I do sometimes try eating some unusual things. If they tell me that it's edible cooking then I'll eat it, but... (Laughs)

Themes Embedded in Araki's Work

The theme of JoJo that continues for 20 years?

To not negate human beings. What I mean by that is is to have positive thinking characters that don't stress about things going wrong. They're not allowed to stress. They believe strongly in what they do. Even if its a bad guy doing bad things, those actions are very important to him and he'll use that to move one step forward. Then in response, the hero comes to defeat that. When they both step out forwards they'll then conflict. That's what I find interesting. I don't think it's interesting as a Shonen manga if the hero feels some sort of empathy for the villain. For example, with the character Yoshikage Kira, he's a serial killer but I think that he had his own proper reasons for doing so, such as the poor environment of his childhood, his relationship with his mother and his father always ignoring him. But if I write that you start to feel sorry for Kira, and so despite being such a horrible villain, when Josuke fights him, I think he'll kind of feel sorry for him. But then Kira says that he's fine being that way and moves one step up. That's what I like. That's the reason why I really like Kira. Although he may have had a bad childhood and turned into a serial killer, I always hope that he tries his best at being one. I can't really say that out loud much though. I'm secretly a fan of his. So living with a postive outlook like that is the theme of JoJo. It's a 'celebration of humanity.' To make humans positive. There may be conflicts because of that but that sort of thing is a theme.

Will that remain to be the theme?

Yes, probably. I said this before but I think that if the villains weak, it'll definitely be a boring story. They may be that way in real life but its better if its not in a manga like this. Yes...so I don't think it'll change.

A finale message to the fans

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood is a piece that I created 20 years ago and it really feels nostalgic. I'm really thankful that it has been adapted like this after 20 years.I find it more special than a recent and currently serialized one being adapted because it makes me think that it really has been appreciated for 20 years. So I would really like to express my gratitude and say thank you very much. I hope you really enjoy it. I've properly checked the game myself and I've given it my guarantee."

- Hirohiko Araki


 * Shoko Nakagawa (2006)|

Shoko Nakagawa (2006)
If you could use a Stand power, whose Stand would you choose and what would you want to do with it?

Araki: Well, which one do you choose, Shokotan? Can I call you Shokotan?

Shoko: Of course! He calls me "Shokotan"! I'm so glad. My dream is to marry Jotaro-sama and have a child with him. He'd probably say to me, "Yare Yare Daze" and spit on me. That's my dream. Sorry, the question was about stands, wasn't it.

Araki: So, Star Platinum?

Shoko: I want to receive 'ora ora' from him.

Araki:(Laugh) Hmm...I think I would choose Rohan Kishibe's Stand. I want to know what people are thinking by opening their minds.

Shoko: You work with various people, so that would be useful.

Araki: Yes, I want to discover the unknown sides to them.

Shoko: It's scary though, it seems like you are already able to use that Stand, I guess.

Araki: (Laugh) Well, yeah. And your choice is Star Platinum, right?

Shoko: I want to be beaten up by him.

Araki: I hope your dream will come true.

Shoko:(Laugh) I am a completely bizarre person.

What type of woman does Jotaro-sama like?

Araki: Type of woman? Uh, I don't think he is interested in women that much.

Shoko: I think he would say, "Yare Yare Daze," to a girl like me, right?

Araki: He definitely would. That is his charm.

Shoko: He would also say: "You are annoying."

Araki: (Laugh) That would be great.

Shoko: That's what I want! I want to have a child with him. How can i make him love me?

Araki: He might say that you're annoying, but he'd still love you, I think.

Shoko: I like it! It's tsundere. Does he prefer a girl who's neatly dressed or one with a short skirt?

Araki: Eh, he is more of a straightfoward guy. He will enjoy the time with you, though he might say that you're annoying.

Shoko: Really? Then I will do my best! I think I should go to a disco.

Is Jotaro's school cap a part of his head?

Araki: Yes, it's true.

Shoko: Is it? Why is the cap a part of his head?

Araki: Well, because he never takes off his cap.

Shoko: The cap is part of his body?

Araki: Right. When drawing Jotaro, I felt it was OK to combine him and his hair since he never takes it off.

Shoko: That's a unique idea.

Araki: Indeed. By doing so, Jotaro looks more elegant. I want readers to recognize him from the back, not just his forefront.

Shoko: So he isn't actually wearing a cap. The cap is completely part of his body.

Araki: That is right.

Shoko: Only Araki-sensei could come up with such an idea. It's me who wants to use Rohan's stand to see inside of Araki-Sensei's imagination.

There is a rumor that one scene in the 20th volume of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure predicted the 9/11 attack in New York 11 years before it actually happened. Did Boingo really predict 9/11?

Araki: Yeah, that actually surprised me. I don't know why I drew such a scene.

Shoko: You clearly wrote the word 911 and the laughing plane.

Araki: I don't even know why the plane is laughing.

Shoko: You didn't intentionally draw the scene?

Araki: Well, I don't know. I don't remember. I drew that scene as part of the story, but I don't know what it means. I learned about it recently, but I think it's just a coincidence.

Shoko:Your stand can predict the future. Your Stand predicts the future AND keeps your yourself young. (Laugh)

How can one defeat Star Platinum: The World, the most powerful stand ever?

Araki: Eh...Jotaro can be defeated only by Jotaro himself or by the child of Jotaro and Shokotan.

Shoko: You allow me to have his child? So Jotaro-sama and I have a child and he won't be invincible.

Araki: Correct.

Shoko: That's a great idea!!

Araki: Actually, it's impossible to defeat his stand at the moment. Star Platinum can halt the flow of time, so to defeat him, you need to let time flow again.

Shoko: So you would need to possess a power to control time itself? Sounds great.

What do you keep in mind when drawing pictures in color?

Araki: Well, the combination of colors is important. Like what color should be placed where.

Shoko: What is your favorite color?

Araki: My favorite color? Green...or moss green with some white. The mix of dark moss green and white is my favorite.

Shoko: But the color you actually draw with and the color that is printed are somewhat different right?

Araki: Yeah, you're right. So the important thing is not only the color itself but its adjacent colors.

Shoko: When you were a child, what were you drawing?

Araki: I was drawing things like Hakagata Mitsuru, a character from Kyojin no Hoshi. I'm a big fan of Ikki Kajiwara. I was curious how Joe Yabuki's hair looked like when we saw him from the forefront, right side and left side.

Shoko: Ordinary kids draw Joe only from the right or left sides, but you were not a normal kid.

Araki: (Laugh) Yeah.

What type of woman does Araki-Sensei like?

Araki: EH..? This question is hard to answer.

Shoko: You wife may be watching this show.

Araki: I like a woman like my wife.

Shoko: A good answer. What do you like about your wife?

Araki: As soon as you meet her, you will see that she loves gags. She will often say gags like Shokotan's giza thing (means "super").

Shoko: She uses "giza"?

Araki: When I said to her "Giza Ohayu-su" (Super good morning), she told me I was doing it wrong.

Shoko (Laugh) You wife corrected your usage.
 * Nekoi Tsubaki (12/29/2006)|

Nekoi Tsubaki (12/29/2006)
December 29, 2006 ARAKI HIROHIKO & NEKOI TSUBAKI SPECIAL TALK From the xxxHolic reading guide, new edition.

Araki: My meeting with CLAMP was quite interesting. Though I don't know if it's all right to say this.

Nekoi: It's fine, please go ahead. *laughs*

Araki: By coincidence they frequent the same beauty salon as my wife. So apparently she was chatting with the beautician saying "My husband draws manga," and they told her "We have other clients who are mangaka too."

Nekoi: That's right. Then I heard that Araki-sensei's wife was there and basically it turned into a huge deal.

Araki: We live quite close so said "Why not come over sometime if you like?" and that's how it started.

Nekoi: But really, I've only met Sensei four or fives times in total up to now. And it was always the four of us as a group, so I think this is the first time we've had a one-to-one conversation. I'm really nervous.

Araki: Come to think of it, at first I believed CLAMP were male. I thought it was a man pretending to be a woman in order to draw in a girlish style. [2] And then I heard rumours that it was several people collaborating and not just one person, and I thought, What the hell? There were too many pieces of information flying around, I couldn't make sense of it. It was pretty mysterious.

NEKOI TSUBAKI'S FASCINATION WITH ARAKI'S SLIGHTLY ALIEN WORK

Nekoi: It was really very early on that I encountered Sensei's work and thought "Wow, I love this person's manga" - with Devil Boy BT.

Araki: BT! I got into so much trouble with the editors for that one. They said right off the title was impossible, there's no way you can run a manga called "Devil Boy" in Shounen Jump, and that the main character was evil. I had to explain that it was essentially a rehash of Sherlock Holmes and in the end somehow I convinced them.

Nekoi: That's amazing, it was that difficult then. I couldn't have imagined but there was something alien about it I found as a child, I think, and that fascinated me.



Araki: Really though, the 70s were a period in the manga world where you had to develop to set yourself apart from the crowd. That was the tide, to go where no one else had gone before. I worked hard on that, so it makes me very happy to be told someone liked it.

Nekoi: I loved it!

Araki: Thank you very much! But, to think those readers back then have become what they are now... it's amazing. They even criticized my work. *laughs*

Nekoi: Please don't say things that sound so awful~

Araki: They crowded up and were like "Why did you do such a thing to Jotaro there!?"

Nekoi: But, anyone would do that if they had their favorite mangaka in front of them! You don't know if the chance will ever come again, right? So you want to run up and make them tell you everything! [3]

THE BLACK-AND-WHITE AESTHETIC ADMIRED BY ARAKI

Araki: If I had to say what interests me the most as someone in the same line of work, it would be how you divide the work among the four of you. I've heard you don't use assistants so… In any case I would venture that xxxHolic is mainly drawn by Nekoi-san, is it not?

Nekoi: I wonder if that's so... perhaps that's not the case? *laughs*

Araki: It must be Nekoi-san, surely. The kimono styles, the atmosphere of the art has that feel to it... I don't suppose you can tell me? [4]

Nekoi: No, it's quite all right, I'll answer.

Araki: Ah, you can tell! I thought this might be CLAMP's greatest secret. *laughs*



Nekoi: I'll go with the conclusion. The female characters in xxxHolic are drawn by Mokona.

Araki: Eh! Yuuko-san and Himawari-chan and everyone!?

Nekoi: That's right. I draw the male characters, the youkai, and any spirits that aren't in human shape. And animals. The covers and colour pages are Mokona and I together. The overall flow is blocked out by Mokona from Ohkawa's script, after which I check it, and that's how things typically advance. If we get stuck on anything we go back to Ohkawa and ask, "I don't quite understand this part, what is it supposed to be?" and then we fix it. Once everything is settled, Satsuki, Mokona and Nekoi each draw our parts separately.

Araki: You're really systematic. How did you establish xxxHolic's global aesthetic?

Nekoi: There's a concept for the cover or opening art each time, and that's decided by Ohkawa. The story and worldview are all Ohkawa. She's like the overseeing producer.

Araki: There's something of an Art Nouveau element to it, design wise.

Nekoi: There's a Japanese-ness to it, and Chinese too.

Araki: The gothic atmosphere that permeates the work is a large part of its charm. All that flat black is great.

Nekoi: We decided not to use tones this time.

Araki: Yes, it's good to have a clear divide between black and white. That's something I can't do. I can't bring myself to colour something in as a flat surface. I have to crosshatch and make it stand out in 3D. Something like a school uniform, it's frightening to colour it in… if I bring it down to a basic aesthetic level, perhaps.

Nekoi: But if I had to choose I'd pick Tsubasa's tactile feel. *laughs*

Araki: I see. But you can also draw in a gothic style. That's amazing! All of xxxHolic has a flat, decorative feel to it, like Japanese prints or Alphonse Mucha.

Nekoi: Ah, Mokona likes Mucha.

Araki: I thought so. It comes across. And the base colour of the tankoubon covers is never white.

Nekoi: That's true. It's always gold or silver, and then colour printed over it.

Araki: The feeling that there's an overriding concept at work is what makes it special. I think it's cool. With the JoJo series I wanted to use the classical method as a base and then introduce modern elements in the singular. For instance, drawing in a realistic style but colouring in completely impossible colours. Or completely impossible poses.

Nekoi: Impossible poses… but the fans imitate the poses? The "JoJo stances".

Araki: True, true. That's the thing, I aim for impossible but then am like, "Huh? Well, I guess it's possible after all..." *laughs*

WHERE IS REALITY? THE DAY THE KAPPA APPEARED IN TOONO

Araki: Does CLAMP ever travel for research purposes?

Nekoi: Almost never. We know that drawing from imagination can't approach the solidity that comes with research, that level of reality where people can say, "Turn the corner right there and you'll see my house..." But if you take the scenery from xxxHolic, for example, the place where Yuuko-san exists is an enclosed courtyard really. Aside from that I think depicting fantasy in a fantastical way is also a matter of technique. Well – one of our early stories did have an Indian flavour to it.

Araki: I understand. For my part, you see, I'm currently drawing a journey as my main theme. I started wondering about the psychology of someone who's been walking for three days straight. So I went and walked the Kumano pilgrimage road, which is a World Heritage site, to see what it was like.

Nekoi: Wow. And did you understand anything from it?

Araki: Yup. After three days, first of all you want to throw away everything you're carrying. I even wished I could throw away the cel phone they told me to carry in case I came across a bear. And when I saw the shrine at the end of the road, I felt thankful from the bottom of my heart. I honestly and unironically thought, "Thank god I came this far without getting hurt." It cleansed my heart, perhaps? I understood then that the road was put there in order to give people that experience.

Nekoi: That's a World Heritage site for you.



Araki: xxxHolic takes place in a magical alternate world, doesn't it. What I get hung up on is, What are those youkai-like things!? The ones shaped like young girls and the ones shaped like animals, and the monster types, are they all part of the same existence?

Nekoi: Er... the properly-formed youkai and the monster-like ayakashi are different things actually. But then, if you put them all together one can't say much other than "Well, that's the kind of world it is."

Araki: The "stands" in JoJo can be conceptualized as a reification of hidden talent, with their source being a sort of energy that's been in the earth since ancient times. So there are no real monsters or youkai in my story. I've never really been able to get the existence of such things. I looked at Mizuki Shigeru-sensei's drawings and thought they were lovely, but when I saw something like a "bean washer" in the picture I would just think, What's up with that? I couldn't see any reason for that creature to exist. Purely for the sake of washing beans?

Nekoi: That's true. It's the sort of world where you go take a bath and there's an "akaname" in there.

Araki: Exactly. What the heck is it? Is it an enemy? An ally? What does it want? If you can't figure out that much how are you supposed to fight it! Is what I think.

Nekoi: That's a Jump-like way of looking at it. *laughs*

Araki: With that in mind, the other day I went to Toono, in Iwate. In order to gain a better understanding of youkai.

Nekoi: Wah~ Such lengths. *laughs*

Araki: "I'd like to draw youkai too~" was what I was half-thinking. *laughs* So I went to the Kappa River there, the one that's famous for kappas, and stood on the riverbank spacing out. And as I was standing, there was this middle school-aged boy there at the same time, and he bursts out with, "Hirohiko's in the Kappa River!" Like, "Oniichan, look, there's a Hirohiko in the Kappa River!"

Nekoi: *dies*

Araki: And even I for some reason thought for a split second, "Gah, I have to get out of here!" At that moment I finally understood what it must feel like to be a youkai. *laughs*

Nekoi: You understood what it feels like to be a youkai, huh... *laughs* I bet it's passed into legend by now. His brother came and said, "There's no such thing, you're lying!" And he said, "It was really there, I saw it!" And there was a huge disturbance, and years afterward you'll hear the story of the kappa Hirohiko in the river.

Araki: So there, I think that might be what youkai really are.

FIGHTIN' PRESIDENTS AND DRAMA AT HIGH NOON

Araki: If it had an Indian flavour... do you watch a lot of movies? On DVD or whatever.

Nekoi: I watch films in the usual way, because I'm always following fads. I liked "Jurassic Park".

Araki: I like stuff like that too. Like "Jaws". But recently I've really been into Michael Mann's films: "Heat", "Collateral" and so forth. I like the sense one gets that the characters are driven by fate, but they don't hesitate over their actions. They hurtle toward their destiny in a way that goes beyond considerations of good or evil. It makes me weak at the knees. They're not movies you're supposed to cry at but I get tears in my eyes anyway. I think, "Oh, you people!" Do you have anything like that?

Nekoi: I'm faddish but I did like "Independence Day".

Araki: The story's pretty astonishing in that one. In order to fight with aliens, they get into a flying saucer that was buried on earth by aliens in the past. The human strategy was like ripping off the opponent's fundoshi in sumo. The designs all came from other SF works. And on top of it all the President himself flew the saucer to fight. When I saw that I decided the party would be battling the President in Steel Ball Run.

Nekoi: Really!?

Araki: Yeah, I realized a fighting President is awesome. [5] Was there ever anything like it?

Nekoi: It's very American. Although maybe Americans themselves don't realise it. And it was a German who made it. I think he made it with the intention that that's what Americans would like to see, and it really hit home. I like it too! *laughs*



Araki: What about Japanese films? I don't go to the theater but I watch a lot of DVDs. I saw "Sekachu" and so on.

Nekoi: Wow, you saw it?

Araki: Yes, it was good.

Nekoi: Was it!

Araki: Yes. I'm the type who cries at everything. That's right, lately I've gotten hooked on daytime soaps. Ever since "Shinju Fujin" I can't go without checking in with the latest developments. She became his lover with the aim of getting her hands on his fortune! It's awesome!

Nekoi: *laughs*

Araki: The dialogue gives one thrills down the spine. They say such dangerous and suggestive things the viewer's left panting. Like, is it all right to show that? But there they have it on television, at high noon.

Nekoi: It feels like you watch it to enjoy the names.

Araki: Exactly. A lot of mangaka seem to watch soaps, because time-wise it's just when one's getting out of bed. Morita (Masanori) sensei told me he also watches them. *laughs*

CLAMP'S MYSTERY VERSUS KISHIBE ROHAN'S SKIN: AND ONWARD, LEGEND

Araki: Many of CLAMP's mysteries were made clear to me today, so for my part this has been a meaningful hour spent. Thank you very much.

Nekoi: The pleasure's all mine, thank you very much. Though I would have liked to talk more about JoJo.

Araki: But today we're talking about xxxHolic.

Nekoi: Don't you think we should reveal more of JoJo's mysteries too, even for the sake of the reader?

Araki: Oh, I think it'll be quite enough if you say "He's so cool and looks just like Kishibe Rohan ♥". *laughs*

Nekoi: Oh yes, that's true. He's so cool and looks just like Kishibe Rohan. *laughs* And you look younger and younger in the photos that get published these days.

Araki: That's because I'm a Ripple user. *laughs* [6]

Nekoi: Please do become a new legend in Toono, I'd love to see it.

Araki: Leave it up to me. *laughs* }}

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