Relief and anticipation for the anime adaptation
--Congratulations on the decision to make an anime version of Oshi no Ko. How did you feel when you learned of the decision to make an anime?
Aka Akasaka: I was happy. But since Mengo-san was in charge of drawing the pictures, I naturally thought it would be made into an anime.
Mengo Yokoyari: I also thought it would be animated since it is based on Aka sensei's original work (laughs).
(laughs) -- So both of you had anime adaptation in mind.
Yokoyari: However, I am very happy to hear that it will be made into an anime.
Akasaka: I am happy and relieved at the same time. We both have experience with anime adaptations of serialized works, so we both felt that it would be a disaster if the anime didn't get made even though we both have people who can stand on their own feet.
Yokoyari: That's right. If the work of Aka Akasaka, the genius manga artist at the moment, were not made into an anime, I would feel that it was my fault. So I was doubly relieved.
--I was relieved on both counts.
Yokoyari: We heard about it at the same time.
Akasaka: My editor is not the type of person who likes surprises, so I had heard about it a while before, like when we were discussing the original work and they said, "There's talk of an anime adaptation." Then, when the decision was made, I was informed again.
--How did you feel when you saw the teaser visual?
Yokoyari: I like the fact that they dared not to show their faces, which gives them a sense of confidence.
Akasaka: The back view of an idol performing on stage is a scene that only those in the entertainment industry can see. I think it's a great idea to depict the entertainment industry.
Story structure with an anime adaptation in mind
--Did you have the anime adaptation in mind from the beginning of the serialization?
Yokoyari: From the very beginning of the serialization, Aka-sensei was thinking about how the story could be developed into an anime series.
Akasaka: I am the type of person who can more easily create a story if there are certain constraints, so I thought about the length of each chapter and the points of excitement in order to create a scenario that would fit neatly into an anime. As you can imagine, I wasn't convinced that the story would be made into an anime before I started the serialization.
Yokoyari: You can tell a lot about whether a work will be a hit or not by the reaction of the public when the first volume is released after serialization.
Akasaka:That's right. It is around the time when two or three stories are serialized or when the first volume is released. When a manga continues to be serialized, there is a certain number of readers who inevitably leave the series.
Yokoyari: Yes, that's right.
Akasaka: But if a work has many new readers who become fans, it will continue to grow. If we can make such a judgment, we can consider making an animated series.
Yokoyari: Akasaka-san keeps a chart at work that divides the manga that have sold in the past ten years into genres, and it looks like an analyst's chart.
Akasaka: Since I became a manga artist, I became aware of this perspective and started analyzing the works that sell.
Yokoyari: You like to analyze what factors are responsible for a hit, and conversely, what factors are responsible for a failure, don't you, Aka- sensei?
What is the genre of Oshi no Ko?
Oshi no Ko contains various elements such as idols, romance, suspense, etc. If you were to clearly divide it into genres, how would you classify them?
Akasaka: I would say it's a "showbiz" type of story.
Yokoyari: When people ask me what kind of manga it is, I tell them it's a "human anthem" because it's cool (laughs).
Akasaka: I think that people who like the content of the first volume and start reading it are looking for an element of suspense, so I want to include that element regularly in the story. By the way, in another interview I once mistakenly wrote in an article that the development of Ai's death was ad-libbed. The part where Ai dies was decided from the beginning, and at this point I have the final volume figured out! I've been following the original scenario for the parts that were decided from the beginning, with the occasional fun detour!
The reality of the entertainment world depicted through in-depth interviews
--What is your favorite chapter?
Yokoyari: It's hard to narrow it down to one, because there are chapters that I objectively enjoy the work and chapters that I like as an artist, where the drawing was done well, which are quite different... I'm looking forward to these upcoming chapters, which are going to be awesome, since Aka-sensei has given us a taste of what's to come!
Akasaka: I like the "love reality show version". When I was planning the story, I came up with several chapters that I wanted to depict the backstage of the entertainment industry, and one of them was the "romantic reality show" chapter. 2.5D stage, YouTube, and romantic reality shows are all contents that are unique to today's world, and I wanted to depict "show business" that are possible only in this day and age.
Yokoyari: Aka-sensei says it casually, but if the story of the entertainment industry is not well researched, it will inevitably lack reality and become shallow, and the readers will definitely not overlook the falsehood of the story. I think it is truly amazing that he does not let us think so.
In the scene where Akane Kurokawa is slandered, she used an entire chapter to pursue only realism. I wanted to depict how she would feel if she really got burned in a war of flames. Many people don't show it, but I think that kind of severity is the reality of the entertainment industry.
-Where do you get such realistic information about the entertainment industry?
Akasaka: I have an environment where I can say, "I want to talk to this person," and they will connect me. I'm a fan, so I'll do an interview! Let's go out to dinner!" I'm getting a lot of acceptances from people like that.
Yokoyari: It's also a good thing that Aka-san and I have slightly different friendships, so we don't have to interview the same people at the same time. The stories we get to hear from both men and women are different, and I think we get a good balance of information. I don't think we would be able to do what we are doing now if we were both doing our first series.
--In the "2.5-D Stage Edition," there is an episode about Abiko Samejima, a manga artist whose own work is being adapted for the media.
Abiko Samejima, the original author of "Tokyo Blade," was dissatisfied with the 2.5D stage script of the same work and strongly criticized it.
Akasaka: We drew on our own experiences in the media adaptation process, but we mixed Abiko's resentment and opinions with what we heard from those around her. However, she really is a person who could have existed. I have mixed in stories I heard from several people so that the interviewees are not identified. I'm not modeling any one person explicitly.
Yokoyari: I am sorry that it seems that you have a negative impression of our media work, since both Aka- sensei and I have been blessed with a favorable environment when it comes to media work. But if we, as manga artists, draw manga artists, it is already our fate to be projected, isn't it?
Akasaka: For us manga artists, our first contact with the entertainment industry is about the media mix. After all, there are writers and editors who say, "You shouldn't expect that much from an anime," so I thought it would basically be a lie not to draw them.
--The balance between comedy and seriousness is also attractive in "Oshi no Ko" but do you have any ideas for the direction of each?
Akasaka: For the comedic parts, I make the lines bold and try to make it easy to understand the points where you can laugh. I think it is easier for readers to understand if I show them the signs of laughter.
Yokoyari: In my drawings, I try to make a clear distinction between comical and serious scenes. When I want to draw comical scenes, I study "Kaguya-sama".
Akasaka: There was a time when I was not very good at creating scenarios that leaned toward the serious side. When I was simultaneously serializing a serious work called "Ib-Instant Bullet" and "Kaguya-sama," which had many comedic elements, "Kaguya-sama" was the one that received the greatest response from readers. However, when I drew a serious episode in "Kaguya-sama," readers enjoyed it, so I became confident that they would accept a serious work as well.
Yokoyari: I thought that Aka-sensei was better at coming up with serious stories.
Akasaka: That's true at the root. I love drawing stories in which people are clouded (laughs). But I think I am more suited to comedy.
Yokoyari: Sometimes what you want to do and your aptitude do not match.
Akasaka: The balance between comedy and seriousness is opposite in "Kaguya-sama" and "Oshi no Ko," so at first I was worried that I wouldn't be able to make it work.
--How do you switch your mindset when serializing multiple works at the same time?
Yokoyari: I used to serialize quite a few works with different tones, but I myself tend to get bored easily, so it suited my nature. So I don't consciously switch between them.
Akasaka: I am always thinking about one work or the other in my life, so I can switch naturally. I don't play games all the time after I finish a manuscript (laughs). I usually think with my head and try to reduce the time I spend working with my hands as much as possible.
Behind the scenes of drawing that fascinates readers
--What do you pay attention to when creating your works?
Yokoyari: No matter how hard it is for me or how little time I have, I always try to draw a character's face in a cute way.
Akasaka: Your drawings are really cute! At the core, I like the dour expression of the rabbit in Ai's hair ornament (laughs).
-What scene have you put the most effort into drawing so far?
Yokoyari: The scene in the "2.5D stage version" play. I was conscious of expressing the characters' passion for the stage as much as possible.
Akasaka: Each character's showcase was like that of an action scene!
-How much time does the drawing take per chapter?
Yokoyari: It depends on the content of the story. In a normal chapter, I would concentrate and finish it in three or four days, and then go out and draw the rest of the story over the course of a week (laughs).
Akasaka: When you have time, don't you work hard on areas that are not reflected in the quality of the work?
Yokoyari: Yes!
Akasaka: In "Kaguya-sama", I wasted a lot of time drawing the ramen noodles. I would spend more effort on drawing the characters more prettily, but I would insist on the smallest details.
Akasaka: What I envy about Mengo-san's drawings is that when I look at her drawings, I can tell at a glance, "This is Mengo-san's taste! I don't have that" (laughs).
Yokoyari: You have it too, Aka-sensei!
Akasaka: No, my taste changes constantly.
Yokoyari: I think all the readers get the characteristics of Aka-sensei's drawings.
Akasaka: I don't know. I did a book illustration for a novel once, but not many people noticed it was done by Akasaka Akasaka (laughs).
Yokoyari: Maybe it's because you did something different from your usual drawings.
Akasaka: That's right. I have the idea that "a challenge is worthwhile," so I want to express myself in ways I have never done before.
--Many readers look forward to seeing the illustrations you draw.
Yokoyari: At first glance, the colors look like something I enjoy drawing with a lot of sensitivity, but in fact, I am not very good at drawing (laughs). When I was in elementary school, my teacher told me, "Your line drawings are good, but the colors ruin them.
Akasaka: But Mengo-san's colors are very good at unevenly applying paint.
Yokoyari: Unevenness comes out unconsciously.
Akasaka: The stars in the eyes were inspired by Mengo-san's paintings. Mengo's paintings are shiny and glittering, and I thought, "They look like jewels." When I was thinking of designing the main character with this image in mind, I came up with the idea of putting stars in the eyes, so I started to draw the storyboard.
Yokoyari: When I first saw the storyboard, I thought, "You're doing something that looks like it will sell again" (laughs).
Akasaka: After the character design was completed, I changed Ai and her surname to "Hoshino" as an expression of "star power," and the names of the children to "Ruby" and "Aquamarine." The main characters are full of sparkling elements.
Thank you very much for sharing many behind-the-scenes stories about the production. Finally, do you have a message for our readers who are looking forward to the anime?
Akasaka: I've been actively participating in meetings about the animation, and I think I can do something that will surprise you a little. I would be happy if you could look forward to it.
Yokoyari: The anime production really respects the original work, so I am sure that even those who like the original work will be satisfied. The show features idols, performing arts, singing, and dancing, so please look forward to the visuals as well.
END
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