Rumiko Takahashi vs Atsushi Kamijo

Translated by: Laura Arias-Moreno

One Pound Gospel by Rumiko Takahashi

In '88, Young Sunday will become the flame of the new age of comics, with a statement from two top authors starting their engines at full speed! The first bullet is One Pound Gospel by Rumiko Takahashi in the first issue, and the second bullet is Sex by Atsushi Kamijo, which will begin serialization in the third issue. In this interview, both big authors with explosive hearts will be talking among themselves about their burning souls!! Hear them burning red hot!

It started in Young Sunday in the summer of '87, a masterpiece about boxing was created in a double issue consisting of 60 pages.

Kosaku Hatanaka, a member of the Mukoda Gym (Featherweight Division, minus one pound), 2 victories (2 KOs) and 4 loses, a guy unable to consider his failures, and a nun, Sister Angela, from a church next to the gym, take part in this sports comedy about love and endurance. Looking forward to '88, what (unknown) territories will be shown with this new work from an even higher level? On sale next December 25th.

I think that there are no cool guys around.
That’s why I want to draw them.

Both authors find it impossible to be satisfied with a small level story and always create a lot of motivation!

It can be felt in your skin that '88 is near, at sunset on the second floor of a crab restaurant. The conversation between Takahashi and Kamijo is starting to get enlivened quietly while they look downwards eating their crabs.

Takahashi: The serialization of To-y (published in Weekly Shonen Sunday) has finished.

Kamijo: March of '87. It has been more than half a year already. When you remember the flavor of a long serialization, you cannot be satisfied with a small job. That is the reason why I want to start the serialization for Sex as soon as possible. Basically I haven't settled on anything yet, but I'm really motivated (laughs). ^[1]

Takahashi: I'm a big fan of To-y. The "ninawabushi" (sob story) atmosphere running through its roots are so good. I love the fact that when something is decided you go all the way without hesitating. It's good to see that a lot of effort goes into creating your characters.

Kamijo: Aw, thank you. I feel so embarrassed (laughs). The truth is I came across some fan letters for you, and well, sorry to say this but I took the chance to read them. Urusei Yatsura has left such a big impression on fans. They carry the Urusei Yatsura universe within them.

Takahashi: It is marked by the reaction of the fans, but at the end, I think it shows what I wanted to draw. Not what I wanted to show.

Kamijo: It's the same with me, I am writing Sex simply based on what I feel like drawing, not what I couldn’t draw in To-y. Instead of hesitating if it will be well-received or not, if I don’t draw it the way I want I cannot carry on with the story.

Takahashi: The characters chart from Sex at the back of the Shonen Sunday Graphic Special- To-y... to what extent are those finalized...

Kamijo: Well, they're true to some extent. Concretely, currently I don’t have them ready so far. I want to draw something cool and vague. Personally I prefer drawing guys, recently there are no cool guys as protagonists. Certainly, when I say "cool" I mean a lot of things, but in Sex I want to draw cool guys with a lout and good-for-nothing image.

Takahashi: I feel like a spy-in-the-field asking this question, but how many chapters have you planned for Sex? (laughs)

Kamijo: This is exactly what I don’t know (laughs). I have the feeling that it will be fairly long in a progressive way. What about you?

Making drawings as interesting as possible. That's how the creative soul of an artist gets red hot.

Takahashi: As long as I am able to.

Kamijo: When you have a short story, what do you think is more important? The story or the characters?

Takahashi: I usually give priority to the story, but when I am about to finish the work, there are times when the characters don’t work in it and it make it difficult for the story to advance. In case it's an interesting character I think the best you can do is continue drawing it all out regardless of it being a short story or not.

Kamijo: In the case of One-Pound Gospel, since it has a boxing theme, it would be logical that the characters would be appearing again.

Takahashi: Well, yes, leaving the contents theme aside (laughs), as characters they have enough stoicism, even for boxing.

And it’s precisely because while you are drawing it, you think “Aw, I can’t stand this character,” why you find it interesting, and that interest pops out when you put them in many kinds of situations and you wonder how they will react. In the case of a short story, you cannot forget that feeling of exaltation while you're drawing it, that feeling has to remain. That's why I don't think anything else will do. Although I think is impossible that his main character will mature as a human (laughs).”

Sex by Atsushi Kamijo

It is the work being serialized with all the efforts of Kamijo-sensei, who has brought a new wave for girls and boys in Japan, from the man who serialized To-y in Shonen Sunday. About the plot... Wait for the issue on January 22nd. For now, let’s say that it will turn everything upside down.

As pointed out by Kamijo-sensei in Shonen Sunday Graphic Special- To-y, the setting is Okinawa, Fussa and Suga. It is drawn with sharp lines that show the shining qualities of youth.

When you enjoy drawing something, you also want the readers to enjoy it.

The continuous changes in the comics’ world cause Takahashi and Kamijo to constantly change their approach for future generations.

Kamijo: I hardly play any sports and I have no interest in them, but the only one I would like to draw is boxing. Bodies are cool.

Takahashi: Well, I would say that I like martial-arts or strong battles. I hardly play any sports either, I don’t know what's funny about sports. I only understand the anger of losing (laughs).

Kamijo: Do you see that sort of thing depicted in the manga of others?

Takahashi: Hardly any.

Kamijo: I see.

Takahashi: In the end you can only see your own work. It’s logical, you are the one drawing it. You have to observe it, no one else can observe it and you have to expand on it.

Kamijo: I think I could read your works even ten years later. But the deadlines are hard. I had one case when serializing that was quite tragic. When I was drawing overnight I was saying I was going to quit (laughs). But you finish drawing it and then you sleep. You get up and you have to start thinking about next week's chapter.

Takahashi: Eventually, it's like some kind of training for drawing, and you have no choice other than fighting with the serialization in the magazine.

Kamijo: It may sound obvious, but you can't draw if you don’t enjoy it. It is hard, but you do it because you love it. When you enjoy drawing something, you also want the readers to enjoy it.

Takahashi: I agree with you, if they read it happily without thinking anything, that’s the biggest compliment to me.

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Footnotes

• [1] Both One Pound Gospel and Sex would go on to have very sporadic serializations. Rumiko Takahashi was publishing weekly in Shonen Sunday during the entire serialization of One Pound Gospel, consequently it was infrequently published, often with many years between storylines. Sex was published from 1988 through 1992, however Atsushi Kamijo would heavily revise the manga between its original publication and when the volumes were collected. Volume 1 was published in 1989, volume 2 in 1993 and volume 3 was published in 2005. Ultimately Sex comprised 7 volumes with the rest of the stories originally published in Young Sunday in 1992 being collected in compiled volumes in 2005.

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