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Inuyasha - Rumiko Takahashi

Translation by: Patches



Q1. Well done on the completion of the Inuyasha serialization. Tell us how you're feeling after finishing such a long serialization.
Takahashi: Thank you very much. Without regrets, it was a breath of relief when I finished drawing. Again, to all those who supported me over the years: the readers, the staff and successive editors, those involved with the anime, and everyone else involved in this project have my deepest gratitude. [1]
Q2. With regards to the ending, what was the process that made you decide on it?
Takahashi: The biggest issue was whether to have the heroine Kagome remain in the past or the present at the end, and since the anime's completion in 2004, I'd been constantly torn about it. As a result, that was the time I had the feeling I should be storyboarding the final chapter. Regardless of which world she chose, "separation" was unavoidable, so in the end, I decided I wanted to go in a direction where Kagome was happy, and people would still be pleased when they finished reading. [2]
Q3. Inuyasha is your most serious and action-packed title to date, so what sort of motivation did you have to create it?
Takahashi: I'd done continuous comedies with both Urusei and Ranma and wanted to try doing something more serious.
Q4. Tell us how you got the idea for "collecting the Shikon no Tama".
Takahashi: I figured that the "collecting" of items and companions was the basis of storytelling.
Q5. Since there are a lot of serious scenes in Inuyasha, is there anything you had to alter with regards to how you wrote the manga or your feelings while drawing it compared to your works until now?
Takahashi: The biggest change was that so many of the sound-effects were notated in katakana. "boom" vs "BOOM" leaves a completely different impression. [3] My feelings when writing are the same. Whether gag or serious, pacing is a necessity. When it first started, I think the readers were a bit perplexed by "Why isn't this funny?" And when it got into more intense scenes and the characters weren't smiling as much anymore, I was worried that the readers were growing tired of it.
Q6. When Inuyasha is sniffing around with his dog ears, or when Kagome is mad at him, it usually looks really charming, but on the other hand, when they're in battle or serious, I think it's intense and cool. With the male leads that you write, I think the balance between charm when they get in trouble and coolness in serious situations is perfect, but is it enjoyable for you to write male characters like that?
Takahashi: It's very enjoyable. Drawing characters' faces when they get in trouble never gets old. [4]
Q7. In Inuyasha, if there is a particularly memorable segment, please tell us.
Takahashi: In volume 18, the scene when Kagome is crying when she first realizes she's in love with Inuyasha. The story in volume 11 when Miroku's wind tunnel tears. The entire Band of Seven arc. Also, the scenes where Kagura and Kikyo died, though there was a sense of loss, they were still memorable. I love the final chapter, myself.
Q8. In Inuyasha, if you have any particularly memorable character or one you had the most fun writing, please tell us.
Takahashi: I like everyone. I liked the scenes where there was tension when Kikyo appeared. Miroku was easy to write both when he was being silly and when he was giving expositions. On the other side, writing someone as dead serious as Sesshoumaru was refreshing to me. It was my first attempt at writing characters such as Jakotsu from the Band of Seven, so that was fun.
Q9. The seven men of the Band of Seven were seven different characters, and while they were villains, they still had their appeal, so what sort of atmosphere were you going for when creating them?
Takahashi: When it came to the villains for the Mount Hakurei arc, I thought that I would need a group in order to get the length I wanted. When I originally created the characters I hadn't planned on seven, but when it came time for them to appear, I thought of the days of the week.
Q10. In the beginning, Inuyasha's heart is closed off and he gets along poorly with Kagome, but as the story progresses, he trusts everyone and develops a particularly good relationship with Kagome. When reading, one gets the impression that Inuyasha gained human compassion at some point, but in the process of writing, is there any point where characters simply behave on their own accord?
Takahashi: As the stories accumulate, you just get to know what kind of people they are.
Q11. You've always written stories that contain a lot of characters, but what is the appeal of writing that sort of manga?
Takahashi: Rather than say I want to write a lot of characters, when it's a long-running serialization, the number of characters just multiplies. But, having a lot of characters helps me write a lot of stories without it getting boring.
Q12. Regardless of the series, all the characters are written with such care, and it seems like everyone always gets a happy ending, but why is that?
Takahashi: Writing characters to have happy endings is so I can feel good about the story once I've finished it. Even when I'm writing stories with a lot of sadness and hardship, I like stories where it's all redeemed somewhere.
Q13. Even amongst the villains, none of the characters give off the impression of being truly evil, but do you get that same impression when writing the head villain?
Takahashi: Even with villains, I'm unable to write a character that I truly hate. When I'm writing evil characters, I think a lot about why they became evil, and what sort of background and motivation they have. I couldn't write them any other way. [5]
Q14. Ever since you were a child you've been intimately acquainted with shonen magazines, and since your debut that hasn't changed and you've participated actively in shonen magazines, but what is the appeal of writing for shonen magazines?
Takahashi: I have no other answer other than I love shonen manga. I just feel good reading and writing it. [6]
Q15. In your shonen publications, there are usually characters who aren't human. For instance, half-demons like Inuyasha, aliens like Lum, men who turn into women like Ranma, characters with other qualities that humans lack, the ability to transform, existing on a vague boundary between man and woman... those kinds of characters. Why is it that you have so many characters like that?
Takahashi: Because I like them. I think that "out of the ordinary" is more like "a dream" in manga terms.
Q16. If you have any stock ideas for your next project, we'd like to know the range of possibilities you're thinking of.
Takahashi: There are no stock ideas. I'm in the process of thinking of my next project. [7]
Q17. You usually write very long-running serializations, and since your debut you've never really taken a break from writing manga, so please tell us what motivates you to write manga, and if there have ever been any times that made you really happy to write it.
Takahashi: "I like manga" is my motivation. The time when I am happiest is when I'm writing. And since I read all the fan letters, that's a big encouragement.
Q18. Inuyasha being no exception, all your works until now have focused on the Japanese lifestyle, so what motivates you to write manga focused on Japan?
Takahashi: First, I start with the assumption that my readers are Japanese, having Japan as the setting just seems like the natural conclusion. It may be a minimalist explanation, but even if other parts of the world were involved, since my goal is to write about everyday life, and instead of the rest of the world and reality playing too prominent a role, I want to be able to empathize with the readers.
Q19. In your works, there are characters who are cute, mysterious, funny, and use a lot of different poses, so could you tell us where these poses come from?
Takahashi: I draw what my hand tells me.
Q20. Who is your favorite character out of all the works you've done?
Takahashi: I like the idiot characters like Ryunosuke from Urusei and Ryoga from Ranma.
Q21. Inuyasha is a love story, but are there any legends or folktales that you particularly like?
Takahashi: It's a novel, but I love The Cauldron of Kibitsu (吉備津の釜) from Ugetsu Monogatari (雨月物語) to death. The Russian drama "Twelve Months" is also like a dream to me. [8]
Q22. Are there any recent works or people you particularly enjoy?
Takahashi: I like the presence of Kenichi Matsuyama. As for current manga, I enjoy reading Akiko Higashimura's Himawari! every week. [9]
Q23. What sort of tools do you use for your color and monochrome painting?
Takahashi: My pen is a Zebra G pen. My tones are mostly Retora or IC. Inking is with a Pilot drafting pen, Hi-Mckee or Piguma. For color, I use Sakura Mat watercolors, Holbein, Dr. Ph. Martin's ink, and Nicker poster color.
Q24. Before you go into storyboarding, are there any reference books you use? And when you're not doing storyboarding, do you just have ideas come to you in the middle of your everyday life? If there are, can you tell us what times?
Takahashi: I don't use reference books, when I'm doing storyboarding, I just make a memo of ideas that come to me. I usually have ideas in the corner of my mind, but I mostly do my concentrating when I'm at my desk.
Q25. Do you draw any doodles unrelated to your work?
Takahashi: Not very much anymore.


Footnotes
  • [1] To read comments and thoughts from a number of Takahashi's editors from throughout her career please see "My Page One".
  • [2] Rumiko Takahashi has often said she does not begin a series with an idea of how she will end it, as she says that that would cause her to steer the story towards a predetermined ending. Her editor from this portion of her career, Shunsuke Moteki (茂木俊輔), discussed how Takahashi was still writing the manga week-to-week right up until the end, feeling out the story as she went. In this article Takahashi states she was unsure of what woulld happen with Kagome as she was in the process of writing the ending. In an interview in 2020 she said that as she was struggling with this question she asked Satsuki Yukino, Kagome's voice actress for her opinion. Yukino responded immediately that she thought Kagome would wish to stay with Inuyasha.
  • [3] Sound effects in katakana denote a "harsher" tone while hiragana is a more "smooth" tone. It's sort of the difference between writing something in bubble print vs. a sharp, jagged font. Explosion sounds in comedies would be written in hiragana because it's supposed to be a funny "boom", while in dramas they're in katakana because it's a serious "boom".
  • [4] Takahashi spoke in an interview from around this same time that she felt she needed to focus on making interesting male characters in Inuyasha due to her standout female characters in her earlier works.
  • [5] Takahashi has a number of rich, fascinating villains that she has crafted throughout her career with Naraku likely being her greatest. Other truly wicked yet morally complicated characters she has created include Masato, Kagari, Soma and Shingo.
  • [6] Takahashi primarily grew up reading shonen manga because that is what her brothers bought. She discusses this in her interview about Ryoichi Ikegami and also in "Examinging the Source of Masterpieces! Rumiko Takahashi's History".
  • [7] Takahashi took a lengthy break between the ending of Inuyasha (June 18, 2008) and the debut of Kyokai no RINNE (April 22, 2009). At the time this was the longest break in her career. She was roughly halfway through her break when this interview was conducted.
  • [8] Ugetsu Monogatari, written in 1776, by Ueda Akinari is a collection of traditional Japanese and Chinese ghost stories. The story she's referring to is called The Twelve Months in English, Двенадцать месяцев/Dvenadtsat mesyatsev in Russian, and The Forest is Alive (森が生きている/Mori ga Ikiteiru) in Japanese.
  • [9] Kenichi Matsuyama (松山ケンイチ) is likely best known in the west for playing "L" in the live-action Death Note films. He also portrays Masaru Kato in the live-action Gantz films as well as Wantanabe in the film adaptation of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood.


Cover

季刊エス 25号
Quarterly S Vol. 25
Published: December 15, 2008
Interviewer: ---
Translated by: Patches
Translation date: February 11, 2009
ASIN/Web Address: B001MFTV8O
Page numbers: 24-31