Kyokai no RINNE - Rumiko Takahashi

Translation by: Laura Arias Moreno
Edited by: Megan Smith

Q1. Congratulations on concluding your manga, Kyokai no RINNE. It was an awesome and refreshing finale in which it was suggested that the characters would continue leading ordinary lives with ease and with pleasant moods. This ending was reached after a few happy developments that were a long time in the making. First of all, please let us know how you feel after the completion of your eight year serialization.

Takahashi: I feel glad about having finished drawing it, and I feel very refreshed and have no regrets.

Q2. Inuyasha was a rare long-running adventure manga of yours, but with Kyokai no RINNE, you’ve returned to your comedic origins. What was the starting point for this series?

Takahashi: Since Inuyasha was a rather difficult story, the starting point for this manga was a consultation to ask whether or not I should create a relaxed one, and I decided to move forward with it. ^[1]

Q3. As the series advanced many new characters appeared and relationships between them were formed. At what rate did you come up with the characters? Were there any you created out of the blue?

Takahashi: At first, I only created Rinne, Sakura, and Tamako because they were the most relevant characters. The rest were introduced into the story when needed.

Q4. Can you tell us any aspect about Kyokai no RINNE that’s dear to you or something you discovered regarding the characters while working on the series?

Takahashi:

Rinne Rokudo – The Protagonist

This character, rather than a fighter, was a negotiator who helped purify spirits. He was different from my previous protagonists who all had wide ranges of expressions, and I was aware that this made him an “exhausted-type protagonist”. I also realized that Rinne was pretty serious and I drew him thinking that he didn’t like to go about his work in an underhanded way.

Sakura Mamiya - The Girl

Since she was able to see ghosts, Sakura couldn’t be afraid. I drew her in a way where she wouldn’t frighten easily which may have led her to become an unexpressive character. Even for me, she’s still a mystery, but I thought it was a good point that no one knew what she was thinking. ^[2]

Tamako

Being in a guardian-like position for Rinne, I thought she’d be able to help with this or that.

Rokumon

Being the opposite of the typical mascot characters up to this date, Rokumon was a gentle character who properly followed rules as a servant. He used honorific language and respected Rinne. He was indeed a very straightforward character who’d clearly refuse if he disliked something or would express himself if there was something that gave him trouble, so it was very funny to draw him.

Masato the Demon

I think that, for a character who appeared early on, it took him quite a long time to show up on the tankobon covers (laughs). I enjoyed drawing him, but I remember wondering and trying to understand if Masato could settle in the story at the end. Still, he was really easy to draw.

Tsubasa Jumonji - The Exorcist

At the beginning, Tsubasa was meant to fill the position of Rinne’s rival. While drawing him, I thought he was a positive guy. So, even when I drew chapters where he suffered, I was aware that he’d always react optimistically.

Sabato Rokudo

I created him to be the antithesis of Rinne. Sabato was definitely an “evil” character; however, while I was drawing him, I realized that he wasn’t at all aware of doing evil things. So I made him a character who was someone to be regarded and easy to become attached to. Really, he can’t cross that ultimate line.

Ageha - The Shinigami

I was nurturing her to become Sakura’s love rival, but it didn’t happen. Ageha’s totally dumb, but I also think she’s cute.

Kain - The Accountant Shinigami

In some way, I created this character to be Rinne’s rival or someone who opposed him, but due to some reasons at work, the idea of him being a lower-ranked public worker took shape. But, on the contrary, thanks to that reason it was fun to draw him. Kain’s not a really cool type, but I think that’s rather good.

Shoma - The Shinigami Elementary Schooler

I had the idea of introducing a shinigami kid to the story. While drawing him, I realized that Shoma didn’t enjoy fighting against big enemies which involved too much effort to purify. So after that moment, it became easier to draw him. Also, drawing kids as shinigami was fun, too.

The Crescent Moon Hall - Raito and Refuto

I used the concept of the rabbit because I wanted something that, visually, was easy to identify as cute. I thought that I needed some characters related to scythes as well, and in fact these characters made the chapters dealing with scythes easier to draw.

Renge – The Damashigami

At first, she appeared as an enemy. However, I realized that Renge had a very serious approach, and that she was eager to cooperate at any time. She didn’t necessarily like doing bad deeds. I consider her the type of person who's able to bring out the best from the worst circumstances. Alternatively, I think she has a very strong ethics.

Matsugo - The Shinigami

I realized that Matsugo didn’t know how to set boundaries. I wanted to make something that dealt with Rinne’s past and someone who knew about Rinne from that time, and it turned out this way.

Annette Hitomi Anematsuri - The Descendant of Witches

I considered introducing a character who was a teacher, but I couldn’t find the ideal occasion to do it. At last, I figured out her background as a witch descendant. I love drawing weird adult characters, so from that point of view, it was easy to draw Annette.

Otome Rokudo – Rinne’s Mother

The background for this character also was difficult to figure out, and I couldn’t show her for some time. I was thinking about a lot of options– a human, a shinigami, even an angel... but at the end I realized: “That’s right, this is a story about reincarnation!” And I created the idea.

Q5. In Kyokai no RINNE, the other world has a commercial street where events take place, there’s a shinigami association, an elite rank of students, a registry, shops that specialize in scythes, and even a fraudulent company– so it has a realistic atmosphere. ^[3] It’s great to have the feeling that our world could coexist with the other world. What did you care about the most when you created the other world? Please tell us.

Takahashi: Some parts of “the other world” have an atmosphere that’s similar to 30 or 40 years ago. This is due to the fact that it’s simple to draw people and rules when they don’t vary too much. That’s what I realized about the above point.

Q6. The battles between the spirits had a routine quality to them which made them fun to read. For example, there was the attack that consisted of hitting someone with the corner of a Bible. But, you could also convince a spirit with a monologue, or you could buy a color balloon tool that could be smashed against them to reveal their forms to the living. There was also the description of regular maintenance for scythes and the revolving lanterns which made us feel that it was our own ordinary life being projected like a film. Battles without magic or special techniques were also used and they were more solid and more easily connected by humor. Was there anything in particular that you realized about the battles? Also, were there any special tools you liked?

Takahashi: Well, considering how you can only use the scythe for slicing, it would’ve been a pity if there weren’t any other tools. I had a lot of fun thinking about the goods for each chapter. My favorite was the “Tsukumogami Seal”. Apart from that, I think I used a lot of channeling dolls, but I had second thoughts about them. I realized that if I used them too often, the chapter would end too quickly, so I set a really high value for them.

Q7. In Kyokai no RINNE we see a lot of scythes. The one owned by Rinne has the closest design appropriate for a shinigami, but how did you create the rest of them and the functions they have? Also, please let us know if you enjoyed creating any scythe in particular.

Takahashi: Kain’s scythe was based on the “Jouhari no Kagami” which is a mirror that reflects the deeds of the deceased. ^[4] My assistants drew the scythes of the crowd while I drew the ones that belonged to the main characters. My assistants also polished the rough drafts while I paid attention to creating designs that matched the characters. Ageha’s scythe had a lot of decorations so I enjoyed drawing it.

Q8. Unfaithful spirits, living spirits, evil spirits, floating spirits, tsukumogami, etc. - plenty of spirits appeared in Kyokai no RINNE. Did you have any in particular that you enjoyed while drawing the series? Were there any that were impressive or that you considered cute?

Takahashi: Well, it may sound weird, but the spirit delivering pizza at the top of the hill... “I have to deliver it!” I loved such a determined and hard-working spirit. Apart from that, the one from “The One Hundred Spirits Gathering” and the one who left messages through fireworks. After thinking, I have second thoughts about this: I liked the simple and not frequent spirits.

Q9. In chapters where spirits appeared, solving the mystery about why they couldn’t rest in peace was often the center of the chapter. How did you think of them?

Takahashi: I created them by thinking up stories related to the seasons and the events happening around them. I also focused on the fact that appearing characters who showed funny sides of themselves could have interestings developments.

Q10. Since this is a comedy manga and you had to draw plenty of dead people and spirits, were there any conclusions or realizations that you made?

Takahashi: I realized that you couldn’t laugh at death and that you must deal with it in a respectful way. That was why Rinne had to convince spirits first. I considered it important to listen to the events that happened to spirits while they were still alive.

Q11. It seemed that there were many chapters where love was the reason for a spirit to not rest in peace. Why was this? Was it intended since the audience could identify with it and feel close to the topic? We assumed that it was also a topic where people could be portrayed in a bad way and act as if they were blinded by love, right?

Takahashi: Because it was the easiest thing to understand. It was a really easy to handle topic.

Q12. At first, Rokumon was the only contracted black cat. As the chapters went by, more were introduced and the relationships that formed between themselves and their owners as well as the relationships that formed between the black cats themselves (like in the black cat level test and in the secret black cat meetings) were fun to read about. Did you create the looks and the personalities for each of the black cats to match their owners? What did you enjoy the most? Is there any trivia you can tell us about drawing them?

Takahashi: The black cats were created to match their owners. I tried to match their looks as well as their personalities. The funniest chapter was “The Black Cat Ranking Exam” because it was easy to show their corresponding personalities, and it was also really entertaining to draw.

Q13. The romantic relationship between Rinne and Sakura was a point of interest for readers. Rinne was always trying to understand Sakura’s feelings, which were difficult to decipher through her facial expressions. When the two were in a situation similar to a date, Sakura said smiling sincerely, “That would be nice,” which was cute. Was there something that you realized or that you enjoyed after having drawn that scene?

Takahashi: I didn’t know what Sakura was thinking, and Rinne probably didn’t either. So when he felt nervous about her, I did too. I enjoyed him not being able to read her feelings until the last chapter. Also, since both of them had no love rivals, the development of their relationship depended on only themselves. There were no big changes. I had fun when I drew them since there weren’t any couples similar to them thus far.

Q14. Was there any aspect you realized or enjoyed about the relationship between Kain and Renge that you would like to share with us?

Takahashi: Renge has a pure side. She likes Kain in an honest way and doesn’t want anyone else to know. Also, she turned out to be a girl with a wide range of reactions. Kain is indifferent to love. For that reason, Renge is working at Kain’s office, but from that point on, I have no clue. I liked them because I could draw them in a tender way to my liking.

Q15. The relationship between Matsugo and Anju finally had some development in the 38th volume, what will happen to them?

Takahashi: I have no idea.

Q16. I am also curious about the future for Jumonji and Ayame Sakaki. Will Ayame Sakaki continue leaving her body as a living spirit?

Takahashi: Same as before, I don’t know. I didn’t reach a conclusion for that relationship. I’ll leave it to the readers’ imagination (laughs).

Q17. Will Bijin, the secretary, continue working for Sabato without learning anything? To tell you the truth, I laughed when it was revealed that her real name was “Beauty”.

Takahashi: I don’t know about that either. Regarding Bijin’s name, I was determined to give her a different one since she showed up, but it remained unchanged... I decided when she was introduced in a chapter that it would stay that way.

Q18. The personal relationships in Kyokai no RINNE have a crucial weight, and it was interesting to see the different sides to each character. For example, their reactions towards the person they liked or their reactions towards the one they hated. There were also the different interactions between the rich and the poor, owners and servants, classmates, parents and children, higher and lower level classmates, rivals, etc. Not only was it interesting to see these fixed human interrelationships, but it was also interesting to see the different combinations of characters along with their circumstances and relationships. Seeing their different faces and charms, we felt that it was one of the typical ingredients to your manga, Takahashi-sensei. Did you find out anything new after having drawn the relationships between the characters? Did you have any particular rules for creating them?

Takahashi: That’s something that remains the same in any manga I draw. For me, it’s very important that the parents, brothers, childhood friends, as well as the supporting characters surrounding the protagonists to click when they appear.

Q19. Your stories are also really interesting because they have a lot of single panel pages. Of course the pages that are divided into several panels are also interesting, but the single-panel pages are cutely arranged. For example, the final panel in every chapter includes a lot of information and since they can be seen at a glance they are nice to read. So once again, I think they’re great since they’re cute and interesting.

Takahashi: I try not to draw even a single panel that isn’t useful. But on the other hand, I’ve been told that there’s a lot of information in one-only-panel pages. I’m very careful about not breaking the rhythm of the scene, and I also try to draw the divided panels as if the images were being recorded with a camera. In the end, I prioritize the pages being easy to read. I set up the position of the characters according to the order of every line.

Q20. Would you like to explain the starting point for designing the characters and how you proceeded with those designs?

Takahashi: I start by creating their personality and circumstances. Then, I put something in them as a mark that’ll make them easy to recognize.

Q21. Please tell us any chapters from Kyokai no RINNE that you especially like.

Takahashi: For the main characters, I enjoyed “The Hades Promise” (chapters 259-260). I liked placing the characters in a situation where they couldn’t look back.

Q22. How do you feel about your next series? Please let us know.

Takahashi: I would like to draw something entertaining again, something that I’ll enjoy drawing.

Q23. What are you interested in lately regardless of what genre it is? Please tell us something that you’re hooked on.

Takahashi: As usual, I support the Hanshin Tigers— I also enjoy watching sports and I’m a fan of theater.

Q24. Is there any change from the used material questionnaire from S Magazine no. 43 (in 2013) for originals in black and white or in color?

Takahashi: Now I use the computer for my colored work.

Rumiko Takahashi's art tools: (Monochrome originals Human figures: Zebra Dip-pen type G; Backgrounds: Zebra Dip-pen type G, Dip-pen type “Maru” /Used ink: Pilot for technical drawing / Black fillings: Zebra McKie ultrafine, Pigma).

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Footnotes

• [1] The consulatation would have been with her editor at the time, Shunsuke Moteki (茂木俊輔). 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 spoken about her own difficulty in understanding Sakura and reading her personality in other interviews.
• [3] The fradulent company referenced here is Sabato's Demashigami Company. In Japanese it is an example of a "black company" (ブラック企業/burakku kigyo). These are businesses that harass their employees and force them to work extremely long hours.
• [4] In Japanese mythology Jouhari no Kagami (浄玻璃鏡) is a mirror said to be used by Enma, the King of Hell, as a way to see if someone is good or wicked. The mirror is said to reflect someone's entire life and allows Enma to see all of their misdeeds.

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