Beika City Irregulars

Translated by: Harley Acres

"Aoyama-sensei must love his work very much..."

Profile of Rumiko Takahashi

Mangaka. Born on October 10th in Niigata Prefecture. Blood type A. In 1978, while a student at Japan Women's University, she won an honorable mention for the 2nd Shogakukan Newcomers Manga Award with her work Katte na Yatsura which was her debut. ^[1] In the same year, she began serializing Urusei Yatsura in Weekly Shonen Sunday. Her representative works include Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, and others. Currently, Kyokai no RINNE is being serialized in Shonen Sunday.

Our guest this time is manga artist Rumiko Takahashi, who has been working at Shonen Sunday alongside Aoyama-sensei. We asked her about her analysis of Detective Conan as only a manga artist can offer!

Their common topic is baseball!

Takahashi: I think the first time I met Aoyama-sensei was probably... at Shogakukan's thank-you party. It was about 30 years ago. At first glance, I thought he looked very smart.

What was your impression after that?

Takahashi: It just confirmed that he was indeed a smart person (laughs). However, it's only been in the last 2~3 years that we've actually started talking to each other more regularly. Before that, I didn't have much of a chance to chat with him. Yes, it was only in the last 2~3 years that we really started talking. In fact, a friend of a friend of mine is related to Aoyama-sensei. I've heard many rumors about him. I've heard that he loves curry and orders it for in-flight meals, that he went to Las Vegas, etc... I didn't hear any of these stories directly from Aoyama-sensei, mind you, only as word-of-mouth. I thought I knew Aoyama-sensei very well, but when I thought about it, I realized that I'd never discussed any of these things with him. I frequently hear that he loves baseball.

I've heard that Aoyama-sensei is a Giants fan.

Takahashi: Yeah... I think this year is off to a great start for the Giants. Please pass on my congratulations. But when we meet, we frequently start off with the topic of baseball... at the 2003 year-end thank-you party, he said "Congratulations" to me. ^[2]

Aoyama-sensei is a Giants fan and Takahashi-sensei, you're a Hanshin fan, so your favorite teams are different...?

Takahashi: It's not going to be a battle between us (laughs). Well, we mostly talk about what's wrong with our favorite teams.

Detective Conan teaches us how to read.

What are your thoughts on Detective Conan?

Takahashi: I feel that many of the cases are meticulously crafted, which is a bit of a departure from so-called easy mystery novels. As I read the various cases, I gradually came to understand that detective stories require very meticulous attention to detail in the creation of the scenes, foreshadowing, and so on. ^[3] As well as the placement of key props and other things that you can never skip over, right? Aoyama-sensei does this every week which is really amazing!

And he's been doing it every week for almost 20 years.

Takahashi: And yet, there's always little hints and clues, and he keep us entertained every time. What's most impressive is that the quality never drops, does it? Also, the way Aoyama-sensei shows the drama of the characters is exquisite. The way he places the weight of each character's story in parallel with the main events of the plot is very well done. There's a good balance between each story and the larger flow of the overall narrative.

What do you think is the reason that so many people read the story?

Takahashi: I think he works very hard on the artwork, but for the reader, I think it's the process of being presented with a mystery and solving it... it's a pleasure. For example, there are three suspicious suspects, and a long stick is used in the crime, and all the suspects have something long in their hands... It's a kind of quiz-like way of being led along. I think it's great that he makes it easy for readers to understand how to read the book and what aspects to think about. Detective Conan teaches us how to read in a very gentle way. I think the story is doing something important in a casual way.

Is this similar to your method of making manga, Takahashi-sensei?

Takahashi: Not really. I've always been more haphazard... I've always been able to come up with new ideas and change the setting in the middle of a story, the way my work is structured allows for that. But that isn't the case with mysteries, where you can't suddenly change the culprit. So I wonder how he creates his stories. I wonder if he comes up with the idea of suspicious people after deciding on who the culprit will be and all the tricks involved. I'd be interested to know how he creates his stories.

While it seems that you, Takahashi-sensei, build up the story by deductive reasoning, Aoyama-sensei may go backwards from the conclusion to make his stories.

Takahashi: I guess so. There's always a trick, or a mysterious message... I wonder if they're all made with the answer in mind from the beginning. It'd be impossible to make otherwise, I suppose.

Are you also wondering about the mastermind of the black organization?

Takahashi: I wonder about who it is.

On the internet a lot of people think it's Dr. Agasa, but...

Takahashi: What do you think? Even if Aoyama-sensei had initially thought it was going to be Dr. Agasa, I think he would have changed his mind by now after all these rumors. If it still turned out to be Dr. Agasa, that would be a great trick. If he surprises the readers with that, I think he's won.

When Conan-kun says at the end of the first part of a case, "Okay, the only culprit that it could possibly be is that person," don't you feel frustrated if you don't know the answer?

Takahashi: Don't you think that's a clever idea? When someone says, "That's him," you always wonder which one it is. That gives you a very clear indication of how to read the story next week.

If there is an opening, middle and concluding part to the story, it tells me what I need to remember. In each story it must be very difficult to pick up on all the clues, I think.

Takahashi-sensei, have you ever made a story like Detective Conan where you start with the conclusion first?

Takahashi: In the adult-oriented stories for my work in Big Comic Original, the story is the main focus of the work [rather than the characters], so I sometimes use that approach. ^[4] But I don't have to do such an overly detailed process like Aoyama-sensei. In my case, I add various things after I start drawing... it's a very haphazard way of creating. With Detective Conan, you have to calculate and draw everything right down to even a single background, and I think that's a very difficult way to work from beginning to end.

Hae you ever thought of trying your hand at mystery?

Takahashi: Well, I prefer to read these types of works rather than draw them.

The secret of the author's long-lasting "love".

What do you think is the reason that Detective Conan has been around for so long?

Takahashi: Of course, it has a lot of readers for one thing, but I think it's very important that the author loves to draw it as well. He always draws the original illustrations for the movies, doesn't he?

It seems that every year, Aoyama-sensei draws the scenes that are important to the movie project. Also, every year, the main staff gathers at Aoyama-sensei's home for an idea meeting. ^[5]

Takahashi: Ah, is that right?

This year, Aoyama-sensei says he'll come up with a story for it. ^[6]

Takahashi: That's amazing. I wonder if he's thinking of a story for the movie version. It's like, "It's too much trouble for me to draw, but for the movie version, I can do it on a larger scale."

There have been stories that he was going to draw in the manga, and then put out for the theater version.

Takahashi: That's great, isn't it? The fact that he's able to release his work so freely means that he still has a lot of material to work with. Aoyama-sensei is a fan of anime, isn't he?

It seems that he wanted to be an animator.

Takahashi: Surely. His debut work and his other drawings were like those of a person who likes animation.

The movie version will also be the 17th film next year.

Takahashi: That's passion... right? In cases like this you can tell that the author really loves his work. When readers can feel the author's passion, they're happy. I think it's great that he never loses his motivation to keep on drawing, or to keep on thinking about a single character.

I think it's a great thing to keep thinking about one character for a long time. He's been working on each one of his works for about 10 years each. It's wonderful that he's been doing it for almost 20 years.

If you started reading at 10 years old, you'd be 30 now.

Takahashi: That's the length that parents and children can read together. If there are people who started reading when they were around 20 years old, their children will soon be old enough to go to the movies, so they will take them to see the theatrical version.

Aoyama-sensei's energy and stamina aren't dwindling.

Takahashi: Yes, indeed. When I spoke to him last year, he mentioned that he went for a physical exam and everything was fine. Rumor has it that he's not much of a healthy eater... I've heard that every time they see him, his editor goes to get him a hamburger or something like that. But it's not uncommon for athletes to be very picky eaters. No matter what their diet is, they're healthy and don't decline, so it must be a diet that suits their bodies. I have the impression that male mangaka eat whatever they want.

What do you think is the most appealing aspect of Detective Conan, Takahashi-sensei?

Takahashi: Depending on the reader, there are those who follow it for the characters and those who are intrigued by the storyline. I think the tricks are very interesting, and I think it's something that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. There are also developments that are unique to Detective Conan. For example, in a recent story, Haibara-san becomes an adult, does various things, and then goes back to being a child again. In that sense, I think there's a difference between Detective Conan and other mystery manga.

It's a work that can be enjoyed in different ways depending on the reader.

Takahashi: That's how wide the range is. There are various "elements that can be liked" scattered all throughout the series.

A favorite character is the spiffy Heiji.

What do you think about the character Conan Edogawa?

Takahashi: He's an adult on the inside. So, when he is with Heiji, they can have adult conversations, or they can talk about the tricks, and they don't have to deceive each other.

It seems Haibara also has a similar role.

Takahashi: The placement of the characters is very well done, isn't it? With Heiji, they can talk about reasoning, and with Ran-chan, they would talk about something else. Sonoko's presence is very soothing. Sonoko... plays a role in enriching the story.

Who's your favorite character?

Takahashi: I like Haibara, and also Ayumi. I like her a lot. I look forward to her sudden remarks. I like her naivete. She's a good girl. ^[7]

What about male characters?

Takahashi: I like Heiji. It's nice to have someone with that kind of swagger that we don't see from Shinichi-kun.

You like people who are sharp.

Takahashi: After all, people look at manga with their eyes, so if there is a handsome guy, their eyes will be drawn to him (laughs). But I guess Conan is the most popular among fans.

Many people would say Phantom Thief Kid.

Takahashi: Oh, I see. But it's still true. I think it was a great decision to choose a child as the main character, even though the popularity of older boys is probably higher. The fact that he's really a teenager in high school, even though he's in the body of a child, is what makes the concept a dream come true. If he were a normal child, he wouldn't be cute. That's huge. I think Conan's cuteness comes from the fact that he's actually a high school student. When you think about it, I think the setting of the character was really good. By making the main character a child, the stage is expanded a lot. There are a lot of restrictions when you have a high school student as the main character, but with a child, you can get into the story. And since the main character is really an adult, he can go into the adult arena as well. Also, there are a lot of characters, and there are sparks in various places, so when they meet, something happens. I also like the relationship between Kogoro and Eri Kisaki. It makes me smile. People in the police force also have romantic relationships.

Every week I want to read Detective Conan.

Is there anything you'd like to ask Aoyama-sensei?

Takahashi: Please publish a chapter every week without a break. It would be a problem if you are off next week and the pull to read your work is so strong, so please be sure to do this. I'll be disappointed if a new Sunday comes out and Detective Conan is not in it... Also, please take care of yourself.

Finally, any words for fans of Detective Conan?

Takahashi: The fact that the manga has been able to continue for such a long time without lowering the quality or tension is proof of how much the author loves his work as well as the readers, so let's continue to read it together and enjoy it!

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Footnotes

• [1] Takahashi won honorable mention for the 2nd Shogakukan Newcomers Manga Award (第2回小学館新人コミック大賞) in the shonen category. The way the Newcomer Manga Award is structured is there is a single winner and then two to three honorable mentions that are unranked. In 1978 the winner in the shonen category was Yoshimi Yoshimaro (吉見嘉麿) for D-1 which was published in Shonen Sunday 1978 Vol. 26. The other honorable mentions in addition to Rumiko Takahashi were Masao Kunitoshi (国俊昌生) for The Memoirs of Dr. Watson (ワトソン博士回顧録) which was published in Shonen Sunday 1978 Vol. 27 and Hiroaki Oka (岡広秋) for Confrontation on the Snowy Mountains (雪山の対決) which was published in a special edition of Shonen Sunday (週刊少年サンデー増刊号). Oka would also publish later under the name Jun Hayami (早見純). Other winners in various Newcomers categories include Gosho Aoyama, Koji Kumeta, Yuu Watase, Kazuhiko Shimamoto, Naoki Urasawa, Kazuhiro Fujita and Ryoji Minagawa, Yellow Tanabe and Takashi Iwashige.
• [2] Gosho Aoyama, the creator of Detective Conan (名探偵コナン/Meitantei Conan) is a fan of the Tokyo Giants, the most dominant team in Nippon Professional Baseball, they are roughly equivalent to the New York Yankees in terms of success and prestige. Rumiko Takahashi is a fan of the Hanshin Tigers. In 2003 the Tigers made it to the Japan Series, the Japanese equivalent of the World Series, however they lost to the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. Takahashi wrote a short story, This Year a Championship about their near victory.
• [3] In 2019 Takahashi would begin her own mystery series, MAO. During her time off following Kyokai no RINNE she states that she read nearly all of Agatha Christie's works in order to prepare for writing her first mystery.
• [4] The stories in Big Comic Original would be referring to Takahashi's short stories. Each spring she published a short story in that publication.
• [5] To hear an account of a similar film project discussion involving Takahashi, please see "My Producer's Diary - April 1987".
• [6] The interview was published in December 2012 (this is the second edition of this book, the interview must have been conducted specifically for this edition given that the first edition was in 2009), the next film would come out in April 2013. This would be the 17th film, Private Eye in the Distant Sea (名探偵コナン 絶海の探偵/Meitantei Conan: Zekkai no Puraibeeto Ai).
• [7] Years later Takahashi again confirms that Ai Haibara is her favorite character and mentions that Gosho Aoyama gave her a drawing of Ai.

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