Interview 3 - Rumiko Takahashi
I really enjoy drawing manga.

Translated by: Harley Acres

A reality that goes beyond manga.

At what point last year did you begin to become aware of the novel coronavirus, Takahashi-sensei?

Takahashi: I don't remember exactly, but it was probably around the beginning of March. I think it may have been because I usually work from home, so I didn't have much fear of infection, but when the TV news gradually became more and more focused on coronavirus, I became very conscious of it.

When I think back to the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, I had no idea that Narita Airport would later be partially closed, so I drew ordinary scenes of the airport in my manga. ^[1]

As best I can recall the restrictions didn't kick in until mid-February.

Takahashi: That's right. Anyway, from February to the beginning of March last year, the world changed at a tremendous speed. And it's still changing, and I don't know where it's headed. I think it's fair to say that we are now confronting "a reality that goes beyond manga."

Please tell us about your current workday.

Takahashi: I wake up relatively early in the morning and work from about 7 to 10 o'clock. After that, I do housework and read books during the day, and after eating dinner, I go back to work from around 10 or 11 until the early hours of the morning.

When do you find time to sleep? (laughs)

Takahashi: I'm a short sleeper by nature, so I can't sleep for long (laughs). Also, I don't stay awake all day long, so I do sleep in short intervals. By the way, the flow of my day now has nothing to do with the pandemic, it's the same as before. ^[2]

How do you work with your assistants now?

Takahashi: Since my office is mainly engaged in analog work, I can't afford to have my assistants not come to the office. Therefore, as someone who is responsible for the health of my assistants, I take a lot of precautions.

Fortunately, all of them live within walking distance from my office, so there is no risk of infection from crowded trains or other factors. I also ask them to always wear masks at work, to be careful with ventilation, and to talk less... And, well, it may be a minimal infection control measure, but I can't say there is anything more we can do. ^[3]

How do you work with your editor from Shonen Sunday (Takahashi-sensei is currently serializing MAO in this magazine)? ^[4]

Takahashi: We basically communicate by phone and fax, including checking names, without meeting in person. ^[5] Manuscripts are delivered by a motorcycle courier.

When we interviewed you for another project some time ago, you told us that you often draws your name in the middle of the night, and on those days, you have your editor wait in another room until morning. ^[6]

From a layman's point of view, I would think that it would be more difficult to draw a name if your editor is waiting right there beside you, but in Takahashi-sensei's case, you're able to make progress on your work. At any rate, that must have changed due to the pandemic?

Takahashi: Yes, I prefer to have an editor nearby to motivate me. It's true that I'd be more motivated if an editor were nearby, but I can't call one now...

However, familiarity is a scary thing, and I've found that I can do it by myself if I try (laughs). So now, I decide ahead of time that I'll fax the name by 6:00 a.m. on the morning of a certain day, and have the editor stay at home until the morning of the day of the fax.

Aside from the work aspect you just talked about, have there been any changes in your daily life since the state of emergency was initially declared?

Takahashi: There were no major changes. As I answered at the beginning, my daily routine is to stay at home and draw manga. However, in March and April of last year, several plans I had made to go out were suddenly canceled...

I was a little disappointed because I had been looking forward to seeing some performances and eating some good food while I was out. However, on the plus side, I had more free time to draw manga, so I was able to work more comfortably (laughs).

Until then, did you submit your manuscript every week just before the deadline?

Takahashi: I still hand in my work a little bit before the deadline and I don't have any work in reserve, but I feel more comfortable now that I have time to work on it before the assistants come to the office.

Speaking of the stage and live performances, I'm sure that you have many acquaintances in the theater and film industry and you've seen many plays and movies over the years. ^[7] I mean, that industry is really suffering today.

Takahashi: I think it's really troubling. I really hate the feeling that the whole entertainment world, not just stage and screen, is being hit by a new type of coronavirus. Compared to the world of stage and screen, music and sports, the world of manga seems to have been hit less hard, but I still feel sorry for the new artists whose first books were scheduled to be published last spring. I hope there is some kind of follow-up to that...

Drawing manga is the most fun.

Among the manga artists who appear in this book, Takahashi-sensei, you are one of the few who is still active in a weekly serialization. ^[8] I think it's a miracle that you've been able to continue the weekly serialization schedule for decades, but have you ever felt like your motivation was withering due to the pandemic?

Takahashi: No, not at all.

Isn't it hard to keep drawing 18 or 20 pages every week, even without the coronavirus?

Takahashi: I never get tired of it (laughs). Originally, I thought of drawing manga as the most fun for me, but now that the coronavirus pandemic is ongoing, I feel like it's been a 'salvation'.

In what way?

Takahashi: I can't express it well, but I'm grateful that I'm still allowed to draw manga in this era. Also, I was reminded of how grateful I am that magazines are published every week and sold at bookstores, which I had taken for granted until now.

I don't know if it's comparable to the current situation, but did your motivation suffer during 3/11? ^[9]

Takahashi: Yes. When faced with unprecedented situations such as earthquakes and pandemics, I don't think it's enough for everyone to just grieve. For example, I'd like to provide entertainment, even if it's only for children, so that they can forget their sadness for a while.

Speaking of 3/11, I heard that at the time, comedians hesitated to go to the disaster area. They were afraid they would be accused of "doing comedy at a time like this." But as it turned out, when they went on stage, they were laughed at by everyone and, to the contrary, the audience was cheered up.

I understand this feeling very well. Of course, this is true even now with the the coronavirus disaster, but those who say "comedy at a time like this?" or "now's not the time for manga" are basically telling the victims and those suffering "don't laugh."

The pandemic has given rise to several buzzwords, one of which is "unnecessary and non-urgent." Do you think manga are unnecessary and non-urgent?

Takahashi: I would like to say yes, but the answer is quite difficult. For us mangaka, of course, manga is necessary, but we can't force ourselves to recommend it to people who don't need it.

But many people think that entertainment is necessary at times like this. I'm going to repeat what I just said, that a world where people think manga and comedy is unnecessary is pretty hopeless.

Currently serializing the dark fantasy MAO

In this book, we also ask about the works serialized by each manga artist from last year to this year.

Takahashi-sensei, you are currently serializing MAO in Shonen Sunday, but this work is rather a dark fantasy with a strong serious element, because your previous work Kyokai no RINNE was a comedy work. Is it a reaction to that?

Takahashi: Of course, that's part of it, but I didn't dislike dark fantasy to begin with, and I used to draw little short stories for special issues that are in that style. However, when I was young, I thought it would be impossible to serialize a long story with a subject matter that was something of a hobby of mine.

That's part of the reason why I've been mainly drawing gag and comedy manga for weekly magazines, but I wonder if I can do what I like now (laughs). This series, MAO, may possibly be my last weekly serialization. Oh, of course, it's not that I hate gag manga, or that I forced myself to draw it, so please don't misunderstand me (laughs).

Speaking of your past serialized works, for example, I think Inuyasha was a fairly full-fledged dark fantasy.

Takahashi: That's true, but for me, MAO is a more private work than Inuyasha, it's a work that depicts what I personally want to draw. Inuyasha is also an important work, but it is a work that sticks to being a "shonen manga". On the other hand, MAO is more "black", or rather muddy (laughs).

That kind of thing is also part of the essence of Takahashi-sensei (laughs). This work is also a story that makes use of "connecting" the past and the present, which is seen in Inuyasha and the short story Fire Tripper, right? Furthermore, the main character, Mao, and the other onmyoji "live a long time," which I think is similar to the Mermaid Series.

Takahashi: As for the characters going back and forth between two eras, it's just my habit, I can only answer by saying "it's because I like stuff like that." (laughs) I feel a certain joy in being able to depict scenes from different eras in a single story.

In addition to "moving between the past and the present," you also have developed the technique of "depicting the growth of the main character, a boy, through the perspective of the other main character, a girl." This is a technique that can be seen not only in MAO but can also be seen in Inuyasha and Kyokai no RINNE.

This technique allows the boy (the actual protagonist) and the girl (the protagonist as narrator) to develop as "two protagonists" of equal status in Takahashi-sensei's manga, whereas in general shonen manga, the story develops solely from the boy's point of view (as a matter of course).

Takahashi: I'm a woman, so it's easier to draw from the heroine's point of view, but before that, it's quite difficult to get the reader's sympathy for a "hero with unusual powers". So, as someone who has the same point of view as the reader, I have the heroine play the role of the navigator and commentator.

The same thing was depicted in Inuyasha, and in MAO, you depicted how one person's negative emotions give rise to even more negative emotions, which in turn destabilize many people and has a negative impact on society. Did you always this theme in mind?

Takahashi: Looking at some of the incidents that have occurred in the past, I am sure that, unfortunately, there is no doubt that this aspect of human beings exists. However, I am trying to depict through my manga that this is not the only aspect of human nature. This is something that not only I, but also past shonen manga artists have repeatedly depicted, but I believe that the only thing that can overcome negative feelings is the "feelings that people have for others." I cannot talk about MAO in detail because it is currently being serialized, but at least that is what I intended to depict in Inuyasha.

Coming back to the corona disaster, in chapter 84, the heroine, Nanoka, appeared wearing a mask.

Takahashi: I don't give detailed dates in the work, but since MAO is a story that depicts not only the Taisho era but also the "present" of the Reiwa era, it would be rather strange not to.

However, there is no further significance in having Nanoka wear a mask. A serialized manga is a work of art, so I just thought that if coronavirus converges with the story, I can draw it in that way. Of course, I do hope that the masks will be removed from the faces of the characters as soon as possible.

When people decades from now see manga, movies, and dramas made around 2020, they may feel a little strange. "I wonder why these people are wearing masks?" (laughs)

Takahashi: That may be true (laughs). But as a mangaka living in the present, I believe that as long as "life with a mask" is a part of our daily lives, we should depict it. We who live with masks are now witnessing "history" at the level of our daily lives.

Also, this may be a bit off topic, but now when you watch old movies, don't you get a little bit of a shock when you see scenes of characters talking with their faces pressed together or coughing? (laughs)

I do (laughs). It has been a strange time in just this past year. Other than pictorial expressions such as "Nanoka wearing a mask," do you feel that the anxiety that many people have about the coronavirus has any influence on the theme or storyline of your work?

Takahashi: Not in this case, and in fact I make an effort not to. For example, the Great East Japan Earthquake happened during the serialization of Kyokai no RINNE, and after that I couldn't draw pictures of the sea or tsunami for a while. I didn't want to draw a manga that people would feel bad about reading, and I dared to take the story in a more silly, more cheerful direction.

Therefore, with the corona pandemic, I draw masks as a proof of the times, but I don't want to draw a manga that amplifies the feelings of those who are anxious now, rather I'll draw a manga that makes them forget about such things.

However, unlike RINNE, MAO is not a comedy-style manga, so it may be difficult to convey that nuance. In short, for my part, I hope that readers will be thrilled to see Mao and Nanoka's battles, even if only while they are reading it.

Does this mean that the coronavirus will not be deeply involved in the themes of your future works, not only in MAO, but elsewhere?

Takahashi: Yes, that's right. Again, as times get darker, I may try to take things in a brighter direction, but at the moment I'm not thinking of reflecting the impact of the coronavirus on our lives in my work. Of course, such things may be unconsciously appear in my work, so it's hard for me to say as the person who is drawing it... ^[10]

I hope the pandemic will end someday.

Japan is considered to be relatively free of novel coronaviruses among developed countries. Do you have any thoughts on this?

Takahashi: This is undoubtedly because each Japanese person is trying to prevent infection to protect themselves and others. ^[11] It could be said that the strengths of this country, where the infrastructure is already in place and the concept of personal hygiene is firmly established, were unwittingly visible.

Since the Edo period, people from foreign countries have been told that Japan is so clean that they were surprised. I think we should be proud of this in the world at large. Also, what we must not forget is that even now, medical professionals are working hard.

As the story goes, the rapid evolution of digital technology is changing the form of manga in terms of drawing, reading, and selling. In particular, the fact that e-book sales are booming today is not entirely unaffected by the coronavirus era where staying at home is encouraged. Are you aware of such changing times?

Takahashi: I think I will continue to draw my manuscripts in analog form, and as I've always preferred paper books to e-books, you could say I don't really feel it, but of course I am aware of it.

However, when you read manga on a smartphone or other device, you can see that the large double page spreads are displayed in separate pages, but my work has always had very few spreads, so I don't think there will be much change in the "presentation" aspect of my work in the future (laughs). The same goes for themes and characterization. Even if e-books become the mainstream, I wouldn't dare to change my "taste", and I don't think it will change anytime soon.

Lastly, do you have a message to cheer up the young people who are depressed by the coronavirus crisis?

Takahashi: No, that's too much for me (laughs).

Then, could you give us a few words, limited to the Takahashi-sensei fans out there?

Takahashi: Well, in that case... However, I can't say much (laughs).

It's true that the days are depressing, but don't focus too much about the bad things, and live each day looking for "good things" and "interesting things" in the hope that one day this pandemic will end. Let's go. For me, drawing manga is the most “interesting thing”, and I think everyone has one or two things like that. By the way, after this interview today, I plan to draw a manga without getting bored. Drawing manga is really fun (laughs).

Recorded on March 31, 2021 (face-to-face interview)

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Footnotes

• [1] Here Takahashi is referring to a brief scene from her 2020 short story Nasty Runner.
• [2] It is indeed the same as she has stated elsewhere. Takahashi is often asked about her intense work schedule given that she had been making weekly manga for 43 years when this interview was conducted.
• [3] Takahashi illustrated a short, autobiographical manga depicting the working conditions of her studio during the pandemic called Past the Point of Self-Control.
• [4] Kento Moriwaki (森脇健人) would have been her editor at this point. You can read his (and other editors) discussions of their favorite chapter of Rumiko Takahashi's work to have been involved in here. Additionally Moriwaki is interviewed about starting Takahashi's Twitter here.
• [5] "Name" (ネーム) are storyboards. These are the rough drawings that layout each page's panel layouts, character positions in each panel, and handwritten dialogue balloons. Some artists ink over their name, others draw on a fresh sheet which preserves the name. After joining Twitter (and on a few rare occasions earlier) Takahashi would share a panel of her name next to the finished panel.
• [6] The "other project" Kazushi Shimada (島田一志) is referring to here is likely the Manga Bon (漫画本) series of books that he edits. One book focuses on Rumiko Takahashi and she was interviewed for it.
• [7] Rumiko Takahashi has chatted with a number of famous actors and sports figures over the decades and many have come to celebrate special events with her.
• [8] The other artists that appear in Corona and Manga are: Tetsuya Chiba (ちばてつや), Inio Asano (浅野いにお), Rumiko Takahashi (hence the #3 interview at the top), Mitsuru Adachi (あだち充), Kazuhiro Fujita (藤田和日郎), Fujihiko Hosono (細野不二彦) and Takao Saito (さいとう・たかを).
• [9] 3/11 refers to March 11, 2011 the date of the Great East Japan Earthquake (東日本大震災, Higashi nihon daishinsai). This is the massive earthquake that trigged a tsunami that then caused the nuclear power plant meltdown in Fukushima. It was the most powerful earthquake to ever have struck Japan. To raise money for charity, Takahashi and a number of other mangaka published Heroes Come Home. In this charity manga Takahashi published a postscript chapter to Inuyasha.
• [10] The wearing of masks during the pandemic also appears in her short story The Woman From the Past.
• [11] Japan has a culture that has long worn masks when someone is ill to prevent the spread of germs. However, this is not to say that mask-wearing in Japan was not politicized just as it became in other parts of the world. Right-wing mangaka Yoshinori Kobayashi (小林善範) published extensively about his anti-mask views.

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