Greetings Sunday fans! It's me Sakaki again ---yeah it hasn't been that long at all has it? I'll be back one last time before the end of the year to talk about Sunday in review, but for right now here's a surprise interview translation! Sunday is off this week so the Twitter is kind of quiet, so here's something to tide you over until that next great issue. The usual disclaimers apply: I am not a pro translator so there might be small errors. If you see any please feel free to tell us about them in the comments. Well then, without further ado, take it away editors!
The Editors of Conan speak
Members:
Yuto Adachi (Editor from Summer 2015 to the end of 2019) (Second from left)
Naota Machida (Editor from 2019 to 2021) (Second from right)
Katsumasa Ogura (Editor from 2011 to the end of 2014) (Leftmost)
Takahiro Matsumoto (2019 to now) (Rightmost)
Yuri Yoshida (Editor from January 2016 to July 2019) (Center)
--First, tell us about what left the biggest impressions on you during your time as editors for Detective Conan
Ogura: I was the editor from 2011 to the end of 2014 so about 3 and a half years. That was around the time that Shuichi Akai who was thought to be dead turned out to be alive. Mr. Aoyama had left many clues in the story leading up to the reveal and I was super hyped as I read along.
Adachi: I was the editor for 4 and a half years from Summer 2015. I had just been transferred from the magazine for small children “Terebi-kun” to the main magazine so I had no real experience being an editor for comics, so my first stint was as a sub editor, so I worked along with a senior editor.
Yoshida: I was the editor from January 2016 to July 2019 so about 3 and a half years. To commemorate chapter 1000 Shinichi and Ran went to Kyoto on a school field trip. Though before that arc began, Mr. Aoyama and I went to Kyoto to do research. We learned a surprising amount of Kyoto's particular culture and Mr. Aoyama deftly but gradually introduced it into the story.
Machida: I was the editor from 2019 to 2021 so about two years. What left an impression on me was Mr. Aoyama going to London for research materials. At the time the Great London museum had a manga exhibit that featured Detective Conan, and the purpose of going was because London was going to be featured in the manga itself. I took quite a few pictures –it was a fun research trip!!
Matsumoto: I've been the editor since 2019. Machida and I served as double editors, and right now I'm serving as editor on my own. The other day the series reached it's 100th volume milestone and not surprisingly this has left the most impression on me. To be an editor for a series that has reached 100 volumes is amazing. I'm glad to be able to take part in this precious experience.
–Just now you mentioned “Sub editor” and “Double editor.” So does Detective Conan usually have two editor teams?
Ogura: Not necessarily. When I was editor I did it alone.
Adachi: When I started, Mr. Ichihara who had just become the new editor in chief created a new policy that Conan would have a main and sub editor.
Yoshida: When I started I worked under the (current editor-in-chief) Ooshima and Mr. Adachi. As a sub editor. Somewhere along the line the “sub” was dropped and I was promoted making it a “Double editor” (laughs)
Ogura: Overall Sunday doesn't have an established set up where there is always a sub and main editor. Rather, it depends on the workload. If there is a need to teach a new editor the ropes then they become a sub editor. There are cases where that isn't the case and two editors are established for a work, which has occurred for works aside from Conan. It's just about how much work there is to be done and division of labor.
---Could you specify what it is an editor's work is? What kind of preparations do you have to do when having a meeting with Mr. Aoyama?
Adachi: When I was in charge and we were deciding on the resolution of a case and the case afterward, the first thing that came to mind was having a discussion on the “trick” for the case. The motive of the culprit and the trick they utilized is at the core of the story, so Mr. Aoyama and I would think and discuss that. Alongside that, we'd also talk about plot advancement for the main characters, so meetings generally went for about 12 hours.
Matsumoto: That hasn't changed even now.
Adachi: Once the trick has been solidified, Mr. Aoyama goes to work on the storyboards. Generally a case is solved within three chapters, so he draws about three chapters worth of drafts back to back. We might have meetings on changing minor details, but overall drawing one chapter's storyboard takes about three days, and then completing the artwork for the chapter takes about five or six days.
---Have major elements of the story gone through massive upheavals during discussions of the trick and storyboard stage?
Ogura: There have been times where a case that originally was supposed to end after three chapters ended up going to five, but I don't feel as if there were cases where the main plot changed a whole lot. I remember there was one time where he said “I didn't have a trick in mind when I went to the storyboard phase so I added one in.” (laughs)
Adachi: For the most part, Mr. Aoyama hasn't had any schedule slippage. On the rare occasion he is going to miss a deadline, he lets us know “I'll need X amount of time” in advance.
---How do you come up with the trick?
Yoshida: Ah, to be honest I can never figure it out. I struggle with it each and every case (laughs)
Machida: Same. I read and watch plenty, so sometimes I see something and think “Maybe this might be useful...!!” And keep it in mind for the future.
Yoshida: Yes, for me I'll talk to acquaintances I know for hints. For example an acquaintance of mine who works in law wrote out a punctuation mark a specific way and when I asked about it it seems that's how it's done in official court documents. I thought that was interesting so I told Mr. Aoyama about it.
Adachi: And it's utilizing this that a scene where Conan saw through the trick of an attorney was born.
Machida: Beyond that we can ask other Senior Conan editors for advice.
Ogura: Those who have experience editing Conan have moments within their daily life that they think “Oh this could be used as a trick!” I feel like only Conan editors understand this sensation, so they share ideas amongst themselves when they come.
Adachi: For me I'd often try to come up with subject matter that would surprise Mr. Aoyama, but I don't think anything I've come up with has stumped him at all...
Ogura: For me I think he used the phrase “I see” as a key phrase. Whenever I said “I see” in a meeting, Mr. Aoyama would be upon it in a flash and say “Just now Ogura, you said “I see” and that would pique his interest.
Beyond being a hit manga, Detective Conan has movies, a TV anime, and other media content. It's been said that the work surrounding the movies has grown in number, but what connection do editors have in regards to the movies?
Adachi: Shougakukan has what's called a “Cross Media project center” where those who are working on the original concept side and the film side of things cooperate. Each week there are regular meetings with the anime and lead editors from the other sides of Conan cross promotion. Our job is to ensure that Mr. Aoyama sees and checks off on any parts of these enterprises that require his authorization.
Matsumoto: As far as movies go, the scriptwriters, director, Mr. Aoyama and other related parties come together to brainstorm the plot and scenario of said film. Editors also have a seat at these meetings because after the movie is complete there are meetings on how to promote it which involves the editors. Although it is Toho who does the distribution, the ones who plan advertising are those who work on the original manuscript side of matters. It's our job to get fans attention and hyped up for the release.
Ogura: Mr. Aoyama is deeply involved in the script of the movies, so even though our meetings are to discuss the manga, they often times slip into talk of the movie scenarios.
---As the editors to Mr. Aoyama, are there things you've noticed and or learned from him?
Machida: Despite being really busy with the serialization and things related to it such as research, artwork, and meetings, Mr. Aoyama still finds time to watch lots of movies, dramas and anime. I'm often wondering when he possibly has time to watch as much as he does. At the same time I'm surprised at how much he recommends and can pinpoint “It's this part that's really cool about this work” I have a great time hearing from him and feel like I can learn a lot. Mr. Aoyama's sense in what he watches and recommends makes him a natural ally to the editorial staff.
Ogura: I said before that I eagerly anticipated seeing the manuscripts for the Shuichi Akai revival arc. During that time Mr. Aoyama and I would talk over LINE and he'd reply with an illustration of Shuichi Akai saying “roger that” I know that “roger that” became a very important line for Akai so I was happy to see it, but the fact that I got this kind of exclusive look at his work via LINE really made me think of how stylish he is.
Yoshida: He not only serves the readers with surprises but the editorial staff too. I'd hear stories from Ogura fairly often, but apparently Mr. Aoyama kept the fact that Amuro was part of the Public Safety bureau from him as well. Mr. Aoyama was amused saying “I'll never forget Ogura's shocked expression when he found out.”
Matsumoto: There's a lot. This is a bit weird to say but during the commemoration for volume 100, there was the “Secret Story” where I wrote 100 new lines of interaction between the characters. We split up the labor between the writer, myself, and the advertisers which Mr. Aoyama supervised. It was a valuable experience, since some of the lines Mr. Aoyama found difficult to rewrite. That being said, he still redid more than half of them himself...
Yoshida: This isn't an experience I had that's related to Conan, but Mr. Aoyama is also a judge for the rookie comic award in the shonen category. He taught me a lot about bubble and panel composition, which I learned a lot from. Conan is a very wordy manga but it's still easy to read. Mr. Aoyama has said that if a manga isn't easy to read it won't be interesting, and it shows in Conan that he keeps reading accessibility at the forefront of what he draws.
---Thank you for telling us of your precious experiences. Now let's talk about your job as an editor. What kind of person is suitable to be an editor in your opinion?
Matsumoto: That's tough to say....Depending on what magazine one is working for, the culture, purpose and reasoning can be totally different. Almost as if it's like moving to a new country when the editorial department changes. Before coming to the Sunday editorial staff, I was on the “CoroCoro comic” editorial staff. Although the magazine is for elementary school children, one has to look at it from an adult's point of view where it's recommending to children how “cool” or “interesting” something is.
Yoshida: I believe a person who wants to be a comic editor has to love telling and being told stories. Stories are a way of life in this world. I don't mean just fictional stories, but Non fiction documentaries are stories as well. I think what is essential to being an editor is taking deep interest in said stories. Also, and I can't emphasizes this enough you must have interest in various subjects. A person brimming with curiosity is best. Having an “antenna” out to find things that are interesting that others haven't seen yet is the best sort to be an editor.
Ogura: I believe curiosity is important. Beyond that, as far as being an editor for comics goes you can think of it as similar to being a master of manzai comedy, or a fortune teller or evangelist. A master of manzai comedy knows they have a job where verbal communication is key, so they are a person who is great at conveying ideas to others. A fortune teller can tell –especially newbies “This is perhaps what you should be striving toward.” In short, a person who can guide others to where they should be, without deciding for them. As far as an evangelist it's a person who can spread the word of a manga made by the artist with all of their might. In short it's a job not just about making manga, but selling it as well.
Machida: Between seniors, those of the same class and juniors there are all types of people working as editors. Perhaps this goes without saying but I believe a person who is honest and puts their effort into their work is suited to be an editor. Also I think it's important to have a sense of humility too.
Adachi: Experiencing various things and realizing that one can't do anything else is important, I believe. You have to be able to really understand the artist's work and the love and feelings they've put into it. Also the ability to think from the point of view from the reader and picture the feelings of those who are involved in the work. After all a editor is experiencing and connecting with many people so those emotions are important.
---Do you have any experiences up until now that have influenced your current work?
Matsumoto: I believe my experiences at the CoroCoro editorial became essential when promoting the 100th volume of Conan. At CoroCoro we worked with toy makers to figure out ways to create hype for a new product as the release date came near, so I used that experience as a blueprint on how to generate hype surrounding the release of the upcoming 100th volume. I came up with a plan and put together measures from various angles.
Yoshida: Rather than experiences I've had myself, can I talk about experiences that in retrospect I wish I had? (Laughs) Perhaps because this is a manga magazine for men there are things like cars, mahjong and horse racing that I don't know anything about. There have been times where for example a particular car brand was featured and I didn't know anything about it which was trouble for the author. Now I've had a bit more experience and it makes me wish I had taken more interest in various things when I was a student.
Ogura: It is important to have knowledge in various subjects, though it isn't just enough to learn about mahjong and horse racing. Rather how those things feel or what emotions they elicit is important to to comic editorial. Manga as with all storytelling is about eliciting feelings from the reader or conveying emotions to them. The more in tune with your emotions you are the more useful you can be when creating stories.
Machida: Club activities, school, hobbies....I'd say everything I've experienced so far in my life is important! Though I agree with Mr. Ogura that the most important thing is how to convey where I felt such things and how. Conversely this is also one of the most difficult things to convey properly. I was mostly in charge of gravure and sports articles, but the knowledge and experience I gained from working with those and outside of manga overall was very useful.
Adachi: For me I'd say my time as an editor for Terebi-kun gave me a high affinity for working with Conan. Kamen Rider, Pokemon, etc are all super popular because of their unique charms, and digging deep down to convey this charm was a big part of my work with the Terebi-kun staff for around five years. Conan is a super popular franchise, and spreading the joy of current fans as well as gaining new ones has been at the core of my current focus....and I owe a lot to my experiences until now for giving me the tools to make that happen.
----Thank you. Please give some final words to those out there who are thinking of working at Shougakukan in the future.
Ogura: Shougakukan will keep you busy but it's a lot of fun. This is a personal anecdote, but I applies for Shougakukan once when I was job hunting and didn't get the position. The second time I got an unofficial job offer from Shougakukan. They're the type of company who'll give a guy a second chance, so don't give up. (laughs)
Yoshida: Shougakukan respects individuality. You might feel that your faults and complexes might get in the way, and think that “It's too difficult to apply so I gave up” but I hope you'll keep trying and apply without giving up on Shougakukan!
Matsumoto: Shougakukan has many magazines under it's belt, and the work differs depending on the editorial department you end up with so it's a company with various things you can do. I don't know what will be useful as a tool or weapon once you join the company, so anyone who has anything they're fascinated by should please try to apply.
Machida: I've only experienced one department since joining Shougakukan so I don't know a whole lot, but I believe this is a great company. People have given me a hand when I'm struggling with something difficult, scolded me when I made a mistake, support me when I'm taking on a challenge and are happy for me when I succeed. Of course there will be rivals and it feels like you're going off the deep end, but that's what makes it exciting and fun. I'd be overjoyed if people who have an interest in the company would apply!!
Adachi: Within Shougakukan there's a great variety of jobs, so it's like a dreamland for those who have various interests. If you're interested by all means apply.
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