Hey all! Since there's no Sunday this week (The magazine. We didn't suddenly lose an entire day.) I figured I'd flush out my queue of interviews instead! I'm looking to have one more aside from this one out this week (hopefully.)
This time around is author of the MAJOR baseball hit Takuya Mitsuda! I'll admit I've only read bits of Major 2nd (and his boxing series which was weirdly not mentioned here) but translating this has been great for understanding his insights and creative process.
Of course this interview comes with the cavieats that I am not a professional translator (I just play one on TV) so there may be a mistake here and there. If you notice anything strange, talk to me (without a baseball bat, I bruise easily) and we'll change it. Also, if you do want to translate this into other languages or post it somewhere else, please do not do so without permission.
Okay, let's hit a homer and run the fields!
Interview can be found here
Takuya Mitsuda drew “MAJOR” with the intention of the match VS Kaito High School being the end of the series. Looking back on 20 years of serialization, from the kindegarten arc to the possibly of Goro Shigeno's return to the field.
MAJOR began serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 1994. Since then it has sold over 55 million copies, and the TV anime that ran on NHK was a long running anime that spanned six seasons. Now MAJOR 2nd has it's home in Weekly Shonen Sunday, this series about Goro Shigeno's son Daigo.
Takuya Mitsuda has been illustrating the exploits of Goro and Daigo for around 20 years. We at Da Vinci conducted an interview with Mitsuda, where we asked him about the early concept of the series, and background stories about the series that have spanned the high school arc to the major league and then MAJOR 2nd.
I had zero confidence that I could draw a Baseball Manga.
---Thank you for taking this interview with us today. Let's hop right in with this first question -how did the idea for MAJOR come about?
Takuya Mitsuda (From here on in to be “Mitsuda.): My inspirations were Shinji Mizushima's Kyuudou Kun that depicted a child's growth into adulthood. Then there's Ganbare Genki by Yu Koyama, Our Field of Dreams by Kenichi Muraeda and Musashi no Ken by Motoka Murakami. Etc. I wanted to draw a series where a father blazed a path for a sport and after he passed away, the torch was passed to his children.
Mitsuda: Because artists who came before me already illustrated series with that as the central focus. I didn't think I could really add anything to that already competitive field. Plus I didn't really think I had it in me to draw a volleyball manga when I did that rather than baseball because I didn't want to end up hating baseball by making it a job. So I based my series on Captain but with a different sport. That work ended up becoming Kenta Yarimasu!
--So then after Kenta Yarimasu ended, what caused you to change from having no confidence in drawing a baseball manga to starting a traditional one like MAJOR?
Mitsuda: Kenta Yarimasu! Was a hit thanks to my fans, but I felt like my next series had to be even bigger for me to continue being a manga artist. It's those feelings that got me to lock in and tackle a baseball manga in earnest.
I wanted to get to the “Middle school arc” as soon as possible.
---And now that we're in the thick of it, lets dig into MAJOR in chronological order. I recall you saying at one point that Goro's childhood was an endurance test for you and in a way the readers since it didn't poll well at first, but I think including that arc enhanced and added depth to the later events of MAJOR which depict Goro's life.
Mitsuda: Yup, Even now as I reminisce, I'm glad that I hung in there and drew everything properly. Normally you'd just throw in a flashback or skip the childhood part of a manga in a shonen magazine, and honestly I wanted to draw the middle school arc right away so I get the bad polling from that standpoint. Even I wanted to draw Goro going buck wild on the field immediately!
---Personally I've been reading the series from the start of it's serialization, and the little league arc against the Yokohama Little was a ton of fun. I thought the series was already doing well in the magazine at that point.
Mitsuda: Thank you. However, I was thinking the series was in danger of cancellation until part of the way through the Little League arc. I remember struggling to draw enemies in a little league baseball match at the time, because no matter how bad a kid I made them, they're ultimately a kid.
---I remember being shocked during the Sunday serialization when one week a chapter ended with Goro as an elementary school student telling his friends and teammates he's going to a different school, and then the very next chapter he's there on a color page as a middle school student.
Mitsuda: That came from my fondness of Joe Yabuki from Ashita no Joe. A major reason why I wanted to become a manga artist was because I wanted to draw a character just like him. Kenta from Kenta Yarimasu! Was a good, well mannered kid which got to be a bit boring, so that's why I introduced Maeda as a teammate.
---Oh true, Maeda looks pretty similar to middle schooler Goro.
Mitsuda: That's right. Ideally you'd have a guy like Maeda as the main character, and I managed to do that for MAJOR. At first in the little league arc Goro didn't get too wound up, but from the middle school arc onward he really cut loose, or to put it another way he started to become who he really is. (laughs).
A gyroball doesn't have to be rooted in realism.
---It feels like Goro really came into being a fastball pitcher during the high school arc, the Kaido 3rd team arc, and the Yumejima arc. We talked about Kyudo-kun earlier...was there any part of Goro that was based on Kyudo Nakanishi, who was throwing 101 mile per hour balls as a high school student?
Mitsuda: I didn't just base him off Kyudo, but also Mitsuru Adachi's series as well. Baseball manga as a whole have fastball pitchers as the leads, and I didn't want to deviate from that so Goro too became a fastball pitcher.
---The Gyroball which has become what Goro is known for, has gone from being a manga techinique to something in real life as well.
Mitsuda; Yeah, but I can't take credit for inventing it. Sports scientist Kazushi Tezuka came up with it, and I asked for his permission to include it in the series. The term “gyroball” sounds like something you'd hear in a manga, doesn't it?
---The ball spinning like a drill has a cool-manga-ish sort of feel to it.
Mitsuda: Some people have told me that in reality it's not spinning in a straight line but more like falling downward. I don't really care much if that's the case though, as I think as long as it's entertaining it doesn't need to be realistic.
---From when Goro started pitching the gyroball, the wind around him picks up. Even without seeing the ball speed you can tell how fast it's moving.
Mitsuda: I appreciate you saying that. I didn't copy anyone else for that –rather I was searching for a means of depicting it in a way that would leave an impression, and I came up with an exaggerated movement –like a tornado.
I illustrated the match against Kaido as if it were the finale.
---What makes Goro's fastball amazing is that when he's up against a wall, he gets more emotional and his pitches faster and stronger. I think the match against Kaido high was a perfect example of that.
Mitsuda: Thanks, I drew the match against Kaido with a chip on my shoulder and a holed up grudge, as if that were where the series was going to end.
---What do you mean by a grudge?
Mitsuda: Back then a lot of people gave me flack about Goro quitting Kaido High and going to Seishuu instead. At the time I thought that Kaido was the biggest threat in the series, so that's why I decided to have Goro transfer. I didn't think there was anything wrong or right about that set up initially, but I was shocked that so many people disliked it. So when the match against Kaido happened, I put my all into it as if to tell readers “See? This is what I wanted to draw!!” So I both asked for permission and forgiveness depending on whether fans found it good or not.
---Ultimately they ended up losing because Goro balked, but his demonic pitch before that was illustrated beautifully.
Mitsuda: There was one scene during all that where Goro who's at his limit tells his teammates who want to throw in the towel. “I'm the one who has to take responsibility for the selfish things I've done to beat Kaido.” That was me speaking through him. --I'm writing this story the way I want to, and I want to take responsibility for the choices I've made. It's because I thought to myself “I'm drawing this because I think it's great, so please read it.” that I was able to come to this conclusion. (laughs)
Looking back on Goro Shigeno's life.
--- “The series was illustrated with the intention that the match against Kaido High School would be the finale. So then, did you already have plans for the Major League arc?
Mitsuda: At the beginning of the series, my plan was to end the work with Goro standing on the mound and declaring that he'd go to the major leagues. I had no intention of depicting it in the series itself.
Sports series are at their most hype during the regional preliminaries since it's there that the rivalries and such that have been established build up to a crecendo, and there's no going back once one has been defeated. On the contrary it's hard to feel as much empathy for characters who suddenly show up during the Koshien or the national tournaments.
---Ah, I see. Yeah I totally get that.
Mitsuda: It's much more difficult to maintain interest in a manga about Major league baseball without a hook of some sort, especially in a magazine meant for youths. If like for example, Gurazeni: Money Pitch where the hook is “annual income” then it'd be easier to transition over to a series that'd keep adults engaged.
---But ultimately MAJOR not only went beyond your original intention, but to America, and internationally. You even included a World Series which took the series well past 30 volumes.
Mitsuda: Like I mentioned before, it became a struggle to depict a sense of tension and “no turning back” that was prevalent in the series. I struggled weekly coming up with something under the mindset that I don't want to bore my readers. Many readers have told me they enjoyed the Major League arc, so I'm glad to have worked hard on it.
---The finale of the series was emotionally moving...
Mitsuda: I appreciate that, thank you. By circling back to the first chapter, I think I was able to properly bring this part of Goro Shigeno's life to an end. I had a responsibility to my longtime readers to write an ending that could live up to the series.
If one is told their artwork is “old fashioned” then they shouldn't be drawing in Shonen Sunday.
--Now let's talk about MAJOR 2nd. The Elementary school arc has passed, and now we're in the midst of the middle school arc climax.
Mitsuda: The elementary school arc had the theme of a “2nd generation conflict.” Meanwhile the middle school arc has the major theme of “Girls baseball.” So to me, Mutsuko Sakura is the protagonist of this part. It feels like I'm making a harem series, what with Mutsuko being the central character and all these girls surrounding Daigo the prodigy, (laughs)
---In previous interviews, you mentioned how you wanted to challenge yourself to drawing female characters of different types that are distinct from each other. It feels as if the female characters in MAJOR 2nd are, and have been well received. Is this because you put so much effort into them?
Mitsuda: I realize I'm drawing a hot blooded, passionate baseball manga....but in the end I just want to be told my female characters are cute (laughs). I'm working to make strides on all of my artwork, not just the girls, and this of course includes the baseball scenes. The thing that humiliates me the most is when I'm told my artwork is too old fashioned and sloppy.
---So for you is this a matter of pride?
Mitsuda: I'd say so. If one is told their artwork is old fashioned, then they shouldn't be drawing manga in Shonen Sunday. So my motivation to draw is unfathomably high.
---You mentioned this is an ensemble piece, and I think all of the ladies are well conceived, from the traditional Mutsuko, to of course Sawa, Anita, and Chiyo.
Mitsuda: Thank you. That's the one thing I'm striving for. (laughs)
A chance for Goro's revival?
---I have one final question for you. As a huge fan of the series, I can't help but want Goro back on the field. Is there a chance we'll be seeing more of him?
Mitsuda: Hmm, so about that. In honesty I've thought about it from time to time. Goro's getting older but he hasn't retired yet. I mean, well, crazier things have happened in the world of manga, so it wouldn't be impossible, but If I were to add him in and things get crazy resulting in Goro getting ruined, then it'd be akin to spitting in the fan's faces.
MAJOR 2nd is first and foremost Daigo's story. In my opinion a story about Goro's later years shouldn't be published in Shonen Sunday. That'd be too much like Shinji Mizushima's “Abusan”, I think. (laughs)
---So for now you want to focus on finishing MAJOR 2nd properly, right?
Mitsuda: Yeah, I have a responsibility to end the middle school arc on a high note. To include Koshien and even further events in his (Daigo)'s baseball career isn't something I can take lightly. If I begin going down that path, then I have to take responsibility and ensure it ends well. I'm already 60 years old, and I don't know how long I can keep drawing. Furthermore I haven't decided what'll happen after the middle school arc.
---You've mentioned “Responsibility” several times during our conversation. Is it that sense of “responsibility” you have towards your supporters what motivates you to keep drawing?
Mitsuda: That's right. I think it's incredibly important. I have readers that have stuck with me for 10, even 20 years, and I have to keep from disappointing them. How a manga ends is super important, so I have to ensure that MAJOR 2nd's ending is up to snuff.
---Via MAJOR and MAJOR 2nd you've drawn the Goro family for 20 years. Have you ever wanted to do something totally different?
Mitsuda: At this point, no. Just as I mentioned before about Goro's comeback –I guess if someone at Big Comic were to ask me “Do you think you could?” I would think about it (laughs) But in seriousness, I feel like I'm the type of artist who can only draw shonen manga. So to be able to illustrate the sport of baseball that I'm so passionate about for this long via the Shigeno family has been a blessing.
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