Hello all! At long last, we're at the end of the Fujita road with the third and last translation of the long interview. I hope you enjoyed this two-month-long project as much as I did --feels like we learned a lot about Fujita, and despite being such a bombastic tour-de-force on paper, he's a laid-back guy in person. Who knew Silver Mountain was his attempt at Isekai? Though all things considered, it makes sense.
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Interview originally posted here
Hatred in the Fairy Tale of Tragedy
Journalist (To be Written as J): I think the scene that made me cry the most in Gekkou Jorei was when the heroine Engekibu says, “Let me die” with a smile during the final battle. Gekkou Jorei is about Gekkou Iwasaki and the other members of the theater club struggling against the “Blue moonlight” that stirred up the worlds of fairy tales such as The Little Match Girl and Cinderella. In truth, Engekibu is the real main character, and her asking Gekkou --who is trying to protect her to allow her to die reminds me much of the climax scene of the Francine doll in Karakuri Circus and Shirogane.
Fujita (To be written as F): Thank you. I enjoyed writing Gekkou Jorei as I put everything I had into it, but, unfortunately, its reception was relatively bad. I do have some regrets on how things panned out, but I loved creating Engekibu, so I'm overall pleased with it.
J: I feel like this ties in well with what you mentioned earlier about how the manga you draw is in part for your past self. Particularly, you who missed school because you were sick in bed with a fever. In the “Manga Bon Volume 1: Kazuhiro Fujita” you said that the origin of Gekkou Jorei was the rage you felt toward fairy tales you read as a child.
F: I have no memory of this, but apparently, as a child, I used to beg to hear The Little Match Girl. Clearly, something about it stuck with me, but it's an incredibly sad story, so since my childhood, I've hated that story. I feel like back then, there were a lot of anime that were similar to picture books. Those please me because they changed the sad ending of Anersen's fairy tales and The Little Match Girl.
J: Those sound like interesting anime. They'd have a lot in common with Gekkou Jorei.
F: I just wanted to do something about the unfortunate sadness of that fairy tale. I thought if I changed it up to be a story about helping a poor child, it might make everyone happy.
J: In 2016 you began work on Souboutei Kowasubeshi in which a creepy and desolate building is essentially the main character. Anyone who enters said house goes insane, and the owner of the house is one Deido Sakamaki, an artist. Readers are drawn into his mad world, and find themselves engrossed in an epic tale that transcends time and space.
F: Both Tsutomu Takoha and Deido Sakamaki follow my aforementioned rules for naming characters. (Laughs) Takoha's first name, “Tsutomu” is relatively normal, and meanwhile, since Deido strives for beauty in the art world, I decided to create a contrast by giving him a dirty-sounding name.
(TN- The “dei” in Deido's name is written with the character “Mud”.)
J: Deido's madness is fascinating. As I was reading the series, I got to wondering if his character design was a result of your research in “outsider art.” As someone who was merely a reader, I could kind of get what Deido was saying and illustrating. It was an eerie yet pleasant vibe.
F: Deido's thoughts on art might be difficult for kids to wrap their heads around, but I thought it'd work out if it at least got them asking “is this art?” opposed to Takoha, who stands in opposition and says “this isn't art”. I thought it was a great contrast while writing it.
A criticism for every poetry book.
J: Poetry is a common theme in your series, Fujita-sensei. In Karakuri Circus the antagonist Columbine hums nursery rhymes, Kenji Miyazawa himself appears in Gekkou Jourei, and there's a poem on the covers of Souboutei Kowasubeshi. Have you always been a fan of poetry?
Black Muesum: Ghost and Lady Volume 1
F: Yes, I do, but It wasn't more than just an appreciation for the art form. As I began to read more, I also began reading books that broke down poetry, and I enjoyed the poems I found in those books. I'm also a fan of tanka and haiku.
J: I figured you were enough of a fan that lines of poetry popped into your head while you're creating.
F: So, Shogakukan is in Jimbocho, yeah? When I was younger, I'd get rejected by an editor and would get so turned about that I'd just stumble home somehow without remembering how I did it. Every time that happened, I would end up buying a poetry collection and head back to my place, and read it as if I was trying to fool myself into thinking that didn't just happen. So I have a ton of poetry collections due to bringing them home with me like that.
J: That's…sure an intriguing way to de-stress. (laugh)
F: Although even those who went on to become big-name manga artists were criticized by their editors, it's still a huge blow to the ego to be told something you worked hard on and thought was good is actually trash. So everyone has their little ritual they do to soothe the soul, like going home and eating some delectable ramen. Though my thing wasn't just poetry but also buying Doraemon (laughs), so due to this, I eventually started coming up with cool phrases to fit even cooler scenes during my serializations.
J: A common theme in your works is having cool guys show up.
F: I really admire that. Guys like Ken Takakura and craftsmen who have mastered something are as cool as it gets. Though on the other hand, there's a sort of rigidity a strictness that comes with being a professional in a field, and it's through that sense of discipline that they're able to master it. They aren't always able to smile, and there's an air of loneliness around them.
J: Yeah, that's the case with Captain Danvers in Black Museum: Dance with monsters, crescent moon. This tale is about Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein, who becomes the guardian of Elsie, a monster created by reanimating the corpse of a murderer. Elsie is charged with protecting Queen Victoria, and Danvers, who fought Elsie during their life, was bitter towards them and refused to forgive them even when the mission was completed. Though ultimately Danvers does forgive Elsie, and no lie that made me cry as well...
F: It was only when Elsie exceeded the standard that Danvers had in his head that he was able to finally forgive them. I'm sure the readers thought to themselves, “Oh come on, Elsie is doing their best, so just give her a break already...” So it pleases me that they can understand the rationale behind his change of heart.
I did it 'cause I wanted to.
J: And now I'd like to talk about your current work, Silver Mountain. Due to it starting serialization at the same time as the new work of your eternal rival, Kazuhiko Shimamoto, it's been incredibly buzzworthy. You two even had an interview/ showdown in March.
F: Shimamoto likes to end things in a way where he's the underdog (laughs), but that's just how he is. He makes losing look good. But enough about him, (laughs). Silver Mountain is what one might call an Isekai.
J: Oooh Isekai huh? They've been really trendy lately.
F: I've really enjoyed stories such as Star King by Edmond Hamilton, A Princess of Mars from the Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote Tarzan and Pellucidar since I was in Elementary school. A Princess of Mars is about an American Civil War Soldier who goes to Mars and rescues the heroine from aliens who fight endlessly, day and night. Though back then it was grouped under the sci-fi genre rather than the Isekai one.
J: I see, then are you saying you were frustrated because you wanted to get on the Isekai trend as well?
F: You got me there. (Laughs) I wanted to get on the Isekai train too. Though I thought it was already too late to join the trend I still really wanted to do it anyway.
Issue #23 of Weekly Shonen Sunday featuring Silver Mountain and Kazuhiko Shimamoto's Vampidol Tagiru
J: So, what is it about?
F: Well, it's a story I wrote, so you know the drill. A super-strong dude goes to another world and wrecks stuff.
J: So the main character is a guy?
F: Yeah, he is...
J: How'd he end up going to another world?
F: So I was too mortified to just straight up write about being spirited to another world (laughs) so I decided to pick a different starting point. Stories about people being kidnapped by Tengu have been told since antiquity, sort of like Senkyo Ibun, which I'm a fan of. So I took a little from that story and started it off with a child who was kidnapped by a Tengu and brought to a fairyland. Upon his return, he returns and retells his experiences to Atsutane Hirata, who was a scholar of Japanese tales from the Edo Period. When I wrote the first chapter I hoped it'd surprise everyone who thought “Oh, Kazuhiro Fujita's going to write another story about yokai like Ushio and Tora but it's actually a Western-style fantasy series!
J: Wow! That picture is incredibly cool!
F: So I absolutely adore old school judo and Chinese martial arts, so this series is about an expert in those disciplines going to a fantasy world. In other words, the main character is an old man who is a master of martial arts. A Tengu deages him and sends him to the fantasy world in the form of a child --so he's actually 85 years old, but 75 of those years are taken from him, so he's 10 now. The story of this former old man's life begins with Atsutane Hirata interviewing him in the Edo period. He asks first, “Tell me about your story..”
J: The heroine is also cool!
F: I figured people would be like “Jumping on bandwagons now, Kazuhiro Fujita?” so I kept that in mind and came up with a start that twists expectations. With stories such as Gekkou Jorei and Black Museum: Dance with monsters, I basically said with my chest, “Check this out! Bet you've never seen a story like this before, have you?” But this time around, it's me coming with my tail between my legs and saying, “Sorry it ended up like this.”
J: But why though (laughs)
F: Because in this case, it's me saying, "Okay, I know there are a myriad of other stories like this out there, but could you please do me a solid and read this one?" In short, it's like opening a curry restaurant on a street lined with them. (laughs) A slightly different seasoning isn't enough to compete with the others, but for me, it's like "This is where I want to open my curry restaurant," which makes it fresh-- a different flavor from what I've cooked before.
I want you to believe there's a good future out there.
J: Even you get nervous when starting a new series, don't you?
F: Oh yeah. I'm definitely filled with a sense of panic. There's the chance people will take one look at the series and say, "oh, this guy again". In short, I strive to keep that kind of thought process from occurring, and instead come up with a story where the strong protect the weak. That's the kind of story I want to see in shonen manga, as well as the type of series I want to draw myself. So I think of it as a "trial" of sorts. As I've been drawing manga for a long time, I draw with a lot of tension on the line --as if the story is teetering at the edge of a cliff, and I hope readers enjoy it.
J: So in terms of nuance and vibe, is it similar to Ushio and Tora, Karakuri Circus, Gekkou Jorei, or Souboutei Kowasubeshi?
F: I'd say it's a different vibe. Personally, I feel like I like older people. People like Yakumo from Ushio and Tora, Lucille from Karakuri Circus, or Uhei the hunter from Jagan ha kara rin ni tobu (The Evil Eyes fly toward the moon.), or Sakisaka Shugeki no kukou (The instant attack from the Void), and Tokuzou Iwasaki (Gekkou Iwasaki's adoptive father) from Gekkou jorei
J: There's also Almendra, the fortune-teller from Karakuri Circus, who shows up in your other manga as well.
Cover for Jagan wa tsuki kara rin ni tobu.
F: That's right. I wanted to portray the thoughts of people who tower far over me. So in Silver Mountain I thought it'd be more interesting to have main characters who are more relaxed and their more informal dialogue. Such dialogue might come off as the type you'd hear from masters so "expert" dialogue. It gives the vibe of an invincible duo.
J: Invincible, huh...
F: When it comes to shonen magazines, I write for readers who have never lost anything, while in seinen magazines, I want to write for those who have lost something. However, in Silver Mountain, I want readers to feel like the future ahead is a good one. I want to reiterate that I have no interest in critiquing the world; I just want kids to believe that tomorrow will be a little better than today.
J: I get it. So that's the significance of making the protagonists old men.
F: The old folk tell the children. "If you work hard, the future may not be so bad."
J: It's true, those words have a different weight to them than in your other works.
F: All a guy like me who writes shonen manga can offer as far as advice, is "It's a waste to give up on something without even trying." Of course, this is different from "Do your best and never give up." But there are times when one needs to run away because that's the only way to find a new path forward. Heck, for all you know, you may find something more fun there. That being said, people with half a brain will think "That's not worth it," and just completely give up, yeah? It's the same for people who wanna go into manga. You won't know what you can do unless you try. I believe there are times you get up on that manga creation ladder, reach the top, and realize "Wait, there was a better path forward over there!" (laughs.)
J: I think that's what attracts fans toward your work, Fujita-sensei. Myself included want to live like the protagonists who never give up.
From Karakuri Circus ©Kazuhiro Fujita/SHOGAKUKAN
F: There's a saying I really like. "The further east you go, closer to the west you are." It seems like a fairly obvious analogy, but I think I remembered it wrong. I thought it meant "If the east is out of reach, why not try going west?" It's not what I should take away from that line, but I enjoy that conclusion. Maybe it's because I couldn't go one place that I found something here. Ultimately, though, you have to walk there on your own two feet.
If you end up looking weird when you act cool, you lose charisma.
J: To wrap up, I'd like to ask two questions. What about being a manga artist appeals to you?
F: I think as long as you don't do something to hurt your readers, then you can do absolutely anything. Create the characters, the lines, and their thoughts any way you want to, all on your own as an infinite world unfurls before you on the blank white page. Not only that, but you can move a reader's heart with your hard work. I think that's incredible. Depending on how skillful you are, you can make a reader sad, happy, or angry.
J: Gut-wrenching experiences can feel good for readers too.
F: From Rumiko Takahashi to Kazuhiko Shimamoto, I learned as someone who publishes a wide breadth of work you have to be considerate and imaginative in the way you express yourself. For example, you cant double down on reminding someone of a disaster they just experienced, and consider of the feelings of people who are down. Manga isn't exactly free, but I still think it's a broad sense of expression. In the universe of a manga you're a god who can create anything. Isn't that interesting?
J: The other question is this: Is there a monster inside of you Fujita-sensei?
F: A monster?
J: There's a monster inside Mary the protagonist of Black Museum: Dance with monsters. Cresent Moon Similarly to Mary I feel like there's something that drives you to create, which has kept you going for these 35 years. Perhaps it's passion? Or a burst of emotion?
F: I wonder if monsters truly exist...I guess you could say I have an inflated ego that leads me to believe that my manga is the best out there, but I think all manga artists feel that way, so I don't hide it nor am I ashamed of it. Putting aside how well things sell or how popular their works are, everyone thinks they're hot stuff. That's why I don't pick fights with other artists. To me it's like "Oh, so you think your manga is better? You're free to have that opinion, I guess." (laughs)
J: You have a lot of respect for other manga artists.
F: My favorite things remain the same. The funny, and slightly erotic stories of Ken Ishikawa, Monkey Punch, Rumiko Takahashi, Fujihiko Hosono and Satoshi Yoshida are my treasures, and what motivated me as a child still motivates me now. To put it another way, the only manga I can draw are ones where a bad guy shows up and is defeated. So I'll keep illustrating those kinda manga with gusto. (laughs)
J: Throughout this interview, I've had the impression that you're an impressive, strong individual who reveals your inner thoughts without holding back.
F: Manga characters would lose their charisma if they tried to act cool in a odd way. As long as they state their true feelings and live as their true selves manga artists can't be standoffish and arrogant (laughs)
J: That's a very Fujita-sensei-ish way of thinking.
F: I want people to enjoy my manga so to be brutally honest, I'm okay with being laughed at. I'm getting up in age myself, so I don't really want brand recognition now. I don't need awards; I just want people to read my work and like it. I'm most in my element when people read my manga and say, "This is interesting." Even if my work is adapted into an anime or musical, I'm keeping my guard up. Manga readers aren't forgiving. If they don't like something, then it'll never be popular. So my job is to keep striving for people to say, "I cried during that scene with Engekibu" or "That character in this scene was cool."
Postscript;
It didn't come up in the interview, but if you haven't read it yet, please check out To the Merry Go Round, which was published in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 1988. It's a work that encapsulates Fujita-sensei's charms. It is included in the short story collection Yoru no Uta, which also includes his debut work, Renreakusen Kitan and the one-shot Karakuri no Kimi, which is essentially the prototype for Karakuri Circus. Also, a long, detailed interview about the Black Museum series is included in the Black Museum Catalogue
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