Yoshizumi
Wataru
(A
translated composite of an interview with the Marmalade Boy Mangaka)
What
made you decide to write Marmalade Boy?
They
asked me to....just kidding.
Divorce
and remarriage, because of that. I've had an idea for the story
for a long time about a family situation involving a complicated
situation. One, that if it were set in real life, would be serious
and do nothing but get worse.
To
make it a fun relationship only the heroine hates the situation.
That's how I thought I'd make it into a comedy and how I made
the story work.
In
the second volume there was a kissing scene. Isn't it too adult
for Ribon readers?
You
think so? In anime, I put in more kissing scenes than in the
original work and made it symbolic of the series. It didn't bother
me to do that.
But
I agree that changing parents and re-marriage is a bit much for
Ribon readers. I've never read of a situation like it so thought
it would be cool to do one.
The
readers are kids so they accept it easily.
"I
would never want it to happen in my home. But it looks like fun
having everyone live together." is an example of the reactions.
No one hated it like I worried would happen.
After
they
(Miki and
Yuu) begin to have a relationship,
they hugged openly.
That's
how I am. It's because I'm the type of person who wants to stick
to someone I love. After they began their relationship, I thought
the story wouldn't be going on much longer. But then it became
an animation, that's why we extended it.
How
did you decide on what Miki and Yuu would be like?
Miki
is a just an ordinary girl that I tried to draw. It's easier
to draw an normal person as a main character. (She laughs)
But
if I try to draw a character with a chip on his shoulder as a
main character, it's difficult. That kind of character should
be a supporting character. In the case of Yuu, he's got problems
because of his father. But he's basically a good person and that's
how I try to draw him.
Do
you have a favorite character? And who is the easiest to draw?
None
in particular.
Girls
are easier to draw, boys are harder. Of all the characters, Na-chan
was the most difficult.
The
readers liked Miki best, but when I see the pictures, I like
Ginta and Meiko the best I think. And Hotaru and Kazuzu (These may be characters
that were in the manga only). But these are new characters so it's just that
I haven't gotten sick of them.
Their
clothes are so fashionable.
Actually,
I wanted to work on that part more. I wanted to make them more
colorful and stylish. I wanted the girls to be average everyday
girls, so the clothes were not rotated often.
I
tried to follow through with that idea, but didn't have enough
time so created new clothes after all.
Did
you check fashion magazines?
I
took a look but didn't go by it very much. That was before the
characters were created. I thought if I just follow the latest
fads, that would do. I didn't pay that much attention on the
boys. When I see boys wearing their clothes, they look good.
But when I draw them they don't look so good. It was difficult.
If I had more time, I think I'd work on that more.
What
was the hardest thing to do during story?
The
hardest part was to make the manga and the anime last the same
length of time.
If
I finished the animation and were still doing the manga, there's
no problem. But Marmalade Boy is a sequence story. And what's
worse, there was the secret of Yuu's father. If the secret is
discovered in the anime, but the manga doesn't have that story
until AFTER it's seen on TV, the manga story will come out pretty
lame.
I
was asked to continue the manga as long as the anime was on TV.
Then I was required to finish them at the same time. And it was
right in the middle of the story, that it was decided to prolong
the animation.
I
was pleased but they didn't tell me how long it was going to
go on. And that was hard because I didn't know how much extend
the story.
Oh
Handsome Girl something similar happened. The anime influenced
the work. Actually, it seems that authors are not allowed to
decide how long their stories are going to be. Basically, the
editors make that decision.
Did
the TV series have any influence on the manga version of the
story?
When
it became an anime, housewives began writing letters. They saw
the anime first and THEN they read the manga. I received a LOT
of that type of letters. I was very flattered. They were all
saying the same thing."I'm so busy taking care of children and daily
life that I haven't read any manga in a long time. But when I
read Marmalade Boy, I remembered how it felt to be young. They're
so much fun."
I'm happy that the adults read the manga as well.
When
did the idea to do it as an anime come?
In
the summer of '93 I was told it was 80% decided. Production began
in October as I recall.
Was
there anything from the original story that you wanted to make
sure was included in the TV series?
I
kind of figure the animation staff wouldn't like to be bothered
by the author so I left them alone and didn't say anything. That
is, until I heard that Na-chan and Anju were going to die. I
was against it!
In
the case of Na-chan, I was asked "What do you think of him
dying?" But, in Anju's case they already had the plot set-up.
And there was a scene with a funeral! How depressing that would've
been. (Author laughs)
I
REALLY didn't want anyone to die so I begged them to a stop to
that. The ONE thing I wanted to stick with the original on is
that no one dies! (Author laughs)
How
about the casting?
I
can't imagine the voices when I see my work or others' work.
So I didn't have any preconceptions. I like them all. The main
character was decided by the vote of 5 people, including myself.
That was after we heard a cassette tape from the producer. So
it wasn't my choice alone. But most of the characters are my
preference. My favorite was Ginta. But actually, it might be
that I just like his voice.
There
was an original development. (We're not quite sure what the interviewer
meant by this statement)
The
anime is more dramatic. Miki turned out more tearful in the anime.
I
wasn't involved directly except on a limited basis, so I was
able to watch the story just like part of the audience. It was
fun watching characters that I created. Other people making them
move.
I
designed some of other characters (I believe she's referring to the characters
from New York with this statement) and would have loved to have done more.
How
was the fans' reactions?
Everyone
was delighted. There wasn't a single complaint. Ribon readers
are generally little girls. So they'd say, "Miki-chan is moving". They were pleased.
In
the beginning, some people said "Yuu's voice is like an adults"; or "Arimi's hair is green and it surprised
me".
(Author laughs)
About
hair color, in the beginning I thought it best to use normal
hair colors, but anime is for little kids so someone suggested
that it's easier to distinguish between the characters if all
the hair colors are different. Pink is the color of curiosity.
And green and purple are good. (Author laughs) I have no idea
why. But that's the way in is in anime. (Author laughs again).
So that's how it turned out.
In
the beginning, they showed me how to use the colors. For example
Miwa-san's hair, his hair was a weird color. I thought he'd end
up looking like a different character.
Did
you look over the collectables?
No,
I didn't except I was asked to check the dolls' faces. Late one
night a small package arrived by a motorcycle parcel service.
It was so light that I wonder what was in it. There were only
dolls faces inside. I was shocked. (Author laughs)
It
was fun that they made goods for the story. I wrote about this
in the manga. My favorites are the small dolls with changeable
clothes. The game boy software had Ka-chan so I was fond of it.
Ka-chan doesn't look good so I thought it was good and I liked
it a lot.
Did
the anime influence the original work a lot?
I
tend to look forward so only the length of the series influenced
it. The TV scripts were always sent to me. But, after the manga
story caught up with the anime, I tried not to read the scripts
until after they were already broadcast. Especially the scripts
towards the end of the series, I didn't read until later.
In
the last story of the manga, I did the parents' past. But in
the anime they didn't address that issue. I question whether
that was a good idea or not. I expected that the anime was going
to explain it.
While
you were doing the story, what impressed you the most?
Of
course, that it became a anime. And that it lasted so long.
It
was hard. I'm glad that they made it into an anime, goods went
on sale, I met lots of people, I saw the place where they work
(to make
the anime).
And more than anything, the animation itself made me happy. It
was nothing but fun. And I made my family happy. (Author laughs)
It was a wonderful experience.
From
the manga, they put together a book of my illustration collection.
But I didn't have much time so I couldn't contribute much. That
was a shame. But it was a good memory.
Have
you decided on any new stories?
I've
been thinking about it, but that's a secret.
Right
after I debuted (her
first story),
I wanted to write stories of many different genres. But I don't
feel that way now. It can be a strange one or all similar...
and I'll be happy if readers enjoy it and I enjoy it.
Perhaps
the next one will be a love story. One that, once again won't
fit Ribon. Actually, I like writing short stories, ones that
are 3 tankoubons long. A story that's complex and interesting.
That's what I like best. That's what I want to create. |