User:Jimmy-kud0-tv2/Interview Cheat Sheet

IN PROGRESS
left off at : Nihon Uiversity College of Art Lecture Interview

Manga Content

Creation Process

"Conan was decided when I met up with the editor to discuss what to do next after YAIBA ended. At the time, Kindaichi (from Kindaichi Case Files) started at Shonen Magazine, and since I like mysteries and it seemed interesting, I wanted to have a go at it. At first, I/we thought about a hardboiled-esque comedy with a title like "Tale of a Detective" or something similar. But Conan is the royal road to shonen manga, isn't it? Becoming small, and then getting threatened by bad guys. The plot was finished in about two weeks, but it's not something I/we thought neurotically about. Conan turned back to a first grader, since Shinichi is 17 (note: Shinichi is listed as 16 in the manga), so I thought that turning back exactly ten years would be easy to understand. I get asked if why I chose first grade, but that's pretty much all the reason (laughs). Although, there also was a bit of an aspect that, since first graders are completely children, someone that age will be laughed at and then forgiven for doing anything." (Conan Drill)

"(Why did you decide to make Conan a child? Do you think that the series would have been equally successful had the main character been a teenager detective, as it was in the very beginning?) I think that precisely because I made him become a child again, I could gain the attention and faithful readership of a broader range of readers, from children to adults." (Masters of Manga Interview)

"(After YAIBA is finally Detective Conan, what atmosphere did you imagine to make it?) Calico Cat Holmes. Though a cat shouldn't understand, it touches around evidence and such and the case gets solved. Same thing with Conan. Though a child shouldn't understand, he says things like “arere~?” I imagine Conan to be Calico Cat Holmes talking." (Otona Fami Interview 3)

"At the beginning, I thought I wouldn't draw the manga for a long time. I thought it would last three months, give or take. A few years ago, a fan told me in a fan-letter that he had thought Conan would become Shinichi before the end of the year. But I told myself that the story wouldn't have any meaning if I did something that quick. The idea of a little hero comes from Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri, created by Jiro Akagawa. He lives in a big lie, he must understand murder tricks, and he in a quest for the truth, he told us. I don't draw for kids. There are scenes where people strangle other people with cold blood. That's why older people like the series." (Anime 10 year Anniversary Interview 1)

"(Q: When Gosho Aoyama started Detective Conan, did he expect his series to get so successful?) A: No, he didn't expect it to get so successful. He estimated that it would be only published for three months in a Japanese magazine." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"(What was the driving force behind your decision to draw Detective Conan?) I wanted to write/draw a romantic comedy whose main character was a detective that has been made small again." (Masters of Manga Interview)

"(Q: Why are there so many pairings in Detective Conan between old childhood friends?) A: Childhood friends becoming lovers is an easy concept to comprehend for everybody. That's why it's used so often." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"You could say that it's my preference to use childhood friends, though (laughs). The setup becomes really easy. It's easy to develop the story when the characters are childhood friends who have known each other for a long time. I liked Mitsuru Adachi-san's Touch, after all. As for dramas, I like The Tale of Seven Men and Women. Though most young readers now probably don't know about this drama, I think that this is the masterpiece of love comedy. I wanted to bring out such an atmosphere in my work. Although, despite the presence of love, neither Shinichi nor Hattori chases after women, do they? They're a little different from a normal high school boy. In the end, detectives are fairly different, whether you're talking about Holmes or Seishi Yokomizo's Kindaichi. That's the appeal of detective-type people, though." (Conan Drill)

Data Collection

"The editor has friends who does CSI or are working at a bank, and the assistants' relatives turn out to be former police detectives, so I ask them. For example, what do you need if you want to open a safe at night? I get to use some police terminology, too, though of course there are secret ones that I can't use. On car-related subjects, I ask my brother, who is one year younger than me. He's an engineer. I ask him things like, if you insert ice between the front wheels and the ice melts, what will happen? The radiator's water will probably drip if the cooler was kept open – then, where would the water drip from? Things like that. (File 221) On medicine-related subjects, I have another younger brother, who is a doctor. He and I came up with the APTX. To be rejuvenated . . . you can't get your bones back to the way it was, so that aspect is fictional, but maybe it's possible to rejuvenate cells, and such. This younger brother is also knowlegeable about anime, so he advised me on who to pick for voice actors. On site research, I've rode the sleeping car train Hokutosei with the editor before. We had a meeting around dusk once, and suddenly decided to make this case center on Hokutosei. By chance, I/we managed to obtain the ticket(s) for next morning. Unfortunately, we didn't go up to Hokkaido and got off at Utsunomiya, so it was a bit of a waste. The train conductor surprised me. I said, "I have to get off in the middle?"" (Conan Drill)

"(Both Conan and Kindaichi take place at various locations. Do you go to places for reference?) Aoyama: When I drew the story about the sleeping car train Hokutosei, I actually rode it. When I took pictures, I had to get off in the middle, though." (Conan and Kindaichi Interview 1)

"My little brother is a medical doctor who's also an anime otaku (laughs). I often consults with him. About the estimated time of death, the cause of death and such. A living medical book, super convenient! He's also knows about voice actors very well, so he calls and says things like, “Hayashibara-san would be great as Haibara's voice actor!” He also points out my faults, like “You're getting conceited with popularity” (laughs)." (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Story Process

"(Do you think all the cases of Detective Conan by yourself? Or does somebody help you with that?) I painfully think them all with my very limited brain with the help of my editor in charge (laughs)." (Masters of Manga Interview)

"(Do you decide the story with the editor?) Yes, I first discuss with the editor and decide. When the previous case ends, I take a nap, then I discuss within that day. With a free-talk-like style, we discuss from the trick, the flow of the story, to the conclusion, and we decide one case at once – in another words, we decide what will happen for the next 3~4 weeks. So the overall schedule goes like this: one case ends, I take a nap, I meet with the editor within that day, then I finish the name (pre-manuscript) in three days, then I meet up with the editor again, and then I ink it, then I add the finishing touches in the next four days. This is my week." (Conan Drill)

"(What do you struggle with the most in Conan's story?) The culprit's motives. People often think that coming up with tricks is troublesome, but for me, I always struggle with the motives. Grudges pop up a lot, but if it happens too often, then it's not interesting anymore. But then, I don't like indiscriminate murder, either. For example, someone kills people because it was hot outside – that leaves a bad taste, doesn't it? I don't want to do things like that. I also don't let the culprit die. The culprit commits suicide in the end only in the Tsukikage (Moon Shadow) Island story, right?" (Conan Drill)

"(Then, do you prohibit yourselves from doing anything in the manga?) Aoyama: That would be indiscriminate killings. I take care to include a motive, even if it looks indiscriminate. Sato (Kindaichi artist): It'll be a different manga if we do a psycho killer. Amagi (Kindaichi writer): Indiscriminate killings and the like feel like you've run out of ideas, and there's the fear that they might interest those with cruel tendencies. Aoyama: That's true. It would be problematic if people sympathized with the culprit and attempted murder." (Conan and Kindaichi Interview 1)

"(Is there a rule or a cycle behind deciding the timing for love-comedy and Black Organization episodes?) I decide when I feel it's time (laughs). Maybe fan letters have a pretty significant influence. I get stuff like “I want to read about Shinichi and Ran's childhood!” or “Please draw the BO arc soon!” The readers expectations for the BO arc is high. It's just, unlike normal fields, I have to draw hard core so it's quite a lot of work. But I like hard core things. (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Tricks Process

"(Do you verify your tricks?) Aoyama: For the trick that locks the door from the outside with tape, I got the editor to go outside and test it. But for tricks involving sealed rooms, I must show all the room beforehand for the trick. That is quite difficult." (Conan and Kindaichi Interview 1)

Drawing Process

"Except for background and unimportant characters, I draw everything. Meaning, I leave things like backgrounds with cars, CSI's and police people without names to assistants, then draw the characters who have names myself." (Conan Drill)

"(Q: Which part of Detective Conan is done by Gosho Aoyama himself and which part by his assistants?) A: Gosho Aoyama himself draws the characters, his assistants draw the backgrounds and painting big areas." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"(What about the characters' names?) Aoyama: For me, I match with the theme of the work – for example, if the story was about the sky, I would give bird-related names. I get letters like “this time, [the names are based on birds], right?” This is for self-satisfaction, though." (Conan and Kindaichi Interview 1)

"(Q: What’s hardest to draw in Conan?) Gosho: The corpse, if you draw it too scary, too ugly, or too rough… people won’t find it interesting. It’s very hard to find the balance in this area… but still fit for kids to watch because kids are really smart these days. In truth, I’ve drawn a lot of content that’s just more fitting for adults." (Anime 10 year Anniversary Interview 2)

"Aoyama: But Kindaichi served as quite a reference. I practically copied the part where the culprit is completely black. Amagi (Kindaichi writer): That's Sato-sensei's invention. In the original work, I only wrote, “make sure you cannot identify the person.” Sato (Kindaichi artist): They're merely black, that's all. Aoyama: But you can't tell who it is, and it feels eerie. Amagi: There's a rule to it, isn't there? You draw the same body type for both men and women. Then, when the culprit is revealed, even if the body type changes no one makes a joke about it. Aoyama: In novels, you explain the evidence, culprit, etc. in the text, but in manga, you can deftly draw them somewhere in the panel to build your trick." (Conan and Kindaichi Interview 1)

Future Arcs

"(What felt tough from the long serialization?) When I forget about the foreshadows I wrote a long time ago (laughs). It was a lot of work when I clarified Vermouth's foreshadows. I felt like I needed to include everything. I noted down all the foreshadows on a paper before and I handed it to the anime staff – I wish they'd return it (laughs). Maybe anokata's identity will be understood if the paper is seen?" (Otona Fami Interview 3)

"(You said that the next arc would be the London arc in the '03 interview, didn't you?) Wow, some time has passed since then, hasn't it? I tried drawing it, and I definitely struggled with the English. I decided from the beginning to feature Wimbledon, and I modeled Minerva Glass with the tennis player, Steffi Graf. The scene where conan says “I'll help you out!!” to Glass from the audience is based on an episode in Wimbledon in '96. During the semifinal between Graf and Date Kimiko, a fan said “Steffi, will you marry me?”, maybe to change the flow [of the game]. Then, Graf replied jokingly, “How much money do you have?” (laughs)" (Otona Fami Interview 3)

"(In the '08 interview with this magazine, you said that the next arc will be about Bourbon.) The Bourbon arc is still continuing. Aside from that arc, I've thought about a confrontation between Sera and Haibara. This will be spectacular. Both of them are “wolves,” after all (laughs)." (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Thoughts on Ending

"(Have you already decided the end of Detective Conan?) Yes, I have. However, I don’t know when I’ll be able to draw it (laughs)." (Masters of Manga Interview)

"(Q: Does Gosho Aoyama already know, how the series is going to end?) A: He does already know what the last scene is going to be, but of course he won't reveal it yet." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"(Q: How many more years do you set as your goal?) Gosho: Because I’ve been drawing it for 10 years, I haven’t thought of the future. Although I have already thought of the ending, because I can’t lay the clues if I don’t have the ending." (Anime 10 year Anniversary Interview 2)

"(Q: Does Gosho Aoyama plan to write the last volume already and to keep it in a safe for now?) A: No, he does not plan to." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"(I'm excited to see it! When do you think you can write the last episode that you said you decided the contents of?) I don't know. But I don't think I'll exceed KochiKame in volume number (laughs). I've already decided the lines. The ending will be a happy one. This is my work, after all." (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Special Manga Content

"(How many assistants do you have? Some of them went on to create new stories based on your characters and situations with the title of Detective Conan Special. What do you think about this? How do you feel having your characters and plots in others’ hands?) I have five assistants. About how I feel letting others take control of my plot and characters, I felt anxious at first, but later on I’ve discovered they really make me think: “Wow, this situation is not bad at all, why didn’t I come up with it before?” (laughs)." (Masters of Manga Interview)

Anime Content

"I thought an anime wouldn't go well with a deduction-themed manga. But the anime is still being made thanks to the team's hard work.The murders are drawn, and people die frequently. So I first thought "It's impossible, are they really going to do an anime?" I was already drawing the manga, so when the anime team began the creation process of the anime, I told them "I'll also do my best". It became one of my main motivations. Even better, I found ideas for the manga while talking to the anime production team." (Asahi Newspaper 2006)

"(Q: How’d you feel when they decided to make an anime?) Gosho: Conan is based on logical deduction, so I thought it was better to make it into a play. As an anime, if there’s no action, if it can’t make people happy, it wouldn’t be accepted. At the time I felt even if Conan was made into an anime, it won’t be accepted so… I thought it would be over very soon *laugh*" (Anime 10 year Anniversary Interview 2)

"(Q: What’s your favorite moment in the anime?) Gosho: “The moonlight sonata case”. In the manga, there was no sound so it felt better with music in the anime. Other ones, are like the bomb case of Sato-san." (Anime 10 year Anniversary Interview 2)

"(Q: Were you ever worried about the possibility that the anime might be more popular then the original work?) Gosho: I never worried about that before, I don’t mind the anime originals that the anime staff came up with. (Q: What do you think of the anime original?) Gosho: Conan in the Manga says only stuff that I know, stuff that I researched, and stuff that I heard and sources like that. Anime Original is different, I’ve got no idea of the plotline. Sometimes I’ll let out a “Ho~o, you’re so smart!” or “Wow, you even know things like that” remarks." (Anime 10 year Anniversary Interview 2)

"My little brother is a medical doctor who's also an anime otaku (laughs). I often consults with him. About the estimated time of death, the cause of death and such. A living medical book, super convenient! He's also knows about voice actors very well, so he calls and says things like, “Hayashibara-san would be great as Haibara's voice actor!” He also points out my faults, like “You're getting conceited with popularity” (laughs)." (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Movie Content

"While he is not involved in drawing the anime, he has written and drawn some scenes of the annual movies. Actually, I've always enjoyed animes, so I wanted to become an anime artist., he told us, even though he already draws the manga. I've written and drawn one scene of the movie, because I wanted to do it." (Anime 10 year Anniversary Interview 1)

"(Q: During one of the movies Sonoko got a different hairstyle (see movie 5). Is she also going to get this hairstyle in the manga version?) A: The movies and the manga version are completely separated from each other. So Sonoko will keep her old hairstyle in the manga version." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"(Conan has expanded broadly into student-read manga, anime, movies, live action drama, and media franchise. How do you produce them?) I'm mainly involved in the movie script and the original pictures. I entrust the other media in others. (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Individual Characters

Main Cast

Conan

"I like Superman, you see. Superman wore glasses as Clark Kent, right? That was what was in my head at the time. No glasses when he's Shinichi, but glasses once he turns into Conan. I just remembered, I wanted to make a rule-breaking manga. In shonen, Arare-chan is about the only one who is a protagonist and who also has glasses. Strictly speaking, Nobita-kun isn't a protagonist. Also, names (characters/letters). In shonen, there was a rule that manga with a lot of names in it don't become popular. There was another rule I tried to break – hmm, what was it? Was it about the name, Conan? Since it was the same as Future Boy Conan, the editor-in-chief didn't make a very good face. I think I was told to change the name to Doyle-kun (laughs). My editor was excited about breaking the rules, though." (Conan Drill)

"(Q: Why did Gosho Aoyama put a detective in the body of an elementary school pupil?) A: Since the series primary audience are children, the protagonist should also be a child." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"Conan doesn't cry, but that's about it. He might have tears in his eyes from yawning, but he won't wail, he won't cry from empathy. I decided this at the beginning. There are other things I decided, but it's better not to say them, isn't it? It'll be more fun for the readers to search for themselves." (Conan Drill)

"(Q: How tall is Conan?) A: Gosho shows with his hand that it's at about 1,30 meter." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"(Q. About Conan's (soccer ball) juggling . . .)A. This appeared only around the first volume . . . I thought that it would be interesting if Conan was juggling (a soccer ball) while deducing, but the juggling scenes, when drawn, eat up the panel, contrary to expectations (laughs). That's why I only did it once. That's why I had Conan juggle to his heart's content, given the opportunity (laughs)." (Otona Fami Interview 4)

"(Q: Is Conan going to grow older over the course of the series, e.g. becoming a second grader?) A: No, Conan is not going to grow older. He may be at the end of the series, but that's still a secret." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

Sonoko

"(Q: Is Sonoko going to have a boyfriend?) A: She already has a boyfriend and they are going to stay together." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

Detective Boys

"(Q: Are there going to be new members of the Detective Boys in the future?) A: For now, no new members are planned." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

Haibara

"(Q: Are there going to be big surprises for Japanese fans in the near future?) A: Yes, there are going to be some big surprises. Haibara is going to be a big part of it." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"(Which character is fun to draw?) Haibara, perhaps. She's popular since her appearance, isn't she? She does exactly what I want her to do, and I can say what I want to say though her. This is pretty much the reason why I have Haibara say my comments at the official homepage, Conan News Agency." (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Heiji

"Also, on Hattori and Kazuha's Kansai dialect, the editor, who is from Kansai, looks over them carefully for me." (Conan Drill)

"(Q: On which day is Heiji's birthday?) A: It's not certain yet, but it should be July or August" (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

Kazuha

"Also, on Hattori and Kazuha's Kansai dialect, the editor, who is from Kansai, looks over them carefully for me." (Conan Drill)

Akai Family

Masumi

"(Which character is popular among the readers?) Sera Masumi, the new character. It seems that she's winning by an landslide. The name seems to be understood by people who understands. Is it good to have so much Gundam? (laughs) Maybe she's the sister of a major character . . . (laughs). I'm excited to see who the voice actor will be. (Otona Fami Interview 3)

FBI

Shuichi

"(Ikeda (voice actor for Char Aznabl eand Akai Shuuichi): By the way, under what circumstance did a character named "Akai Shuuichi" emerge? In Conan, the characters are always named after famous detectives. It's curious that Gundam is the basis of this name?) Aoyama: There's also the possibility that (I) ran out of detective-based names (laughs) When it was decided that (we) would introduce an FBI agent who would side with the protagonist, Conan, I wanted to base the image of that astute investigator on Char. That's why (I) decided on just the last name to be "Akai (red)" at first. After that, when (I) pondered on what the first name should be, (I) decided it to be "Shuuichi" after you, Ikeda-san (laughs) Since Conan's real name is "Shinichi," and "Shinichi" and "Shuuichi" sound similar, (I) wouldn't normally pick (this name), but I thought that it would be okay, just this once." (Gundam Ace Interview)

Black Organization

"(Q: Why are all members of the BO named after alcoholic beverages?) A: Because it's cool." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

BO Boss

"(Q: Who is the boss of the BO?) A: It's already decided and it is going to be revealed sometime." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)

"Everything we talk about during our meetings is kept secret. Actually, the boss's name has already appeared in the manga. Try and find it." (Asahi Newspaper 2006)

"A formal name exists. If mentioned, the boss' name will be exposed so I can't say." (Unknown Fan Gathering 2005)

"(What felt tough from the long serialization?) When I forget about the foreshadows I wrote a long time ago (laughs). It was a lot of work when I clarified Vermouth's foreshadows. I felt like I needed to include everything. I noted down all the foreshadows on a paper before and I handed it to the anime staff – I wish they'd return it (laughs). Maybe anokata's identity will be understood if the paper is seen?" (Otona Fami Interview 3)

Amuro

"(Ikeda: Will there be more Gundam-based characters in Conan?) Aoyama: If Conan's ally's highest ranking member is Akai, then it would be interesting if there were characters with Gundam-based names in the Black Organization as well. Like "Amuro Tooru" (laughs) For Gundam, the good guys and bad guys should be reversed. In this case, the voice actor is more or less decided (laughs)." (Gundam Ace Interview)(Interview takes place 1 year prior to Amuro's introduction)

Kaitou Kid

Magic Kaito

"There she is! Mistress Akako! To be honest, she, as practitioner of black magic, is the reason who drove me into the corner the most during Kaitos appearances in Conan. Well, you just have to accept these works as parallel universes. (grin)" (Magic Kaito Treasured Edition Playback Episode Volume 1)

"Well, the scene in which Akako uses her magic powers (to get rid of Shinichi) was cut from TV syndication (of DC episode 219), but it was restored for the DVD, so everyone who wants to watch it, can do so now" (Magic Kaito Treasured Edition Playback Episode Volume 4)

"By the way, Kid is so bad at ice skating because I'm so lousy in it myself." (Magic Kaito Treasured Edition Playback Episode Volume 3)

"Kaitou Kids measurements, 1.74 m (~ 5'9") and 58 kg (~ 128 lbs), naturally are my measurements from back then! The same goes for his blood type! (grin) Back then I thought it's really cool that it's possible to figure out skin colour and age of a person just by a single hair, but today, with DNA analysis you can figure out the whole identity of the person the hair belongs to. The progress of science is frightening... (Haha!)" (Magic Kaito Treasured Edition Playback Episode Volume 3)

"I was told to draw a short, self-contained story and this dream sequence is the result. Back when I was a kid I already loved collaborations like „Mazinger Z vs. Devilman“, so I wanted to draw something like this. This is also the reason Kaitou Kid appears in Conan... (grin)" (Magic Kaito Treasured Edition Playback Episode Volume 3)

Magic Kaito in Detective Conan

"(Q: Is Conan going to find out who's Kid? Is Kid going to be captured, by Conan or police?) A: It's not certain for now." (Erlangen, Germany Interview 2006)