Author's Note ★ Other Works
In every volume of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the front folded flap of the dust jacket usually contains a picture of Hirohiko Araki himself, and more than often a quotation. The quotations featured below the picture are always different from each other and are usually about Araki expressing his opinion on certain subjects. These subjects can be about anything, including information about characters or the story itself. The following quotes and pictures below are from various one-shots or other works that are either written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki or other authors/illustrators.
Comments
| Chapter | Translation | Original
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| B.T. "The Wicked Boy" (Pilot) | I love doing magic tricks, but I always get found out quickly. I want to be as cool as B.T.! | 手品が大すきだけど、すぐバレちゃうのだ。ビーティーみたいにクールになりたい
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| CSBT Chapter 1 | Please look forward to the exciting tales of the cool, calm, and daring B.T.! | 冷静沈着、大胆不敵なビーティーの活躍をお楽しみに
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| CSBT Chapter 2 | I've been listening to Jackson Browne's latest LP. It really clears the mind. | ジャクソンブラウンの新LPを聞く。心が洗われる思い
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| CSBT Chapter 3 | My favorite food at the moment is persimmon rice. Autumn is the best! | 大好物は柿御飯です。秋ってサイコーの季節！
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| CSBT Chapter 4 | I love quiz shows! I'm basically quiz-crazy! | ボクはクイズ番組大好き！クイズクレージーなんです
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| CSBT Chapter 5 | During autumn, I often fall asleep in an awkward spot and end up hurting my neck. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out why. | 秋はよく寝ちがえて首を痛める。なぜなのかと首をひねってます
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| CSBT Chapter 6 | I watched the movie Blue Thunder. I like how the title can be abbreviated to B.T. | 映画『ブルーサンダー』を観た。
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| CSBT Chapter 7 | A friend of mine from a nearby fishing harbor sent me some fresh mackerel pike. It's delicious! | 近くの漁港の友人が新鮮な秋刀魚を送ってくれた。おいしい！
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| CSBT Chapter 8 | I lost my bicycle key! I'm not nearly as good at it as B.T., but I managed to pick the lock. | 自転車のカギ紛失！
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| CSBT Chapter 9 | I'm going to get married seven times, according to my palm reading. Is that good or bad luck?! | ぼくの手相には結婚が７回と出ている。これは一体吉か凶か⁉
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| CSBT Chapter 10 | Goodbye, everyone. I'll make sure the next work I draw is even more interesting. | お別れですが、よりおもしろい作品を描くためにがんばります
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| Chapter | Translation | Original
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|---|
| Baoh Chapter 1 | I'll try my best to write a thrilling story that'll make your hair stand on end. Please let me know what you think. | 髪の毛が逆立つようなゾクゾクする話を書こうとがんばってます。感想聞かせて下さい
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| Baoh Chapter 2 | We're looking for assistants! If you're a young person and you're interested, please contact Mr. Kabashima!! | アシスタント募集中！若くてやる気ある人、椛島まで!!
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| Baoh Chapter 3 | There's a temple next to my workplace. You'd think it would be quiet, but it's actually a kindergarten!! | 仕事場の隣はお寺。静かでいいと思ってたら実は幼稚園!!
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| Baoh Chapter 4 | I watch a lot of horror movies. If you know any interesting ones, please tell me about them! | ビデオで
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| Baoh Chapter 5 | Thank you so much for all the fan letters! I'll reply to them when I have the time. |
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| Baoh Chapter 6 | Whenever I write the "baru baru baru" battle cry, I always say it out loud. It sounds great! | “バルバルバル”いつも擬音を発しながら執筆！
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| Baoh Chapter 7 | I'm addicted to country music! I have to listen to it at least once a day. | カントリー・ミュージック中毒！一日一回聴かないと
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| Baoh Chapter 8 | There's this card game called Uno that's really fun! It's simply thrilling!! | ウノというカードゲームがメチャ面白い！スリル満点!!
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| Baoh Chapter 9 | My assistants laugh when I say spiders are reptiles, but I really do believe it. | 蜘蛛は爬虫類といったらアシ君ら笑う。でも僕は信じる
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| Baoh Chapter 10 | Whenever the finger I injured half a year ago aches, it rains. Weird, isn't it? | 半年前にケガした指がうずくと雨が降る。不思議だ！
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| Baoh Chapter 11 | I suck at it right now, but I want to learn how to skate. It's just that I'm too busy... | ヘタのなんとかだけどスケートしたい。でも忙しくて…
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| Baoh Chapter 12 | I've been told lately that I look a lot like Nozzo. Not that I disagree... | 最近ノッツオに似ているといわれる。自分としては納得しないんだけど…
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| Baoh Chapter 13 | The thing I look forward to at work is telling horror stories to my assistants to lift the mood! | 仕事中は気分転換にホラ話をアシ君たちにするのが唯一の楽しみで〜す!!
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| Baoh Chapter 14 | Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon was a great read. Definitely my #1 book recommendation of the year! |
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| Baoh Chapter 15 | My younger twin sisters both look like Hidemi Ishikawa. No one ever believes me when I tell them, though... | ボクの妹は双子で石川秀美にそっくりなんだ。でも誰も信じてくれない。
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| Baoh Chapter 16 | I can't wait to see Brian De Palma's Body Double. I'm a big fan of his work!! |
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| Baoh Chapter 17 | Thank you for sticking around, everyone! This is the end of Baoh. Please send Valentine's Day chocolates, if you wouldn't mind. | 長い間ご愛読感謝！バオーは今回で終了です。
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| Chapter | Translation | Original
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|---|
| CDDH Chapter 1 | I put a lot of effort into this story, so I hope you'll look forward to the new adventures of Josuke and company. —Kouhei Kadono Being able to draw Josuke and company made me feel like Polnareff glimpsing DIO's true power. —Tasuku Karasuma |
気合い入れました、仗助たちの新冒険にご期待ください。（上遠野） 仗助達を描く事になるとはまさにDIOの力を垣間見たポルナレフの心境です（カラスマ）
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| CDDH Chapter 2 | Now that I have a mortar and pestle, I hope the world will soon become a place where I can make mochi with peace of mind. —Tasuku Karasuma | 杵と臼を手に入れたので早く安心して餅がつける世の中になってほしい。
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| CDDH Chapter 3 | When I heard that two black holes are going to collide soon, my worries and concerns started becoming a little ridiculous. —Tasuku Karasuma | ブラックホール同士が衝突するという場を聞いてちょっとした悩みや心配事バカらしくなりました
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| CDDH Chapter 4 | As these days of isolation continue, I've picked up the art of bonsai. —Tasuku Karasuma | 人に会えない日が続くので盆栽始めました
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| CDDH Chapter 5 | I've gone on an orthodontics diet. —Tasuku Karasuma | 歯列矯正ダイエットはじめました。
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| CDDH Chapter 6 | It might not be the same as before, but being able to freely go to the movie theater now makes me happy. —Tasuku Karasuma | 以前と同じとはいかないけれど、映画館に気軽に行こうと思えることが幸せ。
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| CDDH Chapter 7 | My fridge broke, and all the frozen goods I cherished were annihilated. —Tasuku Karasuma | 冷蔵庫が壊れて後生大事にとっていた冷凍食品が全滅しました。
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| CDDH Chapter 8 | I use my dog to keep warm during winter, as one would a bottle of hot water. But it keeps clinging to me, even in the summer. —Tasuku Karasuma | 冬は湯たんぽ代わりの犬が、夏も変わらずくっついてきます。
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| CDDH Chapter 9 | There's a raccoon dog that shows up at my house every night to poop. —Tasuku Karasuma | 毎晩うちにタヌキがウンコをしにやって来ます。
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| CDDH Chapter 10 | My wife has started playing Seaman. —Tasuku Karasuma | 今になって妻がシーマン始めました。
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| CDDH Chapter 11 | I definitely wasn't playing Splatoon for the entirety of my month off. —Tasuku Karasuma | 休みの間「スプラトゥーン」をずっとやっていたなんてことはけしてありません。
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| CDDH Chapter 12 | I'm really excited about the new Harry Potter game coming out next month. —Tasuku Karasuma | 来月発売の「ハリポタ」のゲームが楽しみでウキウキしています。
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| CDDH Chapter 13 | I've finally gotten to enroll in Hogwarts. —Tasuku Karasuma | 憧れのホグワーツに入学しました。
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| CDDH Chapter 14 | I've graduated from Hogwarts. —Tasuku Karasuma | ホグワーツを卒業しました。
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| CDDH Chapter 15 | Ichi Sawamura's Bakūdo of Nightmares was fascinating. —Tasuku Karasuma | 澤村伊智さんの「ばくうどの悪夢」がおもしろかったです。
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| CDDH Chapter 16 | Thank you very much for the brief time we had!! —Tasuku Karasuma | 短い間でしたが有難うございました!!
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| Chapter | Translation | Original
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|---|
| Poker Under Arms | When I heard my work was going to be published, I was so excited that I wrote on and on about it in my diary! | 自分の作品がのるときいて感激のあまり日記を書きまくった！
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| Say Hi to Virginia | This is my second work, and my first attempt at science fiction. I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on it. | 第二作目ではじめてSFに挑戦。みなさんの感想きかせてほしいナ
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| Outlaw Man | I've never traveled to the U.S. or shot a gun on horseback before. I'm sure I will someday! | アメリカ旅行、乗馬射撃の経験はゼロなのだ。いつかかならず経験してやるゾ！
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| Gorgeous Irene Chapter 1 | I tend to prefer Irene pre-transformation, especially with that dazed look on her face. I'll write a sequel soon, so please keep up the support! | 変身前のアイリンがぼくの好み。特にポーッとしてる所。続編もかくから応援よろしく。
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| Gorgeous Irene Chapter 2 | Being published in Super Jump is an honor! I want to thank Mr. Ogawa and Mr. Nagazawa for their help. I'm starting a new series in the first issue of the new year! | SJ（スーパージャンプ）に掲載できて光栄！長沢さん小川君手伝いアリガト！新年1号から新連載やるよ
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| Eccentrics Episode 1 | If possible, I'd like to write more stories about eccentrics. Thank you for all your support. —Hirohiko Araki This is our debut work. Please tell us your thoughts about it. —Hirohisa Onikubo/Nobuyuki Fujii |
できれば変人列伝の続編を書きたい。応援ヨロシク ＜荒＞ 僕たちのデビュー作です。感想聞かせて下さい。 ＜鬼・藤＞
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| Under Execution, Under Jailbreak | Working on this one-shot (the first I've drawn in eight years, now that I think about it) was really fun. By all means, please let me know how you feel about it. | 考えてみると実に8年ぶりの新作読切で楽しんで描きました。ぜひぜひ感想を聞かせて。
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| Dolce, and His Master Part 1 | For some reason, this one cat keeps defecating on the veranda at my workplace. If this keeps up, will I have to fight it...?! | 何故か仕事場のベランダにいつも猫が糞をする。こうなったら戦うしかない…!?
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| Dolce, and His Master Part 2 | This is the perfect season for some delicious Italian food. Wine also slides down the throat very nicely. | 好きな伊料理が美味な季節。ワインも気持ちよく喉を通る。
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| Deadman's Questions Part 1 | It's been a while since I've worked on something new. Please tell me what you think. | 久々の新作です。感想を聞かせて下さい。
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| Deadman's Questions Part 2 | Q: When do you feel most attracted to the opposite sex? A: It depends on the person. |
Q:「異性に魅力を感じる瞬間」 A:相手によりけり。
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| Deadman's Questions Part 3 | Q: What aspects of Japan do you think are unpleasant? A: Weeds. They're ugly compared to the ones overseas, and they tend to make people care a lot less about nature. |
Q:「あなたが思う日本の嫌な所」 A:「雑草」。海外と比べて醜く、自然を大切に思わせないものを感じる。
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| Eccentrics Episode 2 Part 2 | Q: What's great about being born in Japan? A: The hot springs are great. But I don't enjoy kaiseki dinner all that much. |
Q:「日本に生まれて良かった事」 A:いい温泉があること。でも懐石料理って、あれ今いち楽しくない。
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| The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (Yomu Jump) |
The book "False Impressions" (Asahi Bunko) is super good, though I wouldn't recommend it to non-art lovers. It's about the history of alleged forgeries that are still on display in famous art museums around the world. | 美術好きでない人にはお勧めできないのだが、「にせものの美術史」(朝日文庫)が超良かった。 世界の有名美術館に今も飾ってある疑惑の贋作の歴史。
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| The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (Yomu Jump) |
The final version isn't ready yet. It's an endless cycle where I keep writing and writing and then discarding it myself. I'm sorry, Araki-sensei. I'm honored that you even took the time out of your busy schedule to draw illustrations. I hope it turns out to be a good story... —Otsuichi | 完成版はまだできていません。 書いても書いても自らボツにするという繰り返しです。 荒木先生、ごめんなさい。 お忙しいなか挿絵まで描いてくださるなんで光栄です。 いい話になるといいのですけど……。
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| The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (Quick Japan Vol. 56) |
I'm gradually progressing with the novelization of the fourth part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. I plan to finish it around the time Death Note concludes... —Otsuichi | 僕は『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』第四部のノベライズを少しずつ進めています。『DEATH NOTE』が完結する頃には終わらせるつもりです……。
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| The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (Live at Faust@Kodansha) |
I've accepted several jobs, so after finishing those, I'll work on the novelization of the fourth part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, which I've been tackling for a few years now. I've written and discarded it many times, so I hope to somehow complete it by next year. —Otsuichi | いくつか仕事を引き受けているのでそれを仕上げ、後は数年前から取り掛かっている『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』第四部のノベライズを。もう何度も書いては自分で没にしているので、何とか来年には完成したいですね。
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| The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2005) |
Although I've completed it many times, I'm never quite satisfied with it, so I end up discarding it myself. In the end, I've thrown out over two thousand pages of manuscript. I'm torn between the feeling that "it's better to postpone it than to publish something subpar," and the urge to "publish within a time frame, even if it's not perfect." Should I compromise and move on to the next task? Now that I have a stable income, I want to spend time satisfying myself rather than tackling many jobs one after the other. —Otsuichi | 何度も完成はしているのに、なかなか満足のいくものができないので、自分でボツにしています。結局、破棄した原稿は二千枚以上です。「駄目なものを出版するよりは、予定を先延ばしにしたほうがいい」という気持ちと、「駄目なものでもいいから、決められた期間内に出版する」という気持ちとで葛藤しています。妥協して次の仕事に移るべきなのでしょうか。まとまった収入を得た現在、次々と多くの仕事をこなすよりも、自分を満足させることに時間を費やしたいのですが。
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| CSOBT Chapter 1 | This was a lot of fun! Many thanks to Mr. Araki and Mr. Demizu! —Nisio Isin Thank you for this wonderful opportunity! I'd also like to try to draw B.T. as a kid someday! —Posuka Demizu |
楽しかったです！荒木先生、出水先生、ありがとうございました！（西尾） 貴重な機会感謝です！いつか少年ビーティーの絵にも挑戦してみたいです！（出水）
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| Fujiko's Bizarre Worldly Wisdom | To all the readers of Ultra Jump, thank you for your support. I'm very happy and grateful for this opportunity. —Sho Aimoto | UJ読者の皆様、宜しくお願いします。 幸せ＆恐縮です。
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Baoh the Visitor
Volume 1
Author's Note
超能力を持てるとしたら何？ と聞かれ、ぼくは即「変身！」と答えました。何にでもなれるからです。
Commentary
I think my first contact with Araki was when I read his submission for the Tezuka Awards. Looking at his manuscripts, I was surprised and delighted at how similar our "scents" were. Araki is very meticulous with how he crafts his story, going over it several times before putting pen to paper. He's the type of person who only starts writing once he has a complete grasp of the dynamics of his characters, the circumstances they face, their outlook on the world, and so on. This method is the same one used by novelists and screenwriters, but for a serial manga artist is very detrimental.
Many readers expect direct stimulation every week, and only want to see the results of the main character's actions, so the science fiction sensibilities sprinkled throughout the work and the calculated sense of wonder created by the main character are usually overlooked as part of the atmosphere. Nonetheless, this is precisely where a science fiction writer gets to put their skills to the test, trying to visualize what we can only see in our wildest dreams. I mentioned earlier that our "scents" were similar. That's because I felt that his approach to drawing manga was very close to mine. There are very few artists who can make sci-fi manga entertaining without compromising the overall quality of their work, and Araki is one of them. I think that he'll continue to grow as a manga artist in the future while retaining his distinctive "scent."
It's important to recognize that science fiction manga isn't the same as novels or films. At first, this seems obvious, but I think it's something necessary to keep in mind. I hope the both of us will continue drawing science fiction manga until we truly understand what it means.荒木さんの作品とのファースト・コンタクト（はじめてのふれあい）は、彼が出した手塚賞の応募原稿を読んだ時だったと思う。驚きそして喜んだ。なぜなら、彼は僕と同じ
彼は何よりもまず、ストーリー展開を何度も緻密に練りあげてから構成していく。人間関係はもちろん、それを取り巻く状況、センス・オブ・ワンダーをどこに置くかなど、すべてを完壁に把握した上でなければ語り出さないタイプだ。とはいっても、これは小説や脚本を書くのと同じ手法であって、連載マンガ家としては非常に不利な一面を持っている。
多くの読者は毎週の直接的な刺激を期待し、主人公の行動結果のみを求めるあまり、画面の中にちりばめられたSF的感性や主人公の中にある計算されたワンダーに、すべては大気のように気づかれず読み落とされる場合が多い。
しかし、SF作家はそこにこそ自らの資質をつぎ込み、自分の白中夢を映像化しようとこころみる。
先に、彼と僕は同じ
SF漫画において、作品の質を低下させずになおかつ、エンターテイメントであろうとする作家は数少ない。彼はもちろんその中のひとりであり、今後、今の
SF漫画にSF小説でもSF映画でもない。あたりまえのことのように思えるが、SF漫画を描く上ではこの認識が最も重要であり、難しいものだと思う。
Volume 2
Author's Note
ぼくは吊りあがった目が大好きで、謎と熱い妖気と孤独を感じます。
スティング（ミュージシャン）、マドンナ、ナスターシャ・キンスキー、ガッチャマンのジョー、カムイらの目は特に謎めいていて、大好きです。みんなカッコイイ！
Commentary
I have been reading this unusually-powerful story with my undivided attention since its serialization in Shonen Jump. I appreciated that the artist didn't hold back in his drawings or in the storyline. Perhaps this is because what the author has been waiting to do for years boiled over all at once in this work.
If the persuasive power of a novel comes from its style, the persuasive power of a manga comes from its drawings. It's all about what kind of pictures you can present before the reader's eyes. The persuasiveness of those drawings is the persuasiveness of the manga itself. The small details fade away.
In that regard, when I laid eyes on the drawing of the Baoh parasite, I was struck by its eeriness—in other words, its persuasive power. When the reader is presented with such a drawing, they simply have to trust the author. Masaki Yamada once wrote that "science fiction is description," and I believe that manga is a form of description as well.
A sequel to this story will undoubtedly have to be drawn before long.この異様な迫力を持った物語を、ぼくは少年ジャンプ連載時から注目して読んでいた。絵柄もストーリーも遠慮がないのがよかった。おそらくは、この作者が何年もあたためていたものが、この作品でいちどに噴き出したからであるう。
小説の説得力が"文体"によって生まれるのなら、漫画の説得力は"絵"であると思う。どのような"絵"を読者の目の前に差し出せるかである。その"絵"の説得力が、そのまま、その漫画の持つ説得力になる。小さな理屈はどこかに消えてしまう。
そういう意味で、寄生虫であるバオーの"絵"を見た時、その不気味さ、つまり説得力にぼくはうなってしまった。このような"絵"を見せられれば、読者はその作家信用してしまうのである。「SFは描写だ」と、山田正紀氏（SF作家）が何かに書いていたが、漫画も描写であるとぼくは思う。
Cool Shock B.T.
Author's Note
ビーティーが本になるまで、多くの人の応援とご苦労があるのを知った。その人たちへの感謝と友情を一生忘れないようにしたいと思います。では、ビーティーと公一くんの冒険譚をどうぞ。
Short Story Collections
Gorgeous Irene
Author's Note
ふたりに「おもしろい！」と言わせる作品をかくのがぼくの目標ですが……それはいったいどんな作品なのだろうか？ ――デビュー作「武装ポーカー」も愛をこめて併録！！
Gorgeous Irene AfterwordRegarding My Early Short Stories
What perspectives and ways of thinking did I use when writing these short stories? I'll try to remember... When I made my debut as a manga artist in December 1980, I had no doubt in my mind that the basis of a good story was suspense. There are many manga artists I like, but I especially learned a lot from the manga techniques of Mitsuteru Yokoyama (Babel II) and Sanpei Shirato (Legend of Kamui). Both of them are characterized by their prowess at building suspense: once you read a single page, you can't help but think, "Wh- What's going to happen next?!" and you'll have to keep running to the bookstore until you finish reading the final page. I need to study suspense!
初期短編について
1980年の12月に、漫画家としてデビューさせてもらった当時、「とにかく、ストーリーの基本はサスペンスだ」と信じて疑っていなかった。
好きな漫画家はたくさんいるけれど、特に『バビル2世』の横山光輝先生と、『カムイ外伝』の白土三平先生のマンガ技法には学ぶものが大きかった。両先生の特徴はとにかく、1ページ読みはじめたら、「どっ！ どうなってしまうんだよお~~！？」と、ラストを読み終わるまで本屋に走らねばならない、極上の「サスペンスのテクニック」だ。
サスペンスを研究しなくては！
20歳になるまでただボーツと小説とか映画とかマンガとか読んで来た。でもふり返ってみると、自分の好きな作品は共通して全てすぐれたサスベンスのテクニックで話が語られていく。
だから自分も研究しなくてはならない。そういう視点でマンガを制作しようと思った。
それともうひとつ「絵柄」だ。正直言って当時、自分の「絵柄」というものにイメージが、あまりなかった。プロのマンガ家はひと目見て、あっ！この作家だ！という特徴があり、でも自分はどうやって、そういう自分だけの特徴というものを出していいのか、さっぱりわからなかった。
特徴を出そうとすると「クセがあってヘタ」と言われるし、上手に描こうとすると「誰先生に似ている」と言われるし、どうすっかなあと、暗中模索って感じであった。
Author's NoteI considered making it into a serialized manga, but at the time, I was a little reluctant to draw a full-length shonen manga with a woman who fights as the main character. Thus, I had to wait for more than 12 years before creating Jolyne Cujoh in Stone Ocean, the sixth part of my own work, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
連載しようか？ という企画もあったけど、当時、闘う女性を主人公に長編の少年マンガを描くのはちょっと抵抗があって、自作『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』の6部『ストーンオーシャン』の「空条徐倫」まで12年以上待つことになる。
Author's NotePoker Under Arms
My debut work. When I drew it, I hoped to take it to my editor's office and have him want to read it to the very end, without ceasing to flip the pages and putting down the work.
デビュー作。とにかく作品持ち込みで編集者をラストベージまで “読ませたい“ と思ったし、途中でページをめくるのをやめて見捨てたりしないでください…と願って描いた。
31ページというのは当時、ストーリーマンガはこのページ数で投稿すると決まっていたため。全部で100ページくらいをとにかく描き、そして31ページまでもう一回描き、ネリ直して編集部へ持っていった。手塚賞にまわされた。西部劇にしたのはクリント・イーストウッドが大好きだったから。
Author's NoteThis work comes from a time when I believed that the locked room provided the ultimate in suspense.
I only saw the characters as pawns who served to progress the story.
Author's NoteDue to the loss of the original manuscript, this work has never been reprinted before.
Author's NoteThis short story was a pilot (the prototype) for the serialization Cool Shock B.T. The theme of the story was intended to be the inverse of Sherlock Holmes, but my editor criticized me for calling my main character a "wicked boy." It's worth noting that there was no such thing as "psycho horror" back then.
連載された『ビーティー』のパイロット版（試作品）的な短編． シャーロック・ホームズの逆的な魅力を目的としたテーマだが、少年マンガに「魔少年」なんて主人公を出すのはやめなさいと、編集部から批評があった。まだ「サイコ・ホラー」とかなかった時代。
Under Execution, Under Jailbreak
Author's NoteThe amount of effort it takes me to create a short story is about the same as it takes to write a longer one, the only difference being that the short story has to end after a few dozen pages. Even if I did have a good idea for a short story, I can't help but use it in my longer series for that reason. The stories in this collection are examples of what happens when an unexpected friendship forms between an editor and a manga artist.
When the editorial department asked me to write a short story, I was able to expand on an idea I had left out of one of my longer series, an idea that made me think, "Well, I could use this for a short story." I can't help but think it was fate. In the twelve years that it took for this book to come out, that feeling has became more and more deeply ingrained in each of my works.
なぜ自分は短編をあまり描かないのか？答えはアイデアを連載長編の方に使っちゃうからだ。長編の方には愛すぺき主人公がいるし、読者も短編よりは長編の方が魅力を感じてくれている。長編も短編もストーリーを０から作り上げていくのは同じ労力でも、短編は数十ページで終わりにしなくてはならない。だから、短編向きの良いアイデアがあってもつい長編の方に使ってしまう。
本書に集まった作品は、偶然に作られた編集者と漫画家の友情の結晶である。
「短編、描いてよ」っていう編集部の依頼がきっかけで、長編からはみ出ていたアイデアを、「ンじゃ、これ短編に使おう」って感じでふくらましていくので、自分としては運命的なものを感じてしまう。そして、十二年に一冊という事で、ますますその思いが各作品に深く入っていってしまう。
Author's NoteUnder Execution, Under Jailbreak
(Published in Super Jump #2, 1995)
What's the difference between a short story and a long story? The average reader might say that "it doesn't make a difference, does it?" But as a writer, if you don't understand the difference between the two, you may be walking down a dangerous path. Let's think about it for a moment. What types of short stories are there?
A. A work that follows the thoughts and actions of the characters.
B. A short story that captures a brief moment in time and symbolizes a life or theme in it like a flash of light.
C. Nonsense, suspense, mood, design, eroticism, and gore. A work that aims to portray itself.
D. Diaries, essays, letters.
（スーパージャンプ 95年2号掲戴）
短編と長編の違いって、何なのだろうか？ 読者にとっては「そんなの、どうでもいいじゃん」って感じかもしれないけど、描く方にとっては違いを理解してないとヤバイ道に踏み込んでしまうかもしれない。ちょっと考えてみよう。どんな短編のタイプがあるのか？
A登場人物の行動や思いをひたすら追いまとめた作品。
Bほんの短い時間の出来事を切り取って、そこに人生やテーマを閃光のように象徴させる作品。
Cナンセンスやサスペンス、ムード、デザイン、エロ、グロ。それそのものを描くのを目的とした作品。
D日記やエッセイ、手紙。
他にあるかな？あとはABCDそれぞれの複合的作品。こう考えると、短編と長編の違いは？ あんまり差はないように思える。
単に短い作品が短編で、長いのが長編。やっぱり、「どーでもいいじゃん」って結論に荒木飛呂彦も落ちついた。そーゆー理由で『死刑執行中脱獄進行中』は三十数ページという依頼ページで、死刑と脱獄を同時にさせるというアイデアから思いついた、ひたすらサスペンスを描くために描いたサスペンス。監獄が奇妙で、ここを作ったヤツら、姿は登場しないけど、不気味な存在がある所が好き。（作品タイプで言うとC）
Author's Note(Published in Manga Allman #11-12, 1996)
When your page numbers are limited, your story becomes more powerful if the characters and settings are also limited. This is a work that began from that idea. My editor at the time of writing this story said to me, "I love cats. I can't help it. They are my heart's hope in life." I replied, "But I bet you'd eat one if you got lost in the Andes." Thus, a story was born from my wicked personality. (I'd call it a B-type work.)
（オールマン 96年11〜12号掲戴）
ベージ数を限定されると、登場人物や物語の舞台も限定した方が話に迫力が出る。そーゆー発想から作り始めた作品。
この作品執筆時の担当編集者が、「猫が好きで好きでしょうがない。生活する上での心の希望なんだよ」
とまで言ったので、「でも、アンデスの山中で遭難したら、食べちゃうよ、きっと」と言ったイジ悪なわたしの性格が生み出した一編。（作品タイプはB）
Author's Note(Published in Manga Allman #12-14, 1999)
I wrote this story with the idea of a protagonist who, even after death, seeks peace of mind and continues to "live" in this world in the form of a spirit. (I'd call it an A-type work.) The protagonist of Deadman's is actually the ghost of the main villain from the fourth part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the deceased homicidal maniac known as Yoshikage Kira. In the world of the dead, if there indeed is one, it probably wouldn't be a place where everything is possible; rather, it'd be regulated by rules similar to our own world's. The idea that ghosts have to struggle just as much or even more than normal people is quite peculiar... That's the idea I had in mind when writing this story. Even so, when I got to the scene where he discovers he can no longer listen to his favorite music, I got a little teary-eyed.
（オールマン 99年12〜14号掲戴）
死んだあとも心の平和を願って、精神的に生長していこうとする主人公の行動を、スケッチ風に描いた作品。（作品タイプでA） 主人公のデッドマンは『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険第4部』の最大の敵・吉良吉影という、死んだ殺人鬼である。
死後の世界、もし魂が残っているのなら、それは何でもありの世界ではなく、この世と同じ『ルール』があるはずだ。幽霊も生きてる時と同じか、それ以上に苦労しなくてはおかしい……という発想で描いた。それにしても、好きな音楽を楽しめない彼を描いてて、何か涙が出て来た。
Under Execution, Under Jailbreak (Play)
Commentary from Hirohiko ArakiThe original one-shot of Under Execution, Under Jailbreak was originally requested by Shueisha for their Super Jump magazine. It was written under the kind of limitations you don't tend to see often nowadays: "Write a 31-page horror story that isn't a spin-off of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure."
As a result, it is set in a very limited space. The character is alone. And the sense of time as the story progresses is similar to how time progresses in the real world, making it quite the unique work. I never imagined it would be adapted as a stageplay at the time, but I thought the end product had become a very "stageplay-like" work. It's really interesting that people have given such attention to the original composition, and that I'll be able to view it through the performances of such magnificent actors.
Regarding the substance of the original work: at a certain point within the story, it crosses over into the bizarre and extraordinary, a world of surrealism and sheer terror. I wonder how that aspect will be portrayed on stage? I'm sure the production will take a lot of creative liberties, but I'm really looking forward to it.『死刑執行中脱獄進行中』の原作短編は、そもそもは集英社の『スーパージャンプ』誌からの執筆依頼で、「『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』の外伝とかではなく、31Pの恐怖短編を」という、現在ではあまりないきわめて限定的な条件で描かれた作品です。
その為に、限定的な空間設定。登場人物単独。そしてお話の進行する時間経過も実際世界の時間経過と同時間という、極めて特異な作品となりました。舞台化の為とかは全く意識はしていませんでしたが、まさに「舞台的」に仕上がったなあと思っていました。そんな原作構成に着目して頂き、また素晴らしい役者さんの演技で観ることができるというのは、本当に興味深いことです。
The Lives of Eccentrics
ForewordWhy The Lives of Eccentrics?
Or rather, what motive did I have in creating a series around that theme? I don't have an answer to that. But I've got to remember something, find some reason for it. I know it's in my mind somewhere.
When I was a kid, I heard about a famous mountaineer who was asked why he wanted to climb a mountain. The mountaineer's response was something to the effect of, "Because it's there." It was an answer I understood entirely, and yet one I couldn't understand at all. And, being a kid, thinking about the future, I thought, "Why do people choose the jobs or careers that they do?" Politicians, doctors, soldiers, clergymen, judges, and all the other prominent people in society... What made them want to take those positions? I felt that it was something I was incapable of understanding. And isn't it terrifying being, say, a karate practitioner, a racer, or a diver? Does whatever motive they have surpass that fear? Doctors have to see blood, and enemies attack karate practitioners all the time... It was a way of thinking I could never hope to possess.
Around the same time, I heard rumors in books or from acquaintances: that a French painter named Gauguin went to an island named Tahiti on the other side of the world just to paint, and passed away there; that there was a woman who continued to build her mansion for the rest of her life; that a man once lived for weeks on top of a chimney; that some scholars insisted that the inside of the earth is hollow, and that gravity allows us to gently enter the interior through a hole at the North Pole.
"What in the world? Why would someone do that? Why would they stake their lives on something like that? There's not much to be gained from it, but I can't help but feel there's something wonderful about it all...
What does it mean to be human, anyway?"
As a kid, I used to read and listen to stories like those with that thought in mind. And when I heard about those people, while I considered them fools, I also found myself listening to their stories with my full attention. I found myself feeling some kind of hope, or courage, or maybe empathy toward their foolish and worthless actions. I often get the feeling that I, too, act with no clear motive and fail without ever knowing the reason why. Within the lives of eccentrics exists an ode to humanity no different from that found in the biography of a great man. That is my motive in writing this series.
...That said, these biographies are based on facts, but I also had a set of selection criteria in mind. I read a lot of books and did a lot of searching to find individuals worth drawing, but it wasn't easy to find eccentrics who met my criteria. After all, my selection criteria was criteria for an ode to humanity. That strict selection criteria is as follows:
Hurdle No. 1: An eccentric must believe that their actions give people hope or peace of mind. (It wouldn't do to depict, say, a criminal.)
Hurdle No. 2: An eccentric must keep up their eccentricity for the rest of their life. (Temporarily conspicuous spirits and those who give in later in their lives are false eccentrics, and do not deserve respect.) In other words, it has to come naturally to him or her.
Hurdle No. 3: An eccentric triumphs over their enemies. (However you want to interpret triumph, it always involves winning against some kind of enemy.)
『なぜ変人偏屈列伝なのか？』
…というか、どういう動機でこういうテーマで連作しようなどと思ったのだろうか？
その答えは良くわからない。でも思い出してなんらかの理由を見つけなくてはならない。自分の頭にあるような気がする。
子供の頃、よく聞いた話に「人はなぜ山に登るのか？」という、ある有名な登山家にした質問があった。その登山家は
「そこに山があるから」
……と答えたそうだ。なんだか、わかったような、わかんないような答えだ。
そして子供の頃、将来のことを考えてたら、思った。人はどういう理由で仕事とか職業を決めるのだろう？……と。だいたい政治家だとか医者だとか軍人だとか宗教家だとか裁判官だとか、そういう社会的にりっぱな人たちでさえ、なんでそういう仕事に就こうなんて思うわけ？ ぜんぜん自分の概念の外だと感じていたし、空手家だのレーサーだのダイバーだの、恐ろしくないわけ？ 動機はその恐怖を越えているのか？ 医者とかは「血」をみたりするわけだし、空手家なんて敵が襲って来るんですよ……。絶対に自分にはありえないモノの考え方だと思っていた。
そんな時、フランスの画家でゴーギャンという人が、絵を描くだけのために地球の裏側のタヒチまで行って、そこで死んだという話や、一生、屋敷を増築し続けた女の人がいただとか、煙突のてっぺんで何週間も生活し続けた男がいただとか、地球の内部は空洞になっていて北極の穴とかから重力のために
いったい何なのだ？ なぜそういう事をするんだろう？ どうしてそういう事に命を掛けるれるんだろう？ 何かトクになる事はあまりないような気がするけど、でもなんかチョッピリすばらしいモノがあるような気がしないでもないしぃ……。
「
子供の頃、そんな風に感じてこういった話を読んでだり聞いたりしていた。そして、こういう人たちの話を聞いた時、「愚かな人々」と思う反面、すごい集中力で話を聞く自分を発見するし、同時にその『愚かな得にもならない行為』に、なにか「希望」だとか「勇気」だとか奇妙な「共感」といったモノを感じずにはいられないのも事実。自分だって動機不明の行動や、理由も分らず失敗したなあ〜と思う事がしょっちゅう。奇人偏屈の人々の人生には、偉人伝と何ら変わる事のない『人間讃歌』が存在するのだ。それがこの列伝を描こうと思った動機である。
……とはいうものの、この列伝は事実を基に構成されているのだが、選考基準というモノも存在する。いろんな本を読み、いろいろ探して描く人物を決めたわけだけれど、なかなか選考基準を満たす人っているわけではなかった。「選考基準」イコール「人間讃歌基準」でもあるわけである。その厳正なる選考基準は以下のとおり。
ハードル①
変人偏屈な人は、その行為が人々に「希望」と「安心」を与える魅力がなくてはならない。（たとえば犯罪者だとかはダメである）
ハードル②
変人偏屈な人は、その行為を一生やり続けていなくてはならない（一時の目立とう精神や、人生の途中でやめた人は本物ではなくニセ奇人なので、尊敬に値しない）。つまり彼（彼女）たちは自然体なのだ。
ハードル③
変人偏屈な人は、敵に勝利している。（勝利にはいろいろな解釈があるけれど、とにかく敵に勝っている事）
もう一度いいます。彼らを見習えという事ではありません。彼らは決して社会の異端とかではなく、人並みはずれた情熱を持った唯一無二の人々であり、これからの人間の未来に生きる「希望」と「安心」を与えてくれる「存在」なのです。
AfterwordSorry for keeping you waiting. The Lives of Eccentrics has finally released. It's been 15 years since the release of the first entry, so those of you who read Nikola Tesla in Super Jump must be really old by now... I really am sorry for the wait.
The Lives of Eccentrics was my first work published in a magazine, so I have nothing but nostalgic memories of Nikola and all the other stories. Originally, Mr. Araki was supposed to be in charge of the series all the way up to the page layout, but as you all know, he was working on a weekly serialization and didn't have time to draw one-shots. So I, who had recently been brought on as an assistant, was placed in charge of the series instead. Without this work, Onikubo would not be the manga artist he is today, and I can't thank Mr. Araki enough. (And thanks to Fujii, too, for co-writing the story for Nikola.)
But when I went to reread it, all I could see was my poor drawing style, and I just had to hold my head and think to myself, "Agh, everything about this needs fixing! I can't let it become a volume..." But in the end, I gave up and decided to accept it as just another Araki manga.
If I hadn't worked with Mr. Araki on this project, I only would've known about Nikola and Ty Cobb, but I wouldn't have understood how problematic they were. Ty Cobb, for example, would have ended up as the batter who heard everything, just how I knew him as a boy, and Nikola would've been the great man who invented alternating current. The only one mentioned in this book who is still alive is Yoshio Kou, the man behind Oliver, but I myself was deceived by him. (Though, is it really fair to say I was deceived?) Judging by that, I might have found it interesting to live alongside the great men of the world in real-time.
It's funny to imagine how people were pushed around by these great eccentrics back then. I hope you enjoy this book with that image in your mind.え〜、お待たせしました。『変人偏屈列伝』の発売です。第1作から15年経っての発売になりますから、1作目の「ニコラ・テスラ」をスーパージャンプ誌上で読んでいただいた方は、もぉいい歳になっちったワケでして…本当にお待たせしました。
私にとっても、この『変人偏屈列伝』は初の雑誌掲載にあたりますので、「ニコラ」などは懐かしい想いで一杯です。本来なら、このシリーズは作面まで荒木先生が担当する筈でしたが、皆さんもご承知のように週刊連載をされている先生が読切を描く時間がない為、当時アシスタントとして入ったばかりの私が担当させていただきました。この作品がなければ、今の「漫画家」としての鬼窪は無かったと思うと、荒木先生には感謝してもし足りない位です（「ニコラ」で共同作面してくれた藤井クンもサンキュ）。
ただ改めて見返してみると、自分の作面の拙さがモロ前面に出ていて「あ〜全部直してェー。コミックスにしたくない〜」と頭抱えてゴロゴロしてますが、諦めて「これもひとつの荒木漫画だ」と納得する事にしました。
荒木先生と組んでこの仕事をしていなければ、ニコラやタイ・カッブなどは知ってるだけで「本当はンなヤなヤツだったんだ」と判らないままだったと思います。タイ・カッブなどは、私が少年時代に知っていた「挙ひとつ聞けてバットを持つ選手」で終わっていた筈ですし、ニコラなども「交流を発明した偉い人」でした。この本で取り上げてる人物で存命しているのは「オリバー君」の康芳夫氏だけですが、この方には私自身も騙されたワケで（騙されたっていうのは御幣がありますかネ）、そういった意味では、地の偉人達とリアルタイムで生きていたらもっと面白く感じたのかもしれません。
Miscellaneous
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Novel)
PostscriptAn author is someone who is unable to read his own work. So, to be able to enjoy my own work through media outside the manga—what a shocking and thrilling experience!
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has been adapted into drama CDs and an animated video (which releases Friday, November 19th), and now JUMP j BOOKS has published it as a novel. Coming into contact with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as written by others allows me to discover new things in it that even I hadn't seen before. By reading new ideas from other creators within their stories, I am able to understand objectively how others perceive my work, and recognize unknown charms in it that I'd never have noticed otherwise.
It's the same kind of fresh discovery as realizing Japan's strong points while visiting a foreign country, or learning about your own unknown charms from others. In that way, enjoying and discovering your own work through the eyes of a reader—for an author, there is no experience more thrilling.
Also, I helped with this novel's creation through the illustrations. Drawing illustrations for a novel imagined by others was a much different challenge than manga, where the pictures are created based on your own image. It was a fresh and thrilling assignment. Do you think the illustrations fit the writer's image? Finally, I'm currently working on Part 4 of the serialization, which features Josuke Higashikata as the protagonist. It was a joy, as an author, to reunite with my old friends: the high schooler Jotaro, Joseph, Polnareff, Kakyoin, Avdol, and Iggy.「作者」というのは、自分の作品を読むことができないものです。だから、自分の作品が漫画以外のメディアになり、楽しむことができる――これは、何とスリリングなできごとであろうか！
『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』は、CDブック化、ビデオアニメ化（11月19日（金）発売）され、今こうしてJ―BOOKSに於て活字化されたわけですが、こうした「他人」の手による『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険」に触れると、今まで見えてこなかった新たな発見があります。
他のクリエイターの手による新しいアイデア、ストーリーを読むことによって、 自分の作品が「他人」にどう読まれているかが客観的にわかり、今まで気づかずにいた自分の作品の思わぬ「魅力」を見つけることができるのです。
「外国」に出かけて改めて「日本」の良さに気づいたり、「他人」に指摘されて「自分」の思わぬ「魅力」を知ったりといった、そんな新鮮な発見と同じことだと思います。
こうして、「読者」の目で自分の作品を楽しみ、発見する――作者にとってこれ以上のスリリングな体験はありません。
また、今回、この小説にイラストレーションという形で参加したわけですが、「他人」のイメージした「小説」にイラストを描いていくということは、自分のイメージを絵にしてゆく「漫画」と違った作業で、新鮮でスリリングな仕事でした。小説を書いた方のイメージにぴったり合ったイラストになっているでしょうか？ 最後に、現在連載の方は、東方仗助を主人公にした第4部を描いているのですが、高校生の承太郎、ジョセフ、ポルナレフ、花京院、アヴドゥル、ギーと旧友に再会したょうて作者としては楽もいです。PostscriptLe Bizzarre Avventure di JoJo constitutes the longest Japanese comic book series ever published in Italy. Thanks to its structure (now commonly called ‘generational saga’), it has successfully been able to span an entire decade. Starting from the distant November, 1993, when it cropped up on Italian bookstalls, which was when the publishing phenomenon of manga was still in its beginning.
What would have initially seemed like a miniseries taking place in the United Kingdom at the end of the 1800s created some characters that caught everyone’s attention. Among them was Jonathan Joestar (the protagonist), Dio Brando (the bad guy), and the thug Speedwagon.
It was an action horror, which concluded leaving a door open for future events, thanks to the theory of the Ripple (a breathing technique aimed at dramatically improving physical faculties) and the mysterious Stone Mask (thanks to which a human being could become immortal).
The foundations were laid. And thus, in the second part the genius Hirohiko Araki could pick up the Joestar’s family strange events through one of their descendants, Joseph, who around the time of the Second World War finds himself taking up the task of saving the world from a menace of the ancient world. With that problem solved, Joseph can peacefully grow old until the day when, in the late half of the 80s, the threat of Dio Brando once again shakes things up for the Joestar family. And with this they develop the mysterious and powerful Stands.
It is right during this third part that the two stories of this book take place, that is, while the crusaders are headed to Cairo in the hopes of permanently putting to rest the evilest of comic book villains ever created. Cruel and immoral enough to go as far as to join his head to his adoptive brother Jonathan Joestar’s body in order to continue his dark existence in this world.
This book should be read as if it were an extra episode (or rather, two) of the comic book series, like some sort of sunken treasure that is found after many years. The manga of Le Bizzarre Avventure di JoJo is still being published in our country, and has reached the sixth part, taking place in 2011, where the protagonist is Jolyne Kujo, daughter of the same Jotaro present in these pages. In the meantime, the public has also become captivated by the events narrated in the urban thriller of the fourth part, taking place in 1999 (with Josuke Higashikata, illegitimate son of a very old Joseph), and the gangster tale of the fifth part, taking place in 2001 (Giorno Giovanna, descendant of Dio Brando and–for the reasons described previously –of Jonathan Joestar). And it is during this part, the entirety of which develops on Italian ground, where the next novel of Le Bizzarre Avventure di JoJo takes place, soon to be published by Kappa Edizioni.Le Bizzarre Avventure di JoJo costituiscono la più lunga serie a fumetti giapponese pubblicata in Italia. Grazie alla sua struttura (chiamata ormai comunemente 'saga generaziona-le'), ha potuto attraversare con successo un intero decennio, dal lontano novembre del 1993 quando apparve nelle edicole italiane, ovvero quando il fenomeno editoriale del manga era ancora agli inizi.
Quella che inizialmente doveva sembrare una miniserie ambientata alla fine del 1800 nel Regno Unito generò alcuni personaggi che conquistarono l'attenzione di tutti, fra cui Jonathan Joestar (il protagonista), Dio Brando (il cattivo di turno) e il ladro Speedwagon.
Si trattava di un horror d'azione, che si concluse lasciando una porta aperta a futuri eventi, grazie alla teoria delle Onde Concentriche (una tecnica di respirazione volta a migliorare a dismisura le capacità fisiche) e alla misteriosa Maschera di Pietra (grazie alla quale un essere umano poteva diventare immortale).
Le basi erano tracciate. E così, nella seconda serie il geniale Hirohiko Araki poté riprendere in mano le tenebrose vicende della famiglia Joestar attraverso uno dei suoi discendenti, Joseph, che durante gli anni della Seconda Guerra Mondiale si trova a dover salvare il mondo da una minaccia archeolo-gica. Risolto il problema, Joseph può invecchiare in santa pace fino al giorno in cui, nella seconda metà degli Anni Ottanta, la minaccia di Dio Brando torna a far tremare la famiglia Joestar, e con essa si sviluppano i misteriosi e potentissimi stand.
È proprio all'interno di questa terza serie che si situano i due racconti di questo libro, ovvero mentre la compagnia si diri-ge al Cairo nel tentativo di eliminare una volta per tutte il più maligno dei cattivi da fumetto che sia mai stato creato al mondo, tanto crudele e privo di scrupoli da arrivare a unire la propria testa al corpo del fratellastro Jonathan Joestar pur di far proseguire la sua tenebrosa esistenza in questo mondo. Questo romanzo va dunque letto come se si trattasse di un episodio extra (o meglio, due) della serie a fumetti, come una sorta di tesoro sommerso che torna alla luce dopo anni e anni. Il manga de Le Bizzarre Avventure di JoJo è tuttora in corso di pubblicazione nel nostro paese, ed è giunto alla sesta serie, ambientata nel 2011, in cui la protagonista è Jolyne Kujo, figlia dello stesso Jotaro che agisce in queste pagine.
Nel frattempo, hanno affascinato il pubblico italiano anche le vicende narrate nel thriller metropolitano della quarta serie ambientata nel 1999 (con Josuke Higashikata, figlio illegittimo di un vecchissimo Joseph) e la gangster story della quinta serie ambientata nel 2001 (Giorno Giovanna, discendente di Dio Brando e - per le ragioni sopra descritte - di Jonathan Joestar): è proprio all'interno di questa saga, che si snoda completamente su suolo italiano, che è ambientato il successivo romanzo de Le Bizzarre Avventure di JoJo, di prossima pubblicazione per Kappa Edizioni.OVER HEAVEN
AfterwordAnd it's for that reason why this book is a novelization of a masterpiece of this century, no, of many centuries. A masterpiece that will still be read 100 years from now, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. This is the story of Dio. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure could also easily be called Dio's Bizarre Adventure, and having the chance to write Dio's story in this book makes me feel so lucky to be an author, and at the same time, so lucky to be a fan... But it's rare that I write an afterword as honest this one. And so, this has been the novelization of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, OVER HEAVEN.
By the way, I said I was really lucky as an author and as a fan, but putting together this novel was a challenge unlike any I've experienced before. You could say I had to overcome many obstacles to finish it. I have the deepest gratitude for Shueisha's "JUMP j BOOKS" editorial department for waiting patiently for me to persevere and complete it, and for Hirohiko Araki for drawing the illustrations and the beautiful cover, even though he's busy with the serialization of Part 8: JoJolion. ...I feel as though I've talked a bit too normally here. I suppose JoJo makes people honest.
そんなわけで本書は世紀の名作、否、世紀を跨ぐ名作、更なる百年後でも語り継がれているであろう名作、『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』のノベライゼーションです。ディオという物語。『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』は、言い換えてしまえば『ディオの奇妙な冒険』でもあるのだと僕は思っていて、そんなディオの物語を今回描けたことは、小説家冥利に尽きると同時にファン冥利に尽きます。……しかし僕がこんな素直なあとがきを書くのも珍しい。と言うわけで『ジョジョの奇妙な冒険』ノベライゼーション、『OVER HEAVEN』でした。
ところで、小説家冥利に尽きるとか、ファン冥利に尽きるとか言ったあとでこんなことを言うのもなんですが、この小説は仕上げるにあたってかつてないほど苦戦しました。数々の進行をかいくぐって仕上げたと言ってよいでしょう。根気強く出来上がるのを待ってくださった集英社JUMP j BOOKS編集部と、第八部『ジョジョリオン』の連載開始でお忙しい中、美麗な表紙イラスト、そして挿絵を描いてくださった荒木飛呂彦先生に深く感謝します。……やっぱなんか普通で調子が狂うなあ。まあ『ジョジョ』は人を素直にするってことで。
JoJo's Bizarre Words
Author's NoteHIROHIKO ARAKI WORKS
Commentary from Hirohiko ArakiThe manuscript of a manga is something that is printed, made into a book, and then delivered to the readers for them to appraise. In the printing process, lines sometimes get blurred. Other times, they're printed too fine, or the printing paper and manuscript paper differ, or a part that was colored orange somehow comes out red. Even if I put in a request to print it as close to the manuscript as possible, there are limits to what they can do. This is the fate, and the rule, of manga manuscripts. (On occasion, lines that are blurred during printing actually create a neat effect.) Some might think that a pro should take the printing process into account when drawing the manuscript, but I wonder if other manga artists have the luxury of doing such a thing. At the very least, I don't. When I draw, I consider it a rule to treat a manuscript as a manuscript, and a book as a book. Regardless, these manuscripts are typically stored in my file book, which is tucked away in a cabinet. But I'm very happy that for this occasion, they return to the open air and light of day, as if awakening from a years-long sleep, in the form of this original art exhibition for you to enjoy. It also feels, to me, like a grandiose feat. But I'm sincerely thankful to the fans, who have read JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for 25 years, for giving me this opportunity.
You can try to find the differences between the originals and the printed versions as you read this book, or recall the feel of the original art once you return home. At any rate, nothing would make me happier than if you enjoyed your time here.マンガ原稿は、印刷されて、本になって、読者の目の前に届き、そして評価されるものです。
印刷でちょっと線のタッチがつぶれちゃってるとか、逆に線がかすれてるとか、紙質が原稿用紙と違うとか、カラー原稿で、オレンジ色に塗ったのに、赤色にしか見えないとか。「原画になるべく近づけて印刷して下さい」と注文とかお願いしても限界はどこかにあって、それがマンガ原稿の宿命であって、ルールです（逆にタッチがつぶれてくれたおかげでシャープで良い感じになったりとかあったりして）。印刷されたときのことを計算に入れて描くのがプロだろ？と思われる方も居られるかと思いますが、そんな余裕が他の漫画家の先生達とかあるのかなあ？少なくとも僕には余裕なんて無くて、原稿は原稿、本は本、と割り切って描くのがルールと思うようにしています。
とはいえ、その「原稿たち」が普段、「ファイルブック」の中に保管されて、戸棚にしまわれているのに、何年もの眠りから目醒めるかのように、このたび、空気と光の下に出されで、皆様の目の前で原画展という形で見ていただけることになったのは、本当に嬉しいことです。何という大それた行為なのか…とも思います。でも、”25年”、「ジョジョの奇妙な冒険」を読んでいただいている、読者の皆様のおかげでこんな光栄な機会を与えていただき心から感謝いたします。本書を見ながら「原画と印刷絵」の違いを見ていただくのも良いし、お家に帰ってから原画の感じを思い出されるのも良いし、とにかく楽しんでいただけたら、それ以上言うことは何もなく、幸せなことです。
