Special Talk: Hirohiko Araki vs. Hiroyuki Kitakubo (July 1994)
JoJo 6251 (December 1993)
Interview Archive
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An interview with Hirohiko Araki and Hiroyuki Kitakubo included as a bonus feature with the third, fifth, and sixth episodes of the 1993 Stardust Crusaders OVA series, originally released on July 21, 1994, October 21, 1994, and November 18, 1994 respectively.
Interview
Original Script: Hirohiko Araki VS Director Kitakubo Hiroyuki: The Talk!
A: You got an Academy Award for it, didn't you? JoJo seemed to be more popular among the overseas staff.
K: Of course, he clicks all the right buttons.
A: Though, DIO has his own set of charms. You seem to hold a personal favoritism for him (laughs).
K: I won't go too deep with that topic though.
A: I stamp him with my personal creator's choice award.
First impressions?
K: You always have a picture on the jacket of your comic books. Well, I had an idea what you looked like and read your works with an impression of what type of person you were. How should I put it... When I saw the pictures, the word "handsome" came to mind (laughs). And you know, the notes you wrote below the pictures... They always mentioned something random. Like the one that said how your grandfather used to make octopus dishes for you (laughs). After reading your artist's notes, the plot of the manga brought me to picture you as a sensitive person.
A: My first impression of you was... an artist.
K: Really?
A: I mean, after seeing you, I thought, "Oh no, he looks dead serious."
K: Hm...
A: You looked like someone who seeks depth in his works.
K: I see.
A: I guess the best way to put it is... If you worked on something, you wouldn't go for the entire story. Instead, you would focus on the key plot. That's the feeling you gave me (laughs). Well, I was right on.
The significance of Episode 3 (10) is...
K: Episode 3 is based on a part of the story you really wanted to do, right, Mr. Araki?
A: Yes it was. I think it was presented very well.
K: I think so too. Why did you want to do the D'Arby story so badly?
A: I wanted to do something intense, with action and a lot of story. I can only express tension so well in comic books. I really wanted to express the unbearable tension through the magic of animation. Though the story of D'Arby is not as action-packed as the previous two, I believed that it was the episode that would be best, animated. The sounds and visuals put together... Especially the effect silence brings a scene. I really hoped to bring out the intensity of this episode. Like the scene with D'Arby looking at the card in his hand. The psychological drama going on in his head, that "quiet" tension... Another scene is where he drops the coin in the wine glass, where the visuals bring out the scene.
Favorite music?
A: As far as my taste in music... I don't listen to Japanese musicians.
K: Never?
A: Never.
K: Not even one or two artists?
A: Yeah. But I do listen to just about everything else.
K: Really?
A: Jazz, classical, rap...
K: What's your favorite musical genre?
A: What? Anything by African-Americans... I even like Prince. Well, I listen by artist, not by genre. As long as I sense their talent.
K: That would explain the characters in your comics. They're all names of well-known musicians.
A: Yes, that's where I get them.
K: Well, what was your latest catch in music?
A: He came and went in one song, literally.
K: One song?
A Message for the Fans
K: Episodes 4 (11) through 6 (13) will put a conclusion to the DIO saga, for sure. The story centers around DIO and the characters developing the essence to defeat their inevitable enemy. My goal is to accomplish the finale of this battle and do my best to keep the audience interested in the story. Please look forward to the release.
A: Just from reading the scripts, I can tell that the rest of this series will be very exciting. I have to admit that every character has plenty of scenes to portray how awesome they are. I'm very pleased and proud.
K: Yep.
A: Yep. Jotaro is cool, so is Kakyoin. Avdol has become more serious than I had expected. And finally, DIO. He and his art of killing... The art of being evil.
K: Very cool, very awesome.
A: I have to agree.
To be continued...
Special: This is Lucas Arts!!
K: Skywalker Ranch was about one hour from the San Francisco airport. We drove through downtown over the Golden Gate Bridge, then through the mountains. We passed the Skywalker Ranch road sign and drove down winding roads, until we arrived at a large gate. It seemed really out of place... Just a large gate in the middle of the mountains. Through the gates was a large brick building, similar to a pension. It was all red bricks... It didn't seem like a place where high-tech work was done.
A: It has restaurants and such, right?
K: Yep yep. The main hall was pretty much a large open space. It looked like it could be used as a dining hall and kitchen.
A: You directed the kind of people who receive Academy Awards and other recognition in the industry?
K: Of course, It was my duty.
A: Work, eh?
K: That too, but...
A: Was it intimidating? Worried about offending them?
K: Well, before going that far, I was more worried if my ideas were getting through. I didn't speak English, or they Japanese.
A: Like change this and change that?
K: Yeah, the details I wanted them to understand. The interpreter tried her best, but it's sound jargon.
A: Like the specifics and nuances...
K: Yes, exactly. It was hard thinking, "How do I make this simpler?" So I decided to only change the necessities... (laughs). There is a scene where Jotaro is caught by Iggy's The Fool, and is being dragged across the screen. The sound effect wasn't right, so I told them to watch me. As Iggy approaches the screen, the sound is... (mimics whooshing) Kinda like that. I did an action to make it easier to understand. I did much more. I'd say I was an entertainer. I really wondered why I was there...
Interview with Lucas Arts's Staff
Music Composer & Arranger: Marco d'Ambrosio
Q. What did you think of the animation?
I think the characters are very exciting. They're all fantastical characters, but they have very human qualities as well. And it makes it good to write music for, because they do have very human qualities. They're very dimensional, as opposed to other animation.
Sound Design: Tom Myers
Q. What did you think of the animation?
I thought the animation was really interesting. It's not a lot like some of the stuff that you see in America. The way that characters were drawn was very dramatic and powerful, and I thought the use of lighting and shadow was very interesting as well, and it was very stylized.
Assistant Sound Design: John Countryman
Q. What was the most difficult part to make sounds for?
Probably the most difficult for me was Iggy, the dog. Doing the vocalizations for him. Because it's hard to make an animal more humanistic, and it was a real challenge to do that.
K: All of the staff really seemed to like Iggy.
A:They liked Iggy?
K: Iggy, Iggy, was all they talked about. They all just wouldn't stop talking about Iggy.
A: Iggy, eh?
K: I said I like him too, but that he'll be dead in Episode 4... I'm sorry... (laughs). "What a waste," they said. You know that the script has cuts and dialogue that explain what's happening, right? We translate that and send it to the studio... The girl translating it said crying, "Iggy is going to die?"
A: Poor thing (laughs). That's pretty amazing.
K: I can't figure out why everyone likes Iggy so much...
Special Talk Conclusion!!
What part of JoJo can only be experienced through animation?
A: When I read the script... I could clearly see what the strong points and weak points would be. I believed the JoJo animation would correct what I found needed more work in my own story. Jotaro has an easy-going personality in the original story... I had accepted it for the betterment of the story, but I had hoped he would carry more weight to his personality. Some sensitivity; a thick-skinned tolerance for life. I was trying to give that impression while I drew, but couldn't... I really feel that the animation staff did a great job of that for me.
Why did the setting move to Egypt?!
A: Well, Egypt is a very influential country for JoJo. The enemy Stand users... Are they good or bad? The question persists... Also, with many Stands, who is really the enemy? The idea surfaced during my visit to Egypt. I met a very nice person who I found out later was the worst con artist I've heard of. So I sort of built this disbelief towards other people there. But I was tricked over and over again... (laughs). So the people that JoJo and his friends meet on their journey are modeled after them.
K: Wow... That's pretty harsh...
A: It was Con Grand Central... I was exhausted by the end. It was amusing, though. But the suspense I felt was far beyond what I expected.
K: Is that so?
A: It fit my story well. That's what I carried back with me... That and the exotic surroundings. I went to see Cleopatra's coffin, the pyramids featured in Napoleon's conquest and the 007 movie... It was a pilgrimage. That was truly memorable.
How long will JoJo continue?!
A: I don't think we really know, do we? Not even what comes next. Either of us...
K: Yeah... That's true. Well, you know, work becomes tiresome and demanding if it gets boring. That's why I try to find something interesting about my work (laughs).
A: Very true.
K: Mr. Araki, any plans after JoJo (laughs)?
A: Well, I'm currently working on Part 4.
K: Part 4...
A: I'll finish that up first.
K: Part 4's going to be quite long, isn't it?
A: Well, I haven't figured out the structure or anything.
K: What about the little hints? Like when Josuke met his past self?
A: Oh, that doesn't mean anything.
K: It doesn't?!
A: That's just Josuke's memory. After Part 4, it's on to Part 5, I guess.
K: Part 5? But I thought...
A: Yeah, five.
K: But isn't Part 4 set in the year 1999?
A: Yeah.
K: So will Part 5 be in 2010?
A: I don't know yet... I've run out of names. I have the tradition of "JoJo..." That's my problem. I have ideas about the story, but I've drawn a blank on the name.
K: The name?
A: Yeah, the name.
The End
[Transcribed by HudgynS]
[Partially translated by MetallicKaiser (JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia)]
INTERVIEW TO LUCAS ARTS'S STAFF
作・編曲担当 マルコ・ダンブロッシオ
Q 「ジョジョ」のアニメについてどう思いますか？
キャラクターがとても面白い。空想的で人間らしくて、他のアニメに比べて複雑な特徴があるので、良い音楽作りを心がけたんだ。
音響デザイン担当 トム・マイヤー
Q 「ジョジョ」のアニメについてどう思いますか？
本当に面白い。アメリカのアニメと比べて光と影の使い方がとてもかっこ良く、キャラクターに力強さがあるので、とてもドラマティックだよね。
音響デザインアシスタント担当 ジョン・カントリーマン
Q 音を作るにあたり、一番大変だった点は？
僕にとって最も難かしかったのは、犬のイギーの音を作り出す事だったんだ。イギーをいかに人間らしくするかが必要な事だったからね。
北久保「4部ってかなり長い構成なんでしょ?」
荒 木「いや、全然構成とかしていないんですけど」
北久保「ちらっとフリが有ったじゃないですか。仗助が過去の自分に会うとか」
荒 木「ああ、あれは関係ないです」
北久保「関係ない!?」
荒 木「あれはただの仗助の思い出ですよ」[1]
