Please tell us about your state of mind when you accepted the novelization offer.
Otsuichi: It was an honor being able to become involved with JoJo again. I was flattered that they still remembered me (laughs). I actually received the offer of, “Could you participate in novelizing JoJo?” for another project after finishing writing the novelization of The Book. But there was a doubt within me of whether I had managed to properly write Stand battles after composing my last work, which led up to me turning it down. This time, I thought that my present self might be able to expertly represent Stand battles... and let myself write Iggy the Stray Dog with the enthusiasm of, “I’m going to take a crack at the work I left unfinished!”
For what reason did you choose Iggy as the protagonist?
Otsuichi: To begin with, there was a request from the Editorial Board along the lines of, “We’d like you to write the story with a character that’s popular with kids,” and Iggy popped into my mind on that occasion. Also, I’ve started raising a Boston Terrier maybe due to the effects of JoJo, so I thought that it might be easier to write if the story mainly centered on Iggy. It’s the same with Iggy too but my dog also farts quite a lot. And it’s a silent dog, barely barking even when spending the whole day alongside it. That’s why I made sure to faithfully include those descriptions inside this work (laughs).
How was the reality once you started the writing process?
Otsuichi: I agonized over to what extent I should faithfully incorporate dialogue and drawings which only appeared for a moment in the main series and anime. I think there were drawings of Iggy having female dogs sit beside himself in the main series and anime but I didn’t include any descriptions like that at all, so I hope that the readers don’t get angry that that’s a wrong interpretation. I kept on having dreams of everyone angry at me, feeling pressure when writing this due to how beloved the main series is (strained laugh).
So you payed particular attention to the consistency with the main series.
Otsuichi: Yes. Avdol lists Midnight Run as his favorite movie, and I intentionally portrayed him watching that movie after realizing that it wouldn’t add up timeline-wise if he didn’t view it in this novel, as that movie just released in New York during the events of Part 3. Additionally, the location where Avdol and Joseph met was also a difficult problem. If I established Joseph and Avdol as meeting in Egypt then they would be returning once more to someplace they’d already visited in Part 3, so I took it upon myself to transfer Avdol to a different country and wrote the episode of their encounter there.
What kind of research did you conduct when engaging in writing?
Otsuichi: Well, all things said and done, I have memories of single-mindedly searching about ‘sand’ to craft Stand battles. When I met Mr. Araki formerly, I received his wish of wanting me to stuff in scientific knowledge in the novel. So as I studied the definitions and properties of sand this time, I acquired the knowledge that sand electrifies due to friction... and came upon the idea of including a trick that’s based on scientific proof at least, though it’s outrageous. It was very fun writing the Stand battles between Iggy and Avdol, there being a surprising number of things you can do with fights between sand and flames.
Is there anything you take great care to do when conveying the world of JoJo?
Otsuichi: First of all, I made a strong effort to write how voraciously the characters thirsted for victory. I took care to make them struggle to a pathetic degree, whereas if it were my novel I would have reigned myself in thinking it was enough. I think this is a part which is peculiar to JoJo.
A message for the readers, please.
Otsuichi: First off, as a fan of the same series, I feel guilt... I’m sorry to have written a battle between Iggy and Avdol which I personally would have wanted to see. Even through there might be interpretation differences, I would be happy if you read the story sympathetically.[1]
