Interview:Tameike Now (August 2007)



Interview between Shoko Nakagawa and Hirohiko Araki from the Japanese information program, Tameike Now (溜池Now). In an August 2007 episode titled I Want to Receive the World's Best "JoJo's Bizarre" Lessons!! (世界一受けたい!!「ジョジョの奇妙な...」授業), Shoko wears Jotaro Kujo's clothes and visits Araki's office for an interview. The episode was recorded on on July 6, 2007.

Interview
"If you could use a Stand power, whose Stand would you choose and what would you want to do with it?

Araki: Well, which one do you choose, Shokotan? Can I call you Shokotan?

Shoko: Of course! He calls me "Shokotan"! I'm so glad. My dream is to marry Jotaro-sama and have a child with him. He'd probably say to me, "Yare Yare Daze" and spit on me. That's my dream. Sorry, the question was about stands, wasn't it.

Araki: So, Star Platinum?

Shoko: I want to receive 'ora ora' from him.

Araki: (Laugh) Hmm...I think I would choose Rohan Kishibe's Stand. I want to know what people are thinking by opening their minds.

Shoko: You work with various people, so that would be useful.

Araki: Yes, I want to discover the unknown sides to them.

Shoko: It's scary though, it seems like you are already able to use that Stand, I guess.

Araki: (Laugh) Well, yeah. And your choice is Star Platinum, right?

Shoko: I want to be beaten up by him.

Araki: I hope your dream will come true.

Shoko: (Laugh) I am a completely bizarre person.

What type of woman does Jotaro-sama like?

Araki: Type of woman? Uh, I don't think he is interested in women that much.

Shoko: I think he would say, "Yare Yare Daze," to a girl like me, right?

Araki: He definitely would. That is his charm.

Shoko: He would also say: "You are annoying."

Araki: (Laugh) That would be great.

Shoko: That's what I want! I want to have a child with him. How can I make him love me?

Araki: He might say that you're annoying, but he'd still love you, I think.

Shoko: I like it! It's tsundere. Does he prefer a girl who's neatly dressed or one with a short skirt?

Araki: Eh, he is more of a straightforward guy. He will enjoy the time with you, though he might say that you're annoying.

Shoko: Really? Then I will do my best! I think I should go to a disco.

Is Jotaro's school cap a part of his head?

Araki: Yes, it's true.

Shoko: Is it? Why is the cap a part of his head?

Araki: Well, because he never takes off his cap.

Shoko: The cap is part of his body?

Araki: Right. When drawing Jotaro, I felt it was OK to combine him and his hair since he never takes it off.

Shoko: That's a unique idea.

Araki: Indeed. By doing so, Jotaro looks more elegant. I want readers to recognize him from the back, not just his forefront.

Shoko: So he isn't actually wearing a cap. The cap is completely part of his body.

Araki: That is right.

Shoko: Only Araki-sensei could come up with such an idea. It's me who wants to use Rohan's stand to see inside of Araki-Sensei's imagination.

There is a rumor that one scene in the 20th volume of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure predicted the 9/11 attack in New York 11 years before it actually happened. Did Boingo really predict 9/11?

Araki: Yeah, that actually surprised me. I don't know why I drew such a scene.

Shoko: You clearly wrote the word 911 and the laughing plane.

Araki: I don't even know why the plane is laughing.

Shoko: You didn't intentionally draw the scene?

Araki: Well, I don't know. I don't remember. I drew that scene as part of the story, but I don't know what it means. I learned about it recently, but I think it's just a coincidence.

Shoko:Your stand can predict the future. Your Stand predicts the future AND keeps your yourself young. (Laugh)

How can one defeat Star Platinum: The World, the most powerful stand ever?

Araki: Eh...Jotaro can be defeated only by Jotaro himself or by the child of Jotaro and Shokotan.

Shoko: You allow me to have his child? So Jotaro-sama and I have a child and he won't be invincible.

Araki: Correct.

Shoko: That's a great idea!!

Araki: Actually, it's impossible to defeat his stand at the moment. Star Platinum can halt the flow of time, so to defeat him, you need to let time flow again.

Shoko: So you would need to possess a power to control time itself? Sounds great.

What do you keep in mind when drawing pictures in color?

Araki: Well, the combination of colors is important. Like what color should be placed where.

Shoko: What is your favorite color?

Araki: My favorite color? Green...or moss green with some white. The mix of dark moss green and white is my favorite.

Shoko: But the color you actually draw with and the color that is printed are somewhat different right?

Araki: Yeah, you're right. So the important thing is not only the color itself but its adjacent colors.

Shoko: When you were a child, what were you drawing?

Araki: I was drawing things like Hakagata Mitsuru, a character from Kyojin no Hoshi. I'm a big fan of Ikki Kajiwara. I was curious how Joe Yabuki's hair looked like when we saw him from the forefront, right side and left side.

Shoko: Ordinary kids draw Joe only from the right or left sides, but you were not a normal kid.

Araki: (Laugh) Yeah.

What type of woman does Araki-Sensei like?

Araki: EH..? This question is hard to answer.

Shoko: You wife may be watching this show.

Araki: I like a woman like my wife.

Shoko: A good answer. What do you like about your wife?

Araki: As soon as you meet her, you will see that she loves gags. She will often say gags like Shokotan's giza thing (means "super").

Shoko: She uses "giza"?

Araki: When I said to her "Giza Ohayu-su" (Super good morning), she told me I was doing it wrong.

Shoko (Laugh) Your wife corrected your usage."