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 written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki.
I went to a photo booth with Mr. Koji Koseki, an old manga artist friend of mine. I've never done this sort of thing before, but I'd say it was quite fun. –Rohan
I was once asked, "If you could have a superpower, what would it be?" I immediately answered, “Transform!” because with transformation, you can be anything you want. I think one would eventually get bored of precognition and telekinesis after a while, but transforming would always be fun. You could mess with other people and go to different places...... I'm sure you'd be able to enjoy yourself forever without ever getting tired, which is why I'd like everyone to check out Baoh the Visitor. It's a cool story, but also a sad one at the same time.
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 are styles 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.
Most of these subtle attentions to detail go unnoticed by the reader, like the sci-fi themes scattered throughout the story and the deliberate awe created by the protagonist. 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 styles 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. Given his current style, I think he'll continue to grow as a manga artist in the future.
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.
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.
The story collection that contained Gorgeous Irene was published in 1987, making this book my first story collection in twelve years and my second one overall. Why is it that I rarely write short stories? The answer is that my ideas for them usually go into my longer, serialized works. After all, they tend to contain my more beloved protagonists, and feature-length series tend to appeal more to readers. The 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.
Under Execution, Under Jailbreak (Published in Super Jump 1995 No. 2)
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.
Are there any other types? The rest are composite works of each type. When you think about it that way, what's the difference between a short story and a long story? There doesn't seem to be much of a difference at all. A short story is simply shorter, and a long story is simply longer. I suppose Hirohiko Araki's conclusion is that "it doesn't make a difference." For that reason, Under Execution, Under Jailbreak is a suspense story written for the sole purpose of drawing suspense, based on the idea of having a death penalty and a jailbreak at the same time, all in just over thirty pages as requested. The prison is strange, and I like the fact that the people who built it have an eerie presence despite never actually appearing. (I'd call it a C-type work.)
Dolce, and His Master (Dolce: Die Hard The Cat) (Published in Allman 1996 No. 11-12)
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.)
Deadman's Questions (Published in Allman 1999 No. 12-14)
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.
As you might already know, Rohan Kishibe is a spin-off character from Part 4 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (see Volume 34) who works as a manga artist. He has a Stand ability that allows him to turn people into books; this allows him to read their raw memories and thoughts as text, as well as write into and manipulate them. This book is a short story collection of Rohan's observations. I drew the first of these works in 1997, so I am very happy and grateful that they have finally been gathered into one book. This collection of five spooky stories features a wide variety of settings, from Italy to the mountains to the coast. If you were to enjoy them, it would make me even happier.
The Stand user who works as a manga artist, and can read and write people like books... This is volume two of Rohan Kishibe's book of observations. Also, I'm glad these stories have been compiled into one book. When I look at them all together like this... I don't think I was aware of it when drawing them, but I feel like each episode has a different flavor as a result of being published in different magazines. I especially feel the influence of Bessatsu and the app. That's a happy occurrence, too... to Rohan Kishibe, I mean.
In 1997, the editorial team asked for a short story. The terms were: less than 45 pages and no spin-off of an existing series. Ta-dah! And here's a spin-off for you (laughs). I obviously made the first draft without Rohan, but isn't it so much better with him as the narrator? Just read the panels without him, just to see. It's like a tasteless meal, isn't it? When I think about it, without that interdiction, I would never have drawn the other Rohan spin-offs. Above all, I'm grateful for that.
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan - Episode 16: At a Confessional (Published in Weekly Shonen Jump 1997 No. 30)
When I was a child, my father and grandfather used to scold me by saying, "People like you should move to a deserted island," or, "I'll go ask the prison to lock you up!" (There was a prison near our house.) I thought, "I'd like to go to a deserted island," but I also thought, "Prison is so scary, please don't let me go there!" One particular rebuke he used was, "If you live your life mocking people, you'll be struck down when you are happiest." I still find it terrifying. I fear being struck down whenever I'm happy, and as I grow older, I'm becoming more and more afraid of it. I don't think I'm cheating anyone, but I still don't like it. However, I do like the main character of this work, who remains undaunted. The "Thus Spoke" part of the title means that Kishibe Rohan is not the protagonist, but instead the navigator of the story. (I'd call it a B-type work.)
Whenever I write a short story, I always think about how "youth is horror." That's the goal I aim for. I think Mutsu-kabe Hill is a really creepy story. As I was drawing them, I started to feel as if the "creatures" in the story actually existed somewhere in Japan, which horrified me. That said, why exactly was Mutsu-kabe Hill named Mutsu-kabe Hill? I can't remember it at all. I'm sorry. It really is terrifying.
The greatest benefit I obtained from Millionaire Village is Kyoka Izumi, the editor character. Even though she has an annoying personality, I love the character and consider her a masterpiece. I swear upon my own honor that no editor among my entourage was used as a model. It's true, and I'm not just saying that because I fear reprisal.
What I most wanted to portray in Poaching Seashore was the exchange of the lines, "We're going to poach them," and "That's why I'm interested." Rohan might cross the boundaries of modern society's rules for the sake of something more important, but he never forgets to pay respect to tradition and history. In the end, I think that feeling was the reason why he survived and avoided drowning. Also, the chef, Tonio Trussardi, is a spin-off character from Part 4 of the Jump Comics JoJo series.
I am honored! It was a genuine adventure into the unknown! I found myself having to produce a manga about the famous Gucci brand. Trying to find a way to take on this subject was a real conundrum, but then I thought about Rohan. I actually didn't have him in mind from the start. He really is able to travel in any circumstance for his work, which is really convenient for me. Once I made Rohan the protagonist, the story came together in no time. I tried to have him hold the traditional bag from the brand and wear some of Frida Gianinni's creations while respecting the details to the best of my ability. I'd also like to thank the decisive courage of Spur magazine.
Times are changing and so is manga. As part of the launch of their exclusively digital magazine, Shonen Jump honored me by publishing this one-shot for their first issue. In the way that they respect their family tradition and celebrate the moon together, the Mochizuki family is reminiscent of the Higashikata family in JoJolion. Although the drafts were drawn on paper, this story has only been published on paper too thanks to this re-edition. It's like opposite elements found each other here, in the end. In any case, the moon will stay where it is.
"So it once existed here on Earth!" When I think about dinosaurs, horrible giant dragonflies and other ancient creatures, my heart skips a beat. I also like to think about new chimeras, like the man-faced fish or the chupacabra. I don't believe in their existence, but each time I think I catch a glimpse of them, I get shivers down my spine. I like that feeling.
When I was a kid, I used to read Bessatsu Margaret as early as Shonen Jump, or even earlier! When I went to visit my relative's sister, I would find an issue of it in the bathroom and read it. I was given the opportunity to draw Deoxyribonucleic Acid for Bessatsu. Well, Bessatsu still made me anxious after all. Usually, I aim to have a scary ending, but this story turned out to have a touching happy ending, perhaps because of that anxiety. I think it's wonderful. I'm also glad that I could draw Yukako Yamagishi again.
I revived the muscular characters I had aspired to draw in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure back in the '80s. In doing so, I surprised even myself. I really feel that something was revived. I also feel that someone like Yoma Hashimoto might really be out there somewhere. What a truly terrifying character.
