"Why did you choose Fugo as the subject for the novel?"
When it came to the subject matter, anything was allowed. I figured I could do basically anything within the "JoJo" universe. That said, writing a novel about Fugo was just really convenient for me. There were other candidates, but this was a story I just had to write.
"What were the other candidates?"
For example, where exactly did Stroheim die in Stalingrad? (laughs) The thought always entertained me, though I wonder if it's something readers would enjoy as well.
This other idea is a bit odd, but instead of directly competing with Araki-sensei, I wanted to try a "Futaro Yamada" style JoJo story. For Part 5, perhaps you could call it "Italian Ninja Scrolls".
"Much like the villains in JoJo, the ones in Purple Haze Feedback have a very powerful presence."
Araki-sensei drew the characters and Stands, but it gave me the most peculiar feeling. After seeing his material, I couldn't help thinking, "Did I write this?" That is, even though I had come up with the characters and Stands myself, I got a sense that they weren't really mine at all... I suppose this is the power of the original work. The novel also goes into further detail on their visuals, but I was surprised and delighted by how well Araki-sensei picked up on them.