Erika: You look the same as the photo ♡. As soon as I entered the store, I knew it was you.
Araki: Oh, is that so? (laughs)
——But the pictures in the comics are in black and white?
Araki: Those are black and white. Super comics are in color.
Erika: Date of birth...?
Araki: June 7, 1960. Gemini. Type B.
Erika: How did you become a manga artist?
Araki: Around the winter of 1980, I brought a manuscript (Poker Under Arms) to Jump. It was chosen as a runner-up for the Tezuka Award.
——Oh, the entry gathered in this special edition. I'm sorry to say that I've heard the name, but haven't read it.
Araki: It's a Western story. It's pretty different...
Fumaren: Your work feels a lot different now.
Araki: I agree. It was like a gunman fighting with a poker game... it was 31 pages. That was my debut. After that, I started Cool Shock B.T. with 3 short stories.
——You can't really read those, now.
Araki: Oh, my old short stories. I want to sort of leave those in darkness. (laughs)
Everyone: Huh?!
Erika: Before that, did you do entries or doujinshi?
Araki: When I was in high school, I sent in a lot of entries.
Fumaren: What kind of magazine?
Araki: Jump, of course. It was my favorite...
——What kind of stuff was in Shonen Jump at the time?
Araki: ... Doberman Deka, and... I forget. (laughs) In the other magazine, there was Ai to Makoto.
Erika: Are there any people who've particularly influenced you?
Araki: Ikki Kajiwara's works.
Everyone: Oh? (laughing)
Araki: Huh? (laughs)
Fumaren: Does Ikki Kajiwara draw manga?
——He's the original author of Ai to Makoto.
Fumaren: Oh, is that so?
Komiyama: Huh?!
Araki: Huh? Maybe it's a generational thing?! It's still interesting to read!
Komiyama: Do you think of B.T.'s tricks yourself?
Araki: I adapted some of them, while others I thought of myself.
——Now, let's talk about Baoh. One of the reasons it was so popular with Fanroad readers is that, though it was short, it was a completed and fleshed out series- the ideal Jump piece...
Araki: That was the last thing I was thinking about. I couldn't have guessed that it would end up like this...
——It's nice to understand the meaning of 'the Visitor' in the end. At first, I wondered why the 'visitors' were running away...
Araki: I thought so too. (laughs)
Erika: Is there going to be a sequel?
Araki: I do want to make one.
Fumaren: I want to see a 17 year old Sumire ♡ What sort of image do you think she would have?
Araki: I agree, she'd be someone feminine but not very active.
Erika: Is Sumire modeled off of someone?
Araki: Honestly, I didn't base her off of anyone.
Fumaren: The ideal type...
——Come to think of it, the Sumire from the 2nd page of the comic has changed a lot.
Araki: Her image is going to change a lot. I think of it as training.
Fumaren: Was there anyone who influenced the painting?
Araki: Sanpei Shirato, foremostly.
——Also in Baoh, the duo who threw the bomb- if you use a shuriken instead of a bomb, it's a ninja thing.
Araki: That's right. (laughs) I really liked Sasuke.
Erika: Why are Sumire-chan's eyebrows so thick?
Araki: Are they too thick? (laughs)
Fumaren: It's cute when you get used to it, but when you see it for the first time...
Erika: At first I thought they were a decoration.
Araki: I like the make up of the 60s, so I tried it out a bit. (laughs) I went to a fashion design school.
Fumaren: I like the look of the eyes...
Araki: Yes, the eyes turned out well. The lips should be thicker, but I'm not drawing it anymore.
——Though that granny's eyes... (laughs)
Komiyama: Why did you make Baoh a parasite?
Fumaren: I was wondering that too! It's pretty gross! (laughs)
Araki: Well, it was a little unpopular.
——But in horror movies, that's what military secrets often are.
Araki: I was thinking of a way it could happen in reality, to give someone a transformation and a different level of power. Something to make you believe that he could transform.
Erika: It reminded me of Cyborg 009 when I read it ♡
——It's a girl's interest. The lonely heroes that have their own secret power and are pursued by an organization- like 009, Wolf Guy, Chimera- all have a common tragic charm. Oh yeah, here's a question from a reader:[Translated by Betsybugaboo]