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Tohoku University / Aoyama Gakuin University Lecture by Araki

Lecture Opening Remarks
(Jokingly explains why he accepted the offer even though he isn't good at giving lectures)
Tohoku University version: "As a resident of Morioh, I just can't turn down this request from my hometown Tohoku University."
Aoyama Gakuin University version: "My daughter is taking the entrance exam for this school next year, and I wanted to make sure she won't say, 'My father was the one who got me rejected me last year.'" (audience laughter)

● Childhood Memories
"I was a boy who liked to chase mysteries, wondering why Picasso painted such strange pictures, as well as the mysteries of UFOs and ghosts. My curiosity got the better of me, and at the age of five, while looking at fish in a pond, I slipped and fell on my head, and my parents said I almost died from the fall. When my mother found me, I had sunk to the bottom of the pond so she grabbed my legs and pulled me back up to save my life. When I was a child in Sendai in winter, I used to love to follow the animal tracks on the snow in the morning. One day, while I was chasing after them, I fell into a ditch under the snow. As soon as I fell, I quickly turned around and grabbed the ground, which saved my life, but I was one step away from death. When I got home, they wouldn't let me in because of the smell of my body, so my parents sprayed me with water from a hose even though it was the middle of winter, and I almost died from that (laughs). Ever since that terrible experience, I have become a cautious person. When plasma flat-screen TVs came out, I spent a few years watching other manga artists who immediately jumped on the bandwagon, thinking, "they'll be cheaper and have better performance in a couple of years," and I'm still watching CRTs. (laughs)."

● How to Draw Manga Without Losing Money
"The name of this lecture is a bit crude, but it's called "How to Draw Manga Without Losing Money". In short, if you don't have a basic understanding of how to get your work published in magazines, you won't make it to the big time. In today's world, politicians are so desperate for power and influence that before they know it, they are covered in money from graft, and corporations are so focused on sales figures that they tend to go out of control, destroying the environment while not thinking about the workers. It is the same with manga. If you only pursue manga that sells, you and the publishers will fall into a pit. In order to get people to read your work, you have to sell it, but if you only think about selling it, you will go in the wrong direction. If there is an uncharted mountain and you don't even have a map to the base of the mountain, you don't know where the mountain is. If you have a basic map that takes you to the base of the mountain, you can climb an uncharted mountain and come back if you feel like you're in trouble. If you get into a slump, you can just go back to the base. These kinds of maps are absolutely necessary!"
"Every man needs a map... a map in his heart to ride across the wilderness." (SBR Volume 4)

● About the artwork - The first thing the reader encounters is the artwork
"There are many kinds of artwork, such as classic, cool, fantasy, and realistic, but I think the most important thing is that you can recognize the character from 15 meters away. When I was a rookie, I worked on Ring ni Kakero, Captain Tsubasa, and Fist of the North Star. One Piece (from a distance) is still recognizable these days. I can recognize a Picasso painting even if I've never seen it before, and I can recognize Mickey Mouse just from his silhouette if he draws three circles. Not only classical painters such as Michelangelo, but also Barnett Newman, who has been simply painting colors these days, even if has just painted orange. Ultraman, Spider-Man, Michael Jackson, you can tell at a glance that they are all global superstars. You can tell who Michael is even in the smallest of images. In this way, I believe in the pursuit of a design that can be seen from any angle is what painting is all about. If you are good at drawing, that's all that matters, but if you are not as good, that's not so important."

● About characters - After the artwork, the next thing that jumps out at you are the characters
"A hero is someone who fights alone. A hero is someone who fights alone in the end, even if he has friends. A character who says, "I'm counting on you," is not a hero (laughs). The basic principle of a hero is to fight for others in the shadows, even if the world discards them as a freak. The characters are divided into good and evil, and the evil ones, such as DIO and Kira, are very fun to draw. It relieves stress and makes you feel refreshed (laughs). Even the bad guys have their reasons. Kira just wants to live a quiet life, and I think readers can relate to that. It's fun to think about the minor details of the villains, like how Kira collects fingernails to check his physical condition, or how DIO really likes girls but is okay with guys (laughs). On the other hand, it's difficult to draw the good side of Joestar. Depending on how I depict justice and courage, readers may feel antagonized and say, "Why are they acting like a good kid?" But I have to draw these difficult things in order to make them stand out from the other characters. Just like drawing manga with black ink on white manuscript paper, the characters need to have both black and white to stand out from each other. I think it's vain to draw only evil in a manga. There is a sense of beauty in the world, and we need to do something with that as our goal. If you don't have a protagonist who is committed to justice, goodness, and hope, if you only draw evil, it may be popular for a while and become the talk of the town, but to transcend the times, you need something universal (good). The NG story is a combination of stupidity and idiocy. You can't make a story about forgetting your weapon or cell phone at home. It's obvious that they have them, and readers will be turned off by characters who are so stupid that they run upstairs instead of running outside. It's okay to have flaws like a fear of bugs, though. The main character is definitely someone who is lonely and fights for the sake of the other people in the world."

● About the story - The story is a fusion of pictures and characters in motion. There are four points (introduction, development, twist, and conclusion) (see Kishōtenketsu)
"Some manga artists say, "As long as you have characters, the story will come naturally." But without a story, the characters alone will not be enough to make it timeless. The characters need to move on the basis of a solid story.
(1) The protagonist is suddenly thrown into a difficult situation. (2) The protagonist tries to overcome the difficulty. (3) The protagonist tries to overcome the difficulty, but it gets worse and the situation becomes even more desperate. (4) There is a happy ending.
This can be said not only for shonen manga but also for romance stories. The ironclad rule is to make the situation worse and bring a happy ending at the end. For example, the girl you like has a boyfriend, and it turns out that the boyfriend is the main character's brother. Anything like this that is off this model will not be well received. However, knowing this rule, it is good to intentionally deviate from it and present it as a new revision. There is also a happy ending where the main character loses. Even if they lose, they die to save their friends, or to leave something for their descendants, or to die for a noble cause, which is sad, but I think it's also a happy ending. Also, my goal is to draw the reader in on the first page, because if they don't read the first page, they won't go on to the second page (laughs). About the new Rohan story I wrote for Jump SQ... I often get nosebleeds. In spring, I get nosebleeds from sniffing pollen, in summer from heat, in autumn from dryness, and in winter from eating too much chocolate. When I thought it would be scary if it didn't stop, I wrote it down, and it became material for the story."

● About the theme - The overarching theme is everything (the author's philosophy)
"First, the character (protagonist) and the story are connected. The theme that surrounds all of this is the artist's philosophy and view of life. The theme is the artist's philosophy and view of life. In Jojo's words, it is a "hymn to humanity"! What you should never do is to lecture your readers. If you preach, the reader will think, "I don't want to be told by you. The theme should be in the background, portrayed through the character's actions, or in the last line of the story. When I judge new writers, there are many who just tell the theme, and those don't get approved. It's not smart to have a protagonist who is fighting while saying, "I'm going to do something!" I think the basic principle of creation is to hide the theme in the background."

Q&A Section

（Students）Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure!

（Araki）Thank you very much.

（Student）How do you feel about celebrating the 20th anniversary?

（Araki）I'm thankful that young comedians and musicians are making the show more exciting, and it would be sad if they didn't say anything about it after 20 years.

（Student）Looking back on the series, what do you remember most about it?

（Araki）There are many things, but when I first drew a Stand, everyone around me said, "People who read it won't understand it," and it won't become popular at all. At that time, only one editor stood up for me, and that encouraged me to draw it.

（Student）In Steel Ball Run, Gyro uses a Steel Ball instead of a Stand, right?

（Araki）That's a reference to the Ripple, you know. It's in the Zeppeli lineage. (laughs)

（Student）What was the biggest change from weekly to monthly serialization?

（Araki）With a weekly, I have to draw 80 pictures a month, which is very physically demanding when you are over 40. Also, the number of pages in a monthly is more flexible than in a weekly, so it's easier to express what I want to draw.

（Student）Do you ever get stuck in the design process?

（Araki）Sometimes my back hurts and I get stuck (laughs). If you are always aware of the mysteries in your life, you will get ideas. The fact that a painter (Gauguin) went to Tahiti to paint is also a mystery, and all kinds of mysteries can give you ideas.

（Student）When you think of a Stand, do you associate the ability with the name of the musical artist? Or do you look for a name that fits the ability after the fact?

（Araki）I find something that matches the idea and take it as far I can without getting into trouble. (laughter in the hall)

（Student）What is your favorite Stand?

（Araki）Shigechi's Harvest. Back then, I was collecting CD coupons and stuff, and when I dropped them under the bed or something, I thought, "Harvest would come in handy". (laughs)

（Student）Speaking of the fourth part, why were Hazamada and Tamami taller at first, but later became shorter? Aren't they about 60 cm tall at the end? Koichi was about 55 cm.

（Araki）It's for design reasons (laughs). I can't fix it because it was a weekly. If it were a monthly, I could have. In a later conversation, he said, "That reflects Koichi's psychology. At first, Tamami looked so scary and big."

（Student）Are there any models of famous places in Morioh? For example, Angelo Rock?

（Araki）That's right. Angelo Rock was taken from a rock in Matsushima.

（Student）So far, the story has been set in Italy and the U.S.. Are there any places you would like to set the story in the future?

（Araki）I really want to come back to Morioh. When I drew the Rohan story, I felt like I was back home. I want to draw it again.

（Student）What are some of the strangest things you've experienced?

（Araki）Just recently, I was taking a shower at the gym when I saw an old man with a tail. I was so surprised that I reported it to the people at the gym, and they looked at me like I was crazy. (laughs)

（Student）That sounds like the dinosaurization of Dio. (laughs)

（Araki）Also, a cat was run over by a car in my neighborhood, and it just stood up and ran away. I was so impressed that I told the manga artist, Mr. Sako, "There's an amazing cat!" He said, "You know, you don't even know if it was dead." But it was still there the next day. I'm sure that cat is immortal. (laughs)

（Student）Notorious B.I.G...

（Student）One of these days, it will merge with the plants...

（Araki）I'm telling you, I really saw it! (laughter in the hall)

（Student）What is the backbone of the work JoJo?

（Araki）It's all about bloodlines.

（Student）Sensei, weren't you being a bit too harsh on Avdol's lineage?

（Araki）Avdol, yeah... (Laughter in the hall)

（Student）From what I've seen, you guys seem to be very close, how did you get to know each other? Is it from JoJo posing?

（Araki）About two years ago, I heard a rumor that there was something amazing being held in front of Osaka Castle, and was shown it on a computer. It was earth art, and also like a new religion (audience laughter). I feel that it's a new world, a new art form that I've never seen before, and I have people come to my lectures like this.

（Student）Which characters are you most attached to?

（Araki）I drew Jotaro as a hero. Up to Jotaro, he was a character that I admired in a spiritual sense, but I felt like I was drawing a friend in Josuke, and the scene where Okuyasu and Josuke were talking was really fun to draw.

（Student）Is there a place that you always stop by when you go back to Sendai?

（Araki）I always go to a beef tongue restaurant. When I lived there, gyūtan was not well-known, but before I knew it, someone had made it a specialty. (laughs)

（Student）What do you think about young manga artists who are influenced by Jojo?

（Araki）It's an honor to be imitated, so I hope that people will continue to imitate and develop the manga world.

（Student）Do you have a successor in mind?

（Araki）I wonder if my successor will be Dai Amon. (laughter in the hall)

（Student）Do you have a lot of material? (laughs)

（Araki）Dai Amon is always coming to me to apologize. (laughing again)

（Student）I have all the volumes. (laughs)

（Student）On the other hand, who are the senior manga artists who have influenced you?

（Araki）I have been influenced by all my seniors, but I was particularly impressed by Mr. Mitsuteru Yokoyama of Babel II expression without emotion. In Babel II, he only drew suspense and not much emotion. I was also influenced by Kajiwara Ikki of Star of the Giants in the way that he phrases his dialogue. The way he says, "It's~!" That's Kajiwara Ikki's style.

（Student）I was surprised at the "squeeze fest", where did that come from? (laughs)

（Araki）My wife would come up to me and says, "It's a squeeze fest, it's a squeeze fest". (laughter in the hall)

（Student）I also enjoyed Gyro's "pizza mozzarella song". (laughter)

（Araki）When a dark story is going on, it needs to be slow and steady, like letting the reader relax and then plunging them into fear. (laughs)

（Student）I also enjoyed the "4, 2, 0" (shitsurei) gag.

（Araki）Conversations like that are important. I want to show the readers how close they are through casual conversations, just like the relationship between Josuke and Okuyasu. I want to show the readers that these two people will never betray each other.

（Student）In the future, will you try to draw something different like a love story?

（Araki）You can have people fall in love in JoJo, but the scene where they meet is a special situation, and I'm sure their nails would probably come off. (laughs)

（Student）Finally, do you have any words for the young students in the audience?

（Araki）College students are going out into the world. If you know the basic map and stray from the path, it's fine because you can come back, but if you don't know the map and stray from it, you might go out of control.