Firstly, please tell us how you came about getting involved in this project?
Araki: It all started because of a conversation I had with Akiya Takahashi (the founding director of the Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum) while I was helping him with his "Musée d'Orsay" exihibition ("Musée d'Orsay: A 19th Century Artists' Paradise" which was held in 2007). He told me that he had heard about the offer through a newspaper company, which is how I got involved.
What were your thoughts when you first heard about the offer from the Louvre?
Araki: I felt honored, but at the same time it felt too good to be true. (laughs) I was like, "Really, the Louvre?" (laughs) Japanese manga is not something that comes to mind when you think of the Louvre. But when I found out the offer was true, I felt honored. I'm also grateful to all the people at the papers who acted as my intermediary, even though they really had no incentive to.
This is your first work in full-color. Was that something you planned from the beginning?
Araki: I heard that the other authors involved in the project were doing full-color, so I figured I might as well do it too.
When, Fabrice, the project manager, visited to Japan to see your black and white manuscripts for Steel ball Run, he said: "It has a certain appeal that's impossible to ignore. If you want to push the Japanese style of making comics, I think it would be great if you drew it in black and white."
Araki: Thank you. That was definitely an option, but since opportunities like this don't come by very often, I decided it would be a nice change of pace to do it in full-color.
The illustration on the cover is very impactful, don't you think?
Araki: The cover uses three colors to symoblize France: white, red, and blue. Most old Japanese paintings feature a motif of clouds and waves, so I included a wavy pattern to give it a Japanese touch.
The colors in the story are a lot more subdued compared to the cover, aren't they?
Araki: I figured that if I used my usual coloring method for the entire story, the readers would get tired of it, and that would be bad. So I decided to keep a balance that would encourage the readers to keep reading. I was given several French comic books to use as reference, such as works from Nicolas de Crécy and etc., which I studied to get a sense for drawing in full-color.
The story first takes place in Japan, then the Louvre, and lastly underground.
Araki: That's right. The first part is the most Japanese as it takes place in Japan, and since it's in the past, it has a sepia tone. I was very conscious of what tones I should use for stuff like traditional Japanese mats. Once we arrive in Paris, it's pink, and down in the underground, it's blue. I did the first undercoat of paint the same for all parts of the story, and then later decided to split them into different colors.
[Translated by Morganstedmanms (JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia)]
