Interview:Mainichi Shimbun (May 2022)
An interview with Hirohiko Araki from Mainichi shinbun, a major newspapers publisher in Japan, which was released May 23, 2022.
Interview
- A studio located in an apartment building in Tokyo. A bookshelf full of reference materials, a large well-worn desk, and a sound system hidden away in the corner. This is where JoJo is created.
Araki: "It's very outdated. This place hasn't changed the entire time I've been here, and I haven't made any attempts at refurbishing it. I've been using this same drawing board for about 30 years now. (laughs)"
- The first part of JoJo ended in late 1986 with an intense battle between the protagonist, Jonathan Joestar, and his most powerful rival, Dio. The story afterwards depicts the bizarre fates of their blood relatives. Previously, you said that this idea wasn't well-received by the editorial department, as it was hard to market to their young male demographic. The setting and main protagonist were also foreign, which was frowned upon.
Araki: "It just didn't feel right to have a Japanese person in a story featuring vampires. I also wanted the main character to have both initials start with "J" so that it was easier to remember, like Steven Spielberg (S.S.)."
- The JoJo as we know it now is currently split into eight parts, however, you originally only intended it to be three. This is very similar to the novel "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck, which was later adapted into a movie starring James Dean. It tells of a family conflict based on the feud between Cain and Abel from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament.
Araki: "I was very drawn to the concept of passing the baton from one generation to the next. Since "inheritance" is the theme of the series, the protagonist no longer had to stay the same. This allowed me to write scenarios where the main character is killed, which wasn't possible in Shonen manga."
[Translated by Morganstedmanms (JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia)]
