The Masakazu Katsura Interview From 4C

Translated by Sachi Coxon, adapted by Jim Zubkavich 

The Road from Submitting, Debut, to Cartoonist

First, what was the reason you decided to become a cartoonist?

Around Junior High, I wanted to get this "component stereo" called 
Technics V55 which cost 500, 000 Yen. At that point, Jump Comics' 
Tezuka Prize was worth 500, 000 Yen, so I began to draw comics to 
get that prize money. (Laughs) But after all that, when I actually 
won it, it was near the third year Senior High graduation. It took 
a whole three years! In that time, I bought a stereo, and I really 
found drawing fun. During Senior High, I would draw during class, 
too. (Laughs)

Actually, I submitted a comic called "Tsubasa (Wings)" for the Tezuka 
Prize, and also a different comic for the Fresh Jump Prize (the 
equivalent of Jump's present Tenkaichi (Matchless) Prize). Then, 
Fresh Jump's editor (now Weekly Shounen Jump's head editor Kazuhiko 
Torishima) looked at my submitted work, rang me up and said, "You 
didn't win this time, but would you like to try for the next one?"

After I graduated Senior High, and the when I entered a Fine Arts 
School, I drew only science fiction. But after I was given advice 
by the person in charge to try out a romantic comedy and did one, 
I won the second place for the Tezuka Prize. And that was my debut 
work "Tenkousei wa Hensouhei! (Transfer Student, Transform!)"

 
"Wingman" was a hero-type story with elements of love comedy, wasn't 
it?

I actually wasn't interested in romantic comedy at all. It was just 
that the person in charge gave me that idea. But when I was doing it, 
I realized romantic comedy wasn't all that difficult: in other words 
I had absolutely no trouble drawing it. (Laughs) That's a good point. 
And that's basically what I've been doing ever since. (Laughs) 

Around the time I did "Wingman", I had just started, so I didn't know 
right from left, and even if I had things I wanted to draw personally, 
people in charge altogether refused it. (Laughs) But if I had drawn 
whatever I'd wanted to, whether it was good or bad, my work would 
probably have been some boring copy of a typical hero story. Around 
the time I was doing "Wingman", the people in charge really got angry 
at me because the girls didn't have any sex appeal. When I put in a 
lot of detail for sex appeal, the only reply I got was, "Make the main 
character a girl" (Laughs). And look at me now...


As a cartoonist, was your turning point the one-shot "Video Girl"?

That's right. When Torishima-san again became my head editor, he suggested 
I make a romantic comedy comic. At the meeting, I was told to "go and draw 
a girl you'd like to draw", so I drew a boy-ish Haruno. Then, we both 
thought of what we could create, but we ended up with a story "about 
a girl who hates males because a teacher she trusted tried to sexually 
molest her". (Laughs) I said, "If there's no science fiction elements 
in it I'm barely interested". 

The person in charge had seen a video called "Amazing Stories" and 
apparently there was a story of "a man that comes out of a magazine which 
has a potion poured on it". We figured we’d do a female version of that 
story. So, we thought of a story about "the main character who pours a 
potion on a porno book (laughs) and a girl comes out... but because he 
poured too much, it seeped into the other page so the girl got the 
personality of the man on the other page." But we thought a porno book 
would be unwise. At the time rental video stores were popular, so we 
immediately thought, "let's use a video!". So, we came up with "a main 
character who accidentally presses the record button, and the image of a 
man on TV mixes with the video, so a boy-ish girl comes out" and I 
started drawing. 
   
Video Girl Ai is a love story that pushed realism


So you based the series on the one-shot Video Girl?

Well, it didn't happen like that. (Laughs) You see, Torishima-san became 
Vice-Editor, so my head editor changed. At that time, I was friends with 
Katsuya Terada, and after watching director Kenta Amamiya's "Mirai Ninja 
(Future Ninja)" on video, we thought, "Japanese style is 'in' right now" 
and when I drew "SHIN NO SHIN (New of New)", it was popular in our magazine. 
After thinking I should serialize this, Torishima-san said, "No, do a love 
story. Why aren't you doing 'Video Girl'?". (Laughs) So, I made up my mind 
and began the serial of "Video Girl". (Laughs) Since "Wingman", I've been 
told many times to do love stories. But I kept having arguments with them 
whether I should or shouldn't do it. With I"s, for the first time, I opened 
my heart to what Jump told me and replied "Okay, I'll do as you say."(Laughs)

Even at the time of "Video Girl", ordinary romantic-comedies didn't interest 
me. I thought I should do a different sort of romantic comedy. From where 
Nobuko comes in, I was able to think "How should I draw her to be interesting", 
and I was able to get into it and draw. The key to Video Girl was "Realism", 
and I became disenchanted with really cartoony drawings. Even with describing 
feelings, I always tried make it realistic. Naturally, if a boy and a girl 
are going out together it is normal to have a love scene, but there are 
many touchy people. So, I decided that "I can't do nudes, but I'll draw 
erotically." That is when I "awakened." (Laughs) That's why, in "Video Girl", 
I think it changed before and after the appearance of Nobuko. After she 
appeared, I really detailed the girls' movements. Maybe it was because 
I was a little perverted. (Laughs).


First Scoop! What Was the Plot Behind The Failed DNA2 Movie!?
After that, V-Jump's "Shadow Lady" and then "DNA˛" showed elements of action...

With "Shadow Lady" I wanted to attain the atmosphere of "Batman". With the 
first of the series, I went to America, and did a full-color seven page intro 
in 2 days. I asked Terada-kun to draw the backgrounds, and extremely tired as I 
was, left on a late night. That was a bad memory. (Laughs) 

There was a story that director Kaneda and I would make a movie of "DNA2". 
The story was set after the end of the comic; after Karin went back to the 
future, she bounty-hunted. In that time, DNA experiments were developing and 
cloning techniques existed. The most effective use may have been to make spares 
of someone's original body. Well in the end, the story might have gone along 
those lines and we thought that "actually, Karin is the clone of a spare body." 
In the movie, it was going to be about her meeting with the original body, 
but we couldn't do it because of the cost...

After that was "ZETMAN" which is my work inspired by my love for "Batman". 
A while back, when I was in a taxi, there was a traffic jam and we couldn't move. 
So, when the taxi driver pushed the horn, the man in front of us made this face 
like "What the f*** is your problem?!" I got really mad and went in to a sort 
of a "fantasy mode". (Laughs). "As soon as I opened the door, I became a black 
shadow and beat that guy up. Then, just like nothing had happened, I sat back 
in the taxi." That was the thought that came to me in that situation, and I 
made a comic from it. (Laughs). But actually, it was really dark humor. He’s 
the kind of hero that comes flying at a kid who makes a peace sign during a 
camera taping of a sad accident, punchs the kid out and then leaves.


"M" was your first teenage comics work...

I really got into the spirit that if it was a teenage magazine, I'd make it 
erotic! (Laughs) It would have been boring if I just did the eroticism normally, 
so I tried to do as much as I could without showing extreme nudity. In that 
respect, I'd do what I did in "Video Girl" in full swing. (Laughs) But, 
unlike simple love stories, I tried to change the direction from the main 
plot all the time. That sort of idea is easy for me. I feel that a normal 
manga uses up more energy. 


The presently serialized comic "I's" is full of accidents and bad 
luck...(Laughs)

Yes, that's because the ideas that come up during our meetings always 
start with "How can we cause trouble?" (Laughs) Actually, when I started 
serializing it, I was thought to myself, "What's funny about this?" 
But as I keep working on it, I’ve decided that I'd do a comic about a main 
character that has fantasies. Then I had to make sure I did a professional 
job! (Laughs) 

 
Do tool changes alter Katsura's illustrations?
What do you find hard in the working process of comics?

The names. When I write it out, it should sound right. I have to think 
thoroughly about what they say and the feelings of the characters, so 
this takes a long time. Before, my script drafts in my comics were detailed, 
but that may not be the case now... For pens I usually use ball point pens. 
For sound effects I use "kabura" pens, and when I do touch-ups, I don't 
change my pens. 


Do you do a rough sketch for your colour pictures?
 
No, I don't. As I draw the under-drawing, I choose the character's 
position and composition. For colouring, if I use rikitex (?) I paint 
on an illustration board, not paper. I first draw a draft on a 
normal piece of paper, and I use pencil on the other side of the drawing 
and I trasfer it onto a board. After that I use pen, but depending on 
the picture, I may use a thick line on top of the paint, using ink or 
pencil. 

You know how to use papers and drawing instruments properly...?

I'm stubborn and picky in nature, (laughs), so I like to do things 
differently. In "Video Girl", the theme I incorporated was wrinkled paper, 
and I found that when I used pastel to draw on good traditional Japanese 
paper, it was interesting. For "Wingman" I drew on patterned paper 
or used a collage.

What type of drawing material do you use?

In the beginning, with "Wingman", I used to use water magic markers, 
and diluting it with water, but, one day, I was told by Akira Toriyama 
(Dragon Ball series) that a colouring ink called Ruma was good, so I 
used that along the way. Then, Gash and Rikitex and so on. I came to 
know Rikitex through Terada-kun. In the cover page of the first volume 
of the collector's edition of "Wingman", I didn't have time for painting, 
so Terada-kun did it for me. At that time, I was told by him that "you 
can draw well with Rikitex", so from "DNA˛" I started using that. 
At first I experimented with it but on the way I got used to it pretty 
much. I got addicted to rikitex because you can keep painting over 
what you've done before. I kept changing and improving the cover of "I's". 
For the first volume, I did the cover four times. That's why the 
first volumes are a bit different from the later volumes. (Laughs) 
I was told by Taketani-kun "you're an idiot", but. 

For the girls you draw, do you have models?

Not a real model as such. About all I do is look at magazine models. 
If I were to draw from a real model, it would have bad balance since 
human eyes aren't that big, so I change all the sizes and draw. 
But then I start thinking sometimes, "Is this face right?" (laughs). 
And if I have to redraw, that would be very troublesome (laughs). 
I think I work hardest on the nose or mouth. If the eyes aren't 
"lively" I don't like it, but if I drew the eyes normally as they are, 
it becomes repetitive for the girl's face so I try to define a character 
with the hair-style and the shape of the face. 


Who is your favourite character?

Ami from "DNA˛" is one I put a lot of thought into. Her double-eyelidded 
eyes that aren't that special, but that's what I like about it. Kind of 
ill-fortuned (?) (laughs). So I was happy when Ami was done cutely in the 
anime version. In "Video Girl" it's probably Ai-san... There's nothing 
special visually, but her place in the story and her relation with the 
other characters, is probably why it's Ai-san. Then it's probably Zetman. 

You have many anime-versions, but what do you think of changing media? 

In regard to character design, I'm not that strict. But if it's not 
similar I might ask them to change, sometimes.


In the Original Video Animation "I.R.I.A" you designed the character, 
but how was that compared to actual comics work? 


It was really fun, and unlike comics, I wasn't in charge of the whole thing 
(laughs). It wasn't too much trouble, because I was able to draw as I liked. 
I feel that I was successful regarding Iria's face. I think I was able to 
bring out the character's personality well with the way her hair on the 
left side was slightly aggressive, and the way her right part's roll brought 
out her femininity. If I get another chance, I'd like to do this sort of 
work again. 

Many of your friends are illustrators and model creators, do you influence 
each other?

Yes, I do get influenced by some. But Takayuki Taketani and Terada-kun, 
film director Amamiya, and Yasushi Nirazawa are serious creators and drawers, 
my drawings of girls are like water and oil·so my work probably doesn't 
influence them. (laughs) Even my cartoonist friend Toriyama-san (Dragon Ball 
series) doesn't understand my love comics (laughs). Well, "love" is his weakest 
point, as one can see. I feel that compared to other people, I still haven't 
fully matured. One day, I hope to be able to draw "proper" comics.

 
What does the "4C" title of this art book mean?

4C means the 4 types of Colors for the manuscripts. In color printing, by 
mixing the four colors of black, red, blue, and yellow, you can show all 
colors...4 COLORS, so 4C. The illustrations in this book come mostly from 
Jump's 4 Color pages, so that's how I came up with the title. But to be 
honest, in this book we used 1 more special color so it became 5 color 
printing (laughs). Because it's my first illustration collection, I was 
happy, but also embarrassed. (laughs) Looking back at what I've done, I'm 
shocked. I didn't mind the fact that the pictures looked different in 
those days, but there were so many I thought I'd put so much effort in 
to and I when I saw them I went "What's THIS?!" (laughs). 

Are there any favorite pictures?

Hmm, not really. Regarding pictures, I feel that I've just made it to 
my starting point. It's just that when I see a work of an illustrator 
or a designer which makes me go "wow!", I think I've got to work harder. 
I only illustrate in color only once in a while, I just can't beat people 
who do it all the time. I can't compete with professional color painters, 
but I still want to illustrate in color. I think I should stick to being 
a cartoonist. That's my dilemma. 

What kind of comic would you like to work on in the future?

Definately a hero story. I think I'd like to draw "Zetman" once more. 
I want to draw a Zetman that everyone would feel for. 

Would you like to give a message to the readers? 

I am really grateful to all the readers. Even though there are some 
pictures that I now think aren't very good, if you find something good 
in them, I'll be happy. I'll try my best with everyone's support and 
encouragement.