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SJ: If you could give Naruto a present, what would it be?
KM: He likes Ramen, so I'd give him Cup Noodles!
SJ: And what would Naruto give you?
KM: Some time off. He should take it easy and give me a break.
SJ: Is there any good left in Orochimaru? Or is he truly evil?
KM: I think he's truly evil. There are hopelessly evil characters out in the world, and he's one of them.
SJ: What ninja manga did you read as a kid?
KM: I read Sasuke by Sanpei Shirato-sensei. Sasuke is the hero of the manga, and I borrowed the name for Naruto. I also read another ninja action manga by Shirato-sensei called Watari.
SJ: So you borrowed a character from Sasuke?
KM: No, just the name. Sasuke Sarutobi is famous in the world of ninja. He's the ninja of ninja, so I wanted to use his name in Naruto.
SJ: If an American Naruto live-action film ever got made, who do you see playing Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke?
KM: Naruto has blue eyes and blond hair, so any child actor in America could play him. Maybe Sasuke would be someone Japanese-American, and Sakura, someone European. I'm not all that familiar with the names of child actors. I only remember Dakota Fanning... [laughs] I love movies and know actors' faces, but not the names.
SJ: You have a twin brother. Did that influence you when you created Kagebunshin no Jutsu: Art of the Shadow Doppelganger??
KM: It might have influenced me a little. My brother and I often played a doppelganger type trick at school. Since it took a twin to do it, I think it had an impact on my work.
SJ: There's a lot of nature imagery in the world of Naruto. Was it drawn from research visits to mountains and forests?
KM: I based the world of Naruto on my hometown. There are lots of trees there, and no skyscrapers. You see many houses with roof tiles. The images in Naruto came from there.
SJ: So you didn't do any research?
KM: No, because I grew up there.
SJ: What gave you the idea for the animal ninja?
KM: Animal ninja appear in Sanpei Shirato-sensei's manga. They train and use dogs and cats, which is an idea that I expanded on.
SJ: We think the dogs are especially funny.
KM: Yeah, dogs really are... I've had collies and huskies, and so I had dogs appear in the manga. They are loyal. There are different breeds, which means they can look very interesting. That's how I came to draw them.
SJ: And why do the dogs have capes with smiley faces?
KM: Oh, yes. That's because Kakashi is the one who summoned the dogs. In Japan, Kakashi (which means ?scarecrow? in Japanese) stand watch over rice paddies. That gave me the idea. The scarecrows always have ?henohenomoheji? drawn on their faces, and I did the same.
SJ: That would look like a smiley face to American readers.
KM: In Japan, it's just this thing that almost everyone knows about. The characters make up a face.
SJ: Do you listen to music while you work?
KM: I have the music from the Naruto anime and listen to it while I draw. I listen to all kinds of music, Western and Japanese. I listen to classical music, too.
SJ: Who is your favorite musical performer?
KM: Oasis.
SJ: Is being able to perform jutsu required if I wanted to become one of your assistants? If not, then would action poses or hand signs be necessary?
KM: Oh, not at all! Rather than jutsu, you'd need manga drawing skills! You wouldn't use jutsu at all. But it might help if you can do action poses, which would be handy as reference.
SJ: There are several cases of unrequited love in Naruto. I mean, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Rock Lee are in what any of them ever have their love return?
KM: Ah. Well, perhaps. You're right, there are lots of cases. I'd never really thought about it until now, but they do make sympathize more with the characters. Maybe at least one case will be requited. I would just have to figure out to go about it.
SJ: We're hoping Hinata gets her chance.
KM: Me, too.
SJ: Do you have any messages for your American fans?
KM: The manga is up to volume 35 in Japan. I would like readers to see how Naruto has changed and how the drawing style has changed, but I hope American fans won't think the difference is too great. I hope they'll continue to support Naruto and keep looking forward to the series, because it's going to get more and more interesting and exciting. I hope they keep reading Naruto till the very end.
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Text Version:
SJ: If you could give Naruto a present, what would it be?
KM: He likes Ramen, so I'd give him Cup Noodles!
SJ: And what would Naruto give you?
KM: Some time off. He should take it easy and give me a break.
SJ: Is there any good left in Orochimaru? Or is he truly evil?
KM: I think he's truly evil. There are hopelessly evil characters out in the world, and he's one of them.
SJ: What ninja manga did you read as a kid?
KM: I read Sasuke by Sanpei Shirato-sensei. Sasuke is the hero of the manga, and I borrowed the name for Naruto. I also read another ninja action manga by Shirato-sensei called Watari.
SJ: So you borrowed a character from Sasuke?
KM: No, just the name. Sasuke Sarutobi is famous in the world of ninja. He's the ninja of ninja, so I wanted to use his name in Naruto.
SJ: If an American Naruto live-action film ever got made, who do you see playing Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke?
KM: Naruto has blue eyes and blond hair, so any child actor in America could play him. Maybe Sasuke would be someone Japanese-American, and Sakura, someone European. I'm not all that familiar with the names of child actors. I only remember Dakota Fanning... [laughs] I love movies and know actors' faces, but not the names.
SJ: You have a twin brother. Did that influence you when you created Kagebunshin no Jutsu: Art of the Shadow Doppelganger??
KM: It might have influenced me a little. My brother and I often played a doppelganger type trick at school. Since it took a twin to do it, I think it had an impact on my work.
SJ: There's a lot of nature imagery in the world of Naruto. Was it drawn from research visits to mountains and forests?
KM: I based the world of Naruto on my hometown. There are lots of trees there, and no skyscrapers. You see many houses with roof tiles. The images in Naruto came from there.
SJ: So you didn't do any research?
KM: No, because I grew up there.
SJ: What gave you the idea for the animal ninja?
KM: Animal ninja appear in Sanpei Shirato-sensei's manga. They train and use dogs and cats, which is an idea that I expanded on.
SJ: We think the dogs are especially funny.
KM: Yeah, dogs really are... I've had collies and huskies, and so I had dogs appear in the manga. They are loyal. There are different breeds, which means they can look very interesting. That's how I came to draw them.
SJ: And why do the dogs have capes with smiley faces?
KM: Oh, yes. That's because Kakashi is the one who summoned the dogs. In Japan, Kakashi (which means ?scarecrow? in Japanese) stand watch over rice paddies. That gave me the idea. The scarecrows always have ?henohenomoheji? drawn on their faces, and I did the same.
SJ: That would look like a smiley face to American readers.
KM: In Japan, it's just this thing that almost everyone knows about. The characters make up a face.
SJ: Do you listen to music while you work?
KM: I have the music from the Naruto anime and listen to it while I draw. I listen to all kinds of music, Western and Japanese. I listen to classical music, too.
SJ: Who is your favorite musical performer?
KM: Oasis.
SJ: Is being able to perform jutsu required if I wanted to become one of your assistants? If not, then would action poses or hand signs be necessary?
KM: Oh, not at all! Rather than jutsu, you'd need manga drawing skills! You wouldn't use jutsu at all. But it might help if you can do action poses, which would be handy as reference.
SJ: There are several cases of unrequited love in Naruto. I mean, Naruto, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and Rock Lee are in what any of them ever have their love return?
KM: Ah. Well, perhaps. You're right, there are lots of cases. I'd never really thought about it until now, but they do make sympathize more with the characters. Maybe at least one case will be requited. I would just have to figure out to go about it.
SJ: We're hoping Hinata gets her chance.
KM: Me, too.
SJ: Do you have any messages for your American fans?
KM: The manga is up to volume 35 in Japan. I would like readers to see how Naruto has changed and how the drawing style has changed, but I hope American fans won't think the difference is too great. I hope they'll continue to support Naruto and keep looking forward to the series, because it's going to get more and more interesting and exciting. I hope they keep reading Naruto till the very end.
----------------------------------------------
Enjoy
