Hi Everyone, just thought you will be VERY interested in this interview. It seems Kishi already figured out how it ends. SORRY, if this was already posted by anyone else before.
Source: NarutoFan Forums.
Link:
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Well, I just got my May issue of Shonen Jump and was delighted to find a new interview with our favorite manga author, Kishimoto. I realize not everyone gets this magazine, and would not get to see it, so I thought I'd post a transcript here. It seems to be a two-part interview, with the continuation next month, so it may be short, but I know most of us love to hear what the guy says.
SJ: Let's get right to the most pressing and important question, something our readers often ask, and we'd like to know, too:
What is this thing?
MK: Many Japanese fans ask the same question. What is it? I just drew it in as a spur of the moment thing, and it doesn't have much meaning. I'm hoping I can expand more on it later and integrate it into the story.
SJ: Are any of the characters we've met based on people you know or experiences you've had?
MK: I did base some of the characters on my friends in college, with some embellishment. But really, I've been creating original characters mostly.
SJ: Sakura and Rock Lee don't appear to have any of the special powers that ninja like Naruto, Sasuke, or Gaara have---do you think those two characters are popular because they provide a kind of reader's-eye view of the story as it unfolds?
MK: Is Sakura popular in the U.S.? Well, Lee only has Taijutsu. And as a girl, Sakura is physically weaker than the others. So I can see why it's easy to empathize with them. They represent human weaknesses.
SJ: We want to know more about the rest of the Naruto world---what are the normal people like, what are the governments like, is this the whole world?
MK: The world outside of the ninja is pretty normal. People make their living by running businesses, et cetera. Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, is the military part of the country. Hinokuni, or the Land of the Fire, provides Konohagakure a place to live, and in return, the resident ninja protect the country as a whole, similar to a military force.
As for the government, the daimyo, or warlords, govern the lands and run the political system and the bureaucracy.
Each country has warlords at the top, and its military has its own leaders. In America, you have a president at the top, but you also have the military general at the top of the military. The states have more power than the ninja, but since the daimyo don't cooperate with each other, I guess coup d'etats happen rather frequently. The world is not yet solid [laughs], but what you see in the story is not everything in the world of Naruto.
SJ: Has it been tough to maintain the rigorous production needs of the manga, now that you have a family? Do you ever get used to the intense schedule?
MK: It's been six years since I've started Naruto, but I've never gotten used to the schedule of weekly installments. The lifestyle is not for any normal human. When I was just a reader of manga, I always thought "Why can't the artists draw more?" Now that I've finally became a manga-ka, I'm like "You're asking for something impossible!" [laughs]
SJ: Have any of your assistant artists gone on to do their own manga yet?
MK: Yes, one of them has: Osamu Kajisa. His work, Tatoo Hearts, has been published.
SJ: It sounds like you had a pretty happy childhood---what motivated you to write a story about an outsider?
MK: My childhood wasn't all that happy. It may have sounded like it was all good in my journal entries in the manga volumes, but that was in order to make it interesting for the readers. Like any person, I've had hardships in my life. I was not the center of anyone's attention in school, rather sitting on the outskirts. I didn't do well in everything. I didn't excel in studies nor sports. So I can understand Naruto's feelings of being an underdog. I don't really like people who are too perfect. [laughs]
SJ: Oda-sensei says he knows how One Piece will end---do you know how Naruto will end?
MK: Yes, I have the last episode clearly drawn in my mind. I've already decided on the layout, text, and scenes. Not just the story ideas, but the visual ideas are solid.
All I have to do is just head toward the ending I have, but there are still so many things that need to be resolved before reaching that point. Maybe I have thrown in too many ideas, so I need to wrap them up neatly.
EDIT: For Part II of this interview, please go to Page 2 of this thread and read FFLN's post. Enjoy and be sure to thank him!
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For Part II Click this link:
Source: NarutoFan Forums.
Link:
You must be registered for see links
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, I just got my May issue of Shonen Jump and was delighted to find a new interview with our favorite manga author, Kishimoto. I realize not everyone gets this magazine, and would not get to see it, so I thought I'd post a transcript here. It seems to be a two-part interview, with the continuation next month, so it may be short, but I know most of us love to hear what the guy says.
SJ: Let's get right to the most pressing and important question, something our readers often ask, and we'd like to know, too:
What is this thing?
You must be registered for see links
MK: Many Japanese fans ask the same question. What is it? I just drew it in as a spur of the moment thing, and it doesn't have much meaning. I'm hoping I can expand more on it later and integrate it into the story.
SJ: Are any of the characters we've met based on people you know or experiences you've had?
MK: I did base some of the characters on my friends in college, with some embellishment. But really, I've been creating original characters mostly.
SJ: Sakura and Rock Lee don't appear to have any of the special powers that ninja like Naruto, Sasuke, or Gaara have---do you think those two characters are popular because they provide a kind of reader's-eye view of the story as it unfolds?
MK: Is Sakura popular in the U.S.? Well, Lee only has Taijutsu. And as a girl, Sakura is physically weaker than the others. So I can see why it's easy to empathize with them. They represent human weaknesses.
SJ: We want to know more about the rest of the Naruto world---what are the normal people like, what are the governments like, is this the whole world?
MK: The world outside of the ninja is pretty normal. People make their living by running businesses, et cetera. Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, is the military part of the country. Hinokuni, or the Land of the Fire, provides Konohagakure a place to live, and in return, the resident ninja protect the country as a whole, similar to a military force.
As for the government, the daimyo, or warlords, govern the lands and run the political system and the bureaucracy.
Each country has warlords at the top, and its military has its own leaders. In America, you have a president at the top, but you also have the military general at the top of the military. The states have more power than the ninja, but since the daimyo don't cooperate with each other, I guess coup d'etats happen rather frequently. The world is not yet solid [laughs], but what you see in the story is not everything in the world of Naruto.
SJ: Has it been tough to maintain the rigorous production needs of the manga, now that you have a family? Do you ever get used to the intense schedule?
MK: It's been six years since I've started Naruto, but I've never gotten used to the schedule of weekly installments. The lifestyle is not for any normal human. When I was just a reader of manga, I always thought "Why can't the artists draw more?" Now that I've finally became a manga-ka, I'm like "You're asking for something impossible!" [laughs]
SJ: Have any of your assistant artists gone on to do their own manga yet?
MK: Yes, one of them has: Osamu Kajisa. His work, Tatoo Hearts, has been published.
SJ: It sounds like you had a pretty happy childhood---what motivated you to write a story about an outsider?
MK: My childhood wasn't all that happy. It may have sounded like it was all good in my journal entries in the manga volumes, but that was in order to make it interesting for the readers. Like any person, I've had hardships in my life. I was not the center of anyone's attention in school, rather sitting on the outskirts. I didn't do well in everything. I didn't excel in studies nor sports. So I can understand Naruto's feelings of being an underdog. I don't really like people who are too perfect. [laughs]
SJ: Oda-sensei says he knows how One Piece will end---do you know how Naruto will end?
MK: Yes, I have the last episode clearly drawn in my mind. I've already decided on the layout, text, and scenes. Not just the story ideas, but the visual ideas are solid.
All I have to do is just head toward the ending I have, but there are still so many things that need to be resolved before reaching that point. Maybe I have thrown in too many ideas, so I need to wrap them up neatly.
EDIT: For Part II of this interview, please go to Page 2 of this thread and read FFLN's post. Enjoy and be sure to thank him!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For Part II Click this link:
You must be registered for see links
Last edited:
