JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - Hirohiko Araki Interview (2/2)

As long as the characters have been established, I think the plot develops naturally, so there are cases where I have no plan for the next few chapters. As for why, it's because once a character's future actions have been determined, then they're incapable of doing anything else. And at that point, if they do anything else, it will start to feel unnatural.

I strive to draw my art as if it's literally being filmed by a camera. To put it a bit more clearly, when the protagonist is speaking, they're not turning from side to side. Rather, the camera's position changes while the character remains facing one direction. So I suppose it feels like I'm drawing as though I'm actually filming something.

To give an example, the setting of “The JOJOLands” (Part 9) involves lava. That said, naturally, Hawaii is a place known for its lava. That's how I made that decision.
When depicting culture and history, if, for example, you're using a place with castles in it, there are probably reasons behind it, such as the topography, or the presence of a certain river, the way the town was built around it, and so on. Similarly, when I decide to put a character there, I'd like to make sure there are good reasons behind that decision.

I believe that culture is a fusion of tradition and new things. And because that's what I think culture is, I think that including other countries' cultures in Japanese manga is a good thing.

Works that have influenced me would probably be those of Stephen King and Clint Eastwood. I think that things like that, like classic horror works featuring modern characters or interpretations of fear, can also be called fusions or crossovers.

I've wanted to be one since I was a child, but I've always wondered why people draw. The first drawings were on cave walls, right? They would show respect to the animals they hunted, or depict gods, and things like that. It's a question for the ages.

When I first started, my ideal was Osamu Akimoto. That was true regarding his schedule as well, and I couldn't imagine how one could complete an entire gag manga every week, so when I debuted I was really learning from his example. At the time, manga artists prided themselves on their lack of sleep, but I decided to follow Akimoto, who made sure to take a proper summer break.

I touched on this in an earlier question too, but I make it a part of my lifestyle.
Regarding changing values... I've been doing this for a long time, and as my long-time readers have grown older, their grandkids have become readers too. When I hear that kind of thing, I start to think that I've got to do more to draw manga for society's sake. I can't draw a manga that ends up causing problems. (laughs)

Rather than focusing on reading a certain number of books or volumes, I try to avoid reading only things I like. I'll look at things even if I'm not interested or they're not to my taste. I approach food the same way. I don't avoid eating something just because I don't like it; rather, I think the willingness to taste something is important. I like to keep a routine of reading magazines—film magazines, science magazines, plenty of fashion magazines, cookbooks, and some outdoorsy stuff in the summertime.

Of course, I'd like to continue the serialization of “The JOJOLands”, and I'd also like to try drawing something I've never drawn before using new material.