Interview Inoue Takehiko and Eiiciro Oda (in English)

Manga and pop-culture blog, The Eastern Edge, is currently in the process of translating a magazine interview conducted last year with Takehiko Inoue & Eiichiro Oda, the mangaka of Vagabond and One Piece respectively. While only a small portion of the talk has been translated so far, it already reveals an interesting bit of trivia.

Here’s a short excerpt:

Inoue: I was in Los Angeles around the time One Piece started and I was having Shonen Jump sent out to me. When I read One Piece chapter one, I remember thinking, “Wow, this is the start of a really good comic.” I thought it was a can’t miss piece of work. I hadn’t felt that way about a comic in a while so I made sure to follow it.
Oda: Around the time One Piece had just begun serialization, I saw a survey in a magazine asking famous people what comics interested them. In that survey, you had chosen One Piece and commented, “The creator really believes in his work”. I almost literally jumped for joy, I was so happy. I had a copy of that page pinned up at my work place for the longest time.

Inoue: Had you thought about the overall concept from the beginning?
Oda: Yes. The story’s end hasn’t changed once since the beginning. The problem is that I haven’t been able to really digest all the things that are happening along the way toward the end.
How do you go about your storytelling?
Inoue: Hmmm. When I begin I don’t think about the overall concept or the ending at all. It’s really impressive how you can think about it and stay engaged from the beginning.

Oda: Really, it’s only the goal that I’ve made a decision on.
Inoue: Yeah. Comic creation is supposed to be something you do because you love it, right? Nothing gets you pumped up more than drawing comics, so you can keep going no matter how tough things get.


Oda: Yeah.
Inoue: However I’ve come to a point where, in the balance between the tough times and the fun times, if the pleasure in the work becomes diminished any further, I may not be able to go on. Right now I’m trying to somehow find my way through, because I know I have to get past this.
Oda: Is it sometimes tough for you to draw scene of people being cut down?
Inoue: Yes, it is. To draw a scene in which that many people are cut dead… It really made me no longer believe in simple victory or defeat. It’s a battle, so of course there is a winner and loser. However, I ended up doubting the value in victory. If you doubt what you’re doing, you can’t draw the comics, can you? I thought, is winning truly victory? Is it a good thing? It was tough because I was disturbed by that feeling of contradiction. However, I made a point of drawing a scene in which 70 people are cut down precisely to experience that feeling.

In this final part, the two contemplate the possibility of hosting an exhibition both in Japan and overseas. Oda feels he would only be able to do it after One Piece is complete. Oda says his “real life” will begin once the series concludes, as he presently lives only for his readers.

Oda: But just being able to do something else while dedicated to another thing… On top of that, being able to draw the characters from your serial in a setting like that… I can’t keep up with that kind of strength. In any case, my One Piece serial is everything to me. When it’s done, I think I can begin my real life (laughs).
Inoue: What? You mean it isn’t now?
Oda: Right now I live for my readers.
Inoue: That’s fantastic!

Sumber : www.siliconera.com