AnimeY - Gosho Aoyama: Press Conference

Gosho Aoyama: Press Conference - Special

Last Saturday Gosho Aoyama (Detective Conan) held a press conference concerning his visit at Comic-Salon Erlangen and replied to questions about his person and his job:

Question: Mr. Aoyama, how do you like your visit in Germany as well as the Comic-Salon Erlangen and which impressions do you have?
Aoyama: The Comic-Salon is similar to a Japanese festival.Furthermore Germanys image tells about excellent sausages (laughs)

Question: Did you already find time to walk through Erlangen? Could you imagine to collaborate with a person from here?
Gosho Aoyama: I walked a bit through Erlangen but I wish I had more time. To work with a person from here depends on the project. Basically I’m not averse to such a collaboration.

Question: Do Comics from over the world inspires you? For example American or Franco-Belgian Comics?
Aoyama: I like and pursue Disney or “Snoopy” for example. Perhaps I’m enhanced graphical by it but it does not concern the story line.

Question: German Manga-ka keep in touch with your fans. Do you find time for your fans and if so how do you manage it?
Aoyama: Usually I receive approximately 80 letters per post and internet. Normally I read them all and responses in form of post cards get through on New Year like it is traditional in Japan. Primarily on Valentine’s Day.

Question: Give us an impression of your work in the studio and with your assistants.
Aoyama: First of all I discuss the situation with my editor. Then a provisional concept with the story line has to be done. Afterwards we have to draw. For this job 5 persons are helping me with preparing backgrounds or coloring Conans hair and jacket.

Question: But you draw Conan …
Aoyama: Yes I do. I’m coloring myself. My assistants facilitate my work with coloring big black areas for example.

Question: How do you connect family with everyday life and which attitude do you have towards your family?
Aoyama: If I have got an idea, I will be completely occupied with it. But my wife helps me with choosing and picking out properties.

Question: At the beginning of your career you drew other genres such as Sport-Manga. Did you always strive for the genre thriller or was it the luck of the draw?
Aoyama: The genre thriller is perfect for me. I only can draw baseball- or football-scenes if a murder happens close to these areas.

Question: You quickly absorbed the fast success. Would you say you are an exception in Japan concerning this or is this usual in Japan?
Aoyama: Well, it is exceptional that I got very fast popular and that Iam still popular. It is something particular.

Question: Did you sense the success of your manga “Detective Conan” beforehand?
Aoyama: No, I did not reckon that. I thought the manga would end after 3 months (laughs).

Question: How do you get all these ideas for crimes and constructions and how do you proceed with planning of these?
Aoyama: The story lines arise in discussions with my editor. I get these ideas during situations of normal course of life, for example by going to bathroom. Men always open the toilet lid and women do not. So you can make accessible if a man or a woman was on toilet. That is how my ideas begin.

Question: You mix up a multiplicity of sciences like literature or sport in Conans cases. Do you have to learn all this knowledge or do you know everything already?
Aoyama: If I prepare myself, I take a look in the internet or read accordant books. If I have to draw a bomb explosion for example, I search for fotos to make it true to original. Or if I have to draw dogs in the manga, I buy books about dogs to study them. Conan is a very smartish detective, but Iam not (laughs).

Question: The characters of “Detective Conan” are very all-round. Do you have any examples for them, for example friends or acquaintances?
Aoyama: No. There are no examples for them.

Question: In volume 42’s prologue you write that the western reader will not understand everything. What do you think how many procent do we understand and how much is Conan connected to the Japanese culture?
Aoyama: I think there are some points which the western reader can not understand. I can not tell you this in procent but in principle the manga ought to be understandable worldwide.

Question: Does a planning already exist for the end of “Detective Conan” resp. is the number of the remaining volumes already known?
Aoyama: Up to now there is nothing fixed for an end or for remaining volumes. But I already have got an idea for the last scene.

Question: Which message do you want to deliver with “Detective Conan”?
Aoyama: Whatever happens it is not allowed to kill humans. And do not give up.

Question: 10 years Conan. What does that mean to you?
Aoyama: “Detective Conan” is a magnum opus for me.

Question: In the end a littleness: You are a football fan and you will watch the match Japan vs. Croatia, tomorrow. What do you think who will win?
Aoyama: Of course I wish and hope Japans win - 2:0 but Iam not sure.

(Foto: Gosho Aoyama and AnimeY editor Felix Thiele)

Thank you for the conversation Mr. Aoyama!

(Attention: This is a free translation of Gosho Aoyama's press conference on Saturday, 06/17/2006, in Erlangen / Germany)

von Shin