Arina Tanemura is the manga-ka (writer and artist) of the series Full Moon and Gentlemen’s Alliance+ , both from Viz Media, as well as Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne from CMX. Volume 1 of Gentlemen’s Alliance+ debuted on PW’s comics bestseller list, and PW Comics Week was able to interview Tanemura during last weekend’s San Diego Comic-con. Viz Media marketing associate Hiromi Psaila was on hand to translate.
PW Comics Week
: Your series—Full Moon, Gentlemen’s Alliance+ and Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne—are all carried by protagonists who transform back and forth between the girls that they are and the young women that they would like to be. Why are these character transformations important to you as the creator?
Arina Tanemura: I think that all girls want to be young ladies, adults, and I wanted to exaggerate that desire for a little girl to become mature. And I wanted to make it into a romantic story—we usually have to be very patient [to grow up]. I wanted to delete that time so that they can become that dream figure of themselves.
PWCW : As a contemporary shojo manga artist, were you influenced by the iconic manga-ka like Keiko Takemiya, Moto Hagio, Ryoko Ikeda?
AT : Actually, when I was little, they were already out [of style] so I didn’t read them. But once I had established my style, I found [their style] very interesting. I’ve never really compared my style of work with their work, but every time I read it, I get really stimulated and I want to read more. It’s suspenseful, that kind of dynamic. The excitement is what I find interesting.
PWCW : Do you think that it’s important that women, as opposed to men, create shojo manga [girls’ comics]?
AT: I think that because we women have a sensitivity that men usually don’t have—in order to express that sense, I think women would be better than men at creating shojo comics. But I’m not against men creating shojo comics.
PWCW : What do you think of so many people creating manga outside of Japan?
AT : I think it’s fantastic. It’s great. At the same time, I want to work harder, to compete with it.
PWCW: Which comics are your favorite?
AT : I have so many favorite titles. I can’t pick one. But I prefer reading the serials in the magazines instead of the tankoubon [book collections]. There are three reasons why I prefer the serials. The first is that, as a creator, I don’t want to be influenced by another piece of work. If I read one work, it might affect my style, and I want to avoid that. Also, I’m very, very busy, so I don’t have chunks of time. Second, I like to read little by little. I like to leave some anticipation for later. I like that anticipation. And third, magazines have more than stories. They have letters from readers and previews of other stories, which help me look forward to the next issue.
PWCW : Are you trying to inspire young women through your work?
AT : Of course I’d like to inspire, but I don’t want to be a teacher or force young people into a certain way of thinking. Rather, I’d be happy if my story makes them happy or excited or makes them cry or feel sad. It’s a nice feeling, and I’d like to let them experience many possible feelings through reading my stories.
PWCW : You mentioned in your panel that you listen to a lot of music when you work, and that you pay attention to the rhythm of the music. What is the importance of rhythm?
AT: I believe that like music, when people read stories or manga they follow a certain kind of rhythm. The rising and falling—it’s all like music. One of my strategies is to make really perfect rhythm so that the reader can follow and enjoy the story. I always think about that when I draw and put in the dialogue bubbles and when I’m choosing dialogue, what the characters will say first, what will they say next.
Also the location where I put the dialogue bubbles—I will move it so that when the character is happy, I move the bubble higher up in panel. And when she’s feeling sad, I’ll move the bubble lower down in the panel.
PWCW : What made you want to use comics to tell your stories versus a novel or a screenplay?
AT : The reason why I think manga is the best way to express my feelings and stories is because that’s the medium where I can create on my own. I get to draw, to make the stories. I get to be the camera man, the actress and the actor, the wardrobe designer. It’s not like another medium. Even in music, there is a composer and a lyricist and the sound engineer. There are so many people involved in one piece of work. With manga, I can create my own world. Also, I find it easiest because I can do it whatever way I want.
