Acclaimed illustrator Yoshitaka Amano came of age an popular artist while working at an anime studio and creating characters for Gatchaman [G-Force], one of the most beloved television series in Japan. He was 15 years-old at the time. From there the ingenue has gone on to develop characters for the Final Fantasy video game and has moved beyond the confines of comics and animation to become a celebrated gallery artist with exhibitions of his work in Geneva, Hong Kong and New York. Best known for illustrating Vampire Hunter D, the bestselling series of novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, Amano has always returned to comics and to producing work for small, independent publishers. Earlier this summer, newly launched comics publisher Radical Comics published Mateki, Amano's ode to opera, which is based on Mozart's Magic Flute. His publisher, Barry Levine, says that his work, “transcends borders to comics or manga, animation and anime. His work is true art that is proving itself beyond the arena where it first grew to maturity." In this interview, which was conducted this past summer, Amano discusses the influence of music as well as character design on his work and his fantasies about a huge long-term art project for the future.

PW Comics Week: Have you always been a fan of Mozart? Or of opera?

Yoshitaka Amano: Opera has been a big source of inspiration for me. The grand schematic and staging of traditional operas seem to present a complete world albeit in fantasy. That is very exciting.

PWCW: Mozart has written a number of operas. Why did you choose to adapt the Magic Flute?

YA: I had an idea of a story about eternal love between a young man and a girl, and the Magic Flute seemed to give a perfect stage for my idea.

PWCW: Love and salvation are two strong themes in the Magic Flute that seem to be reflected in your work as well. What is it about these two themes that draws you to them?

YA: Isn't it something all of us are trying to fathom? Without that, the life would be so gray, so boring, wouldn't it?

PWCW: Does music generally influence your work?

YA: I get a lot of inspiration from listening to music, be it classical or contemporary rock. I also play a lot of different music while I'm working, music that isn't necessarily related to the work I'm doing. Bob Dylan and the Stones have been in heavy rotation recently.

PWCW: You've worked with Western comics writers and have been published by some of the bigger comics publishers in the U.S. Recently, you've also branched out to smaller, newer companies like Boom!, and now Radical. Do you have a preference for independent publishers?

YA: Generally speaking, I think I can work more freely when working with smaller or newer companies. With more established companies and established characters, there are certain restrictions that I feel I have to keep in mind. Not that I do not enjoy working within certain restrictions, but it seems easier when dealing with smaller companies if I want my imaginations run wild. This could be just my imagination because I was never told by any publisher not to do any particular things.

PWCW: Do you prefer collaborative projects or have you come to enjoy illustrating your own stories?

YA: Actually, I do not write. I create the story lines and the perspectives of the world where the story takes place, but the actual writings were done by professional writers I trust. However, I do enjoy working on my own stories more than just creating illustrations to a story created by somebody else.

PWCW: What do you think of your American fans?

YA: While traveling and attending many conventions and shows in the past, I realized (to my own surprise!) that the fans around the world are not that different. They all know about most of my works and, luckily for me, seem to be very enthusiastic about them.

PWCW: You're one of the models of manga in Japan in that you've crossed over to gallery work—on the international scene as well as domestically in Japan—and you've worked in a number of different mediums. But you continue to return to comics. What is the allure of comics? Why is it a medium that continues to be a constant in your career?

YA: I do work in different styles and the majority of them are done in the comic/anime style. However, all through my entire career, I only did one work in complete comic style and I didn't like it much. As you may know, I started out as a character designer at Tatsunoko Productions when I was 15 and that's where my training and learning started. All other influences came afterwards. So I think that style was embedded into my bones.

PWCW: What is next for you?

YA: I'm planning (or rather, fantasizing, at this point) to create a series of huge paintings which can be a central part of the works I'm doing for these couple of years. It can take a couple of years, several years, or maybe 10 years to complete them. But I'm really excited about it and won't be able to rest until I actually finish them.