Katou Reizuna's Interview with the Kamikita Twins

This is the first part of a two-part e-mail interview by Katou Reizuna with the Kamikita Twins, the creators of the Pretty Cure manga adaptions. It was held around the time the adaption of Heartcatch Pretty Cure! was serialized in Nakayoshi. It is hosted online on Gentosha Webmagazine. The second part of the interview is hosted there as well.

Interview


You may have heard the name of the Kamikita Twins before. But there aren't many people who can immediately say, "That's right, they're the people behind the Pretty Cure manga!" They're not people you can ask just anyone about and get a response. Though they've been publishing manga based on the Pretty Cure series in the pages of the magazine Nakayoshi for more than seven years, starting with the original Futari wa Pretty Cure, there is surprisingly little information about them available.

What we do know is that although they started as animators, the quality of their manga is surprisingly high. I've known about their manga series since the time of Futari wa Pretty Cure, but since I was a high school student at the time, I was too embarrassed to buy them. However, watching the anime, I soon came to love Pretty Cure, and when I stopped being embarrassed by it I raced to the bookstore. Keeping the magical girl transformations to a minimum, the manga portrayed the everyday lives of the Pretty Cures.... I was so happy that it highlighted the "middle-school girls" aspect that wasn't shown in the anime!

The Kamikitas had never given an interview before, but I really wanted to know what the thinking was that went into their version of Pretty Cure. This interview, according to the Kamikitas' wishes, was conducted through e-mail. It's their first e-mail interview! As you might expect from mangaka always billed together as the Kamikita Twins, they discussed the questions with each other and in that process decided together on their answers. The two of them work together as one mangaka. I thought hard about what questions to send them by e-mail. Their favorite series! About the comics! Pretty Cures' belly buttons! There's so much I want to know!

Kamikita Twins - Profile
They were born on August 11th. They're Scorpios and their blood type is B. They come from Kouchi Prefecture. They're mangaka. As the name suggests, they work together as twins. They do character designs for Tatsunoko Productions. In addition to their anime-related work, they were involved in Yobarete Tobidete! Akubi-chan, which was serialized in Nakayoshi, and since 2004 their comic versions of Pretty Cure series have also been published in Nakayoshi. Their most recent work, Heartcatch Pretty Cure!, is very popular and is currently being published. Their hobbies are watching videos and collecting toys that come with food. If there were a Pretty Cure with an outfit that showed her bellybutton, she would be known in the manga for playing the straight man. [1]

'''[1] - Translator's note: I swear that's what it says. I don't get it, but I can't think of an interpretation that would make more sense.'''

Katou Reizuna - Profile
Born in 1987. Freelance writer. Aspiring to do interviews as interesting as those found in [the web magazine] Jikkyou Yarou B-Team, he currently writes the column "Begging for the Advice of Senior Businessmen in an Age of Laxity" for Nikkei BP. He is a regular contributor to the Excite Review. He took part in Square Enix's Ultimate Gamers as a Let's Player. He searches daily for a way to enter the two-dimensional world of Pretty Cure.

Blog: http://blog.livedoor.jp/reireizuna/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/kato_reizuna

"We Started Drawing Because of Our Mother's Love for Art."
Katou: ''Can you tell me about your career trajectory? I've read online that you began as animators and character designers...''

Kamikita: While we were studying at a vocational school in Tokyo, we would watch reruns of Yatterman and we got really hooked on it, so we barged into Tatsunoko Productions saying "Let us in!"

''That's some impressive initiative. Is that how you came to work at Tatsunoko Productions?''

They said, "We're not hiring just now, but there's an opening in Director Sasagawa (Hiroshi)'s office," and they introduced us. We started working for him and learning the trade of animation, but we soon ran into setbacks. Animation is work that requires patience and precision as well as stylistic flair. We didn't have enough of those things, so we couldn't improve. But under Director Sasagawa's guidance, we did minor character design for the Time Bokan series starting from Yattodetaman, and for a number of other anime series after that.

''You previously worked primarily in anime. Why did you switch to manga?''

Due to a family situation, we had to return to our parents' home in Kouchi Prefecture. We had been hoping to be able to expand our area of expertise with regard to art, and we could see the appeal of the manga medium as something we could work on even while out in the country, so we took our portfolios and continued the job search.

Have you been working continuously from the time when you returned to your parents' house up to now?

Yes, thankfully we were able to continue our character design work. With the way the internet has developed, it's now possible to send things back and forth with no lag time. We've really benefited from the internet.

Did you draw a lot when you were young?

We started drawing because of our mother's love for art--if you look at photos from when we were three or four years old, there's all this graffiti that we drew on the walls. When we had art assignments over summer vacation, our mother would help us out.... We'd go to the zoo and she'd help us sketch the panther, but when the art teacher saw it they'd obviously be like "This is an adult's drawing" (laughs).

''What did you do for fun when you were young? Did you read a lot of manga or watch a lot of TV?''

We did read manga and watch TV a lot, starting in elementary school. We didn't have a lot of entertainment, so from the time we were in elementary school we were also crazy about making dolls. The Muppets from Sesame Street, Kamen Rider and the Shocker Inhumans and Shocker Combatmen, and stuff like that--we'd make them out of felt, and about three times a year when there was snow, we'd take the ski jumper doll out of our car's front window and play with that too.

Did you draw pictures of Kamen Rider too?

We didn't draw cool art, but we drew chibi versions of the characters. The dolls were the same, with big heads.... Then when we were in high school we got really into foreign bands, and we were especially drawn to the aesthetic of Kiss, so we kept on making plush toys and clay figures of them. We kept drawing pictures, as well.

"We Wouldn't Be Able to Create Anything Exciting Without Keeping Ourselves Open to Outside Influence"
[[File:HPC_Kamikita_Mook.jpg|thumb|left|200px| "Heartcatch Pretty Cure! Storybook! All About Cure Sunshine!"

A mook compiling Heartcatch Pretty Cure chapters 1 through 7 (the debut of Cure Sunshine), which were serialized in Nakayoshi. In addition to the manga, it contains stuff like toys and character introductions.]] ''There are a lot of couples and friends who work as a team on manga, but I've never heard of any other twins doing so. What are the good and bad things about working together?''

For better or worse, our tastes and habits are similar, so there's a limit to the breadth of our creativity. Our body types and the rhythms of our lives are also the same, so we get hungry at the same time (laughs). The things we like and the things we're really into are also similar, so there's also not much range to our sensibilities. Without mixing in stimuli from the outside, we wouldn't be able to create anything exciting, so we have to keep ourselves open to that outside influence

What have you been excited by lately?

We're excited by James Cameron's Avatar. I think we'd be drawn in by that even if we weren't making an effort to be receptive. We've always liked director Cameron's works, but this is the first one we've been this crazy about. The mysterious planet Pandora, about 4.4 lightyears away from Earth, evokes a certain longing--the beautiful natural world and the Na'vi people who love it, worship it, and coexist with it. We were struck by the good message of the aliens living a dignified life in the pristine wilderness. We were also deeply moved by the passionate romantic ideal of the pure love between soulmates.

[[File:FPC_HPC_Kamikita_Mook.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Heartcatch Pretty Cure! and Fresh Pretty Cure! Storybook!"

Collects Fresh Pretty Cure! from chapter 7 to the end and the first chapter of Heartcatch Pretty Cure! Since the final part of Fresh Pretty Cure! wasn't published in Nakayoshi, it can only be read in this book.]] ''Sounds like it really packed a punch. Did you buy it on DVD or Blu-Ray?''

Yes! We've watched it over and over, and it's so interesting we never get tired of it. The other day we also watched the special on it, and we appreciated it so much that we found ourselves applauding at the end without thinking. We're looking forward to the special edition Blu-Ray that's coming out soon. The various elements, the intricately designed setting and the simple, straightforward story, come together come together to form something amazing, we think.

''I've heard the movie is great; I want to watch the Blu-Ray. Have you been watching any anime?''

Not many anime are broadcast out in Kouchi, so we don't know much about recent anime, but we watch Shin Sanjushi [an adaptation of The Three Musketeers using puppets, serialized on NHK Educational TV from 2009 to 2010] and Yasai no Yousei [a children's anime about vegetable fairies]. We love dolls and things like that. Of course, we dearly hope that they'll start broadcasting Pretty Cure out here.

''Ah, Pretty Cure isn't shown in Kouchi.... It's really too bad that you can't watch it. Can you tell me about what the influences on your art and manga are?''

Our influences are Tatsunoko Productions and American superhero comics, and the great Toriyama Akira. Lately we've been into Mike Mignola and Ueda Baron. And we've always liked Eguchi Hisashi.

''Oh! I thought your self-portraits seemed like they were Toriyama-style. How do you two divide up the labor when you're working? Do you both equally share art and writing duties?''

It's total chaos (laughs). It's not like the twins in the movie The City of Lost Children, in the scene where they're cooking and you can't tell which hand is whose, and it's so interesting to see two characters where even their tastes are totally aligned and they're like a perfect fusion. I wish we could work like that. That's our end goal.

"We really have to condense what happens in the anime and change a lot of things."
[[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - FwPCSS Sunflowers.jpg|thumb|200px|left| Though at first they think it's a waste of time, Michiru and Kaoru are influenced by Saki and Mai to start caring for the sunflowers.

(From Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star, 2006)]] ''Both your work and your correspondence seem to be fast. About how long does it usually take you to draw one chapter of a manga?''

Because Nakayoshi's draft submissions close in the middle of the month, we go from the plotting stage to the final script in about ten days. Drawing takes about five days. We also usually have other work that we're doing alongside that.

''Other work? Like what?''

Mostly it's work for Tatsunoko Productions, doing character art for use in special features or tie-ins. Then there's Crossword Day magazine, which we've been doing work for for close to twenty years. We've got jobs coming from all sides, so we're always hard at work.

[[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - YPC5.jpg|thumb|200px|left|In the manga version of Pretty Cure 5, the Pretty Cures participate in extracurricular activities?! There are fewer transformations and more scenes of all of them having fun together.

(From Yes! Pretty Cure 5, Nakayoshi magazine, 2007-2008)]] How did you come to be responsible for all the Pretty Cure manga series?

We'd already been doing the manga adaptation of Yobarete Tobidete! Akubi-chan for Nakayoshi, and when that ended they said "Would you like to do the manga adaptation for an anime that's just starting?" I don't think they had anyone else who had room in their schedule to do it. It was fortuitous timing, and we're very grateful to be able to work on such a great project.

Do you remember the first time you watched Pretty Cure?

Of course! The Nakayoshi editorial team showed us the first episode of Futari wa Pretty Cure. That was the first time we saw Nagisa and Honoka at work. It hadn't even been colored yet, but still. I heard from Washio (Takashi, producer) and Nishizawa Moegi (ABC producer) that the episode had been finished when it was really down to the wire, and then it had by some chance gotten split into two parts, one of which went by ground mail and the other by air mail. To think that that would become such a popular series! But withstanding life's hardships makes its joys that much greater, I think.

''I hope it goes on for ten or twenty years--or forever. When you were watching the anime, were there any scenes that made you think "I wish I'd drawn it that way" or "That gives me an idea"?''

When we watch the finished anime, there are always places where it's different from how we'd imagined the characters or story. In particular, [the anime versions of] Hikari, Michiru, Kaoru, and Karen were very cute. The voice acting and the way they moved really brought them to life and made them seem three-dimensional, so we could really feel how good the anime was. The manga is a monthly publication and we don't have that many pages, so we really have to condense what happens in the anime and change a lot of things. For example, there's a part in Futari wa Pretty Cure Splash Star where Saki and Mai and Michiru and Kaoru grow sunflowers, and the experience of raising a living thing together is written to provide a cue to think about life and death, which is one of the themes of the series.

"To sparkle even when it's drawn in black and white"
[[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - YPC5 Karen on horseback.jpg|thumb|200px|left|In the anime there's also a scene where Cure Aqua does battle while on horseback!

(From Yes! Pretty Cure 5, Nakayoshi magazine, 2007-2008)]][[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - FwPC Not Digital.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Futari wa Pretty Cure era. At this point the art wasn't being done digitally yet.

(From Futari wa Pretty Cure, Nakayoshi magazine, 2004-2005)]][[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - FwPCMH Yukizora no Tomodachi.jpg|thumb|200px|left|This picture is from Snowy-Sky Friends

(from Futari wa Pretty Cure Max Heart Movie 2 ~Snowy-Sky Friends~, 2005)]] ''Though the Splash Star manga follows the same story as the anime, I feel like the manga-only content provides some supplemental information about things that aren't explained in the anime. I really enjoy that.''

Since we knew Saki and Mai's birthdays and blood types (Saki: August 7th, type O; Mai: November 20, type AB) we wanted to explore their blood type and zodiac sign compatibilities. In doing this, we realized they were polar opposites, and we thought about how great it would be to think through the problems this would cause--it really left an impression on us! There was an explanation in the book that this didn't lead to fights because the type-AB Scorpio (Mai) was quick to give in. ... Then, in the forty pages of the special issue, we tried writing something where their differences and hearts were joined together.

''I wasn't expecting you to use zodiac signs and blood types as writing reference. Are there any places where the manga influenced the anime?''

I don't think there's any feedback going from the manga to the anime. Well, there was just one time--when we were doing Yes! Pretty Cure 5, we drew Karen's horseback-riding scene and Washio and the scriptwriter Narita (Yoshimi) liked it so much that they asked us, "Can we put this in the anime too?" We were so happy. Since the anime is considered the original work, we were really surprised that they would say that.

''So Karen's horseback-riding scene in the anime wasn't planned from the start. In that case, it's also because of the manga that we got to see the horseback battle between Cure Aqua and (villain) Hadenya. I think it's a distinctive feature of Pretty Cure that its style changes from one series to the next. Do you draw them differently at all?''

The horseback battle scene in the anime was so cool! When we read the scenario for Yes! Pretty Cure 5, there were a lot of scenes with a romantic feeling, so we wondered if we should try drawing in the more delicate style of shoujo manga. In Fresh Pretty Cure we had tried to give them thick, dark eyelashes and the kind of cute eyes that girls like, but we realized it just looked like they were glaring all the time. Every time a new series starts we work hard to overhaul our designs and try to make everyone cute. Through trial and error, every time we try to make it so that each Pretty Cure's design looks cute and seems to sparkle even when it's drawn in black and white.

"Natsuki Rin and Natts... somehow they fit together as a couple"
[[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - FPC Cafe.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A 3D model of Kaoru-chan's doughnut shop. It's the place where the four Pretty Cures from Fresh first met up.

(From Fresh Pretty Cure!, 2009-2010)]] Do you work digitally now?

Yes--it's just the two of us doing all the work, so for greater efficiency, once Futari wa Pretty Cure was over we made the switch to submitting our drafts digitally. In the beginning we forgot to add tones all the time, so the printing office would have to apply them for us.

''Wow, they'd do that much for you? (laughs)''

Because the head of the editorial department was always sending inquiries to the printing office, the printing office kindly shared its know-how with us, and thanks to them things went more smoothly for us.

[[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - FPC Love's Room.jpg|thumb|left|200px|A 3D model of Love's room. If there are things drawn specifically for the movie Fresh Pretty Cure! Secrets of the Toy Kingdom?!, surely the opportunity to use it will come!

(From Fresh Pretty Cure!, 2009-2010)]] ''You made a lot of mistakes in the beginning. Did you ever think of returning to analogue submissions?''

Digital makes it easier to color things in, apply tones, and control tones, and you can keep working right up until the deadline, so there's no reason to consider ditching digital. We can't go back to analogue now. Starting in the middle of Fresh, to improve our efficiency we started using 3D modeling to help with backgrounds. The interiors and exterior of Love's house, the entrance of Labyrinth's house, the Fuko Gauge, the fortune-telling room, the doughnut shop... we used the modeling software for various things, but we didn't have as many chances to use the models as we thought we would.

''Oh! Would you mind letting me see the models?''

Sure! Since we haven't had a chance to use them yet, we'd like to get them out into the world where people can appreciate them.

[[File:Kamikita Katou Interview - YPC5 Rin Natts.jpg|200px|thumb|left|In the anime, Natts has a thing for Komachi, but in the manga it's Rin... or so you'd think from just this chapter.

(From Yes! Pretty Cure 5, Nakayoshi magazine, 2007-2008)]] ''Thanks so much! Tell me about the manga production process when you're starting out on a new series. How much material do you get from Toei Animation?''

First we get the proposal and take that in. Because the new series start in February, by the end of the previous year we usually have the characters, a compilation of art of the setting, and about five chapters' worth of finalized scenarios, so we can start thinking about our plan for the manga. We complete a draft of the first chapter in early January, and from there we just read through the rest of the finalized scenarios and make manga chapters based on them. Since the time when we were doing Fresh, we also get annual composition tables. If the scenario turns out not to be enough, then they'll also send us storyboards.

Do you ever get worried about consistency when the anime doesn't line up with what you envisioned originally?

Whenever we're not clear on something we ask about it, but the scenarios we get aren't set in stone and can change during production, so when watching the finished anime there are places where we can see that changes were made. This is a case where we jumped to a mistaken conclusion, but in Pretty Cure 5 we wanted to do a story where Rin-chan and Natts (human form) got close, but when they checked the storyboard they said "Please change it so that it's Komachi and Natts who become closer." Because the Pretty Cure 5 manga is mainly focused on everyday life, the romance between Nozomi and Coco had been a big feature, so it would be nice if Rin-chan and Natts also started a romance... or so we thought.

''Oh! That idea...! The chapter where they go to the summer festival together did give that impression. The one where Rin-chan and Natts watch the fireworks together, just the two of them.''

Yes, exactly. When Rin-chan and Natts went to the fireworks show together, sparks also flew between them... well, that's where we wanted to go with that. We were thinking of having Rin-chan go from being confused and wondering "What is this excitement I feel....?" to realizing at the end that she's attracted to Nattsu, but....

It's too bad they told you not to.

Yes. As soon as we sent that scenario in, we were surprised to learn that good vibes had developed [in the anime] between Natts and Komachi! Since it was after the deadline, we were only able to change the ending to gloss over that, so the symbolic scene where they jump over a river was rendered meaningless, which is a shame.

''I love Rin-chan, so that chapter is my favorite. Her tomboyish image makes her a strong character, but that chapter made it clear that she was also girly.''

We love Rin-chan too--her enthusiasm is really cute. In that scenario, Natts when in human form spells his name "Natsu" for convenience [with the same character used in Rin's family name], so we selfishly thought, "Natsuki Rin and Natsu... somehow they fit together as a couple."

Even in the anime, at the end there was talk about "What's Natts's type?"

"They're stories about ordinary girls."
Were there any other scenes that you cried and cried about having to change because they were different from the anime?

Ever since that one time, we've made it a habit to ask questions ahead of time. Since in Yes! Pretty Cure 5 GoGo!, at the end, there weren't very many everyday life-focused stories, we don't think we could have made a big misstep, but....

''It's always fun to read a manga that's faithful to the anime. But sometimes I also want to read different things, like that story with Rin-chan and Natts. While drawing the Pretty Cure manga, are there any things you realized or things you're preoccupied with that you absolutely won't compromise on?''

Because Toei is generously allowing us to borrow its precious characters and storylines, the most important thing we have to keep in mind is not to leave a bad impression on the readers. In addition, we can't forget that these are stories about totally normal girls, so we're always thinking about keeping the emotions true-to-life for middle-schoolers. The head of the editorial department told us "Manga is different from anime, without color or sound or movement, so I won't tell you not to make your depictions flashy and over-the-top," so we also keep that in mind.

Do you have different preoccupations while drawing each series?

We can't really think of any series-specific preoccupations. What all the series share is that we want to depict bonds between people and honest emotions.

''So that's what all the Pretty Cure series share. It seems like you wouldn't have much opportunity to hear the children's reactions and frank opinions. How do you go about taking in the opinions of your readers?''

Even though Pretty Cure isn't broadcast in Kouchi, there are still a lot of children here who fall in love with it through video rentals and by seeing the movies. At the movie theater, there were more very small girls there with their parents than we had imagined, and we were surprised to realize it was aimed at kids that young.

''Wow, so you even went to the theater just to see the children who were there to support Pretty Cure. They must all have been so serious about it.''

We saw how the children were cheering at pretty much every scene, and we also learned about children's responses from letters from the editorial department. When we talked to parents that we knew, it turned out that they themselves were completely charmed by the cuteness of the Pretty Cures' outfits and things like that, so we got the impression that Pretty Cure really was fun for the whole family.

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