MaruMA:special:interview

This Light Novel Author is Awesome! 03- Long interview Takabayashi Tomo

a pic of GEG (Great Editor Goto-chin)

"Writing cool (kakkoii) characters makes me angry" (laughs)

Works: maruma series

The ㋮ (maruma) series is a fantasy and adventure series that has sold a cumulative 2.8 million copies worldwide. The writing style has a good tempo, it's packed with gags, and contains a wide variety of layers. This time, we'll be interviewing the author of this series, Takabayashi Tomo. Each maruma volume includes moments of high tension, and the plot of each volume is never less entertaining than the previous one.

Rather than love, it's Boys' Gag. (laughs)

Interviewer: First, please tell us how you started writing novels.

Takabayashi: Or rather, why did I start writing novels? (laughs) When I was in university, I asked myself which one I was better at, manga or novels, and I realized my forte were novels.

Interviewer: Does that mean that up till that point you were doing both?

Takabayashi: Yeah, well, that would be a gray area. (laughs) Rather than novels at that point I was writing chapters, and it's not like my drawings were manga, they were more like scribbles.

Interviewer: And because you made that choice, you ended up picking the path of novels.

Takabayashi: Well, I get the feeling that I never left the "chapters" stage though (laughs). At first I thought about getting an average job, but then I thought: "I should really try writing novels", and I started doing that properly. After many twists and turns I ended up getting dumped on Kadokawa-san.(laughs)

Interviewer: I'd like you to give me some details about those twists and turns. (laughs)

Takabayashi: The first work that I wrote in the 'light novel' format was maruma, but before that I had written what people call "Boys' Love" pieces. Yet, that bud didn't blossom.... There was almost no love, you know? So it turned into "Boys' Gag" (laughs). But at that time there was no demand for Boys' Gag, and because of that no one cared if there wasn't a lot of love in it. (laughs)

Interviewer: And how did the maruma series start after that?

Takabayashi: I became friends with a pro writer and seeing how I was loose, she said: "I'm going to make you meet with an editor", and that's how I ended up going out for a meal with said editor. That's when I first met GEG. And while eating lunch in a restaurant in Shibuya the ideas started flowing : "To make a good book, you need a hero that flies to another world. And it doesn't need to be a hero, if it's a villain it will be even more entertaining. "And talking like that, is how the story came to be.... Since we were having lunch in Shibuya, the main character's last name ended up being Shibuya (laughs). If we had had lunch in Ikebukuro, he's be "Ikebukuro Yuuri", or if it had been in Shinjuku he'd be "Shinjuku Yuuri" (laughs).

Interviewer: I think that Shibuya sounds better. And then? Was the PLOT thought of during that meal?

Takabayashi: I wrote down many ideas in my notebook during the meal, and later, while looking at it I'd remember what we had talked about. I wrote them in my 'netachou'. In it KEYWORDS like "flushed down the toilet" were written down. (laughs)

Interviewer: That was a very important point, right? (laughs)

Takabayashi: While meeting with editor-san for the first time I told her "I brought my netachou" and then BAM, I slammed it on the table, this shocked GEG and she said: "I'm going to the bathroom...." (laughs). In that place the idea of "slapping someone on the cheek and getting engaged" bounced around, and I ended up including it, just like that.

Interviewer: After that meeting did you start the novel right away?

Takabayashi: When I wrote it, I wasn't even sure if it would end up being published as a book or not, but I wrote it as a self-conclusive piece. Although, unlike now, when I started, I wrote it in the third person.

Interviewer: In the third person!? It's difficult to imagine that considering the current style.

Takabayashi: When I had written about half of it, I showed it, and was told "This would sound better in the first person". "But I can't write in the first person" I replied. Despite that, I went back, fixed it, and kept writing it. I was writing a novel about beautiful people and fantasy, two things that I'm bad at and on top of that, I was writing it in the first person..... I kept thinking "I wonder how this will turn out" as I wrote it.

I always think: "It needs more GAGS!"

Interviewer: How long does it take you to write a volume approximately?

Takabayashi: At the beginning, I'm more like "The sales are growing, I have to hurry" but after a while I start falling behind, and in the end one could say that I always end up being late..... But it's not because it takes me a long time to write a volume. First, I spend some time without writing, and then everything gets piled up for the very last moment and I end up writing at a very fast pace.

Interviewer: Even if you say that, I can't see any difference between the beginning of a novel and the end.

Takabayashi: Right? In fact sometimes it looks as if I'm hurrying up the first scenes instead. (laughs) But I do keep a record of how many pages I write in a day.

Interviewer: Then, concretely, how many days does it take you to write a volume?

Takabayashi: If I think about the actual hours that I spend writing, it should be something like a volume in a month. But before that there's also the part that causes me a lot of trouble....

Interviewer: What part causes you trouble?

Takabayashi: When I start writing, there are things like "I think I've used this word too many times" or "I think this sounds weird in Japanese", or "I think this doesn't make sense". I think about all the things that sound weird, the technical aspect of it. Then, there's also the fact that I think it doesn't have enough GAGS (jokes).

Interviewer: As a writer, would you like to include more GAGS?

Takabayashi: I would, but when I'm writing I can't think of any. I always think: "It needs more GAGS!", but while I'm writing, the God of GAGS never visits me (laughs). I think, "Let's use the GAG, let's use it!", but I end up finishing that part without using it. I really regret when I'm left with an unused GAG. When I write a volume, there are always GAGS that don't work, that's why there are GAGS that don't get included.

Interviewer: And can't you use them in the next volume?

Takabayashi: I can almost never use them, because the moment has passed. In order to use it, that scene would have to appear again..... If I were to repeat a scene just for the GAG it would be bad (laughs).

"I thought of all the main characters' characteristics from the start"

Interviewer: Would you have ever imagined that ㋮ (maruma) would get this far?

Takabayashi: Right, well, when I wrote th first volume I thought it would only be that, that there wouldn't be a sequel. But while thinking about it, I prepared everything. I prepared it and thought "Well, I'll just keep it as a memento" (laughs). I thought about the different ways that the characters would connect further along the way, but because I had no confidence that I would be asked to continue the series, I made a self-conclusive piece.

Interviewer: Did you think about the personality of the characters at first?

Takabayashi: Well, I thought of all the main characters' past and characteristics from the start, thinking "There might be a second volume" so that was prepared.

Interviewer: When did you get confirmation that it would become a series?

Takabayashi: When the publication when from "one" to "a ton" (laughs). At that time, I was being published as 'Tinsel Bi Bunko' Level. But when it was reaching the limit of sold copies for that level, there was a lot of TENSION in the air.... In other words, a lot of things happened (laughs). After that, when the publication reached the Beans Bunko Level, they changed the title from Tinsel Bi Bunko to Beans Bunko. That's when they gave me green light to continue. So, before publishing the third volume they said :"You can continue", and I was able to continue thinking about the plot without holding back. That's why at the end of the 3rd volume the main character doesn't return to Earth. Up until this point he would always have to go back at the end of the novel, but I didn't want to make him work that hard pointlessly (laughs).

Rather than a plot it tends to be an uso plot (laughs)

Interviewer: And currently, the story that took place up until the fourth volume ended, and you started a new arc, being able to think the development thoroughly, right?

Takabayashi: Now that you mention it, that's right, ne. (laughs) But while I'm writing I keep thinking "this would be better like this" and keep changing things all the time. So the plot becomes an uso plot. (laughs)

Interviewer: Have you changed the ending of the series that you had originally planned?

Takabayashi: The ending hasn't changed. When it comes to the series, I think "I want to end it more or less like this" and that is still the case. That detailed EPISODE has not been changed. Also, there are many instances lately when I think "I'll go this far in this volume" but I don't get a chance to write everything I want (laughs). Like in "This is the First Ma!Step!" . Even though it has that title they never reach the new continent! (laughs). But well, basically it won't end with the villains winning as they are currently doing, that's a maruma promise I'll make. I will end it in a way that makes you think "Well, that wasn't a bad story, right?"

For the time being I really like secondary characters

Interviewer: Maruma has a lot of characters in it, but are there characters that are easy to write? Characters that are difficult to write?

Takabayashi: Characters that are easy to write.... well, the secondary characters are easy to write you know? Like Dacascos, or Cropped Pony, or Adalbert, I really like them. (laughs) For the time being, secondary characters are easy to write. In the new volume I'm writing I said to GEG "I'll write about MACHO and Cropped Pony!" and GEG barked at me saying "Fine! Do it!" (laughs). "Fine, I'll do it then!" but a second later I said "Yeah, I can't be writing about those things, I have to focus on the things I have to do". I'm a person who lacks self-confidence, you see?

Interviewer: What about the female characters?

Takabayashi: Well, I like Anissina a lot. She's easy to use and no matter what scene you throw her in, she'll work well in it (laughs). It's easy to write Anissina and the oldest son scenes. On the other hand, it's really difficult for me to write scenes with the protagonist and the second son.

Interviewer: Conrad and Yuuri, you mean? Isn't that strange?

Takabayashi: Well, Yuuri is written in the first person, and I'm bad at it; but the problem with the second son is that he's too cool (kakko ii), or rather, don't you think he says too many off putting things? (laughs) While I'm making him say those lines I think: "So off putting!", and I want to hit him in the back of the head with the heel of my shoe (laughs). Rather than saying it's difficult to write him, I should say that it makes me angry to write him.

Interviewer: Could it be that you made him tell bad puns to make up for that?

Takabayashi: That was the very least I could do to him (laughs). It doesn't appear in the story that often, but people already have that impression of him, that he's a man who tells bad (cold) puns. Thinking about it now, I should have at least given him stinky feet (laughs). Well, it doesn't say anywhere in the story that he doesn't.

Interviewer: As the editor, how do you feel about that GEG-san? (laughs) Sorry I'll make you appear for a moment.

GEG: Well, don't worry we've already strayed from the main road, so let's stay lost. (laughs) Well, I don't think he's cool enough to deserve stinky feet... I made her wait about three volumes before I let her break Günter, but in the 'Tosa Journal' I just couldn't stop it from happening anymore. "Well, if you must" I said. (laughs) I used to like Günter the best before...

Takabayashi: I like him, Günter, I mean. Compared to the second son, I like him a whoooole lot. (laughs) I don't call the second son anything but "the second son". The same goes for the protagonist, I call him either "Shibuya" or "the protagonist". Even if other people ask me to call him by their names, I tell them "That's embarrassing, stop it!"

When someone tells me "This character is cool" I think "HEY!" and I break them.

Interviewer: You've mentioned this in the novels too, that you like to break cool characters.

Takabayashi: That's right. Whenever someone tells me "This character is cool (kakko ii)!" I think "HEY!" and then I test that person's limits.... Well, it's not like I'm trying to test them! It's not like I'm trying to test the fans, but if you think "They're so cool!", I think "Well, then it would be fine if I change them a little bit more, right?" .... (laughs) And that way it makes it easier to for me to write them.

Interviewer: Is it difficult for you to write them, keeping them as cool (kakko ii) as they are perceived?

Takabayashi: There's a firmly rooted COMPLEX in me. I'm sure that if I was a cool (kakko ii) person, I wouldn't have any trouble keeping the characters cool (laughs).

Interviewer: What do the readers think when you start breaking the characters?

Takabayashi: Well, they don't tell me "Won't you please stop?", but they do say things like "I feel sorry for Günter" a lot. I'm happy if in the end, they finding their defects endearing. Like the oldest son's knitting; but it seems that with Günter I crossed a point of no return, which I shouldn't have crossed and now "Günter releases his fluids way too often" (laughs).

Interviewer: Since the topic of the fans response has come up, what character is popular?

Takabayashi: Regrettably, the second son is quite popular. Especially among the people who read the novel first. They seem to like Conrad a lot. But people who started by watching the anime seem to like Wolfram a lot. Maybe because it's easy to see he's a prince? Maybe it's because he has this whole JOHNNY'S vibe going on.

Interviewer: What character has really passionate fans?

Takabayashi: That would be the second son, you know? Although now I'm alienating them a bit (laughs). I get some letters saying "Hurry up and make him come home!" and things like that "Please make the second son happy from the next volume on" or "Please don't make me read something so painful". In that way, they express their opinions passionately .

Interviewer: If you think about it, the situation he's in right now is pretty harsh, right?

Takabayashi: I wonder about that. I absolutely love "traitor characters"....

Interviewer: Does that mean that for the time being, he'll stay like that?

Takabayashi: That's something I can't say here (laughs). But traitor characters are cool, right? I love villains.

Interviewer: For the most part, how old are the fans that read the novels?

GEG: The majority of the fans who got into the series reading the novels are between 10 and 20 years old, but since the anime started the age has expanded to include both younger and older fans. The older fans range expanded the most, because the mothers of the kids watching the anime became fans too. We also receive letters from people in their 50s.

Interviewer: What's the difference between males and female fans.

Takabayashi: Since male fans don't write fan letters I'm no sure.

GEG: If you look at the information from the bookstores, it seems that the amount of male fans who are elementary and junior high students is increasing. I think that the amount of elementary and junior high students who are fans is rising because of the anime, but for some reason there has also been an increase in the number of male fans in their 30s (laughs).

Takabayashi: I think that the reason why the percentage of male fans watching the anime is greater is because I asked the anime team to draw the female characters crazy cute.

Interviewer: What sort of fan letters do you get?

Takabayashi: I get fan letters from people who like to go along with the joke (laughs)

GEG: They're different from the fan letters that other authors get. There are many letters where people tell jokes and make fun of themselves. (laughs)

Interviewer: I think that the majority of the fans are women, but what do your readers think about the parts of the story that talk about baseball or gundam?

Takabayashi: They seem to accept the baseball part really well. But just as you would expect there are many fans of other baseball teams (laughs). I get letters where people tell me stuff like "I'm a fan of ○○ team, but I cheer for the Lions"... but they do make sure to include that "I'm a fan of ○○ team" first (laughs).

Interviewer: It seems that part is non-negotiable. (laughs)

Takabayashi: As for the Gundam parts you get from people who tell you: "I'm not sure what that was all about but it was entertaining to read" to people who say: "I laughed a lot with this part". There are different types of fans. But they all seem to accept it fairly well.

The more entertaining the anime became the more DAMAGE I was receiving.... (laughs)

Interviewer: The anime is also doing great, and a second season has been decided already, but could you tell us more about the time that it was decided that an anime would be made?

Takabayashi: Well, this happened a long time before that, but I remember receiving emails in my cellphone for April Fools from many of my acquaintances saying "It was decided that maruma is going to become an anime!" . This was a long time before there were any talks about something like that. And because I lack self confidence, I answered about 10 minutes later saying "Liar" (laughs), but during those 10 minutes I got lots of people sending me messages like "Finally you did it! Ain't that great!?", you know? And when I told GEG she was like : "Is that so? ", but back then, I saw in her eyes that she was plotting this (laughs).

GEG: .... I did not.

Takabayashi: But actually, during all that time, until it was decided that the series would become an anime, editor-san (GEG) would prepare the maruma PR documents to send to JARO. When I asked to see them later on, they said stuff like "For love and justice!" or "The boy that loves peace!" and would even include stuff like "This part about maruma is awesome!" . Such were the documents that she would write, but when she showed them to me I was like: "I don't remember writing anything like this...." (laughs). It gave off this "This work is really awesome!" vibe. You could really feel the editor's enthusiasm. But in the end, we were really lucky.

GEG: Let's talk about a more beautiful story....

Takabayashi: But this is beautiful!

Interviewer: Did you change anything for the anime story?

Takabayashi: What I'd do, would be to check the scenarios, and there were also a lot of questions I hadn't thought of about the plot, but the pace at which I did my job didn't change all that much. There was a lot of pressure. The more entertaining the anime became the more DAMAGE I was receiving.... After all the roots are always the underdog, so I kept thinking "I'm losing to the anime! I'm losing!" (laughs)

Interview: Were there any wishes you had in regards to the anime?

Takabayashi: Before the anime, we had released drama CDs, so I asked them to keep the same voice actors we had for the dramas. But I let the anime team pick the voice actors for all the other characters that weren't the mains. GEG, who would be there for when they included the sound effects after the recording, would come back stunned and dazzled every time to report "Today, once again, there was someone amazing recording...!" ........ Eeeh... well of course, that doesn't mean that I'm spoiled or anything like that . (laughs)

A BRIEF COMMENT FOR THE READERS AND ENTHUSIASM TO WIN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

Interviewer: Thank you very much for having me here today. Could you please give a brief message for the readers?

Takabayashi: I'm working really hard so that I don't lose to the anime, so please keep supporting me from now on, this, said in a humble way. (laughs)

Interviewer: And now a brief comment regarding how this season will be for the Lions.

Takabayashi: Of course, this season we'll be Japan's number one again. They'll become the League's champions and get a perfect score to become Japan number one! I truly believe that!

End of interview

Extras

PROFILE: Takabayashi Tomo. Born on August 26, Blood-type O. She likes alcoholic beverages, movies, and paperback books. She's a huge fan of the Seibu Lions. She lacks self confidence and says things like "I'm not really a professional writer, I'm just first person in Japan to come up with maruma....."

Kadokawa Shoten's maruma homepage http://www.maru-ma.com

Regarding writing: The source of my power to write used to come from alcohol, but lately it's music.

In the past I couldn't do anything without drinking. Without feeling a little happy, I couldn't write all those embarrassing lines. And I don't mean the gags, I needed " the power of sake that allows you to confess" to write all the cool (kakko ii ) phrases. (laughs) Now, because of the old age of my guts, I have to drink moderately. Could it be that that's why I'm having a writer's block? I like beer, but my favorite drink is scotch. But I don't usually go out to drink. I'm the really bad type, the type that gulps all the alcohol staying at home. (laughs) Since I drink many types of alcoholic beverages, for a while I used to buy those that came with NOVELTY GOODS . So now I have glasses, of course, coasters, coin purses, hats, and jackets.... I was really a bother for certain companies (laughs).

Lately I had to change alcohol for something else, because the tension was high, having to write all the scenes for the CDS and DVDS coming out. Movies I recommend "Equilibrium", and "Desperado". Since the maruma soundtracks are embarrassing, I listen to them when I'm not writing. While writing the novels I listen to a lot of movie soundtracks. When I write scenes that take place in the ocean, I listen to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" soundtrack, or for the parts when they're fighting I listen to "Troy's" soundtrack, and such.

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