Nothing quite like watching your favorite manga artist draw real...Gōshō Aoyama is one of the most successful shōnen manga artists of our time and its most successful work, Detective Conan (Case Closed in the US), serialized on Shōnen Sunday (Shōgakukan) since 1994 (68 paperbacks so far), has been one of the biggest hits of the 1900s and 2000s. Detective Conan, a detective story whose main character, little Conan Edogawa, is a teenager detective trapped in a body of a little kid, is still going on. Uber-busy Aoyama, who is required to draw twenty pages of manga every week, wasn’t able to meet me for a face to face interview, but even so he was so kind as to agree to answer to my questions via e-mail. Here I transcribe the interview in full.
Please do not publish this interview on other blogs or publications without my permission.
1. Why did you decide to become a mangaka? How did it all start?
It all happened because I wanted to give shape to stories that were only in my head in order to show them to everybody.
It all happened because I wanted to give shape to stories that were only in my head in order to show them to everybody.
2. What other mangaka or artists had influence on you?
Tetsuya Chiba, Monkey Punch and Mitsuru Adachi.
Tetsuya Chiba, Monkey Punch and Mitsuru Adachi.
3. Do you usually read or watch detective stories? What kind of stories do you prefer?
I watch a lot of movies and TV series, so many I’m even unable to count them. Sherlock Holmes, Furuhata Ninzaburō, Columbo, and the novels of Hercule Poirot would be good examples of what I like.
4. Outside Japan there are a lot of famous authors specializing in detective stories, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie. I believe that the same can be said about Japan, where there are also many novelists specialized on the genre. But what about manga? Were there other manga stories before Detective Conan whose main character was a detective? If the answer is “no”, was Conan a pioneer of the genre?
If I’m not mistaken, Kindaichi Shōnen no jikenbo (The Case Files of Young Kindaichi) serialization began earlier than Conan’s.
5. What was the driving force behind your decision to draw Detective Conan?
I wanted to write/draw a romantic comedy whose main character was a detective that has been made small again.
6. Detective Conan is now a big hit and many other stories of the same kind have been appearing here and there on other manga magazines of other publishing houses. What do you think about this phenomenon?
I think that this is happening because there is a detective inside every person in the world. We all like mysteries, this is why.
7. Detective Conan’s world has expanded hugely; it has been adapted to anime, movies, live action TV series and many more media. What do you think about this?
I think that I’m very happy and very lucky (laughs).
8. Why did you decide to make Conan a child? Do you think that the series would have been equally successful had the main character been a teenager detective, as it was in the very beginning?
I think that precisely because I made him become a child again, I could gain the attention and faithful readership of a broader range of readers, from children to adults.
9. Is it very hard to be in charge of the same series during years and years? Exactly how hard is it?
It’s so hard I cannot sleep for more than three hours a day (laughs).
10. Have you already decided the end of Detective Conan?
Yes, I have. However, I don’t know when I’ll be able to draw it (laughs).
11. Do you think all the cases of Detective Conan by yourself? Or does somebody help you with that?
I painfully think them all with my very limited brain with the help of my editor in charge (laughs).
12. How many assistants do you have? Some of them went on to create new stories based on your characters and situations with the title of Detective Conan Special. What do you think about this? How do you feel having your characters and plots in others’ hands?
I have five assistants. About how I feel letting others take control of my plot and characters, I felt anxious at first, but later on I’ve discovered they really make me think: “Wow, this situation is not bad at all, why didn’t I come up with it before?” (laughs).
13. Enough about Conan for now. Did you inspire yourself on the story of Musashi Miyamoto to create Yaiba?
Yes, of course. Some characters have been taken directly from that story (laughs).
14. Yaiba, which is a kendo-themed story, is famous all over the world. What, in your opinion, is the key to that success?
I think that maybe the fact of setting a story in which the characters can put different “orbs” in their swords was the decisive factor, as it makes it feel like a videogame.
15. You are one of the most prominent shōnen manga authors of our times. From that position, I’d really like to know your views on nowadays’ shōnen manga scene.
I’m so focused on my own work and circumstances that I’ve never really thought about it, sorry (laughs).
16. Of all your works, which is your favorite and why?
Well, that would be Detective Conan. We have been together now for too long not to be friends, in fact (laughs).
17. What kind of manga would you like to draw if you had the chance?
A story about Sun Wukong (Son Gokū).
18. What do you think that your manga is popular in son many countries all over the world?
It’s a huge honor.
19. Manga has finally become a worldwide phenomenon. What do you think about that?
I’m convinced that Japan, and Japanese people, should be proud of manga and anime. I really believe it.
20. Could we ask for a final comment from you to manga readers all over the world?
Conan is full to the brim with tricks and ciphers only Japanese can understand and, even so, many foreign readers keep faithful to his stories. I’m very grateful for that and I hope they continue to do so. Thank you very much, really.
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Thank you very much for the interview. ^^
May I ask for permission to translate this to Hungarian, so fans who don’t know Spanish or English could read it as well on my site? Of course there would a link to the original interview (to here).
Dear Misztina, thank you for the comment. Yes, you can translate it to Hungarian, as long as you credit the original with a link to here, OK?
I would like to say thanks to Aoyama-Sensei…
Because he made Conan,. and its really make me more clever…
I’ll keep my eyes on Conan…
Viva Conan!
Thank you!
Uhm.. can I use this link for the detective conan discussion forum?
Anyway, I am much more looking forward to the ending of the series.
Yes of course, a link is absolutely no problem!
That’s only natural, thank you. ^^
uhm….i just wish that Gosho Aoyama-sensei to make conan big again as soon as possible and make a New Adventure with Shinichi and Heiji as the main detectives (actually a comic trio with Kogoro Mouri) and don’t forget Ran and Kazuha and the rest of the casts…. well its just what i hope!!!this is the Best Metantei Anime ever!!!!!!!
i agree with you gilbert blythe because i am anne shirley… just kidding… well i am hoping that before detective conan ends there would be more episodes with heiji, kan-chan, koumei, and eisuke…. that’s all…. thanks for detective conan gosho aoyama-sensei!!!!
fantastic!!!*-*
i love u,gosho!!!xDDD
As Misztina, I would like to ask you the permission to translate it in french. Of course I will make a link to this page too.
Anyway, thank you so much for this interview. Can I ask you when you received the author email?
Yes, sure, just give me the link when you have it.
hi,
I’ve translated this interview to Arabic
and I put it in my website
Of course I’vr put a link to here as main source
but what is the date for this interview ?
thank you
OK, good, just give me the link, OK? I’d like to see it!
The date is April 20th 2010.
I’m translating this interview to Russian, so I want to ask your permission to publish it on my site. I’ll credit you and put a link of course!
Thank you very much the interview anyway! *_* Aoyama-sensei is great! *__*
Very nice, give me the link once you’re done, OK? I’d like to collect them all and add them as a postdatum in this post.
Hello Marc, just to let you know on Silmy’s behalf that we have translated your interview into french and linked back to the original as you asked. You can find our translation here. Many thanks for letting us translate it, and once again, thanks for sharing this interview.
Oops, apologies, the link got moved.
Dear Mark.
We are very grateful to you for sharing this interesting interview with us. And we would love to blog it in our site. And of course, we will credit you and put your respective link as our main source. See our site here: http://detective-conan-news.blogspot.com/
Please reply soon and let us know what’s your answer
Your beloved visitor, DCN Admin – Kaoko
If you can reach Gosho Aoyama, please tell him to make the ending Ran and Shinichi, it disturbs me every minute.
( Does he have an official blog? So that i can write my own opinion directly?
I dont want DC to end. May I know where did it started? But I cannot change Gosho Aoyama’s mind. I hope 2011 is not the year for DC to end. I saw on the Official Page of Shinichi Kudo / Conan Edogawa the post “How would you like DC to end?” It never crossed my mind that DC will truly end. It hurts but I have to Accept it.
Great interview~! It’s amazing that he answered each and every question. It makes me want to read DC even more~! How did you know his e-mail?
Can I use you link for twitter? I want to show my friends this awesome interview.\m/
thanks~ ^w^
can i post this interview into my page?
Hi.
Can I post this interview to my blog? ’cause I want to share it with my otaku friends too and I really love DC. I always get crazy when I see it. And I’ve watched it a lot of times already from episodes 1-601. I’m not kidding ^___________^
hey! can i share it to my friends in facebook?
Thanks For the Review of interview with Gosho Aoyama…
Well,i am really curious about the end of Conan….
Well, i try to get all story in manga collection and Video..
Now, all of Conan case full my PC…
well, good luck for the writer… and also for Gosho Aoyama…
Anyway, there are some rumors about Gosho Aoyama that hoax or not i still have no idea???
but, is it true that he’s already passed away?
i hope that hoax is not true…
Please more info about him…
Thanks,
Gosho Aoyama sir is the most prolific Mangaka of all time to me! Thpugh I really want to know the ending, I wouldnt want the series to end…ever! Thank you so much Marc for the translation
Plz don’t end Conan if you want to Ran and Shinichi together, so boring! You know, D.C is a detective story, not romantic story or love story, plz don’t make it become bored manga by “love”. I want D.C end to death, blood, and something else (maybe Shinichi death is the best choice). A lot of fans felt D.C so long, and so boring, plz, end it, but not Ran and Shinichi togather ( stupid couple, you know?)
Aoyama-sensei !! Please don’t end DC very soon. We really love it.
can i share it to my friends in Facebook?
Dear Marc, I’m translating this interview to Vietnamese, so I’d like to ask your permission to publish it on my under construction site. I’ll credit you and put a link! Thank you.
well do you really think that only Japanese can understand conan ??
I don’t think so, because we’re nothing less than Japanese people.!!!!
thanks bro for interview , I would like to take it to my website
hi
iwant to ask this question
will shinichi ends up with shiho
i hope soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
please let him ends with shiho
i will die if not
I don’t care if DC ends soon or never but I really would like that Ran and Shinichi would be together…or at least that Ran would discover Shinichi’s secret…
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