Shuichi Shigeno special talk (Part 2)
Translation by migit00 (Twitter) or ceruszkin (Discord)
Other translations:
Russian (русский)
Belarusian (беларуская)
First Part
Third Part
A preface from the translator
So, this is the second part of the special talk with Shigeno-sensei. If you haven't read the first part yet, I highly recommend you do so. Well, I don't have much else to say, except for another reminder that my Japanese is barely at N4 level, so the translation may not be entirely accurate in some moments.
If you find any mistakes or inaccurate information in the notes, please let me know if possible.
And I also have a little warning for you...
‼️THE LAST PART OF THE ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR «Bari Bari Densetsu»‼️
I was a shy child and my special talent was drawing mechanisms
This is the second part of the special interview and here we will explore Shigeno-sensei's origins. He recalls his youth, a time when he almost stopped going to school, and shares details about his now-rare debut manga, and for the first time reveals his «meaningless» past, which he is only now ready to talk about.
I drew a manga in a hurry and unexpectedly easily (was it really that easy?) won a contest for aspiring manga artists
— In the second part of our special interview, we will explore the origins of Shigeno-sensei and «Legends of Takumi». We even found some rare materials in the «Kodansha» library. They're «Memory Snow»¹ and «Lyrical Night Story/Shuichi Shigeno one-shot collection»², published as two separate volumes. They're rare debut works that were released even before «Bari Bari Densetsu».
Shigeno: Wow, you actually found them?
Mr. K, the editor in charge: We don’t even have a single copy left at the editorial office.
— You won a contest for aspiring manga artists with «Anta ga Saikou!»³ from «Lyrical Night Story», right?
Shigeno: Yes. But an older one was a manga called «Amerikan de Kanpai!»⁴. And the first work I brought to «Shounen Magazine» was «Oretachi Zekkouchou!», a baseball manga.
Shigeno: No, not at all. I just watched professional baseball games from time to time. And I don’t really know the rules either. (laughs)
— Your next work was «Nokezori Bun-chan»⁵, right? Is it about boxing?
Shigeno: It's more of a romantic comedy than a boxing manga.
— But names Oimatsuda⁶ and Gotenba⁷ kind of give off a car-related vibe.
Shigeno: I had a weird sort of nostalgia for the Tomei Highway⁸ back then.
— And «Amerikan de Kanpai!» is about motorcycles and bosozoku gangs⁹?
Shigeno: You could say it has a bit of a «yankee»¹⁰ style. The main point was to convey that youthful vibe, you know.
— According to your comment in «Memory Snow», you brought «Amerikan de Kanpai!» to the publisher for participating in the contest.
Shigeno: Mr. N¹¹ wasn't impressed with it, so I brought a storyboard for my new work, «Anta ga Saikou!». He said it looked better. I didn't like it, but I did what Mr. N said.
Shigeno: Well, it's not really about which one I like more. «Amerikan de Kanpai!» was drawn specifically for the contest. But there was still a bit of time left before the deadline, so I brought in the storyboard for a new manga. And Mr. N said, «This one is better. Hurry up and finish it, we will send it to the contest instead of your previous work». The deadline was close, it was really hard to draw that fast. And both works seemed fine to me, so at first I resisted the idea. But I was told that this manga had a better shot at winning, so I reluctantly agreed. Looking back now, I think it was the right decision.
— I think so too. Mr. N is truly an incredible person.
Shigeno: Yeah, he's amazing. He even became an editor-in-chief later on.
— It seems like a lot depends on the editor, doesn't it?
Shigeno: Definitely. Especially when it comes to rookies.
— How do you tell if someone is going to «open up»?
Mr. K: Sometimes a person isn't perfect, but still there is something about them that makes you not want to let go. But honestly, it's unpredictable. You expect nothing from someone, and he is like «boom»! And someone you had high hopes for ends up disappointing you.
Shigeno: That's exactly what you can call a person «opening up». Sometimes you see a rookie and think, «He's amazing, he'll surely achieve a lot». He has many cards up his sleeve and his level is pretty good. It feels like he just needs one last push, and he'll become an outstanding author. But then nothing happens. And then there’s another rookie, who looks completely hopeless. You think, «No way anything comes from this guy». But he learns fast, and eventually «shoots off».
Mr. K: Usually, rookies show their potential early on.
— What do you mean by «early on»?
Mr. K: They start to show themselves after a couple of works.
Shigeno: Mr. N was the only person who saw the potential in me when I had just started drawing manga. There was a lot of disagreement during the contest selection. They even told me, like, «It's confusing» and «It looks bad». (laughs) But Mr. N desperately insisted, «No, this person will achieve a lot».
Whenever I rode a motorcycle, I fell every time
— The main character in «Anta ga Saikou!» is also Gun Koma, so you could say it was kind of a draft of «Bari Bari Densetsu». There are a lot of similar details.
— The protagonist becomes stronger when he gets angry, and starts yelling things like «idiot». Just like Gun. Shigeno-sensei, are you also hot-tempered?
Shigeno: I don't think I lose my temper often. (laughs) But yeah, I'm kinda hot-tempered. The thing is, I get annoyed by little stuff all the time, so my emotions never really build up. No one has ever told me that I am scary when angry.
— You had some one-shots before «Bari Bari Densetsu», right?
Shigeno: It took a year from my debut to the start of serialization. During that time, I drew a one-shot every two or three months and they were published in special issues of the magazine. You see, when you’re just starting out, you can’t really make a living. So, I think Mr. N was just looking out for me. They paid me just enough so I wouldn’t die. (laughs)
— And then, in 1983, «Bari Bari Densetsu» suddenly started. That was 15 years ago.
Shigeno: I don't really remember what year it was. But I think it was the year when Freddie Spencer won the world championship¹³. Probably.
— How long did you ride motorcycles?
Shigeno: Honestly, not much. In high school I just rode a scooter. And when I accidentally came to Tokyo I made a friend who was into motorcycles. I actually got my car license first... You're probably thinking, «This won't be a great article».
Shigeno: I was an awful rider and became famous for always falling or crashing into things. I even got in some serious accidents. But somehow, I stayed unharmed. And I never broke anything. The motorcycle was smashed, but I escaped with only bruises, without serious injuries, even though I was only wearing a T-shirt.
Shigeno: People used to say I fell about 90% of the time. But if you do the math, it's actually more like 80%.
One day a friend of mine bought a camera and said, «Let's film everyone riding» and then «You go ahead, I'll film you from behind». I thought, «Now I'll drive so cool, I might even get away from the camera». So I took off... Well, I fell almost immediately, on the second turn. (laughs) Actually, I think I'm good at falling. I fell from the motorcycle — boom! — my body meanwhile flipped through the air beautifully — spin-spin! — and then I just got up like nothing happened. I was really good at bracing myself, so I never got hurt.
— Just like Gun. He pushed off the guardrail to keep the balance.
Shigeno: No way, I can't do that. (laughs)
— So, how were things with the manga back then?
Shigeno: Well, I was drawing it. «Bari Bari Densetsu» was being serialized. I didn't disinfect a wound once, so it got infected. I missed an episode because of that.
— Wow, did you start riding a motorcycle after the publication had already begun?
Shigeno: That's right. I didn't have money after all. So, until I got a good job, I couldn't even afford a motorcycle. I think I bought it shortly before the serialization started. Basically, all the most dangerous activities were during the publication period.
— The fact the manga started before you began riding motorcycles is incredible.
Shigeno: I know what you mean. When I first started riding motorcycles, I was really interested. But honestly, I barely knew anything about motorcycles.
Shigeno: I think I’m just good at bluffing. It's the only «author» trait I have. Even if I don't actually know something, I can present it in a way that makes readers think, «This guy probably knows a lot about motorcycles».
— You say you're good at bluffing. But isn't that the greatest talent a manga artist can have? Don't tell me you had already decided on «GP500¹⁴ world champion» from the very beginning.
Shigeno: I didn’t even think about that. At first, I thought it would be just a high school romantic comedy with motorcycles as props. (laughs) Well, maybe with some fighting. But it all just kind of happened.
— Well, the first six chapters felt like a romantic comedy.
Shigeno: Really? Anyway, I didn't even think the manga will be about motorcycles. I was just really into them then, and I thought, «Why not draw a scene on a mountain pass?». And to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. Not because the readers appreciated it, but because I really had fun drawing it.
I was a shy and dreamy boy, who liked to draw imaginary mechanisms
— Shigeno-sensei, what kind of a child were you?
Shigeno: I was a timid child. For example, in elementary school I almost stopped going to classes because I was so shy and cowardly. Things weren’t much better in kindergarten. I don’t really remember, but I think I even refused to eat lunch with the other kids because I was that shy.
I was also a dreamy boy. I really liked to fantasize before going to bed. Even as an elementary schooler, I would often imagined the girl I liked getting into trouble and me saving her in some cool way. I was also good at inventing my own mechanisms. I imagined creating some kind of machine and then using it to go into space, to war, or on an adventure.
— So you even drew things like that?
Shigeno: Yeah, back in elementary school. I imagined mechanisms and drew their schemes. I always liked to draw machines, not people. And I couldn't draw people at all.
Shigeno: No, I didn't draw manga back then. In middle school I actually lost interest in drawing. Hmm... What did I do during that time? I don't remember... (laughs)
— When did you start drawing manga?
Shigeno: Quite late. I think just a little before my debut. That's when I finished drawing my first work.
— Huh?! Did that happen spontaneously?
Shigeno: Well, it just sort of happened. I dropped out of university and had nothing to do. By chance, I ended up working as an assistant to a manga artist. I worked there for about two years. But I tend to lose interest pretty quickly. The work started to feel like a burden, and I began to lose confidence in myself. Then the thought came to me: «Maybe I should become a manga artist myself?». It sounds like a joke, but at the time I really meant it. Until that moment, I had no motivation left to finish a single manga, but I had no choice.
When I brought my work to the publisher, the first person to look through it was Mr. N. At that moment, Mr. N was a newcomer. He had been working at Kodansha just one year. He sat in the corner of the publishing office and looked like a sleepy child. We were almost the same age and quickly got along. He looked at my work, approved it and it was published soon. That was «Oretachi Zekkouchou!».
— Shigeno-sensei, it seems you don't think about the ending not only in the manga, but also in life.
I read «Bari Bari Densetsu» as was coming out. Back then, I thought that the tension during the 4-hour race in Suzuka was incredible, and the moment when the duo of Gun and Hideyoshi finally won was really exciting. But right after that, Hideyoshi died. I was shocked. I think many readers felt the same way.
Shigeno: Oh, others told me about this.
— Why did you kill him? It's always been a mystery to me.
Shigeno: Why, you ask? Hideyoshi became too important. He was a great character and played a significant role in the plot, so I couldn't just write him out without any reason. That would've been unforgivable. And although Gun is the main character, whenever Hideyoshi appeared, I wanted to draw him. His presence became so strong that he started overshadowing the protagonist. But perhaps he resonated with Japanese readers. Hideyoshi grew up in a poor family. And he spoke clearly.
At first I planned for him to be one of the rivals, but as I drew him I liked him really much. In the end, it felt like there were two main characters. I would have really liked to show the life path of both, but if the story had stayed that way, it would have stopped moving forward. So I had no choice.
To be continued...
First Part
Third Part
Notes:
Although everything is kinda clear with the works, I will list them in the notes with a little more detailed information, just in case.
«Memory Snow»¹ — one of Shigeno-sensei’s one-shot collections, released in 1981. According to the information on the Wiki, there is also a standalone one-shot of the same name, published separately in «Magazine SPECIAL».
«Lyrical Night Story»² — another one-shot collection by Shigeno-sensei, released in 1984. According to the Wiki, there is also a standalone one-shot of the same name, published separately in «Magazine SPECIAL».
«Anta ga Saikou!»³ — yet another work by Shigeno-sensei. It was serialized in «Weekly Shonen Magazine» in 1982. Also included in the «Lyrical Night Story» collection.
«Amerikan de Kanpai!»⁴ — a one-shot included in the «Memory Snow» collection. Interestingly, there’s almost no information about it, and even the Wiki doesn’t mention it.
«Nokezori Bun-chan»⁵ — another work by Shigeno-sensei. It was serialized in «Weekly Shonen Magazine» in 1982. Also included in the «Lyrical Night Story» collection.
Oimatsuda⁶ (大井松田) — an interchange on the Tomei Expressway, located in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Gotenba⁷ (御殿場) — a city in Shizuoka Prefecture. There is also an interchange of the same name on the Tomei Expressway.
Tomei Expressway⁸ — a highway connecting Tokyo and Nagoya. It passes through Kanagawa, Shizuoka, and Aichi prefectures. Here’s roughly where all of this is located — all right next to each other:
Bosozoku⁹ — semi-criminal gangs whose peak popularity came in the 1980s–1990s. They were known for aggressive riding and a distinctive tuning style. Originally focused on motorcycles, but soon switched to cars as well.
yankee¹⁰ — for some, this word may simply mean «Americans», but in Japanese language and culture it can refer, roughly speaking, to Japanese hooligans. Less roughly, it was a youth subculture popular among teenagers in the 1980s–1990s. Also can be one of the bosozoku styles.
Mr. N¹¹ or N-san — very likely refers to Nouchi Masahiro. He began his career at Kodansha in 1981 as an editor and also worked on «Bari Bari Densetsu». In 1997, he became the editor-in-chief. Currently, he is the president of Ichijinsha.
Gun Koma from «Anta ga Saikou!»¹² — the character’s name is surely identical, since both in the interview text and in the manga itself exactly the same kanji (巨摩郡) are used as for Gun in «Bari Bari Densetsu».
Freddie Spencer and his victory in the world championship¹³ — Frederick Burdette Spencer, a former American motorcycle racer. In 1983, he won the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP).
GP500 class¹⁴ — most likely refers to the 500cc class that previously existed in MotoGP. The name MotoGP itself only appeared in 2002. Before that, each class championship was known by other names, one of which likely appears here.