Shuichi Shigeno special talk (Part 3)
Translation by migit00 (Twitter) or ceruszkin (Discord)
Other translations:
Russian (русский)
Belarusian (беларуская)
A preface from the translator
This is the final part of Shigeno's special talk from «Takumi Densetsu». I think I'll continue the translation of additional material from there, and, maybe, from other Initial D specials if I don't get bored. So, this probably isn't the end yet. We'll see. Anyway, I'm glad I can contribute to the fandom in some way. 🙏
If you haven't read the first and second parts of the interview yet, be sure to do so!
And... one more reminder that my Japanese is far from perfect, so the translation may be a bit unreliable. If you spot any errors or other flaws, feel free to contact me.
‼️ THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR «Bari Bari Densetsu»‼️
My goal is to create the perfect balance between entertainment and emotion!
«When I draw my ideals, I put my whole soul into it», said Shigeno-sensei in the third part of the special talk. Here, we'll look into the mysterious (?) death of Hideyoshi, a popular character from «Bari Bari Densetsu», and also uncover some secrets of manga creation.
Why did Hideyoshi die so suddenly?
— You had no other option but to kill Hideyoshi?
— Even if there were no other options, it was a huge loss for ordinary readers. I thought at the time, «There's no benefit from killing this character! So why?»
Shigeno: If readers care about the character that much, isn't that a kind of happiness for him?
— Well, if you think about it with a clear head, thoughts like these arise: «Killing Hideyoshi at this moment… The author is so heartless!»
Shigeno: Maybe it's one of my traits that I'm not attached to things. There are moments in manga when it's just impossible to stay still. At the same time as Hideyoshi's death, I very abruptly removed the CB750 from the narrative, which Gun had been riding from the very beginning. The reason was «someone stole it». I suddenly erased a motorcycle we'd been connected to for many years. It was just as important as the main character. I buried it the same way I buried Hideyoshi.
— Oh, the Hachiroku fans should be ready for this.
Shigeno: That's how I avoid stagnation. If the author gets bogged down in routine, the tension in the manga drops and readers get bored, right? But if the author keeps a «fresh» mindset, they can present readers with an interesting story. That’s how I see it, based on my own experience. But maybe I had something like that in mind even earlier, though.
— Well, when you reread it, you realize that this turn of events wasn’t actually so bad.
Shigeno: True. It often happens that when the main character is suffering, a dead character later reappears to help or give advice. But Hideyoshi never showed up like that. I even got a letter from one of his fans. She wrote: «Usually, if a character is killed, they’re at least shown in flashbacks. But you never drew him even once after that. Shigeno-sensei, you’re the most heartless person I know». (laughs) And indeed, at that moment I realized I had never even thought about it. So in the end, I did show Hideyoshi once. Right at the very end.
— It was at the end of the World GP. Gun was disqualified. He said he wouldn’t go to the next race and went back to Japan.
Shigeno: Right. It was like talking to Hideyoshi in a dream. Just one phrase from him, and all the fog in Gun’s head cleared. His motivation came back.
— I never thought Hideyoshi would show up so late. It was a bit confusing.
Shigeno: Yes, yes. It was kinda unexpected. Then Gun remembers that Hideyoshi is his eternal rival, and with this realization, the story comes to an end. And it's an ending I'm quite happy with.
— At the end, there's a line: «The bike ahead of Gun might not be Ralph’s YZR, but Hideyoshi’s Katana». And then you think, «Oh, it's good thing Hideyoshi died». And that's where the «eternal rivalry» comes in.
Shigeno: When I was drawing the last chapter, I felt really good. At that moment, I was truly happy. To have finished such a long series, and to feel completely satisfied with it... that’s a kind of happiness that can’t be put into words.
How to realistically depict the motorcycle in motion? I was very fascinated by this idea
Shigeno: Yes, about that long.
— How many times and where did you go to the World GP to gather material?
Shigeno: I've been to about three countries. Italy and Germany.¹ I went twice and saw two races each time. Although calling it «gathering material» is a bit of a stretch. I just watched. But if I see something with my own eyes, if I experience it directly, that’s enough for me to understand everything.
— But you're certainly not an ignorant person. How do you depict every turn so precisely? It seems impossible to draw something like that without having been there yourself.
Shigeno: It was really difficult. I was coming up with different scenarios and running them through in my head. I was imagining how things would have played out there.
— You used the same approach in «Initial D», right? Wasn't there any videos available?
Shigeno: There were almost none. Surprisingly, even when I did find some, they were useless. Quality was too poor. There weren't any in-car cameras like we have today. Sometimes I think, «If only they had existed back then...». But they didn't. So, maybe in those days, the best you could do was to create visualizations that came close to reality.
— Japanese racers have been doing very well in the World Grand Prix lately. Have you wached them on TV?
Shigeno: I've watched them from time to time, but I don't really follow it closely.
— Well, I'm not exactly the World Grand Prix expert either.
Shigeno: Yeah. Back when the manga was still being published, I would actively look for all kinds of information in magazines or on TV. But as soon as it ended, it was like the obsession just left me.
— By the time Gun went to the Grand Prix, it felt like he was sinking deeper and deeper into that cruel world. Hideyoshi was also gone, and it seemed he was struggling with this completely alone.
Shigeno: He kept pushing himself further into a hopeless situation.
— His relationship with Ai-chan was a kind of moral support for the readers. But then everything just stopped halfway through, and I started to worry: «What will happen next?». Usually, the characters drag things out until the very end.
Shigeno: Right, it's a cliché after all. But the moment I start paying attention to things like that, I just feel disgusted. I guess I'm a rather willful person.
— After Gun came together with Ai-chan, his only goal left was to become champion. This is a state of enlightenment, you know.
— Have you ever lost motivation for drawing?
Shigeno: When I was drawing races, I really wanted to depict them as well as I could. I actually enjoyed drawing race scenes. Back then, I was completely fired up with the desire to make everything look as realistic as possible: how the motorcycle cuts through the air, how it snaps left and right in the corners, how it accelerates and brakes, and how the suspension works.
— From the perspective of the average reader, the manga became increasingly harsh. There were even rumors going around: «Shigeno-sensei is under intense mental pressure», and they seemed quite plausible.
Shigeno: Well, I am under the mental pressure. Every single week.
— No, I mean, some people were saying you were close to a nervous breakdown.
Shigeno: Oh, to that extent? Wow... (laughs)
— And they also say that you don't want to draw at all now and are running away.
Shigeno: Now that sounds very realistic.
— When I heard those rumors, I thought: «Well, that's probably true». But was any of that actually the case?
Shigeno: I don't think so. On the contrary, I felt as if I was a Grand Prix rider myself. I immersed myself in that harsh world and even enjoyed it. Of course, there were times when the work felt incredibly tough, the tension was constant and went on for quite a while. Especially in the second half, when the battle for the title intensified and the head-to-head race began. And the moment when the tension eased was truly satisfying. That’s exactly what happened in the last chapter.
The goal of «Initial D» is to create harmony between entertainment and emotion
— After eight years of hard work, I somehow thought you'd want to take a little break. But then the romantic comedy «Tunnel Nuketara Sky Blue» was about to begin.
Shigeno: Yes. I started it almost right away. Only a short time had passed since the end of «Bari Bari Densetsu». That summer, I went to Niigata for a short visit. Officially for gathering material. For a month, I think? No, even less.
— That's when Hachiroku appeared.
Shigeno: I really enjoyed drawing it. It was something new, something different from what I had done before.
— Hachiroku also appeared in the «Aro as No.1»³ one-shot. You drew it back when «Bari Bari Densetsu» was releasing, just before Hideyoshi's death. So, I imagine that's when you were riding the serpentines in the Hachiroku.
Shigeno: Just a little. Nobody knew about it. (laughs) I thought Hachiroku was incredibly cute, and I was completely captivated by this car.
— This love has lasted a long time, hasn’t it?
Shigeno: Right. If I like something, I use it for a long time and take care of it. For example, this watch has been with me for twenty-three years. Incredible! It still works. The straps break, of course, but the mechanism itself doesn't. I decided that if it ever breaks, I’ll finally buy myself a cool watch. And so it's been ten years.
— You don’t seem to attach much importance to things. When I met you in person, you seemed like an easygoing person, living without unnecessary stress. But in your manga, it's the opposite: passion and constant motion. Could it be said that something like that hidden inside you?
Shigeno: That's true, there's the difference between me and my works. But creating such a pleasant world, just like a fairy tale, is my ideal. Both «Bari Bari Densetsu» and «Initial D» are ideal worlds for motorcycle and car enthusiasts, so I'm working hard to make my ideals come true. That's why I'm really captivated by it. I think it's some kind of continuation of my childhood dreams.
— By the way, you used the same photo in «Bari Bari Densetsu» for quite a while.
Shigeno: Yes. I thought there's no point in changing it. But I started getting letters from complaining readers: «It's always the same photo!». So I began changing it every time.
— Besides, you can’t even see your face in that photo.
Shigeno: Right. I felt there was no need to show my face unnecessarily.
— When I looked at photos like that, I thought you were very grumpy and that you didn't really like to appear in public. And you also seemed really blunt, since you draw manga like that. And at the slightest provocation, you might get angry and say: «Fuck you!». That’s why I was very skeptical about whether you’d agree to an interview.
Shigeno: I see. It's a really interesting vision.
— So I was surprised by the difference.
Shigeno: I think I'm actually quite irritable when I'm working. But outside of work, I relax. Especially lately.
— In «Tunnel Nuketara Sky Blue» all the tension from before just vanished, and I thought: «Maybe Shigeno-sensei wanted to draw something like this?». I had the same feeling with «DO-P-KAN», a manga about track and field.
Shigeno: Both of these mangas were fun to draw. I was satisfyed with them, but it turned out that the readers’ expectations were a little different.
— «DO-P-KAN» didn't become as successful as such harsh works like «Initial D» and «Bari Bari Densetsu». And I'm once again convinced that Japan is exactly that kind of country.
Shigeno: «That kind of country», right. I felt the full weight of creating work that depends on popularity. But I still managed to draw all ten volumes of «DO-P-KAN». Since I was able to complete that many, I think I've done everything I wanted.
— This lasted for almost four years.
Shigeno: Even though I was satisfied with the work, the readers felt something was missing. Between them and me, the gap was starting to form. And what I learned from that experience turned out to be very useful for «Initial D». After that, I started striving for a balance between entertainment and emotion. I used to think I could draw whatever I wanted. But eventually, I realized that wasn't true and that I needed to approach my subject matter more carefully. I realized it then, even if it was a little late.
First Part
Second Part
Notes:
«I've been to about three countries,» but then only two mentioned¹ — yes, that's what it says in the text. Either the third country is Japan, or they decided not to mention it.
«Tunnel Nuketara Sky ☆ Blue»² is one of Shigeno-sensei's earliest works. It was serialized in 1992.
«Aro as No.1»³ — a one-shot included in the «Memory Snow» collection. It was released in «Fresh Magazine» in 1985. As with «Amerikan de Kanpai!» one-shot, mentioned in the previous part of the interview, there is virtually no information about it.