[Free Talk: This is a question and answer interview with SB’s Nakamura-sensei from Taiwanese fans. It is published in the Taiwanese magazine. I think it is the one that used to publish ‘The One’. It can be found in baidu and it was requested not to spread the scans around so no pictures here but then, it is mostly text. ^^; PS. Read at your own risk since you might be a bit disillusioned ^^;]
Q1: Can I ask Nakamura-sensei, who do you think is cooler, Ren or Fuwa Shou, who is the number one lead guy?
Answer (in short form): If you’re asking who is cooler = the type that I like, then really regretfully, neither of these two guys is the type that I like. (laughs) So, for me, these two guys cannot become the number one lead guy. [<- iirc, Nakamura-sensei wrote before that she likes ‘middle aged/older men’ in TCP..like the bodyguard there. I get a feeling that she likes Lory or probably, Kuu =P ]
Q2: Because it isn’t easy to conceptualize the contents [/details] of a long series, can I ask Nakamura-sensi, where do you get your inspiration from?
Answer: There was no very long preparation when it started to serialize so from the start, I didn’t think well on how to progress the story’s future. So, every time I draw the series, at one side I look at the storyboard paper and on the other side, ponder on the next chapter of the story as if my life depended on it. (laughs)
Q3: Nakamura-sensei’s drawing of handsome guys is so handsome that I’m going to turn over ♥ [<- I think the fan is a guy] Can I ask if there are some actors or perhaps models that you use as reference?
Answer: Thank you for the reader’s praise. I match the role with the work’s [/story’s] function and portray it out. There is no particular person used as reference.
Q4: Can I ask how many assistants does Nakamura-sensei have?
Answer: All together, there are seven people wherein there are five people who are regular assistants.
Q5: Can I ask Nakamura-sensei how come Skip Beat used this subject matter for this type of story? In addition, who is the mangaka whom you first got in touch with? Thanks!
Answer: Before I drew Skip Beat, the earliest decision is the role of Kyouko. Basically, I’m planning it out as an academy [gakuen] story, but it just so happen at that time, the magazine has some other academy story. [Gakuen Alice?] At the beginning, it is a bit similar with Skip Beat. So, I want to change the story’s setting. The role of Kyouko is depending on hatred’s power to strive on. In the preferences [/set-up] of shoujo lead characters, it can be said that she is gloomy, added to that is, my recently completed series is a gangster story, so we thought that it is best to change the setting to a bright and beautiful set-up that has a shoujo style so the story’s setting was chosen to be showbiz world. [Ah, the follow-up question wasn’t answered.]
Q6: Can I ask Nakamura-sensei how is this character created? When designing the female lead, do you encounter any difficulties?
Answer: This Kyouko role, is from before I debuted as a mangaka. While working at a different job, the negative feelings became data to portray it out. Thanks to that, my dark side became the source material. So at the time of the publication, in order for the shoujo readers to accept her, I was very cautious in the way of expressing the dark side. Also, when I was designing Kyouko’s appearance, it was because of the revision of the editor-in-charge, which caused me to be late [/slow] and unable to decide on the hairstyle that it caused me a lot of hardships.
Q7: Can I ask when the manga was made into a television drama, did sensei went to the shooting site to watch?
Answer: I wanted to look around the television drama’s shooting site. I also want to watch the movie’s shooting site. I want to know the differences of the two shooting site.
Q8: Skip Beat’s [? I cannot read it], sensei’s work is quite high, can I ask sensei how far is the current distance to the ending in sensei’s mind?
Answer: I can already see the end.. But I cannot predict how long I can finish drawing it.
Q9: Please ask Nakamura-sensei, aside from Skip Beat lengthy series, does she predict that there will be other short stories or perhaps side stories?
Answer: None. If it is Skip Beat’s spin-offs, I want to draw Kuu Hizuri, a story about working hard to become successful after he moved his base of operations to United States.
Q10: MVP wa Yuzurenai, Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Skip Beat’s female leads are all short-haired, can I ask sensei if she prefers short-haired girls or there is some other thoughts about it?
Answer: I don’t specially prefer short hair, but then, it is true that the above-mentioned works have short haired female leads..before the serialization, when setting up the role’s proposal, Kyouko is basically also long haired..I think that one day, I’ll draw a long haired female lead.
Q11: In Skip Beat, when Kyouko and others went to shoot at Guam, can I ask sensei if she specifically went abroad to collect data?
Answer: Going abroad to collect data, I really went to Guam. In the series, the room that Kyouko stayed in obviously had Japanese styled decors (Kanei coin currency). At that time, in the hotel where I stayed, there is really such a thing. I felt that it is very interesting so I used it in the manga.
Message: I have received everyone’s love (questions). It’s really regretful that I cannot answer all the questions but I’m really happy that everyone is looking at my work. I’ll also work hard to create this work from today on to make everyone ‘unknowingly not know why but will pick up and look at it’. While drinking tea, will look at Skip Beat. While passing time, will also look at Skip Beat. Yoroshiku!
