I Could Buy a Small Pot Pie on Sale with $4.50 Instead, But Here I Am (Keroro Fan Club Mine Yoshizaki Q&A Translations, Part 4)
Another month, another Q&A round! Sorry for the relative inactivity, I’ve been sorta hyperfixation jumping lately so haven’t had much to say. But I still have all these juicy deets for you as usual.
Q: Why did Shin Keroro-kun choose the Keroro Platoon’s styles?
A: He sort of became obsessed with them in a little kid way. Rather than necessarily because they’re really strong or cool, they must’ve just “felt right.”
Q: In the series, there’s scenes that show signs of Tamama having feelings for Keroro and Kururu having feelings for Giroro, but what’s the truth of the matter…?
A: It seems to me like you’re the kind of person who notices signs that others can’t. Tamama likes Keroro well enough.* What Kururu feels is probably something undefinable.
*TL Note: Yoshizaki says 普通に好き here, which is gives a “like it but not love it” tone, though a newer usage of 普通に can also mean “really” (adverbial). That said, 好き is in itself ambiguous as it can either mean romantic or “like” in a general sense. I still think the implication is Tamama is not exactly crazy about Keroro anymore but who knows.
Q: Are there any hobbies you gained an interest in thanks to manga and/or anime? And I would love to hear if you have any particular hobbies these days!
A: I started drawing manga thanks to watching Doraemon as a child. It was obviously just for fun rather than for work back then, so I’ve always felt like my hobby became my job, even to this day. Oh, and I’d also say Gunpla! And motorcycles!
Q: Which character’s design gave you the most difficulty, and which gave you the least?
A: I’m always racing against my deadlines when designing characters, so I haven’t fussed over any in particular. If I had to name something, Alisa-chan’s outfit changes a lot because I’m always wondering how I can make her even cuter.
Q: How did the Keronians learn to read and write Earth languages? (I know the anti-barriers have built-in automatic translation technology, but that wouldn’t let them read text, right? If that’s the case, do they study other planets’ languages on Keron? Or maybe they can choose a language to know like how Little Platoon [Shin Keroro]-kun chose his styles?
A: I imagine basic languages were installed into them via space technology before they invaded Earth. That means they can read too. After they began their investigation of the planet, they committed trends and customs in real time to their memory.
Q: Who is the most popular Keroro Platoon member and Garuru Platoon member on Keron?
A: Garuru is the most popular by far, but I think Keroro might have a rabid fanbase of his own as well.
Q: We all know Fuyuki-kun is usually mild-mannered and kind, but when he snaps, does he still make that super scary pissed-off expression that makes everyone around turn white as a sheet?
A: Those nightmare scenes are still hidden away off-screen in the lives of the characters. I’m very concerned about whether I can actually draw the oh-crap expression.
Q: I’ve been attempting to draw manga, and I’ve come to deeply sympathize with the mangaka who can’t solidify their setting and story or can’t make it past the storyboarding stage. What kind of advice would you give to novice manga artists?
A: I think the ability to physically draw manga and the ability to come up with a story are actually a little different. But a manga doesn’t really feel like a complete work unless it hits a lengthy enough page count. So you should try setting a goal of, say, ten pages, and just draw those ten pages all the way through even if you don’t have a story set in stone. You can even pick five or two pages instead. If you draw eight pages, you can maybe squeeze that into an acceptable manuscript submission or online post. If you draw a full work like this at least one time, you’ll be able to look back at certain points and say, “Ah, so this is what I couldn’t fit in.” If you take those reflections into account the next time you draw manga and try to rectify them, you just might get closer and closer to your ideal manga every time.
That’s all for this month! As always, let me know your thoughts if you have any, though admittedly I found this to be a less interesting batch than some previous ones besides maybe the language question.
