Paper Talk Special: YOSHIHARA Rieko's interview (1989)
โRiki is an almost full-grown black pantherโ
YOSHIHARA Rieko has written in a wide variety of genres, from high-school stories to fantasy and science fiction. If there is one thing her characters, like Aki and Kacchan or Iason and Riki, have in common, itโs their impressive charisma. We had the opportunity to ask her more about Ai no kusabi in this interview.
Pen nameโs origin: My birth name. My family name changed when I got married, so I thought โnobody would know itโs me!โ.
Date of birth: October 4th, 1954
Place of birth and residence: born in Fukuoka Prefecture, living in Kumamoto Prefecture
What made you send your manuscript to the magazine: It had been a long nightโฆ
1. What made you start writing Ai no kusabi?
I didnโt reallyโฆ want to write about โpure loveโ in a science fiction setting (ah ah ah), because I wanted to write about an โencounterโ than would not just be casual, the bonds it would create and the various feelings they would draw along.
2. Which character can you empathize with the most?
Probably Riki, as one could expect. Because, even though he has a sharp tongue and is quite mature, his way of thinking is fundamentally straight. Him running around struggling yet unable to act, because heโs caught between two feelings of different natures, makes him seductive, I like it.
3. What is your favourite scene? And what is a line you like?
My favourite, hmmโฆ It would have to be the scene where Katze cries while stifling his voice. But I also cannot put aside the scene where Riki is kept waiting in vain in the rain by Guyโฆ As for the lines, those would be โthereโs no way Iโm letting him die aloneโ or โyou may be able to look the other way despite everything, but Iโฆ wouldnโt be worth more than trash if I did. I couldnโt go on living.โ
4. Could you tell us about the creation process of the characters, like Riki and Iason? (size, weight, blood type, date of birth, etc.)
I had their personality roughly figured out, so I didnโt think about their finer characteristics, butโฆ
Riki: Because heโs a slum mongrel, I pictured him as an almost full-grown black panther. Not frail, but slender and lithe. As for his appearance, his intelligence shines through the strength of his obstinate spirit, thatโs all.
Iason: Since heโs an absolutely perfect member of the elite and the Black Marketโs king, he should definitely be like the God of the Sun Apollo, but raised in the depths of the sea (or something). Heโs shrewd and good-looking, incredibly proud, and wouldnโt collapse under any circumstances. Regarding his height, all things considered, heโs a head taller that Riki.
Guy: In my first draft, he was a tolerant and broad-minded herbivorous felidโฆ that was my intention, but I wonder where and how things went wrong.
Raoul: His looks, intellect and handsomeness are on par with Iasonโs. He has a sense of humour and, even more than Iason, nerves of steel.
Katze: Went from being raised in the slums to being a Furniture in Eos to being a broker on the black market. Putting aside the protagonists, heโs the one with the most dramatic life, so thatโs probably why I gave him a tragic handicap, like being a scarface or being a man without manhoodโฆ
Kirie: Representing slum dwellers in their late teens, heโs overconfident and reckless. He has a very limited worldview, so heโs the most fragile yet also the most dangerous character.
5. Concerning the way you chose the charactersโ names, you previously said you were โdrawn to the โdragonโ kanjiโ, were you fixated on something like that for Ai no kusabi?
This time I wanted to give them names that would fit their character, soโฆ I gave Riki a name conveying โpowerโ (riki is one of the few ways to read the kanji meaning โpowerโ), I named Iason after a hero from Greek mythology, and Guy after the goddess of the Earth, Gaia, for his ability to embrace everything. But when you list them, theyโre not consistent. All things considered, you could say theyโre just far-fetched choices, ah ah ahโฆ
6. Writing Ai no kusabi, what did you enjoy? What did you find difficult?
For the most of it, the story was ever changing with the charactersโ feelings, so until I had reached the ending, I had fun worrying (somehow) while writing. Difficult things that would bring wrinkles to my forehead, I tend not to think too much about them.
7. A number of different types of Pet Rings appear in readersโ four-case mangas, but how do you picture them yourself?
No, well, when it comes to Rikiโs, its basic image was something like Sun Wukongโs circlet. Looking at it like this makes Journey to the West quite salacious tooโฆ donโt you think?
8. Could you tell us your thoughts about the cassette adaptation?
I thought โAre you sure we can really do that?โโฆ but when it became real, well, I mean, ah ah ah, what could I say? As you know, this work involves many human relationships, some violent lines, and itโs quite heavy on that. โHow can we make all that fit in 60 minutes?โ I wonderedโฆ When I heard the tape for the first time, it dawned on me that letters and voices are truly two completely different things, obviously. I wrote it, so itโs weird for me to say that, but I thought โcan I really make Mr SEKI and Mr SHIOZAWA say those things?โโฆ on the other hand, when I wondered what faces they made then, Tokyo felt so far awayโฆ So those were my thoughts. But everyone used their beautiful voice to give impassioned performances, so Iโm very happy!
9. And lastly, what is June to you?
A breather between child rearing and house chores, a teatime friendโฆ or something like that.
(October 1989)
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