Ai Yazawa's thoughts on NANA's characters Pt.2
It’s been a few months since I made part 1... My mook (The World of NANA) went on a LONG trip lol, but I decided to post this even after all this time in case someone still hasn’t had the chance to read it!
If you repost this translation please give due credit.
[1] Layla Serizawa (Reira): To other people, Reira looks like a high-class, privileged woman. But to herself, living feels painful, doesn’t it? I kept wondering why, and I think the main reason is that she has an excessively strong attachment to people. She’s the number one character I want to find her own happiness. Her long, wavy hair suits her perfectly, but it's also the hardest one to draw and takes a lot of time.
[2] Naoki Fujieda: In NANA, he’s the only valuable character who doesn’t get caught up in the swamp [is often used to describe complicated situations] of human drama. Even his one-shot was created without any trouble and was finished in no time. Although he doesn’t appear much, he’s the number one student. He’s a character who gives off energy even to the person drawing him. By the way, Naoki likes glam rock, and he thinks it’s because of his mom’s influence, but it’s not (laughs). [it’s her influence.]
[3] Junko Saotome: My friends say her bossy side is just like me, but I’m not that strict, right!? Sorry (laughs). Junko is the kind of person who’s strict even with herself and has trouble relying on others, so I think it was really good that she met Kyousuke.
[4] Kyosuke Takakura: Among all my characters, he is one of my favorites. Even with his stylish hair and firm posture, he doesn’t give off any sense of pressure. There’s no pretense or duplicity in him. He has a relaxed, natural vibe. I wish I could be like that too… but how would I even do it? (laughs).
[5] Shoji Endo: I thought, in a way, it was inevitable for Shoji to be attracted to Sachiko, but getting involved with Hachi and Sachiko at the same time was really a mistake, wasn’t it? His kindness ended up turning against him, and Shoji, who doesn’t have a trace of malice, ended up acting like a cheating man. Human beings really are fascinating.
[6] Sachiko Kawamura: She ended up in the role of Hachi’s antagonist, and the reaction was so strong it made me want to make a one-shot to defend her. Just to be clear, the reason Sachiko always wears high heels is because she’s insecure about being short. Maybe it’s not even on purpose, you know?
- Bonus - (They're in Heibonsha’s mook preview)
[7] Miu Shinoda: Miu has a rather complicated background, but I haven’t had the chance to show much of her yet. Still, sometimes it’s more interesting to leave her with that mysterious air; besides, there’s also the matter of keeping the story balanced. It’s always hard to decide how much of a character to show and how far to go with it.
[8] Asami Matsumoto (Yuri Kosaka): Yuri and Miu are characters I only included because I thought “maybe it’d be weird if no one lived in the dorm,” but they ended up dating two popular characters. You really never know what’s going to happen. Yuri isn’t very well received by readers, but I like her because the things she says and does are funny.
[9] Ginpei Moroboshi: When Blast’s debut was decided, even though I created the character in a rush, I was happy that a stronger type had emerged (laughs). Besides, he sometimes even says pretty wise things. Blast without Ginpei as their manager is something I cannot even imagine; I really like him.
[10] Mai Tsuzuki: Misato-chan speaks so formally with everyone; I secretly wish someone would show up so she could talk to more casually. But that’s kinda hard, right? She wears VW with a different vibe from Nana, so it’s really fun to think about the outfit combinations for her.
