the untamed connotations @untamedconnotations - Tumblr Blog

May 6, 2023

Google translated with minor edits from this Chinese translation by kirara_frisk:

Subaru June 2023 Moxiang Tongxiu x Brackets x Wataya Risa interview

(T/N: It's only for friends to exchange, please support the purchase of genuine magazines as much as possible. The blogger's level is limited. If there are any omissions in the translation, please point them out. It is forbidden to take the meaning out of context.)

The Elements Necessary To Create A Good Story Collaboration: MiMi Record: Watayake Kaho Interpreter: Yin Qingqing

The Chinese fantasy genre novel "Mo Dao Zu Shi", which is also explosively popular in Japan. Active in the world of fairy tales in ancient China, the free-spirited genius practitioner Wei Wuxian and his destined man Lan Wangji, the novel depicts a magnificent story based on the bond and love of these two people, which has undergone a TV drama transformation, animation and other multimedia adaptations have also shown more enthusiastic responses around the world.

Among the various spin-offs, which was translated earlier than the novel version——the radio drama "Mo Dao Zu Shi", which was the first to land in Japan and most faithfully reproduced the original work, will finally usher in the third season of climax in August this year. As a commemoration, the original author Ms. Moxiang Tongxiu, Mrs. Brackets who served as the supervisor of the radio drama project, and Ms. Wataya Risa, the writer who has always been interested in Chinese and is a big fan of "Mo Dao Zu Shi", conducted an in-depth discussion on the world of the work.

Chinese fantasy as a genre

Wataya: "Mo Dao Zu Shi" is also very popular in Japan. When the Japanese version of the novel came out, I was so looking forward to it that I waited in line before the bookstore opened. This work is a "fantasy novel with China as the background stage", so there are some settings that I am not familiar with, but after consulting the information, I feel that my understanding of the work has deepened, which makes me very happy. In addition, since Kanji is also used in Japan, images such as names of people and places can be directly conveyed, which makes the worldview easier to understand. Teacher Mo Xiang, when this work became popular abroad, how did you feel?

Mo Xiang: I never thought that my works would be read by overseas readers. I am very happy and surprised at the same time. I was also surprised when I heard from friends that Ms. Wataya liked it. Thank you so much.

Wataya: For Japanese readers, the Chinese fantasy world is very fresh. Long-haired characters fly in the air by manipulating celestial arts, sometimes showing gorgeous moves, and sometimes engaging in fierce power struggles. The Eden-like environment, the solemn palace, or the haunted haunted house are all exciting. Why did you choose the fantasy theme for the setting?

Mo Xiang: Because I liked Chinese traditional culture very much. If I want to describe it, I prefer old palace gardens and natural scenery such as mountains and rivers to modern high-rise buildings. I also prefer characters with flowing hair in Hanfu to modern clothing.

Wataya: Is there anything that can only be written about fantasy subjects?

Mo Xiang: This category is very free, you can write about anything. For example, a beautiful woman who has never aged or died for hundreds of years, or a monster who will not die for hundreds of years. The imagination that cannot be used in the real world can be used here.

Wataya: I see. What are the characteristics of Chinese fantasy novels compared with those of other countries?

Mo Xiang: It may be that it feels different when depicting those traditional feelings that only Chinese people can understand. For example, other countries may have a different sense of blood ties between family members.

Wataya: Indeed, it is rare for Japan to feel such a deep family relationship through novels, so MDZS’s work is refreshing. In contrast, what do you think is the reason why this novel is also popular abroad?

Mo Xiang: Maybe it's because everyone focuses on the characters and their emotions, rather than the background and setting of the work.

Wataya: I understand. The character creations are all excellent.

Mo Xiang: It may also be because my private design is relatively simple and easy to accept. For example, when I was writing, I was obsessed with the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. So I read a lot of relevant materials, and the power structure mentioned in the work also refers to certain Wei and Jin regimes. But when it comes to actually adding these elements to the story, I need to make it more concise and understandable. I didn't add too complicated settings, because basically I only wanted to describe the story of a big family, so I thought of using a setting like "Hundreds of Immortal Cultivators". For another example, if you know the setting of a wizard flying on a broom, it must not be difficult to understand the setting of flying with a sword.

Wataya: This is the first time I have read the scene of exchanging golden core and flying with the sword. Both of these are interspersed very neatly throughout the story. It's really an excellent setup.

Mo Xiang: The concept of golden core may be a bit difficult for people from other countries to understand. And the golden core that appears in my works is a bit different from the golden core that appears in other Chinese works. Readers just think of it as a "spiritually endowed bodily organ". There is also an explanation in the novel that "the so-called golden core is a elixir that is formed in the monk's body after he has cultivated to a certain level, and is used to store and circulate spiritual energy." My friends complained to me and said: "The golden core is actually used as an existence that can be transplanted. I have never seen such an absurd setting."

Wataya: I also want to ask Brackets teacher's opinion. Fantasy works set in China are being broadcast in Japan in the form of radio dramas. Is there anything I should pay attention to? Is there anything surprising here in Japan, or something new to discover?

Brackets: The most important and hardest to overcome are cultural differences. "Mo Dao Zu Shi" is a work that contains elements of Xianxia and martial arts. It may be a bit similar to ninjas and samurai for the Japanese, and it is a very familiar setting for the Chinese, but it may not be the case for foreigners. It takes a lot of effort to translate technical terms. In addition, because the Japanese version of the novel had not yet been published at that time, a lot of discussions were carried out when making the script. The details were repeatedly deliberated, and the workload in the initial stage became very large.

Wataya: How do you feel about the popularity of the Japanese radio drama?

Brackets: At first I was just pleasantly surprised by the opportunity to express my work in a language other than Chinese. Not too much attention has been paid to whether it is popular or not. After that, the joint cafe event started, and I was really surprised when I received photos of the event site from a friend who lives in Japan. It is indeed very popular! I am very happy.

The Way of Describing the Protagonist in "Mo Dao Zu Shi"

Wataya: One of the charms of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" is that the characters on the scene are portrayed in multiple layers. Even a character who is regarded as a villain or an enemy will explain his background and entanglements. I sometimes feel that some scenes pay more attention to the portrayal of the deep psychological connection between the characters than the storyline. In terms of depicting psychological relationships, is there anything that needs to be emphasized?

Mo Xiang: My belief is: "Let the characters communicate more with each other first, and then describe them. Let the characters have a lot of dialogue in my mind first. In this way, I can feel that the feelings of the characters are real from the bottom of my heart. Yes. At this point, you can naturally imagine the way the characters speak and behave. Similar to the interpersonal relationship in reality, you have to spend enough time to let the characters grow and brew a certain amount of emotion before you can start writing the story. So I create very slowly.

Wataya: How long did it take you to finish writing "Mo Dao Zu Shi"?

Mo Xiang: When I was in my senior year, I started to conceive when I was about to graduate, and it took about ten months to write the outline. Although it was serialized on the Internet at the time, the serialization itself took five months to complete.

Wataya: So quickly!

Mo Xiang: "Mo Dao Zu Shi" is my second work, and I have only completed one before this. So there is still a lot of room for imagination. In fact, I had a lot of ideas from a long time ago, and then I started to write in my spare time when I was about to graduate in my senior year. After the actual serialization started, I felt that it went smoothly, and I felt that the writing speed also became faster.

Wataya: That’s right, it’s amazing. Back to the topic of characters, although Wei Wuxian, one of the protagonists, is deeply misunderstood by the people around him, he is always a kind-hearted character. And also very talkative. Even in the love scene, he talks non-stop, but he doesn't lose his luster at all. It made him look very attractive.

Mo Xiang: I think Wei Wuxian is a very interesting character. If we became friends with him, there should be no one who would hate him. I love his loving side. Whether it is a partner, family member, friend, passer-by or a child, he will take the lead in expressing love and take serious actions to implement it. Such a character is very important to me, and to the relationship between him and Lan Wangji. If anything, I empathize with Lan Wangji more, so for me, Wei Wuxian as a charismatic character is crucial. If I can't make me feel that "Lan Wangji will definitely fall in love with Wei Wuxian, and this feeling will be so strong that he will never forget it", then I can't convince myself to believe in their love and continue to write. Since the relationship between these two people is a very important element in the work, I thought a lot about it.

Wataya: I see. Although Lan Wangji is very seldom talkative, his desire to protect Wei Wuxian with practical actions is overflowing, and he is a character that makes people feel sincere. I also like the fact that he can't drink too much and becomes active when drunk.

Mo Xiang: Lan Wangji is a lovely person! Although on the surface he is tough and unfamiliar, but when he falls in love with someone, he has a pure and delicate mind like a girl. Feeling shy, crying, jealous, indecisive, worrying alone... I like this kind of attack the most! The setting of Weak Wine is also to show Lan Wangji's cuteness. I think the slightly childish Gong is cute.

Wataya: The headband he wears on his forehead is similar to what is called a headband in Japan. It is also interesting that headband is equivalent to the regulation of self-rationality.

Mo Xiang: In fact, headband often appears in the description of clothing in Chinese classical literature. So I think it is a kind of ancient Chinese aristocratic jewelry, which was added to the image of the Gusu Lan family in order to emphasize the nobility, but did not give it too much meaning at the time. However, after investigation, it was found that in ancient China, there was a ritual ethics of "restraining oneself and restoring rituals", and this kind of enlightenment is also reflected in clothing and jewelry. For example, hair accessories like "buyao" have the meaning of "correct posture" in it... If the buyao makes a sound when walking, you need to adjust your posture. Although the headband seems to have no special meaning, but "Restraint" is reminiscent of "self-restraint". After considering the ethics of ancient Chinese, I evolved this setting into "restrain oneself".

Wataya: Ah, I see. The plot related to the headband is quite interesting. Although looking at the full text, there are many painful and sad plots, but after adding such interesting plots, the mood will become very happy.

Mo Xiang: If it's all about sorrow, readers will run away. By the way, the point mentioned in the work that "the headband should not be touched by others except those who are destined" came to me suddenly during the writing process. I often read Chinese classical martial arts novels, and the female characters often appear in such situations as "you have seen my face, please marry me!" or "you have touched my hand, please take responsibility!". But I was thinking: "Why do women always say such things?" So I wanted to try a similar setting on the male character's Lan Wangji, adding meaning to the headband. It may be interesting to apply the feeling of panic and panic to male characters when the morality and ethics of this kind of etiquette are destroyed.

Wataya: I see, it's very interesting. Today, via the headband, I feel that I have a better understanding of the relationship between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Having said that, what is the teacher's opinion on the charm of the protagonists?

Brackets: Since the novel is centered on Wei Wuxian's perspective, Wei Wuxian's charm is very easy to understand. On the whole, he is very "fresh". I especially like the scene where they go to Xuanwu Cave, Wei Wuxian teases Mianmian, and when the two are alone, they annoy Lan Wangji. To actually provoke that Lan Wangji to the point of biting? Readers gritted their teeth and said, "Stop being so glamorous! Take too much liberty!" But before they knew it, they found themselves drawn to him.

Lan Wangji, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Wei Wuxian. As a noble and calm Gong like a flower of Gaoling, he always looks very cute every time he is troubled by Wei Wuxian. There are many gaps about him in the book, and readers need to supplement their understanding. But it is also worth savoring more precisely because of this. For example, although Lan Wangji seems to have always maintained a taciturn image, he has been attracted to Wei Wuxian since he was a teenager. I think he is full of longing for Wei Wuxian's free posture deep in his heart. In addition, there are similarities in the depths of the two souls. That's one of the reasons why they love each other.

Charm of the character

Wataya: Among the characters, my favorite is the brothers Nie Huaisang and Nie Mingjue. As I read, I prayed that House of Nie would not fall into ruin.

Mo Xiang: I'm so shocked, I haven't seen many comments about liking these two brothers. On behalf of the brothers, I would like to express my gratitude to Wataya-san! Nie Mingjue was born out of my thinking of "creating a character that is completely opposite to the soft Jin Guangyao". Nie Mingjue who "would rather break than bend" and Jin Guangyao who "would rather bend than break". I thought about the contrast between the character of justice and the character of tact, and created the character. A cunning person like Jin Guangyao would feel powerless and want to run away after encountering the vicious Nie Mingjue. The scenes of the two of them are also very interesting to write. Although it is not fun for the two of them themselves.

Wataya: Nie Huaisang is very smart, while Nie Mingjue is still acting after his body has been dismembered. I absolutely love the very different lifestyles of these two brothers.

Mo Xiang: The greater the contrast between characters, the more conflicts and changes between them can be shown. It also makes the story more engaging. Nie Huaisang was created based on Nie Mingjue. Contrary to Nie Mingjue, who uses a knife as a weapon and is bold and upright on the outside, Nie Huaisang, who looks cowardly but has foresight. Qinghe Nie's character setting was actually completed very early.

Wataya: The characters in "Mo Dao Zu Shi" will become different adults depending on their relationship with their parents. Regarding blood relationship and kinship, what are your thoughts on writing?

Mo Xiang: I think the growth environment is a very important factor for a person. The happiness and suffering of the parents will have an impact on the growth of the children. And the child will reflect some characteristics of the parents. When we see that parent and child overlap in subtle ways, we feel that the bond between the family is credible.

Wataya: There are several characters in the novel who experienced hardships in their childhood. Jin Guangyao, Xue Yang and Wei Wuxian. The character who suffered misfortune when he was young and later became a villain, and the character who has always maintained a good heart, both of them have been inked in the work.

Mo Xiang: Actually, I was the last to think about the childhood plot. The way I write it is to first conceive the most glorious scenes in the character's life, then add various developments from there, and childhood as a supplement at the end. Then the parent-related plots are added after this. The parents of the main character have an additional role, and their settings are also reversed and perfected from the main character.

For example, I first conceived the character of the protagonist Wei Wuxian, and then considered what kind of parents could raise such a child. Set the roles of his parents according to his personality.

From a realistic point of view and story development, parents affect children. But from the logic of the novel's conception, the role setting of the child affects the role setting of the parents.

Wataya: Which character is your favorite teacher in parentheses?

Brackets: No matter which character I like very much, if I had to choose one, it would be A-Qing! Before I made the radio drama Mo Dao Zu Shi, I created a fan song on the Internet with the Yicheng chapter as the background, in which I played the role of A-Qing. Yicheng is a complicated chapter where love and hatred intertwine, and A-Qing is the one that makes my heart hurt the most. Qing, that is, small bamboo. As the name suggests, although she is weak, she is very strong. Her bravery and persistence of never giving up moved me.

How the story is written

Wataya: "Mo Dao Zu Shi" not only has sweet scenes, but also many painful scenes. After depicting sadistic scenes of horrific deaths, there are scenes of characters chatting happily or falling in love, and it's a rollercoaster ride that keeps the reader tortured and happy. Are you writing this consciously?

Mo Xiang: If you only write sad and bitter plots, readers will run away. But on the contrary, happiness and joy are relatively light emotions. If you only write about these, readers will not be too much stimulated or shocked. Therefore, I pay attention to the balance between writing.

Brackets: If the same emotional state is maintained all the time, the stimulation becomes thinner and people gradually become bored. But if the cut is well timed, the emotions of the reader (or listener in the case of a radio play) will ebb and flow with the storyline. The original work of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" has a very good rhythm, so the story frame was not changed when writing the radio script, and the advantages of the original work were effectively used.

Wataya: Do you feel sad when you write sad scenes, and happy when you write happy scenes?

Mo Xiang: In the case of "Mo Dao Zu Shi", in sad scenes, I will watch the development of the storyline like a bystander. In happy scenes, I feel joy together like a member of the character.

Wataya: That would be great. There are too many abuse scenes in this work, so I thought it would be difficult. When I read "Mo Dao Zu Shi", I felt that Teacher Mo Xiang seemed to have a very vast world with many people in his mind. Where does Mo Xiang's rich imagination come from?

Mo Xiang: In terms of imagination, I think it is very important to go to various places to see different scenery and different people. That is, go out more. But for the creation of characters, it is important to observe others, but even more important is to dig into the depths of one's own heart.

When I was a child, I read stories about Alexandre Dumas, Hugo, Balzac, or any other world-renowned writer. A writer who is talking to himself, crying or laughing alone in the room, friends who visit him will always worry about "Is this guy's brain okay" when he sees his state of mind. But when the friend was about to open the door and leave, the writer said, "There's no need to worry about me. I'm just writing fiction."

Wataya: The feeling of unraveling the mystery from the precise foreshadowing long biography is one of the pleasures of reading Moxiang's works. The part mentioned at the beginning of the work suddenly finds that it becomes the key to the whole story in an unexpected way in the second half. There will also be a feeling of reading the information left by the author. Is this a creation that has been carefully thought out and conceived beforehand?

Mo Xiang: I will start to formally write after I have conceived the outline and plot structure in detail. About 80% is the content that was thought out beforehand, and 20% is the part that was added on the spur of the moment during the writing process. I think the plot structure is very important.

The charm of radio drama

Wataya: I would like to ask about the part of the radio drama "Mo Dao Zu Shi". I have the impression that radio dramas are very faithful to the original. How much did Ms. Mo Xiang participate in the performance of radio dramas?

Mo Xiang: At the initial stage of radio drama production, I talked with Brackets who supervised the project about the overall direction. We have a good relationship. The brackets will confirm my request every time. I really believe in her ability, so I basically leave it to her to do it. Sometimes I also convey my idea to her and ask her to help realize it. But basically Brackets are almost all responsible. She has a strong ability to organize and control, and can keenly understand the subtle emotions of characters. She also has a lot of interesting and original ideas and can explain them vividly, making it a pleasure to communicate with her. She is not only an excellent creator, but also an excellent reader. I am very grateful to be able to produce such a high-quality work.

Wataya: Novelists are always lonely, so it's great that you have found such a work partner. Did Ms. Brackets come into contact with "Mo Dao Zu Shi" before starting work?

Brackets: Actually, I followed it during the online serialization period. I started to read it when the serialization reached about 30 episodes. It happened to be the time when I was preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination. The daily update of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" was my boring life. spiritual food. It is different from reading it in one breath. If you follow up every day, you will think about the story in your mind after reading it. "How will the story develop after this?" "When will Wei Wuxian respond to Lan Wangji's feelings!" "Who is behind all this?!" We discussed together and read interesting analysis, it was really a happy time.

Wataya: Because of the rich expressiveness of voice actors in radio dramas, they can convey the situation very clearly. Is there anything that needs to be paid attention to in how to express the inner activities of the characters?

Brackets: How to express the inner activities of the characters on the stage depends to a large extent on the acting skills of the voice actors. In the Japanese version, I participated in the remote recording and provided feedback and corrections for each detailed scene. As for the direction of character performance in important scenes, it is necessary to discuss in detail with the Japanese staff during the script meeting stage. For example, whether the strongest emotion in Qin Su's suicide scene is anger, sadness, or fear, etc., and how these emotions change need to be considered. Before recording, the audio supervisor will explain to them the emotional state of each scene and character in order to facilitate the understanding of the voice actors. Since the voice actors are professionals with professional understanding and acting skills, they reproduce our ideas and carefully crafted parts of the script very well.

Wataya: Regarding the casting of voice actors, have you asked Mo Xiang-sensei for her opinion?

Brackets: Because the teacher has also been in contact with Japanese animation and games, he has a keen sense of sound. She detailed the sound characteristics of each character, and our production team had detailed discussions with the Japanese staff based on these. We make a list of candidates and determine the order of priority. After sending invitations to the agency, we discuss with the teacher again after confirming the candidates... The final decision is the dubbing lineup that we think is the best. The brilliant acting sometimes takes me by surprise.

Wataya: As mentioned earlier. The radio drama is also like a roller coaster ride.

Brackets: The writers also paid great attention to the changes in rhythm between the thrilling scenes and the calm ones. In addition, radio drama production teams love to place sweet moments or peaceful memories of the past after sad scenes. For example, immediately after Jin Zixuan's death, a small theater of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli's sweet memories was released; after Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng broke up, they talked about their childhood memories and so on. Creating such extreme contrasting scenes can be said to be a bad habit of me and the radio drama production team (laughs).

Wataya: Are there any performances that are carefully designed to let the audience better imagine the scene, or are there any special points to pay attention to when choosing BGM?

Brackets: Regarding BGM and performances, we refer to many movie and game camera movements, music and sound effects, etc. In particular, games often use BGM to distinguish characters or scenes, which is of great reference value.

Wataya: The radio drama "Mo Dao Zu Shi" has both Chinese and Japanese versions. What do you think are the charms of each of them?

Brackets: Although it is difficult to sum up the difference between the Chinese version and the Japanese version in one sentence, I think the Japanese version is easier to show emotional ups and downs, similar to the way Japanese animation works are performed. Especially the comedy scenes, very funny, great vibe. The first time I listened to it, it seemed that all the characters on stage had turned into cartoon characters. I like both the Chinese version and the Japanese version, both of which fully demonstrate the charm of different languages.

Mo Xiang: Both the Chinese version and the Japanese version of the radio drama are of high quality. Listening to the Japanese version of the radio drama, there is a very incredible feeling. The voices I heard while watching Japanese animations when I was a child now appear in the radio dramas of my own works.

Until the writing of "Mo Dao Zu Shi"

Wataya: Mo Xiang-sensei, please tell me what prompted you to start writing novels? What kind of works did you write when you were young?

Mo Xiang: The first time I wrote a novel was probably in elementary school. The kind of palm-sized books sold at the roadside stalls, I really like the strange talk magazines I bought there. Affected by this, I remember writing a lot of horror stories myself in elementary school. Although most of them only have fragmentary scenes, there is no complete storyline. The first officially completed novel was a story about a "Tianshi" expelling demons on campus written in junior high school. Even though it is handwritten and serialized in a notebook, it is quite popular among the students in the class. "I also want to be added to the work as a character" "I want to have a CP with this female character", and I received many requests.

Wataya: Wow, I really want to read that novel.

Mo Xiang: The heroine, the boy who is the heroine's childhood sweetheart (call him A), and the boy who suddenly appeared (call him B). This is a story with the three of them as the protagonists. What impressed me deeply was that when I was doing a reader questionnaire to my classmates (I still keep the questionnaire, although it is yellowed and worn out), I was writing the relationship between the heroine and B, but I saw As a result of the questionnaire, it was found that all readers liked A. I'm surprised. Everyone wrote: "B loves so much, I want to see A dating the heroine" (laughs). It was quite puzzling at the time, but now that I think about it, A is indeed more attractive. Although I was writing unconsciously at the time, after experiencing this, I realized that "the protagonist must be the character I like the most and finds the most attractive." At that time, I saw the enthusiasm of my classmates in my work. I am very happy, so even if the notebook is full, I haven't finished writing this story. If there is a chance in the future, I want to finish it.

Wataya: Actually, I also had a similar experience with Ms Mo Xiang. When I was in junior high school, I drew manga, and my classmates said after reading it: "I hope you will continue to draw", I was very happy. Perhaps it is because of this experience that I write novels.

Mo Xiang: Me too, I also wanted to be a cartoonist at the beginning! This may also be a common thing among novel writers. Since I didn't have the opportunity to learn to draw, I ended up on the road of novel creation.

Wataya: Ah, I know how it feels. Teacher Mo Xiang, where did you get the creative idea?

Mo Xiang: To put it simply, it starts with "satisfying desires". For example, if it is a mystery or suspense novel, you will want to solve the puzzle to satisfy your curiosity. A love story is about wanting to love and be loved. For survival games, you want to survive in an extremely terrifying environment. In order to satisfy these desires, it is necessary to consider what kind of story to tell. To create a good story, you must first establish a strong desire. Of course, plural desires can also be combined. In fact, "desire" can usually be called the "main line", while stories and plots are the process of chasing desire. Once you find what you desire in your heart and throw it to everyone, the story begins from here.

Wataya: I see.

Mo Xiang: I think every author has a different idea. I conceive the character first. Character, fate, feelings. As long as there are charismatic characters, people who like the characters should also like the story. Therefore, there are characters first, and then the story is created, such an order. I have only written three works so far, so I still feel that it is complicated to conceive the storyline. The structure of the story is related to the framework. I highly recommend the book "Story" by Robert McKee! The creative skills of stories can be learned theoretically.

Which works were influenced by

Wataya: Please tell me which works have influenced you.

Mo Xiang: Mr. Jin Yong's martial arts novels! Mr. Jin Yong is the first teacher I created. His technique, aesthetic awareness, and literary depth in writing martial arts novels are exquisite. Mr. Jin Yong's martial arts novels have had a great influence on creators in the modern Chinese circle. I also watched a lot of Hong Kong movies in the 1990s. Do you know "Shaolin Soccer"?

Wataya: I know!

Mo Xiang: I like Stephen Chow's comedy movies, Tsui Hark's martial arts fantasy, and Lin Zhengying's zombie movies.

Wataya: Compared with the current concept of zombies, they are more like zombies.

Mo Xiang: Yes, yes. Jumping zombies. I often watch that kind of movie too. Some are old movies from before I was born, but "A Chinese Ghost Story" and "Swordsman", I probably watched it more than ten times. I will enthusiastically pull people who have never seen it and strongly say "Let's watch it together!" My novels are very obviously influenced by these movies... For example, the comedy scenes are a bit close to the atmosphere of Hong Kong comedy movies. Another example is the walking corpses that appear in the works. My source of inspiration is zombies. It is mentioned in the work that glutinous rice can detoxify corpses, and this knowledge is known from the movie "Mr. Zombie".

Wataya: Actually, I also remember the scene where the zombies were detoxified with glutinous rice. When this plot appeared in "Mo Dao Zu Shi", I was very moved.

Mo Xiang: Huh? Japanese writers associate the glutinous rice scene in my novel with zombie movies... amazing.

Wataya: I've been watching zombie movies since I was a kid, and I really like them.

Mo Xiang: Now I feel closer to Wataya-sensei. In addition, in terms of foreign literature, Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" has had a great influence on me. When I read it in elementary school, I was shaking with excitement. Perhaps influenced by "Wuthering Heights", I now see a strong love-hate relationship, and I feel nostalgic and happy as if I have returned to my spiritual hometown. And Rumiko Takahashi, my favorite manga artist since childhood! That lively and loud vibe is really lovely. I especially like Ranma 1/2, I think it's the best comedy manga ever. In addition, "Inuyasha" can only be described as romantic, and there are only two words to describe it. Kikyo is still my goddess.

Wataya: Although "Ranma 1/2" is a work that describes China, what kind of thoughts do Chinese people think when they read it?

Mo Xiang: The first thought that popped up was "interesting!" The second is the intimacy. The work contains a lot of Chinese elements, and I feel that the distance between hearts has also been shortened.

About future activities

Wataya: Do you have any work in mind now?

Mo Xiang: Although there are quite a few works in conception, no matter what, because the writing is very slow, they have not yet taken shape.

Wataya: If you were told that you could write freely regardless of the reader's thoughts, what kind of work would you want to write?

Mo Xiang: For me, I enjoy the balance of meeting my own needs and the needs of readers at the same time, so I have never considered writing without considering readers. I haven't really thought about this question, so I can't answer it.

Wataya: What have you been doing lately?

Mo Xiang: I've been playing slime recently. On rest days, I only think about playing slime with my friends, and at most I think about things like "what to eat today".

Wataya: Interesting. Teacher Mo Xiang, you took time out of your busy schedule to communicate with me, such a precious opportunity, I really appreciate you! Finally, besides the new work that is being conceived, is there anything else you would like to say to Japanese readers?

Mo Xiang: Japanese readers, thank you very much. Whether it is today or in the past, knowing that my work has been translated into Japanese and can be read in Japan makes me feel very incredible, and I am very happy.

And actually, I need to apologize to everyone about the latest work "Blessing of Heavenly Officials". The original serial version of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" just mentioned did not include the scenes of Lan Wangji going to the mass grave and Mount Baifeng's first kiss. These scenes were published after adding 50,000 words. However, the "Blessing of Heavenly Officials" that everyone in Japan is reading now is still an unrevised version, and only this version is available at present. It's not clear when the new revised version will be released, so I'm sorry if there's anything weird about it.

Wataya: I revised the work seriously.

Mo Xiang: Yes. Modify very carefully.

Wataya: Brackets-sensei, please say something to the fans who are looking forward to the third season of the radio drama.

Brackets: Whether the story of the third season or the relationship between Wang and Xian, both will usher in a climax. Many foreshadowings were also gradually revealed, and there are countless famous scenes between Wang and Xian! Be sure to tune in!

Wataya: Thank you both very much today, and I hope to have the opportunity to communicate again.

Mo Xiang: Actually, this is the first time for me to accept an interview in such a formal way. I'm better at writing than talking, a bit dumb, and very nervous today. Thanks again for Mr. Mianya's support and recommendation for "Mo Dao Zu Shi". Ms. Wataya's Chinese is really good! I look forward to more communication opportunities in the future, and also hope to have more communication opportunities with overseas readers.

(2022.11.28 online) Posted in Japan

#mdzs #mxtx #wangxian #wei wuxian #lan wangji #nie huaisang #nie mingjue #jin guangyao

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

the untamed connotations