Painting the eyes larger can better express the feelings of the characters
The Silent Fleet Library Edition 11 volumes, 190 pages
estuary:
When I draw comics, I always think, "Make your face bigger." Therefore, compared to the earlier works, the face painting is a little larger in the current comics. In this case, the character will probably be five heads tall, and the overall sense of balance will be very bad. But I don't want to paint my face a little smaller, because the expression of the characters is to be portrayed. In order to maintain a sense of balance, when I painted "Silent Fleet", I painted the body a little bigger while making sure that the face was large enough. As a result, the more it is serialized into the back, the larger the character's body becomes.
Also, in the beginning, I drew the eyes of the characters very small. At that time, I was working on a comic in the form of "drama painting" (note), paying more attention to the realism of the work, and I thought that the smaller eyes were closer to reality and did not highlight the eyes when drawing. But later, when I started serializing in Morning, the founding editor-in-chief, Mr. Ryoyuki Kurihara, made the only requirement for me in my paintings—the way I painted the eyes.
"I've been working as an editor for Shonen Manga magazine so far, and I think one of the strengths of Shonen Manga is that it has the feelings of the characters in their big eyes. I hope that Mr. Kawaguchi can also take this kind of expression this time, and paint the eyes of the characters a little bigger, how about it?"
After hearing Mr. Kurihara say this, I accepted it without hesitation, and consciously drew my eyes little by little bigger... Indeed, in addition to showing realism, the feelings of the characters are also better conveyed. I couldn't help but exclaim, "That's the way it is." In this way, the eyes have become larger and larger, and have developed to the extent of the big eyes in the Dimensional Fleet.
Dimensional Fleet, vol. 13, p. 139
Humanity is expressed through the switching of "face close-ups"
For example, this page of storyboarding, which is a scene in the "Dimensional Fleet Manchuria Chapter".
Dimensional Fleet, vol. 8, pp. 48-49
At that time, Cao Jia and Jiao Song were holding guns opposite each other, and The Xuantong Emperor Puyi was right in the middle of the two of them. This is a major historical turning point, the "want to shoot" Kusaka and the "don't want to shoot" Corner Pine, the sharp contrast between the two people, which is expressed through the switching of the close-up of the face. In this page storyboard, you can see the very different personalities of the two people.
The relationship between Kusaka and Kakumatsu is very complicated, with love and hate intertwined. Two people feel sorry for each other and trust each other, but at the same time they are hostile to each other because of the conflict between positions and actions. Therefore, in various scenes, it must be portrayed very delicately and delicately in order to accurately grasp the relationship between the two people. In this scene, the two people are hostile, but in many other scenes, there are also cases of "grass plus diagonal pine gentleness". Depicting the relationship between two people is also a great joy in my creation.
Shape the protagonist of the taciturn and show the depth of his humanity
My idea is that the protagonist who doesn't talk much is more handsome. Like the "X" in the mathematical equations, the protagonist should be elusive. In this way, the connotation of the character will be more malleable. Therefore, I usually don't use lines to directly express the feelings of the characters, but focus on the parts of the expression, eyes, and other parts that can't speak.
In this way, the characters and the surrounding environment will naturally have a certain distance, and the characters will have charm. How do you express the charm of such people who stand in the group? In the case of Dimensional Fleet, for example, a large number of characters should first appear, and when depicting the various clusters of the fleet, it should focus on the groups that are fighting.
In this way, the primary and secondary status of the characters in "Dimensional Fleet" is naturally distinguished, and the so-called "protagonist aura" element in the film can also be clearly highlighted.
The Silent Fleet Library Edition, Vol. 11, pp. 460-461
In addition, in "Dimensional Fleet", everyone who works together on the question of how to represent the fleet sailing on the ocean says: "What I want the reader to feel most is the feeling of riding the ocean on a ship!" 」 So in this regard, I have thoroughly described it. To show the charm of the fleet organization, it is first necessary to show the cruiser itself. Then, in order to convey the feeling of riding a cruiser to the reader with great authenticity, the depiction of the sea and the waves cannot be neglected.
Also, when I depict the eyes of the characters, I am most careful about the "uneasy look". At the same time as feeling uneasy about someone, it just means feeling the charm of that person, right? Regarding "feelings of uneasiness", I have my own benchmarks when selecting materials, so let's talk about it in the "Story" section!
The resonance of "uneasiness" makes the story more interesting
The Silent Fleet Library Edition, Vol. 5, 105 pages
Speaking of which, the source of inspiration for my manga is "uneasiness", which is refined from many aspects such as the arrangement of the characters and the background of the times. I think it's because humans are so interested in something that a sense of insecurity is born of it, doesn't it? For example, being attracted to the opposite sex of your choice can also create a sense of uneasiness that seems to be indulging, right?
In the course of the series, I have always felt that the moment the reader finds the comic funny, isn't the moment when the "uneasiness" of the reader and the cartoonist resonates?
At the beginning of the "Silent Fleet" series, the wind in society was just "the Cold War is almost over". In the Cold War pattern, the equilibrium of the United States and the Soviet Union is about to collapse, and the United States may dominate the entire world in one fell swoop. In this case, how should Japan conduct diplomacy with the United States? I embody this "wandering uneasiness" in the manga, consciously synchronizing with the reader's feelings and continuing the manga series.
When Silent Fleet first started the series, it didn't have such a deep theme, I just wanted to depict the submarine. The story I wanted to draw at the time was a kind of criminal drama in which the Japanese, who violated international law, escaped on a diving ship, while japan, as a law enforcement party, sent a self-defense fleet to conduct a joint pursuit operation with the U.S. Navy.
When the manga was serialized in volume 2, less than volume 3, mr. Kurihara, the first editor-in-chief, said, "This manga uses very good material, but if it is only to the extent it is now, then when the diving ship is hunted down, the manga will be over." In order to expand the theme of the manga, Mr. Kurihara came up with many good ideas.
At Mr. Kurihara's suggestion, I revised the plot: the successfully escaped diving ship objected to and rebelled against the dictatorial policies of the United States. The battle plot, which contains an independent spirit, continues to grow, and finally, the two opposing sides finally begin to communicate and talk. The plot unfolds smoothly, the theme deepens significantly, and the whole story has a directional change.
For the protagonist Hai Jiangtian, as I just said, the obscure and enigmatic character has infinite charm, and I will depict him as an "X". After the general direction of the story, I also described the changes and growth of Haijiangtian's rival, the great president of the United States.
U.S. President Bennett beheaded the monster-like man of Haieda. Because he is the one who can accomplish such a great thing, he cannot stick to the interests of the United States as a country, and must exert his leadership power throughout the world. What kind of impact has such a person had on his heart when he encountered the mystery of Haijiangtian? As the story continues, Bennett gradually becomes a big character.
Work with editors and hone manga like rice cakes
The so-called everyone fights together, and the rice cake is delicious. I also have many exchanges with the editor from beginning to end, honing the comic to make it more interesting. Of course, sometimes I want editors not to talk too much, and not necessarily to come up with good ideas after being criticized every time. However, I think that comics should make readers feel fun, and if they want to provide readers with supreme pleasure, they must break through the shackles of personal desires of cartoonists. Whether it is a newcomer or a professional cartoonist, it is easy to be trapped in this shackle, saying that the good point is the overflowing emotion in the work, and the ugly point is the excess self-awareness.
In short, cartoonists cannot examine their own works calmly and objectively. It's not until others say, "It's a little hard to understand here," that cartoonists will break away from their own thinking and take a more objective position. The so-called fans of the authorities are like this.
Dimensional Fleet, vol. 43, p. 102
After the long-term serialization of the work, it may start out as a very small "unreasonable distortion", and when it accumulates, it will become a huge contradiction and squeeze the whole story. It is indeed very difficult to control the grand story, but the more grand the story, in the plot progression, "one's own opinion" is a fatal injury, which must always be cautious and carefully adjusted.
"Dimensional Fleet" has been serialized for more than 9 years, and I have been asked several times: "What a trouble, this comic, simply detonate the climax and then end neatly, isn't it good?" 」 But I don't want to regret it, and I insist on keeping it serialized until I'm satisfied. Therefore, we can only continue to consult with the editors and solve those "unreasonable distortions" little by little.
When the characters live, the comics live
In the countdown to "Dimensional Fleet," I depict Japan after the end of the Pacific War, the modern self-defense force cruiser carrying the Aegis system in the story, who travels through time and participates in changing history. Among them, the characters gave their lives without asking for reasons. This part of the plot plays a very important role in the end of the story. Originally, I wanted to expand in detail in the "post-war chapter", but I wanted to draw it very well, but instead let the main plot appear in these last few episodes.
For the depiction of post-war scenes, I originally wanted to advance with the feeling of "secret words", but then I realized that there was no way to structure the main plot by relying on these scenes alone.
One of the protagonists, Kusaka, is gone. The body of the other protagonist, Kakumatsu, is unable to move freely. In this way, even if the mystery of the story can be solved, its story is not strong enough. In the case of losing a character, the manga cannot be established. There are characters, there are comics... In addition, it is because there are various characters in the manga that the manga artist will be excited when drawing!
When MORNING serialized ACTOR, I began to realize the importance of the existence of comic book characters. I thought, "... Ah, the characters in the comic are working hard, just by drawing them, I feel that a new self has been born in this kind of painting fun. That way, readers will feel the same fun!" This is the bond between the reader and the reader.
Combat – make the comics more fun
I think combat is the most interesting element of comics. Because of the fighting, the story of the manga is more distinct. "Restlessness or charisma stimulates a character or an event" – I think it's also a fight. In addition, battle scenes can give direct sensory stimulation, right?
But no matter how much you want to please the reader, you can't make the battle itself the theme of the story. Therefore, if you can't show a deeper theme through combat, then the battle will be reduced to a simple physical fight or equipment competition. Also, if there are no other themes, then why cling to victory? And why stick to failure?
Dimensional Fleet, vol. 13, pp. 140-141
The reason I like to paint battle scenes is, "Fighting is not just a contest of physical strength, but more of a collision of spiritual levels between people." I think that this kind of spiritual collision makes the charm of the manga fully revealed, so there is such a thing as the so-called "tension" of the picture.
It is precisely because different characters have their own spiritual burdens, so in the dialogue, there are also battles, and these lines cannot be handled perfunctorily. The battle of dialogue is reflected in the "tension" generated by dialogue, which I have always believed gives the unique charm of the play and the comic.
Create a "sense of tension" through frame lines
The Silent Fleet Library Edition, Vol. 11, p. 208
The manga of the younger generation of cartoonists now is very different from my manga in terms of technique. I prefer to express it in the form of a play painting. The so-called technique of drama painting... In a nutshell, it's "tension." The purpose of the drama drawing technique is to create tension between the storyboard and the storyboard.
—— For the painting method, if there is no tension between each frame, the cutting of the frame line is meaningless.
First of all, the number of pages of the comic is determined in advance. And the storyboard at the top right of each page is the reader's first focus. So before you draw, you have to ask yourself, what is this lattice storyboard going to draw? What's the point? Only by realizing the importance of this storyboard to the whole story can we be closely related to the next storyboard and create a sense of tension. In this way, the sense of rhythm is brought into the cutting of the storyboard. So, the first thing to do is to ask yourself "how can you concisely and neatly convey the meaning of the first frame storyboard".
For the depiction technique of the first frame storyboard, in the words of Mr. Kurihara, the editor-in-chief of the first generation of Morning, it is to "grasp the key point". If you want to determine the meaning of the first frame storyboard, you must explore the key point of the plot, and the first frame storyboard must grasp this key point to cooperate, so that the subsequent storyboard can also be smoothly continued.
For example, in the first shot, we ask a character to say the key line, and then follow this key line, the power of language is emitted, and it bites together with the key points of the whole story, and in the next storyboard, the characters who listen to the lines are thus given a deep sense of existence. The basic point of the drama drawing technique is that through the connection of tension, the gravitational force between the storyboard and the storyboard is generated.
The technique of splitting is a technique that enhances the reading experience
Kawaguchi: From his debut in the 1930s and 1940s to the present day, the manga styles of their respective genres have been fixed. I can feel that their comics are strongly needed by readers. Although people don't elaborate, the kind of thing that makes people exclaim, "This is it!" Proud skills, I believe each of them continues to play.
The Silent Fleet Library Edition, Vol. 15, 446 pages
If not, the special technique that makes people look down on it is the "look easy" technique. For example, when we look at the manga of Hiroki Kenshi, we will all marvel at the "great skills". Hiroshi is not only very good at depicting characters, but also in how to present the story to the reader, his handling skills are also really delicate. Although Hiroki's drawing technique and focus are different from mine, every time I read his manga, I want to ask him, "How on earth did you draw a manga that seems so easy?"
Everyone feels differently about the storyboard cutting technique and the resulting sense of rhythm, and I can't simply give advice.
There are also some young cartoonists who do the opposite of "grasping the key points". Fill the storyboard with various elements and paint happily. Therefore, cartoonists can refer to each other's storyboard cutting techniques, but it is very difficult for me to teach this technique.
If I see someone's comic and feel, "This person's comic focuses on exactly what I want!" Because of this fit, it is possible to give some advice, but without this fit, it is difficult to make suggestions, because personal feelings cannot be arbitrarily transformed. Therefore, when I participate in the newcomer award review, the colleagues who criticize the work will also emphasize that this is just my personal idea, which may carry certain prejudices and misunderstandings.
Because of the twin brothers, I can insist on drawing comics
Because I've been painting what I like, I don't feel like I'm having a period of silence. Another very important reason is my twin brother. The younger brother is now doing business on the other side of his hometown. For a while, the family was discussing who would inherit Dad's business. Of course, both of us thought it would be better to be able to stay in Tokyo and draw manga, but we also secretly realized that our parents did not want to do so.
Because they are twins, there is no obvious distinction between my brother and I, and if I inherit my father's business together, is there no way to determine the head of the family? So even if we don't say it explicitly, we know that we must choose one from among the brothers to inherit Dad's business.
When it came time to make a decision, my brother and I had a brief argument about inheritance, and finally my brother went back to inherit the business, in fact, I should say that I forced my brother to go back.
Since then, I have not achieved much in the manga industry, and if I end my manga life without any achievements, I will feel guilty about my brother, and I will continue to think "This kind of thing can't be done..." while drawing the manga I want to draw.
"Because I have a younger brother", if this idea had not sustained me, my manga career might have ended in vain. When I don't have money or am in a difficult situation, I think, "Obviously I like comics too, but my brother gave up comics to inherit my father's business."
This feeling of guilt motivated me to keep drawing comics even in difficult situations. If my comic book work is not on track, it is like losing to my brother. Because I don't want to regret it and don't want to lose, I insist on walking on the path of comics.
Dimensional Fleet, vol. 11, pp. 68-69
If you really like comics, you can brave the thorns and go forward
The most necessary qualification is "like to draw comics". Although the reason is very simple, but this is the biggest motivation to continue, isn't it? I have come into contact with a lot of backgrounds or other comic assistants who also like to draw comics, but people like to draw comics the most than others, no matter what obstacles lie ahead, can cross the past with this love!
Do you like to draw comics? Or do you like to draw comics yourself? These are two different questions, and they are also questions like touchstones on the way forward in comics. The latter, when encountering obstacles, can be difficult to cross the past, and the former, because his primary goal is to draw comics compared to anything else, so he will firmly grasp any work related to comics, and unconsciously, he has crossed the obstacles and improved his level.
If you just like to draw comics yourself, then when you are oppressed by difficulties, you will feel that drawing comics is very hard. The more you continue to work on comics, the more you will feel the pain. So I don't think I can stick to it if I don't love drawing comics from the bottom of my heart.
For this matter, newcomer cartoonists may not have a personal experience, because during the submission period of the Newcomer Award, whether it is the creation time or ideological preparation, it is very relaxed, and it can draw comics without pressure. However, once the serialization begins, the pressure must be felt. Forced by pressure, if you are not a person who really loves to draw comics, you will feel intolerable. There is probably no way to understand it without actually experiencing this kind of cruel shura field, but if you want to continue to work on manga, you must overcome this pressure and overcome this obstacle.
Even if it is painful, I can't escape it, and I just draw a cartoon while thinking, "Ah, because I like this job, so there is no way." Until now, if I had a job, I would sit and draw comics for 15 to 16 hours of the day. If you run a weekly serial, you will be working about 2 to 3 days a week in addition to sleeping and eating. So, if the feelings are not deep, it can't be done. The qualifications necessary to continue working in comics are, in short, this is it.
Losing to a painful cartoonist, once you choose an easy path to work casually, you will immediately feel it in the reader's work.
Cartoonists depict comics as "selective applications" of lines. Readers trust the cartoonist's "choice" and only then begin to read comics. Cartoonists hide their feelings in the lines, while the reader triggers his own feelings through the lines, and the two sides communicate with each other, which is very exciting. If cartoonists don't desperately try to take the "art of line" to the extreme, or let others ghostwrite it, then this shallow pseudo-"choice" will be immediately revealed, and readers will immediately follow other better comics.
I have always insisted on working in comics, probably in pain to realize the importance of lines, although not perfect, but I am also pursuing "the ultimate of lines"
The inability to make judgments calmly is also the essence of man
By now, the war is considered a "stupid thing an idiot would do." But I read a lot of historical materials, and in the process of creating comics, I looked back and experienced the war with the readers, and at that time, no one thought that the war was a "stupid thing", which made me feel sad.
The Japanese at that time were not able to calmly judge the gap between themselves and the United States in combat effectiveness. Although there are also reasonable people who recognize this, they are powerless to return to heaven, and Japan has stepped into the battlefield. I think the point of understanding that era is: "What prevents people from making calm judgments". This root still exists today, and it influences people's behavior as a bad principle of action of the Japanese.
In "Dimensional Fleet", there is an indirect expression of this principle of action.
Why the Japanese are unable to make a calm judgment when faced with a turning point in history, and the reasons ... It should be a subjective emotional problem!
From the Edo period to the Meiji period, the Western powers adopted a tough foreign policy toward Japan. Threatened with whether it wanted to be a friend or a vassal state, Japan, of course, wanted to become a friend of the Western countries with the determination to die. In this process, subjective emotional imbalances such as "failure" and "being forced" arise and accumulate in the form of psychological trauma.
On the other hand, Japan continues to learn and absorb Western culture and customs. The Japanese people's minds are filled with this unwillingness, blinded by the unwillingness, unable to make calm judgments. But sometimes, precisely because they can't make calm judgments, people with the same emotions understand each other, and this part of the group has a deep affection for the country and is united, and I understand this, and in the manga, I also describe them.