This is an English translation of an interview conducted on 5/27/2019 with Nakatani Nio, Iruma Hitoma, and Yuzuhara Moke. It covers the manga adaptation of Adachi and Shimamura and the spin-off novels for Bloom Into You.

The original interview can be found here.

Adachi and Shimamura will have a new comic serialized in Monthly Comics Dengeki Daioh! Creator Iruma Hitoma, mangaka Yuzuhara Moke, and Bloom Into You’s Nakatani Nio sit down for a conversation. Touching upon the origins of Bloom Into You’s side story, Regarding Saeki Sayaka, the three have a lively talk. (Interview/Writer: Karzu SP)

Iruma Hitoma: What, another one?! The manga adaptation of Adachi to Shimamura!

– This conversation features: Nakatani Nio, whose Bloom Into You Vol. 7 has just been published; Hitoma Iruma, whose side-story Bloom Into You: Regrading Saeki Sayaka 2 and Adachi and Shimamura Vol. 8 has just hit the shelves; and Yuzuhara Moke, who draws the manga for Adachi to Shimamura serialized in Dengeki Daioh starting from the July 2019 edition. In addition, the editing directors for these works are also here. In total, 6 people have joined us for this discussion! Please enjoy!

Nakatani, Iruma, Yuzuhara: Let’s get started.

Congratulations on the 8th volume of Adachi and Shimamura! The TV adaptation was announced on the obi1. How do you feel about it?

The advertisement for the Adachi and Shimamura anime

Iruma Hitoma (Iruma): I felt a mix of “Heck yeah!” and “Are they really doing it?” To be honest, I thought this work wouldn’t ever move towards an anime adaptation, or that it didn’t really have the tone for it (haha). With a story that has a poor beginning, development, twist, and conclusion, is this really going to be okay as an anime? I doubted myself like that, but I felt like maybe the real professionals would be able to turn it around.

Nakatani Nio (Nakatani): I’m really looking forward to how Adachi’s suspicious behavior translates in animation style.

Adachi and Shimamura is getting a manga reboot in Dengeki Daioh.

Iruma: I thought, “What, another one?! But it’s already been done once!”

(Everyone laughs)

Kusunoki (Dengeki Daioh editor): Well, don’t we all want to see more Adachi and Shimamura? The previous manga was mainly a 4-koma, so I felt like it would be good to have a manga in a different format, and I ended up talking with your current editor, Anami-san. And when that happened, the first mangaka I wanted to ask that came to mind was Moke-sensei.

Adachi and Shimamura, manga edition

Manga: Yuzuhara Moke Original Work: Iruma Hitoma Character Design: Non

How did you feel when you first read Adachi and Shimamura?

Yuzuhara Moke (Yuzuhara): I felt like I could really sympathize with both Shimamura’s sense of needing to be a perfect, beautiful person and Adachi’s feeling of not wanting to maintain friendships with others. I was really moved and excited by both of their feelings. Both of the characters have similarities and differences between them. It made me wonder just how they would end up, and I couldn’t stop reading.

Which were you more similar to when you were a student, Adachi or Shimamura?

Yuzuhara: I was a Shimamura type. When my friends invited me out, I’d think, “What a pain, I just want to stay home and play games.” But it was hard to be a loner at school, so I always hung out with my friends. That’s why I admire Adachi, who’s perfectly fine with being alone.

When you drew the manga, did you receive any requests from the original author?

Iruma: When my works get adapted into a manga, I always tell them that it’s okay if it’s not the same as the original. As long as it remains true to the character, everything can be different, and you can even throw in a kamehameha.

Nakatani: That would be a different character, haha!

Iruma: I like the anime s-Cry-ed, but the manga its based on is totally different. I often say I want to see things done that way. I think it’s more fun that way. After all, I already know the contents myself, haha. Although, come to think of it, I’ve already forgotten what volume 1 of Adachi and Shimamura was about, so sometimes I think, “Do I really know my own work?” That’s why I just want you to do what you think is right.

Yuzuhara: Will do!

Kusunoki: The manga adaptation this time has even a different start than the original work. Rather than just do the same thing again, we’re approaching it from a different angle.

The beginning of Adachi and Shimamura, manga version Chapter 1

Starting off With Playing Table Tennis In School Uniforms Shows the Essence of Adachi and Shimamura

Yuzuhara: When Kusunoki-san said, “Let’s start off with a doughnut scene in the first chapter,” I was really surprised. Like, “What! We’re not doing table tennis?!”

Kusunoki: The first chapter of a manga is very important. It’s a battle that shows the reader, “This manga is going to be this type of manga.” That’s why I thought Adachi and Shimamura should start off with an episode about doughnuts. If it were about ping pong instead, the chapter might end without the reader understanding what it’s about. So I thought that if we had the doughnuts scene added to the opening scene where they meet on the 2nd floor of the gym, that might explain just what kind of manga Adachi and Shimamura is.

Yuzuhara: The doughnuts scene introducing the two characters was very relaxed in the manga, but it was the most difficult part to draft up.

If the manga started off exactly how the novel did, it might be hard to understand, huh.

Kusunoki: That’s exactly the difference between novels and manga. Novels are published in volumes and read in volumes, each volume can be judged by its story. Manga is gathered in volumes in the end as well, but in the beginning, it’s published chapter by chapter in a magazine, so it can’t be approached the same way. Keeping that in mind, we tried to figure out how best to communicate the essence of the work solely from the first chapter. That’s what we paid attention to when starting the adaptation.

When Adachi and Shimamura 1 Was First Published, Yuri In Dengeki Bunko Was Rare

Anami (Dengeki Bunko Editor): One more point. In this manga adaptation, one of the biggest changes is that Yashiro doesn’t appear in a lot of places that she did in the novel.

That is quite a large change, isn’t it.

Iruma: I think that’s fine. I said it before, but it’s okay if it’s different from the novel. The story still works without Yashiro.

Yuzuhara: I think Yashiro is really cute and I like her a lot, so I was a bit shocked when I found out her appearances would lessen. But it’s true that when Yashiro is featured, we get a little bit further away from the relationship between Adachi and Shimamura themselves.

By the way, why did Yashiro even appear in the original work?

Iruma: Hm… I wonder~ It might be easier to ask that president.

President Straight-edge Miki Kazuma2, right? Haha.

Iruma: I wrote this in the afterword of the first volume too, but in the beginning, we were asked to make it like Yuru Yuri. So having the 4 of them form a group was a holdover from that. At the time, it was also proposed that a character like Yashiro enter the club, so that was the influence.

Did you think yuri was rare in Dengeki Bunko at the time?

Konodera (Dengeki Bunko Editor): At the time, I thought yuri fans were basically nonexistent among the Dengeki Bunko readers. So we first aimed Adachi and Shimamura at Iruma-san’s fans.

Anami: The first reaction to Adachi and Shimamura came from whispers and word of mouth, and gradually it became more popular. At the beginning, fans of Iruma-san read it, and then slowly it spread to yuri fans, I think. As a result, a completely different class of readers consumed it, compared to his other works.

It Was Born From the Awkward Moment When the Friends Of Your Friend Comes Over: The Secret Origins of Adachi and Shimamura

Which scene did you like best from the first volume?

Yuzuhara: When the POV switched from Shimamura to Adachi, and it was revealed that Adachi feels this about Shimamura…?! The speed at which things changed when seeing things from Adachi’s side left a strong impression.

Iruma: Originally, the first chapter, “Ping Pong In Our School Uniforms” was a oneshot, so I published it in the magazine (Dengeki Bunko MAGAZINE) without any plans for a serialization. That’s why, to be honest, the characters were different from how they are now. I wasn’t think of the future when writing the oneshot. I just wrote about that uncomfortable feeling you get during your school years when you have a friend who you get along with very well, but their other friends come over as well.

Yuzuhara: I really liked it because It felt so real that I wondered if Iruma-san also experienced something similar.

Iruma: Well, you know, it’s hard when the friends of your friend appear, right? It gets really awkward.

Yuzuhara: Regarding the shopping mall setting of that scene, I’ve actually lived in Gifu Prefecture before, so it felt very familiar to me when I read it.

Iruma: You went to Malera3?

Yuzuhara: That’s right, that’s right, I’ve been there before, haha. I thought about my time living in Gifu while looking up some pictures of it on Google Maps for reference.

Iruma: It’s the only place young people will spend time in over there. It’s like when people living in rural areas all gather at AEON Mall.

Please tell us about some things you want readers to pay close attention to when reading the first chapter of the manga adaptation.

Yuzuhara: Maybe the part where Adachi’s feelings are hidden until halfway through? She barely blushes at all, but suddenly there’s a scene where her feelings become totally clear. I want you all to look at that.

Please say something enthusiastic regarding the serialization.

Yuzuhara: I’m sure that fans of the original Adachi and Shimamura have many feelings about it. In order to surpass those people’s expectations, I’m putting my heart into creating an Adachi and Shimamura that isn’t just my own, but that’s for all types of readers. For newcomers to the series, I hope you can enjoy the same, easygoing, ticklish relationship between Adachi and Shimamura that was conveyed in the original work as well!

After Agreeing On An Interpretation of Sayaka In the Novel, We Could Understand Her More Deeply

Let’s begin discussing Bloom Into You. After the shocking “To Be Continued” of the 6th volume, I’m sure there are a lot of really worked up readers who only read complete volumes.

Nakatani: The end of the 6th volume was a cliffhanger by design, so the 7th volume’s cover must have felt like bullying to a lot of the people who were waiting for it…

It was like salt in the wound, haha.

The cover of Bloom Into You vol. 7 (Nakatani Nio)

Nakatani: I always make sure there’s an extra exciting cliffhanger at the end of a volume. There’s a more cheerful ending waiting at the end of Volume 7, so I hope people will look forward to it.

Do you feel like you’ve been influenced by the side story novel, Regarding Saeki Sayaka, that Iruma-san wrote?

Side story novel Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka Volume 1

Author: Iruma Hitoma Illustration: Nakatani Nio

Nakatani: For example, I did steal the phrasing “Your palms are so warm,” and “heartbeat” on page 84, vol. 7 from the novel adaptation. And for the next center spread monologue that starts off with “Anyone who looks at Touko…” I didn’t directly plagiarize the novel or anything, but I did receive some influence from it in terms of Sayaka’s manner of speaking.

Bloom Into You Vol. 7 page 84

Iruma: Oh, is that so? I’m truly honored. (He bows deeply).

Nakatani: I’ll take that as your permission to do it, haha. Of course, that’s not saying I’m totally setting aside my own interpretation of Sayaka. I feel like I just totally agree with Iruma-san’s interpretation of her character within the novel. From my perspective, I’ve been able to understand Sayaka more deeply in the direction I was already aiming for.

Kusunoki: It’s true. Iruma-san may have wrote it, but it was most definitely a Bloom Into You work. We can have a better understanding of her and see her more clearly after seeing what kind of life she’s led up to this point. It was like, oh yeah, she did do swimming, haha. Also, the word choice in the novel was spectacular… It really conveyed the feelings that occur in elementary school that you don’t understand at the time. For example, the phrasing, “A skip entered my heartbeat.” I really love that line… Iruma-san is truly a master at prose. It truly makes me feel like an amateur.

Iruma: I’d read over the manga again and again and tried to fit even the small details to the same tone. I even studied the 2 panels where the outside of Sayaka’s house was visible.

Nakatani: Sorry I didn’t give you much material to work on, haha.

Nakatani: Iruma-san wrote a perfect Sayaka, in the situation where she’s the odd one out in a love triangle

How did you feel when the opportunity to write the side story novel for Bloom Into You was offered to you?

Iruma: I felt it was amazing that a famous person was coming to me with a job.

Nakatani: What! No, it was the opposite, wasn’t it?! On my part, I kept on worrying about whether it was really okay to ask you.

Iruma: “I get to novelize a manga I’m reading. This is rare.” That’s what I thought while accepting the offer.

Nakatani: Of course, I love Adachi and Shimamura, but I also read “Mi-Ma” (Lying Mii-kun and Broken Maa-chan4) when I was in college. You’re an author I really like. So when the offer came, I accepted immediately within two replies.

Why was Sayaka’s story chosen?

Kusunoki: When we decided that Iruma-san would write the spin-off, we asked Nakatani-san, “We can write about Sayaka… right?” And she answered, “Of course it’ll be about Sayaka,” immediately.

Nakatani: My first reason was that I planned to finish Yuu and Touko’s story in the manga. Second, this isn’t really limited to just yuri, but I’m the type to always get worried about the person left out in a love triangle, and that was a key point in Iruma-san’s Shoujo Mousou Chuu. So I thought it would be perfect to have Iruma-san write about Sayaka. And it turned out that when I was allowed to read the draft of the book, it was so perfect I was left speechless.

Kusunoki: On my part, I asked for a story about Sayaka’s junior high school life, but I was beyond surprised when he was able to write so intimately about her elementary school days as well.

Iruma: I thought I wouldn’t be able to write a whole book solely about her junior high school period, and in the original material it was written that she had studied a lot of things, so I branched out from there.

During the junior high school chapter, you expanded quite a bit on Chieda-senpai, who only appeared briefly in the original. Please tell us about how you developed her.

Iruma: Please ask the original author sitting next to me. If she says, “That’s wrong,” to me while I answer, I’ll feel really terrible.

Nakatani: You’re the one who really shaped her development. I’ll accept whatever you say about Chieda-senpai’s character and how that shaped Sayaka’s eventual personality!

Did you have any difficulties while writing Regarding Saeki Sayaka?

Iruma: I was highly aware that this wasn’t my own work, so I had to be extremely careful. I didn’t want to be accused of writing silly lines like I do in my own work, haha. I couldn’t be too stiff about it, but I also didn’t want to deviate too much, so I did my best to maintain that balance.

The word “swamp” was used to describe Yuu’s expressions, and I really understood that feeling and liked it.

The new volume, Regarding Saeki Sayaka 2, was released on May 10th. Do you have any favorite parts?

Bloom Into You: Regarding Saeki Sayaka Vol. 2

Iruma: Please look at the cover!

Nakatani: Noooooo, haha.

Iruma: I hope that it’ll be shelved with the manga at bookstores, and people will think it’s associated with the manga and buy them together. I hope they’ll think that the contents might be okay because the original author checked it over. It has celebrated author Nakatani’s seal of approval, after all. You can buy it safely.

Nakatani: The book is mainly about Touko and Sayaka in their 1st year as high school students, but I was surprised to see there was a lot about Yuu and Sayaka’s relationship as well.

Anami: Iruma-san very carefully and reverently pulled out information from every panel of the manga, so there are a lot of points connecting the second volume with the original manga.

Nakatani: Personally, this is isn’t really related to the main point of the book, but I like the scene where Sayaka is eating her lunch and she says, “Even if I get rich, I’ll still want omelette in my lunch.” I thought it was really cute, haha. Also, the word “swamp” was used to describe Yuu’s expressions, and I really understood that feeling and liked it.

Kusunoki: It’s connected to the original work, so you already know the conclusion, but I hope that you’ll be able to obtain a greater feeling of acceptance from it.

Nakatani: I think there will be many readers who read the novels after reading the manga. For that reason, I hope that you’ll feel that you naturally arrive at this book after reading that scene from volume 7 of the manga. I hope you can enjoy a heart-stopping, tragic feeling from it.

I think many people will be stunned by the revelations from the end of volume 2.

Kusunoki: Yes, and a 3rd volume has been green-lit! Thanks to the support of the audience, we’ll be able to show the story of Sayaka’s college life.

Nakatani: Sayaka might become the character with a story spanning the longest amount of time in Bloom Into You.

Did Sayaka wait too long? Did she ever have a chance with Touko?

Did you plan early on for the scene in Vol. 7 where Sayaka to confess to Touko during the school field trip?

Nakatani: Yes, I decided on it a rather long time ago. But I did have to rewrite and edit the scene and dialogue many times. From the second half of volume 7 to chapter 40 (the beginning of volume 8), the pressure really ramped up.

Did Sayaka wait too long for things? Did she make a move too late?

Nakatani: Sayaka tortured herself and told herself she waited too long, but to be honest, there wasn’t a moment where she could really make a move. She made the best choices possible starting her first year. I think you’ll understand if you read the second volume of Regarding Saeki Sayaka. It’s not that she waited too long. It’s that it couldn’t have turned out any other way.

Anami: I started thinking about this after reading Regarding Saeki Sayak 2, but what points make Sayaka completely unable to be with Touko? Or in contrast, how come Yuu was able to be with Touko?

Nakatani: Touko is a person who believes in other people’s words, and Yuu said flat-out in the beginning that she doesn’t consider any single person special. That was really important to Touko, and because she believed those words, she started liking Yuu.

From Volume 1, page 43. Yuu won’t think of her as special.

Nakatani: If Sayaka was able to behave as if Touko wasn’t special to her, as if she wasn’t interested in her, she might’ve had a chance. But Sayaka fell in love with her at first sight, and behaved in a way that conveyed she thought Touko was a special friend. That’s why she didn’t have a chance at winning.

Anami: What are the points of Sayaka’s affection that Touko can and can’t accept?

Kusunoki: This is just my interpretation, but Touko dudges Sayaka’s affection for her. Touko has no sense of self, but spends all her effort acting like her sister to become her. That’s why Touko suffers and feels pressure when people direct their affections at her. Because of that, Sayaka is also a painful existence for her.

Nakatani: You could say that for Touko, Sayaka is a point to be cautious about. And in the last bit, Sayaka can feel that from her, so she doesn’t force her affections upon her. That’s why Touko is able to accept Sayaka by her side.

Kusunoki: The two are able to become close friends, but just before Sayaka’s affection spills over in front of Touko, Touko will always put some space between them. In comparison, Yuu isn’t able to fall in love, so she has no expectations for Touko. She doesn’t carry more affection than Touko wants, and she spoils her gently. No matter how close she gets to Touko, her love doesn’t feel forced upon her.

Nakatani: Regular people would fall in love with someone as beautiful as Touko after getting close to her, and in that moment, become painful existences to her. Even if Yuu indulges her, however, she doesn’t actually direct her affection at Touko. That’s why Yuu is so special to Touko.

That’s why, it’s not that Sayaka couldn’t. It’s because Yuu was who she was, so she could.

Kusunoki: After the student council play, Touko was able to realize it’s okay to like herself. From then on, she became able to start accepting other people’s affection. Supposing that, after the play, she stopped her relationship with Yuu, then Touko might’ve been able to start dating Sayaka if Sayaka confessed. Because Touko changed so much, she was even able to say, “It’s the first time… I’ve ever felt happy that someone told they loved me.”

From Vol. 7, page 125

Nakatani: But if Yuu wasn’t there, then Touko wouldn’t have changed in the first place, so it’s hard to say. If Yuu hadn’t been involved from the start, the student council play would’ve had an easy, vague success. Touko would’ve lost sight of her purpose and become uncertain, but even then, Sayaka would probably still be at her side. Then, after time passes, and Touko is able to find her own sense of self, they could become entagled… That could’ve been a possible path. However, Touko did meet Yuu.

Anami: So ultimately, it’s not a question of whether or not Sayaka had a chance to tell Touko her feelings before Yuu appeared and they were in the first year.

Nakatani: If she did, Touko would’ve put distance between them, so Sayaka had no choice but to wait. This was the result of the best decision she could make.

The changes that appear in Yuu’s confusion are painful but lead to positive symptoms

Touko’s feelings of love for Yuu from the first volume haven’t changed, but she becomes able to accept other people’s affections. In a different interview*, you raised the idea of “a yuri of light and darkness,” but she’s escaped from the darkness now, right?

*Comisupe! Interview (11/2018)

Nakatani: That’s the result of everything Yuu’s done. Touko’s enduring love for Yuu is her own last stronghold for herself, so that is her sole immutable point.

Yuu’s growing confusion can be seen in volume 7.

Nakatani: She is confused, but her depth and capacity for Touko are finally surfacing. The inner parts of Yuu that haven’t been visible up until now – her childishly honest side, her sulky side – are emerging, showing that Yuu is changing too. This is important if Yuu wants to move forward, so even if it’s painful now, it’s a positive symptom.

Iruma: When you write good prose, you get the feeling of that you’re touching a wonderful, soft blue cloth.

The interpretative idea you had for writing the story that you put in the afterword for volume 7 were interesting to read. The idea that somewhere, the real Yuu and Touko are working and living somewhere. And the thought that you put their story to paper while looking at them.

The afterword of Vol. 7

Nakatani: Of course, the story I drew was original, but I felt that there was a correct version out there somewhere, so I wanted to get as close to that correct version as possible. Rather than “deciding,” I feel like I “knew” already.

You also said, “I thought that alternate world only existed inside me, but the anime staff were also looking at the same world. It’s like it was saved, not locally, but on the cloud.”

Kusunoki: Maybe Iruma-san was also looking at that world while writing Regarding Saeki Sayaka.

Iruma: I understand that feeling. But when I’m writing my own original works, I don’t think I’ve ever thought that way… Well, it’s hard to say. Just what am I thinking about when writing, anyway?

(Everyone laughs.)

Nakatani: When developing the story, we’re the ones doing the work, but there’s also the feeling of knowing what the characters wouldn’t do.

Iruma: I agree.

When you’re writing, Iruma-san, do you write based on the image that comes to mind, or do you actually think up the words and write them directly?

Iruma: I start directly from words, I think. It’s just that, when I write, when I can physically feel that I’m writing good prose, it feels like I’m touching a wonderful, soft blue cloth.

Nakatani: A cloth?

Iruma: That’s right. If I write bad prose, then it feels like I’m touching something rough… Ugh, if I say something like that, it makes me sound super uncool, like a savant like Psychoelectric Girl.5

Nakatani: No, no, it’s very cool. I want to know whether the thing I’m writing right now is good or bad, so I wish I could feel the same way.

Iruma: When I write something good, I feel like I can see blue and white colors. When I’m not doing so well, I feel like I’m touching something uncomfortable, something that might cut me, and it doesn’t feel good. Although it might just be that I don’t want to do any work at the time.

Nakatani: Hahaha. When I write, I’m always just thinking, “This is probably okay, right?” I don’t feel confident in it until I receive other people’s reactions.

Going towards a perfect ending for the Bloom Into You built from the novels, anime, and stage play

Looking back at the anime, how do you really feel about it?

Nakatani: My true feeling about it is, I really want a 2nd season. I just really want to see a continuation of the anime, haha. I’m the type to feel uncomfortable if there’s even a little difference between the dialogue or the behavior of the characters from the original, but the anime was very careful about it. Even the ways they walked were rendered and engaged with. Even in the B part of episode 6, where it was just Yuu and Touko talking, was filled with a thrilling anxiety. Makoto Kato made sure even the most detailed fixes were added, so the delicacy of the scene was really conveyed. I think it turned out very well, even standing by itself.

Yuzuhara: As a fan of the original, I felt a mysterious feeling when I saw the characters moving, haha.

Nakatani: I totally get it. At the beginning, from a fan’s point of view, all you can think about is, “Wow, they’re really moving, and talking,” haha.

Bloom Into You was also adapted into a stageplay.

From the official Bloom Into You stage play site

Nakatani: Keeping the essence of Yuu and Touko’s story, the managed to piece together the story up until volume 6 into a 2-hour work. There were times my heart pounded and times I grinned. My feelings were a roller coaster while I was watching.

Kusunoki: Both the aquarium scene and sports festival scenes weren’t in it, but the important conversations that took place in those scenes were recreated properly. It was really pared down to its most essential parts.

Please give us some final words regarding volume 8, which will be the last volume.

Nakatani: Starting to date is not the goal of love. It’s hard ot say how the story will end, but I plan to end it with a reassuring feeling that Yuu and Touko will be fine. I want to create an ending in volume 8 that will make people think, “We’ve seen their story up to the point where it should be seen.” Will I be successful? I’m going to try, so please look forward to it!

Would you like to give some parting words for today’s chat?

Nakatani: I worked together with Iruma-san on Shoujo Mousou Chuu and Regarding Saeki Sayaka, but after that, we haven’t gotten a chance to meet. That’s why I’m really happy I was able to meet him today. Especially because I know Iruma-san is the rare type who doesn’t really like this kind of setting. Thank you for this rare opportunity! It was really fun!

Yuzuhara: We covered topics I don’t often get to listen to, so I was really engaged. I had the feeling of, “Aaah! It’s him!” upon meeting Iruma-san, the original creator of Adachi and Shimamura, for the first time. I’m really glad I got to meet him.

Iruma: Is that true? Is that really true?

Yuzuhara: Yes, it is, haha!

Iruma: As for me, it’s been a long time since I’ve left my house and talked to people, so I had a lot of fun, too.

Thank you for your time today.