Seeing that there weren’t any other Nisio Isin interview translations, I have done another to make up for the relatively short Katanagatari interview. The interview is very interesting, giving insight into how Nisio Isin makes his characters and his stories. The original interview was released on T-SITE Lifestyle.

– This exhibition will be introducing the path you have taken over the past 15 years. How has this occasion been for you?

I have worked on so many things over the past 15 years that it has become more and more difficult to grasp (laughs). With this, as a writer I was very thankful to be able to look back over these 15 years. Even a timeline was made, so there were a lot of times where I’d be reminded and think “ah, that’s right”. When you think you’d remember, you surprisingly do end up forgetting. For example the Monogatari Series, I have released 23 books but if I were to be asked “Can you accurately say the titles and order of these books?”, even if I do reply with “of course”, I would need to somewhat mentally prepare myself……

– Seeing all your works lined up, there are a lot, aren’t there?

I’ve written this much….. I do a lot more work than I expected. Looking at the timeline, I had the sense that I had been working as a writer for such a long time. To think that I was allowed to write for this long. I don’t think it would have lasted so long if I had been writing by myself. It is thanks to the many who supported me that I was able to do so.

– You wrote the script for the audio guides of which there were 3 types: ‘Zaregoto Series’, ‘<Monogatari> Series’ and ‘Boukyaku Tantei Series’. This idea is great for the fans.

Doing so much as opening an exhibition, I thought I should do my best to help. I did things like writing for the columns presenting illustrations, or reproducing my writing style for display. But at any rate I was completely unfamiliar with audio guides, so work on the audio guides started from the point of me asking what an audio guide was. It’s been 10 years since writing a conversation between Kunagisa Tomo and the Zaregoto Tsukai from the ‘Zaregoto Series’. Really nostalgic….. Surprisingly the ‘<Monogatari> Series’ was the most difficult. I had to get Araragi and Shinobu to provide serious commentary (laughs). It felt very new to get these two characters to interact in a serious manner, so I thought that I had created something new, once again different from the anime commentaries. I also wrote the script for the FANDA card, which will be handed out as a special gift to those coming to the exhibition. There are 6 types, and each one has a character that will apparently give you a call on the phone. This was a new challenge so I was very happy.

– And this is all able to hold itself up because the characters are so appealing.

Looking back at all my works, I certainly felt there were a lot of characters. It was fun working out what different characters had in common. In the ‘<Monogatari> Series’ there is Gaen Izuko, a character who is at the very top in expertise in regards to apparitions and is ‘a young lady who knows everything’. But looking back, in the ‘Zaregoto Series’ there was Himena Maki ‘a fortune teller who knows everything’. Then when thinking about ‘Katanagatari’, there’s Hitei Hime. It was quite interesting noticing that, in whatever series there was always a ‘young lady who knows everything’. Like, at first glance Zerozaki Soushiki (from the ‘Ningen Series’) and Senjougahara Hitagi (from the ‘<Monogatari> Series’) aren’t related, but they both in fact are users of stationary as weapons. So with this I was able to see some of my habits when making characters.

– So it’s not like you’ve set “let’s make this kind of a character” as a theme.

That’s right. In whatever series it’s not like I’m thinking “I’ll definitely get a young lady who knows everything to appear”, but somehow it just happens, though I’m not at all conscious of it. And what’s more I’ve found things in common between the characters that are like “So what?” (laughs). Maybe it’s because when I write a character, I only concentrate on the character in front of me, without being conscious of any of the other characters in the other series.

Just, I do always write thinking that I want to properly define each and every one of my characters. This feeling has been the same since my debut work ‘Kubikiri Cycle’. ‘Kubikiri Cycle’ is a mystery taking place on a remote island, so I wanted a lot of characters to appear. However I didn’t want to write characters that were just there to be killed or act as red herrings. To write each character to the level of a protagonist was something I wanted to do since before my debut.

– Certainly, many of the characters make you interested in their background and past. Is there any trick or method in making the individualities of the characters stand out?

Once I’ve fully established the character, I make sure to think of a character that will act as a direct contrast. In the ‘Zaregoto Series’, Kunagisa Tomo and the Zaregoto Tsukai are partners, but at the same time their nature as characters are opposite. This is likewise with the Zaregoto Tsukai and Zerozaki Hitoshiki. Then after making Zerozaki Hitoshiki, I’d create a contrasting relationship with his brother. In this way I’d try turning different aspects around to create characters that offer something different.

– So characters are made based on their relationship with other characters.

Exactly. A character’s personality will also change depending on the person they’re talking to. For example the second season of the ‘<Monogatari> Series’. If the narrator changes, I thought it would be nice if the impression of the other characters, and how they each respond during dialogue changed as well.

– The names of the characters are also very unique, with each name reminiscent of the character’s background and personality. Do you decide the name of the character first?

There are times where I think of a character’s personality before their name, and other times where I would think of a name before making the character. If I had to say, choosing a name before making the character is easier later down the line. Choosing a name once the personality has been set is rather, difficult…… In the ‘Densetsu Series’ I had to think of a name for the magical girl in addition to the real name of the character. In truth, there are characters where I think “but they’re going to die soon anyway” (laughs). But it is precisely because they will die soon that I want to give them a proper name. It’s over once you starting thinking “this character’s going to die so I’ll just give them any old name”.

– Despite how we can see each character’s personality and past through their interactions with other characters, you can also tell just how much love has been put into each and every character.

In that sense, I feel that having Take-san illustrate all the characters when ‘Kubikiri Cycle’ was first published was the very start. Having not just Kunagisa Tomo and the Zaregoto Tsukai, but also the geniuses gathered on the remote island, the maids and the owner of the mansion visualised was very big for me. It’s probably something that doesn’t happen often even now. This caused a certain kind of revolution within me. Having characters depicted not just by words but in picture really stirred my imagination.

Then, seeing the characters of ‘Bakemonogatari’ move and speak in the anime adaptation caused another revolution. Learning of ways to express yourself other than through novels was, as well, a turning point in how I wrote novels.

If there was another turning point, it would be when I experienced writing a serial work for WEEKLY JUMP (‘Medaka Box’). If it was a novel, I would generally bring things together in 1 book and write to the end, but with this I experienced being able to present weekly a story ‘midway’. I also experienced the fear of not knowing whether I could write all the way to the end. So because of this I was able to learn how to make a story interesting whilst still in the middle. I think these 3 things are revolutions over the past 15 years worthy of a special mention.

There was also another revolution for me which was brought about myself. This was to announce the next work saying “for the next work, I will write is this”. After releasing ‘Kubikiri Cycle’, announcing that I will be releasing ‘Kubishime Romanticist’ and ‘Kubitsuri High School’ was the start of everything. After this, every time I released a book, I would announce the next work. I think this was one reason why I was able to write for 15 years. Above anything else I, as a reader like it when I see an announcement for the next work. It makes you excited when you think that “there’s going to be a continuation”. I think it would be nice if I could offer such a thing.

– With the anime adaptation of the ‘<Monogatari> Series’, we got to see the fierce dialogue based drama performed passionately by the voice actors, and on top of that the addition of a literary flavour using various techniques. It was an astounding work. You were surprised as well, weren’t you?

Yes, I was surprised. I wrote the ‘<Monogatari> Series’ with the intention “let’s write a novel that would be impossible to adapt into picture”, so with this, I can never say such a thing again. I’ll need to do the opposite and say “I wrote this with the hope it would be adapted into anime ” (laughs). By no means did I think the ‘<Monogatari> Series’ would be adapted into anime, and what’s more, to think it would be adapted so wonderfully. I was very surprised. I thought it was the one book most unsuited for anime. Even ‘Ningyou ga Ningyou’ would perhaps be easier than this (laughs).

For example, the apparition that appears in the first story ‘Hitagi Crab’ is an apparition that can’t be seen by people. I did wonder how they would express this, but to think they would do it like that. Otherwise it would be the exchange in dialogue. It was something I thought would surely be strong only because it’s in writing, but the cast performed it wonderfully. When performed, emotion beyond the writing is carried by every word, so it gives a different impression to that when in writing. The nuance carried by the voice changes and affects the imagination of the listener. This was quite the revelation.

– So with all this, you seem to really enjoy your works being adapted into picture.

Well, they really are making fantastic stuff. I also thought this when ‘The Memorandum of Kyoko Okitegami’ was adapted into a drama. In some sense, the ‘<Monogatari> Series’ was adapted following the flow of the original work, but with adapting ‘The Memorandum of Kyoko Okitegami’ into live action, the story was reorganised, and made to better fit a drama. Moreover, it was still very much ‘Boukyaku Tantei’. I was very surprised. To be able to write a story set in the real world, without changing the focal point of the work. I thought “You can really do this!?”.

– When adapted to picture, is there anything you ask for in particular?

When adapting my works into other forms of media, it’s generally outside my area of expertise so I don’t tend to say very much. Rather than saying something careless, I think it’s better to just leave it to those who are more experienced. Having certain standards like “It’ll be no good if like this” might make it easier, but it’s probably better not to hope for something saying “please make it like this”. I was so excited by the anime and drama because the works were made completely by brilliant people.

– In the exhibition there is a corner introducing catchphrases, but certainly a large appeal of the Nisio Isin World is your wordplay. What was it that caused you to notice the “fun in words”?

When reading novels, I believe. Novels from the label Kodansha Novels – from which I debuted – continuously taught me how fun words were. Finding out about novels with two columns was a big revelation for me at the time. Just in what order do I read this (laughs)? I like reading, and so here I am now.

So as I continued to write, I fell more and more into how fun words were. Whilst writing, words would connect to each other in unexpected ways; there are many things that you just don’t realise without actually writing it down. I think it’s important not just to think within your head, but to also move your hand. There is a part of me that thinks things will work out if I just write. For the time being, if I just start, I should be able to write.

– So you carry on writing thinking “this is fun”.

This is surely something I have perhaps learned, as I said earlier, from my experience writing a weekly serial work. If I just write, the story will naturally connect and continue. Even for ‘Owarimonogatari’, which will soon be adapted into anime, I couldn’t have imagined it would end like that. But I think it ended in the most beautiful way. When writing novels, there is a part of me that writes wanting to see the ending, thinking “I wonder how it’s going to end?”.

– What! Really? So you don’t have the plot decided already?

I don’t. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to feel satisfied whilst writing.

– But for a mystery, wouldn’t the ending and it’s foreshadowing be important!?

It’s important, so that’s why I continue to write so the mystery can be solved. So to explain this from the point of view of a character, for example I tried putting a girl, Senjougahara Hitagi into the story, but she’s incredibly fierce. Then why is she like that? I write this sort of thing whilst continuing to search around and look deeper. That’s why when the character is fully understood, the story ends. There are some characters where this is more difficult. I had a very hard time with Sengoku Nadeko. I think it took around 8 years for me to fully understand her. I have yet to understand Kagenui-san or Ononoki-chan, so I want to continue to dig deeper. After writing, if I end at a point I’m a bit curious about, I can write another additional work.

– This is very exciting! So wanting to solve and understand; this curiosity is what drives you the most.

That’s right. That’s why I write without deciding what will happen later. This was something I did in my early days as a writer, but is also something that I have used more intentionally over time. At my current stage, I probably do decide somewhat on a story, but I end up thinking it would be better to wait a bit longer before deciding on an answer, maybe around half a year. For example, after a film I had been looking forward to was released. After watching the film, my perspective may have changed, bringing about a better conclusion for the story.

– It seems you don’t fear change, but in fact enjoy it. Looking back 15 years, did you feel you had changed?

Yes. Like, seeing the occasional bit of writing from back then, it’s completely wrong. There were times when I was doing this intentionally and other times when I was not, so it reminded me of when I was writing back then. Just, this time looking back, I once again felt that “I can’t deny what I had written in the past”. Even if I think “I have a different opinion now”, or “I wouldn’t have accepted this style of writing”, this is very much only my present opinion. Rather, I should enjoy the fact that I was able to write both.

– Thinking simply, you have done a tremendous amount of writing. How is your health?

I am very healthy at the moment. It’s relaxing, exciting…. in this way, I enjoy writing very much. Certainly looking at the timeline and simply at the amount I was writing, there were times when the schedule was ridiculous. Like when I was releasing ‘Katanagatari’ as a monthly work whilst writing ‘Kizumonogatari’. Or when I was releasing a serial work for WEEKLY JUMP whilst releasing a novel for the ‘<Monogatari> Series’ every few months. But once I start working on something, I don’t tend to think about other things in the schedule. This may be my trick in being able to overcome this sort of thing. To be in the state of mind that “At this moment, it is only this that I’m writing”. To not think that the situation is too busy and hard. “This is all I need to do”, the idea is repeated and accumulates to produce this final result. Even when I was asked about the exhibition, I thought there wouldn’t be enough material for such a thing (laughs). Then surprisingly, they managed to use up all the space. I’ve really done this much work, haven’t I?

– I am very much looking forward to your 16th year. Please provide a message to those who will be visiting the exhibition.

This exhibition has brought together what I was doing, at each time, at each place, over the past 15 years. Thanks to this I was able to understand where the turning points were and how I was writing in the past. This understanding, I’m sure will help me in some form in the future. For the people coming to see the exhibition, it may be the case that they had read a lot more than they expected. I would be glad if the exhibition could give you the opportunity to remember and look back at what you were doing when you read that work.

Source: http://top.tsite.jp/lifestyle/magazine/i/36311795/ http://top.tsite.jp/lifestyle/magazine/i/36311796/

Image: http://natalie.mu/comic/gallery/show/news_id/233882/image_id/780539