Quick translation so that I can get this up before the movie airs. Please correct me if you spot any errors.

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You not only drew the key visual and designed original characters for Fairy Tail Dragon Cry, but also worked on a storyboard close to 200 pages in length. What made you so involved in the production of the movie?



All I did was to start drawing after the request came (laugh). The request to make a movie came in just when the manga was entering its final part, and I had many ideas floating around in my head. Nothing would begin if no one does anything, and I wanted to give my best since I was asked to be involved in it.



When did talk about writing an original storyboard start?



There was interest expressed in making another movie right after the first movie (Fairy Tail the Movie: Phoenix Priestess) was released. I was also interested, and since I had amassed many ideas that I was not able to use in the manga, I tried to come up with a story leading to a new climax. I was hoping that the release of the movie could coincide with the climax of the manga, even though I did not specifically aim for it to happen.



When the PV of the movie was released, there was also a comment posted of you saying “I want to make a movie that is focused on entertainment.” Which parts of the movie contribute to that?



I came up with the story of Phoenix Priestess while thinking “I want to make all the fans cry”. However, Dragon Cry turned out to be a simple story with its highlight being the intense battles and flashy action scenes. I thought that it would be nice to make a movie that the audience can enjoy without having to think too much while watching. I also drew the key visual, and I wanted the scene where half of Natsu’s body is dragonized to be the focus.



You also commented that there are surprises in the movie.



A certain character’s past, which has not been touched on in the manga, is revealed in the movie. Please watch attentively “to the end”! In addition, there are various references made in the movie, even though many of them have unfortunately been cut… You can see what has been cut by comparing the movie with the original storyboard. The storyboard is merely a draft, and it’s embarrassing to show it to everyone.



I’ve seen both the original storyboard and the film, and I feel that the original characters Swan, Doll and Gapri are even more charming in the movie as compared to the original draft.



I made additional suggestions after submitting the original storyboard, and also received suggestions from the anime staff. There were many parts of the movie which were touched up after we integrated our ideas. Of the 3 characters mentioned, Swan became an especially good character after that. I have yet to watch the completed film, but I think that it’s an enjoyable movie.



We can also see new settings that have yet to appear in the manga.



Most of these, including the “surprise” that I’ve mentioned earlier, are things that wouldn’t be included in the manga and drawn only for the movie. In that sense, the movie complements the manga and I hope everyone will enjoy it.



You have also worked on the storyboard for the original animation DVDs (OAD) that were bundled with the manga volumes. Were there aspects of that experience that you made use of when you worked on the original storyboard for this movie?



The original storyboard is also a draft proposal, drawn with the expectation that the anime staff would adjust its contents accordingly. I drew it with the same feeling as I would draw the manga. However, doing the anime storyboard was difficult, and I had a tough time! I drew it while timing the seconds with a stopwatch in one hand, and also repeatedly grappled with trying to understand terms that I had just learned while working on it.



You handled the writing of the original storyboard in a similar manner as the manga.

When it comes to the weekly serialization of the manga, there have been times when I was absolutely stuck and and just decided that “I’ll just drag things on till the next chapter for now, and wager on myself (when I work on the chapter for) next week!” (laugh). That wouldn’t work when it comes to the draft of the anime, and I made sure that I handled the story composition and development properly, recalling the days when I was still a rookie.



Please tell us about yourself as well. What are the kinds of things that interest or appeal to you when you come into contact with a piece of work?

I think a good piece of work is one that surprises the audience, and I tend to like those that contain an unexpected twist right at the end. I keep in mind the joy of trying to surprise my readers when I am drawing as well. When I’m developing my story, I don’t foreshadow one event after another, but instead often adopt a pattern where I’ll add in some foreshadowing at parts that I can potentially expand on, and revise it when I expand on the event subsequently. I’ve become good at this since I’ve been doing it for a long time, but there have also been times when sharp readers have pointed out something that had been retconned. I want to work towards being able to draw my manga in such a way that nothing appears to be retconned even if I had revised something retrospectively. RAVE was my debut manga, and I drew it with all the developments firmly set in place. However, serialization of Fairy Tail began with me casually deciding that the story is more or less about wizards going on jobs. It was fun coming up with stories about the various situations they encounter, and I think this style is one that suits me.



Two chapters of Fairy Tail will be concurrently released on 26 April in the combined issue 21.22 of Weekly Shonen Magazine. You are known as someone who works quickly; What is the secret behind that?



I’m not fast at all! It just appears to be that way! I’m happy that people think that way, but my pace of work cannot be considered fast if you were to leap in and see the manga circle from the inside. I have to accelerate my schedule little by little many months before so that I can stock up, and only release 2 chapters at one go when I have a surplus of one full chapter of content. I don’t draw 2 chapters worth of content all of a sudden (laugh).

You also post illustrations of Fairy Tail on Twitter even though you’re busy.

I started it as a form of fan service, and also partly as a hobby because it was a fun. I’m also glad that I get to personally experience the support of many foreign fans through the replies I receive. I’ve heard about having foreign fans from the editorial department, but I thought that they were just paying me lip service (laugh). I worked on the manga with an awareness of the foreign market after that. For example, I try to ensure that the shape of the speech bubbles are more circular rather than elliptical so that it would be easier to fit the English-translated lines. I also take into consideration the difficulties of translation, and stopped including puns that play on the Japanese language.



Fairy Tail has been serialized for 10 years, and next year marks 20 years of your professional debut as a manga artist. Please tell us your feelings about your journey.



This 10 years passed in the blink of an eye. It feels like only so little time has passed, yet at the same time, it has already been 10 years. I was a high school student when I started seriously aiming to be a manga artist, and looking back, I think I was really lucky. I was also aided by the trend of the times. There were hardly any fantasy manga in Weekly Shonen Magazine at the time of my debut, and filling that niche has allowed me to come this far.



Lastly, please leave a message for the fans.



If you enjoyed watching Dragon Cry, that is because of the effort put in by the anime staff. Please convey your comments to them. The Fairy Tail manga is also heading towards its climax. I would be glad if you continue reading till the end!

