Source: https://conan-4869.net/post-19909
Translation by: Yunniechan[3]
Our magazine is for women, so forgive us for such a sudden question, but can we ask what is sensei’s favourite girl type?
What?! (laughs) Okay.
Judging from the characters that are appearing in your work, which one is your favourite?
If I have to chose from girls, it’s Ran. And Conan’s mother, Yukiko. Yukiko was modelled after Fujiko Mine, and, to be honest, I borrowed her hair style.
That’s why her chest is so big.
Hahaha. Her chest is big, yeah, and she also can disguise herself. She also rides Harley and wears leather jackets. The whole disguising technique came from Lupin the Third.
Do you have any favourite actresses?
Right… Some time ago it was Kikuchi Momoko. Now… Hirosue :) And Yūka, I guess.
Looks like you like women with sweet and comforting personality.
I like women most people like.
All girls appearing in sensei’s works have a great sense of style.
Right. Nakamori Aoko, a character from the manga [Magic Kaito], where Kaito Kid first appeared, has a small chest, and she’s the only one. And she’s not [Momoko], but [Aoko].
I see. By color. You drew her when you were a fan of Momoko-chan?
Yes-yes. At that time. And she is Nakamori, because I liked Nakamori Akina. I liked her more than Matsuda Seiko.
There were Seiko-chan fraction and Akina-chan fraction, yeah…
You have a lot of childhood friends sweethearts in your works, is it because you had one?
Nope. I didn’t.
Really? You played detective a lot when you were a child, you didn’t have girls as friends?
Yeah. Nope. I didn’t have, but at the elementary school I was taken camping to the mountains, it was a lesson, so I had to, I was the last and I lost… And came to girls’ group. When we met, I left the cave with them.
There was a girl I liked in there :)
Sounds really funny! How old were you?
Elementary school student. So I were able to get the direction from tree stump… But still I really was lost, and girls started to cry. We kind of made a long way around, and returned. We thought everyone would be angry at us, so everyone started crying before we reached the meeting point. I called it fake tears :)
That’s cheating :) And? Everyone were angry?
They weren’t. We said [it was scary], but it wasn’t scary at all. It was really fun.
Which couple sensei wants to support?
Of course Shinichi and Ran. Shinichi became small, so it doesn’t go well for him.
Readers should also love not just Shinichi, but also Ran, and I want them to support them both! Right?
Yeah. It was like that at the beginning, see? It’s because you understand it’s mutual feeling, right? It’s not like when characters pretend to hate each other and then, at vol. 8 or something you just [oh, so they loved each other?]. You know it from the very beginning. But since he turned small, it’s a bit hard for them.
It’s even sadder because of that, I think everyone will support them. Every character is, so to speak, slow.
Ah, yeah-yeah. Seiyuu Hayashibara Megumi-san said that too! [Kind of too slow] :) I believe she thought [It’s because they think about themself].
That’s a really irritating feeling, but I bet readers find it amazing.
Yes-yes. So I’ll probably make them more irritated :)
A lot of people say [We want Conan-kun and Ai-chan to have something]
Yes-yes. A-a… Impossible, just impossible :)
Impossible after all? Which one Ai-chan prefer - Kudo-kun or Edogawa-kun?
Smaller one, I think? Conan. Hayashibara-san also said that [big one is nice, but give me a smaller one] :)
Speaking about adults, Satou-keiji and Takagi-keiji are also leading? They have a lot of fans. Saying things like [Please let them marry!]
Hahaha. So they want them to marry… Wonder what should I do…
Don’t you think it’s time? Their relationships developed a lot… (TN: COUGH 2004 year COUGH)
Right-right (big laughter) I look forward to drawing it. Comparing to Shinichi and the others, Satou and Takagi didn’t have much obstacles.
If only there wasn’t Shiratori-keibu.
Aa. Shiratori :) Right-right.
Ah, that tailing at Tropical Marine Land was so funny. All their hearing errors…
[Heroin]’s became [hirouen (reception)] and blood’s [kekkon (stain)] - [kekkon (marriage)], that? To be honest, I really liked drawing it.
And Satou-keiji is really popular, right? Everyone but Megure-keibu and Chiba-keibu love her!
Right. She’s great :) When a woman takes a job full of male workers, of course she’ll be popular.
Is Satou-san the only one woman in the first division of Criminal Investigation Bureau?
Right… I never drew it, but I guess there are others? If they are there, I bet they are quite pitiable. Hahaha.
Sensei, you said earlier [I see Kogoro-san as Jinnai Takanori], if you were to make a live action, what would you do? There are a lot of fans who are against life action, you see…
I would like to see Matuda Yuusaku as Shinichi’s dad. I really like him. I would’ve wrote Takizawa-kun as Kudo Shinichi, but even if I’ll say saw, fangirls will go like [no waay~ not Takki!], you see :)
In the survey, we thought there would be more Heiji-playing candidates, but, surprisingly, there weren’t.
Weren’t? Not much dark-skinned, you see.
When sensei just started to draw the very first chapter of [Meitantei Conan], did he expected a lot of fangirls?
Yeah… But I didn’t expect that many. The love comedy aspect wasn’t really strong. When I look through fan letters, all male fans are around middle school, and everyone older are all female fans. Looks like I’m popular among housewives :)
Especially a lot of cases where a mother watches it with her child and becomes interested herself. When I go to cinemas, there a lot of women of mother-like age. I don’t think children and mothers number is equal.
:) [When I started reading it, I was a high school student, but now I am a mother] - fan letters like this came to me. That’s going pretty wild.
What criminal left the most big impression on you, sensei? Like, even if they committed a crime, you really liked them.
Of course Tsukishima Island’s Asou Seiji. But he died. A criminal who can’t kill people easily. That’s the impression left of him.
Did you decide to kill him in the end of the story right from the beginning?
Yes. That has been decided. And there was a foreigner… what’s his name, Harold. At the Karakuri Spider Mansion. I pitied him too…
[SHINE] that was read as [die]?
Yes, that was pitiful too. After I drew that, I thought that he really is pitiful… :) If it wasn’t for that, I would’ve probably made him commit suicide, murdering someone just for that… Assistant also asked me [why? why did you drew that?]
Your assistants can say such things?
They can. If something’s boring, they’ll say it’s boring. And they can say something like [That was kind of great that time].
Kaito Kid is a guest from another manga, but he’s becoming famous. Sensei, what do you think about it?
When I was about to enter Kaito Kid, I thought [Should I make that egoistic thing?] :) Matsumoto Reiji-sensei makes that a lot, don’t you think? In 999, Harlock and Queen Emeralds appear, for example. I liked that feeling. I always wait eagerly for the pain plot, but when a guest appears, I think it’s nice.
Recently, when Kaito Kid appeared, when I read internet, Magic Kaito fans went nuts. [He won’t lose to Conan!], a lot of comments like that :) That became kind of fuss. But, different from [Magic Kaito], I drew only Kaito Kid himself. Not Kuroba Kaito. And I don’t show what Kid thinks, only Conan’s POV. And Kid uses really pompous phrases….
Really pompous. He’s a good rival to Shinichi-kun.
Yeah… He really became kind of pretentious. :) My main character. It’s hard to think of his lines.
Have you taken some cool lines from books or films?
No… They just come to me, while I’m relaxing.
To be honest, in readers survey the most popular opinion is [we want complete profiles for characters]. Like, a lot want to know Heiji’s birthdate.
Heeh. When Heiji born, huh… I want to know it myself, but he acts like a Leo.
Yes, and him being dark-skinned… That’s an August kind of thing. You’re planning to reveal it eventually?
Hm. I really want to think of birthdays. I did Agasa-hakase’s birthday. That took me 10 years :) 53 years… When I started drawing it, I thought [That’s quite a grandpa], but when I think about it right now, he’s not that old. Maybe I should’ve made him 63? Fail~
Everyone call him [jii-san], and he looks like a ojiisan.
Yep. I failed :)
He looks like a professor from Ocha no Mizu.
Right. It even looks like I’ve stolen Ocha no Mizu’s professor :)
Speaking of birthdays and blood types, people really [want to know about their loved one]. Especially blood types, Ran said [My blood type is the same as this child’s], and everyone got curious.
If I’ll say it, I think girls with other blood type would be sad. Just think of it as anyone you like. That’s why I probably won’t reveal it.
What is Sharon Vineyard’s age? Chris is 29, so being her mother… Have you thought about it?
Hee. Hehehe.
Gin knows her age? We’re worried :) At least relatively?
Hehehe. Right. That’s pretty much a core question.
A lot of people want to know how it’ll end. I won’t ask about that, so I’ll make another question. Shinichi lived alone 3 years, right? How did he managed his housework?
He made his meals my himself, sometimes Ran made it for him, professor too. I don’t think he’s skilled at cooking.
When he was back, he had only a toast for breakfast, so I guess he didn’t cook anything?
Hahaha. Yeah, that’s true.
Ran standed in line for Fusae Campbell’s branded goods, so what did she buy in the end? Because it is Ran-chan, maybe it was a purse?
What did she buy hmm… Well, let’s think she did buy a purse. When I’ll draw her purse next time, I’ll tell assistant [here, ass some leaf pattern]. And readers would be like [a-a, so that is what she bought]. Hahaha.
It doesn’t look like she bought a big bag. Ran doesn’t have that much of allowance.
Aa, right. Right. That was not expensive. Nice good with reasonable price.
You really need to draw after making a big research. At that sphere there are a lot of things you can’t draw without understanding technical details, I guess it’s hard to research?
That’s more of [please ask about…] and searching in internet kind of thing. When I drew a story about fishing, I became really knowledgeable in fishing sphere. And when I drew the story about bears, I learned a lot of details of bear behaviour.
I also know a lot about dogs.
That’s interesting :)
Like, about dog breeds. But I’m starting to forget by now.
You have a lot of animals appearing. Sensei, do you like animals?
Hmm… I guess? Haibara loves animals. I had a dog when I was a child, and was really sad when it died…
I can’t get another one because I think it’ll die someday too. I bought a robot dog once…
But you lost interest in it?
Yep. I gave it to a friend :) Robot dogs really grow. By stages. At first it starts walking around the house slowly… So when I thought [it’ll start to walk soon], it tried to stand but couldn’t. That was a bit revolting. It was too much ‘real’. I was scared.
A lot of places appear in series. When you want to draw it, do you go there to gather material?
The story that’s going on right now is in Okinawa, but I never been there. Camera people made photos of Naha airport for me.
I see. You can’t go, right? Having no time…
I went to NY. There’s [author takes a break in order to gather materials] message a lot, but that time it was not a non appearance because I missed deadline, I actually went to gather material :) Other than NY, just being in Tokyo is boring, so Conan and others travel a lot.
Would you be happy if another prefectural police officer appears?
?! Yes. Totally. I thought about it a lot. Gunma, Shizuoka, Kanagawa… And Saitama’s Yokomizo-keiji stopped appearing. To be honest, police officers don’t actually transfer. At the beginning, I made him being transferred a lot to whole of different places, and had him said [you too have come here!], but then I was told that [there’s no thing as job transfer in police]
You were scolded by a police-related person?
Not exactly, I have a fan who’s really fluent in police relations. [In WEB Sunday’s next preview there was [Takagi-keiji is going to transfer to Tottori?] written, so I thought [there’s no transferring!], went to inquire about to Joint Security Investigation Center, and there is actually, so good job, Aoyama-sensei!]
That was close~ :)
How much people are inside the BO?
Aa… I guess a lot.
A lot of people want to know who is [Anokata]. They wrote an e-mail/text message in Japanese, is they Japanese?
Well… I wonder. Everyone see even smallest details, huh.
If you’ll come up with it, will Gin’s or someone else’s nationality be shown?
Heh, Gin’s concept name was [Kurosawa Jin] :) Hahaha
Ehhhhh! Gin has a name?! Then Vodka’s is [Uokka Saburou]? That name was in registry book!
Aa~ I drew a registry book! You can’t see it, but there’s [Kurosawa Jin] written next to Uokka Saburou. Really! Hahaha. :)
It can’t be that they came up with their code names because of that puns! I think :)
Before vol. 42 people thought that Akai Shuichi is suspicious. And because of that everyone went [eeeeh?!]
He’s a good man. Hahaha :) He is a little gloomy. But this has a reason. Hehehe. :)
We was like [He’s too suspicious!] Because of his cold eyes.
He was the only one character of mine whom I added a slant line to the eyes :) I usually do that only to dead people. I really like this character. His voice is Ikeda Shuichi-san after all.
There is a rumour that sensei requested this seiyuu-san by himself.
Right-right. When NY special was out, I said [he’s cool. too cool]. That was great.
What was Araide-sensei doing in America?
Hm. He was a doctor, right? I don’t know. Maybe something different? You see, when everyone saw that Araide-sensei was Vermouth, Araide-sensei’s fans became really sad about it.
I thought he won’t appear again, I’m really happy he returned.
He’s back~! I think he is pretty interesting character.
He’s a tender person and everyone understand it.
Araide-sensei is going to have a bad time after all of that… kind of.
Eehhh?! Why? I don’t want to hear it, to be honest :)
Because of the place Vermouth lived in. Maybe she left a lot of stuff, don’t you think? It would be bad if he’ll find some.
Conan-kun wears Shinichi’s old clothes, and Ai-chan buys her by herself?
Ha~ Yes. Hakase can’t buy it after all.
She is really like a small adult. Her clothes feels like one onee-san would wear.
Right-right. Haibara reads magazines like CanCam. Such magazines are brought to me too. Sometime ago I went to buy by myself, but people in store made strange faced. Because I was buying a lot of women magazines. Thus I stopped buying it by myself.
You draw their clothes by looking at such magazines?
I took one I like and that look easy to draw. If there’re swimsuits, I look through fashionable swimsuits. Usually when it becomes an anime episode, a year passed and by the time it comes on screens, that clothes are not fashionable. I managed to catch a moment when ganguros were trending. Hahaha :)
At the time anime episode was out they nearly stopped trending at all. When I drew the case, they were really popular and by the anime episode time only village girls were doing that.
Time difference is harsh for fashion.
It is. That’s why I didn’t draw things like loose socks. I didn’t draw it because I thought they’ll go out of fashion, but. Until this very day (2004) they are remaining. [What. I should’ve drawn them].
Are there towns that became models for Beika and Haido?
Names come out from Baker street and Hyde park but I wonder where town structure came~
PAPCO surroundings really look like Shibuya Park’s PARCO, is it somewhere in Shibuya?
Hmm… I never thought of it :) That’s random. I drew the atmosphere of the place I live in. Like, when I lived at Kita Senju, I drew surroundings having it in mind. A place that’s just of some distance from the city centre.
But it has a lot of stuff. An amusement park, a cinema, a shopping centre…
It grew bigger, huh.
You had to have that in town :) Beika-city has only 5 town blocks?
Maybe? You ask even about this… :) You see, at the case with a series of arson I had to say which town block had it. I was asked [How about making it in 5 block?] So I did.
In a previous book I was asked to draw a map, but I can’t. It doesn’t come together.
Like… You draw that street, you draw another street… And those two are connected?-feeling?
They don’t. Tohto tower is Tokyo tower. It’s like a mix of fiction and reality.
That would be the least question. What is the future place you want to make a case in? Is there a place you want to go to?
That’s of course London. Although I heard the food there is really bad. I need to make cool incident in London.
Then please go there to gather material. But speaking of London, that’s a place where Holmes lived, maybe that’ll become a place for [final battle]?
Hahaha :) Noo. London would be served for love comedy. Ran and Shinichi’s. Love comedy’s final battle.
Love comedy’s final battle! What will be there? I really want to read it! I’ll be waiting!
EXTRA:
I want to ask about Ayumi-chan’s house and family!
At first, Mitsuhiko was the one who looked like 'a young master’, but in the movie [The Last Wizard of the Century] Kid stopped by at Ayumi-chan’s place. That’s why I quickly made Ayumi-chan living in multi-stored condominium .
I never even dreamt about it. And then I suddenly realized that Ayumi-chan is the richest! I think it’s because Ayumi-chan’s father is a pilot. Like Himitsu no Akko-chan’s father, who is a captain, you see.