Q: How did you start out in your career? Did you intend to become a manga editor or did you fall into it?

A: I began work in editing and writing when a friend who worked at a publisher introduced me to an editorial production company that was recruiting. They were making business books and other nonfiction—not manga.

I had always enjoyed reading everything from manga to novels to nonfiction, so I wanted to work in editing.

By chance, I had the opportunity to meet Egami-san, IKKI's editor in chief. He said they were looking for new editors and asked if I'd like to give it a try. I was surprised by the sudden offer to join the staff, but I was interested in manga editing, I had always liked IKKI, and I'd been subscribing to it ever since the first issue, so I decided to accept the job.

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Q: When did you decide to become a mangaka? Did you apprentice with anyone? How did you get your first manga serialized?

A: I had wanted to become a mangaka ever since I was in high school. I was never an apprentice. I came in second in a manga contest and an editor gave me work.

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Q: Afterschool Charisma deals with a lot of issues: destiny vs. freewill, clones vs. humans, and progeny v. progenitor. Did you intend for readers to think about these things? How did you come up with the concept for the series?

A: To be honest, I never really thought about it. I had the idea that a manga in which lots of great personages appeared would be interesting, so I made them clones and put them all into the same world.

However, the clone element is getting stronger than the great figures element, so it may develop more along the lines of fate vs. freewill.

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Q: When did you become the editor of Aono sensei’s I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow? Was it around the time of his one-shot, Somato (Kaleidoscope)?

A: No, before that. Somato (Kaleidoscope) won the Ikkiman award (IKKI’s award for new artists) and was his debut work, but before that he had written a one-shot called Kimi no Hanashi (“Your Story”). It’s a sad love story in which Shizuo doesn’t (?!) freak out. It was a final candidate for a previous prize. I became his editor after I saw it. (“Your Story” is an unpublished work.)

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Q: I’ve heard that your road to serialization was long. Could you tell us a little about the process you went through and what influence it had on I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow?

A: Up until my debut, I was working part-time jobs and writing one-shots as hard as I could. I’m not sure exactly how, but my lifestyle during that time has had some influence on this manga.

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Q: Could you tell us how you came to be in charge of Kitoh sensei’s Bokurano: Ours?

A: The previous editor quit, so one day the editor in chief suddenly came to me and told me to take over. There wasn’t the usual transition procedure, and I didn’t even know what Kitoh sensei looked like, so I was a little uneasy. I liked the manga, though, so I considered myself lucky.

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Q: What was your inspiration for writing Bokurano? Please tell us if a particular manga, anime or movie influenced you.

A: I don’t think anything had a direct influence on me, but everything I had seen since my childhood built up, creating a foundation for my work. I’ll list some representative examples of what I was watching during my kindergarten and elementary school days. That should give you an idea of my tastes. I think I’ve seen almost all of the anime and special-effects movies from that time period.

• Ultra Q
• The Ultraman Series (up until about Ultraman Ace)
• The Kamen Rider Series (up until about Kamen Rider Amazon)
• Five Rangers
• Mighty Jack
• Mazinger Z
• Thunderbirds
• The Godzilla series
• Space Battleship Yamato
• Heidi, Girl of the Alps
• 3,000 Leagues in Search of Mother

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Q: What is your history in terms of being a manga editor? How did you become an editor and grow your craft?

A: I wanted to work with books, so I took a job with a small editing production company. I am an avid reader of manga, and as a reader I found IKKI to be particularly interesting among the manga magazines of the time. When IKKI went monthly in 2003, I had the fortune to begin working as a freelance editor in their editorial department. I've been a manga editor for only about six years, so at the moment every day is a learning experience for me toward my goal of becoming a full-fledged editor.

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Daisuke Igarashi is the award-winning creator of such series as Children of the Sea, Majo, and Little Forest.

Q: How did the idea for the Children of the Sea story first come to you? What elements did you want to focus on compared to your past work?

A: The main theme of this story is the sea. The first time I went on a boat journey is when I realized how much I loved the sea. I was raised in an inland city, and yet when I stood by the seaside, all sorts of emotions stirred up inside me. As I thought about why this happened, I came up with the concept of the story. I wanted to convey the different faces of the sea—its beauty, its strength, its terrible power.

Q: You have a very distinct, beautiful art style. Your illustrations of oceans and landscapes seem to entice the reader to linger on the panels, spending time soaking in the scenery. What is your goal in the balance of art and storytelling? Do you intend your manga to be read at a certain pace?

A: My style originated from a certain experience I had. I was standing in a small, old forest near my house. As I stood in this forest, with the sun filtering through the trees and the breeze blowing, I suddenly noticed how beautiful this world is. Since then, my most important concern has been to show the beauty of this world. When I draw Children of the Sea, I try to be conscious of the rhythm of the waves. For example, as I draw quiet, gentle scenes, I want the readers to feel as though they're walking along the beach as the sun sets in a clear sky.

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