The cumulative sales of the original work of "The Seven Deadly Sins" have exceeded 8.5 million copies, and since October, the new animation of the same name has also been officially broadcast. In the story, there is a country called "Kingdom of Leonis" in the alternate continent "Britaria". The paladins of the kingdom were preparing for the legendary holy war, but despite their sacred name, the atrocities of the group left the entire country in misery, and the angry populace even staged a coup d'état and imprisoned the king. Elizabeth, the third princess, who is worried about the current state of the country, pins her hopes for saving the country on the Seven Deadly Sins, a knight who was wanted for a serious crime ten years ago, and embarks on a journey to find it alone. However, there was no trace of the Knights along the way, but when the exhausted Elizabeth strayed into a hotel, she encountered a crisis, and at the critical moment, she was rescued by the owner of the hotel, and unexpectedly, the blonde boy was the leader of the "Seven Deadly Sins". After freeing the princess from the danger of her pursuers, they also embark on a journey to save the future of their country...... So what kind of charm does this work have? Recently, some Japanese media conducted an exclusive interview with the author Suzuki Ao, so let's take a look at what he said!

The charm of Japanese manga lies in the "breadth of character types"

Q: The Seven Deadly Sins is based on the legend of King Arthur, and I think it's been well received overseas. Do you know anything about this?

Suzuki: I don't know anyone in particular. Basically, this is a work aimed at the readers of Weekly Shonen Magazine, so the first thing I need to think about from time to time is that pleasing them is a top priority. It's just that not only age, but also the gap between countries, so I don't think this is a manga with a wide audience. When I started serializing my work, I didn't set the target audience for middle school students, but children and middle and upper elementary school students. My goal is to make this work easy for children to understand and find interesting. At the same time, parents who are not usually familiar with fantasy works can also find happiness in it. Therefore, although the work is positioned as fantasy, I still try not to use technical terms and self-created terms as much as possible. In addition, the theme is "King Arthur", so in terms of results, it may be a work that readers from any country can easily get close to, right? The Seven Deadly Sins has been translated and published not only in Asia, but also in Germany, France, and Italy, and there is a website in the United States that updates the work weekly. Basically, they give me good feedback, so I'm very happy.

Q: Specifically, what was the response?

Suzuki: I've read the messages from readers in the U.S., and I think they have their own preferences for the members of the Seven Deadly Sins. Among them, I think the role of Ben has been recognized by the Americans, and Meliodas and Hawke are also very popular. Some people even said, "I've never seen such an amazing pig!" "I like Hawke very much because it's so easy to draw (laughs). In busy times, if Hawke's scenes often appear on the screen, then it is also a relief.

Q: Japanese manga and anime, including your own works, are attracting attention from all over the world. So what do you think is the charm of this?

Suzuki: First of all, I think there's a wide range of characters. I haven't completely read through American comics, so I can't make a judgment, but the protagonists of American comics led by Marvel are basically the kind of muscular men who are very pure, which also gives people the impression that "American comics are set like this". But seriously, there should be readers who want to see different types of characters like this, and what can meet their needs is Japanese anime. In Japanese works, the protagonist does not have to be a strong man, but in the final analysis, from a child to an adult, from a man to a woman, any character can be the protagonist. Japanese anime offers such a rich variety of genres.

Q: Because of this, in "The Seven Deadly Sins", not only is the class that meets the appetite of Americans very popular, but there are also many voices that say "I love Meliodas" and "I like Kim". This has also captured the hearts of overseas readers.

Suzuki: It probably looks like this. Another point is delicateness. Meiman generally gives people a very bold and cheerful feeling, but because it is so "bold", it is often dealt with hastily in the details. For example, when someone dies, if there is a long plot in a Japanese work, but if it is in a Hollywood blockbuster, no matter how close they were before, they will simply be abandoned and move on to the next plot. At the moment of war, the character becomes a "pawn". Hollywood productions are more about how many people the team will survive and whether they will defeat the enemy than individual stories. On the Japanese side, there will be a feeling of "fighting for the dead guy", and the author will put more ink on personal feelings. This difference in feeling can also bring a fresh charm to overseas audiences.

Q: And in "The Seven Deadly Sins", these details are also carefully portrayed. This increases the charm of the characters.

Suzuki: Personally, I didn't really know what I meant by "drawing a character" at first. When I was a newcomer, I always thought about drawing fantasy works, and then I worked hard to draw grids so that the protagonists could move in the special world of their imagination, and that's it. And the editor said to me, "You're not creating a character. Isn't it better to give up fantasy? At the time, I didn't understand how to create a character at all. For the next 10 years, I've been working on comics that are far from the fantasy genre. And in this way, I finally understood what a "charismatic character" is. At this time, the current editor said, "It's now, why don't you try to draw fantasy?" ”

A fantasy work in which the characters are designed first, and then they are drawn

Suzuki: As a newcomer, you can't help but want to draw fantasy. After all, being able to use the words of one's own invention to create stories and worldviews can be very appropriate to express "originality". But in fact, as long as children have ideas, they can also create such settings. But character building is not that simple. When I was first pointed out to be wrong with this, I replied, "Isn't it hot-blooded or cold-hearted?" And the editor's reply was: "Not really. You have to be able to shape people. "I couldn't relate to it at all. After all, life experience is still too shallow. However, even when it comes to hot blood, some types are "burning passion calmly", while others are "unleashing enthusiasm in all directions". These are all things that I didn't understand at first. Now I think about these questions carefully: How would that character react when something happened? Can the reader imagine this reaction? And am I aware of this reaction?

Q: So how did you master this technique?

Suzuki: Meet people. Whether the person is from a publisher or a friend, it's important to get in touch with a wide variety of people. If something is said to that person, he will be angry? So, what should be the response? These interpersonal interactions in daily life will nurture our imagination. And it's naturally reflected in the comics. It is extremely important to meet people and get to know each other. Also, watch one movie a week, and try to ignore whether you like the genre or not, and watch as many as you can. You can learn a lot from that. Also, I've been drawing sports and campus works for a long time, and they're all comics that use modern times as a stage. Therefore, before you know it, you will think about "role". Unlike fantasy, if these very ordinary places are used as the stage for the story, then the characters must be depicted in detail to produce differences in effects.

Q: In this way, you have developed a wealth of experience and skills. And based on that, I confidently started serializing fantasy manga.

Suzuki: Actually, I don't even have the idea of drawing fantasy now. Maybe it's because I have more feelings about the characters, so the time is ripe for fantasy, but I personally think it's more interesting to use modern times as a stage, so I lost interest and thought, "It's okay not to draw fantasy." "When I was a newcomer, the reason why I was obsessed with fantasy was that I had the idea that "I can't draw anything, I can only choose fantasy". When creating a sports genre or something related to modern life, it is necessary to do enough research. As I said before, you also need the power of the character. So in hindsight, I thought: I was actually running away in a sense. But the editor said, "Now, I hope you can draw fantasy," and I thought, "Ah, really?" So began the creation of "The Seven Deadly Sins". However, I still don't really want to draw fantasy, so when I created the plot, I also thought about how the characters led by Meliodas would act and what events such actions would cause. Even if these characters are not in fantasy works, you can put them in the sports genre manga. So to be honest, I haven't been thinking much about the plot when I've been working lately.

Q: It's quite surprising. I think the foreshadowing of the work is very delicately unfolded, and the ups and downs of the plot also make people get a lot of information. In this case, is it still "not considering the plot"?

Suzuki: Of course, the general direction of the plot needs to be thought about, and the ending is also determined. However, in the development of the story, the plot direction will change according to the appearance of the characters. Once the plot is decided, then it must be coordinated. Readers should be able to see this. If it is clear that "this character is such a guy", then even if you don't think about what will happen to him and create it naturally, when you look back at it afterwards, you still feel that the story of this character fits its own characteristics. Sometimes I even think to myself when I rewatch it, "Ah, that's right." In that sense, this work is really characterful.

In order to remind people of "The Seven Deadly Sins" when talking about King Arthur

Q: Since the time of "ライジングインパクト", you have incorporated elements of Arthurian legend into your work. But this time you didn't use King Arthur as the main character, but instead used the "Seven Deadly Sins" as the main character, what kind of reason is this?

Suzuki: When I think about the style and theme of my work, I want it to stay in people's minds. My original intention in creating this work was to give the reader the feeling that "there are things that I have heard of before, but I don't know very well, but somehow feel familiar." And the "Seven Deadly Sins" is very consistent with this setting. The "Seven Deadly Sins" was originally a Christian concept, and the Arthurian legend is inextricably linked to Christianity, but in the end, I just borrowed the concept, so I excluded the religious overtones. In addition, Meliodas is a legendary little person, and using him as the protagonist to create works also makes me more creative desire. If you use "Star Wars" to describe it, "The Seven Deadly Sins" should belong to the "Black Knight" chapter in the series. It's a very HTC prequel.

Q: Once you know the legend of King Arthur, the "theme" of the legend is even more important. In fact, King Arthur also appears in The Seven Deadly Sins. However, every time I read it, I feel that the plot unfolds beyond imagination, so I can't help but read it in one breath.

Suzuki: The thing that matters most to me is "surprising". If there's nothing in the story in an episode, I'll get bored when I'm drawing it myself. Just asking the editor to say, "This time the story is good," is not satisfying. First of all, the editor, as the original reader, must have something that makes him can't help but ask, "Huh?" What the hell is going on? "The charm of it. I hope that what I draw will make readers who are looking forward to a weekly serialization say, "I can't wait until next week!" "Thoughts. It's just that if they think the plot is okay, then they may forget what they watched last week by next week. I want to subvert the reader's preconceived notions, such as "sure the plot will be like this" and "this guy must be like this", etc., are all things I try to subvert. Heck, if you ask "then what to do?" "Actually, there are a lot of things I don't understand (laughs). However, it is not enough to be surprising, it has to be convincing and make the reader feel that "although it is surprising, since it is this guy, it is indeed possible to do this". And it is precisely because the characters become lifelike that no matter how the plot unfolds, it can be retracted freely.

Q: In fact, have you ever had a picture that surprised you?

Suzuki: Ah, when Diane came out, I struggled a little and thought, "Hey, this is a huge girl!?" "(laughs) I was hesitating whether to let Ben come out first or Diane first. At this time, the editor said, "Let a cute girl appear." "So it was decided to let Diane play first. But wait a minute. If it's just an ordinary cute girl, isn't there already Elizabeth? With that in mind, I tried to figure out the setting of the Giants. And this time it was the editor who complained, "Do you need such a big girl...... but I saw his reaction, and I thought it might be a good setting. If it's an ordinary girl, then it's just a jealous girl. But the giant girl was still an uncultivated ** land before, so I wanted to challenge it anyway. And Elizabeth is also alive in the plot. If you say that you will fight back against each other if you are subjected, then of course it can make the character fuller, but I don't want to draw such a welfare plot, so I simply set it up to be a girl who doesn't resist **. This is also a man's dream. In fact, I've also received feedback like, for example, "I want to be able to do it like Meliodas without making the other person angry" (laughs).

Q: If you're not Meliodas, you wouldn't be able to do it (laughs). So Escano, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, has not yet appeared, will there be a role for him in the future?

Suzuki: Absolutely. But it's still a long time before in the plot. Of course, in the anime DVD released in January, I drew 30 pages of manga as a bonus for the first limited disc. This is where Escanor will make his debut. And the second volume of the disc is planned to include this manga as well.

Q: Not only is I in charge of the weekly serial, but I also have to draw such a new comic...... In addition, I heard that the beginning of each episode of the anime is also drawn by Mr. Suzuki. I think it's because I'm happy that I can draw such an informative comic at a very fast speed.

Suzuki: But I don't really like to draw (laughs). I really enjoyed storytelling in the storyboard phase, but it was painful to turn it into an original manuscript. When I have free time, I don't even know how to draw. Of course, creating comics is still my hobby. For example, thinking about the characters and the direction of the plot are what I am more interested in. Therefore, I don't know what kind of work will unfold in the future, but in general, I hope that the work will be excited for both adults and children every week. I want people to read the first volume at a friend's house and immediately shout in a frenzy, "Hey, isn't there a next volume!?" Then he hurried around looking for the next volume. I'm looking for that sense of speed. And if only the story I drew could become another version of Arthurian legend. Since it's a work for people to see, I want it to be seen by people all over the world. So, I'm going to make a manga like this: when people talk about King Arthur, the first thing that comes to mind is Ao Suzuki's The Seven Deadly Sins. Please continue to look forward to the future development of the plot.