From 2008 to 2010, the news that the live-action movie of the uncle's love manga "The Mysterious Him" serialized in the "Monthly Fowers" (Shogakukan) has attracted the attention of many Japanese fans and manga fans. This work, which tells the love story of a female white-collar worker who has lost confidence in love, and a 52-year-old university professor, Umieda, will be starred by Etsuji Toyokawa and Nana Eikura, who seem to have come out of the manga, which adds a lot of anticipation to this work.

Now the movie version has exposed the trailer, posters and a lot of stills, but friends who like this work must still feel that it is not enjoyable enough. So before the official release of the movie version, we will bring you a long interview with the original author Xi Jiongzi. Listen to her talk about her thoughts on this real-life transformation, as well as her views on marriage, and the driving force behind her creation. The topic is very in-depth, so don't miss it.

A prerequisite for Umieda is to be able to speak Kansai dialect

INTERVIEWER You have also made live-action films in your work "STAY" before, how did you feel after hearing the news that "The Mysterious Him" was decided to shoot a live-action version?

Nishi: First of all, I was relieved. In fact, I received several requests for cinematic use before the end of the series, but it was not achieved due to the earthquake. Didn't there be a nuclear explosion and an earthquake at the end of the original work?

- Yes, there was a major earthquake just a year after the final volume was released, and the timing was too coincidental.

Nishi: It turned out to be a book of prophecy, so the project for a live-action project was put on hold for a while. After such twists and turns, I was able to re-propose the real-life approach, so I am very glad that I am very happy. I am really relieved that such a rare project did not come to naught.

INTERVIEWER Did you nominate anyone when you were casting actors?

Nishi: All I asked was that the actor must be able to speak Kansai.

- Why is that?

Nishi: Because Umieda is from Kansai, speaking Kansai is an important element. If you are not a native of Kansai, it is not very suitable. Outsiders speaking in tongues will always be a little stiff. I want to try to avoid that. But if you have good skills, you can imitate it. In addition, the age is fifty-one or twelve, so there are naturally fewer candidates to choose from. Basically, it's just Etsuji Toyokawa, and I even think "if he doesn't accept it...... That's not going to be easy." I didn't expect him to accept it, and that alone was enough to make me happy.

- Such casting is too much in line with the original. So what is your impression of Nana Eikura, who plays the thrush?

Nishi: To be honest, I think she's a little bit younger to play a 35-year-old woman. However, if you really find an actress around 35 years old to play, it may make that feeling of loneliness seem too strong and not easy for the audience to resonate. So it's okay to blur a little bit in terms of age and play into the feeling of "almost middle-aged". Although Eikura is young, he will definitely act well.

I hate the heroes I draw

INTERVIEWER You've said in interviews before that you don't like thrushes, right?

Nishi: There is a shadow of myself in her, and if I like her completely, I can't draw manga. If you like yourself very, very much, and you can't help yourself, then there is no dissatisfaction. I hate all the protagonists I draw. How can I save myself from being so annoying? In fact, the essence of the story I drew was how to save such a hopeless self.

- Is the thrush in the movie version also the type you hate?

Nishi: She's a woman who makes people feel angry when they look at her. After watching it, female viewers may think, "What did this person do?" The process of how such a woman becomes straightforward is the backbone of the whole story.

- The moment when Ah Thrush accepted Kaieda made people feel very happy, "I finally accepted it".

Nishi: It's going to make you think "you should have been honest," right? It's better for the heroine to be angry at first. If it's perfect from the start, there's no need to draw her. Recently, I researched various female characters and found that Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind" is also a person who is completely unlikeable. He has no particular thoughts about men, and he is also cold to women, thinking only about himself.

- yes.

Nishi: And he always causes trouble, but he is just beautiful and strong, and he never gives in. The finale of the story is not a happy reunion, the man abandoned her, but she still has real estate, so it doesn't matter. I think "Gone with the Wind" is the story of real estate and women, so I like it very much. Scarlett O'Hara is by no means a likable character. However, "Gone with the Wind" has still been passed down for decades, probably because the protagonist needs to have some kind of element in the process that makes the reader feel "ah, how did you do it".

When you are in your thirties and forties, you can't change your life when you're in love

INTERVIEWER Do all of the protagonists in your paintings have elements that make people think, "What's going on with this guy"?

Nishi: The most obvious one is Iwatani in "My Sister's Marriage". I'm already 40 years old, it's time to be sensible, let's mature quickly. I think this way when I paint myself. Compared to a thrush, Iwatani is actually a more abrasive and annoying woman.

INTERVIEWER In today's terms, it's "awkward."

Nishi: Even if you're an awkward type, it's not cute at all when you're over 40 years old. The "awkward type" that makes people feel cute is only about 30 years old. If you're still so awkward after the age of 40, it's just a troublesome aunt (laughs). Even so, you still have to draw your own shadow, and this is where the most difficult part is when drawing the protagonist. You have to always confront the parts you hate. Then accept yourself with the thought that "that's the kind of person you can't help". A teenage girl in a shoujo manga may be able to change her life through love, but when a woman in her thirties or forties meets a man and gets married, it doesn't mean that her life will change completely from tomorrow. However, when someone of the opposite sex appears, they think, "It's good that my life can be improved a little."

By the time you are in your thirties and forties, you are already very independent.

Nishi: I can't deny myself anymore. I can only accept myself, but there are still some things that are difficult to accept. In order to overcome this and let the opposite sex appear, this is a female manga of a higher age than shoujo manga.

It only appears in the place where "this is a love plot".

INTERVIEWER After the filmmaking was confirmed, did you ask the supervisor and the scriptwriter to do anything?

Nishi: When I was asked to read the script, I made comments in one way or another. In fact, the love plot at the beginning was a little more. However, I think that the love plot appears too sporadically and doesn't play much role at the most critical time, so I put forward the hope that the first half of the love plot will not be added.

- Yes, the love plot is just a topical "kissing the feet".

Nishi: Actually, there was a dragonfly KISS plot before that, and in the script, it seems that the two of them were already in love at that time. However, Ah Thrush accepted that Hai Jiangtian was not good too early. If you don't have that kind of unacceptable resistance at the beginning, it will be difficult to achieve results in the end.

INTERVIEWER I gave my opinion not from the perspective of the original author, but from the perspective of the screenwriter.

Nishi: You can say that, so to speak. In addition, some lines from the original work were deleted from the script. There were some things where I felt that "this line is important" and "this sentence is well said", and I asked them to add it a little bit toughly.

INTERVIEWER What are the lines?

Nishi: There's a phrase that says, "You're smart but not imaginative," and I actually like it very much, even though it's just a line that doesn't make much sense. I will consciously leave some lines that will make an impression on the reader. After walking out of the movie theater for a while, you can still remember that "this line appeared in the movie", and it is important to be able to leave such a few places. It's not just "the picture is such a beautiful movie", but there are plots and lines that can be recalled afterwards, such as "this sentence is good" or "this sentence is very heartwarming". So I'll ask the crew to add those lines that are a pity to be deleted.

Discussing the topic of love with my grandmother was very impressive

INTERVIEWER You've been to the shooting site, what was the atmosphere like?

Nishi: First of all, the location, which is very close to what I imagined. However, the rural areas of Japan are basically the same (laughs). When I saw the location, I was completely relieved. My grandmother's home, including the atmosphere of the small town, is a very attractive place to my heart.

- It's a place where you have a lot of feelings.

Nishi: Every New Year and Obon, I stay at my mother's house for a long time. The wife can't really relax in her husband's hometown, but when she returns to her mother's house, she will loosen, so the children also become lazy and lazy, and they live for many days...... Ah, I remember. When I was an adult, in my thirties, I had a female exchange with my grandmother.

——Both sides are the best of the best.

West: Yes. I had some disagreements with my mother in terms of love, but it didn't develop into a quarrel, and after I told my grandmother "my mother said this to me", my mother's name was Katsuko, and my grandmother said, "That's Katsuko's fault", and then talked about her views in depth from a woman's standpoint. "If you don't care about your feelings, you'll regret it later." I didn't expect to have the opportunity to discuss the topic of love with my grandmother, and I was particularly impressed by this incident. Since then, my grandmother has become even more special to me.

INTERVIEWER How do you feel about the finished movie?

Nishi: My first thought was, "Ah, that's how it is." It's different from my own work, but it's something else, and I feel like I'm like that's it after making a movie. I also draw manga, and it takes a while to express my thoughts after I finish drawing. At first, it was just "great, the job is done". After a few years, when I reread it, I will feel "Hey, it seems to be interesting". Actually, I recently revisited "My Sister's Marriage" a little bit, and I thought it was quite interesting (laughs).

- "My Sister's Marriage" has been over for half a year.

West: "What happened to this man?" "Wow, this guy is so nasty." Now I can finally read from the reader's point of view. The same is true of the movie, I am a small soldier in the staff, and my initial impression is "finally finished". I probably have to wait until the DVD is released and I have watched it two or three times before I can express my opinion from the audience's point of view.

I don't think about getting married anymore

- The title of the book "My Sister's Marriage" is marriage, and the word "marriage" also appears many times in "The Mysterious Him". "The Day of Pork Chop Curry", which has been serialized in "Monthly Flowers" since November last year, also started with the plot of marriage, so do you have any obsession with getting married?

Nishi: Ah, I used to think a lot about what marriage really is. But now I have given up thinking.

- Huh?! Is it because there is already a conclusion to it?

Nishi: No, I don't think so, but I don't want to think about it. The period of "wow" at the thought of getting married has been going on for a long time, but now it's over. In the last two or three years. I used to be interested in getting married. Because it is the most important thing, I drew it. I don't draw things that I don't care about. I think getting married is my biggest theme.

INTERVIEWER How do you calm down after you don't think about it?

Nishi: It's not because of age that I gave up, but it's like he's cured of measles. There is no need to cure measles.

- I see, it calmed down after a long time.

West: Yes, yes. It's definitely not measles until you die (laughs). Measles will be cured one day, and then it will be calm. It was as if it had faded into my consciousness.

INTERVIEWER The reason why you care so much about getting married is because you yourself want to get married?

Nishi: I used to want to get married, but after more than a decade of thinking about it, I don't think I really want to get married. If you don't want to knot, you can't harden it, isn't it better to tie it, I've been thinking about these things. It's a departure from my true form, and it pains me. However, in the end, I decided not to get married and was frank about my feelings.

How to come out of a state of loss

——The new work "The Days of Pork Chop Curry Rice" starts with the protagonist's continuous blind date in order to get married. What inspired you to come up with this idea?

Nishi: The theme is the same as in my previous works, and the happiest thing for me is what I pursue. So I used a simple and easy-to-understand way to express Xiàn, that is, to keep going on blind dates and find my own happiness in it. But in the end, you will find that happiness is actually all around you...... Booking is such a story.

INTERVIEWER Your protagonist is always looking for happiness.

West: yes. In the afterword to the recently published library edition of "Rose Queen", サンキュータツオ also wrote: "The characters who appear in Nishijiongko's works are always in a state of loss. "There is always a loss of something, but in the end there is still hope for redemption. That's probably what it means, that's right. How I come out of my state of loss is a big theme for me. The beginning of the story starts with the feeling that I have lost something, and then I get it back to what way, and gradually I get it, and this is my comic.

INTERVIEWER So, if you get a qiē, you will lose your desire to create, right?

Nishi: Maybe. Lately, though, I've been feeling content even though I don't have anything. "Is this the ultimate form of happiness?" I don't have a family or a boyfriend, and it's a far cry from my current life, which is just going back and forth between the studio on the first floor and the dormitory on the second floor. However, it is terrible to think, "This is so happy" (laughs). "I don't want anything anymore! What should I do if I become a monk? ”

- Hahahaha (laughs).

Nishi: I'm already happy, so what should I do (laughs). However, an editor I knew before once said something prophetic that I sometimes remembered out of nowhere. The editor said, "I want to see the cartoons you drew when you didn't have any dissatisfaction and became happy." "In another five or ten years, what will be the driving force in the future? Maybe it's time to shift gears. I used to use 7x speed in the past, but if I want to move slowly at 4x speed in the future, I need to learn the corresponding skills. The way the engines burn is not the same.

- I look forward to seeing your works of happiness in your paintings. So, finally, please introduce the highlights of "The Enigmatic Him".

Nishi: Well, I hope you will take a closer look at the faces and figures of Toyokawa and Eikura, and then walk out of the cinema in a state of dizziness.

- Thank you for your time.