Starting from August 7th, Naruto's latest work "Naruto Theatrical Version: Boruto" officially met the audience. This work was directed by the original author, Kishimoto Kishimoto, and a lot of effort was put into it. Recently, some media have interviewed the father of the Hokage.

★ Naruto's relationship with Boruto is based on real experience

Q: In November last year, the original work, which had been serialized in weekly magazines for 15 years, came to an end, and then you did a short-term serialization of the Gaiden in April~July this year. In this way, if you count the schedule, the script of this work should be written in December last year ~ February this year. So did Mr. Kishimoto not rest at all?

A: Yes. Now I can finally rest at ease and have a good rest. Since the series ended, I recently spent 2 days and 1 night on Mt. Fuji, and finally completed my honeymoon trip. Mt. Fuji is always cloudy, but I'm still happy.

Q: "Naruto" vividly reflects Kishimoto-sensei's own outlook on life, which is also a good story among fans. This time, Naruto was busy with work because of Hokage's identity and couldn't find time to contact his son Boruto, which caused Boruto's dissatisfaction. Let me speculate here: Does this also reflect the situation between Kishimoto-sensei and his children in the era of weekly serialization?

A: Exactly. My son doesn't defy his father like Boruto, but I've been through something similar, so it's very realistic. In fact, just a few days ago, due to the preview of this theatrical version, the director zhì was late for my son's birthday party. So I feel like this work is about me. It's always been like this, and I've really put my experience back into my work.

★ I hope to portray Naruto who has grown up

Q: In this work, Naruto, who was originally a crane-tailed ninja, eventually became the leader of the ninjas, Hokage, and grew into a mature man. I think many viewers will be surprised after seeing Naruto's growth, right?

A: People actually change in the process of going through various things...... So I don't want to be deceived here, it's deliberately manifested. I portrayed Naruto, who doesn't like to talk very much and becomes an adult. Therefore, although some people may think that this Naruto no longer has the feeling of Naruto, but after all, he is already an adult, and he is also a Hokage, so if he still screams like he did when he was a child, it will not work.

Originally, someone told me that it was inappropriate to change the image of a character in a manga. After all, what you've created has become something that readers love. However, I figured out that Guò's theatrical version ended Naruto this time, so I portrayed Naruto as a character who has grown up and is worried about children's problems.

Q: Naruto's proactive part was inherited by Boruto. As a result, there is a call for Boruto to be the protagonist and start a new series.

A: I think I just wanted to portray the story of Naruto becoming an adult. If you start a new series with Boruto as the protagonist, then it may be a repeat of the previous practice. That's something I don't want to get involved in. After all, in my mind, I feel that if I can't portray something new, it will be meaningless......

Q: Naruto has fans all over the world, so is Kishimoto-sensei aware of the "world"?

A: I didn't think about it that much. I just had some ideas when I was animating the work, and at that time I wanted it to sell well all over the world. Therefore, in terms of animation production personnel, I asked Mr. Tetsuya Nishio, who is famous all over the world for his works such as "Human Wolf JIN-ROH", to be in charge of the design. If you use Mr. Nishio's brushstrokes to portray the characters, then I think it will be acceptable to foreign friends. But Mr. Nishio is very busy after all, so when I really decided that he was in charge, I felt like I was in a dream.

Q: This time, the theatrical version of the work was also written by Mr. Kishimoto himself.

A: After the series ended, I was quite committed to saying that I would be in charge of the work. At the time, I thought that if I used to write a script at the same speed as the previous weekly serialization, it would be possible to do it in about a month. Anyway, that's how naïve I did it (laughs). But I actually tried it and found that it was not that simple. Of course, you don't need to paint, so that's easy for you alone.

Q: The script is based on guò language to grasp the center, so is there a situation where you write and suddenly want to draw it?

A: Actually, I'm going to have some shots in my head, and then I'm going to draw a little bit here. The script is then written based on these shots. I decided on what I wanted to see, and then I thought about how I could move towards my goal. Rather than making the impression seem vague, I want to have a clearer concept, so that it is easier to create. I've been drawing manga since I was drawing manga, so I prepare some drawings in advance when I write a theatrical script.

★ The theatrical version is about teamwork, and the relationship of mutual communication is important

Q: It seems that Mr. Kishimoto has secretly negotiated with the tsuò group.

A: I talk to people about what I want to do, and I come up with my own ideas. I'm the kind of person who wants to unfold the plot in a three-part rhythm, so I also explained the time allocation problem to the director. Things like, "Please do it in so many minutes", "It will take a few minutes to get here, it will take a few minutes to get here", and so on. Because it was very detailed, it turned out to be a bit messy.

Director Hiroyuki Yamashita also went all out to build the framework for my ideas. As a result, his body collapsed, and he called for an ambulance three times. It's really a shame.

Q: Is it really the so-called painstaking production of zuò works?

A: A lot of people give their all. It really made me feel very difficult. In terms of the meaning of telling the plot, the screenwriting of the movie is very similar to the storyboard of a cartoonist. Of course, this has not changed, but the production of the zuò theatrical version is a team effort, so everyone has to come up with ideas together.

Therefore, the director and the crew should have a certain relevance. This time, the director was younger than me, but he was very talented, so I told him not to worry too much and just say something. Of course, in the case of drawing comics, you will need assistants and editors, and most of them are younger than me, but in any case, it is important to build a relationship where you can speak your mind. Otherwise, you won't be able to make a good work. I've never been so involved in a theatrical production. That's why I love this work like never before.

Q: This work depicts a father who is unable to communicate with his children properly due to his busy work, but I think "work" can also be seen as a theme in this work. So what is work for Mr. Kishimoto?

A: Drawing manga is my job, but it's only 50% of the grade. Maybe I think that work is to express myself. I would like to disseminate the social trends of that time and the things I was thinking about through guò comics. I feel that this kind of divergent homework becomes work.

★ Although I hate deadlines, I am happy to draw comics

Q: In order to diverge, it is necessary to absorb knowledge.

A: So I open my "antenna" in all directions and absorb all sorts of things. And then these things are shown in guò comics. That's what I do. But I don't have a strong sense of work. I always like to draw, so I started out as a hobby. My father said: "It's happy to treat your hobby as a job." Now I think that's true. I never do anything I hate. Of course, I still get bored when the deadline is approaching (laughs).

Q: I heard that after Naruto, you want to create a sci-fi theme for your next work.

A: I'm working on the idea. But I can't say much until it's fully formed. So I didn't talk to the editor about the plot. After all, you can't show the editor in charge something that is too unqualified. Of course, if we start serializing, we still have to work together. The editor-in-charge is the first reader, and I want to bring the idea to him. What kind of reaction will you have at that time? Looking at his reaction, I will also understand the reaction of the readers. That's how I was with the first editor, if I couldn't surprise and excite them, then I wouldn't have fun.