Howard Link (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
boundbydevotion) wrote2012-04-10 06:04 pm
boundbydevotion) wrote2012-04-10 06:04 pm
Entry tags:
Hoshino Chats about her characters
Reposting these from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
dgrayman. I think they were also originally on d.gray-divinity :|a.
Translations by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
verduister, originally posted here (locked, but with permission to repost with credit).
1. Kanda Yuu
2. Allen Walker
3. Lavi
4. Lenalee Lee
5. Miranda Lotto
6. Arystar Krory III
7. Tyki Mikk
8. Road Kamelot
9. Howard Link
10. Cross Marian
Remember, the book was released on July 4th 2011 (around the same time as chapter 206).
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Kanda Yuu!
---What kind of impression of Kanda do you have, sensei?
“I was completely unaware of Kanda’s popularity at first. For better or for worse, I saw him as just one of the exorcists. But the way my editor was actively in favor of him and the fan’s cheers made me gradually realize that Kanda is a popular character. I stress about properly drawing him as a beauty. I can draw 10 older men like Leverrier and the Earl in the time it takes me to draw Kanda once (laughs).
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“I guess his hair and eyes. Kanda is a person that “says things with his eyes”. That’s why I pay attention to his eyes in his battles. Also, I draw the highlights in his hair with more care than I do for the female Lenelee’s.”
---What is Kanda’s image-color?
“Blue. His hair is also blue on the cover of Volume 20. Not too bright, not too dark... I guess navy blue-like.”
---What’s the origin of the surname ‘Kanda’?
“It’s written in Volume 20. Kanda was born as a Second Exorcist in the “Mitoshiro World”: a rice paddy for the gods... “Kanda” holds this meaning*. He was given the name “Kanda Yuu” because he needed a surname upon entering the Order accompanied by General Tiedoll. Kanda remembers the past so he doesn’t want to be called Yuu by anyone but Alma. That’s why I think that it was lucky for Kanda to get a surname.”
*(T/N: mitoshiro (御戸代) has the same meaning as kanda (神田): a rice paddy of which its rice is offered the gods. Similar to how the Second Exorcists were also, in a way, sacrificed to the gods.)
---Why does Kanda wear a ponytail?
“Wouldn’t his hair get in the way otherwise? (laughs). That’s why any kind of hair tie is fine as long as he can tie his hair. He isn’t particular, so even a ribbon would do. He normally uses Lenalee’s hair ties as well (laughs).”
---Will Kanda appear again?
“I clearly established Kanda’s and Allen’s relationship inside me in the Alma Arc. They stopped simply being on bad terms and Kanda became a character that’s easy to move around. That’s why I want to have him appear properly when he returns. At this point I think he can become someone who supports Allen.”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Allen Walker!
---What kind of impression of Allen do you have, sensei?
“First of all, Allen is the most difficult character to draw. Writing him is also complicated. I’m not such a philanthropist as Allen, how should I put it... I’m not as kind (smiles wryly). I draw Allen’s actions while thinking to myself that I could never act like that so, in a different way from Kanda, I burn up calories. On one hand, I am very conscious of the fact that Allen is the main character in a magazine aimed at young men therefore I don’t want to turn Allen into a boy that only feels troubled. I aim to draw him main-character-like and extremely cheerful ...But his life is sad and not easy at all. That’s why I have to find a balance in Allen’s facial expressions between sorrow and strength. That makes his expressions difficult to draw. When I try to draw him and think “Like this..?”, I’m often told by Allen “Not like that!”. When I’m in the middle of drawing him, I frequently yell back “Well then, what should it look like! I have no clue what you’re thinking!!” (laughs).
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Allen has various type of smiles; his smile when he lies, his smile when he’s sad, his smile when he’s smiling from the heart... I have to draw those smiles with the different nuances. Maybe no one even notices the differences... (smiles wryly). In other words, he’s a character whose smile isn’t easy to draw. In contrast, it was really easy to draw Allen for the cover of Night #205. He’s dressed as a semi-gentleman, or should I say as a clown... it was easy to draw him as someone who’s wearing a mask.”
---What is his image-color?
“Purple and an emerald type of color. I’ve become more conscious of the fact that Allen’s image contains those two colors since moving to Jump SQ.”
---What’s in store for Allen?
“Having left the Order, I think he’ll somewhat follow the path that he walked during his training with Cross. Allen’s rough life style... For example, he’ll swindle people out of money with gambling (laughs), his roots might shine through. Maybe Allen will be invigorated?! Good luck, Allen! (laughs)”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Lavi!
---What kind of impression of Lavi do you have, sensei?
“You’ll understand if you continue reading d.gray-man but, from the author’s point of view, I think of Lavi as someone with a sad fate. Because of that, I want to tell Lavi: “hang in there!” (laughs) Lavi has a reason for living as a Bookman. I hope to draw about that reason someday. He’s a very positive and nice boy when he isn’t tied down by obligations. Drawing Lavi’s smile eases me precisely because he has such a sad fate. He’s very easy to draw unlike Kanda and Allen. Most of my previous main characters were similar to Lavi in terms of personality. I guess I really like him. In that sense, Lavi is closest to me. When I draw him, I feel like I could be close friends with him.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“To not forget about his ‘drooping eyes’ (laughs). Also, his eyebrows are different from Kanda’s and Allen’s. They have a へ shape like Reever’s. Those are Lavi’s special features so I take care not to forget about them. No matter when I draw him, his charm shines through. I feel like I can draw him perfectly. He smiles and easily strikes poses. He’s easy to work with.”
---What is his image-color?
“Lavi’s color is orange. Definitely orange!”
---When will the mystery of his right eye be revealed?
“I’ll draw it someday. I guess it depends on how long the current Bookman stays alive (smiles wryly). Please look forward to the day when Lavi becomes the next Bookman.”
---What’s in store for Lavi?
“Lavi was quite misfortunate in the Alma Arc (smiles wryly). Lavi is really something to still be this popular even though he’s in a sorry state right now. Originally I planned to let him appear more frequently in the Alma Arc, but I decided against it because there were already so many characters appearing. But Bookman is involved with the 14th’s story so Lavi will definitely appear more in the future ...maybe! (laughs)”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Lenalee Lee!
---What kind of impression of Lenalee do you have, sensei?
“I think Lenalee is a really nice girl. I drew her as a crabby and fiery girl before serialization but she spontaneously turned into a nice girl (laughs). I think she turned into a good girl after I created her back-story of living together with Komui and Reever. She has the vibe of a honor student or a class representative. I started liking more things about her as I continued drawing her. She’s close to my image of a nice girl.”
---Is her hair the visual aspect that you pay most attention to?
“No. Because there is no character that can top Kanda in terms of hair (laughs). I really enjoy drawing Lenalee’s hair. Her hair is getting longer again. I plan to change her hairstyle back to two pigtails, but I have to discuss it with my editor first.”
---Lenalee’s skirt has been getting shorter and shorter, hasn’t it?
“Ah, that surprised me as well (laughs). I thought, ‘Huh? I guess her skirt was longer at first?’ Her skirt gets shorter and shorter every time I draw her jumping up... I make excuses like ‘she’s wearing shorts underneath anyway’ and tend to shorten her skirt more and more (laughs). I guess I lost my restraint after the series moved to Jump Square; I started thinking ‘oh well, it’s no big deal’. Sometimes the current Lenalee and her uniform are my favorite part of the series; maybe the old man inside me has been awakened? (laughs)”
---What is her image-color?
“I think a deeeep purple.”
---What’s in store for Lenalee?
“I will frequently use Lenalee to draw more about the Black Order’s side of things so she’ll have lots of opportunities to appear. And she can run into the fugitive Allen after a mission or something like that and send him flying with a kick. She’d kick him good (laughs).”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Miranda Lotto!
---What kind of impression of Miranda do you have, sensei?
“I like Miranda because I can relate to her. She highlights negative things the same way I do. She’s easy to work with ...in a way, she’s the most ordinary one, isn’t she? She’s just a person who takes great pleasure out of simply being helpful to others. Every character aside from Miranda is bound by heavy chains. She was searching for something that she could do, which turned out being an exorcist. I like her but I didn’t think she’d be popular. That’s why I was really surprised when she became popular so quickly. I doubt she’s popular with men but I think a lot of women can relate to her. Maybe women liked seeing a female character who’s not a beauty nor a heroin.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“At first I made sure not to forget the dark circles under her eyes. But after she returned from the Ark, her situation changed and those dark circles became unnecessary. That’s because she sleeps properly every night as long as she’s not on a mission. And she receives plenty of proper food at the Order so her skin has gotten better. She’s also more relaxed mentally; I decided to let that change show in her outer appearance (laughs).”
---Did Miranda make any friends after joining the Order?
“She befriended Jeryy (laughs) and Lenalee. I draw them as close friends. Jeryy probably teaches her what to eat and how to act like a woman (laughs). Miranda’s new-found prettiness is thanks to Jeryy.”
---What is her image-color?
“Coffee color. Whenever I color Miranda’s hair I think to myself: “coffee color!”. It’s light brown. Why coffee color? Maybe from staying up all night...?”
---What’s in store for Miranda?
“I think she’ll be able to show up here and there (laughs). I have to move forward with Allen’s story now but I guess she can run into him and worry about him, asking: “Allen-kun, are you eating properly?!””
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Arystar Krory III!
---What kind of impression of Krory do you have, sensei?
“Krory is easy to draw. It’s really fun to draw the changes in his personality when he activates his Innocence. Kuro-chan can actually say cool things! It’s a fun contrast. I get to draw his cool face but also his kind face. His love story with Eliade is also dragging out ...I myself didn’t even expect Eliade to show up during his reminiscing on the Ark. For his debut I thought about making him more vampire-like and making him say things like “I need more Akuma blood!” after joining the Order, but the way he turned out feels right now.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Definitely his forelock. It’s really fun to draw his white forelock. And the hair in the nape of his neck is growing out to give him a baron-like feel. I once drew a version of him with longer hair and it looked really cool and suited him so I decided to give it a shot. And also because I think having long hair in the front and short hair in the back makes for a bad balance.”
---Is Krory enjoying his life in the Order?
“I’m sure he is (laughs). He wanted to go to the world outside. And he loves his first friends Allen and Lavi. He is really happy to be able to eat with everyone in the cafeteria and things like that.”
---What is his image-color?
“I guess red. I have this image of blood and red roses. And maybe also black.”
---What’s in store for Krory?
“I want to let Krory...appear (smiles wryly). He’s probably devastated that his good friend Allen has left the Order. It would be interesting to see how he deals with those feelings, wouldn’t it? But because it’s Kuro-chan, I think he will be depressed for a short while.”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Tyki Mikk!
---What kind of impression of Tyki do you have, sensei?
“It might be because he is humane, but he’s light-hearted and flashy (laughs) He has the image of a cool older brother. Because Tyki is a Noah, he possesses the cruelty to try and cut off Allen’s arm without a sliver of doubt. But he also gets worked like a slave by Road, or more precisely, by the Noah (laughs). Tyki is good-looking but unlike Kanda, his facial expressions are easy to draw. His thoughts easily show on his face because he lives while acting out his desires and instincts. Though lately he’s being consumed by his Noah Memory so his expressions have become a little more complicated.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Tyki has sex appeal. People tell me “Tyki has sexy hips”. I try to make his charm always shows through in his expressions and appearance. And I always keep in mind that he’s good-looking. Even if I draw one line for his lips, I still pay lots of attention to that line.”
---Tyki’s has grown his hair out.
“I thought about making his hair shorter for his reappearance in Night #187, but because the 14th (Nea) who looks like Tyki appeared in it, I kept Tyki’s hair longer so the silhouettes would be different.”
---What is his image-color?
“His color is a blue that’s one tone brighter than Kanda’s blue... A light blue. It’s close to sky blue. I wasn’t aware of it, but when I look back now, I subconsciously tend to color his hair sky blue.”
---Tyki is hinted to have some sort of relation to the 14th. When will Tyki appear again?
“Tyki will have his moment! I will draw about the Noah’s story and the Noah will appear frequently so please look forward to it!”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Road Kamelot!
---What kind of impression of Road do you have, sensei?
“I drew her as a boyish girl at first but she has slowly become more girlish. I think Road is adorable. The Millennium Earl probably feels the same judging from the way he spoils her (laughs). Being unable to tell whether she’s an adult or a child – that mysterious image of hers is her charm. I like her silhouette and her clothes and her half-closed eyes... Everything about her is cute! She probably turned cuter because I drew her while thinking such things (laughs).”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Actually, I recently decided to make her look more mature and changed her bangs. It’s only a small change, but I’ve made her bangs fall diagonally to try and bring out her feminine charm. I want to let Road grow. By the way, Road’s initial hair-style was quite difficult to draw. I struggled while thinking to myself, “What kind of construction is her head turning into!?” But lately I’ve gotten the hang of it. It’s fun to draw her hair nowadays.”
---Why does Road change into various forms?
“In short, Road’s dream shapes Road’s current outer appearance. That’s why she can easily turn into a doll. Road’s current form is just the appearance that she likes most. It’s the appearance of the girl she wants to be – it’s connected to her inner self. She can’t freely shapeshift into anything like the way Lulu Bell can. For example, I think it’s impossible for Road to turn into an animal that’s completely different from her inner self.”
---What is her image-color?
“Pink!”
---What’s in store for Road?
“Road will appear more in the future because she knows about Nea. She also has a relation to Nea so I think she’ll start to follow Allen around. Actually, Road is an important character and knows about the deepest parts of the story. It's no exaggeration to say that if she’d disclose all her secrets d.gray-man would end (smiles wryly).”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Howard Link!
---What kind of impression of Link do you have, sensei?
“The fact that he’s become good-looking and his bangs have grown longer is striking (laughs). I thought about sticking to his helmet-like hairstyle, but as the story progressed, I changed his hair a little to show that time had passed. Due to this, Link’s current appearance has now fixed itself in my mind.”
---I feel like he’s also changed a lot on the inside since his debut.
“Originally, Link was absolutely obedient to Lvellie and single-minded. He was one of the few people by Lvellie’s side. He was nothing more but Lvellie’s puppet at first but as the story progressed, I started to feel that Link has more of a will of his own that I ever imagined. My image of him changed as I continued drawing him. In that sense, he became a character with a backbone. I’m fond of him, how should I put it, he’s cute (laughs).”
---Link once passed Allen rice gruel with a message that bad-mouths Lvellie written on it.
“I think that to Link, who has a high regard for Lvellie, it was fairly humiliating (laughs). When Jeryy passed him the rice gruel, I think he was torn between conflicting feelings. Torn between “How dare he!” and “Walker might eat it if it looks like this...”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Definitely his eyebrows! But because his bangs are longer now, his eyebrows are currently partly hidden. I’m in a pickle... Link’s eyebrows were his strong point but now... What should I do? (smiles wryly)”
---What is his image-color?
“Golden. His hair color has somehow turned into his image-color, I guess (laughs).”
---What highlights will Link have from this time on?
“Link is appearing and working more than ever! That’s because when Lvellie moves, Link also gets busier (laughs). Link fans, please look forward to future developments!”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Cross Marian!
---What kind of impression of Cross do you have, sensei?
“Because Cross is the one closest to the truth, he lives hiding bitter things... He’s a person with hardships because he’s a person who deals with the secret agreement he made with the 14th in his own way. Because of this, the way Cross lets off steam is incredible (laughs). Because he unwillingly got involved with the 14th and got saddled with trouble (smiles wryly).”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“The balance...is difficult. He’s difficult to sketch. He has a lot of hair and the ends of his hair curl up. I draw those curls by turning my wrist; they’re difficult to draw. I always upset the balance, flip the paper and redraw him again. To me, Cross’ curls are annoying (smiles wryly). But his facial expressions are easy because he lives and acts on instinct (laughs).”
---What does Cross think about Allen?
“To tell the truth, he thinks Allen is quite cute. He tried to empathize as little as possible with Allen, but after Cross’ true feelings slipped out when they talked together at the new Headquarter Allen was cute, I think. I think Cross regards Allen as his own child. I think he loves Allen’s dark side (laughs). That’s why he likes picking on Allen more and more. He is angry about the time when Allen hit him with Tim though. That definitely hurt (smiles wryly).”
---What is his image-color?
“Red. The red of a flame. Krory’s color is blood red, but Cross’ is fire red. I have this image of him setting his surroundings on fire just by talking (laughs).”
---What’s in store for Cross?
“It’s unknown whether he’s alive or death so... But a younger Cross will appear in flashbacks when I’ll draw about the 14th’s story. Please look forward to seeing his connection to the 14th being explained.
dgrayman. I think they were also originally on d.gray-divinity :|a. Translations by
verduister, originally posted here (locked, but with permission to repost with credit).1. Kanda Yuu
2. Allen Walker
3. Lavi
4. Lenalee Lee
5. Miranda Lotto
6. Arystar Krory III
7. Tyki Mikk
8. Road Kamelot
9. Howard Link
10. Cross Marian
Remember, the book was released on July 4th 2011 (around the same time as chapter 206).
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Kanda Yuu!
---What kind of impression of Kanda do you have, sensei?
“I was completely unaware of Kanda’s popularity at first. For better or for worse, I saw him as just one of the exorcists. But the way my editor was actively in favor of him and the fan’s cheers made me gradually realize that Kanda is a popular character. I stress about properly drawing him as a beauty. I can draw 10 older men like Leverrier and the Earl in the time it takes me to draw Kanda once (laughs).
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“I guess his hair and eyes. Kanda is a person that “says things with his eyes”. That’s why I pay attention to his eyes in his battles. Also, I draw the highlights in his hair with more care than I do for the female Lenelee’s.”
---What is Kanda’s image-color?
“Blue. His hair is also blue on the cover of Volume 20. Not too bright, not too dark... I guess navy blue-like.”
---What’s the origin of the surname ‘Kanda’?
“It’s written in Volume 20. Kanda was born as a Second Exorcist in the “Mitoshiro World”: a rice paddy for the gods... “Kanda” holds this meaning*. He was given the name “Kanda Yuu” because he needed a surname upon entering the Order accompanied by General Tiedoll. Kanda remembers the past so he doesn’t want to be called Yuu by anyone but Alma. That’s why I think that it was lucky for Kanda to get a surname.”
*(T/N: mitoshiro (御戸代) has the same meaning as kanda (神田): a rice paddy of which its rice is offered the gods. Similar to how the Second Exorcists were also, in a way, sacrificed to the gods.)
---Why does Kanda wear a ponytail?
“Wouldn’t his hair get in the way otherwise? (laughs). That’s why any kind of hair tie is fine as long as he can tie his hair. He isn’t particular, so even a ribbon would do. He normally uses Lenalee’s hair ties as well (laughs).”
---Will Kanda appear again?
“I clearly established Kanda’s and Allen’s relationship inside me in the Alma Arc. They stopped simply being on bad terms and Kanda became a character that’s easy to move around. That’s why I want to have him appear properly when he returns. At this point I think he can become someone who supports Allen.”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Allen Walker!
---What kind of impression of Allen do you have, sensei?
“First of all, Allen is the most difficult character to draw. Writing him is also complicated. I’m not such a philanthropist as Allen, how should I put it... I’m not as kind (smiles wryly). I draw Allen’s actions while thinking to myself that I could never act like that so, in a different way from Kanda, I burn up calories. On one hand, I am very conscious of the fact that Allen is the main character in a magazine aimed at young men therefore I don’t want to turn Allen into a boy that only feels troubled. I aim to draw him main-character-like and extremely cheerful ...But his life is sad and not easy at all. That’s why I have to find a balance in Allen’s facial expressions between sorrow and strength. That makes his expressions difficult to draw. When I try to draw him and think “Like this..?”, I’m often told by Allen “Not like that!”. When I’m in the middle of drawing him, I frequently yell back “Well then, what should it look like! I have no clue what you’re thinking!!” (laughs).
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Allen has various type of smiles; his smile when he lies, his smile when he’s sad, his smile when he’s smiling from the heart... I have to draw those smiles with the different nuances. Maybe no one even notices the differences... (smiles wryly). In other words, he’s a character whose smile isn’t easy to draw. In contrast, it was really easy to draw Allen for the cover of Night #205. He’s dressed as a semi-gentleman, or should I say as a clown... it was easy to draw him as someone who’s wearing a mask.”
---What is his image-color?
“Purple and an emerald type of color. I’ve become more conscious of the fact that Allen’s image contains those two colors since moving to Jump SQ.”
---What’s in store for Allen?
“Having left the Order, I think he’ll somewhat follow the path that he walked during his training with Cross. Allen’s rough life style... For example, he’ll swindle people out of money with gambling (laughs), his roots might shine through. Maybe Allen will be invigorated?! Good luck, Allen! (laughs)”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Lavi!
---What kind of impression of Lavi do you have, sensei?
“You’ll understand if you continue reading d.gray-man but, from the author’s point of view, I think of Lavi as someone with a sad fate. Because of that, I want to tell Lavi: “hang in there!” (laughs) Lavi has a reason for living as a Bookman. I hope to draw about that reason someday. He’s a very positive and nice boy when he isn’t tied down by obligations. Drawing Lavi’s smile eases me precisely because he has such a sad fate. He’s very easy to draw unlike Kanda and Allen. Most of my previous main characters were similar to Lavi in terms of personality. I guess I really like him. In that sense, Lavi is closest to me. When I draw him, I feel like I could be close friends with him.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“To not forget about his ‘drooping eyes’ (laughs). Also, his eyebrows are different from Kanda’s and Allen’s. They have a へ shape like Reever’s. Those are Lavi’s special features so I take care not to forget about them. No matter when I draw him, his charm shines through. I feel like I can draw him perfectly. He smiles and easily strikes poses. He’s easy to work with.”
---What is his image-color?
“Lavi’s color is orange. Definitely orange!”
---When will the mystery of his right eye be revealed?
“I’ll draw it someday. I guess it depends on how long the current Bookman stays alive (smiles wryly). Please look forward to the day when Lavi becomes the next Bookman.”
---What’s in store for Lavi?
“Lavi was quite misfortunate in the Alma Arc (smiles wryly). Lavi is really something to still be this popular even though he’s in a sorry state right now. Originally I planned to let him appear more frequently in the Alma Arc, but I decided against it because there were already so many characters appearing. But Bookman is involved with the 14th’s story so Lavi will definitely appear more in the future ...maybe! (laughs)”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Lenalee Lee!
---What kind of impression of Lenalee do you have, sensei?
“I think Lenalee is a really nice girl. I drew her as a crabby and fiery girl before serialization but she spontaneously turned into a nice girl (laughs). I think she turned into a good girl after I created her back-story of living together with Komui and Reever. She has the vibe of a honor student or a class representative. I started liking more things about her as I continued drawing her. She’s close to my image of a nice girl.”
---Is her hair the visual aspect that you pay most attention to?
“No. Because there is no character that can top Kanda in terms of hair (laughs). I really enjoy drawing Lenalee’s hair. Her hair is getting longer again. I plan to change her hairstyle back to two pigtails, but I have to discuss it with my editor first.”
---Lenalee’s skirt has been getting shorter and shorter, hasn’t it?
“Ah, that surprised me as well (laughs). I thought, ‘Huh? I guess her skirt was longer at first?’ Her skirt gets shorter and shorter every time I draw her jumping up... I make excuses like ‘she’s wearing shorts underneath anyway’ and tend to shorten her skirt more and more (laughs). I guess I lost my restraint after the series moved to Jump Square; I started thinking ‘oh well, it’s no big deal’. Sometimes the current Lenalee and her uniform are my favorite part of the series; maybe the old man inside me has been awakened? (laughs)”
---What is her image-color?
“I think a deeeep purple.”
---What’s in store for Lenalee?
“I will frequently use Lenalee to draw more about the Black Order’s side of things so she’ll have lots of opportunities to appear. And she can run into the fugitive Allen after a mission or something like that and send him flying with a kick. She’d kick him good (laughs).”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Miranda Lotto!
---What kind of impression of Miranda do you have, sensei?
“I like Miranda because I can relate to her. She highlights negative things the same way I do. She’s easy to work with ...in a way, she’s the most ordinary one, isn’t she? She’s just a person who takes great pleasure out of simply being helpful to others. Every character aside from Miranda is bound by heavy chains. She was searching for something that she could do, which turned out being an exorcist. I like her but I didn’t think she’d be popular. That’s why I was really surprised when she became popular so quickly. I doubt she’s popular with men but I think a lot of women can relate to her. Maybe women liked seeing a female character who’s not a beauty nor a heroin.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“At first I made sure not to forget the dark circles under her eyes. But after she returned from the Ark, her situation changed and those dark circles became unnecessary. That’s because she sleeps properly every night as long as she’s not on a mission. And she receives plenty of proper food at the Order so her skin has gotten better. She’s also more relaxed mentally; I decided to let that change show in her outer appearance (laughs).”
---Did Miranda make any friends after joining the Order?
“She befriended Jeryy (laughs) and Lenalee. I draw them as close friends. Jeryy probably teaches her what to eat and how to act like a woman (laughs). Miranda’s new-found prettiness is thanks to Jeryy.”
---What is her image-color?
“Coffee color. Whenever I color Miranda’s hair I think to myself: “coffee color!”. It’s light brown. Why coffee color? Maybe from staying up all night...?”
---What’s in store for Miranda?
“I think she’ll be able to show up here and there (laughs). I have to move forward with Allen’s story now but I guess she can run into him and worry about him, asking: “Allen-kun, are you eating properly?!””
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Arystar Krory III!
---What kind of impression of Krory do you have, sensei?
“Krory is easy to draw. It’s really fun to draw the changes in his personality when he activates his Innocence. Kuro-chan can actually say cool things! It’s a fun contrast. I get to draw his cool face but also his kind face. His love story with Eliade is also dragging out ...I myself didn’t even expect Eliade to show up during his reminiscing on the Ark. For his debut I thought about making him more vampire-like and making him say things like “I need more Akuma blood!” after joining the Order, but the way he turned out feels right now.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Definitely his forelock. It’s really fun to draw his white forelock. And the hair in the nape of his neck is growing out to give him a baron-like feel. I once drew a version of him with longer hair and it looked really cool and suited him so I decided to give it a shot. And also because I think having long hair in the front and short hair in the back makes for a bad balance.”
---Is Krory enjoying his life in the Order?
“I’m sure he is (laughs). He wanted to go to the world outside. And he loves his first friends Allen and Lavi. He is really happy to be able to eat with everyone in the cafeteria and things like that.”
---What is his image-color?
“I guess red. I have this image of blood and red roses. And maybe also black.”
---What’s in store for Krory?
“I want to let Krory...appear (smiles wryly). He’s probably devastated that his good friend Allen has left the Order. It would be interesting to see how he deals with those feelings, wouldn’t it? But because it’s Kuro-chan, I think he will be depressed for a short while.”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Tyki Mikk!
---What kind of impression of Tyki do you have, sensei?
“It might be because he is humane, but he’s light-hearted and flashy (laughs) He has the image of a cool older brother. Because Tyki is a Noah, he possesses the cruelty to try and cut off Allen’s arm without a sliver of doubt. But he also gets worked like a slave by Road, or more precisely, by the Noah (laughs). Tyki is good-looking but unlike Kanda, his facial expressions are easy to draw. His thoughts easily show on his face because he lives while acting out his desires and instincts. Though lately he’s being consumed by his Noah Memory so his expressions have become a little more complicated.”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Tyki has sex appeal. People tell me “Tyki has sexy hips”. I try to make his charm always shows through in his expressions and appearance. And I always keep in mind that he’s good-looking. Even if I draw one line for his lips, I still pay lots of attention to that line.”
---Tyki’s has grown his hair out.
“I thought about making his hair shorter for his reappearance in Night #187, but because the 14th (Nea) who looks like Tyki appeared in it, I kept Tyki’s hair longer so the silhouettes would be different.”
---What is his image-color?
“His color is a blue that’s one tone brighter than Kanda’s blue... A light blue. It’s close to sky blue. I wasn’t aware of it, but when I look back now, I subconsciously tend to color his hair sky blue.”
---Tyki is hinted to have some sort of relation to the 14th. When will Tyki appear again?
“Tyki will have his moment! I will draw about the Noah’s story and the Noah will appear frequently so please look forward to it!”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Road Kamelot!
---What kind of impression of Road do you have, sensei?
“I drew her as a boyish girl at first but she has slowly become more girlish. I think Road is adorable. The Millennium Earl probably feels the same judging from the way he spoils her (laughs). Being unable to tell whether she’s an adult or a child – that mysterious image of hers is her charm. I like her silhouette and her clothes and her half-closed eyes... Everything about her is cute! She probably turned cuter because I drew her while thinking such things (laughs).”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Actually, I recently decided to make her look more mature and changed her bangs. It’s only a small change, but I’ve made her bangs fall diagonally to try and bring out her feminine charm. I want to let Road grow. By the way, Road’s initial hair-style was quite difficult to draw. I struggled while thinking to myself, “What kind of construction is her head turning into!?” But lately I’ve gotten the hang of it. It’s fun to draw her hair nowadays.”
---Why does Road change into various forms?
“In short, Road’s dream shapes Road’s current outer appearance. That’s why she can easily turn into a doll. Road’s current form is just the appearance that she likes most. It’s the appearance of the girl she wants to be – it’s connected to her inner self. She can’t freely shapeshift into anything like the way Lulu Bell can. For example, I think it’s impossible for Road to turn into an animal that’s completely different from her inner self.”
---What is her image-color?
“Pink!”
---What’s in store for Road?
“Road will appear more in the future because she knows about Nea. She also has a relation to Nea so I think she’ll start to follow Allen around. Actually, Road is an important character and knows about the deepest parts of the story. It's no exaggeration to say that if she’d disclose all her secrets d.gray-man would end (smiles wryly).”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Howard Link!
---What kind of impression of Link do you have, sensei?
“The fact that he’s become good-looking and his bangs have grown longer is striking (laughs). I thought about sticking to his helmet-like hairstyle, but as the story progressed, I changed his hair a little to show that time had passed. Due to this, Link’s current appearance has now fixed itself in my mind.”
---I feel like he’s also changed a lot on the inside since his debut.
“Originally, Link was absolutely obedient to Lvellie and single-minded. He was one of the few people by Lvellie’s side. He was nothing more but Lvellie’s puppet at first but as the story progressed, I started to feel that Link has more of a will of his own that I ever imagined. My image of him changed as I continued drawing him. In that sense, he became a character with a backbone. I’m fond of him, how should I put it, he’s cute (laughs).”
---Link once passed Allen rice gruel with a message that bad-mouths Lvellie written on it.
“I think that to Link, who has a high regard for Lvellie, it was fairly humiliating (laughs). When Jeryy passed him the rice gruel, I think he was torn between conflicting feelings. Torn between “How dare he!” and “Walker might eat it if it looks like this...”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Definitely his eyebrows! But because his bangs are longer now, his eyebrows are currently partly hidden. I’m in a pickle... Link’s eyebrows were his strong point but now... What should I do? (smiles wryly)”
---What is his image-color?
“Golden. His hair color has somehow turned into his image-color, I guess (laughs).”
---What highlights will Link have from this time on?
“Link is appearing and working more than ever! That’s because when Lvellie moves, Link also gets busier (laughs). Link fans, please look forward to future developments!”
Katsura Hoshino-sensei talks about Cross Marian!
---What kind of impression of Cross do you have, sensei?
“Because Cross is the one closest to the truth, he lives hiding bitter things... He’s a person with hardships because he’s a person who deals with the secret agreement he made with the 14th in his own way. Because of this, the way Cross lets off steam is incredible (laughs). Because he unwillingly got involved with the 14th and got saddled with trouble (smiles wryly).”
---What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“The balance...is difficult. He’s difficult to sketch. He has a lot of hair and the ends of his hair curl up. I draw those curls by turning my wrist; they’re difficult to draw. I always upset the balance, flip the paper and redraw him again. To me, Cross’ curls are annoying (smiles wryly). But his facial expressions are easy because he lives and acts on instinct (laughs).”
---What does Cross think about Allen?
“To tell the truth, he thinks Allen is quite cute. He tried to empathize as little as possible with Allen, but after Cross’ true feelings slipped out when they talked together at the new Headquarter Allen was cute, I think. I think Cross regards Allen as his own child. I think he loves Allen’s dark side (laughs). That’s why he likes picking on Allen more and more. He is angry about the time when Allen hit him with Tim though. That definitely hurt (smiles wryly).”
---What is his image-color?
“Red. The red of a flame. Krory’s color is blood red, but Cross’ is fire red. I have this image of him setting his surroundings on fire just by talking (laughs).”
---What’s in store for Cross?
“It’s unknown whether he’s alive or death so... But a younger Cross will appear in flashbacks when I’ll draw about the 14th’s story. Please look forward to seeing his connection to the 14th being explained.
no subject
No. Because there is no character that can top Kanda in terms of hair
yep