Interview: Princess Jellyfish Manga Artist Akiko Higashimura Celebrates 25 Years
Shojo icon Akiko Higashimura, known for acclaimed titles such as Princess Jellyfish, Tokyo Tarareba Girls, and Blank Canvas: My So-Called Artist’s Journey, has had a massive impact on the manga world, with stories ranging from romantic comedies to emotional social commentaries. But her talents don't stop at comics; Higashimura recently made her directorial debut with the live-action series titled Vacance no Hōsoku (The Vacation Rules), a project she both ideated and scripted.
She sat down with ANN to talk about her most famous works, her storytelling style, directing live-action projects, business ventures, and BL!?
Jacki Jing (ANN): Looking back at your entire career, how does it feel seeing everything you've achieved?
Akiko Higashimura: Last year, in March, was my 25th anniversary of being a manga artist, and I've written so many manga—there are, what, over 130 books that got published? I can't even keep count anymore! There are so many things I've worked on!
You have a multi-faceted creative career—can you tell us about all these different aspects of your professional career, and what you love about them?
Higashimura: After drawing a lot of manga, I've just run out of things to write about. So I wanted to do other things to obtain new material to draw into a manga. A lot of my works aren't fantasy; they're very realistic. So I want to go out in the real world, find new material to write about, find new characters to draw about.
Would you like to talk about your recent work as a director and your work in comedy in particular?
Higashimura: The comedy situation was—I was just asked to do it, and I couldn't say no! I have an old-time friend who's a comedian—not a well-selling comedian—who asked me to host a live event, and I just couldn't say no! And that just snowballed into this very large project, and it ended up with me running a comedy production.
A long-time friend called you and said, “Can you be a director, too?”
Higashimura: They asked me to write the original work and the script, and they also asked me to direct it, and I just couldn't say no!
Were you nervous at all?
Higashimura: I initially said, “Stop joking around! That's impossible for me!” And even though I said no, everyone else said, “No! You have to direct it! All the comedic timing—you understand it best! So if you don't do it, no one else can do it!” I lost the argument, so I couldn't say no.
What do you think makes a successful live-action adaptation? How do you make it actually work?
Higashimura: Personally, I think the manga artist has to be the one who writes the script! They have to be fully involved with the production, even if you're busy. I believe you really need to get involved early in the process. You need to participate in the discussion about writing the script. If you don't get involved early, it's just not going to work.
Are there any genres that you'd like to tackle?
Higashimura: I really like sci-fi and other genres, and I would love to make it, but I just don't feel like I'd be able to pull off sci-fi too well. But I do want to write a historical drama!
We're here for that!
Higashimura: There's a Hawaiian princess named Kaʻiulani. Do you know her? There was a time when I wanted to write a story about her.
And I'm sure the artwork from Hawaii would be so beautiful—the setting.
Higashimura: I've started to appreciate it, and I've grown interested in the historical stories more and more over the years.
What or who inspires you?
Higashimura: I've been influenced by many manga artists, but mostly shojo manga artists. I've heard there are many famous shojo manga artists in Japan whose works haven't been translated into English. I hope more of those shojo manga get translated and distributed around the world! Because there are a lot of really great works! Also, in Blank Canvas, Hidaka the painter is also someone I was really influenced by.
Do you think Tokyo Tarareba Girls fills an underserved niche in women's romance comics?
Higashimura: Most romance stories are about a girl meeting a guy, getting close, and falling in love, but with Tarareba Girls, I drew on female friends I had in my 30s. And I wanted to write a story that's basically the Tokyo version of Sex and the City. It's a very unique kind of story, and I think it's a little bit mean in a sense. A lot of my fellow manga artists were like, “What a piece that you wrote! You're so mean for drawing that!” They told me, “You need to show me dreams! Not what you wrote!”
What do you mean by “mean?”
Higashimura: In the work, I keep reminding the girls there's a time limit! You're on the clock! Usually people want to say, “You're pretty no matter what your age is! No matter how long it takes!” But within the series, I keep on saying, “There's a time limit! You have to hurry up! You can't be dilly-dallying!” That's what I believe is very mean about the series.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists who idolize you, or anything you want to say to the fans and people who appreciate you so much?
Higashimura: It's impossible to just produce something interesting from the start. So give it five years, constantly drawing, producing what you can. And then show what you produce to your friends. After you share it with your friends, see their reaction, and keep repeating that process. If you post it online, people give you false compliments anyways. It's a very simple but very arduous task. Anyone can become a manga artist. You don't need a specific license for it. I want everyone to try their best.
Yaoi or yuri?
Higashimura: I'm fine with either, but [laughs] I'm surprised you know this terminology! In Japan, “Yaoi” is a very old phrase. I prefer BL (yaoi).
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