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[Translations] DN HTR13: Special Dialogue
From arell_chan's scans.
Death Note HTR13
How to Create (Ooba Tsugumi x Obata Takeshi): Special Dialogue
[Page 174-187]

*Doing the one-shot without meeting, then starting the series

--It's apparently been a long time since you two have seen each other... Did you not have meetings with each other [during the series]?

Ooba: Not at all. We each only met with the manager. We hadn't even met when the one-shot was published.

Obata: After the one-shot was published in the summer of 2003, the series started running in December. We met for the first time the following year during the editorial department's New Years party.

--For the one-shot, Ooba-sensei first brought the storyboards to the editorial department, and then it went to Obata-sensei, right? Obata-sensei, what did you think when you saw them?

Obata: I had a hard time picturing it, at first. But it was the type of setting I loved, what with the appearance of shinigami and the dark atmosphere, so I really wanted to do the art for it.

Ooba: I was extremely grateful to be able to get Obata-sensei.

--Ooba-sensei, was there a particular artist that you wanted?

Ooba: No, not at all. I could barely even believe that it was getting published in the first place. It didn't really seem suitable for Jump, after all. So just the fact that it was approved at all, and with Obata-sensei as the artist to boot, was unbelievable to me.

[manga panel: Kagami Tarou from the one-shot
caption: The one-shot which became the prototype for the series. With strong horror elements, its contents were quite different from the series.]

--It's a moot question by this point, but did you two have any plans to meet for the one-shot?

Ooba: The manager deemed it unnecessary, so.... I think it turned out for the best, in the end.

Obata: I really wanted to meet you, Ooba-sensei.

Ooba: If you had said so at the time, I would've gladly gone. *laughs* But I don't think I would've been good for conversation. Too nervous.

Obata: So you're saying we only would've been able to talk about the weather or something? *laughs*

*The future plot was a secret even to Obata-sensei?

--Were future plot developments told to Obata-sensei?

Ooba: The manager didn't really say so. Probably only when important characters like L were introduced?

Obata: I really looked forward to Ooba-sensei's storyboards every week, so I purposely didn't ask [about future developments], but I was always anxious over them. But, in truth, just how far ahead did you plan the plot...?

Ooba: I didn't.

Obata: That can't be true. *laughs* You must have thought everything out, in order to create such a complex story. ...Well then, how far did you think of before the series started running?

Ooba: Up to the third chapter...

Obata: Surely you jest! *laughs*

Ooba: The first things that gave me trouble were hiding the Note in the double-bottomed drawer and the shinigami eyes. I was already having difficulty at those points. Well, they did end up becoming crucial to the plot, but...

Obata: Seriously?

Ooba: Seriously. Though, the shinigami eyes were something I'd already been discussing with the manager from the beginning.

Obata: So you were thinking ahead, then.

Ooba: But I hadn't decided on anything concrete. And anyway, my storyboards are always done by first cornering Light, then deciding what to do next. With Naomi, it was like, "She meets Light... Now what!?" I was always worrying as I went along. *laughs*

Obata: I can't believe it. But you did have the major flow of the story thought out, right?

Ooba: To a certain extent. I did already have things like the second Kira in mind before the series started running...

[manga panel: Ryuk talking about the shinigami eyes
caption: The shinigami eyes became a standard rule which supported the series through the end.]

*Plot and characters which unfold through collaboration

Ooba: I always wondered how Obata-sensei draws different distinctive characters. Like the first ICPO conference, which had a huge number of people. Did you use any references for them?

Obata: Not particularly... It was just based on my gut feelings on how foreigners would be like.

Ooba: So you have a large number of character patterns in your head?

Obata: I guess you could say that. For example, when I watch movies, things like the construction of the actors' faces remain in my mind. So I don't put much thought into it; the characters emerge naturally as I draw.

[manga panel: The ICPO conference
caption: A scene which emphasizes the large scale of the Kira case. While none of the main characters are present, it's a scene that fulfills the extremely important role of showing the world view to the readers.]

Ooba: That's something only an extreme person would say! That you don't even have to think about it...

Obata: That's the easiest way for me. I can't do it if I have to think about it.

Ooba: So it's actually more difficult to differentiate the main characters?

Obata: Yes, main character types and girls are difficult. There really aren't that many "cool" or "cute" patterns. Especially with good-looking people like Light, their features are pretty limited, so it's hard to do many variations.

Ooba: The idea of not making L good-looking first came from Obata-sensei, didn't it?

Obata: Yes, because that was the feeling I got from the storyboards. In reality, what did you think of L's design?

Ooba: It was hilarious, I loved it!

Obata: I was inspired by Ooba-sensei's storyboards, where L had a very lifeless face.

Ooba: So even the design from the storyboards would've been okay?

Obata: Yeah. I wanted to just leave him that way. Our tastes are pretty close, aren't they.

Ooba: Yes, like with Misa's "goth Lolita" image. I'm glad that our tastes are similar, because I can fool myself into thinking I have Obata-sensei's level of design sense. *laughs*

--Obata-sensei apparently wasn't informed on who the Yotsuba Kira was, right?

Obata: I thought it was Midou at first...

Ooba: I did consider that, but then felt it would've been boring to go with the obvious choice. So while studying Obata-sensei's art, I thought of each character's personalities and mulled it over. That's the way it always was, whether with Naomi, or Yotsuba, or Shidou. They became fleshed out as I looked at Obata-sensei's art.

--So it's like the characters are created as the two of you go along.

Ooba: That's why the Yotsuba arc was the toughest for me. I had to advance the storyboards before seeing Obata-sensei's character designs, and thus had no mental picture of them because I didn't know what they looked like. I got rather confused as to which person was saying what line.... After seeing the character designs, that's when I came up with things like, "This guy looks like he'd fire missiles." *laughs* ...But, it must have been tough to draw all eight distinctive people.

[manga panel: Ooi talking about shooting missiles
caption: Ooi's missile proposal was born out of Obata-sensei's designs.]

Obata: No, not at all. It was fun, and stimulated me to do more variations. Having to draw eight people meant that the types I'd drawn until then were no longer enough.

Ooba: I felt very apologetic at the time.

Obata: But I think it's various events like these that drew out more of my strengths. For example, even if I wanted to draw a manga with shinigami, it wouldn't have turned out this way.

Ooba: Like the "human-looking Ryuk" you mentioned before?

Obata: Yes. But in Death Note, shinigami are only minor characters watching from the sidelines, so it was better for them to not be human-looking or good-looking. And I never would've gone in that direction myself, so I believe the results turned out for the best.

Ooba: In my case, I ended up inserting things based on my own preferences, just because I wanted Obata-sensei to draw them. Like the scene where Light and L fought each other. The truth is, I only put that scene in because I wanted to see it in Obata-sensei's art. *laughs*

--Was there a specific catalyst which caused you to start thinking that way?

Ooba: After the school ceremony from page.19, Light's humiliation and the laughter that followed afterward. I thought, "Uwah, amazing!" and wanted to see Obata-sensei draw many other different expressions.

[manga panel: Light going berserk
caption: A rare instance of Light losing control of his emotions. Ghastly expressions such as this are due to [Obata's] overwhelmingly powerful art.]

Obata: From that same chapter, I was shocked by L coming forward and naming himself to Light. I thought because of L's strange looks, even if he were to tail Light, he'd be exposed too quickly and it'd be difficult to do any investigating... I wondered what he'd do upon making contact with Light, but never imagined he'd just name himself.

Ooba: If you think about it, L had no choice but to come forward. I'm glad it looks like I managed to surprise Obata-sensei the most.

--Were there any other instances with unexpected plot developments for both of you?

Ooba: Raye Penber's death scene. Obata-sensei improved and restructured the storyboards.

Obata: In the original, Raye's death scene was very anti-climatic, so I thought it was a bit of a waste...

Ooba: The end was very cool. And because there was a picture of Raye looking into the train, L, while watching the videos, ended up realizing earlier than anticipated that there were clues with Raye.

[manga panel: Raye dying
caption: The scene that was rearranged by Obata-sensei. In the original script, Light and Raye did not see each other.]

Obata: I worried if I'd gone overboard while looking at the chapter later, and about whether Ooba-sensei had to change the story to fit the art.

Ooba: But I think it worked out for the best.

Obata: Misora Naomi came into the story after that, but I personally was very disappointed that she died. And I kept hoping that maybe she would return again later.

Ooba: You drew a color cover of Misora Naomi, right? At the time, I also felt it was a shame that she'd end up dying when such a beautiful picture had been produced.

*Looking forward to the arrival of the finished pages as a normal reader

--It's said that Ooba-sensei really looked forward to the finished pages every week.

Ooba: It's interesting because they turn into something completely different, even though the plot was done by myself.

Obata: I was also just like a regular reader when receiving the storyboards. I really looked forward to their arrival every week.

Ooba: Do you think about how to draw it as you're reading the storyboards?

Obata: Yes, it's quite fun to consider how to draw storyboards that I never would have thought of myself.

--What is the thing you each consider the most important in your works?

Obata: An easy to follow layout. There are a lot of words, so that's the most crucial.

Ooba: Having at least one highlight scene in each chapter. Also, as the series went on, I came to think that it would be interesting to see events that could be considered rather ridiculous rendered in Obata-sensei's realistic art style. Like the scene where Souichirou crashes into the Sakura TV station, I wrote the storyboards thinking it'd look really cool when finished.

--Were there any other scenes with those kind of intentions?

Ooba: The scene where L died. Paying attention to how Obata-sensei's L always had his eyes open, I had them close for the first time in the storyboards. I was excited to see how it would turn out.

[manga panel: L's death
caption: A famous scene from the middle of the series. L's eyes, which had always been wide open, are finally closed!]

Obata: I also had a lot of fun drawing it. That certainly was the first time L had ever closed his eyes, wasn't it.

--Then, the gag elements everywhere as well?

Ooba: Yes. I wanted to have events that, while not exactly gags, "could be laughable, depending on how you look at it." Such as the dining scene with Takada and Misa in page.92, which I put in because I thought it'd be amusing.

Obata: That battle of the women scene?

Ooba: There wasn't any plot development from them dining together, so the scene in and of itself has no meaning.

Obata: I drew it thinking there was some deeper meaning to their catfight... but, hmm... I see. *laughs*

Ooba: "I see," is that all? Thought you'd say, "How could you be so random," or something.... *laughs*

Obata: No, I can just accept that that's something Ooba-sensei finds amusing. *laughs*

*The America arc, difficult both concept and art-wise

--I believe the America arc where Mello and Near were introduced was already refined before it started, but... how far did you plot as you were preparing?

Ooba: The things I had decided on for certain were the introductions of Mello and Near, the battle over the Note, and that the setting would be America. At that point, there was a part of me that was relying on Obata-sensei to make it work well.

Obata: I had a lot of trouble with the art. Before receiving the storyboards, I'd only heard from the manager that "the setting would probably be America."

Ooba: Was it tough to prepare for?

Obata: I couldn't really do anything but gather some reference materials. I'd never been to America, so I wasn't sure how to portray the differences from Japan. Not just the outer appearances, but also the general mood and atmosphere and such. Not to mention I was also doing the color pictures every week [for the HTR 1-4 specials] so there was practically no time to prepare at all.

Ooba: I'm sorry...

Obata: No, not at all. *laughs* So after we came back from hiatus, I had a hard time with directing the assistants. Like for the background, the only instructions I could really give were, "American," "more American!"....

--What about the work on Mello and Near?

Ooba: I left everything to Obata-sensei. Pretty much the only thing I asked for was to have them be reminiscent of L.

Obata: Which reminds me, when Mello reappeared, he had a scar and looked a lot cooler, remember? Just as I was thinking that he'd finally become easier to draw....

Ooba: He ended up dying....

[manga panel: Halle signaling Mello to keep quiet
caption: [Mello's] facial scar which occurred when he escaped from the hideout. While his dreadfulness increased, so did his humane aspects.]

Obata: So it probably was a good thing after all, that we didn't meet during the series. If we'd had these kinds of discussions, I might've considered the possibility before you killed him...

Ooba: That's true.... Instead, [your portrayal] made it look like Mello would have more importance. But I did constantly ask the manager, "Did Obata-sensei say anything?" And the response was, "No, nothing." *laughs*

*An essential plot point, revealed. The secret of Near's finger puppets

--How much do you specify things like background scenery and props?

Ooba: With the settings, I only specify "ruins" or "building". So all of the detailed designs comes from Obata-sensei. I do put in a fair amount of accessories in the storyboards, such as the tower of matches, but... I was amazed upon seeing the picture! The assistants must've had a tough time.

Obata: A lot of effort was put into it. *laughs*

Ooba: But on the other hand, concerning Near's finger puppets, they weren't in the storyboards at all. The art towards the end became a lot cooler thanks to the finger puppets, didn't it.

Obata: Personally, I thought those finger puppets highlighted Near's unpleasantness.

Ooba: Yes, the ugliness of the models emphasized the tacit aspects of Near's heart. Did you design them as if Near had made them?

Obata: First, he made the Kira one by buying a puppet from a store and scribbling around its eyes with a magic marker. The others were probably made by himself to go with the Kira one. And since Near probably didn't like L much, I thought he would make it poorly. Conversely, since he actually liked Mello, I imagine he spent the most effort making Mello's puppet.

Ooba: So in Obata-sensei's mind, Near hates L, huh. *laughs* Certainly, the more unsavory aspects of Near's personality came out as the story progressed.

Obata: I wonder why?

Ooba: First, Mello; Regardless of the morality of his actions, he'd always persisted in trying to steal the Note ever since his introduction. While Near, on the other hand, came off like he just wanted to snatch away the Note afterward.... The difference in their stances might have served to emphasize Near's unpleasant and sly image. Also, his impertinent speech and conduct used to express his childishness could get on people's nerves.

[manga panel: Near about to crush the Kira puppet
caption: Near's special finger puppets, the key items of the last chapters. There's an unexpected story behind them.]

--Obata-sensei, who do you think is the biggest jerk?

Obata: Near, probably. *laughs* But I had fun drawing him as an unpleasant person, so I might actually like him.

*The shocking final battle. How were the storyboards produced?

--Did you two discuss the actual ending of the series?

Ooba: No. I sent over the storyboards as usual. The manager would have informed him of the various developments.

Obata: Yeah, I heard that Light would die miserably at the end. I was secretly expectant of the scene [for a turnaround?], so it was shocking when he really did die so pitifully.

Ooba: The art was truly magnificent. Obata-sensei also made major improvements to the storyboards of Light's death scene.

[manga panel: Light's god declaration
caption: Light's speech from the final chapters. His calm expression gradually becomes more and more fanatical.]

--What was the situation surrounding the storyboards of the final chapters?

Ooba: It wasn't much different from the norm, but page.107, where Light died, might've had slightly more setting explanations than usual. Like "Light trips" and such. The finished product ended up being completely different, though.

--Any instructions on Light's facial expressions?

Ooba: I can only draw simple things, so it's all Obata-sensei. Generally, all I can do is have him interpret from the dialogue, but... I was amazed at the art, which far surpassed my imagination. Expressions which were nothing more than "slightly evil" in my mind became "incredibly evil" in his art.

Obata: Light was a character who'd been suppressing his expressions until then, so I let him explode at the very end. I was highly enthusiastic while drawing it.

*What are the expectations behind the two authors' portrayals?

--Which character was the most fun to write/draw...?

Obata: L.

Ooba: Yes, L.

Obata: But Light's fun too. There were a lot of characters in Death Note which I wouldn't have drawn myself to begin with, so it was really interesting. L was a character I especially wanted to draw, but he's a type I never would've thought of myself. So L isn't real to me. And that's what I like about him. So I put a lot of effort in his death scene as well.

Ooba: You put in more effort when characters you like die?

Obata: Yes. Because in a way it's their biggest and most important scene. But since the series itself is so focused on death, I was always striving to maintain a dark image. ...And as a way of expressing that, I ended up drawing a lot of religious motifs in the covers and backgrounds...

Ooba: Sorry, I simply thought they looked cool. I didn't consider it that deeply...

Obata: But you did have a focus on apples, right? You kept specifying them in the storyboards, after all.

Ooba: I really wanted to use the phrase "Shinigami eat nothing but apples" as a dying message, and needed Ryuk to have them. There's no other meaning to it.

Obata: Why apples?

Ooba: I simply thought their red color would make a nice contrast with Ryuk's black body, and that they were a nice size to fit his large mouth, I suppose.

Obata: Since apples can be associated with myths and psychology, one could overanalyze it in any number of ways if they wanted to. I thought it was completely intentional on your part.

Ooba: No no, I didn't think of that at all. Apples are sort of cool... That's all. *laughs* But I figured it was a good idea to produce a lot of things that could be taken as foreshadowing, because there are situations where I can use them again later. And as it went, [Light] was able to lure Ryuk with the apples to make him search for the hidden cameras.

--What was the reason you had an apple on the last chapter's cover?

Ooba: I didn't specify anything for the cover, so it came entirely from Obata-sensei.

Obata: As I said before, I drew it because I felt apples were some kind of a major theme for Ooba-sensei. But, I can't believe she hadn't thought of anything...

Ooba: ...This is bad. I've disappointed him.

[manga panel: Ryuk searching for the hidden cameras
caption: Ryuk working hard, baited by apples. Apples had a surprisingly important role in the story...?]

*The Death Note phenomenon. The two people at the center of the storm...

--Death Note has become a major phenomenon. Not only with the popularity of the manga, but also with the making of the movies and the anime, internet discussions, and so on. Did you imagine that it would become this famous?

Ooba: Since I had Obata-sensei doing the art, I did want it to sell because it would be my own responsibility if it didn't. But I didn't think it'd do this well.

Obata: I didn't think so, either. Before it was serialized, even the manager apparently thought, "Since it isn't to everyone's taste, it'll probably only do so-so."

Ooba: *laughs*

Obata: I'm happy about its popularity, but my surroundings haven't really changed due to it. I was simply satisfied with being able to draw what I liked.

Ooba: To be honest, I didn't truly feel that it was that popular. My senses were kind of numb from the weekly serialization.

Obata: Certainly... We already had our hands full just doing each chapter.

[manga panel: Light feeling guilt over his first murders
caption: Light, who committed murder from the very first chapter of the series. It was a rare and shocking occurrence for a shounen magazine.]

--What about the fact that the first volume sold more than one million copies within two months, the fastest record in history?

Ooba: I was happy that it exceeded my expectations so astonishingly.

Obata: Although, the manager kept quiet even when it went past the one million mark. *laughs*

Ooba: I asked the manager about this, and you know how for normal series, there's a tagline on the cover page saying, "The newest volume, hugely popular and now on sale"? But according to the judgment of the manager, the phrase "hugely popular" was no good for the series because it didn't fit the mood, so it was never used during the series' run. It seems they thought Death Note was a quiet series that should be run in a solemn manner.

Obata: Certainly... *laughs*

Ooba: In the end, I think Obata-sensei and I, plus the manager, were the most coolheaded regarding its fame and popularity. It was more crucial for me to come up with the storyboards every week, and find ways to make it as interesting as possible to the highest number of readers.

Obata: For me also, deciding how to do the the art was the most important thing, so.... This is probably due to our personalities.

Ooba: Also, the only person we talk to is the manager. So while we're chatting during a meeting, it just goes, "It's apparently sold one million copies." "That's pretty amazing." "Yeah." ...And that's it.

--Were you aware of the outside world's reviews of Death Note?

Ooba: Not really while the series was running. There were times when it was featured in magazines, but it was too difficult for me to understand. *laughs* I mean, everyone was talking about such deep and profound things.

Obata: Certainly, there seem to be a lot of people who might be reading too much into it. Recently on TV, there was a critic talking about Death Note, but... it was too difficult for me to understand. *laughs*

Ooba: Death Note is not such a highly refined series at all.

Obata: Yeah, we just want people to read and enjoy it.

Ooba: Critiques which analyze themes such as Light's morals or internet society are probably talking about a completely different Death Note than the one we were thinking of. Things like "life and death" or "justice and evil".... Like we said in the interview, we weren't putting that much deep thought into those subjects. We were simply hoping it'd be good entertainment.

[manga panel: Matsuda questioning whether Kira is truly evil
caption: Views on morality which were occasionally inserted into the story. In the end, the conclusions can only be reached by each reader for themselves.]

*The two authors' private lives 1. State of the workplace.

Obata: Before, I heard from the manager that "Ooba-sensei's workroom is amazing"...

Ooba: Oh, I can't work in a messy room, so I just changed the interior design a bit to a Western fairy-tale style. Also hung up some paintings.

Obata: Ah, that's nice.

Ooba: So I tend to stay there a lot, since it feels so comfortable.

Obata: What kind of paintings do you have?

Ooba: One's a lithograph by a French artist named Jean Jansem.

Obata: Do you gaze at it while taking breaks?

Ooba: Yes, it's nice, it relaxes me. Naturally, I also have Obata-sensei's lithographs up. Which artists do you like?

Obata: The ones who are currently still active, like Yamada Akihiro-san or Sorayama Hajime-san. I also like poster works such as those of Alfons Mucha. I prefer things which look beautiful, so I'm not very fond of abstract works.

Ooba: As I thought, your tastes run toward realistic works, just like your own art style.

Obata: But either way, I have no intention of decorating with paintings. Don't you need good sense for interior decorating and things like that?

Ooba: This, coming from a person who draws such gorgeous art. There's no doubt you have a great artistic sense!

Obata: It's not my style. I'm even horrible at cleaning, so my room is incredibly messy.

Ooba: Conversely, I might be a clean-freak. Even when I drink coffee during work, I always have to wash out every cup right away.

Obata: That's an amazing contrast with me. I hardly ever wash them, and end up accidentally drinking unfinished cups from two or three days ago...

Ooba: Ugh... *laughs*

Obata: I use them just like that to drink coffee, then water, continuously. So there are always half-consumed cups on my desk.

Ooba: What about your room?

Obata: I haven't vacuumed it in about three years. Recently, the manager couldn't take it anymore and started trying to tidy it up. And then ended up dropping it midway through. *laughs* Ooba-sensei's room must be very clean, right?

Ooba: I clean up once a day, or at the very least, once every three days. I can't stand having things like dust or eraser rubbings lying around.

*The two authors' private lives 2. Movie and novel tastes

--Do you like movies?

Ooba: I watch a fair amount of them. I particularly like Kurosawa's movies.

Obata: What are your favorite genres?

Ooba: Comedies. And I prefer Japanese films over American ones, like "Kani Goalkeeper." And Shaolin Soccer, though it isn't a Japanese film.

Obata: Your tastes run toward Asian films?

Ooba: Yes, mainly recent ones. But I also like Chaplin, and have all of his DVDs. Obata-sensei likes suspense and thriller types, right? "The Exorcist" is your favorite?

Obata: Yes, and I also like the Japanese movies "Ring" and "Gakkou no Kaidan."

Ooba: But I heard that you're afraid of monsters.

Obata: Yeah. *laughs* That's because I like to scare myself.

Ooba: But you seem like the type who would go, "This camera shot is nice" while watching movies.

Obata: Yes, I do that a lot. So truthfully, I don't have much interest in the story. I always end up focusing my attention on the camera work.

Ooba: Do you get inspiration from movies?

Obata: When it comes to character designs, I've been influenced by "The Matrix."

Ooba: Ryuk has the taste of Tim Burton?

Obata: "Edward Scissorhands."

Ooba: I love "Edward Scissorhands" too! I like most of Tim Burton's works.

--Do you read many novels?

Ooba: To be honest, I don't read them at all.

Obata: I read some, and like authors such as Kyougoku Natsuhiko. My tastes are pretty varied, from youkai to onmyouji and so on. Ooba-sensei, I always thought you were a very avid reader, and that you'd be especially knowledgeable of mysteries.

Ooba: I'm no good at reading. The manager has recommended various books to me, but I haven't tried any of them. Whenever I try to read, my mind starts wandering, or I poke fun at every little thing [in the novel]... and wind up completely losing track of the plot. Sorry I'm no good for conversation.

Obata: And yet, your scripts have so many words. *laughs*

[manga panel: Ryuk talking about the Death Note
caption: The hint for Ryuk's design comes from that famous movie?]

*The two authors' private lives 3. What are they scared of?

Obata: I've been ill until recently. Since it happened after I drew Death Note, I wondered if I'd been cursed or something.... So I had a fortune teller do a tarot card reading for me, and the Death card came up.

Ooba: That's pretty amusing. *laughs*

Obata: I was very uneasy, wondering if I might die after all. Though I ended up getting better after taking medication. *laughs*

Ooba: Which reminds me, you went to a purification ritual when the series first started, didn't you?

Obata: Yes, the manager took me.

Ooba: I was invited as well, but.... Obata-sensei, you're pretty superstitious, aren't you.

Obata: I'm really not good at dealing with scary things. When I was a child, I believed in things like spirit photographs and the existence of Hell. I still remember the terror I felt back then, so I can't help but worry even if I know better by now.

Ooba: I suppose I'm the type who doesn't really believe in it.

Obata: That's what I figured, when you didn't even go to the purification ritual. *laughs*

Ooba: I told the manager at the time that I would go by myself...

Obata: And you ended up not going after all.

Ooba: But, well, I do still go to the nearby temple during New Years. *laughs*

Obata: No, that's hatsumoude [the first visit of the year to a temple]. *laughs*

Ooba: No, I pray for purification during that hatsumoude. *laughs* Didn't you write "I'm drawing shinigami, will I get cursed or something?" in the manga at one point?

[manga panel: The shinigami realm
caption: A large number of shinigami were introduced, from Ryuk to beings who weren't even named.]

Obata: It happens a lot, doesn't it? Bad things occur if you draw youkai, and youkai and shinigami could be considered pretty similar, after all. ...What are you most afraid of?

Ooba: When it comes to monsters, I might actually want to see them. Really, it's humans who scare me the most. Also, when I imagine situations where I have no job.

Obata: Such realistic things. *laughs*

Ooba: Also, I have claustrophobia, and dislike things like Ferris wheels. I still use elevators because there's no other choice, but I always fret over what'd happen if it suddenly got stuck or something.

Obata: I guess you can't help but imagine being trapped.

Ooba: I wish they'd leave the doors open on Ferris wheels as well.

Obata: No no, that's dangerous! *laughs* Personally, I like confined spaces. Rooms might feel smaller as you add more things in them, but that actually makes it more pleasant for me.

Ooba: Are you okay with large crowds as well? I hate them...

Obata: Totally fine. So I like wandering around town as well. Maybe I'm an outdoors person... in spirit, anyway. *laughs* If I could go on vacations, I'd want to travel to all sorts of places. It's possible to camp out even at the side of the road, after all.

Ooba: We have a lot of similarities when it comes to our work, but our private lives are pretty contrasting, aren't they.

*Seemingly alike, yet actually in contrast

--What's made the most impression on you, now that you've actually spoken to each other today?

Ooba: At first, I thought our tastes were very similar though the manga. But now I realize that we're actually quite different when it comes to our personal lives and personalities.

Obata: Our preferences are similar. But probably... our styles are different? *laughs*

Ooba: Style. *laughs* Certainly...

--What about Obata-sensei?

Obata: Ooba-sensei is interesting.

Ooba: Is it all right to just say we're both weird? *laughs* We're comrades, yet not... Something like that?

Obata: Also, I've reaffirmed that she's a mysterious person. ...Really, I wonder what she does normally. *laughs*

Ooba: I don't do anything. I love doing nothing. *laughs* Ah, my hobby might be just spacing out.

Obata: Don't you do anything else during those times? Like listen to music or something?

Ooba: I really don't do anything. I just stare outside.

Obata: Does that help ideas to strike you?

Ooba: Not at all. *laughs* I have to actually think for ideas to come up. When I'm spacing out, I just space out.

Obata: So for Ooba-sensei, ideas have to be consciously considered to be produced.

Ooba: Yes, those times are painful.

*The real "truth" of Death Note is...

Obata: This is retreading old ground, but honestly, how much of Death Note's scripts did you plan out beforehand?

Ooba: I knew you'd come back to that. *laughs*

Obata: You keep saying you "didn't," but I still have doubts even now. I'm wondering if everything's actually "All according to plan!"

--So you're still suspicious.

Ooba: It's pretty much impossible to decide the entire story, then write everything accordingly, for a weekly-running series. Although there might be times where it's possible for a single novel.

Obata: But you're constantly integrating usable foreshadowing, right?

Ooba: That's true, but still. Basically, everything hinged on cornering Light first, then thinking of a specific strategy to get him out of it. So when I got stuck, I got really stuck. There were times when the storyboards ended up taking several weeks to do.

Obata: In other words, not even the author herself knew the future plot of Death Note? Eh~~, that's a lie! *laughs*

Ooba: How did you do the storyboards for "Cyborg Jii-chan G?"

Obata: Pretty haphazardly. ...Are you saying Death Note was the same way?

Ooba: Generally. So the only impression I have of Death Note is, "I managed to get through it even better than imagined."

Obata: Eh~~?! *laughs*

Ooba: I did do careful checks to ensure things like the rules and continuity were consistent, but I wasn't planning at all. I didn't have all the "ideas" right from the beginning, after all.

Obata: Can those kinds of ideas come to you just like that? Like with a rush of adrenaline or something...

Ooba: Possibly. And when a strategy hit me, I got all fired up and sometimes wrote the whole thing in one sitting. So the scripts I'm most satisfied with were ones where the actual work was done very quickly.

Obata: Then it's like they were already in a finalized form when they were written?

Ooba: During the times when I was really on a roll, yes, pretty much.

Obata: Therefore, the truth is that the developments weren't planned, you say?

Ooba: Yes. *laughs*

Obata: ...I still feel like that can't possibly be true, but.... Very well, I suppose this mystery is better left as a mystery. *laughs* Thank you for your hard work on the series.

Ooba: And thank you for the wonderful art!

[manga panel: Light's plan from page.102
caption: Death Note was constructed using numerous forshadowings. Just how much of it was "calculated"?!]

---

Random comments:

-The two authors never even met to discuss the series! Is that normal for a collaboration work? o_O

-According to Obata, Near liked Mello and spent the most effort making Mello's puppet! AWWW. ♥

-But I was surprised that Obata thought Near hated L. ;_; Ooba just kind of sidestepped the issue and neither confirmed nor denied whether that was her intention or not, but I always assumed from Near's dialogue that he really respected L...

-Obata's reactions to Ooba's flippancy regarding the series is pretty amusing. While her statements about the plot developments being unplanned might have some truth to them, I suspect she did still put a lot of deep thought into the themes and maintaining moral ambiguity, and is playing dumb in order to leave the interpretations up to the readers. But I guess we'll never really know for sure... ^^

ETA: Corrected slightly because I accidentally reversed the authors' names in one part. Luckily it was only for two lines, during the bit where Ooba says she's scared of humans and would prefer to see monsters.

Also, a slight note about using feminine pronouns for Ooba. It's not clear whether she's really a woman or not; That's what Shuueisha's official profile says, but it's commonly accepted that Ooba is just a pen name for another famous author. The most widely believed theory is that it's Gamou Hiroshi (a guy), but since there hasn't been an official announcement regarding Ooba's true identity, I still go with feminine pronouns.