Interview with Kihara Otonase in the 2008 summer issue of the Movable Type Series

Kihara Otonase’s works are highly individual.

The heart-wrenching love, the humorous dialogue like a tacit cross talk

Also, the cruel and cold reality depicted in the unexpected scenes...

The taste here is profound and thought-provoking. As a unique writer in the BL world, he is a unique existence.

A writer who is very popular among readers.

The confusion, pain, hatred and leisure when falling in love.

Elaborately depicts intricate emotions

Only adults who have experienced various experiences will truly understand the true meaning of his many works...

The first interview notes of Kihara Otonase, a writer highly recommended by adult BL, let you get to know the mystery of Mr. Kihara's charm!

Before becoming writer Kihara Otoze

Q1: When did you start wanting to become a novelist?

A1: After I entered middle school, I started writing ディーズ novels. At that time, the COBALT library was very popular, I think it was influenced by it. I also wrote some comics at the same time, and I wrote more comics when I was in high school. After I turned 20, I encountered BL novels, so I started writing novels again without thinking deeply about becoming a professional writer.

Q2: What kind of novels did you read when you were in elementary school, middle school, and high school?

A2: When I was in elementary school, I read some SF and mystery novels from the library. When I was in middle school, I read Jiro Akagawa and Yoshio Kataoka. After entering high school, I liked Ryu Murakami, Haruki Murakami, and some foreign novels.

Q3: I heard that you belonged to a comic research association when you were a student. What kind of comics did you write at that time?

A3: There are almost no comics with complete themes. ...However, the works that are barely completed are horror and foreign love stories.

Q4: It is said that you first encountered doujinshi when you were in junior high school. What kind of doujinshi did you like at that time?

A4: At that time, I didn’t know that doujinshi based on anime and manga existed. However, I made a copy of doujinshi with my own illustrations with my friends.

Q5: What kind of BL work did you read for the first time? Please tell us your thoughts when you first came into contact with BL.

A5: The first BL work I read was called "Romantic Genet". A friend who likes "Maurice" foreign paintings said, "Look, this is a gay-type work." Out of curiosity, the two of them bought it together. My reaction after reading it was "Oh my God, what kind of world is this~!!", which was very shocking.

Q6: Among the BL works you read at that time, are there any works or writers that still leave an impression on you?

A5: "Childhood Sweethearts" by Keiko Yoshihara... I like this cheerful and lively novel very much. "Robinson on the Eleventh Floor" by Shimada Futaba...I really like the atmosphere of the story written by this author.

Q7: What was the opportunity to write a BL novel? Also, what is the content of this first BL novel?

A5: After reading "Romantic Genet", I also wanted to write it. The first BL novel I wrote (unfinished) is a story about two soldiers who became lovers during the Vietnam War and were reincarnated into Japanese high school students.

☆About various creations☆

Q8: In 1995, you published your work in a business magazine for the first time. What kind of opportunity is it? Please describe your creative activities so far.

A8: After I finally finished writing the BL novel, I wanted others to read my work, so I applied for the B-Boy Newcomer Award for the (old) novel, and won an encouragement award there. . The work I submitted for the second time won the Expectation Award and was not selected for the ビブロス Grand Prize. After that, I decided to make my debut. Although I also applied for JUNE, I was not selected there.

Q9: Looking back at your debut, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

A8: Mr. Editor’s care. Then, looking back on more than ten years, the years passed by in a blink of an eye.

Q10: You have been writing BL works. Has your original intention of BL changed during the writing process? If so, what does it look like?

A10: In the past, when I was writing, I wanted to write some heart-wrenching, movie-like novels. Today's pursuit and attitude towards BL have not changed much compared to before.

Q11: What do you think is the attractive thing about BL, a genre that attracts many girls?

A11: The entanglement and depression of love.

Q12: Could you please talk about the difficulties and interesting aspects of writing BL works?

A12: The difficulty lies in the romance novel. I accidentally fell into it and indulged in it. Although it was BL-oriented, it did not leave the relationship mode... The fun part is the strong cuteness in unexpected places. Because it's absurd, I think it's cute and cute.

Q13. What do you think is the most important thing about writing a novel?

A13. Don’t leave the thought of “writing something that even I am attracted to without knowing it~”. Don’t forget that “when people do something, there must be a reason.”

Q14. Works about near-future survival world ("WELL"), prison ("In the Box"), two people abandoned on an uninhabited island ("Don't Worry Mama"), etc. They are all Kihara's works that surprise fans with their different stage settings. These are quite rare settings for BL novels. What are your reasons and ideas for writing about such a special world?

A14. I don’t have many character models or story genres in my mind. If I continue to write working-class stories or student stories, they will become the same stories again, so I want to "change it." Can the environment I am in change slightly?" As a result, I started writing various genres.

Q15. The language barrier makes it impossible to understand the intended communication from the dialogue...and so on. You have written many characters who are difficult to communicate with others ("The Vampire and His Merry Friends", "The Cattle Thief" 》 and other works). Please tell us about the difficulties and interesting aspects of writing about such a group of people.

A15. The main point of view and difficulty of the work vary from person to person. However, "The Vampire and His Happy Companions" shows the incommunicability from the protagonist's point of view, so there is no particular difficulty. . The difficulty is that the story itself cannot proceed because of the different words. What’s interesting is that the protagonist annoys everyone due to various misunderstandings caused by his poor Japanese. The focus of the Cattle Thief is to express the inexpressible feelings. It can be described realistically from the point of view of the small attacks, so it didn't feel too difficult.

Q16. "Rivet" and "Secret" are written very profoundly, and the men who are full of profound questions and secrets are impressive. How does it feel as an author to write about such a mentally distressed character?

A16. I can synchronize with a person who is mentally forced and predict his next actions, so it is not too hard to write. Although it is synchronized with it, I am not the character on the stage, so I look at it from a slightly distanced perspective.

Q17. You have tried works of various genres, including heavy genre works, funny genre works, sweet genre works, etc. Then, your mood will change with your writing style. Does the work you write change?

A17. No. When writing heavy genre works, no matter how gloomy the story is, the mood will not be depressed. On the contrary, for humorous works, I am very happy when writing small plots, but the overall writing process is indeed quite hard. I used to be very tired, but I feel a little better recently.

Q18. There are works that are completed in one go when the mood is high, and conversely, there are also works that are "difficult to give birth to". What are such works among Mr. Kihara's works? What's the reason?

A18. Works completed in one go include "don't worry mama" and "A Rose-Colored Life". Maybe it’s because the characters are attractive, but anyway, I had a lot of fun writing it, and my fingers just couldn’t keep up with what I was writing. The most difficult works to write are "The Fragile Liar" in the box and "HOPE" in the WELL.

"Fragile" is because the character setting of the oral detective has not yet been decided, while WELL is because the final ending has not yet been decided.

Q19. As for BL novels with H drama as an important element, there are also very rare works that do not have H to slowly unfold the plot. What are your thoughts on H-drama? Please also talk about anything that needs attention?

A19. I think there is no need to forcefully join the H complex. In my story, there are many settings where neither party is gay, or one party is gay. Therefore, my H-scene is not a rape mode, but waits until the hearts are connected before the H-scene appears, otherwise it will be difficult to have an H-scene. Therefore, when things are ready, there is not much energy left to write an H-drama. What needs to be noted is...H that fits the character.

Q20. If given the chance, do you have any works or characters that you would like to write a sequel to? Which ones? What's the reason?

A20. At the moment of completion, most of the works come to an end in my own heart. If I want to talk about the work that I want to write a sequel to, it is the sequel to "Innocent World". When I was writing the character "Hongguo", I asked myself countless times in my mind, "Is this the real Indian?" ’ Just because I wrote the sequel, the character setting cannot be changed, but I have a vague idea of ??writing about the two people living in Okinawa. ”

Q21. You have many impressive book titles. How did you come up with the title? Also, which is the title of your work that you are very satisfied with?

A21. In the past, I often used song titles. Now I choose them more often after discussing with the editor. What is my favorite book title... I have been asked by the editor several times, "How about this?" "Yeah".

Q22. Do you have a prototype of the story you want to write in the future?

A22. Yes, yes, but keep it secret. Because if the same material is used If someone else writes it first, I would be very reluctant to do so.

☆Uni-Vanilla Topic☆

Q23. Why do you want to participate in activities such as combined unit creation?

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A23. When I was invited to participate, I thought it was interesting and wanted to try something new, so I participated.

Q24. Complete a movie from beginning to end with one person. The works are different. What are the difficulties and interesting aspects of completing a work with four people?

A24. It is different from when it is created by one person. With more people co-creating, there are naturally more constraints. The difficulty is that there must be a unified world view. If you don’t communicate with each other frequently, there will probably be deviations. The interesting thing is that one person’s creation will always become a four-and-a-half-tatami-type story, while four people will have a different scale. It will expand greatly.

☆About yourself☆

Q25. Could you please tell me why you came up with the pen name Kihara Otoze?

A25 .At the beginning, I decided on the name 'Otoze', and then I looked for a suitable surname. When I saw the name '木の実なな', I thought the pronunciation of it was very good, so I decided to use it as a name. . A pen name without voice is my goal.

Q26. What do you think is the key to cuteness?

A26. You are lively, weak and smart. , straightforward, very powerful characters are all very attractive

Q27. As a creator, is there any writer you consider a teacher? If so, which one is it? What is the reason? (Novelists, cartoonists, and other creators are also acceptable.)

A27. As long as the novels and comics are interesting to read, they can be regarded as My teacher.

Q28. What is your favorite thing to do now besides writing? Also, what do you like to do outside of work?

A28. Sort out ideas and decorate the room. Read BL novels and comics after work.

Q29. Please recommend some interesting books that you have read recently.

A29. ."Closed Hospital" by Hoshiki Tomoe; "Sacrifice" by Kondo Shie; "Futon" by Tsuyoshi Tsuyoshi

Q30. Please tell us about the interesting comics you have read recently and the comics you are looking forward to new issues.

A30. "Rabbit Fruit Candy" by Yuki Uhita, "Maihime-Turnus -" by Ryoko Yamagishi.

Q31. What are the interesting movies you have watched recently?

A31. "February of the Lunar Calendar"

Q32. Finally, please say something to the fans.

A32. Thanks to the readers who have never given up and supported me, I am able to write and publish books as I do now. Thank you. In order for readers who have read my books from the past and those who only recently read my books to read more, I will work harder from now on to write works that everyone will like.

——Thank you to Mr. Kihara Otoze for your strong support and cooperation!

Unit vanilla is a combined unit novel created by four BL writers: Izumi Katsura, Iwamoto Kaoru, Kihara Otoze, and Yuki. Founded in 2006. The first group is "SASRA" (Published by リブレ/all four volumes). The second series of "Rose and Lion" is being serialized on "Luciel" (Fantasy Winter House comic strip). The third series of "ARTHURZ`GUARDIAN" is scheduled to be serialized in SHY NOVELS for 4 months starting from September this year.

There is such a job!

SASRA, all 4 volumes, Unit Vanilla

Illustrations/Tenjin Anmaru Ruri Publishing House, B-boy's July 8, 2007, Izumi Katsura, Iwamoto Kaoru, Kihara Otonase, ひちわゆか. Four popular writers join forces to create a love story that transcends time and space.

Ergo vol.l1~5 Kihara Otonase's selected collection Soryusha HOLLY COMIX from November 2007 to June 2008, including many comic works of Kihara novels, rare forms of original comics Anthology. There is also a serialized work by Kihara Otonase that was completed in one publication.

*Statistics are as of June 2008. In addition, one of Kihara-sensei's most popular masterpieces, "Beauty," was released on stage in the fall of 2010. His new work, "Deep Breath," is expected to be released in February 2011. The fifth volume of "Vampire" is also about to be released, and the latest work is on CD. There are "Second Serenade", "Rose Colored Life" and so on.