Women in Comics Month: Mayu Shinjo

Ms. Shinjo works as a mangaka (a manga creator) in Japan. As a Japanese comic artist, she is not only responsible for writing and drawing her work, but she leads a team of art assistants who support her by filling in repetitive backgrounds, textures, and details. Since the next generation of mangaka typically work as assistants before their debut, Ms. Shinjo's role is one of team manager, teacher, and lead artist. Two of her works, Ai Ore! And Demon Love Spell have been translated into English and published by Viz.

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PREVIEWSworld: What elements in shojo manga do you think are appealing to female readers?

Mayu Shinjo: I think sexiness and glamour are things that are always appealing.

Even if I draw a "cute" male character, he should always have some sex appeal and charm. That never changes.

PREVIEWSworld: What were Sensei's thoughts for creating Akira in Ai Ore!? He's such a strong character that he leaves a lasting impression. He seems so...real. (laughs)

Mayu Shinjo: Eh, well... I had never drawn a cute boy—a boy with a cute face—before as a main character, so I wanted to give it a try. And I get bored if I keep drawing the same kind of character over and over again. But there are some things that you mustn’t change. He still has to be cool. Inside he’s the same as my other men: he’s rather aggressive and manly, a strong fighter, and sexy too. Those things I don’t want to change. In that sense, the only thing I changed was his appearance.

PREVIEWSworld: Lucifer [from "Sensual Phrase"] and Blaue Rosen: what are their music styles like? Would the bands be similar?

Mayu Shinjo: I imagine their music to be really cool. How can I put it: "Catchy"? I'm not too sure how to describe it.

PREVIEWSworld: And would they ever play a gig together?

Mayu Shinjo: (gales of laughter) No.

PREVIEWSworld: Okay. If Blaue Rosen debuted, would they get a strong male following? They have a lot of female fans.

Mayu Shinjo: Hmm, I don't know...I don't think so. That's a very hard one.

PREVIEWSworld: Are you planning to continue "Ai Ore!" after Volume 8?

Mayu Shinjo: Well, I've accepted a lot of jobs that I wanted to do, so I've been taking time off from working on some series. But since Ai Ore! is now a live-action movie, I would like to keep working on it on a regular basis.

PREVIEWSworld: Becky, a Shojo Beat fan on Twitter, asked what you thought of the movie adaption of Ai Ore!

Mayu Shinjo: At first I thought it would be impossible. I stressed the fact that I would never allow the movie to be made unless they managed to find somebody who was the spitting image of Akira. And they found him. After that I knew there would be nothing to worry about.

PREVIEWSworld: Many of our readers are interested in learning how to become mangaka. Would you give them some advice?

Mayu Shinjo: Let's see. Becoming an assistant to a mangaka is the best way to learn the trade. Other than that, you need to draw every day. If you continue doing that, well, drawing is something we all have to keep doing on a consistent basis. So, in order to get ahead, you have to draw even more. You'll hardly ever see a person who draws, say, once every six months making a debut. It must be a routine. If you publish a volume of your work once every two months or so...that is a lot of work. It's very hard. If you can do that on a regular basis, no matter how bad your artwork may be now, you can definitely make your debut.

PREVIEWSworld: We also wanted to ask you about Twitter. Would you talk about your experience on Twitter and how it has affected your work?

Mayu Shinjo: Well, I can say things I wasn't able to say in the past. And I can get direct feedback from my fans, too. I've been able to communicate with mangaka I've never met before. And we say, "Hey, let's meet each other on this day!" In this way I've created many new friends.