SPECIAL INTERVIEW! with Genki Yoshimura
A special interview that came with the “Digimon Adventure 02” DVD Box released on December 22, 2006.
Purchase of the DVD Box (Region 2 only) available at: Amazon.JP, CDJapan
| PROFILE |
| Genki Yoshimura :: Series Composition, Script Writer |
| “Aishiteruze BABY★★”, “Fushigi Yuugi OVA” (both in series composition), etc. |
| Not only is she a screenplay writer for anime, but she also writes and directs live action movies. One of these include the screenplay for “Warau Daitenshi” (2006) (co-written with Director Issei Oda). For anime, some shows she was involved in include “SUGAR SUGAR RUNE” and “Pichi pichi PITCH.” |
[ An interview with the other parent of this series, the series composer whose work focused mainly on the creation of bad guy characters like Ken and Oikawa. ]
The series composition is done between both you and Maekawa-san, so how did you share the work?
Producer Seki requested that I handle the characters on the bad guy side[1]. When creating them, I imagined the young people who have been multiplying in numbers these recent years: those with the good fortune to have access to material things previous generations didn’t, but are put under pressure of some kind.
What sort of meaning does Ken Ichijouji’s character hold for you, Yoshimura-san?
The character of Ken Ichijouji-kun in effect ended up being a part of me. At first, I wrote about him as if he was a separate person, but when I re-read the scripts later after some time had passed, I realized that maybe I’d been talking a lot about myself.
The episode on soap bubbles[2] feels very real. Is it based on something?
 ▲ Yoshimura-san says that the meetings held to discuss series composition was tough. Quietly, she talked about her memories as she remembered them. |
I wrote it from inspiration of the children’s song, Shabon-dama[3]. Nursery rhymes and fairytales have deeper meaning than what is seen on the surface, and I had an interest in that. This song has a buried story describing how fleeting a child’s life can be, so I wrote the screenplay while keeping aware of the image of a child that has been thrown into the mercy of such a fate.
Have you often wrote stories such as that in series not in “02”?
Although there is no other character quite as distinct as Ken Ichijouji-kun, I think I pretty much look at my characters with the view that all humans have their facade and their inner self. In anime, I’d like to see exactly how good a good person can be, but when it comes to bad characters, I can’t seem to write for a bad character until I’ve come to terms within myself about why that character is bad and why I can support that. People who do bad things knowing that they are bad or believing that what they’re doing is good; why they chose to do this bad thing or what led them to think that they thought it to be for the good… this is what I think about.
Was it you who created characters such as Oikawa, Archnemon, and Mummymon?
Yes. Archnemon[4] and Mummymon[5] were made by Oikawa[6] in a similar style of the tamagotchi[7]. What he had originally intended to be nothing more than virtual character pets ended with them being raised so greatly that they gained their own consciousness. Oikawa played a more active role than I thought he would. I also didn’t think that Iori’s papa[8] would make an appearance in the last episode the way he did. Personally, I wanted Mummymon to have done more. Normally he was a silly chatterbox but sometimes he’d show a cool side and I would have liked it if there were more scenes where he appeared cool. It would also have been nice to display a part of him that was inscrutable, or if I had increased his scary factor a little more.
Please give a message to the fans who have bought the DVD Box.
I’m very happy that there are people who will buy this boxset even after 6 years had passed. Thank you! I think everyone takes in a completely different view of a show, no matter what sort of show it is, so it would make me happy if each of you find your own enjoyment in watching it.
FOOTNOTES
N1) The bad guy side — The series composition was roughly divided with Maekawa-san being in charge of Daisuke’s group, while Yoshimura-san was in charge of Ken’s group. As the bad guy side, Yoshimura-san was the one who created the framework of the Dark Spore episodes as well as the character Oikawa.
N2) The episode on soap bubbles — Meaning episode 23 (“When the Digivice is Seeped with Darkness”) when Ken’s past with his brother Osamu is depicted. In one scene, the two of them are playing happily together with soap bubbles. Osamu shows a strict attitude towards Ken, but making soap bubbles is his weak point and he compliments Ken about how well he makes them.
N3) Shabon-dama — The children’s song, “Shabon-dama” (Soap Bubble), was written in the Taisho era by Ujou Noguchi. It is said that the lyrics were created in grief when his baby daughter died. The lyrics say that “Once it is born, it breaks easily and disappears,” but it is said that his daughter was two-years-old before she passed away. [Link to the song][Link to translation of the song]
N4) Archnemon — Making her appearance after the Kaiser’s ambitions were put to an end, she is a Digimon who can take on human shape and fight against Daisuke and the others by creating Digimon from Dark Towers. It is revealed later that it was Archnemon who tempted Ken into becoming the Kaiser.
N5) Mummymon — A partner-like existence to Archnemon by acting alongside her and backing her up. Just like Archnemon, he can take on a human shape. He adores Archnemon and attends to her every need, but is constantly treated coldly. Both he and Archnemon act under Oikawa’s orders.
N6) Oikawa — Yukio Oikawa. He was a childhood friend of Iori’s father, and the two of them believed in the existence of the Digital World, wishing fervently to go there. This wish grows in intensity, so much that he reconstructs his DNA to produce digital data life forms, which become Archnemon and Mummymon.
N7) Tamagotchi — An LCD handheld game that Bandai released for sale in 1996. The “Digital Monster” game that WiZ invented was also made as a tamagotchi for boys. The basic concept that you care for and raise the creature that appears on your screen is about the same for both.
N8) Iori’s papa — Hiroki Hida. He was a policeman, but died in the line of duty several years ago. He was a childhood friend of Oikawa, and the two of them wished very much to go to the Digital World. Iori’s grandfather, Chikara, was not happy about this development and strongly opposed of the idea. It is later revealed that Chikara had always deeply regretted how he had acted.
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