"Detective Conan" Creator Gosho Aoyama Faced Idea Shortage Shortly After Serialization Began

Feb 04, 2024 | News On Japan

KAT-TUN's Yuichi Nakamaru Enthralled by Advice from "Detective Conan" Creator Gosho Aoyama

TOKYO - Yuichi Nakamaru of the pop group KAT-TUN appeared on the "Majissuka" segment of the Nippon Television network show "Shuichi," broadcast on the 4th (every Sunday morning from 7:30 am). He engaged in a special conversation with Gosho Aoyama, the creator of "Detective Conan." Aoyama revealed behind-the-scenes stories of "Detective Conan," a manga series that began serialization in Weekly Shonen Sunday in 1994 and is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2024.

Unaware of the guest identity beforehand, Nakamaru walked into the room and was taken aback to meet Aoyama, a manga artist of great seniority. When Nakamaru straightforwardly asked whether Aoyama ever runs out of ideas, Aoyama admitted, "I've run out of ideas," revealing that he experienced a creative block just three months after the series began. Now, he devises tricks with his editor and two others.

Aoyama also disclosed that parts of his own personality are reflected in characters like Kogoro Mouri and Ai Haibara. He confessed that Haibara's lines such as "It's the end of the world for such an incident to occur" represent his own thoughts, as they echo the words he himself would say. Nakamaru, learning about the writing process, expressed his excitement, "That's fascinating! I'd love to watch the movies and works with that knowledge."

During the show, Nakamaru, who is also a rookie manga artist, presented Aoyama with a copy of his first serialized manga, "Yamada-kun's Restless Time." Although Nakamaru was nervous about Aoyama reading the manga on the spot, he was overjoyed by Aoyama's praise, saying, "It's better than I thought! Very easy to follow," to which Nakamaru gratefully responded, "Thank you!"

Aoyama provided detailed advice, such as suggesting a larger panel following a certain one, which had Nakamaru leaning in eagerly. Upon discovering a reference to Arashi's Jun Matsumoto in the manga, Aoyama suggested, "If it were me, I'd draw Matsumoto's face in the next panel." Nakamaru was thrilled by this new technique, remarking, "I see! I'll need to get permission for that!"

Source: MDPR

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