Cute and Creepy

EMA NAKAO: Junko-san, you have a distinct style. For example, if I look at your work, I can immediately tell it's by you! It's cute and gothic and creepy at the same time, kind of grotesque but cute and scary. In The Life of Momongo, you combined these elements. Why did you combine the cute and creepy?

JUNKO MIZUNO: I didn't really draw it that way on purpose, I believe it just naturally turned out that way.

NAKAO: How did you adopt the cute and creepy style? Were you influenced by other comics? For example, by Hino or other cute comic artists?

MIZUNO: Right. I like horror comics but I also like Kitty-chan [Hello Kitty] and cute Sanrio toys. I do like both but I don't believe it was on purpose. But for example, when you look at animals, they offhandedly may seem cute; but in reality, there are many animals that aren't, and it seems natural to have both life and death.

NAKAO: Pure Trance and Momongo both have strong sci-fi elements.

MIZUNO: Yes.

NAKAO: Why did you choose to draw this sci-fi element in your work?

MIZUNO: With Pure Trance, the publishing editor asked me to write something about the future, and that's how it happened. But writing about the future or something that happened a long time ago seems easier, so that's what I did.

NAKAO: When you drew Pure Trance and Momongo, you had influences from the '60s and the '70s. Regarding this style, how were you influenced for the comics you drew?

MIZUNO: Well, I was born in 1973 so I probably borrowed influences from clothing and merchandise and there's a lot of nostalgia. I liked it and that is probably why.

NAKAO: Do you still have clothing from back then? For example, your childhood clothes or your mom and dad's?

MIZUNO: No. This is probably why I draw them; I'm attempting to collect them again.

NAKAO: Do you sometimes wear clothes from back then?

MIZUNO: No, I don't.

NAKAO: And with those two comics, do you have any influences from Leiji Matsumoto or Osamu Tezuka?

MIZUNO: Yes. This was something from my childhood, so it seems to come naturally.

NAKAO: The Momongo layout layout is traditional; there are long horizontal boxes in the center with the drawings in them. Why did you choose this layout?

MIZUNO: Why? It was from a long time ago and I can't remember. [Laughs.] Sorry.

NAKAO: You lay out your panels and compose your page differently from when you started. It's more cinematic now. What led to the change in the way you lay out a page?

MIZUNO: Glad you think that way. I think I just developed my skill in layout.

NAKAO: In The Secret Life of Momongo and in Pure Trance, the drawings were very black and had no grayscale with many thick lines. You didn't use grayscale; why is that?

MIZUNO: In Japanese comics, they're generally black and white and we can't use grayscale. Do you know what screentone is? It's a material used in Japanese comics, if you look at the Japanese comics, they're the little "dots" on them. We're only allowed to use that and no gray. We can't use grayscale in Japan.

NAKAO: Why does the Pet Shop lady kind of look like a Sanrio character?

MIZUNO: It's not really Sanrio, but more like a Koeda toy made by Takara from a long time ago. That's the influence for that character.

NAKAO: OK. [Laughs.] You redrew Pure Trance for the tankouban. Do you remember what you changed?

MIZUNO: Oh, yes, I changed most of it.

NAKAO: For example?

MIZUNO: I redrew almost half of everything myself, and I redrew the small details. I don't think there are any pages that I didn't fix.

NAKAO: Why did you change it?

MIZUNO: When I first drew Pure Trance, it was for a CD booklet and I had to draw, for example, eight pages a week or six pages. I didn't really get to draw what I wanted, and I couldn't really draw a comic because of the small number of pages. There was a lot I wanted to draw.

NAKAO: And trance... it's a type of music, do you like techno and trance?

MIZUNO: Yes, I also like techno.

NAKAO: Did you listen to trance while drawing, or go to techno shows? How did the music influence you?

MIZUNO: Well, as a child, I listened to a Japanese techno-like band called the Yellow Magic Orchestra. I like electronic sounds. Rather than thinking, when I want to move my hands, I listen to techno.

NAKAO: What kind of techno did you like? Japanese, American, European...?

MIZUNO: I like techno from all over. There isn't a specific techno band.

NAKAO: You have said you were influenced by Russ Meyer. When you drew your comics, were you aware of him?

MIZUNO: Yes. I think it's after I started drawing comics. Hmmm.

NAKAO: Do you have any favorite Russ Meyer movies?

MIZUNO: The black-and-white ones, [laughter] I like those the best.

NAKAO: And in Pure Trance, why did you focus on girl characters?

MIZUNO: Well, as a child, I didn't really draw men, and it isn't my interest to draw them. For a long time, I never drew men.

NAKAO: So you only drew girl characters?

MIZUNO: Yes, I'd say so.

NAKAO: Do you have one character that you feel is the main character in Pure Trance, or is it an ensemble?

MIZUNO: I think the main characters are nurse Kaori and the Director...

NAKAO: In Pure Trance, you covered addictions. For example drinking too much... the Director's addiction.

MIZUNO: Yes.

NAKAO: Why did you cover that?

MIZUNO: Well, personally, I... let's see. When I first drew comics, it's all I did. As a child, I'd overeat and it seems that it happened that way naturally.

NAKAO: Well, I thought that was interesting because in America, many young girls see the comic and will buy it. As a young woman, did you have experiences with addiction?

MIZUNO: Right.

NAKAO: For example in high school or...

MIZUNO: Well, with addiction?

NAKAO: For example, drug use or alcoholism?

MIZUNO: Well, I've never used drugs and in Japan you can't get drugs easily. [Laughter.] During high school, I ate a lot of Chinese food and...

NAKAO: Did you always eat?

MIZUNO: Yes.

NAKAO: For example, junk food or snacks?

MIZUNO: I did eat and throw up a lot, but I thought most young women did that anyway.

NAKAO: This was in high school?

MIZUNO: Yes, it was.

NAKAO: And you often ate and threw up?

MIZUNO: Yes, I did quite often.

NAKAO: Did it relate to your body issues as a woman? For example, many women these days change their bodies with Botox or implants. Does that have a connection?

MIZUNO: Yes. In Japan, many girls are concerned with their outward appearance, and getting fat is something to worry about; and that's why I thought many girls did it [throwing up].

NAKAO: Your comic has many adult subjects. There's nudity and some sex and violence, but they're very innocent and childlike.

MIZUNO: Well, I don't think it's a full adult comic and there isn't a lot of specific sex scenes, but I just drew what I like and didn't draw it specifically thinking it as an adult comic book.

NAKAO: With Pure Trance, it seems like a young person is telling the story, with the structure of the story and its similarity to a dream. Can you explain that?

MIZUNO: This is hard.

NAKAO: Can you explain the ending? It ends abruptly in a way.

MIZUNO: First, I wasn't used to drawing a story and that might be partly why.

NAKAO: When you first drew it, did you think about the ending of the story at all?

MIZUNO: I didn't! [Laughs.]

NAKAO: Basically, Yamazaki's [a.k.a. the Director's] fall from power begins and ends Pure Trance, and it seems like her addictions really drives a lot of the plot. Why did you ultimately choose to frame the work with Yamazaki's story?

MIZUNO: She's one of my favorite characters, although I can hardly tell if the things she does in the story are right or wrong. I wanted to depict her as a natural disaster, or something like that -- with no morals or mercies. She's a wild animal and the most extreme among all the characters. So it was natural for me to focus the story on her.

NAKAO: This is regarding your technique.

MIZUNO: Yes.

NAKAO: Basically, what is your process of making comics? Do you write out a script and then draw thumbnails, or do you just go into thumbnails then make the finished product... Essentially, how exactly does the process of creating your comics go?

MIZUNO: Yes, first, I have an idea in my head, and then I write out sentences and then I draw it out on proper paper. Then I go over it in pen -- that's the process. I mail it out and then have the editor take a look at the contents, fix what needs to be fixed and then resubmit it to the editor.

NAKAO: You seem to have two line styles -- one is very thick, such as in Cinderalla, while the other is much thinner, such as in Princess Mermaid. How did you develop these two styles, and why do you switch between them?

MIZUNO: I like trying different styles because it keeps me from getting bored. I always try to watch everything around me -- art books, movies, TV shows, comics, advertisements etc. -- and carefully to get some ideas from them. Once I come up with an idea of a new style, I just keep practicing it on paper diligently until I get to learn it. I really want to develop my skills on much more various styles so I'll always keep working on it.

NAKAO: Do you use any assistants?

MIZUNO: Assistants?

NAKAO: For example, someone colors or inks.

MIZUNO: For the most part I do everything but when I'm very busy, I ask my friends to do the black parts.

NAKAO: Not the publishers but your friends do the inking?

MIZUNO: Well, I only ask for my friends to do this sometimes, and even when my friends call to offer, I do it myself.

[To read the rest of this interview, please see The Comics Journal #273.]

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