#bleach live action

ABOUT TITE KUBO HIMSELF

---

This section delves deeper into Kubo sensei’s hobbies and tastes which harbour a diverse background ranging from the likes of music, architecture and product design, as well as addressing his personal mode of thought.

Q.43: Please tell us about your favourite architects and building structures. If you also have favourite cars, do let us know.

Kubo:I like Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava. Although there are various individuals I admire from among the likes of furniture designers and architects, the ones I like in particular also include Tom Dixon, Jaime Hayon and Marcel Wanders. I even took the liberty to borrow the name “Ulquiorra” from Patricia Urquiola whom I admired since the early days of the series. They’re completely unrelated to my artistic style and such however.

—— J: When did you start acquiring knowledge of things like architecture and music?

Kubo: I’ve always liked doing so as a hobby, consequently I used to look at architecture magazines as a change of pace between drawing manga.

—— J: I wonder what your favourite building structure within “BLEACH” could be?

Kubo: Within the work, what I tried to draw more to appeal to my taste, is mostly the structures found in the Hueco Mundo area. I liked that I was able to produce an intimidating feel through their expansive, simple forms. But when it came to expressing their size, I found it rather difficult, many times I would draw buildings I wanted to scale up, it would work just fine if I could draw smaller structures in its vicinity, however, given that I ended up making Hueco Mundo a world filled with desert, nothing would exist in the surroundings to establish that size comparison (laughs). It was a struggle to express their size through the characteristic pure white walls alone.

—— J: Do you have a favourite car?

Kubo: I don’t hold a license but if I earned one, what I think I would start wanting to purchase, is a car called the TVR Tuscan. However when I looked at reviews, I found that apparently it was difficult to handle, seems like a car that has a lot of quirks. Even if I had bought it, I would would be thinking “I guess this is impossible to drive huh.”

—— J: Is there a certain colour you would prefer?

Kubo: I haven’t made up my mind on a colour at all.

Q.44: Please teach us your method for improving concentration.

Kubo: I… don’t have any powers of concentration. For 15 years I kept wondering how I could manage to concentrate, but I couldn’t find a method (laughs). Therefore, I think people who lack concentration should try to work in a short span of time!

Q.45: Does the music that you listen to change depending on the mood or situation?

Kubo: I put pleasant sounding music on when I draw and it changes depending on the scene I’m depicting, therefore it’s unrelated to things like my mood or situation. When I’m in good form, I choose music that makes me go something like “I’m really going to be in my element whilst listening to this!” but when I’m in a hurry or in poor form, I forget to put the music on and commence drawing instead, it remains like that all day long as I work in silence…. Even at such a juncture, music would be playing in my head more often than not, however, sometimes it unexpectedly shifts to a song that has no relationship at all with the scene I’m drawing, and then I lose momentum in the drawing process. Nevertheless, when it comes to results, there is no variation in my final piece. And that’s regardless of whether or not I’m feeling good. By the time I’ve finished drawing, I’m not left with fatigue granted there’s music.

—— J: So when you’re drawing a pensive scene for instance, you’d set the mood by playing a song with a pensive air about it….

Kubo: That would be the case only when I have breathing room, and only when I’m in good form. Basically, it would be depressing if I listened to gloomy songs on rainy days, so I don’t (laughs).

—— J: Do you not listen to music through the radio and such?

Kubo: I guess I don’t really listen to the radio. For a long time, I couldn’t figure out how one would go about listening to a radio (laughs).

—— J: You really aren’t good with devices huh (laughs).

Kubo: For a time, when I was still at my parents’ home I would listen to music through the stereo, but due to the fact that the stereo I had purchased after moving out was foreign manufactured, I was unsure about how to receive radio signals. Therefore, I practically never listened to the radio since moving houses.

—— J: Basically you put like a CD on for music then?

Kubo: Things like CDs and MTV. Eventually I listened to iTunes internet radio among other things when it came to the later stages of the series. Since it was divided into genres, I was able to play things like metal or EDM.

—— J: Are there any moments where you think “it seems I’m listening to these songs on repeat.”

Kubo: When I’m hooked on a song, I often listen to nothing but the same musician. I’d say something like “I’m only going to be listening to Avicii for this phase.”

Q.46: If Kubo sensei had not made a debut as a manga artist, what profession does sensei think he would have been employed in (or would like to be employed in) instead?

Kubo: I think I would be dying by the roadside (laughs).

—— J: Did you debut as a manga artist during your days as a student?

Kubo: I was a student when I was connected to an editor, but I made my debut the year I graduated high school. From there I drew around 3 one-shots…. However I only got a serialisation approximately 3 years after that, so in that interval I was without any occupation, I remained at my parents’ house jobless (laughs).

—— J: Were you planning to become a manga artist ever since you were a child?

Kubo: It was my intention to become a manga artist from around the time I was an elementary school student, but I actually moved into action when I was in my 3rd year of high school. Although I wanted to become a manga artist beforehand, it seemed somewhat difficult, I was wondering whether it would be better to become an illustrator or something which appeared to be less demanding. Though in reality, being an illustrator would also be terribly difficult. However at the time of my career counselling in the 3rd year of high school, I thought “manga artist it is!” and after talking with my tutors, I began drawing manga.

Q.47:Has sensei ever thought “the talent of this person is amazing” with regard to a mangaka who is or was serialised in Jump?

Kubo: Since the series concluded, I’ve been reading Jump through a reader’s frame of mind, so I think everyone is awesome (laughs). When it comes to that area I get the same sort of impression as an average reader’s.

Q.48:What is the most important thing for a manga artist to consider?

Kubo:To enjoy the process of composing your manga!

Q.49:Is there a person you would love to have a conversation with?

Kubo: Well, there’s no one in particular. I have never been one to talk much, and I don’t know what I should talk about even when meeting someone who creates something I like. Even if I had met my favourite musician, I’d be unable to say anything but “I’m a huge fan!”

—— J: So then, is there somebody you’d like to tell “I’m a huge fan” to?

Kubo:Greg Graffin, the leader of the band known as “Bad Religion”, would be that person, I admire him a great deal. It’s down to the influence of this band that I even like poetry. My impression is that I grew to like poetry because I liked Bad Religion’s song lyrics.

—— J: That reminds me, Ichigo’s theme song is “News From The Front” by Bad Religion isn’t it?

Kubo: That’s right. It’s not that Ichigo himself likes Bad Religion when it comes to his character configuration, but in the movie adaptation there was a Bad Religion poster stuck on the walls of his room (laughs).