#tite kubo
BLEACH IS BACK! 2021.
SOUND THE ALARMS
Happy Birthday
“Those who do not fear the sword they wield have no right to wield a sword at all”
- Shuhei Hisagi
Happy Birthday
“YOU MEET SOMEONE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND THE FIRST THING YOU DO IS CALL THEM ‘HIDEOUS’?! NOW, LISTEN! WHAT I FIND TRULY HIDEOUS IN THIS WORLD IS THOSE WHO JUDGE OTHERS BY THEIR APPEARANCES.”
- CHARLOTTE CHUHLHOURN
Happy Birthday
Isane Kotetsu
Happy Birthday
Hiyori Sarugaki
Happy Birthday
“THEY’RE ALL COWARDS, EVERY DAMN ONE OF THEM. WHATEVER. I’LL JUST CONSUME THEM. AS THEY BECOME MY FLESH AND BLOOD, THEY WILL SEE BEYOND. I… I AM THE KING!”
-GRIMMJOW JEAGERJAQUES
Happy Birthday
“NO WORLD IS WITHOUT SACRIFICES. BUT IF WE PRODUCE CASUALTIES, WE WOULD ALSO SUSTAIN CASUALTIES OF OUR OWN.”
-TIER HALIBEL
Happy Birthday
“IF YOU WISH TO ADHERE TO YOUR OWN WISHES, THEN GAIN THE STRENGTH TO DO SO. BUT WHEN YOU FACE THE ENEMY, YOU MUST WIN NO MATTER THE COST. THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO FOLLOW THE PROPER ORDER OF THINGS.”
- TETSUZAEMON IBA
Happy Birthday
“I’VE SEEN YOU THROUGH SO MANY HARD TIMES! I’VE HELPED YOU SO MANY TIMES! YOU DON’T…YOU DON’T HIDE THINGS FROM SOMEONE LIKE THAT.”
- TATSUKI ARISAWA
Happy Birthday
“It’s meaningless to just live, it’s meaningless to just fight. I want to win!”
- Ichigo Kurosaki
Happy Birthday
“HONOR? IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE ALL TALKING ABOUT? THEN LET US SPEAK INSTEAD OF OUR DUTY TO THE GOTEI 13. HONOR WILL NOT PROTECT THE WORLD. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT USING EVIL TO DEFEAT EVIL IS ITSELF AN EVIL ACT.”
- SHUNSUI KYORAKU
Bleach: Can’t Fear Your Own World 1
i’ve been reading bleach lately, here’s a board of some fave boys
Rukia
. [burn the witch] . please like – reblog if you save ♡
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).
Q.31: Out of all the poems that appear at the beginning of each volume, which volume’s poem is the one that you are most pleased with?
Kubo:Which volume I wonder. I’d say I’m more or less pleased with all of them.
—— J: Are there any that stand out to you the most?
Kubo: In terms of my basic preferences, I’m quite fond of poems that involve numbers, like when Orihime appeared on the front cover (volume 27) “we have not one in common, no two are shaped alike~”, and the poem where Yhwach appears on the cover (volume 55) “take one step in and never return~”, I like these two poems. This is completely unrelated, but in terms of character techniques, I’m also quite pleased with “Burner Finger 1, 2, 3~” the technique used by Bazz-B which was demonstrated in his final chapters.
Q.32: A large number of characters have made an appearance in “BLEACH”, but who has become Kubo sensei’s absolute favourite male and female characters from among them?
Kubo: As for my characters, I like them all. Even though I like voluptuous figures, drawing them is difficult so I cannot make that a sweeping generalisation of who I prefer drawing. When “BLEACH -Brave Souls-” came out, Nelliel, Orihime and Rangiku were what my focus was more drawn to. I like drawing busty characters wearing sexy swimsuits after all (laughs).
—— J: What about male characters?
Kubo: I like all the male characters roughly the same. I do not like nor dislike anyone in particular.
Q.33: Among the characters that appear in “BLEACH”, is there anyone who makes sensei go “I want to be this guy!” If so, please tell us.
Kubo: There’s no one I’d want to be (laughs).
—— J: Conversely, is there anyone you would absolutely not want to be?
Kubo: I have never given any consideration to which character “I would like to be, or not like to be” (laughs).
—— J: Maybe a squad 12 soldier or something…?
Kubo: I don’t want to be a character whose days are numbered (laughs).
Q.34: Which character among the cast of “BLEACH” does sensei believe most resembles himself? Furthermore, does sensei project a bit of himself into his characters?
Kubo: There is no character that takes after me. I don’t think I project myself into my characters. When I’m composing my story and characters, I’m looking at it through the eyes of an onlooker, I don’t deviate from that position. Like when you’re observing unfamiliar characters in action within a dream for example, it’s entirely the standpoint of an onlooker.
—— J: Does it feel like you’re watching a movie?
Kubo: That’s right. There’s absolutely no bit of “myself” to be found there at all, it’s like I’m watching the scene from the viewpoint of a third party. Unless a character that embodies “myself” appears in that space, I am not a party to said dream. Thus I have maintained that “BLEACH” is the story of Ichigo and others all the way to the end, so it has nothing to do with me.
Q.35: If Kubo sensei could enlist in the Gotei 13, which squad would he want to join?
Kubo: Huh!? I don’t think I could enlist. It seems tough so I don’t want to join (laughs). You must have to go through an absurd amount of physical training right!? However, if there is a position where one can draw illustrations on the other hand….
—— J: What if you were a member of staff working on the production of Seireitei Communication?
Kubo: But that would mean I’d be Hisagi’s underling won’t it…(laughs).
—— J: Speaking of Seireitei Communication, it’s produced by squad 9 isn’t it?
Kubo: Correct. If I had drawn an illustration and it was criticised by Hisagi, I would end up thinking something like “that’s rich, coming from Hisagi…”, so on second thought, I don’t want to join at all (laughs).
Q.36:Throughout the whole story, which battle scenes were drawn with the most emotional attachment and enthusiasm?
Kubo: What I want to draw for each battle scene is different. Some scenes I wanted to draw purely for the action, and other scenes I wanted to draw for story progression…. What I enjoyed drawing with regard to action, is the final Ichigo versus Grimmjow fight for instance.
—— J: How about in terms of story?
Kubo: Thinking about it now, if I had to choose the drawing phase which came the closest, I’d say Bazz-B versus Haschwalth is the most unforgettable.
Q.37: Please tell us which character you can draw with the most ease.
Kubo: Ikkaku!
Q.38:In the story there are various characters who put up a united front, but which pair or team does sensei take a liking to? If Kubo sensei personally found it challenging to depict the sense of distance and relationships between these fellow characters, or if there is any aspect within this subject that sensei was particular about and so on, please tell us about it.
Kubo: Since I portray the teams on the basis of their relationships from the start, I have never had any difficulties with this. On the contrary, after I read the work over again I think there are certain things that made me go something like “I haven’t depicted the relationship between this guy and this guy huh?” In that kind of situation, I may decide to reveal it in the form of a side story in the future. Also speaking of the challenges I faced, I decided that I always felt that way about the relationship between Kensei and Mashiro for instance, however I wasn’t able to draw much interaction between them in the manga. As the story progressed, I remember thinking “finally I’m able to draw the relationship between these two” in ‘The Past Arc’.
Q.39:Which movie adaptation is Kubo sensei’s favourite?
Kubo: What left the biggest impression on me is the opening sequence of “Hell Verse” where I had the battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra remade, I remember how relieved I was by the superb execution. This pleased me greatly. I re-watched that scene alone many times over.
Q.40:Do you ever go back to read “BLEACH”? Are your own illustrations and manga the way you’d like them to be?
Kubo: I think I feel the same for everything, but there are both areas that I love, and areas that make me think “I could have drawn a little more to expand on this.” Conversely, when I try to re-examine my work after thinking “I guess I was too excessive here”, I discover there are also things I had drawn better than expected. In addition, I think my own drawings are all generally to my liking. I draw manga because I want to draw the way I wish, that being the case, if I didn’t like my own art, I wouldn’t be drawing in the first place.
Q.41: I get the impression that throughout the entirety of “BLEACH”, Kubo sensei has depicted the themes of right and wrong. I would like to ask about Kubo sensei’s personal views on right and wrong.
Kubo: I depict the things that are not uniform within myself, in my manga. There are many ways to perceive concepts like “right and wrong”, the one within myself is not necessarily the one that is correct. By nature I like to consider things from various angles, so when I see news surrounding an incident on television, I like to examine it through the initial details. If for example the incident happened to be “a person was attacked in a certain place”, person by person, I consider the motives that the whole cast may have in the event that the person in question is the culprit. Even if the answers to those questions have already been given out on the news, I ponder things like “if some part of this information turns out to be false, would the answers become the complete opposite?”
Q.42: After composing a work like “BLEACH”, is there anything that you made you think “this was non-negotiable”?
Kubo: I don’t much draw with a sense of flexibility (laughs). Basically everything was non-negotiable, although, Asada san the editor during my one-shot before serialisation, made various suggestions like “I want you to do it in this way”, but since I didn’t make any amendments at all in accordance with those suggestions, he no longer asked me to do so midway through (laughs). I knew it would be accepted if it was interesting even if I hadn’t made the amendments as pointed out, so I thought “this will do.”
Translator’s notes:
- Hisagi has an unpopular segment in Seireitei Communication called “Teach Me! Shūhei Sensei!!” which is what Kubo is likely making a quip at!
Bleach: Retsu Unohana Artwork Illustrated By Tite Kubo
