In a recent interview with Shueisha, Tatsuki Fujimoto, known for “Fire Punch,” “Look Back,” and “Chainsaw Man,” revealed his thoughts on the concept of retirement in the creative industry, and his future plans.

Fujimoto was asked about the possibility of true retirement for creators in the light of the release of Miyazaki’s recent film “How Do You Live?,” which marks yet another comeback for the director following numerous declarations of retirement. The author replied, expressing uncertainty at the notion of ‘true retirement’ but brought up the case of Aka Akasaka, the creator of Kaguya Sama and the writer of Oshi no Ko, who had publicly declared that he would no longer illustrate his own work.

Fujimoto found this decision intriguing and humorous, admitting that it sparked a desire within him to follow a similar path. He added that he wanted to completely focus on creating stories, indicating that it would be far more enjoyable for him.

On the other hand, Fujimoto dismissed the idea of solely focusing on illustrating manga, explaining that while combining storytelling and illustrations offers a unique sense of fulfilment, relying on illustrations alone might limit the scope of the world he wished to convey to the audience.

Checkout the excerpt from the interview below:

―― “How Do You Live?” is a new work that comes with director Miyazaki’s umpteenth withdrawal from retirement, but do you think there’s such a thing as a true retirement for creators, Fujimoto-san?

Fujimoto: Hmm, I’m not quite sure, but I remember Akasaka Aka, the author of the original work “Oshi no Ko,” declared that they wouldn’t draw the illustrations themselves. I thought, “That’s interesting.” I even thought, “I want to do that too!” (laughs).

Hayashi: It felt like they made a cool resolution, saying, “I’m going with the original work.”

Fujimoto: It would still make me happy if they eventually start drawing the illustrations, though.

―― Do you also have a desire to focus solely on creating the story, Fujimoto-san?

Fujimoto: Yes, definitely. I think that would be more enjoyable for me.

―― On the other hand, do you have any desire to explore the direction of only drawing illustrations?

Fujimoto: No, not really. While there is certainly joy in balancing both the story and illustrations, and I believe there is joy in creating the story alone as well, when it comes to just illustrations, I feel it would confine the world I want to deliver to everyone.

Tatsuki Fujimoto is a Japanese manga artist.

Fujimoto published his first serialized manga, Fire Punch, in Shueisha’s Shōnen Jump+ online magazine. It began serialization on April 18, 2016 and was collected into eight tankobon volumes.

The author’s second major work Chainsaw Man, began serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from Dec 3, 2018. The manga won the Kono Manga Sugoi award and the Harvey award. The part two of the manga is currently being serialized on Shonen Jump +.

Fujimoto is an author who has not shied away from creating one-shots and short stories. He launched two one-shots in the year 2022. Goodbye, Eri released in Japan on April 11, 2022, and the latest one FUTSUU ni Kiitekure (Just Listen to the Song) on July 4, 2022.

Source: Shueisha Online