Editor: First off, I’d like to hear more in detail about the new characters from the second-year arc. It was revealed that among them, an assassin targeting Ayanokōji emerged, introducing six new first-year students. Starting with the first one, who appeared on the cover of the first volume of the second-year arc alongside Ayanokōji, is the blonde beauty with long hair, Nanase Tsubasa. How was Nanase’s design decided?

Tomose: I went through quite a bit of rejection from Kinugasa-sensei (laughs).

Kinugasa: Did I reject it? Well, I think I did (laughs).

Tomose: I think Kinugasa-sensei was really into the second-year arc’s new characters. I drew about five designs for each character.

Kinugasa: Really?

Tomose: It seems like you don’t remember anything (laughs).

Editor: What was Nanase’s initial design, and how did it settle into the final version?

Tomose: I was drawing Nanase as a typical beauty, but I kept being told her eyes looked different from the rest of the girls, and eventually, her eyes became round and big.

Editor: The finished illustration gives off the impression of a character with puppy-like, round eyes.

Tomose: I think her eyes turned out to be quite large, with a bit more white showing. What was your initial image of her, Kinugasa-sensei?

Kinugasa: I can’t remember at all! (laughs)

Editor: Story-wise, Nanase appeared with an air of “mystery” from the beginning. She seemed active and straightforward, but there was a sense of mystery in her words and actions.

Tomose: “Mysterious” is the feeling, I guess. I wanted to create a character like that. Since she first appears in the second-year arc, her true identity is unknown. So, I drew the first six characters thinking that they all seemed to have something going on.

Kinugasa: No good, I still can’t remember.

Editor: That’s too bad (laughs). Hopefully, as the interview goes on, your memory will come back. The second character is Ichika Amasawa, right? She’s a completely different type from Nanase, but where did the idea for her come from?

Tomose: I wanted to create a character with a slightly suspicious aura. I thought it would be nice to have a bewitching character. There are about three female characters, right? I thought it would be good to have one in a bewitching role.

Editor: Indeed, among the kōhai, she feels a bit more cheeky than Nanase and the others.

Tomose: That’s right. There are various ways to be mysterious, aren’t there? Like being hard to read or having a sexy atmosphere. I wanted to create a contrast with Nanase.

Editor: Was there a reason for her hairstyle?

Tomose: Yes, I wanted to give off a gyaru vibe. I liked the idea of a sexy gal.

(TL Note: Gyaru (ギャル) refers to a Japanese fashion subculture characterized by dyed hair, tanned skin, and highly decorated nails, emphasizing a glamorous and rebellious look.)

Editor: I’m starting to see the trend from back then. Moving from Amasawa to the third character, Tsubaki Sakurako, she’s also mysterious but in a cool or quirky way. What do you think, Kinugasa-san?

Kinugasa: I was just listening from a fan’s perspective. Oh, is that so?

Tomose: No, no (laughs). I’m just following Kinugasa-san’s directions.

Kinugasa: (Looking at Tomose-san’s old illustrations) You’re showing a design, aren’t you? But looking at it doesn’t bring back any memories (laughs).

Tomose: That’s terrible (laughs). I presented about seven designs for Tsubaki, and they kept getting rejected.

Editor: So it was like Nanase 5, Amasawa 5, Tsubaki 7? I don’t think we’ve had patterns for the girls before, so that’s a good story.

Kinugasa: I usually say OK right away. But I must have been anxious, surely. Because we were resetting the title.

Editor: Resetting the title is a bit scary, isn’t it? Moreover, it wasn’t like we had been doing it for a long time. To stop while still in the first-year arc, that’s a story you don’t hear often.

Tomose: Even in a series, changing the title can sometimes lead to a drop in popularity.

Kinugasa: There are bad patterns, aren’t there?

Editor: Now we talk about the second-year arc as if it’s normal, but at the time it was terrifying. We were publishing art books and holding events, doing everything we could to hype it up. So I understand the feeling of presenting five designs, five designs, seven designs.

Tomose: When the second-year characters lined up, I was concerned about whether they would look good… I was quite mindful of the visuals.

Kinugasa: Even when I look at the rejected illustrations of Tsubaki now, I still think they’re not right. Looking at the final design, I feel that characters like Amasawa and Tsubaki are not something you’d see in Tomose-san’s previous works.

Tomose: That’s right. In the end, the design turned out to be quite different from what I usually draw. Both Nanase and Tsubaki turned out better after being rejected. So I am thankful.

Kinugasa: The past me was indeed amazing (laughs).

Tomose: Exactly. I often think that the first drafts wouldn’t have worked. They were too much of a habit (laughs).

Editor: The key visuals for the first-year arc and the second-year arc also feel completely different.

Tomose: That’s right. The way of thinking changes, too, after 7 or 8 years.

Editor: Let’s move on to the new first-year boys. Please tell us about Hōsen, who made a big impact right from volume one! It felt like a real delinquent had arrived.

Tomose: It’s easier to draw characters who are angry; I can draw them freely. I wanted to create a dangerous guy (laughs). I did consider the existing characters while drawing him. Like a tough guy (laughs).

Editor: The illustrations were also powerful from the start, with a knife stabbing scene. Kinugasa-san, what did you think of Hōsen?

Kinugasa: Well, it was just like that… (laughs). There was nothing to complain about, it was just as I imagined (laughs).

Editor: Next up is Utomiya. Even now, in the sophomore arc, it’s hard to tell what kind of character Utomiya is. What do you think about the design, Tomose-san?

Tomose: I came up with about four patterns, changing the hair from long to short, but I thought this character would be really cool and active (laughs). Surprisingly, they didn’t play as big a role (laughs). I wanted to draw a super handsome guy, what’s going on, Kinugasa-sensei (laughs)?

Kinugasa: They will play an active role from now on (laughs). The real star will appear later on.

Tomose: I was hoping to draw lots of handsome guys, so I’m looking forward to it (laughs).

Editor: The sophomore arc will continue to progress. It will be fun to see just how much of an enigma Utomiya is, including what comes after. The third one is Yagami.

Tomose: Yagami was totally different from what Kinugasa-sensei initially imagined, right? It was supposed to be a cooler, more dashing character. As we received feedback and made progress, it became cuter.

Kinugasa: At first, it felt different. What I vaguely remember is that when we lined up these six characters, it didn’t quite fit. Since all the guys were turning out to be cool types, I thought maybe we could balance it out with a more youthful-looking face.

Tomose: I see. So Kinugasa-sensei also thinks about the visual balance when they’re lined up (laughs).

Kinugasa: I do think about it (laughs). But that reminded me. While keeping the sophomore arc’s key visual in mind, I repeated the process of lining them up and adjusting the characters.

Tomose: You’re surprisingly serious (laughs). As an artist, it’s easier to draw when there’s a variety of characters. It’s hard to draw when similar-looking girls are lined up, so I’m grateful that you’re conscious of that. In the end, Yagami also became a bit of a klutz, didn’t they?

Editor: It ended up with them saying something like, “I’m the real genius,” right?

Tomose: They left saying things that such a character would say (laughs).

Kinugasa: That’s where the illustration made fine adjustments to the personality. If the face was different, I think the development would have been different too.

Editor: So it was already decided that Yagami was the culprit.

Kinugasa: That’s right.

Editor: Next, there’s one more freshman, Ishigami.

Tomose: Kinugasa-sensei was quite particular about Ishigami-kun, right? I presented several versions, but you kept saying no, not quite. He’s like the final boss, isn’t he?

Kinugasa: Unlike the other characters, his name was revealed early on, and there were lines over the phone, so readers had already formed a vague image of him. It’s difficult to create a character that satisfies that image. I felt like the bar was set high unintentionally.

Tomose: Ishigami-kun’s bar was set high. It’s been like that for a while (laughs).

Kinugasa: When I saw the initial design, I thought, no, this is a bit weak… not that it was bad (laughs).

Tomose: I thought he was getting stronger and stronger.

Kinugasa: That’s right. But he’s not physically strong like Hōsen, who obviously looks like a tough character, but I wanted someone who you could tell was strong just by the drawing.

Tomose: That’s a really high bar (laughs).

Kinugasa: It’s easy for the one making the request (laughs).

Editor: His hair is also tied back, giving him a unique atmosphere, right?

Kinugasa: Was it like that from the beginning?

Tomose: It was tied up at first, but the way it was tied and the look in the eyes have changed a lot. Honestly, I don’t even know what this character would look like from the front (laughs). Can I draw them from various angles? (laughs).

Editor: What about the only new third-year student, Kiryūin Fūka?

Tomose: Kiryūin is still the most challenging character to draw for me. The first time I drew Kiryūin sitting down was for the Volume 2 illustration of the second-year arc, and I personally think it’s the best and coolest depiction. There are times when it’s frustrating because I can’t quite capture the essence I achieved in that rough sketch. Kiryūin also went through quite a bit of criticism.

Kinugasa: I think I did criticize.

Tomose: For some reason, Kinugasa-sensei became more strict in the second-year students’ edition (laughs).

Kinugasa: Well, the important parts, right? (laughs)

Tomose: That’s right (laughs). But in the end, I’m glad I was criticized.

Editor: Does Kinugasa-san have something against Kiryūin?

Kinugasa: There are settings that only I hold internally, not shown outwardly. For example, the White Room, or timelines that haven’t been depicted, or the past. There are several important characters in the background, and Kiryūin is one of them. Although not shown in the main story, I have prepared this character and personally really like them. However, they have the sad fate of not being able to be shown in the main student edition.

Editor: The person themselves wanted to repeat a year but couldn’t.

Tomose: Didn’t you say we might meet Kiryūin after graduation?

Kinugasa: Right, that setting exists in my mind.

Tomose: It feels like there’s quite an epic story to follow.

Kinugasa: Because that setting exists, I want to bring it out. It’s a character with a strong will for the future.

Editor: Characters with three-character kanji names have a suspicious aura, don’t they?

Kinugasa: Indeed (laughs).

Editor: Moving on, a lot of new characters appeared in the second-year students’ edition, but can we start with Himeno Yuki from Class B? She’s a completely different type of girl from before. It felt like a modern girl had arrived.

Tomose: When you think by yourself, things start to become similar, so I’ve started to seek advice from others (laughs).

Kinugasa: It’s a bit hard to understand women’s fashion, isn’t it?

Tomose: Exactly. I’m not sure what’s trendy, and my sense is starting to drift (laughs). I definitely want to ask people who are up-to-date. I watch VTubers and think that style might be good too. Two-tone colors are in fashion, and so is the landmine-like look.

Editor: The hair colors are quite varied and cute.

Kinugasa: We haven’t had that before.

Editor: It’s like a Korean style, adding just a bit of vivid color.

Tomose: I’ve been trying to brighten around the eyes a little, incorporating 

Korean-style makeup. I look at actual idols while doing it. Women definitely have a superior sense of the times.

Editor: Next is Amikura Mako. Was she designed for the anime?

Tomose: I also designed Amikura. There are quite a few characters like that. Like the girl who bullied Karuizawa (※Editor’s note: Manabe Shiho).

Editor: In that sense, Amikura is quite an old character design-wise. She has a ponytail, but it feels different from Karuizawa, more put-together.

Tomose: I thought it would be bad if they overlapped, so I made her ponytail neat (laughs).

Editor: Next is Watanabe Kinji-kun. He’s been getting more screen time recently.

Kinugasa: He’s personally one of my favorites.

Tomose: He’s a really good guy, isn’t he? The most normal one.

Editor: It feels like a character from a different world has entered.

Kinugasa: Not at all (laughs).

Tomose: No, no, there aren’t many like him (laughs). But Watanabe-kun was difficult. It’s really hard when you’re told to make someone “normal.” Drawing a character with an average five-minute haircut feels somewhat off. Everyone’s image of Watanabe-kun in their heads is definitely different, right? What do you think? Is the original image of Watanabe-kun different from Kinugasa-sensei’s?

Kinugasa: Even looking at the painting, it just comes naturally.

Editor: I felt the same way. Originally, the character didn’t have much personality, but this illustration made me realize he’s a guy who cares about his appearance but lacks confidence (laughs).

Tomose: Right. He’s a bit shy, just enough not to overdo it with his hair.

Editor: Next is Nishino Takeko. I never thought she would be on the cover.

Tomose: I really like Nishino. Characters like her are easy to draw, right (laughs)? You know what I mean? I don’t think anyone would complain about her looks. I thought she wouldn’t be too picky, so I gave her sanpaku eyes and plump lips, fully indulging my tastes.

Kinugasa: Isn’t it difficult to make a girl look “normal”? Every girl that appears in the work ends up cute. It’s hard to find or create a girl with a normal face level.

Tomose: Actually, I prefer to draw them less perfect (laughs). If they’re all cute, they all end up looking the same. As an artist, I want to draw girls who aren’t cute. That sounds a bit harsh though (laughs).

Kinugasa: A “normal” balance… it’s difficult, isn’t it? Some people might find them cute, but I wonder.

Tomose: I like girls with unique cuteness. I really want to draw them, but to make a girl universally cute, you have to fine-tune a lot.

Kinugasa: If you’re aiming for universal appeal, that’s true.

Tomose: Then I start thinking this might not work and such. In that sense, a character like Nishino allows me to do whatever I want (laughs).

Kinugasa: But her appearance level is high, isn’t it? She becomes a bit of a beauty.

Tomose: I made her a bit cuter considering her coupling with Ishizaki-kun (laughs).

Kinugasa: I would have dared to make her just normal though (laughs).

Editor: If everyone is cute, it becomes an unbelievable school, right? The reality becomes dubious (laughs). But then again, we don’t really want to see what’s truly normal, so it’s difficult.

Kinugasa: That’s true (laughs).

Editor: In a group of normal girls, she would be an extraordinary beauty, but among perfect beauties, she’s a girl with quirks, not quite there. That’s probably the type of girl everyone wants, so in that sense, it might be the right answer.

Kinugasa: Ideally, yes. I understand making her a bit of a beauty, but as a creator, I’d be happiest if I could produce a truly normal girl.

Tomose: Then the term “beauty” would carry more weight.

Kinugasa: Exactly. The main heroine is super cute, isn’t she?

Tomose: When watching anime, if everyone is cute but someone is treated as a beauty, I wonder if they’re really that beautiful. They’re all cute (laughs).

Kinugasa: Right! I hate it when they say she’s just normal, but she’s actually really cute.

Tomose: I don’t want to make everyone cute; I want to draw various faces.

Kinugasa: I strongly agree.

Tomose: It’s fun to have round-faced girls and long-faced girls.

Kinugasa: Exactly! I want to create more characters like that, but I guess that’s not possible (laughs).

Tomose: Still, with non-main characters, I like that I can try different things. Where Kinugasa-sensei doesn’t seem too particular, I insert my preferred types of girls (laughs).

Kinugasa: That’s a good thing.

Editor: Next is Onodera Kayano. Onodera has probably been around since the first volume of the freshman arc…

Kinugasa: By name, yes.

Tomose: I really like her (laughs). I think Onodera is in a similar position to Nishino.

Editor: She’s a sporty girl who speaks her mind, but she turned out cuter than I imagined (laughs).

Tomose: That’s the thing. When you draw for the cover, they end up cute (laughs). They get a bit beautified.

Kinugasa: It’s fate, isn’t it? (laughs)

Editor: When you get to someone like Onodera, it’s a bit dubious whether they’re a sub-character or not.

Tomose: I really wanted to give her double teeth.

Kinugasa: I have an image of you liking that sort of thing.

Tomose: Right? I like ’90s anime and stuff (laughs). But I was really troubled whether it would resonate today, so I stopped.

Editor: Next up is Yamamura Miki. She was on the cover of the second-year edition, Volume 10. She’s been appearing more lately…

Tomose: At first, I thought she was a character who wouldn’t appear much, so I drew her small, but then I realized she plays a significant role.

Editor: She appeared quite early when you think about it. Her first appearance was in the second-year edition, the frontispiece of a volume.

Kinugasa: I don’t want to put this in the interview article, but Yamamura is also one of my personal favorite characters, so I can’t help but bring her out (laughs).

Editor: Isn’t that the same as with Ibuki? No one believes that (laughs). They say something will happen because Kinugasa-san is biased.

Kinugasa: It’s not like the characters I like are protected, so that’s fine.

Editor: It’s a mystery that you have to hide your love for Yamamura while openly loving Ibuki (laughs).

Tomose: Well, maybe you really do like her (laughs).

Editor: But her increased appearances are recent, right?

Tomose: Yes, since the school trip.

Kinugasa: I think that’s when the character started to feel right to me.

Tomose: In my mind, she’s become like a vending machine character, is that okay?

Kinugasa: That’s right (laughs). She’s even on the cover (laughs).

Tomose: I ended up drawing her with a vending machine on the cover.

Kinugasa: She’s always around a vending machine, so it fits.

Tomose: She’s like a fairy character that pops up out of nowhere.

Editor: Lastly, Morishita Ai. She’s only appeared in illustrations in the art book so far.

Kinugasa: She’s the newest character, right?

Editor: Yes. A mysterious character who appeared during the winter break…

Tomose: I remember (laughs).

Kinugasa: She hasn’t settled in your mind yet, has she, Tomose-san? (laughs)

Editor: She was on the cover of Comic Alive (December 2023 issue), but she’s not in this art book yet.

Tomose: Her name isn’t equated yet (laughs). She’s an oddball, isn’t she? (laughs)

(TL Note: Tomose is indicating that he hasn’t fully connected the character’s name with her personality or appearance yet)

Kinugasa: She’s a character with a personality I’m not good at. A character that doesn’t sit well with me.

Tomose: Won’t she move for you? (laughs)

Kinugasa: I won’t say she won’t move, but she doesn’t move (laughs).

Tomose: I did try to draw her as a mysterious girl in terms of looks.

Kinugasa: That’s correct.

Tomose: I also like front twin tails. Two braids hanging in the front. But this character is for the future.

Kinugasa: Right, right. For the future, for the future. She’s a newcomer.

Tomose: Will this girl fall for Ayanokōji too…

Kinugasa: I don’t think she will (laughs).

Tomose: Doesn’t seem like she will (laughs).

To be continued in ②