The recently concluded "Tokyo Ghoul" manga series has sold a total of about 37 million copies. Author Sui Ishida recently spoke with The Yomiuri Shimbun about the highly popular dark fantasy that became his debut series, the first time he has elaborated on this work to the media.
The Yomiuri interview with Ishida, who lives in Fukuoka Prefecture, was conducted via Skype. Among other things, we talked about how his work featuring his idea of the "coexistence of mutually exclusives" was born.
The following is a summary of the interview.
The birth of 'ghouls'
The Yomiuri Shimbun: Where did you get the idea for "ghouls," a species that can't survive unless it consumes human flesh?
Sui Ishida: I wanted to depict evil characters who also belong to a minority group, though I personally prefer love stories and comedies. I thought it would be interesting if individuals of such a species were secretly living among ordinary people. Bloodthirsty killers seemed too common. I set the story in Tokyo because I was aware of the chilling reality of a mass society where people could stay indifferent to grotesque things happening around them.
Q: Shortly after the story begins, the lead character Kaneki becomes a person who is neither human nor ghoul.
A: I made Kaneki a half-ghoul to make it easier for readers to sympathize with the two groups. From then on, I started to think of how they could coexist, and weaving the story from there was a real struggle for me.
Sympathizing with the minority
Q: There are ghouls who blithely prey on humans, but there are also peace-loving ones who never attack people. There are also scenes where the investigators, who are human beings, appear more brutal than the ghouls.
A: That might be because I myself feel sympathy with minorities. My parents were Christians as well as company employees who were often transferred, so I had this sense of being alienated during my childhood. I felt like I was between the majority and minority groups. I was the person listening to friends who would talk about religion, gender and family issues. I think this part of me was reflected in the story.
Kaneki speaks for others
Q: I feel sorry for Kaneki. He was born as a human being but changes into a being that can only survive on human flesh. It's so tragic.
A: It was really hard to depict him when he was actually speaking for me. There's a scene where Yamori, a sadistic ghoul, abducts and tortures Kaneki while telling him "the reason for all the bad things in the world is just the incompetence of the individual." That phrase fascinates Kaneki. To be honest, there was a time when I agreed with that idea, thinking things like "people who are not happy are just not trying hard enough," or "they're just spoiled by their surroundings."
Q: You're talking about the "take responsibility for yourself" idea that's been around for some time?
A: Yes. But such words definitely drive people into a corner, don't they? For instance, I'm not producing my manga alone. I can do it because of my staff, the editors -- people I can seek advice from. I just happen to be fortunate.
When I started writing the series, I took on all the burden and was really stressed. But then I realized self-pity isn't cool at all. Kaneki is an irresponsible person, but I think our way of thinking synchronized when the story was coming to a close.
The enemy's a living thing
Q: Kaneki always thought there was something wrong in this world, but he changes his mind and concludes that the world itself is not wrong.
A: I think all the conflicts in the world happen when people steamroll through their "personal justice." But my impression is that it's only the likes and hates of the individuals that are transformed into bigger words of what's right and wrong. If you take that approach, I believe it's not the world that's wrong. The world merely exists. This is something I wanted to have Kaneki to say.
Q: Is there any other scene you have a special attachment to?
A: Yes. There's an episode in which Kaneki and Toka, a ghoul girl, fall in love and embrace for the first time. I didn't ask my assistants to help me on this. I spent two weeks drawing that part alone. I did the dialogue by hand because I didn't want typesettings applied here. I didn't want anybody else to touch this episode.
Q: I personally felt hope in the scene where Akira Mado, an investigator, and Hinami, a ghoul girl, hugged each other when they were supposed to be total enemies.
A: That's another scene I have a special attachment to. I once saw a TV documentary in which a former American soldier, who fought in the Vietnam War, meets the daughter of a Vietnamese soldier he killed. They hugged each other. I was wondering how people would feel when they recognize that your enemy also is a living being and you can feel his or her warmth. I felt a connection to this manga. That affected me a lot.
You can't fight alone
Q: The last scene of the first part of the series ended hopelessly. But the ending of the second part was a happy one. It was totally unexpected.
A: I drew the end of the first part knowing it would surprise the readers. I wanted to surprise them. I really like doing that. I wanted to reset the story to turn Kaneki into an investigator on the humans' side.
Q: In the end, it was Kaneki, transformed into a huge dragon, who made the humans and ghouls work together.
A: I debated how to finish the story until the last minute. I thought of killing Kaneki, who has become a monster, to unite the two species. But if I did that, I knew there would be nothing left, not in the readers' minds nor mine. So, I thought it'd be better to make the ending so happy the readers would be baffled. I was able to finish the last episode with great satisfaction.
Q: Do you think Kaneki saved the world?
A: I don't think a single person can save the world. But if everybody tried to protect their loved ones, we might be able to save quite a large part of the world. In that context, I think this manga was a story to tell how you could choose the right thing.
No more sequels
Q: What are your feelings now that the series, which went on for seven years, has been concluded?
A: I feel like something that possessed me has now left. It's like I was controlled by some other person while working on this manga. Nowadays, I get up in the morning and wonder what I should be doing for the day. If you think there are unexplored parts in the story -- which I did intentionally -- I want to leave it to the readers to imagine. I don't think I'll do a sequel.
Glossary of 'Tokyo Ghoul'
-- 'Tokyo Ghoul'
This manga series was carried in Shukan Young Jump, a weekly manga magazine published by Shueisa Inc., from September 2011 to July 2018. Ken Kaneki, who becomes a half-ghoul after receiving a ghoul's organs through a transplant, fights for the coexistence of humans and ghouls.
The main part of the story comprises 14 manga volumes. In the sequel, "Tokyo Ghoul: re" which comprises 16 manga books, Haise Sasaki is the new lead character. The main and sequel parts form a seamless story. More than 37 million copies have been sold worldwide. A live-action movie based on the manga was also produced with Masataka Kubota as the leading actor. The second part of a TV anime based on the "Tokyo Ghoul: re" is scheduled to be aired from October.
-- Ghouls
A species whose members must eat human flesh to survive, though they look exactly like human beings. Their existence has been concealed from the human race for a long time. Ghouls are physically stronger than people and can regenerate. They have a body part called "kagune" that attacks and preys on people.
-- CCG investigators
Human investigators belonging to a state organ called the Commission of Counter Ghoul (CCG). They terminate ghouls by using weapons called "quinque" that are made from the body parts of a ghoul. Investigators who have bodies with ghoul abilities appear in the story later.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
