Watching “Spirited Away” in a packed cinema
Standing in front of the camera: a formative experience

Tatsuki Fujimoto is a genius manga artist who has published a brilliant debut series, “Fire Punch,” the one-off masterpieces “Look Back” and “Goodbye Eri,” and is currently serializing the second part of “Chainsaw Man” in “Shonen Jump+.” Speaking of Fujimoto, he is known for his love of movies, which is often mentioned on social media. In particular, he seems to have a special attachment to Studio Ghibli films, which is well-known among Fujimoto’s fans.

So, in this interview, to commemorate the publication of “Studio Ghibli Story” (edited by Suzuki Toshio), we asked him to talk about “Ghibli” in a comprehensive format for the first time for an hour straight. Starting with his personal history of his “formational experience” of standing to watch “Spirited Away” in a packed movie theater, his analysis of “Princess Mononoke,” his thoughts on director Miyazaki Hayao, and his own creative techniques, this 10,000-word interview gives a glimpse into the essence of Tatsuki Fujimoto.

The formative experience of watching “Spirited Away” standing in a packed movie theater

-Which Studio Ghibli film was your original experience?

Tatsuki Fujimoto (hereafter Fujimoto)The first time I saw it was on TV, and I can’t quite remember what it was, but the first movie I saw at the cinema was “Spirited Away” (hereafter “Spirited Away”). I remember watching it standing up, as the entire auditorium was filled.

–When “Spirited Away” was released in 2001, cinemas with a capacity rotation system were just starting to become more common.

FujimotoThe only movie I’ve ever seen standing room only was “Spirited Away,” so it left a strong impression on me. I was a child at the time, so I don’t remember the details that moved me, but I remember thinking, “I saw something amazing,” and “It was interesting.” Even now, the Ghibli film I rewatch the most is “Spirited Away,” so that must be how memorable it is.

By the way, Ghibli has a lot of documentaries, and my favorite is the 12-hour documentary “This is how Ponyo was born. Hayao Miyazaki’s thought process.” The next one is “This is how Princess Mononoke was born.” I also like “Thank you, Mr. Lasseter,” about former Pixar director John Lasseter.

–It’s impressive that you also rank documentaries. I sometimes hear people say that “Ghibli documentaries are more interesting than the anime itself.”

FujimotoWell, I suppose that’s just a cynical view (laughs), but there’s no doubt that Ghibli documentaries are interesting as well.

–Your pick for the best Ghibli film is “Princess Mononoke.” What was it about it that appealed to you?

FujimotoWhen I’m writing a (manga) manuscript, I’m always watching all kinds of movies, not just Ghibli films, so I’ve watched “Princess Mononoke” hundreds of times, without exaggeration. So, to be honest, it’s really difficult to talk about “the scenes that stick in my memory”…

–The whole film is too flesh and bloody.

Shihei Hayashi (Tatsuki Fujimoto’s editor. Hereinafter referred to as Hayashi)There are a lot of writers who play movies they’ve seen many times while they’re writing. Of course, there are also people who play variety shows, news programs, and other music, but I get the impression that there are a lot of writers who play Studio Ghibli movies in particular.

–When you think about it like that, it seems like Ghibli works have had a huge impact on manga artists around the world. For a while, Fujimoto-san ran a Twitter account under his own name, and the ID was “@ashitaka_eva.” Is Ashitaka from “Princess Mononoke” a special character after all?

FujimotoI think Ashitaka is the coolest character in Ghibli. There are many points I like about him, but I really like his “unsettled” feeling, that is, he’s indecisive despite being cool. Characters who are well-established as people are cool, but they can also lose their familiarity. But Ashitaka is really torn between people and the forest.

–He’s caught between many things: people, the forest, various factions, and multiple women.

FujimotoThat inconsistency makes me feel like there’s something about him that’s similar to me, but at the same time, I think he’s cool and admire him. That balance is what I like most about Ashitaka.

–You mentioned how cool he is, but Ashitaka is a character whose action is especially cool even among Ghibli films.

FujimotoI think everyone likes the scene where Ashitaka catches the arrow shot by the samurai and shoots it back. It’s a really amazing piece of animation.

–It’s a great scene.

FujimotoHowever, that scene would end up being a smaller frame if drawn in manga.

–eh?

FujimotoFor us, the audience, the excitement is about the same as a double page spread. But in manga, you can’t do that. The double page spread has to be the “scene you want to show.”

–If you think about it, it’s certainly impossible to convey that sequence of events in a double-page spread.

FujimotoEvery movie has scenes that make you think, “This wouldn’t work in manga,” but Ghibli films often have those kinds of small, detailed scenes that take center stage. And everyone, including me, has a tendency to want to talk about those kinds of details.

–When we get excited talking about Ghibli films, it seems like we often end up talking about small details.

FujimotoSo I think that no matter how many times it’s shown on TV, people will watch it and it will be talked about on social media.