Gotei 13 Shoutbox

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Oke, saya rasa sang orang dibalik manga favorit kita ini patut punya topiknya sendiri di Gotei 13. Tanpa dirinya, BLEACH tak akan pernah ada, dan jelas forum ini sendiri juga mungkin tak pernah dibuat.

Sekilas Kubo Tite
Bernama asli Noriaki Kubo (lahir 26 Juni 1977), one-shot manga pertamanya diterbitkan di Shounen Jump Special pada tahun 1996. Judulnya "Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine". Tahun 1999, sebelum dia memulai BLEACH, Kubo sempat membuat seri "Zombie Powder" di Shounen Jump walaupun akhirnya terputus di tengah jalan pada tahun 2000. Baru pada akhirnya Kubo memulai BLEACH pada tahun 2001, dan hingga bulan Juni 2010 ini sudah menembus 400 Chapter.

Kubo tercatat punya akun Twitter dengan nama @tite_kubo.



Kubo Tite & BLEACH
Nah, di sini akan dimuat beberapa wawancara Kubo Tite tentang BLEACH dengan berbagai media, sekedar untuk referensi. Silakan kalau-kalau ada yang mau menambahkan wawancara baru.

catatan: dari berbagai sumber

Trivia karakter BLEACH, diwawancara pada tahun 2004 (sumber: http://www.livejournal.com/users/k_shi/ )

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"Kurosaki Ichigo
When Ichigo goes to the hair dresser, people ask him about his hair color and since he hates that, he doesn't go to the hair dresser. Normally, Yuzu cuts it.

Kuchiki Rukia
Sometimes people ask me this, in book 5 they announced the semester's final exam scores and regarding Rukia's rank, out of 322 people in the 1st grade, she's 302nd. Besides Japanese, she flunked most of it.

Kon
The plushie body of his is the fake copy of the main character of the popular TV show, "Carnivor Kingdom" named "Ponkichi". It was a prize from the shooting game in the Karakura Town Festival.

Inoue Orihime
Tied with Ichigo, her face is the hardest to draw. She's going to be a very important character later on so, I want to get used to drawing her faster.

Sado Yasutora
He likes music so he rarely watches TV, but the only program he likes the "Carnivor Kingdom" that starts at 8 AM on Sundays. He likes it so much that he bought the DVDs for it.

Ishida Uryuu
The TV program he likes is Don Kanonji's "Bura-Rei". It's not mentioned in the comic, but in chapter 29, the shadow that tried to jump in before Ichigo was Uryuu.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y27...nerdishida.bmp

Urahara Kisuke
The rare candy sold only in Urahara shouten, "Space candy". From the name, it sounds like it'll have some strange taste, but inside is only a coca cola tasting candy.

Shihouin Yoruichi
Yoruichi-san cannot drink so much alcohol. She likes milk the most. When she's tired, first she starts with milk. As long as there's milk, she's in a good mood.

Zangetsu
Zangetsu was the most difficult to decide for the appearance. After nitpicking on his hair style and his clothes, the only thing that remained from the original sketch were his shades.

Shiba Ganjyu
He looks good with goggles, so every time he came out with new clothes, I put a new goggle hanging from his neck, but by the next week I forget to draw it.

Ichimaru Gin
In my opinion, I was trying to draw him all creepy since his first appearance, but for some reason he is a man who is very popular amongst women. I envy him.

Kuchiki Byakuya
Within the seireitei, there're only four major noble families including the Kuchiki family that are considered high class noble men. Besides them, the life style of the other nobles are not much different from normal city people.

Zaraki Kenpachi
Tied with Tousen Kaname, out of the BLEACH characters, he has the hardest hair style to draw. I think I'll continue to regret eternally for giving him that hair style.

Hitsugaya Toushirou
He's from the West Rukongai 1st area "Jyunrinan". He is actually friends with Jidanbou and was the one who taught him the "city rules".

Abarai Renji
All his sunglasses are from Seireitei's popular glasses store "Silver dragon fly glasses store" (megane no gin tonbo). Every time he wears it, he gets it broken, but that costs half a year worth his paycheck.

Kira Izuru
All of Seireitei's shinigami are all considered "nobles", but it also has a high, middle, and low class and Izuru is from a low class noble family. He's had a pretty tough time.

Hinamori Momo
I had a tough time trying to decide her name. The name "Hinamori Momo" was decided right before drawing the official comic. During the sketch stage, she had a totally different name.

Yamada Hanatarou
A rather pitiful Hanatarou whose birthday lies on April Fools. Every year, on his birthday a bunch of people keep tricking him the entire day."

Wawancara Shounen Jump (SJ) tahun 2006, tentang manga & anime BLEACH

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Shonen Jump: How did you get into creating manga?
Tite Kubo: The summer of my third year if high school was the first time I’d ever written a manga. I didn’t have any experience or knowledge of how to draw manga – I didn’t know you were supposed to draw rough pages first, so I just drew directly on the paper and submitted to Weekly Shonen Jump for a contest. I didn’t win, but I got a phone call from one of the editors who suggested we work together.

SJ: Which comes first, the story or the art?
TK: Of course, it’s either the pictures, or the characters – sometimes I have ideas for the characters’ appearances, or sometimes their personality. Once you get those characters set, then the story kind of moves on by itself. The key thing is that I come to love the characters, as if they re real.

SJ: If you weren’t a manga-ka, what else would you do?
TK: Industrial design, architecture – I never studied them, but I’m very interested in them.

SJ: What are Rukia’s favourite manga?
TK: She loves horror manga, shojo-orientated horror titles. She’s from the afterlife, but there’s actually nothing scary to read in the afterlife.

SJ: How involved are you in making the Bleach animated series?
TL: I’m involved with the character designs. Usually the character designs are done with manga artists just overseeing, but in my case I actually draw what all the characters should look like – I am essentially drawing all of the characters that appear in the anime. It is very rare for the artist to be involved this much.

SJ: What aould your dream cast be fore a live-action Bleach movie?
TK: If it were possible to do Bleach as a live movie, then I wouldn’t have drawn the manga. I want to draw something that can only be done as manga.

Wawancara SJ, tentang Kubo dan orang & karya di sekitarnya (Death Note? )

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Wawancara dengan SJ di Amerika tahun 2007, tentang karakter-karakter BLEACH dan beberapa hal tentang Zanpakutou (sumber: Orihime @ BA)

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SJ: What would you give Rukia as a present?

Tite Kubo: A vacation! She's been busy all year.

SJ: Is there a character that you enjoy drawing especially?

TK: I tend to prefer characters that are rough and tough. They seem more three-dimensional. I'd say someone like Kenpachi. Komamura's fun to draw, too. Behind his headgear, he's got the face of the wolf -- something you normally wouldn't think to draw.

SJ: So you like fierce characters?

TK: Yes, I like characters that aren't typical or a bit unusual. I enjoy drawing secondary characters. It's also fun drawing Mayuri.

SJ: If you could switch places with one of the characters for a day, who would it be and why?

TK: I'd switch places with Kon. He seems so carefree, and everybody loves him in one way or another.

SJ: What items from the human world does Kisuke sell in his shop?

TK: Basically lots of candy and snacks, and household items. Small things, like detergent.

SJ: Could we find copies of SJ there?

TK: You won't find SJ. Kisuke doesn't have a distribution channel. But he does buy copies from himself at a nearby convenice store. [Laughs]

SJ: Are kimono easy to draw?

TK: Initially I wasn't all that interested in a traditional Japanese look, so it was hard at the start, but I got used to it. I wanted a kimono style that was slightly different from the usual. For instance, I wanted some decoration along the edges and sleeves that fluttered a lot to make the action scenes gorgeous to watch.

SJ: Do you use models or have one of your assistants pose for you? Have you ever dressed as a Soul Reaper and posed for a drawing?

TK: I don't do such things. I know in my head pretty much what a character is going to look like, so for any action scene I'll make the character move around in my head, choosing the angle I want and drawing from there.

SJ: How can Ichigo swing a sword that looks heavier than he is? Is he secretly working out at home?

TK: Well, no. To begin with, a zanpaku-tou isn't something you'd swing with your muscles. Ichigo's zanpaku-tou comes from inside him, so he wouldn't find it heavy. If Ichigo tried to wield Renji's zanpaku-tou, Zabimaru, he'd find it heavy.

SJ: So it depends on the person?

TK: Yes. Zabimaru looks pretty heavy, too. Ichigo wouldn't be able to wield him. Renji would probably find the same thing with Ichigo's zanpaku-tou, Zangetsu.

SJ: The relationships between siblings mean a lot in Bleach. Do you have any brothers or sisters yourself?

TK: Yes, I'm the eldest of three children. I have a younger sister and a younger brother.

SJ: If you could choose a character as a sibling, who would it be?

TK: I'd choose Rangiku, I wish she were my older sister. [Laughs] Well, that's because you cna count on her when you're in trouble.

SJ: And you want to be Kon, too?

TK: Hey, I didn't mean that! [Laughs]

SJ: Could you tell us which characters you would want to see fight each other?

TK: Hmm...I'd pick Shunsui and Ukitake.

SJ: Why is that?

TK: Because they're both nitouryuu [two-handed swordmen] which would make for fantastic visuals. Also because I can't imagine a reason they would fight each other in the story. They get along so well; they have been best friends for so long. I'd want to see what I fight between them would be like. If I had to pick one that's simply impossible, then I'd choose Ichigo and (dundundun! ) Kaien. Kaien being dead, that is.

SJ: Bleach is increasingly popular in the U.S., now that the anime is airing on TV. What aspect of the anime do you want readers of the manga to enjoy the most?

TK: I think what's fun in the anime and what's fun in the manga are two different things. What's fun to see in the anime is, of course, the way things move and sound. What I recommend most is to read the manga first then watch the anime. You'll discover and enjoy how a particular scene in the manga is transformed and how the action is portrayed. Some things in the manga have evolved into something new or have been shown in a way only the anime can achieve. These are the things that I hope readers will enjoy most when watching the anime.

SJ: Do you have a message for our readers?

TK: I never imagined when writing Bleach that it would be eventually published in the U.S., so I'm really glad that American readers have taken to it and enjoyed my work. Please continue to support Bleach. I've also been told that I shouls visit America someday.

Wawancara yang dimuat di Chapter 307, sekilas tentang IchiRuki (sumber: Melodymix @ BA)

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Gambar:
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p214/annie08ws/23-1.jpg

Q: Okay, let’s ask about this months topic “Characters”. First of all, let’s start with our main characters Ichigo and Rukia

KT: “The first Ichigo I drew wore glasses. He wore glasses and had black hair * laugh *
He also had kind eyes… and it looks like a different person from the Ichigo we have now”

Q: Is it true that Rukia’s design was decided before Ichigo’s design?

KT: “Before the story was decided a Shingami uniform popped up into my mind. Unlike the design we have now it was like a uniform from Catholic school where they wore a black jacket over a white blouse with a black bowtie… and they carried a huge scissors. I thought that was what Shinigami was like. After that, to match Rukia’s design I changed Ichigo’s character design. Like Rukia had black hair so it’s best if Ichigo didn’t have black hair.”

Wawancara dengan SJ, tentang nama karakter, musik, dan waktu luang Kubo (sumber: Rain & debbiechan @ BA)

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Astute readers of Bleach will have noticed by now that the manga is unusual in more ways than one. For instance, where else can you find characters with names like Grimmjow? Or tons of characters each with a cool unique look? Being as curious as you are, we put our questions to the man behind it all, Tite Kubo himself. Here's what he told us.

SJ: There's a lot of Spanish in Bleach How did you get interested in the language?

TK: Spanish has always sounded bewitching and mellow to me.

SJ: Bleach uses and amazing number of special terms, like he names of the different zanpakutou (swords) and hadou (spells). When we interviewed you a while back, you told us that they were inspired by ancient Japanese literature. Where did you get the inspiration for the Arrancar names? They're so distinctive.

TK: This isn't something I normally do, but I got the idea of the Arrancar names from those of architects and designers. There is, in fact, a furniture designer named Ulquiiorra. And Grimmjow is inspired by an architect named Niicholas Grimshaw.

SJ: Oh, we're sure the American Bleach editor will be happy to know that!

SJ: You have such unique character designs that it's always easy to tell who's who, even with all the new characters in the Arrancar-Vizard storyline. How do you come up with so many designs, and do you have any tips for us?

TK: I don't have any tips (laughs). I've discussed this with other mangaka who've asked me the same thing. I can't figure it out myself. It could be because I like observing peoples' faces... that might have something to do with it. I've been doing that since I was young.

SJ: Do you people watch in cafes?

TK: I don't go anywhere in particular. It just happens in my daily life, like when I'm on a street and see people walking by or when I'm on a train.

SJ: Don't people recognize you when you're out?

TK: Not at all. I normally don't show my face in very public situations.

SJ: Do you consciously create characters whose outward appearance belies their true nature? For instance, are there good guys with mean looking faces and bad guys who look gentle?

TK: I've always been attracted to people with that seeming contradiction. I get this urge to draw people like that when I work.

SJ: Kon is such a character

TK: Oh, yes. He's cute on the outside , but... (laughs)

SJ: Evil inside?

TK: He's actually quite naughty. (laughs)

====

SJ: You're obviously into music. Do you listen to different kinds when you're thinking up the story and drawing it?
TK:I never know when a story idea will come to me or what I'll be doing when it happens. I don't listen to music when im writing. if i listen to music, i start tof ocus on listening, so i dont do that. but i do listen to music when i draw.

SJ: Do you like any type of music in particular?
TK: I listen to rock. Its my favorite

SJ: What music do you recomend reading bleach to?
TK: It would depend on the scene. Ideally, you'd listen to the music that I imagined for it. that said, every scene would have music to go with it, so it could get hard to explain *kubo laughs*

SJ: Should readers listen to background music when they're reading the managa? Or should they skip the music and focus on reading?
TK: I think either is fine. Ive listed the theme music for each character in the manga volumes. if you listen to that while you read scenes with the characters in them, they'd probably go together well

====

SJ: How how often do you get away from your studio? And what do you do in your spare time?
TK: I go out enalry everyday. Ive moved closer ot the center of Tokyo, where there are lots of places to eat and plenty of staore, too. I spend my tiem either eating or shopping

SJ: What do you eat when its crunch time
TK: I don't really eat when im busy *kubo laughs* But i do eat tiny chocolates. i lvoe chocolate. Itadakimasu* (SJ gave kubo a chocolate)

SJ: do you have a favorite food or drink
TK: I wonder what that would be. These days, its fuit

SJ: What kind of fruit?
TK: What dio you call mikan in America

SJ: They're called Mandarin oranges
TK: I wan't used to eating fruit, but i got a new editor whos been bringing me some fuit to cheer me up. they're rich in vitamins. Ah, so thoughtful...! *kubo laughs*

Wawancara Kubo di acara San Diego Comic-Con International, tentang Kon, Chad, Isshin, dan beberapa hal (sumber: http://www.otaku2.com/articleView.php?item=116 )

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Marc Weidenbaum: Ok, so let’s get started with our first question. What inspired you to become a manga artist?

Kubo Tite: I had decided to become a manga artist when I was still in elementary school. Later, when I became a manga artist, then I became interested in designs and architecture. So, if you were to ask me what other profession I would have chosen, I would say one of those.

MW: Next up is, “What was your inspiration for Bleach?”

KT: I wanted to draw Shinigami (Soul Reapers) wearing kimonos so I designed that first. Before that, when I designed Rukia, she wasn’t wearing a kimono. I wanted to create something that nobody had seen before. That’s when I decided to put her in a kimono. From there, I started creating the world of Bleach.

MW: What comes first, the characters or the story’s plot?

KT: The characters, definitely.

MW: The next question is about Chad. (Audience applause and laughter.) What inspired you to put a Mexican and Hispanic culture in Bleach? (Editor’s note: As there is a strong Hispanic presence in Southern California; this question drew huge applause and cheers from the audience.)

KT: It wasn’t something that I had intended. When I first designed Chad, when I saw him, I just felt that he had this Mexican heritage.

MW: Where do you come up with the clothes for the characters in the chapter opening drawings?

KT: I just put the characters in clothes that I wish I was able to find but can’t. (Audience laughs.)

MW: Who in the audience is an aspiring artist themselves? (Audience members raise hands.) The next question is for you guys. What advice do you have for aspiring manga artists?

KT: I’d just say believe in your talent, maybe others might say things (to discourage you) but… it’s very important for other people to enjoy it, but you have to do something that you yourself enjoy very much. Otherwise, it’s sort of dishonest to charge someone for your art and story (if you don’t believe in it yourself). That’s my advice. (Audience applause)

MW: The next question is from Jeremy Booth. He asked, “how did you come up with the idea for the Quincy and where does the name come from?”

KT: I created the Quincy to be Ichigo’s rival character, so for that, I put him in white clothing. I made the Quincys use arrows because it’s a long range (weapon) so that would make it difficult for Ichigo to fight him with a sword, because that’s a short range (weapon). As for the name, “Quincy,” the Quincy Cross has five points. That comes from the “gobousei” (pentagram) that’s a star symbol in Japan which also has five points. So “Quincy” is derived from the word “quintet.” (A collective light bulb went on above all the heads in the audience, as “ooooohhhs” and “aahhhhs” filled the room at this realization, followed by applause.) Since the Quincys use arrows, they are archers. So if you call them “Quincy Archer” that also kind of sounds like a person’s name, and I liked that. (More applause.)

MW: How do you draw your action shots and do you have anyone posing to help?

KT: Nobody poses for me for the action scenes. When I do the action scenes I have this rock music going on in my head. I just imagine the fighting scene, and then I pause the action in my imagination. Then I imagine a video camera going around (the paused action) so then I just rotate the camera and choose the best angle (Applause).

MW: We have a really huge stack of cards. I want to get to as many of them as possible. I hope you’ll humor us as we may have one or two questions ourselves as well. We have limited time with our honored visitor. One more question from the audience first. “When did you first realize that you had such a wide fan base in the United States?”

KT: Yesterday. (Huge laughter and screams from the audience.)

MW: “Amerika ni Youkoso!” (Welcome to America!)

KT: Thank you! (In English!! More audience laughter and applause.)

MW: Pancha, you’ve been sitting there very patiently and I know you wanted a chance to ask a question as well of our guest, so please go ahead.

Pancha Diaz: Kubo-sensei, what part of the creative process do you enjoy most? Writing or inking or…?

KT: When I think about the story, if there is something that I wanted to draw for a long time then that’s very fun for me. I usually have these kinds of random scenes that I want to draw in my head, but they’re kind of scattered, so I try to connect them. My job is to make that interesting. So when I get to a scene that I really like, one that I really wanted to draw, I really enjoy drawing that scene. When I get to those connecting scenes, that’s when it gets a bit more difficult. I also really enjoy inking scenes.

PD: How long do you have between drawing a chapter and publication?

KT: Between two to three weeks.

PD: Wow, we get about 6 months in advance before we publish a chapter. (Editor’s note: Kubo has 2-3 weeks per chapter, Pancha Diaz already has a completed Tankouban to translate which contain multiple chapters, hence the lead time)

MW: The next question is actually something we asked at dinner last night, which was, “Will you feature a back story for Isshin?” (Lots of audience applause for this one!) {Editor’s note: Yes!! This was my question!!}

KT: I will draw it, yes. (HUGE audience reaction here!)

MW: I have to ask a follow up question which we also asked last night which was, “did you know he was a soul reaper from the beginning?”

KT: When I finished drawing the first chapter, I already knew he was a Soul Reaper. (More applause.)

MW: You have just been a tremendous audience, and I fear that for the first time in the past 45 minutes, I’m going to make you all groan instead of applaud. I need to tell you that we only have about three minutes left.
Audience: AWWWWWWWWWW BOOOOOOOOO (Etc)

MW: Now that we all got that out of our system, we can proceed.
Audience: Hahahahahahahaha… (etc)

MW: A question from Sylvia. Sylvia wants to know, “is the Kon doll based on any creation or is it based on something from your childhood?”

KT: I wanted to create something that looked fake. Something that was just random things thrown together. Now usually, you don’t have sewing lines in the middle of a face. Usually you do that to make something 3-D, however looking at Kon, he’s not really that 3-D at all. It’s absolutely not necessary to have a sewing line here (translator points to forehead). I just liked that fact. When Ichigo and Rukia first found him he was just lying in the street (by the trash). I actually have a back story about that. There was a festival, and this father and son were at this festival. The son wanted to get a stuffed animal, but the one he wanted was too expensive. The father chose instead to just buy a cheap one, that was Kon. He was so ugly that the kid just threw it away. That’s why he was in the street. (There was a life size Kon cosplayer in the back of the room that started sulking and walking away upon hearing this revelation. Everyone laughed hysterically, and when Kubo-sensei noticed this he pointed at the Kon and got a real huge kick out of it)

MW: We only have time for one more question, and I don’t know that anything can follow up that, but, this is the last question from James Hitchcock. “Where did you get the idea of using hell butterflies?”

KT: When I was looking in the dictionary for a word that goes well with Soul Reaper (Shinigami), I came across the hell butterfly; another name for the hell butterfly that is used is “great and beautiful butterfly.” It said in the dictionary that it prefers to fly in the darkness, so I thought that it fit very well with the Soul Reapers (shinigami) so that’s why I decided to use it.

MW: And on that note, I’m very sad that we have to bring to a close this historic opportunity. Please join me in thanking Kubo-sensei.

Wawancara dengan Anime Insider tentang BLEACH di belakang layar (sumber: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6584260.html )

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PW Comics Week: When you were first creating Bleach, did you think it would be this successful?

Tite Kubo: I don’t think it’s a success yet. But I’m very, very happy to learn that lots of fans are enjoying it in a place where I’d never imagine [it would be popular]. It’s very rare and difficult for me to see fans because I’m so busy, so this is a rare opportunity for me.

PWCW: What do you think of the U.S.? And Comic-Con?

TK: My first impression is that America is so huge, so big, and the sun is very strong, very bright. Thanks to the intense light, you can see the vivid color of trees, the buildings.

Comic-Con is huge, too. It’s very interesting to see big major publishers and also independent artists drawing and selling [their comics] on the same floor. That doesn’t really happen in Japan. Also artists are close to their audience, which doesn’t happen in Japan, either. I feel envious of this situation. Artists and fans are so close, and they can get closer to each other. In Japan, artists and fans are rather far apart from each other.

PWCW: Now that Bleach has been going on for a bit, how do you keep the adventure and the story fresh?

TK: I think it maintains a freshness because when I create manga, I don’t think about what’s going to happen—I just come up with an idea and let it flow. It’s a weekly installment, so I have a very short time to create manga, but the good thing is that because it’s short, I can come up with the idea and start creating it.

PWCW: Have you ever gotten yourself into a situation that made you say, “Uh-oh”?

TK: I don’t really face that kind of situation because it’s a long story and sometimes I forget what’s happened in the past, but I read the previous volumes of Bleach and that usually helps me to create and have a new idea.

PWCW: What is your favorite aspect of creating Bleach?

TK: When I draw the scene that I’d been dreaming about or had always wanted to draw, that is the time that I’m happiest. The other time that I really enjoy is when I create new characters. But when I create new characters, it’s not usually when I’m working. When I’m running errands, it will come up in my mind, and then I’ll develop it. It’s one of the most enjoyable parts. But I enjoy drawing and creating manga, so it’s always fun.

PWCW: In both Bleach and Zombie Powder 9 [an early, unfinished work by Kubo], the theme of death is prevalent. People are haunted, family members are killed. Why is this theme important to you?

TK: When I was very small, three or four years old, I remember wondering what was going to happen to me or other people when they die. When I saw babies’ images in mothers’ wombs, I wondered where we all came from. For me, life and death are very important themes. There is no life without death. That’s why it’s very important to me.

PWCW: You mentioned that when you draw action, you choose the best angle in your head. How do you decide which is the best angle?

TK: I select the angle based on its looks. It has to be cool. And at the same time, it has to be realistic. If it’s not realistic, the reader cannot feel the pain. In a battle scene, it’s most important to make it realistic so that readers can feel the pain. I choose the action where if I were the character, I would feel the most pain.

If the flow of power or impact is not right, then the impact cannot be communicated to the reader. Otherwise it’s incomplete, and it needs to be perfect.

PWCW: How do you maintain such a demanding schedule?

TK: Hard work. (laughs) I don’t think it’s too hard. I draw faster than others so I don’t really think it’s an issue.

PWCW: You also had a message for aspiring mangaka, advising them to believe in their work, otherwise it’s dishonest to charge money for it. What do you mean by that?

TK: The message is that if you believe in what you create, it’s enjoyable and people will follow. The talented mangaka should know that, otherwise no one would read or enjoy it. So believe in yourself. Believing in yourself is important.

Wawancara Anime Insider Oktober, salah satunya tentang kenapa judul manganya mesti BLEACH & sekilas tentang zanpakutou Ichigo yang dulu

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Q: Is there a reason the manga is called Bleach, or is that a secret?
A: The Soul Reaper - the color that you associate with the Soul Reaper is black. But "black" is too straightforward. So I thought about "white", but white is too simple. So if you put "bleach", somebody can associate that with white. So that's how Bleach came.

Q: If you become a Soul Reaper, what division would you want to be in?
A: The fourth [medical], because you don't get hurt there!

Q: One thing a lot of people have noticed is that Bleach has many different female characters, each with a distinctive strength. Is that something you took a lot of care in doing?
A: Usually, I don't intend to create personality before I draw. Usually I draw a character and then I know which side of her is strong and which side is weak. But sometimes the personality and the design come at the same time. I don’t think that the artists should create the character that you want it to be. I think that the character should have its own character. Let them grow: that’s my belief.

Q: What do you think is the main theme of Bleach?
A: In my work, I don’t like to impose a message or theme onto the reader. I want the characters to develop on their own and create the story themselves, and it usually turns out very clever. So I tend to do that sort of thing.

Q: Way back in the beginning of the manga, when Ichigo was first using Rukia’s powers, was he also wielding her actual sword, just much bigger? A lot of people have noticed that the marking on it were the same.
A: The design is the same because at that time he was bearing her power. So yes.

Q: Was the spirit of her zanpakuto in him also?
A: The outside [of the zanpakuto] has the design of Rukia’s but when he was fighting at the beginning, the spirit was his – Ichigo’s. At one point during some battle, Urahara tells him that Ichigo’s zanpakuto is big, but there’s nothing in it. So at that time he hasn’t really developed his spirit in it, but he gradually starts to.

Q: For a shonen series, Bleach spends a lot focusing on the emotions and different bonds between the characters. I’m sure you’re asked this a lot, but will we ever see any romance by the end of the series?
A: I don’t really intend to make it a romantic story, but it’s one of the aspects of the series, so I put it in here and there.

Q: In some of the earlier collected volumes, you list a theme song for each character in the character profile. Do you have any songs picked out for some of the newest characters?
A: Usually when I draw, when I create a character, I’m playing some music in my head and that’s why I assign that music, for example, to Ichigo. So even if I don’t list it now, I do assign it, I just don’t put it on paper. But every character has a theme song.

Q: When did Rukia have the Hogyoku put inside her?
A: It’s a secret!

Q: From the beginning of the series, the team-up of Ichigo and Rukia was very important to making the series work. How did you plan it out?
A: Ichigo obviously needed help because he was developing his talent and strength, and here she was, so I thought they’d be a good match to help each other.

Q: Finally, can you tell us why Aizen’s couch is so big?
A: The bigger, the more beautiful!

Wawancara dengan SJ Amerika, sekilas tentang Rukia, judul BLEACH, dan Aizen

SPOILER [Show/Hide]

"Tite Kubo's Big Comic-Con Adventure!"
Drawing Inspiration
Shonen Jump: Did anyone inspire you to draw?
Kubo-sensei: When I create characters, I'm inspired by music rather than stories, other manga or movies. The characters then create the story. So for me, my creativity comes from music.

SJ: Are any of the characters based on people you know?
Kubo-sensei: Well, I haven't mentioned this before, even in the Bleach SOULs Official Character Book, but Kisuke Urahara is based on Snufkin. Snufkin is so cool.
[The character appears in Tove Jansoon's Moominvalley novels.]

SJ: You seem to use mythical content about death and the afterlife from Japanese folklore. Did any books influence you?
Kubo-sensei: I can't point to a particular book, but one manga that influenced me when I was small was Saint Seiya [published in the U.S. as Knights of the Zodiac], which is based on Greek mythology. Because of it, I started looking into things like myths, monsters and the afterlife. I was reading about them until around junior high school, so they might have been the basis.

SJ: What does Rukia's name mean, and why is it written in katakana?
Kubo-sensei: When I'm working, I jot down names in the margins of my notebook as they come to me. Once on TV, I saw the original type of cosmos in South America.

SJ: You mean, the flower?
Kubo-sensei: Yes. The show mentioned the name of the flower in Latin or something-like "rukia." It sounded like "Kuchiki Rukia" to me, and I wrote this down. When I created the character, I thought Kuchiki really fit as a Soul Reaper (Shinigami) name and called her Kuchiki Rukia. She had her full name from the very beginning. Later on, I learned that the word "rukia" means "light." She's like a ray of light for Ichigo, which makes the name really suit her.
[In English, the name is read "Rukia Kuchiki." The meaning of the kanji for Kuchiki is "decayed tree." When Kubo-sensei talks about light, he may be referring to the word "lucia."]

SJ: Why did you pick Bleach as the title?
Kubo-sensei: The title wasn't Bleach when I decided to draw a story about Soul Reapers. (Shinigami) This was before I drew the one-shot manga that appeared in Akamaru Jump. The weapon wasn't a sword, but a scythe. Only Rukia had a scythe and the other characters used guns. At that point, the title was Snipe [as in "sniper"]. Right before I started drawing, I began to think that a sword would be better and realized I couldn't use Snipe as a title anymore. I began looking for a title that grasped the bigger picture. Soul Reapers (Shinigami) are associated with the color black, but it would have been boring to use "black." "White," on the other hand, can suggest black as a complementary color. So I chose "bleach" to evoke the impression of the color white.
[Kubo-sensei explained to us how he chose English chapter titles for the manga. He uses a dictionaru to look up words that match his idea for the title, and ogten replaces a word with one that has a similar meaning but sounds better. Kubo-sensei didn't use a dictionary to choose "bleach" because the English word is already commonly used in Japan.]

Behind the Scenes
SJ: Will you ever do an Aizen backstory?
Kubo-sensei: Will I...? To be honest, I think part of Aizen's appeal is that he's mysterious. It probably wouldn't be good for his character if I revealed everything about him. If I felt the urge to tell, maybe I would, but I'm just not sure right now.

SJ: Does Captain Yamamoto have a larger plan for the Soul Society? He seems to have no problem with his captains dying.
Kubo-sensei: Does he? I don't have anything planned for him right now. What's interesting about Genryuusai is you can never guess his true intentions. Among the captains, like Shunsui and Unohana, there are a few who appear to have something more to them, but for now I'll have to say it's all a secret.

SJ: Will we learn who will become captains in place of Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen?
Kubo-sensei: Probably not anytime soon. Assistant captains lack certain abilities that captains have. I personally think the assistant captains need some time before they can become captains. Renji is a major character who's pretty powerful, but put him next to the captains and you'll probably notice that he's kind of erratic... and missing a noble quality. The captains are simply on a whole other level.

SJ: Do you have any plans to make Ichigo and Rukia a couple?
Kubo-sensei: I'm not going to confirm nor deny that. [Laughs]

SJ: Which American superheroes do you admire?
Kubo-sensei: I don't know of many American comic book heroes. I only know them from the movies, but appearance-wise, I thought Cyclops [from the X-men] looked pretty interesting. He can't take off the visor. When he does, his eye power is too strong and kills people- wasn't it something like that? I think that kind of setup is great because it's so dramatic.

SJ: Will Kon ever get his own body?
Kubo-sensei: I hadn't thought about it. I like him in his current body, and I think Kon likes it, too.

SJ: He gets more attention in that body.
Kubo-sensei: That's true.

Kubo-sensei on Comic-Con
SJ: What was the most impressice Bleach coustume you saw?
Kubo-sensei: There were actually two. One was Komamura, who had a wolf's face on when he took off his helmet. The other was Neliel [a character who hasn't yet appeared in the manga in the U.S.], who was in all white. Those two coustumes impressed me the most. I also saw a few Kons out there that were very cute.

SJ: We do call it Comic-Kon!
Kubo-sensei: It's an event made for Kon. [laughs]

SJ: He seems to think so.
Kubo-sensei: That's right, definitely.

SJ: We also saw on Arrancar with a mirror.
Kubo-sensei: Ah, yes. That was Grimmjow.

SJ: He had a round mirror over his stomach to look like a hole.
Kubo-sensei: That was a great idea.

SJ: What will you tell your family and friends about this trip?
Kubo-sensei: I want to tell them about everything. I'll take the time and tell them everything I can remember. I was so glad to meet the fans. I received their heartfelt welcome and felt their warmth. I want to be able to convey what I felt as much and as truthfully as possible.

SJ: Thank you so much for the interview!
Kubo-sensei: You're welcome. It was fun.

Interview di Akamaru Jump 2009, tentang Kubo, Kudo (character designer di anime), dan filler Zanpakutou Unknown Tales (sumber: Cezaria @ BA)

SPOILER [Show/Hide]

Gambar:
Kubo & Kudo
Kubo, Yoruichi, Ichigo dkk, Senna & para Bount
Kubo & Kudo + Hisagi & Renji yang melihat...

:: About art styles
KT says Kudo's art is "cuter" than his own. And that Kudo's Orihime has a suppleness that KT is bad at drawing.

KT says his art style always changes in the beginning, and it only started to cement after the anime started to air.

KT says his art also gets influenced by Kudo. He used to draw hair behind the ears but Kudo doesn't do that. It was then that KT realized humans don't have hair behind their ears. XD

Kudo tries to draw Orihime like KT, but he always ends up drawing her really supple and round. KT seems to like it.

KT's favorite picture of Kudo's is that DVD cover with Yoruichi.

:: About the new filler arc
They thought about separating Zabimaru into two people because it's a baboon and a snake.

The names of Komamura and Hitsu's bankai are all related to hell (it's pretty disturbing too)

Ichigo won't appear in the new arc, but Zangetsu will be appearing lots.

KT seems to be fond of the filler this time, he says he almost wants to draw them into the manga, but that's going to be impossible.

Sekilas wawancara di Jump Bang

SPOILER [Show/Hide]

Thanks to Pikeish for the overview translation of Kubo's recent appearance on Jump Bang on Japanese television. Kubo took questions from his fans and drew pictures on the spot. He said that Isshin would play an important role in the future and that the bodies hanging in Szayel Apollo's lab hold an important key to the story.

Kubo-sensei drew a picture of Ichigo and Rukia for JumpBang and another picture of Byakuya for a guest who said her favorite character was Byakuya.

IchiRuki
Kubo bicara
Kubo nggambar Byakuya

Wawancara Jump Festa 2010, tentang Aizen (yang dimuat di topik BLEACH Setelah Aizen)

SPOILER [Show/Hide]

を終了し
短いシリーズを描いて
その後もうひとつシリーズを描くそうです。
破面篇がもう4年で
主人公なのに一護は
JC2巻分全然出てきてないのは意図した事でないらしい。
ストーリーは大まかにしか作られず細かい点はライブ感を大切に描かれているとか。
同じ様な話は
以前ジャンバンでもされていましたが
短いシリーズがとても気になります

Arrancar arc to end by next mid-year (June 2010).
A short arc will follow.
After that, a new arc will begin.
Arrancar arc has been going on for 4 years.

月曜発売のWJ03&04合併号

背表紙はルキア
久保先生いはく
背表紙は
全部一度に描いても良いが
久保先生は10冊ずつを一度に描いているそうです。
さて

このWJ03&04
来年冬の
劇場版ブリーチの情報が載ります！

Weekly Jump No.3 & No.4 double issue on Monday.
Front cover with Naruto.
Kubo-sensei draws the inner cover. Spread is of Rukia.
No.3,4 issue will contain news of Bleach movie #4.

Reportase dari Jump Festa 2010 juga, tentang Ulquiorra! (sumber: http://community.livejournal.com/bleachness/404497.html)

SPOILER [Show/Hide]

Report from Jump Festa--Kubo will not confirm Ulquiorra's Death

Thank you to Annie and Syn and Pikeish for the scoop.

ステージレポート BLEACH ・今のシリーズはもうすぐクライマックス ・元々きっちり構想を練るタイプでないので破面編の結末も具体的には決めていない ・でもこの先あと二篇くらい考えてるらしい ・次のシリーズは短め、その先の構想はある ・ウルキオラの結末は世界的に反響が大きかった ・ウルキオラの生死は断言せず ・破面で人気があるのは平子とひより ・平子はとても描きやすい（絵として） ・昨日もホテルで映画の打合せをした ・1年休んだのでいいものを作りたい

translation:
Stage Report: Bleach
+ The current arc is soon on climax
+ He's originally not the type to work out a plan, so he still hasn't decided on a concrete end to the arrancar arc.
+ But from this onwards, he's told them there's to be 2 more arcs.
+ The next arc is a short one, and there's an initiative for the next one.
+ There was a large response for Ulquiorra's death around the world.
+ He didn't declare whether Ulquiorra was alive or not.
+ The popular ones among the vizards are Hirako and Hiyori
+ Hirako is really easy to draw (art wise)
+ There was a meeting yesterday at the hotel reagarding the movie.
+ I want to create a good one after resting for 1 year

I heard Kubo received a letter in Russian that he couldn't read but only saw the katana for Ulquiorra that kept popping up everywhere.

.

[Old_Man]

PERTAMAXX

Menurut kakek Kubo itu komikus yg cukup fungky...

Klo gak salah ada foto nya yg pake kacamata hitam itu... Keren

[Xaliber]

Oh, itu yak? Baru aja ditambahin di halaman depan. Memang terkenal itu fotonya. Cuma kalo di foto-foto wawancara, kayaknya Kubo agak gemukan ya?

Saya sendiri lumayan tertarik sama pengetahuannya Kubo yang cukup luas dan bervariasi. Di situ ditulis kalo nama-nama Arrancar memang terinspirasi dari para arsitek, dan bagaimana kalau dia rupanya tertarik sama filosofi kehidupan (makanya dia bikin dua manga yang temanya tentang kematian, Zombie Powder dan Bleach).

Udah ada yang baca wawancara terbarunya (yang paling bawah)?

Katanya... kematian Ulquiorra belum dikonfirmasi sama Kubo.

[Old_Man]

Disini boleh kritik kan....??

Klo boleh sedikit ngeritik Kubo...

Kata Cak paimo kemaren Kubo gak terlalu handal nggambar background...

Awak setuju itu...

Tp pemilihan warna di Bleach dimana jagoan malah yg berbaju hitam dan lawan berbaju putih itu uniiik bgt... Awak suka itu

[gitablu]

QUOTE (Old_Man @ July 10, 2010 09:40 pm)

Disini boleh kritik kan....?? Klo boleh sedikit ngeritik Kubo... Kata Cak paimo kemaren Kubo gak terlalu handal nggambar background... Awak setuju itu... Tp pemilihan warna di Bleach dimana jagoan malah yg berbaju hitam dan lawan berbaju putih itu uniiik bgt... Awak suka itu

klo untuk itu saya maklum. tiap komikus memang punya kelebihan masing2. Lagipula, kubo nda menggambar sendiri bleach itu, tp dalam 1 team pasti. Dan untuk mengejar jadwal tayang, saya maklum sekali klo kualitas gambar mungkin agak 'minimalis'

dia juga jarang pake screentone, dan lbh suka warna ngeblok2. itu lbh gampang dibuatnya lho.


oh yeah..kubo memang suka musik rock. saya pernah baca di suatu tempat, klo sambil menggambar adegan bertarung, biasanya dia dengerin musik rock. Makanya dia bisa dapet angle2 yg muktahir dan feelsnya kerasa banged.

[raishi aoizaki]

wahhh keren banget kubo sensei...
klo dari segi cerita memang saya salut sama tite kubo, mencampurkan unsur komedi, drama, adventure dan lain sebagaimana yang mana membuat saya ingin terus membaca mangannya...

saya bahkan malah lebih menyukai karakter antagonis yang dimna memiliki cerita sedih yang menyentuh, apalagi espada dengan aspek kematiannya...

[superhuman]

aku bangga ama kubo,

bisa bikin manga kayak gini, idenya dapet darimana coba ??

ada soul society, shinigami, hollow, gotei 13, taichou, hougyoku, dll.

[kirei schiffer]

hahahahahahahtite kubo..

thx banget udah memunculkan

chara seperti ulquiorra..

yang bikin saya tambah suka ama bleach..

hahahahah

teruskan karya mu yah...