Q: When did you become the editor of Aono sensei’s I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow? Was it around the time of his one-shot, Somato (Kaleidoscope)?

A: No, before that. Somato (Kaleidoscope) won the Ikkiman award (IKKI’s award for new artists) and was his debut work, but before that he had written a one-shot called Kimi no Hanashi (“Your Story”). It’s a sad love story in which Shizuo doesn’t (?!) freak out. It was a final candidate for a previous prize. I became his editor after I saw it. (“Your Story” is an unpublished work.)

Q: What is it like being Aono sensei’s editor? Could you tell us about your working relationship?

A: Working with Aono sensei is fun and keeps me on my toes.

As for our working relationship, that’s a very difficult question… For the most part, whenever he finishes some rough layouts or a manuscript, I suppress my joy at being the first person on Earth to read his work and read it as if I were just another fan. If something seems slightly off, I’ll make a suggestion… I don’t really feel like I’m working, and I even feel a little apologetic toward the fans.

Q: Are you the model for Shizuo’s editor at the magazine called EKKE in the manga? Or is another editor at IKKI the model?

A: I’d been wondering about that myself. When I asked Aono sensei, he said he hadn’t modeled the character on any particular person. Nonetheless, everyone’s always coming up to me and saying, “You’re the editor at EKKE, right?”

Q: As the editor of I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow, is there anything in particular you keep in mind?

A: I know the work is a masterpiece, so when it comes to content, I don’t worry about it too much. Because of that, I can pour almost all my strength into advertising it and putting out a good word for it so that lots of people read it. Now that it’s being produced in English, I hope many people, not just in Japan but all over the world, will read it.

Q: How many years has it been since you became a manga editor? How did you find your way into the industry? Also, are you currently in charge of any titles at IKKI besides I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow?

A: It’s been seven years since I began editing manga. I used to really like movies, especially American movies, so I had a job producing documents and articles introducing new movie releases. To tell the truth, I wasn’t reading that much manga… During that time, the current editor in chief of IKKI invited me to edit manga, even if it was only for a limited time. At first, I wasn’t sure whether to accept, but since it was only supposed to be for a short time I decided to give it a shot, and before I knew it seven years had passed.

Other titles I’m in charge of at IKKI are Shin Tetsuko no Tabi (“Tetsuko’s New Journey,” about railroads), Ahouressha (“The Ahou Train,” about railroads), and MaQ Ken Otsu (about baseball). Titles that have finished include Tetsuko no Tabi (“Tetsuko’s Journey,” about railroads) and Tsukidate no Satsujin (“Murder in Tsukidate,” also about railroads). They’re mostly in the same genre, now that I think about it…

Q: Is there anything you would like to say to readers in America who are reading I’ll Give It My All…Tomorrow in English for the first time?

A: The author and I both thought it was a manga of solely Japanese sensibilities, so while we’re grateful for the opportunity to see it published in North America, we’re also very surprised.

In Japan, this manga bears the catchphrase “Nice! A Middle-Aged Comedy!” That gives the impression that it is a light read, but it actually presents the current circumstances, dreams, hopes and realities that people live with in today's world. I hope readers will peer beneath the “middle-aged comedy” aspect and walk away with something more from this manga.

※ On a side note, I hope Clint Eastwood will read the English version of this manga and make it into a movie starring Jack Black or Paul Giamatti [laughs]. And of course, Clint Eastwood himself would play the role of Shizuo’s father…