Interview With Shiu Yoshijima
Location: Anime Boston 2023
Interview Date: 4/7/2023
Honey’s Anime: During the live drawing, you often switched around which areas you were working on, decided to give the girl cat ears partway through, and turned a black paint splotch into a bow. Do you often figure things out in the moment like this?
#AnimeBoston2023
無事に終了しました!初めて会場でリクエストドローイングをさせて頂きました( ꈍᴗꈍ)ブースやドローイングイベントに来て下さった皆様本当にありがとうございました!!すごく楽しい三日間でした!💕💕 https://t.co/iy4bHCuriB pic.twitter.com/8D7miCj3Sg— シウ 【画集が発売されました！】 (@shiuriri) April 10, 2023
Shiu Yoshijima: The live drawing was a first-time experience for me. I kind of wanted to surprise the audience a little bit, which is why I added the cat ears. As for the black splotch turning into a ribbon, that was a simple mistake. I was trying to fix it as quickly as possible. Usually, when I am doing my drawings, I’ll have the complete image in my head. Those improvisational things were me trying something new for a live drawing.
Unknown Outlet: What made you decide you wanted to be a manga artist?
Shiu Yoshijima: When I was little, I didn’t have many friends. I spent a lot of time alone, reading manga. Since I was little, I’ve wanted to work on some sort of aspect of manga. I loved manga, so I became a manga artist.
Anime Herald: What was your artistic training?
Shiu Yoshijima: When I was little, I attended some art classes. I feel that, even now, I keep some of those lessons. In my current years, it’s more about quantity over quality. I try to draw as many pieces as possible. I think quantity is better in terms of training than focusing on quality.
Honey’s Anime: In your bio, you said that your favorite type of woman is the “poisonous, dangerous woman.” Why are you drawn to that type, and also to non-human characters in general?
Shiu Yoshijima: In terms of the poisonous types that I’m attracted to, compared to cute things, cute things are attractive in and of themselves. It’s difficult to explain. It’s an expression of things that cannot be contained within that cuteness. Girls who look a little scarier, or girls with venomous tongues who say a lot of insults. Things that cannot be contained within the label of “cute.” I get attracted to those parts of a girl’s traits.
In terms of non-human characters and why I’m attracted to them, there’s a sense of melancholy when it comes to seeing girls who are non-human. Because, you know, obviously they have human traits, but they also have a more animalistic side, more primal. Animal girls have their primal instincts. So seeing that, and having that trait mixed in with the more human side of things, makes the character have a bit of a melancholic feeling, or somber feeling, surrounding them.
A lot of the characters I draw follow the cycle of life. For example, there’s a character that follows the metamorphic cycle of a chrysalis becoming a butterfly. I get drawn into putting myself into that cycle of life. The irony of the non-human and human together is what draws me in.
Unknown Outlet: Is this your first time in the States?
Shiu Yoshijima: Yes!
Unknown Outlet: When you found out you would be a guest here, how did that make you feel?
Shiu Yoshijima: This was going to be my first time leaving Japan. When I received the offer, I was excited. I was also a bit nervous. A good sense of excitement and nervousness. Not quite fear. More excitement.
Anime Herald: What were some of your favorite manga from childhood? And what are your current favorites?
Shiu Yoshijima: When I was little, I read a series called Bonobono. It’s a four-panel comic, featuring really cute animals. Story-wise, it was a bit sarcastic. There was a sense of darkness, and irony, mixed into the story. It may not have affected my drawing, but it definitely affects the worlds I build when I draw.
I like to read manga that is completely different from my art style. Recently, I’ve been reading shounen manga. Especially the more violent blood-heating manga. I’ve been reading Rurouni Kenshin and Tokyo Revengers. I really like the contrast I feel between the cute sexy girls I draw, and the bloody, super driven battle manga I consume. If I were to compare that feeling, it’s like after you eat spicy food, you want to eat something sweet.
Honey’s Anime: What draws you to yuri relationships?
Shiu Yoshijima: I’m personally drawn to cute girls. When I watch movies that are related to those kinds of romances, there’s a part of me that self-reflects. I see myself in those situations and think, “Oh, I really wish I was in a relationship like that.” When I draw yuri, a part of me will think “I wish I was in this kind of relationship.” Simply put, I also like to see cute girls. That’s what I feel when I draw yuri.
Unknown Outlet: Would you be open to your work getting an anime series, broadcast worldwide?
Shiu Yoshijima: My art style is a little bit difficult to translate into animation. If I received such an offer, I’d gladly accept it. I’d be very excited about it.
Anime Herald: Building off of the sweet & spicy theme, who are some of your favorite “sweet” artists, and who are some of your favorite “spicy” artists?
Shiu Yoshijima: For the “sweet” mangaka, I would say Yamamoto Lunlun. Her style is very cutesy, but also has a bit of the bitter side behind the cutesy facade.
The author of Rurouni Kenshin, I’ve forgotten his name. I feel like the art style falls under the “spicy” category. The bloody, shounen-esque.
Honey’s Anime: What do you find to be the most rewarding part of being an artist?
Shiu Yoshijima: The best part about being an illustrator, when I get a commission or request, and I’m able to utilize my style perfectly, like a puzzle piece, to match what the client wanted. When I see that they’re happy with the results, that’s when I feel the greatest. That’s when I’m really glad I became an illustrator.
Unknown Outlet: Outside of the manga, and specific characters, what inspirations do you pull from in your art?
Shiu Yoshijima: Aside from art, I listen to a lot of music. I really like listening to music when I work. My favorite artist is a Japanese artist named Chihiro Izuka. Her music, when you listen to it, you kind of fall into a depressive, sorrowful mood. I draw inspiration from her music, and the feelings her songs invoke.
Anime Herald: I hope you’ve been enjoying your time in Boston. Is there anything you have done or are looking forward to doing that you wouldn’t be able to do in Japan?
Shiu Yoshijima: I came to Anime Boston for work, so I don’t know if I’ll have time to walk around and visit tourist locations. At least, coming to Anime Boston, I’m looking forward to walking around, and experiencing the atmosphere of foreign fans, how they show their love for anime and manga. I’m sure there are some differences between Japanese fans and American fans, so I’m enjoying watching these foreign anime fans express their love for Anime.
Shiu Yoshijima can be found online on Twitter.
Her work can be found on Pixiv.
Her artbook Jingai Otome Wonderland is available on Tokyo Otaku Mode.
Finally, Yoshijima did a separate interview at Anime Boston with Anime News Network.
