Konomi Will Talk - The Perfect Interview!
Konomi will reveal everything! We want to see what The Prince of Tennis is really made of!
New Prince of Tennis author Konomi Takeshi will reveal various behind the scenes developments! He will entrance you with a perfect interview!
Interviewer: New Prince of Tennis started with the U-17 Selection Camp and eventually moved on to the World Cup. When did you think of the concept for this development?
Konomi: As for the World Cup following the selection camp, I decided on that beforehand. I planned for the high schoolers and middle schoolers to compete against the players of other countries separately. At first I envisioned that the high schoolers would lose on the world stage and that, as a result, those opponents should be able to awaken the middle schoolers' hidden potential... but in the end I couldn't show the impression of the high schoolers losing like that.
Especially the matches against the Genius 10 left a strong impression that the middle schoolers would be unable to win against them. But for those matches, it was also very important that the middle schoolers were completely defeated. Even Atobe and Niou only won because of Kabaji's interference and Tsukimitsu-san letting it slide. That's why I thought the middle schoolers could learn something from the high schoolers if they teamed up.
As mentors, the high schoolers can help the middle schoolers realize their potential. And that would make Japan a lot stronger, wouldn't it? I wanted to explore this idea of them teaming up and competing together, so that's why it became like this.
Interviewer: The way you draw New Prince of Tennis now, it seems like you have really embraced that development.
Konomi: New Prince of Tennis represents the "Golden age" because I decided that the shining golden generation of the middle schoolers would take on the world. When I started drawing the series, I thought about how to best convey that feeling, and the way it has turned out is the closest I'll get to achieving that vision. However, even before the serialization started, I realized it would be a long one (laughs).
Interviewer: Please tell us about how Ryoma became an American representative and then returned to the Japanese team.
Konomi: Originally, this plot point played out a bit differently. My idea was that the American representatives were struggling and would take the worried Ryoma to the World Cup on their airplane. Thanks to that, Ryoma would have been in time to register with the Japanese representatives while also forming a bond with the American representatives... that is what I wanted to see. However, somewhere along the way, I started thinking that Ryoma wouldn't want to return to Japan and that he should stay in America. I started to think of Ryoma as a rival...
Deciding where to take the story from there was really difficult and back then I wouldn't have been able to tell you where it was headed. Would Ryoma bring down Japan? Or would he be done in himself? Because the premise looked good and was clear, I tried to follow through with it, but then I made a mistake and decided it was for the best if he returned to Japan after all. That's why it turned out this way.
Ultimately, I think there were pros and cons to both sides and I wasn't sure which was better. That said, I'm confident that I have a really good idea of where to go from here!
By the way, for those who have heard it, during the All Tenipuri Museum's talk show, it seems there was some confusion, so I want to take this opportunity to correct the rumors that originated from it... I absolutely didn't confirm that I want the Japanese representatives to win the championship or go to the finals (laughs). The information wasn't wrong, please look at the manga properly.
Interviewer: Can you tell us which parts of the World Cup's opening rounds you are especially pleased with?
Konomi: Definitely the three exhibition matches against Germany. I think I'm really satisfied with the scene where Ryoma appears in the audience during Tokugawa and Yukimura's match. The way Volk said "Give up!" implied that it wasn't even a contest anymore at that point, but Ryoma caught Tokugawa's racket and encouraged them to keep going. No matter how many times I read that scene, I still get shivers. Ryoma is pretty special after all.
From the group league matches, Ochi and Oishi's mentor-student-pair is one of my favorites. It is in line with the symbolic vision I mentioned earlier and I had chosen those two from the beginning. Oishi's reactions were very fitting for a junior on the world stage. At the same time, Tsukimitsu-san watched over him and encouraged him to grow. I want to continue drawing this dynamic between the high and middle schoolers. But I also really wanted to pair up Akaya and Tohno, only because they're both bad guys who can find a reliable ally in each other, and I thought it'd be interesting if they faced a family of superior executioners (laughs).
In general I wanted to draw the matches against Greece while keeping the strength of the world in mind. Japan barely won, but I wanted to convey the feeling that no one would know who would win the next time those teams compete. Japan ended up winning all three matches, so it gave the impression that the world didn't amount to much. But, for example, the next time they face Zeus, they will definitely not win. If they competed against him a hundred times, they would win maybe once. Remember that Tanegashima is one of Japan's strongest and he really had to do pull out all the stops and wrest that victory from Zeus.
Interviewer: Is there any particular way you want to develop the middle schoolers in The New Prince of Tennis?
Konomi: In essence, I want them all to grow both on and off the court. Atobe is always developing, and he won't stop developing. While trying to overcome the yips, Yukimura will also grow in his own way. Since we're talking about development, I have to mention Tezuka as well. He evolved from sacrificing himself and guiding his team as a captain to being determined to compete for himself for the first time. Thinking back to the scene where captain Yamato awakened that desire... that was some drama. Most recently, I have thought about Shiraishi's growth in particular. In Prince of Tennis, it was easy to become good. No matter what the characters wanted to accomplish, they could roll up their sleeves, practice hard, and do it. That was the spirit of the original series, so I couldn't make them hesitate or falter. It just didn't fit the concept of the series. However, this time, it's not that easy to become stronger. I think I came up with some good developments without destroying the pacing, so I hope you will enjoy it.
Interviewer: Have you decided how to handle the characters that didn't become representatives themselves?
Konomi: I always think about how to handle the many characters while also keeping the fans' vision in mind. A scene of Chitose and Tachibana's thoughts that didn't make it into the final script comes to mind. I didn't draw their Bestial Synchronization, so I decided to remove that scene as well. I do want to draw them after they have grown though.
Interviewer: Please tell us about the high schoolers! With the "Spy's Mission", you showed them in a different light.
Konomi: The high schoolers have a charm no one had seen until then. I really like Byoudouin. I also like Tanegashima. Tohno and Kimi-sama are great too. As for the spy mission... if you know the high schoolers well, you will love them even more if you read that volume. I wanted to make it interesting and force you to remember them (laughs). I'm happy there was a response.
The hidden high schooler fans came out one after another and sent me many letters. I was really happy. I wanted to show how the high schoolers get along as teammates and thought of putting them into interesting positions.
Interviewer: Can you tell us anything about how the story will develop going forward?
Konomi: I think the French will really show what they're made of. They have many qualities that embody the series. In general, I think it's no good to enter the tennis court on a horse (laughs). However, deciding whether to go through with it or not in the end is up to the author. Prince of Tennis is kind of like an ant, you know? It's only possible to have a character play tennis on a horse because of the relationship between the author and the readers. That's why I can make bold moves like that.
One character that's been on my mind is Yanagi. The Yanagi we've seen until now wasn't the real Yanagi. Please look forward to even more intense stories!
As for the finals tournament, the matches themselves are getting better and better and will continue to do so from here on out. I want to see what Prince of Tennis is really made of. There are still many possibilities to explore.
Interviewer: Lastly, is there anything in particular you are hoping to achieve with The New Prince of Tennis?
Konomi: I really want to see a musical version of The New Prince of Tennis. It will be a challenge though (laughs). I also want to see a Prince of Tennis theme park... but that's just an idea, we haven't tried to work towards that yet (laughs). I've also thought about challenging myself with new things because I love Prince of Tennis. I want to challenge myself little by little and show you guys a lot of things.
I may not be a shock trooper, but I'm always attacking. If possible, I think I want to show the world things it has never seen before!
Konomi will reveal how the foreign teams were created!
Greece
They're a team filled with refreshing character. They got unlucky this time, but trust me, they're powerful and stylish. In one of my earlier drafts, they even advanced to the finals tournament. In fact, I still hadn't decided whether or not Greece would advance even while I was drawing their matches. While looking at Thalatta's silver aura, I figured I'd give Zeus a rainbow-colored aura (laughs).
Australia
They are all good guys, but one of them is a ruffian. However, that guy is also the one who pulls the whole team... in other words, I drew a team that was unlike any other. There was a lot of drama among the representatives themselves, and during the early rounds, they hadn't found themselves yet. I have a feeling they can change from here on out though.
Switzerland
With the pro Amadeus leading them, they're a talented and professional team. They're really strong and Japan couldn't beat them. I wanted their coach, Jin Onijiha, and the character Kuraraga Tatsuta to appear, but there wasn't enough space in the volume (laughs).
Germany
The Germans have tons of outstanding members. Volk and QP are top-class players and others like Bismarck have not yet shown what they are really capable of. There are also up-and-comers like Frankensteiner and Tezuka. And even then, Germany still has two more pros waiting in the wings, the world's strongest doubles pair. I wanted to create the impression of an unbeatable champion.
America
Seeing how they respected Ryoma's desires and encouraged him, it's clear that they're good people. Ryoma trusted them as well and Momoshiro recognized their strength. However, Ryoma and Ryoga leaving hurt them quite a bit. Rhinehart has a cool-looking face. But I think even he isn't aware of the potential his teammates hold now that he has unified them.
France
Ryoma's future rival appears here. Because Ryoma is the prince of tennis, I wanted to try having a real prince. Furthermore, we have Osval "Mackaroo" Delon, who loves Japan, Timothée "Paris Collection" Moreau, Tristan "Handsome" Bardot and Camus. Together they form a strong team, so it'll be interesting to see how Japan challenges them.