Enjoying “Moe” and Teaching Design: Interview with Nachi Kio [2 of 2]

Both a graphic designer and a scriptwriter, Nachi Kio is involved in multiple activities. Starting in September 2013, he also plans to teach at Toyo Institute of Art and Design, where students can study illustration and design. What are his thoughts on the future of “moe content” and what will he try to teach to the designers of the future?

TOM: You are right in the forefront of the moe content world, so what are your thoughts on this particularly Japanese concept of “moe” and also on the type of work that falls under moe content? Also, do you make distinctions between “moe” and words like “cute” and “cool”? Which are used more widely?
Kio: Those are difficult questions. I get asked a lot lately in various situations about my opinion on what moe is. For me, moe is an idea that could only have come out of Japanese culture, and I think it’s filling an area where there was a gap. For example, in Japan, interpersonal relationships include hierarchical relationships. If there’s an upperclassman, there’s a lowerclassman. If there’s an older brother, there’s a younger brother or sister. In relationships between characters, it’s easy to create this kind of gap, and I feel that it was then easy to come up with the moe device. Because of that, it may be difficult for someone outside of Japan to completely understand this Japanese concept of moe if they don’t have some basic knowledge of Japanese culture.

Therefore, going forward, to have moe content permeate through other regions more so than it is now, I think it will be necessary for the creators to have an understanding of each country’s culture. That is, someone who understands the culture of an area will have to create from scratch their own take on moe that fits with that culture. Though, I think it’ll be a very difficult undertaking.

TOM: So you’re saying that moe may differ slightly from how people in Japan see it depending on the country?
Kio: I think that is quite possible. An acquaintance of mine lives in Brooklyn, NY, and he’s able to read and write Japanese and is familiar with Japanese culture. But even so, he says that when he watches anime or reads manga, there are parts where he doesn’t get the subtle nuances. He says he has fun using his imagination to guess what it might mean.

That may be a fanatical way of enjoying oneself, don’t you think? I think he probably enjoys the mystery-solving aspect of it. To put it another way, it’s having fun feeling your way through something.

However, I think it would be good for there to be an easier way to enjoy it. Even if it’s a translation of text, for example, if it’s America, localize it to an American way of seeing it. What “moe” is will be different than in Japan. I think that may be good.

TOM: I see. This is the first time I’ve ever met someone who has thought so deeply about moe content being able to be enjoyed by people outside of Japan. This is a change of topic, but why did you choose to take on a teaching position at Toyo Institute of Art and Design? If you look at it another way, your students may end up becoming your rivals...
Kio: That’s true, my future rivals (laughs). Not long after I started out on my own, I was very scared of making rivals. If there was someone excellent in the same field as me, I felt like it took away from my own work.

But, as my personal network and work expanded, my outlook also expanded and my thinking changed. I thought, “Hey, you can’t keep thinking of things in such a narrow way.” I came to the conclusion that if I want to encourage everyone in this industry to participate more, I have to keep changing my own scenery.

The design world of yesterday was built on master and pupil relationships. It was a relationship where the boss would teach and the subordinates would learn from them. Through these relationships, there was a flow of concepts and skills in design being handed down across generations.

However, with the popularity of the Internet, this flow has changed. Designers who studied on their own and put their work out on the Internet have gradually started to appear. Because of this, there’s now a gaping hole between my generation of designers and this generation of designers in their 20s. It’s a hole that has come about from the spread of the Internet.

Certainly, if you can make good use of the Internet, you can get a lot of information. You can even use it to become a designer on your own. But in exchange for that, there is no doubt that you decrease your chances to get advice from more experienced people and to cultivate your experience through education.

I was thinking that people in their 20s and younger might not even care about that. But then I was getting drinks with some younger people, and they were happy to hear about my experiences. So I started to think, “Well, if I can’t really make them listen to me, then maybe it would be good to create a situation where young people can come and hear me speak.” Then, when I did a talk on design that went really well with a fellow designer who works for Balcolony named Sometani on Ustream where we invited anyone to ask a question, I received an offer to teach from Toyo Institute.

TOM: Starting in September, you’ll be teaching design to 18 and 19 year olds. What kind of information do you want to give them?
Kio: I think that when it comes to technique, with enough time anyone can get to the same level. So, I’d like to teach them how to think and see things as a designer, which is difficult to learn on your own. I believe telling them how to start making something to show to someone, which is what has taken me the most time thinking about in my career, will benefit this younger generation.

TOM: What kind of feelings do you have about lecturing in front of students?
Kio: I’m really excited. I think I’ll also be able to learn a lot through the lecture, alongside the students. So I’m really looking forward to it.

TOM: Finally, is the teaching style you’ll be aiming for that of a demon teacher or will you have the kindness of Buddha?
Kio: There’s no way I could be a demon teacher. It completely goes against my personality (laughs). Buddha is a bit too noble as well. I’ll treat them like friends (laughs).

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.