Creator Interview: mubouou aasaa [1/2]

Recently, we interviewed TOM special creator mubouou aasaa, who is known for his unique and unforgettable art. Read on for the interview!

Creator Introduction
Name: mubouou aasaa
Creator’s MyPage: http://otakumode.com/mubouou_aasaa

TOM: how long have you been making illustrations?
mubouou: Compared to other people, I think I started pretty late. I started regularly making them after graduating high school and going to technical school. Actually, making illustrations wasn’t my reason for going there. I loved games and I wanted to become an editor for Famitsu, a game magazine. I figured that if I wanted to work for Famitsu, I’d need some computer skills, so I chose multimedia as my major (laughs). So, besides illustrating, I also did programming and worked on making images in HTML. Then, eventually, I started drawing pictures.

However, I wanted to learn more technical things from scratch, so I enrolled in another technical school. I took a character design course and I spent one year drawing sketches in the morning and doing CG in the afternoon. At that time, I was torn between drawing pictures and games, as I hadn’t lost my enthusiasm toward either of them. I was lucky enough to find a job in a game company, so now I can engage in both games and drawing.

TOM: Were you involved in character designing from the time that you entered the game company?
mubouou: No. At first, I was in charge of making the backgrounds of maps for action games with pixel art. And, as I was working, I was entrusted with character creation, and eventually, being a person who likes to talk, I became the leader of the development team.

However, the amount of work at that company was simply too much. I didn’t have time for anything besides the games, not even for drawing illustrations for myself. So I was thinking about changing my job, and I ended up being hired by a company that created one of my favorite games. If I tell you the name of the game, the company will be exposed, so I’d rather keep it a secret. However, I was a very big fan of that game, so when I was actually able to meet the person who did the character design, I was deeply inspired. Working with the seniors in the company also helped me learn about the lateral connections in the game industry.

TOM: Speaking of lateral connections, what influence do these have on your creative activities?
mubouou: Well, they surely gave me an opportunity to get acquainted with other creators. As such, I also met those at Pixiv. When I was invited to the Pixiv Festa, I had my first chance to build connections with illustrators from other fields. For example, I met with illustrators from Comitia (a company that sells original doujinshi). It gave me motivation, to say the least. I think that motivation has also widened the range of work I am involved with.

(Interview to be continued)

Creator’s MyPage: http://otakumode.com/mubouou_aasaa

This is an original article from TokyoOtakuMode.