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The following is an excerpt from comic magazine Evening’s production notes.
This fall, Evening will be coming at you with a new series in five continuous issues! We will be holding in-depth interviews with seven creators who will be releasing their extraordinary new series. For part two of this interview series, we have Daisuke Terasawa, master of cooking manga such as Shota’s Sushi and Kui Tan fame! In this part, we will also feature a rare glimpse of Terasawa working in a video.
Part Two: Interview with Daisuke Terasawa on Shota’s Sushi 2 World Stage, a new series starting in Evening Issue 20 (on sale Sept. 24)
The struggle of a young sushi chef in Paris!
A totally new and up-to-date Shota’s Sushi starts!
―Many readers know you for your previous work, Shota’s Sushi. What will the story be like this time?
The main difference from the previous story is that the main character will be taking on the world this time. When creating a story on the “present” sushi scene, the main difference is globalization. Tuna is already being fought over by China and America, and sushi toppings are also evolving all over the world on a daily basis. It makes us proud as Japanese to have sushi become widely popular, but as “sushi” expands all over the world, it gradually evolves into a type of “sushi” we are not familiar with. I intend to write about a sushi chef that stands up to that trend. To be blunt, Shota opens a sushi place in Paris. Will Japanese sushi make it in Paris, the gourmet capital of the world? ...I’m not sure. Even the person creating the manga is not sure where the story is going to lead, so I expect the readers to be even more surprised at the way this manga develops.
―What has changed in the content when compared to your previous work?
Previously, when creating cooking manga, I had focused on the endeavors and the artistry of the chefs, but honestly, in this generation, no one is surprised by artistry in cooking anymore.
In Shota 2, I plan to create drama for the customers’ side, such as regular customers to his restaurant, something which has rarely been touched on before.
―I heard that you actually traveled in Europe to gather material for this work. Where did you go?
I went around France, Norway, and England.
―Was there anything you had a hard time with, or were surprised with when you were in Europe?
Telling you the details would give away too much of the manga’s plot, but talking about hardships, my suitcase was not loaded on my plane when I went to Norway, so I had to go to a salmon farm in the middle of the fjords without my coat. I was absolutely ashen then. My luggage was delivered the next morning, and by looking at the way the hotel handled it, it seemed like it happened a lot… I couldn’t help but think that Japan was a great country.
―What was the tastiest food in your travels?
Breakfast at a hotel in France was delicious, basic but wonderful, and I had so much to eat every morning. As for the worst food I had…well, there was a lot of that. I’ll leave it at that (laughs).
―As your manga’s theme is sushi, I have to ask this! What is your favorite sushi topping?
As I previously mentioned in the paperback edition of Shota’s Sushi, I always order anago (conger eel). Because I’m originally from the Kansai region, my memories of sushi are mostly pressed sushi made with anago. I always order two as a set. The head side and tail side, making two. I order the fatty head side with sauce, and the lean tail side with salt.
―Just listening to that sounds so delicious… For my last question, would you tell me your ambitions for your new series?
I guess one of my goals will be fulfilled if I’m able to write the ups and downs of a young chef chasing his dream overseas. Yet, I’ll try not to forget the laid-back style of the manga, even when I’m writing about realistic worries. I believe readers of my past Shota’s Sushi and also new readers will both enjoy the story. Look forward to Shota and his pals, trying their best in uncharted territories overseas.
About the story…
Hand-rolled green onion sprout, golden mackerel, fish acupuncture…the greatest bouts of unexpected sushi toppings took place in Shota’s Sushi. Fourteen years have passed, and Yasuhito Saji has been maintaining the Otori Sushi restaurant, and the generation of Shota’s sons was also in the kitchen. Saji’s son, Shota, was discontent with the old customs and ways of Otori Sushi. One day, after a chance meeting of a French sushi chef who had visited Otori,
Shota decides to depart from Japan and start up a sushi place in Paris!
Source: Evening Official Facebook
