miltonlicht

[miltonlicht]

Yagate Kimi ni Naru chapter 37 raws

You can check the raws of Yagate Kimi Ni Naru chapter 37 here *click*

[miltonlicht]

Top 12 alternatives to Photoshop for digital painters and illustrators

Hello there!

Yes, we haven’t done this in a while… but our inbox and chat are swamped with questions on the subject, so this article was very much needed.

it’s a simple list of art apps, but we know you love those :D

Enough with the intro, here it is, a list of twelve art apps you may want to check out.

ArtRage is an art program for beginners and professionals. With its minimal interface, it’s easy to keep the essential tools at hand without stealing space from the canvas. Panels can be moved around and tools can be customised. We all know how important it is for digital artists to be able to modify brushes!

Pros: easy to use; friendly interface; essential tools from professional apps available; available for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac

Cons: it may get sluggish with big files and when using big brushes, but performances also depend on the running machine; limited selection of editing tools if compared to Photoshop - ArtRage is more of a painting program rather than an editing one.

Paid

ArtRage Lite is a different version at a cheaper price, mostly for beginners, but also for professionals if they need the essential.

Now free, Sketchbook is the famous app created by Autodesk for various platforms.

Pros: clean, friendly interface; easy to use; professional features

Cons: lack of official tutorials; doesn’t offer as many tools as other apps (it’s down to the essential); paid subscription in Adobe style for multiple licenses

Free and paid

Black Ink is a powerful little program few actually know, but there’s a reason: this isn’t your classing drawing app. What’s cool about it is the vast selection of special brushes, completely non-realistic, and definitely able to boost your creativity.

Pros: vast selection of customisable brushes; excellent performance

Cons: not very easy to use; non-intuitive interface

Paid

This is probably the most complete software for painting, drawing and animation. It was originally known as Manga Studio, but with its updates and addition of features, it became Clip Studio Paint. 

This doesn’t say much about the quality of the features themselves considering the affordable price (if you haven’t used the app yet, that is), but among graphic apps, this one is the top seller.

Pros: professional features for illustrators; layout tools for comic/manga artists; 3D reference models; customisable tools; various sales with special prices

Cons: the interface may not appear intuitive at first; the program may lag (again, performance also depends on the running machine)

Paid

GIMP is the famous open source image editor originally created for GNU/Linux and available for OS X and Windows. 

Best known as Photoshop’s main competition, this is a manipulation program for both beginners and professionals who love design.

It offers many professional features, making the program a powerful tool.

Pros: professional editing tools; supports different formats; supported by different platforms; active community

Cons: in spite of the simple design, many options are hidden and it takes time to discover all the features; slow startup

Free

Krita is an open source painting app created by artists for artists.

Pros: easy to use; intuitive interface; great brush workflow; brush stabilizer; customisable brushes; general good performance; very enthusiastic, although small, community

Cons: it may be slow or even crash depending on the running computer and the app’s version; very few editing tools compared to Photoshop

Free

MediBang Paint is a free and light app for drawing and painting, perfect for manga and comic creation.

Pros: vast selection of brushes; cloud sharing; friendly, minimal interface (non-desktop app); also available for iPad, iPhone and Android

Cons: requires an account to use all features; non-intuitive interface (desktop version)

Free

Mischief is a sketching app with essential tools, useful for brainstorming and ideation.

Pros: infinite drawing canvas; friendly interface; easy to use; cheap pro version

Cons: few updates; offers only the essential (but that’s the point); no editing/adjustment tools

Free and paid

Corel’s jewel, Painter is the most famous software that offers digital tools able to give a traditional feel to brushes and canvas.

Pros: different selection of media; many professional features; PS-friendly

Cons: certain brushes may work slow; not easy to use at first; the software may crash (this is the most common report); pricey

Paid

Paintstorm Studio is a professional software for digital painting. It’s focused on the use of brushes and blending, which makes the software a little gem in the digital painting field.

Pros: good brush workflow; brush stabilizer; “close gap” feature; customisable interface and tools; professional features; affordable price

Cons: non-intuitive interface (desktop version)

Paid

Procreate is the powerful drawing app for iOS. 

With the very sensitive Apple Pencil, Procreate is so easy to use that many artists chose the iPad over the most famous graphic tablets.

Pros: friendly interface; makes it easy to organise files; excellent brush workflow; customisable brushes; video recording; affordable price

Cons: hidden features; only available for iPad

Paid

SAI is a simple app for artists who want to focus on painting and drawing. 

It’s well known for its good pressure support and its essential tools for manga artists, but SAI can be used by any kind of artist who wants to paint.

Pros: easy to use; friendly interface; light software; customisable brushes; tons of (non-official) tutorials

Cons: limited selection of tools, even basic ones; limited canvas sizes and uses; it might crash from intensive work, especially with big canvases and brushes; supports only RGB colour mode; lack of support

Paid

We hope you’ll find this list useful. 

If you think there are other apps that should have made this list, don’t hesitate to let us know!

Thank you and peace out,

G&M

Buy us a coffee ❤

Other articles:

10 inspiring and helpful YouTube channels for digital artists

6 inspiring Art Podcasts for digital artists

7 amazing Photoshop extensions and tools for digital artists

[miltonlicht]

Interview 2010 | Nakatani Nio - Doujinshi Artist

The interviewer points out that Nakatani draws a lot of yuri art and it's interesting to compare her answer to what she says today. She basically answers that she thought drawing girls was fun but didn't set out to draw yuri (she also goes on a rant about misleading user-added Pixiv tags), she just wanted to draw Touhou characters and their relationships to each other and they happened to be almost all girls. Then she adds that she used to draw mainly BL. She almost sounds defensive? To be fair, the question was worded in a way that could come across as a bit intrusive ("what does yuri mean to you personally"), but it's still fascinating to see how far she's come—from "yuri is fine, I guess" to drawing a successful yuri manga that runs in freaking Dengeki Daioh.

(via TB from Dynast

"The first stuff you uploaded to Pixiv was yuri, your manga are yuri, and everything you upload with a couple girls in it will definitely be tagged "yuri"? What is yuri to you?"

Her answer is that she only uses the yuri tag as a warning for people that might not want to see yuri. The problem is that users keep tagging everything with two girls in it "yuri," so the tag reappears even if she erases it. Her point here is just that to her, yuri is something sexual or at least romantic, and not just something with two girls in it.

She doesn't really come across as ambivalent about yuri, though—she notes that's drawn a lot, and in the Yagakimi extra she recalls wanting to draw more (specifically, a work focused more on the romance itself). She just notes (both here and in Yagakimi) that in general her works focused on relationships between girls, and that it's only a subset of those that she would call yuri—and yet somehow people started calling her a yuri artist and labeling all her work as yuri.

If you read it in the context of things like this other interview, you can start to see what she's getting at: increasingly, things are labelled "yuri" just because their core cast (or entire cast) is female and they act kinda flirty with each other. For Nio, it's not yuri unless they fuck.

(via Cyfer from Dynasty)

[miltonlicht]

2018/1/26

Interview with Kawanami Izumi (Author of “Kago no Shoujo)

[miltonlicht]

Interview with editor Kusunoki

[miltonlicht]

This is new!!!!!

[miltonlicht]

Nakatani Nio & Canno

…So, I create a separate thread for this, as suggested by Nezchan.

Original interview http://blog.livedoor.jp/geek/archives/51522471.html (SITE NOT SAFE FOR WORK)

It was published at the time volume 2 of YagaKimi came out. I apologize for potential inaccuracies in the translation.

(Doc file )

−−−−−−−−−−−

Special conversation between "Yagate Kimi ni Naru"'s Nakatani Nio and "Ano Ko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo"'s Canno.

From the origin of their fixation on yuri to their work ethics, to the works in which they "felt the presence of yuri", the two authors who carry the yuri genre on their shoulders openly talked with us.

−−Today we're having a conversation in which you two can't not participate, so I thank you both for coming while you're so busy. Is this the first time you actually meet?

Nakatani Nio: Since we met a few days ago at Yuri-ten in Ikebukuro, this is actually our second meeting.

Canno: Since Nakatani-san's manga has a very cool craft to it, I expected her to be equally cool. And when we met, well, she was, but she was also a very kind and lovely woman.

NN: Really? What's this all about! (laugh) I actually always bought Canno-san's doujinshis at doujin displays, so of course I've known about her for a while now.

Ca: Same for me, I've been reading Nakatani-san's doujins since before "Yagate Kimi ni Naru" started. I didn't know very well the exact genre of her works, but Melonbooks had a special page attached saying "It's an awesome manga!", so I bought them regardless.

−−So you knew who the other was before you were serialized. What started your interest in Yuri, Canno-san?

Ca: I guess the trigger was reading "Maria-sama ga miteru" (Shūeisha) in high school. I didn't really care much about the genre at first, but after reading it I became hooked on it.

NN: That's the most notorious entry point! What couple did you like the most?

Ca: My favorite character is Yoshino from "Yellow Rose", and I ship her with Rei-chan. Did you read MariMite, Nakatani-san?

NN: Since it's a sort of landmark for Yuri, I read volume 1 for my culture, and I liked it, but I don't have much time to read novels, so I haven't read the rest. For now I'm only reading one small bit at a time.

Ca: Please be sure to read at least to "Rainy Blue".

NN: I don't quite get that "stop at Rainy" phrase that Yuri fans always use...

Ca: Well, don't worry about that, buy them until Rainy Blue.

NN: Alright, I'll read it.

Ca: Have you enjoyed a particular Yuri series lately?

NN: In my last interview, when I said I like "Hibike! Euphonium" (novel by Takarajimasha, anime by Kyōto Animation), I was retorted that it wasn't Yuri. But there were scenes where I did feel a Yuri vibe, so it was fine by me. Of course, Euphonium as a whole can't really be called a Yuri, but to me it counts as long as I can feel it in some parts.

Ca: Yeah, I'm that way too. Take "Precure" (Tōei Animation): I watch it as a goldmine of yuri, and in my favorite series, Doki Doki, there's that girl called Hishikawa Rikka...

NN: Oh yeah, Hishikawa!

Ca: She's the main character Aida Mana's partner, but as Mana builds relationships with other characters, Rikka gets jealous and uneasy. If you watch this as a grade schooler, you can think that it's natural to feel this way towards a friend, but when you watch it as an adult, you totally feel the Yuri!

NN: Ahaha! So you have more fun seeing Yuri in mainstream works than reading actual yuri?

Ca: I feel it has become this way, lately, yes. Before, I read only Yuri-hime Comics and such, works that I fully knew were Yuri, but these times I've started to look for Yuri in works that aren't generally lauded as such.

NN: Did it start when you started to draw "AnoKiss"?

Ca: Hmm, I wonder? Lately I enjoy feeling the Yuri in stuff like the yonkoma in "Kirara" (Houbunsha), but I think I also got tired with overly serious and dark works as I grew older. So more than "AnoKiss", it may just be that I'm getting old (laugh).

NN: Since I've started drawing Yuri manga, I've become more conscious of other Yuri works, but what about you, Canno-san? Has drawing AnoKiss made your Yuri antenna more sensitive?

Ca: Not that much, I would say. Even before my love for Yuri awakened, I liked same-sex romance in general, so outside of that and seeing Yuri in girly anime, my sensitivity is still pretty much the same.

NN: I think I feel the same. So more than Yuri itself, what you really enjoy is shipping, right?

Ca: Yes, I love shipping. There are a lot of people who are both into BL and Yuri, aren't there. (?)

−−Then why do you write Yuri rather than BL?

Ca: I love drawing facial expressions, and if I have to draw very expressive faces, I have more fun with girls. And if I have two girls, that's twice the luck. (laugh) More than romantic love iself, I like ambiguous relationships that are close to love but might be something else. But if I write such relationships with a boy and a girl, everyone ends up naturally assuming that it's love. However, with two girls the feeling is a bit more balanced, I think. I guess it would be the same with two boys, but as I said I have more fun drawing girls, so… (laugh)

NN: It's true that in AnoKiss, the characters never use the words "love" or "romance". Is that deliberate on your part?

Ca: It's not exactly deliberate, but it's a natural result of that feeling, I guess. And you, Nakatani-san, what made you draw girl's love manga?

NN: I thought, "if a cute girl and a cute girl do cute stuff, it'll be hella cute."

Ca: So you're no different from me! (laugh)

NN: Your way of saying it was cooler, though. (laugh)

Ca: But in YagaKimi there's Maki-kun, who's a guy, right? Didn't you want to avoid featuring boys in a Yuri series?

NN: I didn't. In my interview for Dengeki Online, I said that "In a world where there are also men, I want girls to be chosen anyway." [sorry, I'm not quite sure what the original sentence means here > 「男性もいる世界観の中で、あえて女の子を選んだ形で描きたい」 ] But while there are girls that "fall in love specifically with girls", I think there are also girls "whose crush just happens to be a girl". I wanted to also show that side in the characters' personalities and specificities, and I didn't think I could really depict it if men were completely absent. What do you feel about the presence of male characters in YagaKimi's cast, Canno-san?

Ca: Since Maki-kun doesn't directly get involved in love affairs, I haven't really paid much attention to him, regardless of his gender. If he had made an obvious move on Nanami-senpai or Yuu-chan I would probably have thought "hey, he's a guy", but so far there's no indication he's going to approach them or any of the girls.

NN: I see, that's an original way to view it.

Ca: For now, I only think of Maki-kun as un uke, with Doujima-kun as the seme.

NN: Thank you very mu… wait, what? (laugh) In AnoKiss, however, there's not a trace of male presence.

Ca: Yes, right from the start I decided that there would't be any male characters.

NN: Writing the word "yuri" in the title feels like a sort of challenge. Didn't it take courage?

Ca: I thought that it might not reach the potential readers if I didn't say right away "this is Yuri". So I wanted to get that information across. Since the series was gonna focus on "yuri" and "kiss", the best-sounding title I found with those two words was "Ano Ko ni Kiss to Shirayuri wo". How did you decide on the title "Yagate Kimi ni Naru"?

NN: I did put a lot of meaning in the title, but even in the prototypes I chose ones that had a sort of Yuri aura to them. When volume 1 came out, I was very careful to appeal to Yuri lovers, with the cover (two girls gazing at each other) or the the band around the cover.

Ca: But that's not the case of the title.

NN: Indeed, but many yuri fans told me that "One Day, I Will Become You" sounds extremely Yuri. But some also say "I thought it was a story of substitution".

Ca: Like some kind of horror story. "I'll gradually take your place…" (laugh)

NN: Exactly. (laugh) In "AnoKiss", you have one kiss per chapter, huh.

Ca: Yes, my editor told me to include a kissing scene every time. And to create highlight scenes, in a Yuri manga the kissing scenes might be a selling point, they said. (laugh)

NN: I can get that. You think carefully about where the kiss will be, won't you?

Ca: I think the place where a kiss is given is significant, so I don't choose it at random. My editor even keeps an Excel file where they listed who kisses whom and where. Like, in volume 3, "kiss on the foot, indicating submission." (laugh)

NN: A kiss list, now that's interesting! Although, when you say "Excel", it kind of takes the magic away. (laugh)

Ca: But making a list of "character X gives a kiss there in chapter Y" means that by chapter 20 we've almost run out of body parts to kiss. (laugh)

NN: It's important to have some variety in the kisses, I guess. So far, my series has only had 2 kissing scenes, but I still have that voice telling me "this, here, is the highlight!", so I put all my effort onto that point. It's like a fighting game, where you wait for the exact moment when your special attack is sure to hit hard.

−−Nakatani-san, did you already know about AnoKiss when you started to draw YagaKimi?

NN: Well, if you draw yuri manga, AnoKiss has already become hard to ignore, so I read it intensely to help me for my own work. Even leaving that aside, my first impression when opening a volume was "Wow, the author is good!" (laugh)

Ca: No way! Thank you very much. (laugh)

NN: To me, seeing a yuri manga that wasn't shoujo-like was refreshing. Sure, it is love-themed, but in the tight lining and expressions, or in the panel layout, it feels closer to shounen. Since there are a lot of shounen aspects in my own way of drawing, I felt maybe we had some things in common in that regard.

Ca: I never read that many shounen manga growing up, and used to read almost only shoujo manga, but I do think my drawings aren't very shoujo-like, so you opinion confirms that.

NN: To me, that makes it easier to read, actually. So I'm glad there is a yuri series with this kind of style!

Ca: I found the art incredibly good too when I read YagaKimi's first chapter. Then Yuu-chan received a confession from a boy, I wondered how she would react, and what kind of yuri story it would evolve into, I was really excited. After reading the first volume, I was both supporting Nanami-senpai and sympathising with Yuu-chan, who couldn't understand what it was like to be in love. I actually think that if I was into Yuu-chan's shoes, I would be scared of Nanami-senpai. Even though you keep saying "I don't understand", she's constantly pushing in. So reading that and seeing Yuu-chan's acceptance of it, I find her incredibly kind-hearted.

NN: I see. (laugh)

Ca: And yet I'm like "Do your best, Nanami-senpai!", like I'm trying to fan the flames of yuri. (laugh) More specifically, I loved the entire chapter where Nanami-senpai went to Yuu-chan's place! But I guess that's how even a girl feels when she goes to the place of the girl she likes.

NN: I'm glad you say that. (laugh)

Ca: Also, I'm really intrigued by Saeki-senpai. When Nanami-senpai chose Yuu-chan for the election campaign, her friend started to worry that she didn't rely on her, and I love this kind of "complication". (laugh)

NN: Ah, so you do love complications! I actually love Towako from AnoKiss. (laugh) Personally, I sometimes feel I can't write a story without drama, but in a generally quiet and bright story like AnoKiss I was kind of surprised to see a girl like her, who brought problems. I find your way of drawing difficult emotions yet being very clear in the execution really enthralling. [難しい感情を描きつつ、爽やかに仕上げているのが魅力的だと感じます。]

Ca: For AnoKiss, I'm adamant on concluding a given arc within a single volume, or 5 chapters, so I can't create too much complications. So I found it difficult to write volume 3, where Towako appears, with a more dramatic appeal than usual. That's why I love girls in the position of Saeki-senpai… Err, but well, since I said I liked Hishikawa from Doki Doki Precure, I guess that wasn't much of a secret. (laugh)

NN: Indeed. (laugh)

Ca: So yes, I can't wait to see how Saeki-senpai is gonna interact with those two.

NN: I often hear that "Sayaka = Hishikawa", but Hishikawa is voiced by Kotobuki Minako-san, and in the recent PV for Yagate Kimi ni Naru, Kotobuki-san voices Nanami Touko.

Ca: Yes. That's why, when I saw that PV, I was like "It's Kotobuki-san, yaaay!" with a guts pose. (laugh)

−−How did you feel when you heard your characters talk?

NN: Their voices were as I imagined. I didn't picture those voices very clearly until now, but after hearing them in the PV, they are the voices I now hear in my head when working on my storyboards. AnoKiss had some Drama CD's released, what were your impressions?

Ca: From the start, there were characters who talked and others who didn't talk in my head. I was happy that the voices of those who talked inside me could now be heard by the readers. As for those who didn't talk, it felt refreshing, like "so that's what their voices sounded like". I had always imagined Kurosawa Yurine with the voice of Mizuhashi Kaori, so I thought "now everyone can hear it too". Shiramine Ayaka didn't talk in my head, so my feeling was more "Ooh! So that's what you sound like. You're cute, Shiramine." (laugh) The way I picture the characters hasn't changed, but right after the recording I really heard those voices in my head, though now they have quieted down.

Ca: I really think your art is pretty, but do you employ any assistants?

NN: No, I draw all alone.

Ca: You mean you draw everything by yourself, even the backgrounds? That's something…

NN: And you, Canno-san, do you employ assistants?

Ca: I do receive help from friends, occasionally, but normally I work alone. I'm afraid of drawing manga with people I don't know, honestly… Well, you could say I'm just shy. (laugh)

NN: Oh I know how you feel! I'm really shy too… Since I'm not very good a communicating with people, I end up more comfortable with controlling all of my work myself. But I'm aware that it may not be such a good thing when you draw manga.

Ca: That's a very mature comment.

NN: What I'm saying is very childish, though. (laugh) "I can't communicate, so I'm fine by myself!" (laugh)

Ca: Ahaha!

NN: Still, you're pretty impressive yourself. AnoKiss' backgrounds are really filled and polished.

Ca: You could say I'm a bit afraid of the void, so I often try my best to fill the blanks. In your art, however, it's like the blanks are used as an integral component of the picture, and I'm fond of that.

NN: Thank you very much! I have a question about AnoKiss: on the first chapters cover, many characters are drawn, and one of them in the back, Machida Kaoru, already appeared in volume 4. As you are writing an ensemble story, I wonder how far you had planned from the start.

Ca: Kaoru is an exception, actually. I had always planned on introducing her and even imagined the chapter, but she wasn't my top priority either, so she ended up appearing quite late. If the story had ended in 2 or 3 volumes, she wouldn't have appeared, but now we're at volume 4. So, no, I haven't really planned that much ahead. (laugh)

NN: Is that so. Since the gardening club arc and even the astronomy arc flowed so naturally, I thought you had all that in mind from the beginning.

Ca: I pretty much advance at random, but if it feels planned then I'm glad. (laugh)

−−You two have talked quite a lot today. How was it?

NN: As I was one of her fans, I almost feel guilty for talking with her so casually.

Ca: Oh no, I thank you, really. Yagate Kimi ni Naru has a very cool artstyle and you are equally cool, so I was afraid you'd tell me "I don't care about someone who draws such frivolous manga!", but luckily you are a kind person. (laugh)

NN: What do you mean frivolous?! No way! I'm really thankful that I could talk with you today. I could tell you what I liked and what my favorite character was in AnoKiss, so as a fan I feel content… AnoKiss and YagaKimi, despite being both yuri mangas, differ on a lot of aspects, but I was happy to find that I had a lot in common with you, Canno-san. I'll work hard on YagaKimi so that it doesn't lose to AnoKiss, so please be well!

−−Thank you very much for today.

Interview: Kaazu (Kaazu SP)

−−−−−−−−−−−

…So yeah, you can now consider me a NioCanno shipper.

But more seriously, imagine a yuri written by Nakatani and drawn by Canno. That would be something. * o *

(via Lyendith on Dynasty)

Interview #2

[miltonlicht]

(via Manga Editors Roundtable – The Growth of Yuri)

[miltonlicht]

https://www.facebook.com/notes/tr%E1%BA%A7n-vy/translation-k%E1%BB%B7-ni%E1%BB%87m-ph%C3%A1t-h%C3%A0nh-vol1-yagate-kimi-ni-naru-ph%E1%BB%8Fng-v%E1%BA%A5n-c%C3%B9ng-v%E1%BB%9Bi-nakata/1861353557511953/

Interview #1

[Translation] Yagate Kimi ni Naru Vol. 1 Launch Commemoration! Interview with Nakatani-sensei.

Few words from me first:

Since there doesn’t seem to be any English translation on this article, I decided to take a stab at it. This interview is translated from a translated Chinese version, which sounds kind of… dangerous lol? Therefore, if you find any mistake, please feel free to let me know so I will correct it.

The original article is here.

The Chinese translated version is here.

All images are not done by me! Please give credits to Nakatani-sensei, without sensei none of this would have ever happen.

Small Spoiler Warning Ahead: It seems like @ihoshiku​ is the only scanlator out there for this series. This interview mentioned a bonus volume which hasn’t been scanlated in English yet. So, you’ve been warned.

(Also, to all the translators/scanlators out there, thank you for all the hard work!)

Enjoy!

N= Natakani Nio

E= Editor

—–

The monthly publication Dengeki Daioh is now serializing a love story between Koito Yuu, a girl whom never fell in love with anyone, and Nanami Touko, a popular member of the Student Council. Yagate Kimi ni Naru (Eventually I’ll become yours)’s first volume will be launched in store on October 24th! This time, we invited Nakatani Nio-sensei and the editor together to our interview, which we discussed sensei’s view on girl’s love and appeal of this Yuri-filled series Yagate Kimi ni Naru!

Nakatani Nio-sensei’s Yagate Kimi ni Naru first volume launch date October 24th.

· The lack of Yuri awareness

───  What opportunity help created Yagate Kimi ni Naru?

N: I have been drawing stories between girls so the people around me believed that I already am a ‘Yuri manga artist’. Personally, I was hesitant to call my work Yuri because I never intended to narrate a love story. When I finally decided to “draw a full-on Yuri story for once”, the editor came to me, and that was the opportunity.

E: I was shocking the first time hearing [sensei said this]. Even after drawing kiss scenes [between girls], [sensei] still did not aware that is Yuri (laugh).

N: It’s true that you mentioned it… I always like to draw those troublesome and entangled love stories, that’s why it did not matter [to me] whether the content is Yuri or not.

· Enjoy the contrast between Yuu and Touko’s appearance and inner character.

Koito Yuu A kind and stubborn first year high school student. She found herself connected to Nanami Touko when they met at the Student Council. She is very self-conscious on the fact that she will never understand what it is like to fall for someone. Not sure why Touko became attracted to her. Currently helping the Student Council activity.

───  Main Character Yuu, antenna is the feature.

N: Now that you mentioned it… why did I draw the antenna (laugh)? This is because I want to create a balance between her and Touko, therefore I purposely designed a girl with a cute look. However, deep down her is cool in some aspects. If (readers feel) that I successfully portrayed their contrast, it will make me very happy.

───  That’s true, this character is cute on the outside, but surprisingly calm and cool on the inside.

N: I like this awkward kind of girl.  In the beginning, there was no real person whom I can refer to for this character from. However, for the sake of this a love manga, the editor gathered many love stories from people around us. These stories include those who never had a relationship and those who never want one. All these references helped me greatly.

E: During the name stage, we couldn’t capture Yuu’s personality precisely and this made us worried for quite some time. Luckily, we heard from a kid who doesn’t understand what it feels like to ‘like’ someone… Then it hits us “so this kid is Yuu!” Then, upon consent, the kid agreed to let us use her as Yuu’s model. I think majority of people almost always experienced first love. This is also why it’s difficult for readers to understand the feeling of ‘never going to ‘like’ anyone’. Nakatani-sensei beautifully illustrates the feeling through metaphors like ‘sprouting wings’ and ‘feet can’t feel the ground’.

───  Which of Yuu’s scene do you like?

N: In chapter 5, there was a scene where Yuu took Touko outside. I was happy that I could portray Yuu’s caring side. The “Because it feels like you are nervous that’s why… Even though there is no reason to drag you out here. It is a bit embarrassing but what’s done is done!” kind of feeling. I also wish the readers will like this side of Yuu. Her straightforwardness and do-things-without-hesitation.

E: I like the scene when her older sister entered her bedroom and saw the star projection. It naturally depicted how well the sisters get along with each other. We also received letters from readers saying that they like how Yuu add ‘-san’ when calling her sister, which made us believe that their close-knit relationship is portrayed successfully.

Nanami Touko A popular, honorary student who is also a member of the Student Council. Even though she claimed she never felt anything from a love confession but is now slowly attracted to Yuu and started to go after her persistently

───  What determine Touko’s look?

N: I want to create a character that has a cool, beautiful, and king like appearance.  In the initial stage, her hair wasn’t this long, but after a while the hair got longer and she began to look more like a good female protagonist. After she discovered Yuu’s cold inner character, the beautiful Touko turned out to be rather spoiled by it. I am glad a lot of readers enjoy the contrast between the two characters.  Please continue to appreciate once you explore beyond just the first impression of them.

─── Which of Touko’s scene do you like?

N: In chapter 3 when their hands are touched, but I can’t say much since it will spoil the story. Not sure if it is cute or lame the fact that Touko can’t control her feelings… Also the composition that shows Yuu’s reaction is also depicted very tastefully.

Saeki Sayaka Touko’s best friend and always the second place among her year. Even though she view herself having the ‘responsibility for supporting Touko’, deep down she feels very complex towards how close Touko is getting with Yuu.

─── How is Sakaya’s character determined?

N: The fact she is always next to Touko and the vice president position makes her an exceptional student too. I purposely design her to look different when she is next to Touko. Even though they are both high-honor students, Touko is popular and a loveable, whereas Sayaka is hard to approach kind of like a high mountain flower.

─── Will there be a surge/conflict between Sakaya and Touko?

N: That you will have to find out later on (laugh).

· Asking the editor why serialize a Yuri manga on Dengeki Daioh?

─── Yuri manga seems to give a freshness to Dengeki Daioh.

E: I received a lot of the same reaction too. However, since I decided to do it, it is impossible to stop. I already like Yuri work and have been thinking when will I become an editor for it.

N: [The editor] gets exciting when talking about Yuri.

E: (Cough cough)… As soon as Nakatani-sensei agreed to do a Yuri work, in that very instance my head is filled with nothing else but Yuri. I even had the belief that all female in this world must be les while I was learning about the topic.

N: That point I thought this person can’t be cured anymore.

E: I was actually taking a gamble since Dengeki Daioh never had any story that depicts a love story between the two girls. Thankfully the editor-in-chief agreed. I was very glad to be able to work in such an open minded company.

─── What do you think is the appeal of a Yuri manga?

E: It depends on how people define ‘what makes a manga Yuri’. Some people think ‘as long as there is no male character’, or ‘once in love everything changes’, and ‘if there is H then it is not Yuri but GL’. Personally, I simply get exciting over a love story between girls. It is precisely because they are girls and that is what makes it attractive – At least that is what I think.

N: It is hard to define what is Yuri, as long as every reader their own thought on it, it’s good enough. I think ‘once the reader thinks this is Yuri, then at that moment it becomes Yuri’.

─── In a teenage boy mange magazine, there seem to be voices that says “if there is no male character then who should I relate my feeling to?”

E: There is nothing wrong with being a CP. Rather than relating yourself with the characters, being on the audience side and watch their relationship is nice too. I think you will be able to enjoy Yuri manga even better this way.

─── So that means.

E: Instead of incorporating your feeling into a character, try and become an audience and enjoy their relationship from the outside. It is alright even if you can’t relate. As long as two people can love each other, and they keep finding each other on a vest grass field, then I rather become a patch of grass on that field… However, our goal is to have you find a character that you like and that makes you want you to observe this character until the very end. For this reason, we need to make the readers favor all kinds of characters.

N: This gives me tons of pressure. When I draw, I always remember to make Touko and Yuu likable for everyone… If everyone feels the same way, I will be very happy.

─── I see. Nakatani-sensei, is there a recent Yuri work that you like?

N: I really like the anime Hibike! Euphonium. It depicted everything I want to do in Yuri. It even made me thought “why am I watching this while drawing Yuri manga at the same time” – complicated feeling (laugh). I was also in a band when I was a student. I played Trombone in middle school and Tuba in high school. The story in the anime echoes part of my memories in the band. On top of that, the Yuri flavor in there just made me love the show even more! The illustration on the instruments is also stunning. There are a lot of details can be discovered only if you ever played the instrument. This anime completely fits my taste. Thank you very much!

Everyone laughs.

·  Yuu’s bookstore special is also very luxurious! Yagate-matsuri attack!

─── For example, the melon special is just too amazing.

N: That’s right! Melon special is the bonus booklet which invited Minakata Sunao-sensei (Akuma no Riddle), Canno-sensei (A Kiss and A White Lily), Itou Hachi-sensei (Sayuri-san no Imouto wa Tenshi), and more to help contribute to illustration and manga!

N: The fact that my favorite senseis all gathered together and draw my work made me so happy that I feel I can fly! Things like “so this is how this sensei viewed this kid…” it really gave me some new discoveries. Hopefully everyone can give it a read.

E: In addition, store A also has bonus merchandise related to A kiss and A White Lily and a new short series published by Toranoana. Hopefully everyone can check it out too.

Yagate’s Vol.1 Special Items

E: Also, Dengeki Daioh ‘s official twitter is hosting a lottery even starting October 27th. We will be drawing 5 readers go give out sensei’s signed color illustration. As long as you retweet you will able to participate, make sure you don’t miss the opportunity!

· Touko and Yuu’s increasing contrast is attention grabbing.

─── The end of volume 1 seems to complete a phase for Yuu and Toukko.

N: Now that they finally established the basis of their relationship, something is lurking in the atmosphere in the end (laugh).

E: Next chapter 6 will be publishing the same time when the next issue of Dengeki Daioh is released, which allows readers to immediately continue the story. If you are curious to what happens next please purchase the magazine.

N: In the end, first volume focuses on the relationship between Touko and Yuu. The second volume will focus more on Sayaka, Maki-kun, and even the Akari will get to have more action. Touko, who is in deeply love with Yuu’s contrast temperature will soon accelerate. If it will fit everyone’s taste then I will be very pleased.

─── To wrap up, please say a few words to readers.

N: Even though this love story is a bit awkward, plus the freedom that is given to me upon my first official Yuri series made me a bit nerve wrecking. If more people get to read it, that will be good enough. Of course, besides the dedicated Yuri fans, if you also like reading troublesome love story I think you will enjoy this too. For all those reason, the story will be under your care and thank you very much.

─── Thank you both for agreeing to the interview today.