"Shakugan no Shana" Secrets (「灼眼のシャナ」秘録 Shakugan no Shana Hiroku) is an interview published on pages 58-61 of Dengeki G's Festival! Vol.8 with Yashichirō Takahashi, the creator of Shakugan no Shana, and Noizi Itō, the series illustrator. It reveals information on how the profound worldview and appealing characters of the series were born.
Interview Proper[]
"I used Boy Meets Girl as the foundation and fleshed it out using my tastes." (Takahashi)
Putting what he wants into a classic story...[]
──Please tell us how Shana was born.
Takahashi: In my previous work before Shana, A/B Extreme, I got considerably carried away writing to my tastes (laugh). So this time I discussed with my editor Miki-san about "creating something with a wider scope". In a meeting, we talked about how Boy Meets Girl is a classic story that anyone can read and accept, and I incorporated what I wanted to write into that.
──How did you feel when you were commissioned to illustrate the series, Itō-san?
Itō: As it would be my first time providing illustrations for a novel, instead of hesitation, the feeling of "I want to have a go" was stronger. When it was first discussed with me, the manuscript for volume I had already been finished, so it was easy to grasp the feel of the story and a visual impression immediately came to mind. The protagonist was a small girl, which suited my tastes, so it was easy to start (laugh).
Takahashi: Her character designs are very good, and there has never been any aspects of them that didn't fit my visualizations. Conversely, some aspects have become clearer thanks to the illustrations, and for the initial characters, I believe all of them have been partly influenced by the illustrations.
──By the way, how much of the story had been decided in the initial stages?
Takahashi: In regards to characters, the only ones that had been fully decided upon from the initial stages were the ones that appeared in volume I. But I had thought out the world's setting and the core of the story far ahead to a certain extent, such as the unmentioned details around "Weaver of Coffins", City Devourer, and the Reiji Maigo. It was around the end of volume II that I began to bring to the surface these hidden elements.
Cooperating in production to expand the Shana world[]
Shana[]
──We will now ask about the background behind the creation of individual characters. Starting with Shana, how was she created?
Takahashi: I had decided on the foundational parts of her personality, such as how she was strong-willed and a workaholic, in the initial stages. But I had intended for her appearance to be that of an adult woman. I wanted to create a character who was "an adult on the outside and an innocent girl on the inside", as that gap would make them easy to use. After that, Miki-san advised me that a small child would allow growth to be easier to understand and that it would be exhilarating watching them crush large opponents, and that's why she takes her current form.
──Itō-san, in your illustrations, how do you show her Shana-ness?
Itō: Her eyes, eyebrows, her expression. She is childish, but you could say she is really enlightened. I designed her to be able to smoothly incorporate the gap Takahashi-san was thinking of in her expressions. She is usually crisp and gallant. But when she breaks out into a smile once in a while, I draw her while thinking "I hope she's as cute as possible."
──With what concept did you decide on the personality of Alastor, who is contracted to Shana?
Takahashi: I mostly decide the personality of a Flame Haze's partner to support the Flame Haze's. So for Shana, a small child, the personality would be a knowledgeable adult. His paternal aspects were one of the personalities I had originally decided upon.
Yūji Sakai[]
──Regarding Yūji, what kind of character did you want to make when writing him?
Takahashi: I'm careful not to write about Yūji's appearance to make him easier for the reader to empathize with. I also made his initial circumstances as neutral as possible, and when I write changes that happen over time, I express the changes inside Yūji at the same time.
Itō: When I start illustrating him, I draw what comes to mind when I visualize "a normal boy" who "will become more colored". A boy who was like a normal member of the public and has a funny face is now becoming an adult, and I am happy watching it.
──Yes, he is getting cooler with every volume. He is quite reliable in battles.
Takahashi: I made sure to put in training scenes and show him working hard in every volume so that he could one day participate like this. It would be somewhat hard to accept if he suddenly became stronger without working hard (laugh).
──Yūji also has a kind mother.
Takahashi: Depictions of everyday things like the home serve the purpose of contrasting with the extraordinary battles, so I wrote them to be a place where you could feel as much at ease as possible. Even if realistic, there's no point making it gloomy, so I purposely made Chigusa the ideal mother to the point she was too good to be true.
Kazumi Yoshida[]
──At what point did you decide to make Yoshida-san Shana's love rival?
Takahashi: Originally, I wasn't thinking of writing strong romantic elements. Shana's motive for being against Yoshida-san in volume I was due to being irritated by Yūji Sakai, who she trusted, being kind to another person and them being kind to him, just childishly disliking something being taken from her. So at that point, Yoshida-san was simply a foil to draw out Shana's emotions. In volume II, I decided to make a genuine love triangle one of the themes, and she slowly became more involved in the storyline.
──Itō-san, what do you pay attention to when you illustrate Yoshida-san?
Itō: I thought she was a character who was the exact opposite of Shana in a lot of ways, so I tried to make her appearance the opposite. Like giving her a gentle expression, and giving her short hair as Shana's hair was long. I also gave her white knee socks to give her a model student image.
Wilhelmina[]
──When it comes to Wilhelmina, the image of masks is strong.
Takahashi: That's right. Basically it is obvious what she's thinking. She tries to hide this by being expressionless and speaking stiffly, but she is so awkward that those around her can see through her trying to gloss over it. Her Divine Vessel takes the form of a mask because a Flame Haze's abilities are characteristically shaped by their own mentality.
Itō: I personally like how she has an iron mask but really feels lonely, and how she is "a mother who hasn't become a mother". Her maid dress has a chic design to match her personality. It's certainly not a miniskirt (laugh).
Takahashi: The boots alone were at my request. She's the practical type, so I thought she'd use something easy to move in. This bit's not really like a maid, though.
──Was it your idea that Tiamat would be a headdress, Takahashi-san?
Takahashi: That's right. When I was thinking about a good way to show how Wilhelmina was a natural airhead, I came up with creating a scene where Wilhelmina would hit Tiamat, thereby hitting her own head. By the way, if Tiamat was a human, she would be a career woman. Unlike Wilhelmina, she is the type to not be fazed by anything.
Margery[]
──When creating Margery, from what part did you start?
Takahashi: I made her to be the exact opposite of Shana in a different way to Yoshida-san. An adult on the outside and inside, and a magician to contrast with the swordswoman. I also chose garments that wouldn't suit Shana. But she is emotionally unstable and has lived for centuries swaying between times when she longed for others and times when she has displayed tremendous brutality.
──Because she is like that, the one supporting her is Marchosias.
Takahashi: Margery's a cool adult in both body and mind, so I thought the opposite, someone frivolous would be good. Someone like that would come in handy as a drinking buddy. My cheerful image of him is exactly like Mitsuo Iwata, who voiced him in the anime. When I found out about his casting, it was so perfect that I laughed (laugh).
──Itō-san, is there anything you find difficult when illustrating Margery?
Itō: I usually didn't draw big sister characters, so she was quite challenging. I drew her while worried about how to draw a cool and beautiful big sister in my own style.
Trinity, others[]
──About the Trinity, is there any meaning behind Bel-Peol's distinctive three eyes?
Takahashi: There is, but... let me keep it a secret for now (laugh). For Sydonay, I created him with a rather clichéd "super strong enemy to be fought in the future" impression, so he became a cool middle-aged guy. Unworried about his design, I decided on sunglasses and a suit and left the rest to Itō-san.
Itō: Sydonay is cool in that he is careless, or halfhearted but seems to know everything, he's composed. For Hecate, there's a description of her as a girl being worn by her hat, so I thought it must be big (laugh), and I started from there. After that, I kept in mind to use coloring to convey the holiness fitting a priestess.
──From where are the designs of Divine Vessels created?
Takahashi: Divine Vessels symbolize those characters, so I choose something that matches that character's impression. For Shana's pendant, I thought of something that was visually easy to understand as a Divine Vessel, but for Margery, it's a spellbook because she's a magician, and for Khamsin, it's a piece of folkcraft I found when I was looking for material to do with the Middle East.
Itō: I often have Takahashi-san draw a rough sketch for really distinctive or original things, and not just limited to Divine Vessels. I had him draw rough sketches for nearly all characters in volume X. There were many bizarre characters, like Ullikummi (laugh).
Takahashi: Of course, I don't intend to meddle in the details of characters, but if making a rough sketch passes my visualization clearly, I think it's better if I do that. For Domino, my rough sketch was unrefined but he was drawn to be comical and cute, so I was grateful that he turned out much better.
──Please tell us your favorite scene and character.
Itō: The moment at the end of volume I, where Yūji and Shana understood each other, is the best. I felt a lot of pressure when I was drawing the illustration for it, thinking it was wrong no matter how much I drew and having to start over with a new rough sketch numerous times. The character I like is the father Kantarō-san. Well, I always say Friagne, but he's a character I drew thinking "I'll draw to my tastes as much as possible", so he's special (laugh).
Takahashi: For me recently, the ending of volume XIV. To get there, I'd been writing little set-ups for it since volume XI (laugh). There are also things I had to keep hiding so that everyone wouldn't become aware of it, so there was a big feeling of catharsis for me as an author. I also thought it was visually interesting to write when the Professor arrived on a train in volume VII. My favorite character... the Professor perhaps. But his way of talking eats up the word count (laugh). He's a nuisance where if one spoken line of his takes up a high number of written lines, it's hard to read. I interrupt the Professor's speech with his partner Domino to make his lines shorter (laugh).
A message for the fans from Takahashi and Itō[]
──At last Shana debuts on the silver screen, please tell us your feelings as the movie nears screening.
Takahashi: For Dengeki Bunko, only splendid works like Time Leap and Boogiepop have had movies released. At first, my surprise was greater than my happiness.
Itō: I thought this for the TV anime as well, but it is a tremendous honor to have the characters I designed move on screen. As one staff member, I feel truly happy that I became involved with this work.
──For the TV anime, didn't the staff ask many questions regarding the setting when undertaking production?
Takahashi: It was difficult reorganizing material (laugh). I had to remake material for things I hadn't decided on and things I had a plan for but hadn't written explicitly. But I remembered quite a lot of foreshadowing because of this, which was a big help. At this time, we made the first map of the structure of Misaki City, but with the map made, there are places in the opposite direction to where I had them thought out in my head (laugh).
Itō: I'm thankful that parts I hadn't created in illustrations, such as the reverse side of characters, was established (laugh). I use them as models.
──Changing the topic a little, I believe that among the people reading this article, there are those who wish to become pro authors and illustrators in the future. Could you please give those people some advice?
Takahashi: I think what's important in the setting of a story is "necessity". For example, in volume V, by logically connecting that "Shana was brought up to be like this, so Wilhelmina's personality should be like this", the characters come to life. It's the same for the world's appearance, so if for example there is a different world, think about how it's structured and why, and if you then extend branches out in order from there, the world should naturally spread. Also, in order to come up with a lot of ideas, it may be good to have a look at things which are different to what you want to write about. For me, I started with fantasy and have briefly gone to historical novels. If you only look at the same things, I think you'll become only able to create imitations of other people's work.
Itō: For illustrations, I think it's crucial to submit your work so that it's released and many people can get to see it. Being published will give you confidence, and receiving the opinions of others will be informative. Even when I got together with friends to have fun, I was always submitting my work.
──Lastly, please leave a message for the readers.
Takahashi: The next volume is a side story and the Professor is planned to appear. That's all I can say for now, but please look forward to it. For the movie, everyone did their very best under the authority and conditions given to them. I hope you'll see the results of that. Please enjoy the "Shana"-like, impressive action.
Itō: As the movie will remake volume I in a different way to the TV version, I believe it will be enjoyable for people who have never experienced this work. Friagne-sama has a big role in it, so I'm looking forward to it too (laugh). There are many Shanas for every work, such as the manga and anime, and there are many expressions of Shana that even I haven't illustrated. Please observe the yet unseen charms of Shana and the others in all the many works.
"I feel truly happy that I became involved with Shana." (Itō)
Character Design Tidbits[]
From Takahashi and Itō's talk, further bits of information regarding character designs were selected and revealed.
Shana[]
Itō: I added Shana's black knee socks when I was designing her.
Takahashi: There is actually no mention of the knee socks in the novels' text. And now Miki-san has told me to purposely not write about them as it'd be more interesting that way (laugh).
Yūji Sakai[]
Takahashi: The idea that Yūji became sharp during battles was there from the start. Shana fell in love with that part of him which was reliable during battles, and Yoshida-san fell in love with the ordinary part of him that he usually displayed. The two are attracted to contrasting aspects inside Yūji.
Kazumi Yoshida[]
Takahashi: I decided to make her one point of a love triangle in a discussion with Miki-san. Like Chigusa, her role is to be the everyday within the extraordinary. By the way, the most common reaction from fans is for both Shana and Yoshida-san to do their best.
Wilhelmina[]
Takahashi: Wilhelmina became a subtly disconnected and natural airhead-like person after I thought about what kind of person was needed to raise Shana for her to turn out like she has. Her fighting style became using Ribbons because I wanted to show a splendor that Shana and Margery didn't have.
Margery[]
Itō: As Margery gets on it and travels with it, Grimoire should actually be a little bigger. But if I show this in illustrations, it becomes hard to balance it with Margery. I make its appearance smaller so that Margery's silhouette when holding it looks cool.
Trinity[]
Takahashi: One who makes evil schemes, a cute girl, and a powerful warrior. I gathered clichéd members. The other villains have all come together with volume XIV.
Itō: My specialty had been girls, so I tried my best with the two adults of the Trinity despite them not being my forte (sweat).
It Was Actually 〇〇! Behind the Scenes of Production[]
1. Yoshida-san's figure wasn't that great!?[]
Yoshida-san's figure, which looks thinner when clothed but amazing when undressed, drew the attention of Ike and Yūji.
Though Yoshida-san is now known for her great figure, this seemed to not be established in volume I.
Itō: Whether she was well-developed or underdeveloped, I don't think that was established from the start.
In the TV anime's Shana-tan extras, there's even gags emphasizing her breasts. Is being able to play around with that one of her quirks?
Takahashi: It wasn't. It was first decided when Miki-san said to have a shower scene in volume III.
Itō: I seem to recall him saying "She's pretty big, right?", or something like that... (laugh).
Takahashi: Miki-san asks questions like that. "Right?" And I think "When was that decided?" (laugh). But he often says ideas I would have never thought of like that, and I am truly grateful for his comments. And actually, it has fleshed out her character.
2. The present Oga-chan was born from the editor's comment?[]
When Matake first appeared, she was just a name. She received a larger role because of the words of Miki, the editor.
Oga-chan now has an important role and supports Tanaka from the shadows. She is also very popular with the anime staff.
Takahashi: Oga-chan was born from a complete irregularity. She was insurance I had prepared just in case to replace Yoshida-san, whose role was to symbolize the everyday, if she became aware of the Crimson Realm in the future and went over to the extraordinary side. When she first appeared in the volume III shower scene, I hadn't thought of any concrete future appearances for her. But when I was presenting my ideas for volumes volume VI-VII, Miki-san suddenly said "Oga-chan loves Tanaka, right?", and I thought "What is this guy talking about.....?" (laugh).
Itō: And for me, (a female student in Yūji's class) suddenly became Oga-chan before I knew it (laugh). In the shower scene, the only description was that she was easy-going and boyish.
3. The model for Toga was Totoro![]
There are differences in presentation between media and in the anime, the fierce animal aspect of it was strengthened, prioritizing onscreen impact.
Margery's battle form Toga has a hidden secret too!
Takahashi: The visualization of Toga is Totoro pajamas. Like a costume worn over the whole body, something comical.
Itō: When I was first told "Make it like Totoro", there was an exchange like "It will turn out cute, are you sure?", "Well, they are humorous characters." I've been masking this in the actual illustrations. If I draw it properly, I'm scared that something tremendously cute will be produced (laugh).