The argument between Ichi and Uroro in the 6th Hunt (6th chapter), where they affirm that they see each other as enemies. There's the sense that neither is willing to give the other any ground, and I feel like it's a good showcase of both their personalities. It seems like it'll take a lot for those two to get along.

Desscaras. No other characters feel as "alive" as she does—always acting unpredictably and freely. I enjoy writing for her because she's almost always up to something strange when she's on the page. I'm sure she's doing something bizarre even as we speak.

In the sense of gaining new readers, we try to make things interesting even for someone who jumps in partway through the story, so I take care to make what is currently happening in the plot as clear and emphatic as possible. In the sense of the effect that it has on readers, I hope that our work will become a source of enjoyment in their lives. Whatever form it takes—through giving them a sense of excitement, loneliness, relief, or otherwise—we'd like it to bring some color to our readers' lives.

My work involves drafting characters, story structure, and the panel layouts in the manga—everything up to the storyboards. First, I meet with our editor to determine where the story will be going, then draw 19 pages of panel layouts. I don't draw the characters in too much detail, using red lines or other means to provide explanations for complicated panels, and attach references such as floor plans and background scenery before sharing them with Usazaki-sensei, the artist. Usazaki-sensei's final drafts never fail to impress, so I look forward to seeing the work she’s done each time.

I believe I was influenced by series such as "Card Captor Sakura" and "Pokémon". "Card Captor Sakura" involves the protagonist, Sakura, traveling from place to place to collect scattered magic, which appealed to my own interest in collecting things. I was always excited to see what magic Sakura would find next. Meanwhile, in "Pokémon", the concept of Pokémon you collect becoming your partners and the focus on growing stronger together with them has always appealed to me. Both series brought me a lot of enjoyment during my childhood. I thought it would be interesting to portray Magiks—and therefore magic—as both enemies for the main character, Ichi, to hunt, and as reliable partners to him after he has successfully hunted them.

When I was drawing Ichi moving in a lively and energetic way in the 4th Hunt (4th chapter), I remember that it changed how I saw him—he started to feel softer and more multifaceted to me, so that scene ended up leaving an impression on me.

I like Desscaras! She brightens up any scene she's in, and I enjoy drawing her as well. She's also the first character whose design was finalized. In terms of character design, I'm particularly fond of Shirabedonna.

I always try to make sure that the final draft retains all the information from Nishi-sensei's storyboard and remains easy to read, while adding elements that make it more appealing.

After I get the storyboards from Nishi-sensei, I consult with our editor, Ogawa-san, to make sure I've got all the details right before starting work on the first rough draft. Once the rough draft is complete, I put all the reference materials together, and my assistants work on the backgrounds; when those are done, I draw the characters, and the final pages are completed by combining the two. I also create character and other designs after getting the storyboards and reference materials from Nishi-sensei. I receive the storyboards several weeks in advance, so I have a lot of leeway with my time when working, which I really appreciate.

I try to keep the core motif for each Magik in mind and draw them in such a way that immediately conveys the necessary information to the reader. In particular, when they're based on a specific animal, such as a fox or a shark, I try to keep the overall design as simple as possible so that the reader can tell at a glance what it's supposed to be. There generally aren't any huge changes made from the ideas and silhouettes in Nishi-sensei's storyboards. The Magiks are living, speaking creatures, so I also try to make sure their designs won't inhibit how alive they feel when they're moving. Since King Uroro has more of a conceptual motif, I intentionally took a more roundabout approach to his design, so while it may not be obvious at a glance what sort of creature he is, you can get an idea of the concept behind him by looking at each individual element of his design.

The scene where Angvall dies in Chapter 21. It was planned right from the start of the manga, so I made sure to put my all into drawing it.

I work on my manga out in the countryside, where I’m surrounded by nature; I find I can concentrate much more on my work there. As for something I consider indispensable when working, I have a favorite penholder that I always use. Since I do my inking by hand, I'm a bit particular about the tools I use.

Arkos. I really enjoy going all out with his evil expressions.

I focus on making things as easy to understand as possible, paying special attention to the clarity of the art and dialogue.

I got my idea for chapter 1 of "Centuria" from the painting "The Slave Ship" by Joseph Mallord William Turner. I imagined a situation in which the protagonist of the story was aboard that slave ship and built upon the story from there. One thing led to another, and I ended up with the concept of a protagonist who had been granted the lives of 100 people.

I think I've been influenced most by Kentaro Miura-sensei's "Berserk", Tsutomu Nihei-sensei's works, and the Cthuhlu mythos.

There are several that come to mind, but I'm especially fond of the two-page spread at the end of chapter 2. The scene was already shocking and had the necessary impact for its effect on the story, but Takahashi-san came up with a composition that was even more dramatic than the original plan, which led to the version we have now.

I often work on my computer at the office, but I have a lot more freedom in terms of where I work as the one in charge of the writing, so I sometimes work at a café for a change of pace. I consider coffee to be indispensable to me—I drink several cups a day.

Captain Julia H. Sanada, the super-strict instructor. To me, she feels as real as an actual person, and her dialogue and actions occur to me really naturally. The things she says can be a bit (or sometimes more than a bit) extreme, but she's also a strong and principled person with many different sides to her character. Takahashi-san's design for her is also top-notch: it conveys not only strength and intimidation, but also a sense of beauty. Her steel prosthetic arm is also really cool. We plan to keep exploring her character in the future, so we hope that's something readers will also look forward to.

I try to make each chapter as satisfying as possible, and focus on coming up with compelling cliffhangers.

When we were making our initial plans for the manga, it felt natural from the start to have Ryu as the initial viewpoint character. Once Ryu's character was established, we were then able to develop the personality of his son, Leo. I grew so attached to Ryu that I considered mentioning him in my answer to Q3; you could say that I, as the original author, ended up projecting a lot of my personal qualities onto him. I feel like "that" happening to such an important character really served to bring the core themes of the manga to the forefront.

Leo's monologue at the end of chapter 3. It's an important scene in the story, and drawing the last two pages to suddenly shift to have a darker tone was particularly memorable to me. The scene in chapter 5 where the cadets part with their families also left an impression. While the other cadets are all being seen off warmly by their families, Leo alone reflects on his late father, which leads to a further strengthening of his resolve; I thought the contrast made the scene particularly impactful.

I draw the characters and backgrounds by hand when working on the final pages, so a tiltable tracing table with a glass plate on top is a must for me when working. I spend a lot of time sitting at my desk, so I'd get shoulder and back pain without it. I also usually draw my rough drafts on separate pieces of paper, so I wouldn't be able to ink them without an LED tracing table. (This makes it easier for me to redo drafts and avoid smudging the final pages.)

Georgy Singh. Of course, I like all the other characters—the protagonist Leo, Millennia, David, and Sanada—too, but as the illustrator, it's fun to draw a character who's both the target of the protagonist's revenge and his mentor, and who has a kind of eerie, inscrutable quality because you never quite know what he's thinking. I feel like I always end up making evil expressions myself whenever I'm drawing him.

I try to be conscious of drawing things so that they're easy to understand. I try not to use angles or expressions that would be confusing to the reader, so that it's easy to follow who is moving where and how. This might be a very basic thing, but the more I draw, the more I realize how important the basics are, and how difficult they can be to implement.

I try to come up with designs based on the concepts and ideas provided by Saikawa-sensei, then build on them from there. As the manga is in black and white, I focus on making it possible to identify them by their overall shape. That said, I still often end up relying on muscle memory and not always giving it the necessary thought. It's definitely something I want to get better at going forward.