Japan Weekend's Special: Mika

Last September, we were able to speak with Mika at the Japan Weekend Fair in Madrid.

PSS> We’re from Pro Shôjo Spain, a spanish news outlet specialized in female demographic manga. Before we start, we want to wish Mika-sensei a speedy recovery from her leg injury.

Mika> Thank you!

PSS> Let’s start from the beginning. When did you decide to work in the manga industry? 

M> I don't remember the exact moment, but when I was in school, I was friends with a girl who encouraged me to do it. So, when the time came, I thought it wasn't a bad idea at all.

PSS> What are your artistic references? Which authors did inspire you? 

M> I absolutely love Yukari Ichijo's drawings. And Hiroyuki Utatane made me interested in ero-manga.

PSS> Love him!

M> Is that so?

Yukari Ichijou and Hiroyuki Utatane

PSS & Mika> LAUGHS

PSS> We know that before manga, you were in various doujinshi circles. What series did you enjoy drawing? 

M> I started with some Street Fighter [surprise gasps] in school; in high school I discovered Yu Yu Hakusho [laughs], and later on I moved to otome games; do you know them?

PSS> Yes, like date simulators.

M> Yes, I love Hakuoki so I draw them every now and then.

Hakuoki

PSS> We can see some illustrations about some BL series in your pixiv account. Do you like BL?

M> Yes, it's a genre I usually read, and I made it when I was making doujinshi. 

PSS> Lots of TL mangaka also do BL manga, and the other way round. Can we expect in the future a BL manga by Mika-sensei? 

M> [laugh] who knows...

PSS> Now let’s talk about your Teens Love work. How did you decide to do TL?

M> I was working on some ero-manga at the time, and one editor contacted me and offered me the possibility to start doing TL.

PSS> Ooooh... cool.

M> And she’s still my editor today [Mika points at the woman that is standing at her right]

PSS> Thank you so much for scouting Mika-sensei!!

PSS & Mika> Laughs

PSS> We can always find very fine couples and healthy situations in your work. What do you base your work on ? 

M> When I'm starting a new project, I always think about what I want to say to people. Then I try to visualize how I can do it and how the protagonists can mix into the story.

PSS> One thing that we absolutely love in your works, Mika-sensei, is the lingerie.

M> [laughs]

PSS> Do you have a reference brand or do you draw your own designs? 

M> The truth is it 's Hiroyuki Utatane fault. If you know his designs, they all exude eroticism through women's lingerie and I wanted to capture that too.

Seraphic Feather

PSS> A thing that saddens us is that Mika-sensei's works are always one volume stories or compilation volumes, we are always left with need for more. Can we expect longer works in the future?

M> Mmmm, just before coming to Spain I finished a draft for a story about 10 chapters long. I'm sure you can read it soon.

PSS> We are so happy to hear that!!!

M> [Laughs]

PSS> Something we miss about your work is... an anime! If you could choose one of your stories to be animated, which one would it be? 

M> Thank you for that! If i had to choose one of my works, i think i would choose 'La empalagosa dieta del amor' (A Chubby Girlfriend and Her Sweet-Toothed Boyfriend -Soft, Syrupy Exercise With You-) I think women would love this anime as Mayu is an easy character to identify yourself with.

PSS> And we know why... 

PSS & Mika> [Laughs]

A Chubby Girlfriend and Her Sweet

PSS> We don't know if Mika-sensei knows how important her work is here in Spain. She brought back the Teens Love genre to our market after a decade. How does that make you feel? 

M> I wasn't aware of any of this. I'm truly thankful for all the readers that enjoy my stories and make it possible to bring more of them. 

PSS> Talking about Spain, how was your trip to Japan Weekend? Would you like to come back? 

M> I'm very happy with the experience, and I will go back satisfied as I did all I wanted to do, I filled out all the autographs sessions! 

PSS & MIKA> [LAUGHS]

M> And I would love to come back if they invite me  again.

PSS> We will try to make it possible.

M> [Laughs]

PSS> And before we finish, in Spain erotic focused material towards women seems to be underrated because of social construction and patriarchy. How do Japanese people react to it? 

M> I don't think Teens Love is an underrated genre in Japan, at least that's not the feeling I have. Likewise, the only thing I want is for women to enjoy my work when they arrive home from work or from university. To have a little break from the day.

PSS> Thank you so much Mika-sensei for such a wonderful chat. We hope you like our little eggplant plushie.

M> Thanks to you two for your time. And yes [laughs] I love the little eggplant plushie.

This interview would not have been possible without the invaluable help of Raúl Izquierdo, Anna Maspoch and Luis Alis.

Entrevista en castellano