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flowermikonotebook · 8 months ago

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Interview with Jérôme Alquie and Arnaud Dollen from Saint Seiya - Time Odyssey

Thank you to everyone that submitted a question! As promised, the text version of the Saint Seiya Cosmocast's interview with the duo behind Time Odyssey, courtesy of Ablaze Publishing.

For the audio version with our commentary, please check out episode 45 of our podcast at the Cosmocast's official page! You can also listen to it on the multiple platforms listed on the website.

Disclaimer: Questions and answers were edited for the purposes of clarity. All questions were directed to both Jérôme and Arnaud.

1. From Albiore Caballero Argentino:

“How does it feel to be the first non-Japanese artists to publish an official Saint Seiya work? How has the reception been? Do you think there will be more western Saint Seiya artists in the future?”

First of all, it's a great honor to officially work on such an iconic license from the 80s, a series that we dreamed of as children. But it’s also a great responsibility because we have to give our best in carrying out our work so that our first reader, Kurumada-sensei, is as satisfied as possible with it.

The fan reception has been particularly positive, and everyone recognizes the great respect we have for the original work while enlarging the extended universe by exploiting parts left in the shadows by Kurumada-sensei.

We don't know if other Western artists will be allowed to do the same in the future, but we hope so, as long as it respects the sensei's work. Respect is the essential element of any project, if only because it respects the fans as well.

2. From Juni-Anker:

“How did you decide what graphic style to use for the comic? For example, what was behind your thought process when you decided ‘Oh! This is how I’m going to draw the characters!’”

Kurumada-sensei's style is perfectly identifiable and personal, and it’s perfectly well calibrated for the manga, including its layout. Similarly, Araki-sensei’s anime style is the one that most readers expected to find in the comic. We opted for a "compromise" between the two, while adding a pronounced personal style, to make something true to what people love while offering something different. This includes the way the eyes are drawn, the anatomy, the armor, the coloring... The graphic choice of this style required several months of testing to arrive at a version that was satisfactory for us, for Kurumada-sensei, and for the readers.

3. From Ramses:

“Your first arc included the origins of Guilty. What were some of the difficulties in your comic when fleshing out characters already established in the franchise? Were there any objections or input from Kurumada-sensei himself, Kurumada Pro, or any of the parties involved in the creative process?"

Everything we do is validated by Kurumada-sensei. Sometimes we have carte blanche because the sensei had not planned anything in particular other than what he described in his albums, and that was the case with Guilty. Sometimes the framework is more complete, and therefore restrictive, as it is currently in volume 3.

But that's not a problem, in any case, because we always work based on what we know and always exchange ideas with Japan before developing the story fully. So, we know beforehand how much freedom we have and what framework we have to respect.

4. From Gryphy18:

“In the original series, Guilty was only a minor character to spur on Ikki’s growth. What was the inspiration behind giving him an extended backstory? I liked how Guilty was given more of a reason behind acting the way he did and making him feel like a more sympathetic person.”

We knew that as soon as we worked on Ikki, we would refer to his weakness and guilt for letting Esmeralda die. Guilty is a strong character in the Phoenix story, as he catalyzed the character's hatred towards others.

If Ikki is consumed by hatred, there are reasons. It must be the same for Guilty. So, the idea of developing his background came very early. We gathered everything we knew about the character, information from Saint Seiya Taizen about Death Queen Island, and the mythology of the Phoenix Armor we developed, to imagine the background of Guilty, who is now called, before donning his mask, Jorge.

5. From Flowermiko:

“Multiple Saint Seiya works have hinted at or loosely mentioned the existence of Chronos: What made you want to create a story revolving around this particular god? Did you want to explore the particular character and/or the concept revolving time?”

As far as we know, Chronos, the God of Time, appears only in Next Dimension. The Cronus of Episode.G is not the same, he is the titan father of Zeus, and not the god of time.

We chose this character because we wanted a story that could take place at various points in the original work (part Sanctuary, part Poseidon, and part Hades), and this God, capable of making leaps in time, seemed to be able to allow for this desire. So it was on this basis that the story was developed, and its mythology and ambitions were built.

But we don't forget that he appears in Next Dimension and so, not only are the sensei’s original 28 volumes considered in our work, but also what happens in Next Dimension.

6. From Benjas:

“Greek mythology is the foundation for the world of Saint Seiya and Kurumada-sensei has always taken creative liberties to weave new stories that respect the original myths yet are not bound by them. What creative twists did you find the most interesting to develop while creating Time Odyssey?

Of course, Greek mythology is the basis of everything. Its richness and depth offer us an inexhaustible well of ideas and inspirations.

In Volume 1, we not only developed the background of Chronos and his ambition to become an Olympian (which is a divergence from Greek mythology), but we also revealed the three Moirai, weavers of the destiny of men. However, we also intend to work with other mythologies, as Chronos chooses his warriors from different countries and builds them armor related to their own beliefs.

Thus, the Scotsman Arctos is dressed in the armor of the kelpie in accordance with a legend from his country. The same goes for volume 2 with the exploration of Native American and Celtic mythologies. In volume 3, we will go to Inuit, Danish and especially Japanese mythologies. And from the feedback we've received from Japan, it seems that Kurumada-sensei greatly appreciates this mythological development within Time Odyssey.

7. From Seiya Kurumada:

During an interview in Spain, Arnaud Dollen hinted that there could be an animated adaptation for Time Odyssey. How likely would it be for this to happen? Would it be exclusive to Toei Animation, or would a French studio participate in this project?”

It is true that discussions and desires exist... I must admit that it would be a great accomplishment for this project. But for the moment, we're 200% focused on comics. Our job is to make the best Time Odyssey comic book possible, so we'll see what the future holds.

8. From Pollux Dioscuros:

“We know so far that Kurumada Pro has been involved in advising and answering questions during the creation process, as well as approving certain decisions. Have any of your original ideas been rejected or changed during the creative process? If so, which have those been?”

Since everything is validated by the sensei, it happens that we are not always in perfect harmony with his ideas, in which case we discuss them.

It’s happened twice that we’ve been forced to change something. In Volume 1, we had Deathmask as a subordinate to the Pope's orders, but Kurumada-sensei made it clear that he didn't see this character that way, and that, if he agreed to do what the Pope asked of him, it was because he found a real personal interest in it. This required obvious changes in his lines of dialogue.

For Volume 2, the first attack on Ophialtes was changed. In the storyboard, Seiya, Hyōga, and Shiryu rushed at him at the same time. However, Japan reminded us that, unlike the anime, the manga still only features 1-on-1 fights. It’s against the rules of chivalry to attack alongside others (except against a god), so we've changed this sequence so that only Seiya attacks.

These are the only two examples so far. There's another one in book 3, but I can't talk about it ^^!

9. From the Saint Seiya Cosmocast Hosts:

“Time Odyssey is one of the few ‘Seiya’ works that have been released in English. What do you hope this release can accomplish for the franchise in the English-speaking world?

Personally, I don't know much about Saint Seiya's life in the US, but I understand that it wasn't aired at the time of its production and that, when it aired later, some things were changed.

Every time our story is translated, we only hope for one thing: that it will please the public and make those who are not familiar with the sensei's original work want to (re)discover it by reading Kurumada-sensei's manga. We hope the same for the current release, which we know is very faithful and respectful of our own work thanks to the efforts and professionalism of the ABLAZE team, who have already shown us their great involvement in the publication of our Captain Harlock.

Bonus Questions:

10. From Seiya Kurumada:

“The comics are being released on a yearly schedule, meaning the publishing will be complete in about 5 years. Once this project is finished, will there be any other Saint Seiya sequels for ‘Time Odyssey’?”

It's a bit early to talk about it today, as the mountain of work that remains to be done between now and the end of this project is enormous!

But when I finished Captain Harlock after 4 years of work on July 31, 2020, by August 1, I was already missing him, and I wanted to redraw him. I guess it will be the same for Saint Seiya, and that I will miss the Knights of the Zodiac the day after finishing a 6-year job!

11. From SantoLibra:

“Was Guilty’s (Ikki's teacher) name and nationality decided on by you or by Kurumada-sensei?”

Of course, we were the ones who proposed it as a nod to Jorge Vasquez, the biggest Saint Seiya collector in the world. And we gave him Peruvian nationality, also Vasquez's. As far as we know, Guilty is the first Peruvian knight. Kurumada-sensei willingly accepted the name as well as the reference to the real Jorge.

Before he was Guilty of Death Queen Island, he was a knight in the service of Athena. In the bonuses, we learn that he was the Silver Knight of the Furnace. I won't present his armor there, but maybe we'll see it in another volume? Who knows^^!

12. From Albiore Caballero Argentino:

“Outside of working on ‘Time Odyssey’, do you get to talk with Kurumada-sensei and ask him other questions. For example, like what was the design of Guilty’s mask based on?”

We only talk to Kurumada-sensei about Time Odyssey and nothing else... We wouldn't allow ourselves to do that, anyway.

I sometimes receive personal messages asking if I know how the sensei planned to complete his Next Dimension. There's no need to pester me; I have no idea!! As for the mask, it is inspired by the masks of a goddess from the island of Bali. But we don't know, the same as you, why he took this as a reference...

13. General question:

“Will you do surveys about the Time Odyssey characters? (like Jump's)?”

We get feedback on the characters from readers' letters. Obviously, the armor of Arctos was very popular, but also that of the Moirai on volume 1. Eastre, for her armor, her totem, and her background tying her to the Golden Knight of Pisces, was particularly appreciated in volume 2. We'll see if you all like the new characters in Volume 3. It's that there will be no less... than 10!

But I have to admit that doing a poll would be very good!! That's a great idea!

14. General question:

“What kind of Time Odyssey merch would you like to see?”

That's a very fun question to end on ^^! I'm not going to shy away from the infinite pleasure that merchandising around Time Odyssey would represent... I'd like to make a collection of illustrations (because I'm more of an illustrator than a comic book author). As a toy collector, I admit that the best thing would be to see the new characters reproduced as figurines. By the way, when I create armor sets, I always try to imagine what it would look like in a Myth Cloth version! Or in a 1/6 scale statue version. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. We'll see what the future holds.

15. From the Saint Seiya Cosmocast Hosts:

Any final thoughts or messages you’d like to share with all your fans checking out the comic?”

Just a quick word to thank them because we are fans too, and we share the same passion. We give everything we can of our time and energy so that they can relive the strong and intense emotions they had for the original series through new adventures. We thank you all for bringing Saint Seiya to life around the world through your passion.

#Saint Seiya #Caballeros del zodiaco #Time Odyssey #Seiya #Shiryu #Hyoga #Shun #Ikki

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