Asamiya Kia's best-known manga to U.S. fans is probably SILENT MÖBIUS. But he is a prolific artist and illustrator with many, many works flowing from his inkwell including DARK ANGEL, COMPILER, STEAM DETECTIVES, and most recently CORRECTOR YUI, a shoujo manga he created after being inspired by his daughter. Asamiya himself is big fan of DC comics, especially BATMAN. He also illustrates several of DC's comic book covers and, if he gets his wish, would like to illustrate all of Marvel's comic book covers someday.

At his panel, he answered questions about his works, his life and his desire to become Batman.

Asamiya Kia: Thank you for coming to my panel. I'm sorry that I didn't bring a video of my new works to show you, but I can answer whatever questions you have for me. Besides, I think that you probably have "alternative" ways to watch my latest videos. I'm now working on CORRECTOR YUI and I would very much like to see it released here in the U.S. Please watch it when it finally comes here.

And man, it's hot in here! [Ed. note: The air conditioner was broken that day, and LP1 felt like a mild sauna inside.]

Q: CORRECTOR YUI is a shoujo TV series. Why did you decide to try out a shoujo story?

AK: First of all, I have a daughter and wanted to make a show she could watch and enjoy. Also, I considered it a challenge to myself to create a shoujo series. When NHK offered me a chance to do a new show, I thought to myself, "Why not CORRECTOR YUI?" I'm sure you have noticed that it contains a lot of transformations!

Q: About the BATMAN story you're working on now... Did you approach DC?

AK: I colluded with DC, yes. It took them two years to finally say "yes." The image of DC in Japan is that its properties are a hard sell to the Japanese audience. But then, DC was bought by Time Warner, which then merged with AOL, so I proposed again and this time, they accepted.

Q: What inspired you to create SILENT MÖBIUS with its combination of sci-fi and supernatural themes?

AK: Initially, I started dreaming up the characters and I decided that each character would have a different ability. One would be a mage, another would be a cyborg, another would be psychic, etc. I basically wanted a team with a lot of girls in it! I like drawing girls, but I also wanted the readers to find at least one girl they could like, too, so that's why there's such a variety of personalities and abilities.

Q: The SILENT MÖBIUS TV series ended with an open-ended conclusion. Will it continue?

AK: Yes, the TV series is open-ended as you've noticed. That's not a mistake. I didn't want to see it ended, but there was a lack of enthusiasm between me and the publisher, so the sequel didn't happen.

Q: In STEAM DETECTIVES, what made you decide to use steam power for everything in the story?

AK: Well, steam is the theme of the series so that explains why steam power is used everywhere. As to why I chose it, I wanted to create something that would be the extreme opposite of the high-tech, sci-fi theme of SILENT MÖBIUS.

Q: DARK ANGEL started off as a black and white manga, but then it went to color. Why the change?

AK: In Japan, manga are usually black and white, but the publisher cancelled it, leaving me to find another publisher. So, a friend of mine here in the U.S. suggested that I publish it here in the U.S. So by convention, DARK ANGEL is now colored. Although it seems to have stopped at issue #3, there will be an issue #4 and #5.

Q: Why is there such a long delay between issues of DARK ANGEL?

AK: Good question! Well, since J.D. Smith, who colors the manga, is getting very busy and since he's a perfectionist, it's taking a long time for him to finish. But I must admit that I am slow, too, so I apologize. J.D. has a helper now, so it is progressing better now. His helper happens to also be a colorist at Wild Storm.

Q: Now that SILENT MÖBIUS is over, looking back, do you think it turned out the way you wanted? Were there any changes you would make to it?

AK: Well, for any series, you look back on it and naturally, you find faults. Because the fans are so wonderful and love SILENT MÖBIUS so much, I've decided to go back and do another SILENT MÖBIUS series. I'm not sure which publisher will release it, but I've got it all planned out. If I can't find a good publisher in Japan, perhaps I'll debut it in the U.S.

Q: DARK ANGEL is so well drawn with a lot of detail, does it tire you out to draw it? Any anime or movies of DARK ANGEL planned?

AK: Well, I do get tired. And I usually go right to sleep when that happens. I would like to see it as an anime or a movie, so please pray for me!

Q: What do you want to do next? What are you likely to do next?

AK: I would like very much to create the next SILENT MÖBIUS, and I'm hoping that that is what I do next.

Q: What do you do in your free time (assuming that you have any)?

AK: In Japan, they are finally embracing the concept of the multi-screen theater, so I sometimes spend an entire day watching a whole bunch of movies. Other things I like to do are to go bar-hopping and going for a drive.

Q: Are you and Kikuchi Michitaka the same person?

AK: Yes, Kikuchi and I are one-and-the-same. The reason I was working under two names is because "Kikuchi" I reserved for the animator side of me while "Asamiya" I used for the manga artist side of me. I've dropped my "Kikuchi" identity recently, because Kikuchi hasn't been getting any work!

Q: How is your contest going with Katsura for the biggest BATMAN fan in Japan?

AK: I wasn't aware there was such a contest...?

Q: What did you think of BATMAN BEYOND?

AK: I liked it. I also like the original, too. I was really happy to get a sketch from Bruce Timm. I'll have you know that I waited in line like all the other fans. When I got to the front, Bruce recognized me and was startled to hear I had waited in line for him!

Q: Do you have any advice for amateur manga artists like myself?

AK: First, you have to realize that being a manga artist is not about reading manga and watching anime. You have to look at many other media different from manga and absorb the good things they have to offer. Many in Japan want to draw manga, but all they do is read manga and watch anime. This is not good.

Q: Would you ever live here in the U.S.?

AK: As a matter of fact, I plan to move to the U.S. next year and live somewhere on the East Coast. But I do like San Francisco, too. If the weather is too good, I probably won't work! The climate in New York is rather tough, so I'll most likely be forced to stay in my room and draw my manga.

Q: When you design characters, what's your process? Do you reference movies, pictures, people on the street? Or do you just do a bunch of sketches?

AK: I do all of the above! When I go to conventions and I see something attractive, I will often stare at it and burn the image into my memory. If you see someone who looks like you in one of my manga, it might very well be you!

Q: Where did the name of your studio, "Studio Tron," come from?

AK: For one, I like the movie TRON, so Tron systems for computers was probably my influence.

Q: What do you think of the use of 3D in anime? For example, FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN?

AK: I do like a lot of new things, so I think FINAL FANTASY is a good thing. I do have plans on getting my work rendered in 3D. If it comes to pass, it'll probably be as a game for PlayStation 2.

Q: What inspires you?

AK: Anything and everything inspires me. I carry a camera around with me. If I see anything I can use, I'll take a picture of it.

Q: Of your works, do you have a favorite series and/or character?

AK: All of them are my favorite! I love everything equally. However, if you are speaking about working on a team production, I'd have to say that I most enjoyed the overall quality and the people I worked with on STEAM DETECTIVES. On the production of that anime, everyone worked so well together and I got the quality I wanted for it.

Q: What does your daughter think of you being a manga artist?

AK: You know... I've never even thought of asking her! She did read CORRECTOR YUI and she did watch the anime.

Q: For an American wanting to be a manga artist, should we visit Japan? And where?

AK: It's probably best to live near a publisher, so live in Tokyo.

Q: How did you get involved with the creation of the Japanese STAR WARS manga?

AK: I'm a big fan of STAR WARS so I wanted anything to do with it! So when I heard they were looking for a manga artist to do the manga, I offered and they accepted.

Q: For your two art books Gaia and Venus, was it your idea to print your comments in English?

AK: I just wanted to do away with the translation phase, so I decided to go directly into English. There was supposed to be a simultaneous release in Taiwan, Korea, etc. but that didn't happen.

Q: In Gaia, you said that it was harder to draw parts of the figure rather than the whole. Why is that?

AK: Well, it's really tough to draw parts because you have to imagine the rest of the pose and the figure. So, in fact, you have to imagine more than you draw. And that is hard.

Q: Are you going to animate the GEKIGANGER fictional anime from NADESICO as a TV series?

AK: You'll have to ask the director!

Q: What anime do you watch?

AK: I don't watch that much lately. I do watch the ones I work on at least! I spend more time watching the news or movies lately. Although I don't think watching the news can qualify as "work."

Q: How did you come up with the name "Katsumi Liquer"?

AK: I wanted a non-Japanese name, so I thought it would be good to have someone of mixed blood. And, yes, "Liquer" is liquor just as it sounds. I don't drink very much as of late, but I used to drink a lot back then.

Q: Do you want to become Batman?

AK: Well, I am Batman on Halloween! (But I think I was Darth Vader last year...)

Q: You've said that you're very shy, but as you've attended more American conventions, that shyness seems to have gone away. Has this translated back to your behavior in Japan?

AK: Well, I do feel more outgoing now and I would like to thank all the people of America for that. And each time I come back, I find that I like America a little more. I want a green card!

Q: What is your favorite movie?

AK: Hard question! Well, I liked IRON GIANT. I cried my eyes out when I first saw it. And then, when I saw it in Japan, I cried again. And when I saw the DVD, I cried again! Everyone in Japan was so impressed with IRON GIANT that they looked at their own work and asked themselves, "What am I wasting my time doing?"

Q: You've been using a lot of CG lately. Do you use any other medium?

AK: Since I've started painting in CG, I find that drawing by hand still has many benefits, so I'm going to go back a bit.

Q: Will you ever illustrate a BATMAN cover?

AK: Well, my covers for TITANS start with issue #33. And I would certainly like to do covers for BATMAN. But if things go the way I want them, I might be doing an X-MEN cover before doing a BATMAN cover.

Q: Are you going to do another shoujo anime?

AK: The anime for CORRECTOR YUI is finished, but my version of the manga is not over yet. The rights for YUI have not been licensed yet.

Q: I heard there was a live-action SILENT MÖBIUS. Is that true? And where can I get a copy?

AK: Yes, a live-action SILENT MÖBIUS did exist. It was a side-story. It was done more like a Samurai show than anything else I can compare it to. It's hard to get a hold of, even in Japan! Maybe you can find one on an Internet auction? eBay perhaps?

Q: Would you like to see a $100 million movie of SILENT MÖBIUS?

AK: Yes, if you can get $100 million!

Q: Do you think you can expand the readership of manga in the U.S.?

AK: First, we need a wider age range in our target audience for comics. Second, we need to move into other mediums other than manga.

After that, Asamiya gave some comments in closing:

"I'd like to summarize what I'll be doing next. DARK ANGEL isn't moving as fast as I'd like it to, but it will continue. I'd like to try to bring CORRECTOR YUI over to the U.S. if at all possible, but there are no solid plans yet to do so. And Viz Communications is releasing STEAM DETECTIVES slowly.

"For the STEAM DETECTIVES revival, I drew 100 pages so I'd like to keep that going.

"And I'd like to kick-off development for the new SILENT MÖBIUS. My ideas are for it to be set in Okinawa (after the U.S. military has left) and not in Tokyo. In the original, the AMP dealt with pretty much one enemy—the Lucifer Hawkes. But in the new one, they will deal more with ordinary citizens and human crimes. I plan to have 15 members in AMP, so that means three teams of five girls per team. The girls will come from a variety of ethnicities and their ages will range from a 15 year-old to a mother with children.

"As for my U.S. work, I'll start illustrating the covers for TITAN starting with issue #33. And I'll try to do a cover for BATMAN (if the fates allow). There's a rumor that I'll illustrate the covers for all of Marvel's comics, but that is just my wish."