A Conversation with Minoji Kurata, artist of The Apothecary Diaries and Assassin’s Creed: Blade of Shao Jun

If you’re reading from the US, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard of Kurata Minoji, but you almost certainly have a connection to her work. In addition to her original works, Kurata’s name is attached to two properties that have become widely known all over the world: The Apothecary Diaries and Assassin’s Creed. While her adaptation of The Apothecary Diaries has yet to be published in English, her Assassin’s Creed spinoff, Assassin’s Creed: Blade of Shao Jun has been released in English, French, and German.

We had a chance to sit with her at Otakon to talk about how she brings her voice as a creator to a series that has multiple versions running concurrently, the growth of female-driven stories in seinen manga, and balancing life as both a mother and a mangaka.

To preserve the flow of conversation, the translation and Japanese text are intermingled; translations were provided by Chiaki, who worked from the interview transcript and audio.

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Anime Feminist: So, there are many different versions of Apothecary Diaries. What kind of unique sensibilities do you bring to your adaptation?

Kurata: たまたまではあるんですけど、どこを見せたいかが多分それぞれ違うと思うんですけど、私はミステリーであるっていうことを強めに出しています。

Translation: It’s not always the case, but there are probably instances where I want to emphasize different aspects of the story. I feel like I strongly emphasize it as a mystery series.

AF: How do you choose which aspects of the story to focus on? I guess, since you said you want to focus on the mystery, how do you find the elements of the mystery that you think really need to be highlighted in order to tell that part of the story?

Kurata: 例えば謎解きのシーンがあったらきちんと仮定を説明するーけっこう原作でも省かれていたりとか、毒の名前が省かれているのをあえてちゃんと名前を出すとか、っていうふうにして「謎解きです」っていうのを強調しているんです。

Translation: For example, when there’s a deduction scene, you walk through the reasoning — The source work often omits things, like the name of the poison. So I make a point to include it to emphasize the “deduction” element of the story.

AF: In the U.S., many fans see the Apothecary Diaries as a shoujo or josei series, despite it running in a seinen magazine. Do you know how it was decided that it would be published as a seinen series?

Kurata: 私が決めたのではないのでー(笑)

その、たぶん原作の編集者が青年漫画の方で描いて欲しいっていう事で、話があったんだと思うので。

Translation：Well, I didn’t make that decision so— (laughs)

I’m guessing the editorial team of the source work had brought it to the publisher and asked it to be adapted as a seinen series.

AF: So what are the audience demographics like in the U.S.? Is there a very large female audience, or is it mostly the usual seinen readers?

Translator: Are you talking U.S. audiences?

AF: No, I’m asking what the audience is like in Japan. Are they similar or different?

Translator: Between Japan and U.S.?

AF: Yeah.

Translator: アメリカの読者層とかわかりますかね？

Translation: Do you know about the reader demographics in America?

Kurata: 私ですか？分かりません。(笑)

Translation: Me? Oh no.

Translator: そしたら、日本の読者層ではどこらへんの人達がよく見ているかとかって分かります？あと、意識したりします？

Translation: If that’s the case, do you know who usually reads among Japanese readers? And are you aware of them?

Kurata: どちらも多分ーその謎解きとミステリーが好きで読んでいる男性もいれば、恋愛とかキャラクターが好きで読んでいる女性もいるとおもいますよ。あんまりーたぶんーその男女を選ぶような作品では無いかなと思います。

Translation: For either, that is- if there are men reading it as a who-dunnit or mystery, I’m sure there are  women reading it as romance or for the characters as well. There’s not a lot of—probably—I don’t think it really has a specific demographic for either men or women.

AF: I’ve been a fan for a very long time, and I’ve noticed that more and more, series with female protagonists who appeal to female audiences are being published in seinen magazines. Why do you think that’s happening? Your work is also all published as seinen as well.

Kurata: なんか、そのバトルものだったり、ミステリーだったりとか、そういうのを好む人って男女関係なくいると思うんですけど、特にそういうのを描いているのが青年漫画の方が多いので、っていうー難しいんですけど。

Translation: How to put it. Whether it’s a battle series or a mystery series, I think there are people who like them regardless of their gender, but I think they tend to get published as seinen manga. It’s a little hard to explain.

(Inaudible aside with Aiba Kyoko)

Translator: Okay, so actually, um. There are a lot of like battle or mysteries in seinen magazines, and these genres are appealing to both male and female audiences, so that’s why I think it’s a growing trend. And actually, when it comes to the category of manga magazines, they say it’s seinen, but it’s not exclusively about seinen, so it’s just a label.

AF: So, do you feel that being published as seinen would affect the course of a work, the editors, how the editors help direct the story, or do you have a lot of freedom to tell the story just as you wish to without being told to try to appeal to a particular audience?

Kurata: けっこう自由だと思います。原作に忠実であればたぶん自由にやらせてもらっていると思います。

Translation: I think I have a lot of freedom. So long as I stay faithful to the source material, I think I’m given the freedom to do what I want.

AF: Do you feel that way about your original work as well?

Kurata: うん、そうですね。 

Translation: Yeah, I think so.

(Everyone laughs)

AF: So you took some time off to have a child, how has motherhood affected your career?

Translator: Do you want to focus on life, or do you want to focus more on as a manga writer?

AF: Both, either, whichever you would like to talk about.

Kurata: 生活の方ではー今ちょっと仕事の量を減らしてなるべく家庭の事も出来るようにしてもらってて。作品に関して、赤ちゃんを描くのがうまくなりました。

Translation: In my personal life, I’ve been able to reduce my workload so I can dedicate more time to the home as well. With regard to my work, I’ve gotten pretty good at drawing babies.

(Everyone laughs)

AF: What are some of the differences in the process of adapting someone else’s story, creating a new story about an existing IP and creating your original work?

Kurata:  そうですね、原作があるとー私、ヘルマンさんもそうですけど、やっぱり原作者に一度確認してもらうっていう作業が入るんですけど、それが自分のオリジナルだと編集さんからオッケーが出るとそれで終わりなので、そのプロセスは長さが大分違います。

Translation: Well, when there’s source material — I, it’s the same with Hermann-san [Kakukatariki, another series drawn by Kurata with a different writer], but when there’s an original author, there’s an extra step to have them sign off on it. If it’s an original piece by me, all I need is an approval from the editor, so the length of the process is totally different.

AF: So you’re a big fan of Assassin’s Creed. Are there any other video games that you enjoy?

Kurata: あります、エルデンリングとか。

Translation: Oh yeah, like Elden Ring.

Kurata: ありがとうございました。

Translation: Thank you so much.