Toaru Majutsu no Index Comic Guide 5.5/Interview with Kamachi Kazuma

This article records the interview found in Toaru Majutsu no Index Comic Guide 5.5 with Kamachi Kazuma, author of Toaru Majutsu no Index.

Interview Proper
——Could you start by telling us the story of what led up to the creation of Toaru Majutsu no Index?

Kamachi: Before my debut, I applied for the 9th Dengeki Game Prize, but I was unfortunately dropped during the third round of screening. However, that was when I was told I should try to aim for a debut work. For about a year after that, I wrote a few test novels that eventually led to the Index we now know.

——Did those test novels act as the foundation for Index?

Kamachi: They were all battle novels, but I changed the setting in each one, so they did not have a common world in which they took place. While writing those various novels, I gained experience in writing various different genres.

——So the science/magic setting started with Index?

Kamachi: Yes. I started it as a story only about magic. However, to make the magical elements stand out, I needed some kind of power to oppose it. For example, you can have them defeat a normal special forces unit or see how powerful some magic is compared to a tank shell. Having something to compare it to makes it all easier to understand. If I was going to do that, I felt it would be better to have it all bound together in a consistent worldview than to have more scattered elements the magic is compared to. And that was how the science element of the story came about.

——And so to give those two elements form, you created the stage of Academy City, right?

Kamachi: Right. Although technically, I only came up with the setting of Academy City after completing my ideas on the character of Kamijou Touma. Touma can negate not just magic but any kind of supernatural power, so I needed to have some kind of mysterious power other than magic that was constantly around him. For that reason, Touma technically belongs to the science side, but he doesn’t really fit in with the other characters from it. At the same time, he is not a magician.In order to show the irregularity of Imagine Breaker, I could not have him be a normal high school boy in a normal city, and yet I could not have him be a special person living in a special world either. That was why I had to create a city where science, espers, and magic would gather.

——When the first novel was released, what were you feeling as the editor, Miki-san?

Miki: I could say the same thing about other things I have worked on, but I was incredibly worried about whether it would sell or not. Ha ha. I tried to do my very best, though. I worked to make sure I would not have any regrets if it did flop, so I spent a lot of time on it. When the illustrator was determined to be Haimura-san and I saw his designs, I could tell we weren’t going to lose on the illustration front. At that point, I thought it might not fail after all. But I was also worried about being told it was my fault if it didn’t sell.

——How are your dealings with Kamachi-sensei?

Miki: Basically, I give him notes. Ha ha.

Kamachi: That’s right. Ha ha.

Miki: In Index, the basic ideas, the characters’ personalities, and the themes are all created by Kamachi-san, and the setting is very well built up. So at first, I was especially asked to point out where someone’s actions wouldn’t make sense if something more wasn’t added in or when there was a gap between what the writer and the reader was thinking. In order to teach him to write things better the first time so I wouldn’t annoy him with corrections, I made sure to point out every little thing that did not quite make sense or seemed a bit unrealistic. Even if it made me seem annoying and nagging, I had promised to do my best to let him have his debut in a year, so we went through a lot of trial and error.

'——The manga of Toaru Majutsu no Index and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun are currently serialized. What impressions have you gotten from them?'

Kamachi: Even though both are from the same world, a lot is left to the individual artists, so they’re fun to read. I like getting a chance to reread these things in a more objective way.

'——A manga allows a more plentiful range of character expressions and actions. Do you have any favorite expressions or scenes?'

Kamachi: I like the scene in chapter 9 of the Index manga when Index enters John’s Pen mode. That left a strong impression with me. The illustration went much further than what I had imagined. It made her really look like a final boss. Ha ha. Also, the battle with Innocentius was drawn before the anime aired, so I was really surprised to see how it was done. My favorite scene from Railgun is the boss character’s flashback scene in chapter 14. The artist, Fuyukawa Motoi-san, made his own interpretation of things I did not really represent much in the plot, but it ended up being even better than what I had originally written. It just seemed so perfectly suited to Index and I punched my leg over the fact that I hadn’t come up with it myself. Ha ha. I give both of the artists a bare-bones representation and then they draw some wonderful meat to go on those bones. They always manage to surprise me. Ha ha.

'——Has the manga serialization had a good influence on you? '

Kamachi: There are ways you can show things in a manga that you can’t do in a novel. I’ve been learning from that and am thinking about taking advantage of that in fun ways. I’m really looking forward to it.

'——With the manga, novels, and anime, this is an exciting time for the fans. Please leave a message for those fans'.

Kamachi: While all of it takes place in the same Index world, there should be some irregular and unconventional things coming up that I think you will all enjoy. I’m looking forward to it myself.

——Finally, please leave a message for Kogino-sensei.

Kamachi: My novels probably aren’t going to be any less of a pain to adapt in the future, but please don’t abandon me. Ha ha.

——Which do you create first, the story or the characters?

Kamachi: The characters. Sometimes, I start with the story, but usually I give the characters priority. I start with some characters and then come up with a story that will allow those characters to be.

——Please tell us a secret about the creation of the character of Index.

Kamachi: To give my story an edge, I wanted a name that would stand out for the character the story was centered around. I looked through the encyclopedia for a term like that and I came across the four kanji term Kinsho Mokuroku. I thought about looking for another term, but I ended up deciding on Index right away. I was a bit worried that people would not accept the name Index for a girl, though. Ha ha.

'——What’s the story behind the name Kamijou Touma? Kanzaki changed the kanji so it read “The One Who Purifies God and Slays Demons”. Does that have any special meaning?'

Kamachi: I name my characters by trial and error and I actually give more attention to most character’s names than I do their personalities. But with Touma, I really didn’t think about it too much. He was the protagonist, so I was afraid of using any kanji that were too difficult because that would make it hard to read. That was why I gave him a simple name. There is a meaning behind “The One Who Purifies God and Slays Demons”, but any details about that are still a secret. Ha ha.

'——Do you have any favorite characters, characters you find easier to write, or characters you find harder to write?  Kamachi:' My favorite characters change over time, so I seem to give a different answer in every interview. Ha ha. Currently, my favorites are Acqua and Hamazura. The easiest character to write is of course Kamijou Touma. The hardest ones to write are the characters that appear infrequently behind the scenes like Aleister. In the few lines they have, I have to give a suspicious atmosphere and make them seem purposefully unusual. There are a lot of conditions I have to meet.

'——One of the peculiarities of the novels is how the protagonist switches out. Was Volume 15 with Accelerator as the star a challenge for you?' Kamachi: I suppose it is peculiar to have readers follow along when the protagonist suddenly changes and everything suddenly goes to the dark side, isn’t it? Despite what everyone had to put up with, I did not even give much thought to if people would put up with the protagonist changing. Volume 15 is a story of one incident occurring after another, so the main thing I was worried about was if I would be able to fit it all into one novel.

'——The science side and the magic side are quite different. Which one do you find easier to write?'

Kamachi: That would be the science side. It’s a lot easier to explain how powerful something is. It’s harder with magic since it does not actually exist. If you have someone shoot bullets of light from their hand, no one will know how powerful they are unless to compare it to a real weapon.

'——Your novels have spawned manga, anime, and drama CDs. What do you think the draw of them is?'

Kamachi: By putting science, magic, good people, evil people, and different types of stories featuring them all into one world, people have various things they can enjoy about it. Thanks to this, a single volume can have comedy, battles, serious scenes, and other different things for people to enjoy. I think people were willing to accept the swapping out of protagonists due to the already varied nature of the novels.

——Can you tell us anything about the upcoming novels for the fans looking forward to them?

Miki: Kamijou Touma is not the only Level 0. There is also a group of delinquents called Skill-Out. One of them has become an unrefined protagonist. By following him, you can enjoy stories about the underside of Academy City that seems to be involved with almost everything in the series. Mikoto will also play a big role.

Kamachi: Also, the balance of world power will be in danger thanks to a great tremor on the lines between science and magic. This leads to an even larger incident that is a great enough conflict to exceed what can be called an “incident”. And even more may get shaken up after that.”

'——Index releases new novels at a tremendous pace. How do you come up with the ideas?'

Kamachi: Instead of coming up with a schedule and thinking up some ideas at set times, I just save to my computer the little ideas that occasionally pop into my head and organize them so I can search through them at any time. That way, when I need an idea, I can search for a specific genre. About 10 or 20 of those little ideas would probably be enough for a short story.

——Have you come up with any completely satisfying ideas with that unique method?

Kamachi: No, not really. If I try to come up with one big idea, it tends to push the little ideas out of view. That creates an environment in which it is difficult to bring your ideas together. I find the small details that would seem laughably insufficient all alone are the most important things.

——What got you started in writing novels?

Kamachi: At first, it was a hobby. It really all started when I first touched a computer, but I was never able write something all the way to the end back then. Since I didn’t come up with the plot before I started writing, the stories were a jumbled mess. Ha ha. But I have a feeling all my stories back then were about a protagonist fighting an enemy.

——Have you received any inspiration from manga, novels, or TV?

Kamachi: They show movies on weekend nights starting at 9, right? Well, I think those influenced me quite a bit. I think I got the strongest impressions from the actions movies like Die Hard and Rambo. While I think other characters were influenced by movies as well, the personalities of my protagonists had the most influence from action movies.

——What do you like best about writing and what do you like least?

Kamachi: What I like best is thinking about how the story will expand from what I am currently writing. What I like the least is the constant revisions of what I am currently writing. Simply put, my desire to continue on is strongest.