Marking her second appearance to the U.S. as a guest of honor at this year’s YaoiCon 2017 is the queen of bara, mangaka Sakira-Sensei! With seven published works to date and counting, she is known for her erotically muscled men with sizable oppais and humorous smut-filled stories. This year marks her 10th anniversary since she began working professionally, and it is obvious why she is revered as a renowned leading figure in the yaoi industry today. Her beautifully detailed works, charming personality, and immense talent collectively make every fan have a continuous cry of “daisuki” exude from their hearts.
After delightedly receiving the opportunity to interview this yaoi legend, I was seated down in a cozy nook with Sakira-Sensei, her husband, and her translator as I waited eagerly with my pen in hand before being prompted to begin.
Q: Thank you for your time and agreeing to this interview. To start, how old were you when you started doing manga professionally?
A: I was 22 years old and in college. I started out doing illustrations for magazines and manga.
Q: How would you describe your work?
A: Comedic, with a feeling of fun while you read it.
Q: What inspires your characters and stories?
A: The supernatural and what comes out of my head.
Q: What about bara attracts you?
A: It’s moe and cool.
Q: How long does it take for you to complete one volume of work on average?
A: 10 months to a year. It depends on how hard the work is.
Q: What would you like to write next?
A: Something to do with fantasy. I like making works that tend to be physical before love happens too.
Q: Who’s your favorite pairing from your current list of works?
A: Tsubaki and Seisuke (from Wild Boyfriend). I like when the uke is strong enough to overtake the seme, but doesn’t.
Q: Why is the oppai the best part of a guy?
A: I wonder why…
Q: How do you normally like to do your work?
A: Normally, I work with paper and ink, but for the Ore Miko! project (since it’s overseas), I’m working digitally. I will try to do more work this way from now on though.
Q: What’s your favorite anime?
A: Rurouni Kenshin.
Q: What do you like about Psyche Delico’s work?
A: It’s sugoi (amazing) and very eroi (perverted).
Q: Is there anything you like to do in your free time?
Sakira: Video games.
Husband: Anything to do with zombies.
Sakira: I like Dead Island.
Husband: Once she has the controller, it’s all over. There’s nothing I can do.
Q: What’s your weapon of choice?
A: Hmm…a katana.
Q: Any memorable experiences when turning in your work?
Sakira: Usually, when I miss the deadline, an associate from the company comes and takes the pages as soon as they are finished. There was one time we had to drive all the way directly to the publisher in order to turn in the work ourselves.
Husband: Yes, and when a deadline is quickly coming up, she doesn’t sleep too much and doesn’t know what time or day it is.
Q: What are the names of your twin boys?
A: Yukitaka and Harutaka. Their names are partly pulled from their father’s side of the family.
Q: How do you like your first YaoiCon experience?
A: I’m very surprised because of how fans have been reacting. Everyone has been so excited because of my stories. The energy and excitement for them has been especially surprising. It makes me very happy.
Q: That’s great! Is the experience different from what you normally have in Japan?
A: I’ve never had an autograph session in Japan. Here, people come up to me and tell me how much they enjoy my work. In Japan, I normally receive messages through Twitter or handwritten letters through the publication company. My work is also more accepted here. In Japan, they prefer more clean-cut, standardized boys. I go above expectations and it’s less accepted because of it.
Q: Well, we’d love to have you again, if it’s possible. Would you come back?
A: Yes. Please invite me back again.
Q: Any last words you’d like to say to your fans?
Sakira: I’m going to draw a lot of oppai and will continue to work hard. Please keep reading my work and supporting me.
Husband: Everyone, she’s really shy, but she enjoys your encouragement and is open to working here. Please encourage her a lot!
Need more Sakira-Sensei? Read more about her in Sakira: YaoiCon 2017 Q&A!
View this article as a pdf by going here!
This interview was made possible thanks to the generosity of Sakira-Sensei, her husband, and her translator. Please keep supporting Sakira-Sensei and follow her on Twitter @saaakira!
©SAKIRA/ Digital Manga, Inc. All rights reserved.
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