“You have to open the door”: Hiro Mashima’s Choice of Making a Fantasy Manga Like Fairy Tail Had a Very Specific Goal Behind It
Hiro Mashima’s popular anime and manga series, Fairy Tail, is certainly a work of fiction that has garnered tons of following all across the world. Having sold well over 72 million copies worldwide, Fairy Tail is one of the more popular Shounen series out there.
Given how Fairy Tail manages to transport us into a completely different world of wizards without much confusion, it certainly serves as a testament to Hiro Mashima’s incredible writing skills. During an interview with Kodansha Comics, Mashima would dive deeper into his thought process while making his popular manga and anime series.
Hiro Mashima dives deeper into the making of Fairy Tail
The story that revolves around the 1st generation Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel is certainly one that fans across the world just couldn’t get enough of. With a sequel set to premiere on July 7th, fans are incredibly excited for the return of the original cast return in Fairy Tail: 100 Years Quest.
Hiro Mashima managed to give a completely different experience to his fans with his illustrations and take on wizards in his popular series. However, for Mashima, it would seem that the complexity of creating a setting in a fantasy world with magic came quite naturally to him. But his main goal was to make sure he had no restrictions while creating his series.
During an interview with Kodansha Comics, he was asked about the difficulties he faced while making Fairy Tail. But his response and his goal for his hit series certainly opened the eyes of many. Mashima replied saying;
“It’s not hard, because in a world with magic, you can pretty much do anything! It’s actually harder for me to work on a story that’s set in real life, because there are a lot of restrictions. For example, in a real-life setting, in order to walk into a room, you have to open the door. But in a fantasy setting, you can enter the room however you want. Literally anything goes.”
However, leaving the setting aside, Fairy Tail wouldn’t be as popular without the incredible cast of characters that Hiro Mashima created. And he would go on to talk about the characters of his hit series in more depth.
Hiro Mashima addresses the main characters in Fairy Tail
The characters in Fairy Tail are certainly some of the most diverse and well-written fictional characters in anime. However, despite the contrast of the characters in the series, Mashima managed to find a way to make chemistry incredibly natural.
During the interview, He would explain his thought process on why he wrote them the way he did. Mashima described the characters stating;
“They are real trouble. [laughs] At first I was trying to make the characters people I want to be friends with. But from anyone else’s eyes, they’re serious troublemakers. They won’t listen to anyone. Still, I want them to be people to look up to for kids who read the manga.”
Hiro Mashima also gave the blueprint for new fans on how to get hooked on his series. He recommended picking a favorite character, as he makes every character unique so that they appeal to a broader audience. And it isn’t a surprise as the characters in Fairy Tail are definitely the best-selling point of his series.
You can stream Fairy Tail on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
