Lazy Yet Alluring Manga Heroine The Creator of Yotaka Futatabi Shares Her Thoughts

Even her sloppy side is sexy

“I wanted to depict the heroine, Yotaka, as a real, honest human being. When she’s cool, she’s cool; when she’s hopeless, she’s hopeless. Even her sloppy parts are sexy,” said Izumida Fuyuki, the manga artist behind Yotaka Futatabi (hereafter Yotaka), which began serialization in Morning on November 13 last year.

The heroine is a sloppy assassin described as <smoker, drinker, 33 years old (critical age)>. The series has also received praise from notable figures, including the creator of Yanineko (published in Weekly Young Magazine, Kodansha), Nyan Nyan Factory, and comedian Kaneko Kyontii (32) of Party-chan.

To celebrate the release of the first volume on March 23, FRIDAY Digital conducted an interview with Izumida, revealing behind-the-scenes stories about the creation of Yotaka.

Izumida debuted with the dark fantasy BLACK BOARD (Monthly Shonen Gangan, Square Enix) in 2017, a stylish revenge story about a girl whose parents were murdered. His second work, Madara Rumble (Comic DAYS, Kodansha), depicted girls fighting vampires lurking in modern society in a battle action series. When asked about the character of the protagonist “Yotaka” in his third work, Izumida explained as above.

The official website introduces the series as follows:

“That woman, ‘Yotaka.’ Once the strongest assassin renowned in the underworld, she has now become a smoker, drinker, and 33 years old (critical age). Her past self is gone, and she’s enjoying an unemployed life in a shabby apartment. But then, a former junior from her assassin days invites her back into action. Will she rise to the battlefield once more!? Yotaka, go back to work!!!”

In other words, this heroine is a completely different type from the cute and cool girls of Izumida’s previous two works.

Izumida’s Early Manga Inspiration

Izumida’s love for manga dates back to junior high school. He was initially hooked on dark fantasy and battle action shonen manga like Fullmetal Alchemist (Monthly Shonen Gangan, Square Enix) and BLEACH (Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha).

“Then I read Air Gear (Weekly Shonen Magazine, Kodansha) and Tenjo Tenge (Ultra Jump, Shueisha) and realized that girls’ action scenes can be both cute and cool. Those works became the foundation of my ideas. When I became a manga artist, I wanted to create stories combining the things I loved. That youthful mindset became the base of my work. As a result, I wanted to draw cool action stories with female protagonists.”

A beautiful woman’s messy room is romantic

Indeed, the first two works featured cute and cool girls in dynamic action, but why did the latest series make a sloppy assassin the heroine?

“The first work was a revenge story, the second was about vampires, and the third is about an assassin—so all three stories fall into so-called classic genres. But this time, I wanted to ignore classic or mainstream conventions and just do what I personally thought was really fun! or cool! In discussions with my editor, the topic came up: ‘What kind of women appeal to us now, in our mid-thirties?’

We talked about it at drinking parties, asking, ‘Who is the most realistic, beautiful, and cute woman—one you might even hope for some sexy developments?’ From there, we seriously developed the character. The first two works were purely fantasy, so the heroines weren’t drawn realistically. This time, we wanted to raise the realism level of the character. Making the heroine a sloppy female assassin was also a way to twist the theme within the genre.”

Thus was born the heroine described as <smoker, drinker, 33 years old (critical age)>.

The scene in the first chapter where Yotaka first appears is truly shocking. She lies sprawled on her futon in a star shape, half-smoked cigarette in her left hand and smartphone in her right. Around her futon are ashtrays overflowing with cigarette butts, empty alcohol cans, discarded underwear, and even an electric massager of unknown purpose. The scene is depicted from a bird’s-eye view, looking down from above.

“The setting came from the idea that messy rooms of beautiful women are romantic. For her debut scene, I wanted the perspective of peeking into the real life of a beautiful woman. Even if she looks perfect outside, her room might be messy, or her body slightly lax when she undresses. Even with attractive, full breasts, by age 33 and living a self-indulgent lifestyle, the body’s lines would sag; when lying down, gravity pulls them apart. That might be taboo in shonen magazines, but it’s possible in a seinen magazine like Morning. So I focused on depicting her body realistically in every detail.”

Yotaka’s real profession is that of a top-tier assassin. Even though she retired eight years ago, her instincts and agility remain undiminished when attacked, allowing her to defeat enemies with overwhelming strength. Izumida also ensured the action scenes were realistic.

“For action scenes, I do a lot of mental choreography: if the right hand moves this way, the left hand moves that way I concentrate so hard I feel my brain might overheat. I want action scenes to look cool, so naturally, curves and contours emerge. But for Yotaka now, even if her back arches, her lower belly sticks out, and there are folds in her tank top. I paid close attention to such details.”

One might wonder whether Yotaka was based on a real person.

Modeled after that actress in a tank top

“There are gravure idols I use as references for body lines and busts. She’s very glamorous, but also a little sloppy, you know? I sometimes watch her YouTube videos and use them as reference for drawing.

Also, for 30-something women in tank tops, I referenced Yoko Maki (43), who appeared in the drama SP: Security Police (Fuji TV). Her sharp action scenes are incredibly cool, too.”

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Yotaka was born from a meticulous pursuit of realistic fetishes. Nearly six months into serialization, Izumida reflected on the work:

“It feels like I arrived here by just continuing to draw what I love. Because of my previous experience, I can draw faster and my attention to detail is clearer. It’s really fun to draw. If I’m allowed to continue, I want to keep exploring the theme of women and action.”

Finally, when asked about the future of Yotaka:

“The main thing is for readers to enjoy the character Yotaka. That includes her sloppy body, her overeating, her cool moments, and her failures—all thoroughly explored. New characters will appear, and we’ll see how Yotaka changes, and what stays the same. I hope readers enjoy those aspects as well. On the official X account, overseas fans have sent messages like ‘Don’t make her skinny’ and ‘Need more fatter!’ which was a bit unexpected (laughs).”

Will Yotaka return to the assassin organization? Will she lose weight? Look forward to future developments!

Yotaka Futatabi Volume 1 is now available at bookstores and online retailers!

You can read Chapter 2 and beyond on Comic DAYS.