Interview with "Kyonyuu Fantasy" Character Designer Q-Gaku

We recently sat down with character designer and illustrator Q-Gaku at Anime Expo 2019 and asked him a few questions about his work on various titles like "Kyonyuu Fantasy" (AKA "Funbag Fantasy") and his work in and out of the eroge field. It was a really fun interview and apparently his first and we thank our friends at MangaGamer for the help in arranging this. Check out this interview and then take a look at some of his titles, if you're over 18 of course! Also, note that while much of Q-Gaku's art is NSFW, this interview is perfectly safe barring a few links at the end!

A-to-J: Thank you for the interview. Can you tell us a bit about how you got involved in art for eroge?
A-to-J: 本日はインタビューありがとうございます。エロゲ業界に関わることになったきっかけを教えてください。
Q-Gaku: 「巨乳ファンタジー」っていうゲームを作った会社の社長さんからメールがきたのがきっかけです。
Q-Gaku: The person who headed the company that made "Kyonyuu Fantasy" [Known as "Funbag Fantasy" in the West.] directly e-mailed me and asked me if I wanted to work on it.

A-to-J: Besides eroge, what are some other projects you’ve worked on?
A-to-J: エロゲ以外ではどんなお仕事をされたことがありますか？
Q-Gaku: もともとはアニメーターだったのでアニメの仕事や、漫画を少し書いたりとかしていました。
Q-Gaku: I was originally an animator so I did a lot of anime projects and I also wrote some manga as well.

A-to-J: What are some of the influences when it comes to your character designs?
A-to-J: キャラデザに関してはどんなところから影響を受けましたか？
Q-Gaku: 同じエロゲ原画ですと、佐野さんやTonyさんですね。
Q-Gaku: If it's within the field of eroge then some of the people who've inspired me are SANO-san [Toshihide SANO] and Tony-san [Tony Taka].

A-to-J: A lot of your characters have certain design… quirks… (such as large breasts) do you find it difficult to work within that framework?
A-to-J: 各キャラクターには様々な特徴（巨乳など）がありますが、そういった枠組みで書かなければいけない難しさなどはありますか？
Q-Gaku: すでにストーリーやシナリオなどに設定があるので、特には難しさを感じたことはないかもしれません。
Q-Gaku: Not really, they already give me an idea of the kind of girls they want beforehand so I basically just draw to those specifics.

A-to-J: Were you a fan of eroge before you became involved in the production of these titles?
A-to-J: エロゲ業界に入る前はもともとエロゲとかは好きでしたか？
Q-Gaku: そうですね、エロゲは以前からやってました。
Q-Gaku: Yes, I've been playing eroge since before I came into the industry.

A-to-J: You’ve worked on several titles for the game company Waffle, can you tell us a bit about them?
A-to-J: Waffleの作品には既にいくつか関わっていますが、Waffleという会社について少しお話して頂けますか？
Q-Gaku: Waffleさん…そうですね、ファンタジーものとかは少ないと思います。もともとは違うジャンルのゲームを作っていて、巨乳ファンタジー系列のゲームを作っていた会社ではないので。だから、「巨乳ファンタジー」はWaffleさんの中では異色のゲームという感じがありますね、特にシナリオライターの意見が強くなっているので。
Q-Gaku: So I can say that even though "Kyonyuu Fantasy" is set in a fantasy-type setting, it's not really the style that WAFFLE usually does. I guess you can say that "Kyonyuu Fantasy" was a pretty bold title for WAFFLE in general and one that saw a lot of influence from the Scenario Writer.

A-to-J: What was your favorite game that you’ve worked on and why?
A-to-J: 今まで参加された作品の中で一番好きなゲームと、その理由を教えてください。
Q-Gaku: そうですね、「巨乳ファンタジー」です (笑) ファンタジーものというか、中世モノが好きなので。その時代で当時の洋服のデザインとか。
Q-Gaku: I would probably have to say "Kyonyuu Fantasy"! (Laughs) I personally like the fantasy and medieval type setting with the clothes and such.

A-to-J: Are you a fan of other anime events like Anime Expo in Japan? If so, how does this compare to ones there?
A-to-J: Anime Expoのような日本のアニメの催し物などは好きですか？こちらと比べてどうですか？
Q-Gaku: 場所が広いAnime Expoと比べて、コミケとか人数は日本の方が多いですけど、場所が狭くて人が密集した感じになってしまうので、すごいことになります。
Q-Gaku: In Japan the biggest comparison would be Comiket in the summer and winter. The biggest difference between Anime Expo and Comiket is that Comiket has a lot more people in a smaller, more confined space. Anime Expo has a bit less people than Comiket, but the booth, and the convention center itself, are a lot larger and more spread out.

A-to-J: Speaking of which, is this your first time in the US? Have you had time to do anything fun while here?
A-to-J: 今回は初めてのアメリカですか？滞在中にこれまで観光など、何か楽しむ時間はありましたか？
Q-Gaku: アメリカ初体験で、連れて行ってもらったところ全部が楽しかったです。ベニスビーチで筋トレをしている人たちが見られなかったのがちょっと残念です(笑)
Q-Gaku: Yes, it is my first time in the United States and personally I had a lot of fun walking around Venice Beach. I actually wanted to see people working out around Venice Beach, but I wasn't able to see anyone there doing that! (Laughs)

A-to-J: Do you happen to have any funny stories to share that have occurred with your time with Waffle?
A-to-J: Waffleさんと仕事をする中で起こった面白い話など、何かありますか？ 
Q-Gaku: 面白い話ですか…「巨乳ファンタジー」のシナリオライターの鏡さんが面白い人です。なので、ここに連れてきたかったです。
Q-Gaku: I'm not sure... but I can say that the Scenario Writer from "Kyonyuu Fantasy" is a very funny guy and he probably would've had a lot more interesting stories to tell if he were here! (Laughs)

A-to-J: What are some of your plans following Anime Expo?
A-to-J: Anime Expoの後に計画していることなどは何かありますか？
Q-Gaku: 今は「Eden’s Ritter 2」を描いている最中なので、それをやっていくことです。それと、その後に「巨乳ファンタジー」が今年十周年なので、記念に何かをつくる感じにはなっています。
Q-Gaku: So my most immediate project is to illustrate for "Eden's Ritter 2". When I go back to Japan I'm going to get started on that. Also, it's been ten years since "Kyonyuu Fantasy" was released in Japan so we might look into doing something for its anniversary.

A-to-J: Lastly, can you leave us with a final message?
A-to-J: 最後に、締めのメッセージをお願いします。
Q-Gaku: 「巨乳ファンタジー」が海外にでているのを知らなくて、Anime Expoに参加するっていうことで初めて知ったので、今日サイン会にたくさん人が来てくれたのを見て、驚きました。まだまだこれからも頑張ろうと思います。
Q-Gaku: I actually didn't know that "Kyonyuu Fantasy" was released overseas. As a matter of fact I first found out it was when I was invited to Anime Expo. So I'm really excited to have overseas fans and I'm very happy to have a lot of people come to my autograph sessions!

Special thanks to MangaGamer for this interview! You can learn more about their titles (both All Ages & 18+) at: https://www.mangagamer.com/

For More Information on Kyonyuu Fantasy/Funbag Fantasy (NSFW):
https://www.mangagamer.com/detail.php?goods_type=1&product_code=183

Q-Gaku Twitter: https://twitter.com/q_gaku

The above interview was conducted by Sylvia Thach with photography and assistance by Manuel Figueroa. Post transcription and additional translation by Eri Watanabe.