【Interview】“If I were to undress someone, it would be Jinshi (laughs).” What meticulous consideration does author Hyūganatsu give to expression in The Apothecary Diaries?

——Indeed, I feel that The Apothecary Diaries is expanding to younger age groups, including teenagers and below, partly due to the anime adaptation. Has the increased exposure of younger audiences to your content made you more careful about anything specific?

Hyūganatsu：Originally, when I posted the work on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, I had set it as recommended for ages 15 and up. When addressing slightly mature topics, I employed ambiguous phrasing that only those who understood the context would grasp, essentially using this for content zoning. The writing style was such that even if something wasn't understood, it was fine to just skip over it. However, when those topics are rendered visually (in illustrations), they can sometimes become too explicit.

——So, you were writing with a considerable amount of awareness/intention, then.

Hyūganatsu：That's right. For example, descriptions of punishments are written to align with modern sensibilities, where depictions that are too cruel are considered unsuitable (for expression). Although I sometimes receive criticism from people who are relatively knowledgeable about history, saying, "This is too lenient," my policy is, "This is our flavor."

——The "Poisons and Medicines" mentioned in the subtitle of this exhibition exemplify this, but the work often features contrasting or widely varying topics and locations, such as setting the stage in both the "Imperial Court and the Pleasure Quarters." Is there any particular intention behind this?

Hyūganatsu：I do have the mindset that it might be more interesting if the setting suddenly changes drastically. For example, while there are works like Sazae-san or Crayon Shin-chan where the timeline is fixed indefinitely, The Apothecary Diaries has time flowing within the story, and along with that flow, the story progresses by moving to different locations.

Having that variety in settings and backgrounds means that the vegetation and the objects found in those specific places will change accordingly, right?

By changing the variety of poisons and medicines, the incidents that form the basis of the story also change. So, although it's not quite a change of pace, I decided it would be better to have as many different locations as possible, which is why the story occasionally expands to various settings.