This year may mark Sakira-Sensei’s second appearance to the U.S., but it’s her first as a guest of honor at YaoiCon. Her talent for drawing bara with enticing characters and storylines is just one
of the many reasons why she is a popular artist amongst the yaoi genre, and is why she can suitably be called the Queen of Bara.
Fans quickly filled up the seats at her panel, all looking forward towards Sakira-Sensei with evident ardor. Her shy smile instantly won the hearts of all, and once the panel began, hands raised high as fans waited, ready to ask their questions.
Q: When you were younger, did you ever imagine you’d be drawing gay sex?A: I actually wanted to be a musical theatre major, but it was a lot of physical effort, so...However, after I started reading doujinshi, I said to myself, “Yeah, this is what I want to do now.”
Q: Have you always wanted to draw?A: I decided I wanted to draw seriously when I was around 11 years old after I started reading manga magazines.
Q: Do you read American comics?A: Not really.
Q: Have you been to Comiket before?A: Yes, but I have never sold anything there. I have bought things and helped out friends there though.
Q: How would you define love? A: It means to share everything. Permission and tolerance are all important in making love work.
Q: Who’s your type amongst all of the bishounen?A: The one who’s blonde and looks like a king, named Thorn. I like him a lot.
Q: How long does it take to get the body pro-portions down accurately? Did it come naturally?A: I would often copy other mangaka I liked before it finally clicked.
Q: If you could only draw one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?A: Oppai.
As far as what Sakira-Sensei has been up to recently, the queen of bara and new mother of two has been working on a new project she has begun with Digital Manga, Inc. called Ore Miko!. This project will be her first work origi-nating from the U.S., and it’s already off to a fantastically supernatural start. If you would like to read more about this new venture, click here for more information.
Want to learn more about Sakira-Sensei? Read more about her in Sakira: 10th Anniversary Interview!
Q: What got you started in drawing yaoi manga?A: I was around 13 years old when I received a doujinshi recommendation from one of my friends. That was the start of it. Q: What’s your inspiration? A: Many times I dream things up and that’s where I normally get my inspiration from. Q: Where do you get a lot of your drawing references from?A: Doujinshis.
Q: Does your husband know about your activities? What does he think about them?A: He’s here actually! He supports them.
Q: What’s your favorite show (or shows) that you like?A: The Walking Dead.
Q: What kind of crossdressing storylines do you like to do?A: Those that involve aprons—naked, of course. Or a nurse outfit. Q: Have you taken inspiration from a live male model before?A: Yes, but just for a little bit. Q: What’s your one true pairing (OTP)?A: That’s a really big question. It would have to be Saitou and Sanosuke from Rurouni Kenshin. Q: How’d you come up with the name Sakira?A: When I first decided to start drawing, there was a shoujo manga I read that had a character named Sakira in it that I liked. Q: What types of bara do you like to draw?A: Really sporty men who look like they’re going to sweat a lot.
Q: Who’s your favorite Walking Dead pairing?A: Merle and Daryl.
Q: Out of the four volumes you have pub-lished in English, which one is your favorite?A: Sailor Danshi (Sailor Men).
Q: What part of a man is your favorite part to draw?A: The oppai (chest) region.
Q: Have you seen any sports anime recently?A: Eyeshield 21 was the last sports anime I watched. I haven’t seen anything recently.
Q: Between the drawing and writing part of making a new story, which part is your favorite?A: I like the drawing part more, but I make sure the story is done well and spend time on it to make sure it’s what I want.
Q: What kind of food do you like to eat?A: Meat, okonomiyaki...Translator: I’ve been taking her out to dinner. I can say she definitely loves meat. Q: What shocked you about America?A: The food size. The desert is four times bigger here than what you’d get in Japan. I can’t finish eating it. Q: Are there any American (or other) male actors you find particularly appealing?A: White Collar’s actor, Matt Bomer. He’s very sexy, attractive, and manly.
Q: What’s one of your favorite mangas?A: Uchida Kaoru-Sensei’s, Koko ga Sekai no Mannaka da (The Middle of the World).
Q: What would you say has been the biggest ‘wow’ factor of this con so far?A: Yaoi Bingo. If it happened in Japan, it wouldn’t end so well.
Thank you to the wonderful Ryan for translating during her panel. If you’d like to learn more about this multifaceted individual, please visit him on his Twitter @bishie_sensei and say hello.
