The unique brother and sister artist duo Wajima Kanta and Kaede expand their imaginary world through their creative endeavors. "Listening Museum #10"

"HERALBONY TONE FROM MUSEUM ~Listening Museum~" is a podcast that launched this spring and focuses on artists contracted to the welfare experimental company Heralbony.

Sara Ogawa, an actor, filmmaker, and writer, and Takaya Matsuda, CEO of HERALBONY, will be the interviewers. As they listen carefully to the art, they will touch upon the personality and life story of this "unique artist" that can be seen beyond his work.

Our guests this time are two unique authors, a brother and sister duo. Together with their mother, the knowledgeable brother Kanta and the innocent sister Kaede will talk about the anime they love and the works they want to create.

#Yatterman and YAIBA

Takaya: We have two guests with us today. They are actually brother and sister.

Ogawa: That's amazing! Both siblings stand out in their own unique way.

Takaya: That's right. The writers are Kanta Wajima and Kaede, and their styles are quite different.

Ogawa: I have the work at hand, and it's completely different.

Takaya: If you look at Kanta's work, you'll see that it's completely filled with people.

Kanta Wajima "Let's sow the seeds for the future"

Ogawa: There are so many drawings that it's hard to know where to start or where to look. Everyone has a lot of facial expressions, and there are all kinds of people and animals, so it's really fun. I've seen Kaede's work before. The reason is that it's the design of the Heralbony tumbler that I use.

Takaya: That's right! These tumblers are very popular. Kaede's work is like fabric, with all sorts of hidden patterns, so much so that I think it would be more accurate to call her a paper cutting artist.

Ogawa: We want to get started today, so let's get started right away! Kanta Wajima, Kaede, and their mother, Makiko.

Wajima family: Thank you very much.

Ogawa: We're broadcasting remotely today, but where do you usually live?

Kanta: I live in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Ogawa: It's Kanazawa! I was talking about this earlier, but the tumbler I always use has a lovely picture of Kaede on it. Kaede, what do you think of this picture...?

(Kaede looks at the screen with wide eyes)

Ogawa: Ah, you look surprised right now. How did you make it?

Wajima Kaede "Maple Snip Snip"

Kaede: I did it when I was in elementary school! With scissors! And with origami paper!!

Takaya: It's amazing, isn't it? You cut origami paper with scissors and paste it down. And it turns out to be such a wonderful design.

Ogawa: The patterns are really intricate. Did you cut them all yourself?

Kaede: Yes!

Ogawa: Wow! Did you use black and white origami paper?

Kaede: I use it! That's it!

Ogawa: Ahaha (laughs). That's true!

Takaya: That's true! But there are also ones that use various colors other than black and white, right?

Kanta: Well, Kaede has always loved the world of fairy tales and picture books, and she often chooses colors that match them when creating her works.

Wajima Kaede "Drops"

Ogawa: Kanta also explained about Kaede.

Takaya: That's amazing.

Kaede: Recently, I started drawing after using an app called "Procreate."

Ogawa: Wow! What is Procreate?

Kanta: Simply put, it's an app for people who love drawing and want to draw for work or as a hobby. It can also create animations.

Ogawa: Wow!

Kaede: The animation I want to create is a modern recreation of CC from Yatterman.

Ogawa: Oh.

Kaede: (looking very sad) But it's not working...

Ogawa: You're also trying your hand at animation!

Kaede: If it's difficult and things don't go well, if I really can't do it, I feel like crying.

Ogawa: That's how hard you're working.

Kaede: If only my big brother would help me!

Takaya: Actually, I have visited Wajima-san's house before, and the house itself is an atelier. There, Kaede-san's various fabrics and Kanta-san's large works are displayed.

Ogawa: Even in this Zoom screen, there seems to be some kind of artwork behind the three of you. Is it a painting?

Takaya: Maybe Kaede's curtains?

Kanta: These curtains are made from paper cutouts of maple leaves.

Ogawa: Amazing!

Takaya: That's cool.

Ogawa: Did your mother also decide to set up an atelier because you two really love making things?

Makiko: This was originally my grandfather's house. He used to paint here, and we're still using that studio.

Ogawa: Wow, your grandfather also likes to draw pictures... Oh, Kaede-san, you brought something with you! What is it?

Kaede: (holding something in her hand) I used to make this when I was little!

Ogawa: So cute! Let me see it on camera.

Takaya: What is this? It's so cute!

Ogawa: Is it cloth?

Makiko: It's a small cushion made from old cloth and T-shirts, based on a picture Kaede drew. I used it to hold curtains together, and now I'm introducing it myself.

Ogawa: Did Kaede make this too?

Mikiko: I created the picture that (Kaede) drew.

Ogawa: Your mother created Kaede's drawings.

Kanta: Yes.

Ogawa: Kanta, please bring something too.

Takaya: Kanta is also really interesting. I'm a big fan of his stories.

Ogawa: Kanta's explanation was very easy to understand.

Takaya: Wow, it's amazing. I wonder what's going to come out? It seems like you've done some great preparations.

Kanta: Here you go. Here you go. This is my anime character, "Animeka."

Takaya: Anime?

Kanta: Yes.

Ogawa: Do you mean an anime mecha?

Kanta: Yes, that's right. It's like a navigator that gives you all the information you need for your adventure.

Ogawa: Amazing! Is this also a cushion made from a picture that you drew?

Kanta: Yes. I designed it when I was in sixth grade. I also designed a variety of other characters, such as "Kababot," a hippopotamus building block character, and "Fortune Teller Shabon-san," who can make anything come true. I also worked on his partner, Teruko-san, the rain doll.

Ogawa: You've been creating a lot of characters for a long time, Kanta!

Takaya: What's more, Kanta, you've given each of those huge characters their own personality and name.

Ogawa: Are there character settings for all of these?

Kanta: Yes, that's right.

Ogawa: That's amazing. It must take a lot of time to draw so many characters.

Kanta: Yes, that's right.

Ogawa: How long does it take to paint one picture?

Kanta: First, I took some time to think about what kind of character I wanted to create, and then I looked at books of riddles, books of word games, and an old TV show called "Fountain of Trivia" for reference.

Ogawa: Fountain of trivia! That brings back memories.

Kaede: Me too!

Kanta: Please do the same for Kaede.

Kaede: For me, there's anime trivia.

Ogawa: There's an anime too?

Kaede: My favorite anime are the ones with samurai protagonists from before Aoyama Gosho created Conan.

Kanta: It's a work called "YAIBA."

Ogawa: I didn't know that!

Kanta: It's a samurai battle manga in which the main character, Kuroganeyaiba, moves to Tokyo and meets Sayaka Mine , then fights Takeru Onimaru, who has obtained the Demon Sword. Yaiba is played by Minami Takayama, who also plays Conan.

Takaya: That's amazing. He's like a walking Wikipedia.

Kanta: Here's some trivia about Kaede.

Kaede: Once, when Yaiba was defeated by an enemy, he lost his memory.

Kanta: This is trivia that Kaede thought up, but I'll listen carefully and make sure to connect it to the story.

Ogawa: Wow, so you create derivative works based on your favorite anime.

Kanta: In Kaede's case, it's Kaede's worldview, but in my case, I want to create derivative works without damaging the content of the original work.

Takaya: It's amazing, isn't it? Each has their own clear policy.

#Wajima siblings' way of making up

Takaya: Kanta, Kaede, actually I'm a twin too!

Kanta: I see.

Kaede: Eh!

Takaya: There's another person who looks similar to me. I don't think you've met him yet. And, we twins fight a lot.

Kanta: Actually, me too.

Takaya: I can kind of tell just by looking at it (laughs).

Kanta: Brother-sister fights are a source of worry for me. In my favorite anime, such as "Kemono Friends" and "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba," there is a message that says, "Take good care of your friends," but I can't do this and it's troubling me.

Takaya: That's amazing. You're asking yourself, "Why can't I do this?"

Kaede: What do you think would happen if you really couldn't make up?

Takaya: Hmm, I wonder what will happen?

Ogawa: Takaya, have you ever had a big fight that you couldn't make up?

Takaya: By that time the company will probably no longer exist (laughs).

Kanta: That's right. Well, I don't know about the company, but maybe the duo will break up and I'll go solo. When Kaede drew a big group picture, I stopped making it because I thought it wasn't the picture I had in mind, and there was a time when we had different opinions about the story Kaede wanted to create, and I didn't want to create it, so we stopped making it. I still regret that.

Ogawa: Yes.

Takaya: Regret. But you know, there are a lot of things that can happen.

Ogawa: Do you ever try to create a piece together like that?

Kaede: Yes there is.

Kanta: Originally, Kaede was planning to make an original movie in 2021, when the Jujutsu Kaisen anime was booming and the Tokyo Olympics were being held. We all went to see the cherry blossoms during spring break. When she found a small tree that hadn't yet bloomed, Kaede thought this was it, and she plans to make an original movie.

Ogawa: In the original, Kaede?

Kanta: What Kaede wants to create is a musical made using 3DCG.

Takaya: That's amazing and interesting. I have a question for your mother: do you always discuss various opinions at home like this?

Mikiko: Is this a discussion?

Ogawa: Yes, it is! Let's create a story together.

Mikiko: (To Kanta and Kaede) You've been doing it every night for a long time.

Kanta: There are many times when I don't feel like it. I don't understand Kaede's feelings, and Kaede doesn't understand my feelings. I'm worried about whether we can coexist.

Takaya: Yes, it's true that even if you're family, there are some things you don't know, even if you're twins.

Kanta: I often draw while imagining what I want to do and thinking about the other person's position.

Takaya: You're thinking about the other person's position. That's a very sophisticated approach.

Ogawa: Kaede, you use a variety of techniques, including origami and animation. Do you like them all?

Wajima Kaede "Chop Chop 7"

Kaede: Hmm, I don't know.

Takaya: That's great. I have a question for your mother. You two are very relaxed and create interesting works with different styles. I wanted to ask how you tried to develop each of your abilities.

Makiko: Rather than me providing or teaching them something, I could see that the children were more interested in finding out what they were fascinated with, and had a strong drive to pursue what they were interested in. They didn't even ask if they could use the tools, and before I knew it, they were using them. I was conscious of not restricting them, such as keeping scissors and paper piled up, placing origami paper so that it was easy to pick up, and keeping an eye on pens so that the ink didn't run out.

Ogawa: So you created an environment that encouraged creativity. But when did your mother realize that you two were starting to develop an interest in creativity?

Makiko: Both of them were slow to speak, so we didn't really have conversations in our childhood. Kanta had been drawing since he was about 2 or 3 years old, and Kaede would ask us to cut paper for her with just the words "do it." She would ask us to cut her paper very frequently, and it seemed like it would go on for years. As I gradually got tired of her, I think she started cutting it herself.

Ogawa: At first I watched my mother cut the hair, and then gradually I started doing it myself.

Kaede: That's right!

Kanta: Kaede would see my drawings and would often ask me to draw her pictures, saying, "Kaede wants to draw pictures too." At first I didn't want to, but as I got to know her better, I started to think maybe I should do it.

Takaya: Let's cherish our siblings, Kanta.

Kaede: It would be a problem if you didn't take good care of your siblings, big brother!

Makiko-san: Both of us are very good at reading books, watching anime, and visual information. Kanta has a very strong sense of justice...

Kaede: I have a sense of justice too!

Mikiko: Yes, that's right, that's true.

Kaede: Yes there is!

Mikiko-san: So Kanta thought, "Maybe I have to do it this way"...

Kaede: Um! It's your turn!

Makiko: Oh, wasn't it okay for mom to talk? Okay, let's start with Kaede.

Takaya: The commander (laughs)

Kaede: That's right! If you don't take good care of your siblings, you'll be in trouble. And you won't be able to make up.

Ogawa: Kaede, how should we make up?

Kaede: Just say sorry.

Ogawa: Simple.

Takaya: It's simple.

Ogawa: But it's important.

Kanta: If it were me, I would get my mind in order.

Takaya: Getting your mind in order is also important.

Kaede: I'm trying to get my mind in order too!

Mikiko: Kanta reads Buddhist books and the like quite seriously.

Kaede: Buddhist books had nothing to do with me.

Kanta: Kaede's words are childish, but I'm a little more mature.

Takaya: Hehe (laughs).

Kanta: I think it's because of the influence of manga and novels that adults might think about.

#Closing words

Takaya: Kanta-san, you spoke eloquently like an announcer. Do you know Wikipedia?

Kanta: I make good use of the Internet.

Kaede: Me too!

Takaya: He's like a talking Wikipedia. Kanta.

Kanta: I think it would be better to call it an encyclopedia rather than Wikipedia.

Takaya: Ah! Sorry about that!

Makiko-san: When Kaede cuts items with origami, she used to make items that would let her become whatever she wanted, like in fairy tales like Cinderella, but recently she's been looking at her brother's drawings of anime and other group pictures and original characters...

Kaede: No, that's not true!

Mikiko: Is it different?

Kaede: I saw an unfinished painting that my brother had in his studio, and that was what inspired me to draw it!

Ogawa: Wow, so when you saw your big brother Zen's unfinished drawings, you felt like you wanted to create something too?

(Kaede makes a circle with her hands)

Takaya: Oh, a circle mark. That's great!

Ogawa: I wanted to ask Kaede-san. I've been looking closely at the patterns on these tumblers, and there are some that look like dresses or wings, right? Is there any meaning behind these shapes?

Kaede: (in a slightly upset mood, crying) Yes, there is! Yes, there is!

Ogawa: There is! How do you decide?

Kaede: Ask your mom!

Ogawa: Then please, mother!

Makiko-san: Fairies have wings, and there are about 100 different shapes of wings. So, if you put a dress and a fairy's wings on top of each other, you really become a fairy, and if you take off the dress, you become a princess, and you can transform in that way.

Kaede: I like magical girls in anime, my favorite Pretty Cure, and all the transformation stuff except for "Yatterman" and "Time Bokan"! But Yatterman doesn't use any transformation items! This is true!

Kanta: It's apparently a part of old culture.

Ogawa: Wow. I also like transformation stuff, so when I see crowns and hearts on the tumbler, it gets me excited. So it really does come from that kind of anime.

Kanta: Yes.

Takaya: Kanta's work is really amazing. All the various masterpieces come into Kanta's world.

Kanta: For me, there are characters I drew for the first time between the Heisei and Reiwa eras, and I heard that there was a media mix that actually changed the content of the original work and caused problems due to copyright issues. So I felt like I had learned something negative from it.

Kaede: I don't remember.

Kanta: Kaede doesn't know that technique yet.

Takaya: I see. I see. But it really makes me think that you think about all those different things when you create something.

Ogawa: As your mother has been watching over you two growing up, has there been any change in your awareness or anything that you have realized?

Makiko: It's the same with drawing, but I've lost a lot of concepts that I thought were normal. I feel like my world has expanded in the sense that I can have many perspectives that I don't have, like "this person feels this way, and thinks this here." Even in everyday life, when things don't go the way I want them to, I can imagine in my mind, "maybe they're thinking this," even when I'm about to get angry and wonder, "why is this person doing this?" I think that has really expanded my horizons.

Ogawa: It's not just Kaede and Kanta, but your feelings and ways of dealing with others have changed. Everyone's stories today were so wonderful that the time flew by. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your unique works in the future.

Takaya: Sorry, but there's one last thing I'd like to ask...

Kaede: Really?!

Takaya: Really! I would be happy if Kanta and Kaede could give us requests at the end if there is anything they would like to achieve with HERALBONY.

Kanta: I would like to hold a live show that combines animation and live action, like Rhizomatiks.

Ogawa: Wow, amazing!

Takaya: That's great! So realistic!

Ogawa: Up until now, HERALBONY has focused on paintings, but it would be really interesting if we could also do animations and spatial designs like that!

Takaya: I'd like to do that, and I'd like to think about it together.

Ogawa: Please think of a story for me. I'm looking forward to seeing you two together again. Thank you so much to Kanta, Kaede, and your mother!

Kanta: Thank you very much!

Kaede: One last thing from me.

Kanta: Yes.

Kaede: Opportunity only smiles upon those who are prepared!

Kanta: Madame Curie said that if you prepare properly, you will see success.

Takaya: What a great finale!

Ogawa: That's a great quote! I'll keep it in my heart.

Text by Tomoyo Akasaka

Kanta Wajima

At the age of two, she became interested in animals and began drawing. As she grew older, she liked to draw collections of things that interested her at the time, such as rakugo, toys, anime, Minna no Uta, trivia, etc. The characters that appear in her drawings are herself and her sister, and she often draws original characters as well. Her dream for the future is to create an animation using her own drawings and characters. She works hard on her creative activities every day, thinking about the casting and script for the animation.

Wajima Kaede

Born in November 2008 in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. She loves stories with wizards and heroes and heroines, and from the age of five she has been creating characters and items from stories using origami. She dreams of becoming a film director in the future, and creates many original picture book illustrations and novels with unwavering lines. She is the very picture of a carefree girl.

The podcast "HERALBONY TONE FROM MUSEUM" is now available for free