Rockin' Out With Sumiko Arai, The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All Manga Creator

When ranked in the top 10 on BookScan's graphic novels list for February 2025.

Readership continued to grow as fans watched the gyaru Aya crush on the cool and collected music shop employee, Mitsuki. The discovery that Mitsuki was actually her female classmate added a twist to the story, as both girls' feelings evolved from a friendship into something more, fueled by a shared love for Western rock music.

Anime News Network sat down with Arai-san for her first-ever English interview to talk about her characters, lesbian love stories, what music she has in rotation, and that anime adaptation that everyone is so excited about.

Can you discuss deg the lead characters, Aya and Mitsuki? When it came to capturing Mitsuki's coolness, who or what might have been your inspiration?

Sumiko Arai: I took the most extroverted side of myself and kind of amplified it and put it into Aya, and then took the most introverted side of myself and put it into Mitsuki. I think that's the two very different sides of myself turned into characters, and I understand them that way the best. I have loved polar-opposite pairings in any story, and that's always been something I wanted to write.

Are there other fictional couples that represent a similar hot-cold to you, even if they don't directly inspire Aya and Mitsuki?

Sumiko Arai: Well, obviously, this is in a completely different setting, but I loved Shelby and Toni from The Wilds. That was something that I was watching when I created these characters, but it's completely different. I just like their dynamic a lot.

Can you share your artistic journey with us? When did you first begin drawing, and what appealed to you about telling stories through the comic book medium?

Sumiko Arai: I started drawing at a younger age but grew up with manga. I didn't really think that I would be doing this in the future. I just really liked the art and the pretty things in there, and I just tried to copy it and get better at it. So that was kind of my journey with art, and I think with comics, you know, a lot of Japanese kids aspire to be something like that. It's really, it's a really cool job. But I think what's appealing about comics, in general, is that you feel more personal with all the characters because there's a visual attached to it. And that's how I felt.

I can retain information better. I feel like I can relate to the characters better because I see them visually and I see their expressions; it kind of helps me out. I'm not a big book reader, you know? Even the most mundane kind of dialogue can be made into a very impactful scene just by it being paired with this expression of a character. That's what makes it beautiful.

Some moments are just completely different when you can see the reactions on the characters' faces compared to what you may envision if you're reading it in book form. That art really sticks with you. And there are certain visual images in manga and comic books that I think have almost become pop culture images that we all associate with.

Sumiko Arai: Oh yeah, for sure. That's so cool.

Your manga has a unique publishing format, and each chapter is released in about four pages, which I think is how it originally debuted on social media. Is this format challenging for the storytelling that you come up with because you're restricted within four pages?

Sumiko Arai: So, personally, I think longer formats would be more intimidating for me now. I feel like I'm more used to the short format. I think it's kind of hard to put out four pages and say, “Oh, please be sufficed by this.” Everyone wants to read a little more every week, but the challenge is that I have to cut a lot of dialogue or little details that I would put in there if it were longer. I have to make sure that it's short and concise and has a rhythm of its own, I guess, so that everyone can get the information and message they need from the chapter. But I think I like the format. Even though it's kind of frustrating sometimes, to keep it short.

There are dramatic beats that the characters hit at various points. Is the format harder for that, or is it because it has its own rhythm already, and you're so accustomed to it that it works?

Sumiko Arai: Yeah, it works now. I think it was harder before, but I'm definitely more satisfied with it now.

Western music plays an important role in connecting Aya and Mitsuki. Is there a Western music album that played an important role in your life in a similar way? And is there an album you think you've listened to the most?

Sumiko Arai: So I grew up with a lot of foreign music because of my dad when I was little. He introduced me to Beck when I was a kid. And I really loved Beck's album Guero. It's the album with the white, red, and black cover. But it's really cool. I think that's my lifetime favorite album.

But for music or albums that I've listened to a lot, front to back, I have a couple. It's not necessarily rock; I feel like I listen to other genres, too. Can I list them all?

Sure!

Sumiko Arai: I've always listened to the Beatles a lot, and Revolver is a big one, and Deftones. Around the Fur is a really good album. I think I listened to a lot of Half Moon Run in my teen years. Dark Eyes is a really good album. And a lot of Clairo. A lot.

Those aren't all rock bands, are they?

Sumiko Arai: I think some may be folk, kind of folky. I think Half Moon Run is alternative rock, but some of their albums are more folk-pop.

In your opinion, how can music benefit people who relate to Mitsuki? People who have a "different rhythm?"

Sumiko Arai: I think that when you're feeling a certain way, you can relate to this piece of music that someone you don't know wrote and have a shoulder to lean on a little bit. It's like a friend that you don't really have who understands it completely. I think in that way, it really does benefit you. But also, one song is all it takes to find a community that really likes the type of stuff you like and can relate to. I think that's how music can be really beneficial.

It's a great way to connect people.

Sumiko Arai: Yeah, yeah. To find a community, you know, and see that you aren't really alone in this world at all.

Were you already a fan of yuri stories before you started The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All? What do you think makes yuri manga special?

Sumiko Arai: So I like yuri, but I was always scouring the internet for any type of queer, women-loving-women series or movies, because there really isn't much to watch. I've always been searching for something that I can relate to; I was a fan. I definitely saw a lack [of options] in it, so I wanted to make something to contribute, maybe. But just women-loving-women [media] in general is unique and special as it is, and I think that's what I love about it.

What were your feelings when it was announced that your manga would get an anime adaptation? Can you share if the color green might play an important role in the anime's visuals?

Sumiko Arai: I was very excited. Very excited. I really wanted to get the information out there to the readers because I had been seeing some people talk about it as something they wished would happen, and it's hard to know that information and not be able to say anything.

People are tweeting, “Oh, I hope this becomes anime,” and you know it will.

Sumiko Arai: Yeah, I was really pumped to get it out and to see everyone's reaction. It was very warm. That was great. Unfortunately, I can't say anything about the visuals at the moment, but I'm really hoping I can share some things soon.

Is there any importance to the specific songs that Aya and Mitsuki listen to together throughout the series? Do they represent a progression in their relationship?

Sumiko Arai: Yeah, I think some of them do. Some of them are just, you know, songs that they're listening to at that time and want to share with other people. But I think a lot of the time, I think about their headspace and what they're feeling at that moment, and try to find a song that fits them. Sometimes, stories come to me through listening to that song, and I think that's what's really special about this comic.

I saw they ended up making an official playlist for the series.

Sumiko Arai: It's on Spotify, Apple Music, and everything. That is the official playlist that I picked out the music for the series, but the premise is that the characters picked it, and I think that's what makes it kind of personal.

My last question is, what five music artists or songs are currently in your playlist?

Sumiko Arai: Okay, let's see. I am currently listening to Bloc Party and The Hives. I am also listening to Cream.

Cream, Like Eric Clapton Cream?

Sumiko Arai: Yeah. And what else do I have? I have always loved Car Seat Headrest. They're gonna put their new album out soon, so I'm kind of pumped for that. And one more, The Cure.

The Cure is on permanent rotation, I think, right?

Sumiko Arai: Yeah, always, always.

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The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn't a Guy at All manga is available in English from Yen Press. Yen Press will release the third volume on October 25, 2025.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. Yen Press, BookWalker Global, and J-Novel Club are subsidiaries of KWE.