Interview: Surt Lim and Hirofumi Sugimoto, Manga Creators of Kasumi

There's been a fair amount of original English language (OEL) manga published in the last few years, but the rarer case is American authors collaborating with Japanese manga artists. Joining Princess Ai and Ultimo in this exclusive club is Kasumi, the debut creation from San Jose-based author Surt Lim and Yokohama manga-ka Hirofumi Sugimoto, due out next week from Del Rey Manga.

Kasumi is a shojo manga fantasy about a girl who enters an exclusive private school, where she endures bullying from her rich, snobby classmates (ala Boys Over Flowers / Hana Yori Dango). But Kasumi takes a left turn from this shojo storyline by giving the heroine a magical power: she can turn invisible when she holds her breath.

But perhaps more magical than that is the origins of Kasumi, and Lim and Sugimoto's cross-cultural collaboration, which is largely made possible by emails, instant messages and online English - Japanese language translators. In the spirit of their overseas communication, I recently talked in person and via IM with Surt Lim and Hirofumi Sugimoto about Kasumi, their creative process that somehow thrives despite their language barrier, and how this professional shonen / seinen manga-ka took the leap of faith to co-create a different kind of shojo story for American manga fans.

Also, check out a preview gallery of sketches, concept art, and an 8-page excerpt from Kasumi Volume 1, to get a taste of what's in store when the first volume of this shojo fantasy arrives in bookstores and comic shops on July 22, 2008.

Image credit: © Monkey Square LLC