Hoshino Katsura talks about Howard Link!
What kind of impression of Link do you have, sensei?
“The fact that he’s become good-looking and his bangs have grown longer is striking (laughs). I thought about sticking to his helmet-like hairstyle, but as the story progressed, I changed his hair a little to show that time had passed. Due to this, Link’s current appearance has now fixed itself in my mind.”
I feel like he’s also changed a lot on the inside since his debut.
“Originally, Link was absolutely obedient to Lvellie and single-minded. He was one of the few people by Lvellie’s side. He was nothing more but Lvellie’s puppet at first but as the story progressed, I started to feel that Link has more of a will of his own that I ever imagined. My image of him changed as I continued drawing him. In that sense, he became a character with a backbone. I’m fond of him, how should I put it, he’s cute (laughs).”
Link once passed Allen rice gruel with a message that bad-mouths Lvellie written on it.
“I think that to Link, who has a high regard for Lvellie, it was fairly humiliating (laughs). When Jeryy passed him the rice gruel, I think he was torn between conflicting feelings. Torn between “How dare he!” and “Walker might eat it if it looks like this…”
What visual aspect do you pay most attention to?
“Definitely his eyebrows! But because his bangs are longer now, his eyebrows are currently partly hidden. I’m in a pickle… Link’s eyebrows were his strong point but now… What should I do? (smiles wryly)”
“Golden. His hair color has somehow turned into his image-color, I guess (laughs).”
What highlights will Link have from this time on?
“Link is appearing and working more than ever! That’s because when Lvellie moves, Link also gets busier (laughs). Link fans, please look forward to future developments!”
-Translations by: Verduister