2019 Mana Questions and Answers at Kawaii Kon in Hawaii

Later on Saturday, April 6th, there was a Questions and Answers panel scheduled for Mana with Moi-même-Moitié. I spent a little time looking around the Honolulu Convention Center and also ate lunch. Finally I went up to wait by the panel room where I ran into someone I met last year in Seattle at Sakura Con.

It was the fabulous Michi! She had flown to Hawaii from back east to support her friends and see Mana and Moi-même-Moitié. We waited together and then a few more people showed up.

Just call them the Goth Squad. Really nice ladies who I ended up being adopted by. They had a lot of fun waiting for the panel to start. The doors finally opened and we ended up in the front row. I was a bit nervous being there but they were very sweet.

First in were Andrea of Moi-même-Moitié and the MC from Fake Star US. They had just started talking when Mana walked out from back stage. I think they were just as surprised as we were since they hadn't even introduced him. Mana was wearing the same outfit that he wore in the fashion show. The MC proceeded to ask a question of Mana and then read from questions people submitted at the Moi-même-Moitié booth earlier. Andrea translated for Mana, who held a fan up in front of his face when talking to her. So here are the questions and answers from my notes that I took.

The first question asked was what was Mana doing for fun in Hawaii? He replied that he was enjoying Hawaii, going to Wakiki and eating lots of Hawaiian food.

The next question was mine. I was a little surprised it was asked right away. The MC does go through them. What is an average day in Mana's life like? Mana said something similar to what he has said before. That he goes for walks, sees the sakura blossoms, and enjoys the four seasons. 

What is Mana's favorite Moi-même-Moitié print? It is Harpsichord Trio.

I had a little trouble hearing this question, I thought it was something like what is Mana's favorite kawaii character? Mana said that lately he has gotten into Moomins, and they went to the store in Finland.

Mana was asked what his favorite make-up was, but unfortunately the name was said so fast I did not catch all of it. He then mentioned that in Seattle when he said that he uses an all-in-one cleanser that people were shocked by that, and since then he has been receiving products to try from people. There are different ones that he likes so far. He didn't name names.

Will there be any upcoming collaborations? There are no plans right now but in the interview Mana did with Hirooka Naoto of h.NAOTO, they talked about a possible Wa themed item. He also mentioned the new yukata.

My other question that I submitted was asked. Has Mana ever wanted to create a perfume and what would the fragrance notes be? Yes and it would be sweet, fruity and dangerous. He leaves it up to our imaginations what that would be.

What music and fashion inspired him in the 90's? He wore elegant gothic lolita when he was in MALICE MIZER and  found inspiration in shojo manga. He didn't remember right off hand which manga.

What is Mana's favorite type of dog? He is not good with animals so he doesn't know the different breeds of dogs. (I believe Mana was trying to say that he doesn't know a lot about animals. I also want to say something here because Mana gets asked a lot about pets and sometimes his answers are misinterpreted. Pets are not always easy to take care of. Along with anyone who owns black clothing knows how it is with pet fur. There is nothing wrong with not having a pet and not being good with animals or not knowing what a lot of different animals are. Everyone has their different preferences.)

How is elegant gothic aristocrat going? Will there be more? Some of the questions about Moitié Andrea answered and this may have been one of them. For now there is the bat cape, and the bat collar shirt but nothing else at this time.

At this point Mana got up and modeled the cape for us, which was perfect.

What inspirations does Mana use for his fashion? Old buildings, cemeteries, and European buildings.

The MC then asked attendees for places to check out in Hawaii. At one point Mana mentioned that he likes hiking. I think at this point she started asking for questions from the attendees.

Will there be a butterfly print some day? There was one previously (it was 2001).

I wanted to find out a little more about the yukata so I asked if it would come with the black obi they used in the fashion show. They will come with blue obi.

Will they re-release the coffin bag? Not at this time, but Mana wants to.

Will there be more older jewelry re-releases? No, it is difficult to have them come out right.

I missed hearing a little of this question. It was something about Visual Kei inspiration for his fashion. Mana replied that Moi-même-Moitié is Moi dix Mois music in fashion form.

Will new music be released soon? He's been spending his time working on the MALICE MIZER dvd. (there is a little more about this question that was answered the next day at the Tea Party which I will write up very soon. So this is only part of the answer.)

How did Mana enjoy working with the models? He thanked them and said they were wonderful

Will there be more items like the cup and saucer, non-clothing? In the future but they can't say. (it's a definite yes on this one)

I had to ask if there would be a night gown or pajamas again? They are talking about it, Mana wants to.

Will there be shoes? The problem is with sizing.

Does Mana like anime? He mentioned he likes Neon Genesis Evangelion

What is Mana's favorite food? He likes cooking and eating, steak right now (asked what is the perfect steak later said he likes it pretty rare).

Does Mana do any drawing or painting, illustrating? He doodles.

Will there be more older prints? No comment (which is most likely yes)

Will there be custom sizing? No, it is difficult to do this.

How does Mana push himself beyond hard times? There was something said about fashion, that with gothic lolita, letting the world know about wonderful items helped push him through hard times.

What is Mana's inspiration with fashion? That he created his own style combining lolita with gothic.

Does Mana see himself as successful? That the world knows about elegant gothic lolita and his bands, that is success.

Any advice on how to be successful? Pursue the things you love without worrying about what people say.

What is Mana's favorite place in Paris? Montparnasse Cemetery.

With Mana's traveling internationally, what cultural differences does he see from Japanese fans and international fans? International fans are more open, they talk about their thoughts and feelings more.

Is there anything that Mana wants to do that he hasn't done before? He dreams about mountain climbing, big mountains like Mount Everest.

Will there be red and green colors released again? Mana likes green a lot, like the new shirt, so there will be more green items.

I missed this question but Mana said that he gets nervous meeting new people, he is quite shy and still gets nervous even now. This was the last question.

I have to say, while Mana may have been nervous at the start of the session, he did appear more relaxed as it went on. The audience was smaller than the one at Sakura-con and the feeling was a little more personal. I noticed Mana was using his fan less and looking out at the different people in the audience while they were asking questions. I enjoyed this session and other people I talked to said the same.