Japanese Sci-Fi Galaxy Interview

An Interview of Mizugi Kenjitsu, typed up without permission by Chris Rednour




Excerpt from an interview with Mizugi Kenjitsu:

Takeshi Akimoto and "Sailor Fuku Books" was enjoying the prosperity of the 
successful _Doctor Who_ line, but Takeshi wasn't happy. It was clear that 
there might be trouble with the fan base as the book line had clearly 
established the line with ONLY the third Doctor Who.  But Akimoto, true to 
form, had a plan...

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Akimoto approached me with the idea to keep the series alive after the 
third Doctor stories ran out.  His initial idea was to just write them 
all as third Doctor stories and change the companions to Jo Grant. But 
the 80s were a time of spin offs.  Takeshi had mentioned a spin off early
on, but his ideas were unfocused.  Eventually he came down with the book,
The Hand of Fuck and told me we were to translate it as our first attempt
to capitalize on the Doctor Who line.  He hoped to use the book as a 
launching point for TWO separate book lines.  One would follow the 
adventures of the other Doctors, the other the further adventures of 
Sarah Jane and Eldrad. So it was important for me to re-write the story 
in such a way that it was believable that Sarah and Eldrad were reasonably
left to have further adventures.  

Of course history vindicated Akimoto, although at the time the other book     
publishers laughed at him.  But he was the one laughing when he cashed his 
checks when both lines took off.

For me personally, the time around translating The Hand of Fuck, or 
Free Sex in the Hand as the title was translated, was very tough.  I'd 
just broken up with my girlfriend, minor J-Pop star Ami Yamatsu, and I 
threw myself into translating the novel and illustrating it.

The basic idea remains, Sarah finds a hand, but instead of using it as 
a dildo until radiation regenerates it, in my version the hand possesses 
her mind, then absorbs into her, later using Sarah's body to rebuild its 
own.  Eldrad and Sarah are now linked by bonds closer than even lovers.  
They are the same, yet different people.  They know each other's minds 
like they are their own and yet are both independent.  They immediately 
fall for one another.  When Sarah falls ill due to taking in the silicone
hand, Eldrad risks her life to save her cosmic twin.  Landing on her 
planet, the Doctor and Eldrad face a legion of clones of the original 
Eldrad.  The Doctor uses existing technology to destroy the clones that 
have overrun and destroyed the planet.  After doing so Sarah emerges from
the healing chamber and takes her leave of the Doctor to begin adventures
with her lover, Eldrad.

But that's another story entirely...

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