“My Millennial Heart Wants Back the Good Ol’ Times” – Creator Interview with Giushia

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Getting to Know You

Tell us a bit about yourself: who are you, where are you from, and what should readers know about you?

Nice to meet you! I’m Giushia (although just “Giu” is fine, I know some people find it hard to pronounce!), I’m Peruvian and… I’m a super workaholic. I just love to draw, especially if it’s shipping/romance related.

What do you do when you’re not working or creating art?

It’s so ironic that when I’m not drawing at work, I’m drawing too as a break, haha! But when I’m not doing either I’m usually watching movies, walking my doggies or swimming.

Does your profile name have a meaning?

A meaning… Nothing too deep, really. My username is just a mix of the first syllable of my first name (Giu-liana) and the last syllable of my second name (Patri-cia). I thought GiuShia looked cute when I put it together!

What inspires you most as an artist?

It’s a mix of manga authors I admired since I was a teenager. Especially Hiro Mashima, he’s such a hardworking mangaka who cares so much for his readers. I cannot stop thinking that he’s partially the reason why I am who I am today. I really look up to him.

And my personal wish is to reach many people through my stories. You know, trying to make them feel how I felt back then when I enjoyed my favorite series (such as Naruto, Fairy Tail, etc). If I could be part of that in my readers’ lives, I would be very happy.

What part about making comics is the hardest for you?

Scripts. And sketching too. I have huge imposter syndrome, so I’m always struggling when I’m writing dialogue, wondering if it’s good enough or if my hooks are weak. Thankfully, I have my editor who eases that fear from time to time!

As for sketching, it’s a little less hard since I already picture how the scenes go while I’m writing, but action scenes still are a huge challenge for me. I love action, but I haven’t drawn the kind of battles you see on Fake Bonds. Not to mention it’s sword fighting and fencing. I had to watch fencing tournaments and other sword-fighting videos to be able to portray something believable. But well, I’m still learning, and I hope I’ll get better with practice!

Is creating comics your full-time job?

Yes, luckily so far it is. I’ve been working full-time for Webtoon for about 5 years and taking commissions from time to time, too. So, I am very grateful to have received this opportunity to work on creating comics. It’s not a job to be romanticized, it’s physically and mentally demanding, but at least it’s something I love so I’ll always be grateful for this.

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Quick Fire

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About ‘Wanna be Friends’ and ‘Fake Bonds‘

Wanna be Friends ended earlier than originally planned – can you share what led to that decision?

Because Webtoon didn’t approve a S2, and though they didn’t tell me a particular reason why they didn’t want to renew Wanna be Friends, I’m certain it had to do with the low numbers the series was performing. Probably the number of readers who were reading weekly wasn’t enough for Webtoon standards.

Were there any loose ends or storylines you wish you could have wrapped up?

Yes, a few. I cut storylines that had to do with Ian’s old friends and parents, which could’ve given more detailed context and understanding about how and what Ian was dealing with during the first days after the accident, and how he developed his “fear of depending on someone”. Daisy’s character arc was also a bit rushed. I also skipped something about Sienna and her past with Maddie and Ethan, but I think no one noticed that yet, so I’ll pretend those chapters don’t need to exist, it would’ve burned the slowburn, probably.

But the storyline that hurts me the most I left unfinished was Archer and Arabella’s. But that would’ve led to introducing and developing even more characters (Like Arabella’s family and Archer’s siblings, Eve and Sophie too), and I had to prioritize the closure of the main characters’ storyline since there weren’t enough episodes to develop those two.

Romance readers know the scene by heart: an accidental confession during fireworks that just gets brushed off. You chose to do it differently. Why?

I love cliches with all my heart. But I also like to twist them a little to surprise my readers so they don’t feel like they’re reading a copy-pasted scene. I do that with everything I write: I show a stereotype so my readers can get an idea of what kind of character or scene it is, and then surprise them with a deeper layer or a different outcome. And for the Wanna be Friends confession, it was no exception, and the funniest part is that the “plot twist” made actual sense, it just had to be that way.

Ian is already deaf so obviously, there’s no way he could hear any spoken confession. But he KNOWS how to read lips, so you could say he was immune to the fireworks cliché haha!

Let’s start with Fake Bonds: Is the little heart under Aria’s eye a tattoo or a birthmark?

It was originally planned to be a birthmark. But I changed the idea last minute for it to be a really-really-really strong and resistant makeup. Her makeup has plot armor haha — I’m writing an episode where that is briefly mentioned, so please pretend makeup is that durable, it’s for the plot I swear.

In chapter 6, Aria lets her guard down in front of the crown prince, which sparked some discussion in the comments (readers were debating whether it felt in-character for her). What’s your take?

Perhaps I could’ve used a different wording for that specific speech bubble, I’ll admit that much. But it’s not completely out of character for her. She comes from a place where she was admired and flattered by young nobles, or even feared because of her father. And she can’t see further than her goal to become a General. Her meeting with the emperor was the first time she understood the “hostility” she unleashed when rejecting the arranged marriage.

If you see her expressions during the beginning of that chapter, you’ll notice she was cautious and polite in front of the prince, because she’s conscious of the power dynamic between them. Anthony has more authority than her after all. But Anthony is really skilled at breaking those social interaction walls and knows how to give people the confidence to talk in equal terms. He, unlike the emperor, is a charismatic social butterfly and Aria notices that. That’s why she lowers her guard, because she thinks he’s not like the emperor. Besides, Anthony seems more approachable and is willing to be the sponsor she needs for the Royal Knight exam. He gives her zero reasons to be wary or suspicious.

And because some readers were asking: how did Aria make the sound travel away from her in the maze?

Hahaha! She was running loudly throughout the maze to locate Ezekiel in the map. Once she noticed he was close (when Ezekiel stabbed those walls), she stomped louder and then slower/reduced the sound while she was going in the opposite direction. She also used some stones to fake movement. Ezekiel totally fell for that sound illusion!

Which one of your characters do you love to draw most?

From Wanna be Friends… Arabella, and from Fake Bonds Ezekiel! And I like to draw them because they’re easy lol. They have simpler silhouettes and designs among their respective main cast so it’s like a break for my hand when I draw them.

Can you walk us through how Aria came to be? Was there a specific inspiration behind her name?

Okay, I need to give a small context before answering that. Fake Bonds really is an old story from 2021, and the plot had a considerable amount of changes since then. (The biggest change was the genre change from an isekai royal romance to a royal drama without any magic). The FMC (Ellysia) was originally under the “reincarnated into a novel” trope, so the character she was going to possess would be the heroine of the story: The only daughter of a prestigious military noble family who was skilled at fencing and piano. The heroine was really proud, stoic and elegant, and was aiming to inherit the title of the head of the family so she always wanted to do things by herself. And “Aria” was just the perfect name for her, as it really embodied the independence and elegance the character was about. And it had the bonus that had to do with music.

When I changed the genre I got rid of “Ellysia” and the Main character became Aria (since her story was more interesting) I discarded her original passion for music and made her only passionate about fencing. But I just couldn’t change her original name, I got too attached to it.

What do you want your readers to feel when reading Fake Bonds?

All I want really is for Fake Bonds to really stick with you. I always aim for writing stories you can quote or reference or remember certain scenes whenever something happens. I can’t help but notice these days, young people are surrounded by plastic and soulless stories that are basically the same bland characters. Those have done so much wrong to the young readers, dehumanizing human emotions or romanticizing toxic traits. And this will sound dumb, considering we’re in an era where young readers prefer to read completed or really advanced stories, but my millennial heart wants back the good ol’ times where the fandom was just excited talking, theorizing, and making fan art, fan comics, or fan fiction of what the episode could be about next week.

I guess I simply want to contribute a story that can make them think and develop their critical thinking. To give them characters that are a little more complex, interesting, or entertaining. Show them that labelling a character as a red flag or a green flag sometimes doesn’t fit, because grey characters do exist too. And I know I’m not touching themes like Fullmetal Alchemist did or anything of the sort, but if I could at least get a little close to that kind of feeling, then I’ll be very happy.

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Your Creator-Journey

Webtoon Originals vs. Canvas: what changed when you moved to Originals?

I think the readers in Originals are impatient, while Canvas readers are the opposite. But also, the production stages are different. When I was at Canvas my friends were my beta readers, and my grammar had a lot of room to improve; but in Originals, I get more insightful and detailed feedback from my editor, which allows me to learn even more than I did back at Canvas.

You’ve mentioned that some scenes get cut during preproduction because episodes run too long. Who makes that call?

I do. I only get paid for a certain number of panels, and Webtoon doesn’t pay for extra panels. When you’re working with weekly deadlines, the longer the episode, the more your hand suffers. That’s why I ask my editor which scenes are not necessary (usually the action scenes are the ones cut in Fake Bonds) so I can save time. Most of my episodes usually have between 5 and 10 extra panels, though, which is still a lot of drawings to do in a week. But even with scenes cut, I’m always developing the plot at a proper pacing so no matter what, every episode will be important and worth reading.

Is there a reader reaction or comment that has really stuck with you?

Like I said before, I have a huge imposter syndrome, so I usually try to stick with the positive comments so I don’t hit rock bottom really. Some that I remember or I go back to read sometimes are the ones that recognize what I’m trying to do with my narrative, or the ones that notice my art improvement. I remember those who told me how genuinely they were enjoying the dynamics of the 3 main characters and the interconnectivity of their conflicts and goals; and I have a special place in my heart for the ones who commented they liked my writing and my dialogues, as well as those who love all the characters because they’re equally interesting in their own ways. If there are people who can notice that, then it must mean I’m doing a good job!

Anything else you’d like to share with your readers?

I’m always saying this, but thanks so much for reading Wanna be Friends and Fake Bonds. I know FkB is a really different genre from my last work, but I’m really grateful to you for allowing me to explore a different genre and morally grey characters. Even if it may not last as long as I wish to, I’ll do my best until the end to give you a story you can always come back to. Just like I did with WBF.

I don’t know if Fake Bonds will get another season, but chances will be higher as long as you keep supporting the series and recommending it! You can always tag me if you ever do an edit or a fanart by the way! I’ll be super happy!

If you want to see my all-time-favorite finished romance manhwa, check out my recommendations.