Singer-songwriter Otsuka Ai has just released her first new picture book in over two years, "Neko ga Suki ni Natta Kirai na Neko".

Much like her previous work which marked her debut as a picture book author, "Neko ga Suki ni Natta Kirai na Neko" is completely hand-drawn and written, from the pictures to the text on each page by Otsuka herself. The famous pop singer sat down with ORICON STYLE to talk about secret stories behind her latest picture book, in addition to the changes in her life following marriage and the baby, how she feels about music, and about her own personality.

Like her debut book "Neko ga Mitsuketa Akai Fuusen", this latest picture book also tells a story of a cat. The cat, named Tobi, is always lying and doesn't have any friends, but then he meets Polo and gradually gets to know him well. Although making a picture book seems as if the author can just freely draw, there are many regulations to creating such a work, such as making the text and pictures in the book fit within a predetermined range. �According to Otsuka, she struggled to meet the regulations when making her first picture book, but she's gotten somewhat used to it with her second work. "I really hate being told to draw within [the boundaries] of what's been decided," the singer-songwriter reflected back on her experience with a wry smile. "I'd like to make something I can think is better than my first one," she commented before explaining how she draws her pictures over and over.

Her latest book was a difficult one even at the best of times, but the circumstances were a bit different than her previous work. "As soon as I could get my hands away for a bit, I'd write without a moment's delay," she said, describing how she managed to piece together a picture book while taking care of her child. "I don't know what my job is anymore. I've got all these papers piled up, and my kid plays with my pen so the pens are rolling around everywhere. Over time I've started feeling like an 'everyday mom', or maybe just a cartoonist or something... ?" Otsuka said with a laugh, referencing the popular manga 'Mainichi Kaasan'.

As originally planned, those who purchase the picture book will be able to buy her exclusive, previously unreleased song "Gomen ne." The motif for the song had already been made two years prior, and was completed along with "Neko ga Suki ni Natta Kirai na Neko". Otsuka herself is said to be making a lot of songs now that she's returned from her hiatus following her marriage and pregnancy. Although some people may think that a lot of things are different than before, or that perhaps the themes of music she makes or the lyrics may have changed, Otsuka quickly replied, "Nothing in particular is different." She then added playfully, "When I got married, all my fans were saying things like, 'You're going to make more happy songs, aren't you?', but hearing people say those kind of things, on the flip-side I've just become a demon who's starting to want to write grotesque things[, not happy songs]. I have this annoying personality."

In "Neko ga Suki ni Natta Kirai na Neko", Tobi and his friends make a wish on a 'jellyfish shooting star' (a reference to her song "Kurage Nagareboshi"), leading ORICON STYLE to ask Otsuka Ai what one wish she would love to have come true. Otsuka responded right away with, "I'd want my kid to become five kids. �I don't mean I would like to have five kids, but to have five of my daughter."

Otsuka Ai's second book officially hit stores on May 20th.

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Source + Photos: Oricon