"The most delicious meat has become a puzzle" [Part 2] Harapeko Megane Interview

The front and back covers of "Niku no Kuni" feature pictures of raw meat! Many people may find themselves salivating when they see it. Now that meat has been made into a puzzle , we interviewed Harapeko Megane. When asked how they enjoy puzzles, Shinya Harada enjoys displaying them, while Kaori Seki enjoys playing with them. Please enjoy the second part.

The meat model is a chili pepper



── The meat on the cover, which is also a puzzle, looks delicious. I went to a butcher before the interview, but I didn't see any meat that looked this good.

Seki Kaori (hereafter referred to as Seki): There is a good butcher shop in my neighborhood. They buy an entire cow and butcher it in the shop, so the meat is really delicious.

Shinya Harada (hereafter Hara): I always buy meat there. I bought the meat for Puzzle, the fried chicken for Nikunokuni, and the meat for the hamburger steaks there.

-- Is this delicious feeling due to A5 meat?

Hara: I think it was probably A5. It was a part called chili pepper. I thought it was pretty, had good marbling, and had a meaty texture... I wanted to use it as a model, so I had it cut thick.

Seki: This is what beef looks like, a whole lump. It's great.

Hara: That's right. It wasn't so much the chili that was good, but the unique characteristics of the meat.

Seki: It was a once in a lifetime encounter (laughs).



It's the meat you'll want to eat the most.

-- This meat makes me want to eat it.

Hara: Thank you. I'm in charge of drawing meat, and when I drew this, I didn't draw it exactly like the real thing. It could have had more marbling, but I tried to draw it roughly so that it looked delicious... I was looking for a balance that would make it look nice.

Seki: It was quite a challenge.



Hara: It's fun to observe how it's connected to the lump of fat on the bottom left and what's inside. This is also a point I wanted to draw. There's a place at the boundary between the side and the top that looks delicious and appealing.

Seki: There's a place like that?

Hara: Yes, there is a point.

Hara: I thought that if I drew the slight bulge of the fat on the left side as it wraps around, and rather than just drawing the redness and fat smoothly, if I drew the bulge properly, it would look more delicious...

Seki: Ah, so you don't just draw it smoothly?

Hara: That's right. It's quite difficult to explain it yourself, but that's what makes it fun (laughs).

Only the meat became a puzzle.



-- How do you feel about the fact that meat is the only thing that becomes a puzzle?

Seki: I was so happy! (laughs)

Hara: I was happy, and wondered if it was really okay...it was quite surreal (laughs).

Seki: I usually do puzzles with my daughter, and the designs are always cluttered. I think that's fun, but I thought, "It would be nice to have a puzzle that has this kind of impact, and is straightforward and simple."

Hara: I would say that there are puzzles that have a similar feel to this package, but... it's hard to find meat.

Seki: That's right. Even during the meeting about the cover of "Meat Country," the editor told me that he wanted to include the king so that the fun of the picture book would be conveyed to readers who came across the cover.

Hara: But we really wanted to bring out the meat... so we were always thinking about how to make sure the impact of the meat wasn't diluted...

Seki: I wanted to go with meat, and I knew that meat would be easy to understand for children, so I worked hard and came up with a great idea for a cover with graffiti. But on the other hand, I was happy that I was able to make a puzzle with just meat!

Hara: That's right. But I wondered, "Will that really sell?" (laughs).

Seki: I am worried about that... But I feel like this kind of clean impact can't be found anywhere else... And it's not just because it's our painting, but I think it would be good to have more of it.

Hara: That’s true.



(The puzzle only features meat, but the packaging has a lively design featuring all the kings.)

It seems like a difficult puzzle

It's certainly simple and impactful.

Seki: I love puzzles. This puzzle is particularly difficult. I think it's something I can enjoy over and over again.

Hara: I definitely think it would be difficult.

Seki: The part with the fat is difficult. I think that's a good thing.

Hara: Well, there are some white parts. But since I'm the one who drew it, I think I can do it surprisingly quickly (laughs).

Seki: It's simple, so it's rewarding, and when you finish it, you'll want to own it as a possession, and it's difficult, so you'll love it.



(During the interview, the two actually tried their hand at the puzzle. Harada started from the middle, looking at the pictures and quickly fitting the pieces together. Seki started from the edge and worked his way through. Harada was certainly as fast as a speed shogi player.)

-- I'm sure it will clear your mind.

Seki: I'm sure it will happen! It's a different feeling to drawing, as you create something while paying close attention to the details.

Hara: It's embarrassing for the artist. People are going to stare at it for a long time.

Everyone bursts out laughing.

Hara: People who don't draw like us rarely look closely at ingredients. It might be interesting to have them observe the ingredients while making this puzzle.

Seki: That's true. Your child probably doesn't have a chance to see or touch raw meat.

Hara: You don't see it. Normally, when you just cook and eat, you don't see it.

Seki: That's right.

Make a puzzle and eat meat

-- How would you like people to enjoy it?

Seki: I make a puzzle and eat meat that day.

Hara: Well, yeah. It's normal.

Seki: Is that normal? (laughs) How do you enjoy it? Do it a few times, and then stick it together with glue. Is that the final step?

-- It depends on the person. By the way, this puzzle comes with a special glue.

Hara: I'd like it to be displayed.

Seki: I'm a bit stingy, so I want to enjoy it many times (laughs).

Hara: You can do it as many times as you like, but when you feel like you've done enough, I want you to put it on display. If you look at it from a distance, it will look different.

Seki: Yes.



Hara: If they're close together, you think of it as a puzzle, but when you pull it out, it looks like a picture. I'd like you to display one of these pieces of meat in your room and eat it on the day (laughs).

Seki: So you're going to eat it after all (laughs).

-- That's true! It definitely makes you want to eat it.

Hara: This makes me want to grill and cook. If someone is playing with this meat and thinks, "I want to eat meat," then you can have them eat meat that day, or you can use this as a reference to go buy some meat.

Seki: It might be interesting if you could think about the meat, consider the balance of lean and marbling, and think things like, "I'd like more lean meat," or "It seems like it has too much fat."

Hara: That's right.

-- Listening to your story has made me want to eat it even more.

Seki: It looks like it can be used as a cooking tool. You take it out of the box and say, "Okay, let's grill some meat."

Hara: It's food, after all. You can do anything.

I want to decorate the meat puzzle

-- I'll send you the puzzle later. That makes two pieces.

Seki: Is that okay? Yay!

Hara: Should I put one up? This would look great when displayed. We don't display our own paintings. Our solo exhibition has just ended, so we only have one left... but I want to display the meat puzzle.



-- It has the potential to be displayed in a variety of homes.

Seki: Wow, I'm so happy. I want it to be on display (laughs).

Hara: It would be nice if they put it on display, but I wonder what everyone else will do with it.

Seki: Don't you want to decorate it?

Hara: I think so.

Seki: I think it would be great, especially for people who like meat.

Hara: You can frame it, right? My parents used to frame puzzles and display them.

Seki: Ah! That's right!

Seki: Also, the peace sign makes it even cuter.

Hara: I think the lines of the pieces may or may not match depending on the picture, but they look good on the meat puzzle.



Seki: I think it suits you.

Hara: Each piece is so cute.

Seki: Cute (laughs).

── Your love for meat puzzles is overflowing. This is the end of the story about "The most delicious meat turned into a puzzle." Thank you very much.

(Harapeko's motto: "I believe that delicious food is beautiful and has the power to connect people.")

Click here to purchase the Hungry Glasses/Meatland 108-piece Difficult Puzzle

For more information on Harapeko Megane's artists and works, click here

(Lighting: Yoshiro Sugawara, Photography: Ayako Takeda)