linked from nh2 blog
lol no wonder he can afford dumping $20k usd a year into ST.
**True masters are low-key! **
Here comes “God Honda” KUSUMONDO
Posted:2011 -02-14 12:27:07**Source:OriginalAuthor:**angle
February 12th, two years ago, KUSUMONDO Honda, while visiting Zhengyang game center, defeated China Legion 69-0 in Super Street Fighter 2X.
Once again 17utt.com is talking to the Honda legend.
This time, KUSUMONDO is coming to china as a friend; visiting Chinese players and 17utt.com.
http://www.17utt.com/uploadfile/2011/0214/20110214103004407.jpg
photo of KUSUMONDO taken 2 years ago
We cannot miss such an opportunity to talk to KUSUMONDO. Your reporter, 17utt.com’s Cai Zhen will try to dig into the life of the “God Honda”.
C = Cai Zhen , K = KUSUMONDO
C: Long time no see, 2009 was two-year ago. Time goes by fast my friend.
K: Yes, really long time no see, I finally go to China again.
C: This is the article somebody wrote the last time you came to China, (2009.11 “gaming technology - Eighteen years of Honda’s Road”). They delivered tens of thousands copies of it.
K: really ah!
C: In other words, there are several thousand people who know about you now.And, the match videos of yours have more than 100,000 hits!
K: (disbelief) 10 thousand people!Pretty amazing.
C: Yes, the author of this article praised that you stick with Honda for as long as eighteen years and he expressed heartfelt admiration.In fact, he is also commented that Chinese people only play it a few times and began to feel as if they know most of the game.And do not want to spend more time to go in-depth study.
K: This also happens in Japan, too. When the new games are out, a lot of players are drawn to those new games and disregard the old classics.
C: for example, “Super Street Fighter 4 AE”?
K: Yes, like AE.Many people will flock to play that game.
C: actually someone said that the “Street Fighter 4” series is pretty good, but there are some guessing elements in the strategies. Do you think that exists in Street Fighter 2X too?
K: 2X, after all, has 20-year of history behind it. We have discovered almost everything. The thing that you need to know, almost everybody knows about them already.Between the masters, it is just a test to see who has the best proficiency and execution.Of course, there are also elements of the guessing/yomi.Such as the Blanka attacks, if you make ambiguous moves to confuse your opponent, he might be forced to blindly use the reversal dragon punch to get you off. **The difference between the relatively low level players and the masters is that ****the lower level players will have a harder time putting the master into a situation where he has to guess. **Sometimes they do not understand why they lose.The same situation, the masters will often force the opponents in a situation where they have to make a choice, where he will often make a mistake. In that case, the masters are not playing the guessing game. They fully understand the character matchup.
C: The balance in 2x is very good.
K: 10 years ago, many people already concluded that some of the 2X matchup are hopelessly bad.But the last four/five years, with the emergence of new ideas, some of the matches that we thought used to be very bad, we have found new hopes. Even to the point where nobody can say for sure they have the game in the bag.
C: This is called the matchup knowledge.
K: Yes,it’s the stable strategies where you control the match to reduce the amount of guessing you have to make.
C: But in China it is difficult to find a master such as the top players in Japan, strictly speaking, the Chinese players are just fans, we cannot compare to the X MANIA players.
K: If there are more people playing a game, there are many people willing to study it, then I think the Chinese can make their own X MANIA.
C: that’s very hard.Now the most popular games are “Tekken”, “Super Street Fighter 4”, but soon those fevers will pass too.
K: If 10 or 20 years later, when we are 50, 60 years old and still play this game, I think that is a very great thing (laughs), but then other young people must be playing other games.Like me, I am cannot accept those new games. It’s more difficult for me to adapt.But having said that, 10 years, 20 years later, will they be playing “Street Fighter 4”? Will there be a classic as good as 2X that can stand the test of time?
C: This is a question of game development, the Chinese people are actually working on developing their own games, there are vendors in Guangdong working on arcade games such as master of fishing (Note: This game has been exported to Japan),such as “Hurricane Racing”, but they don’t have the knowhow to make “tekken”, “Street Fighter”, etc yet.
K: I often see Japanese players in Japan, holding a phone to play online games, or on their computer, I heard that there are many Chinese production of online games.In fact,I think there is a good many people play those games,South Korea and China have produced a lot of good games, very popular in Japan. The asia players have common tastes, they all appreciate the same kind of good games.
C: You’re right, however, the Chinese production might have the beautiful graphics or game play, but compared with Japan, they are lacking the very essential thing, which is excellent producer. Like Ono or Harada.
K: Japan has schools that teach people to make games. There are a lot of able students who graduate, so among them give the birth of good producers. If China has such a school I believe you will not lack talent.
C: Yeah but in China’s work culture, as soon as those students gradated, they will be hired to work as a employee in some big companies. It’s very hard to let talented people to work on their own ideas.And speaking of teacher there are not many that are able to teach domestically.
K: But I believe that with Chinese people’s creativity, one day they can achieve such a dream.
C: We have been looking forward to this day to come.However, the analogy, CAPCOM is the best, and ARCSYSTEM is the next tier and SNKPLAYMORE the next tier, then the Chinese developers are far below the bar than SNK.
K: However, Japanese developers are very nervous, although CAPCOM might be the best now, but if they are complacent, China and South Korea will surpass them one day, especially now that online games are very popular in Japan, so Japanese developers still have to work hard.
C: Therefore, the Japanese games are constantly upgraded.
K: This is a problem, now the developers just release a patch after another. The kind of games like 2X … … is nonexistence nowadays.
C: Well it is easier to make money from upgrades, focus on immediate benefits.
K: Yes, the recession. They have to survive and make money.
C:By the way, here’s a question, the Japanese players really feel that there are no games that can exceed 3rd strike?
K: 3rd strike?Ah it is indeed a classic, but, unfortunately there are not a lot of competitive characters in that game, you often see the same few characters finishing top in the tournament.2X is different, any character can have a shot.Of course, 3rd strike’s game engine is great. It is unfortunate… …
C: speaking of arcade, Shanghai’s arcade industry is undergoing a reform; the small, dirty ones will gradually disappear, replaced by large chains.So, this time we’re very sorry, we know you are good at “2X” but there is no place to play it.But I believe the next time you come, it will appear in the room somewhere.
K: No, no, this time I didn’t meant to disturb you guys.I wanted to express my gratitude from last time.
C: So how’s the Japanese arcade scene?Last time I wander through the streets in Tokyo and there are a lot of small arcades.
K: Now the numbers of those small arcades has been reduced a lot.The regular arcade that I used to go practice is gone.
C: how about the big chains?
K: it is difficult to survive, mainly because of reduced revenue.Now many console games support online matches.arcade operators are facing enormous pressure
C: Online game play is free in japan?
K: No, for a small fee, but it is a lot cheaper than going to the arcade.If the same game is available in console, for some people there is no reason to go to arcade.
C: That arcade is indeed difficult to survive.
K: They are trying to stream the tournaments in arcade on the Internet so that people can see the excitement, the passionate players and the tension.And then hope they have a "I want to go to arcade to experience such an atmosphere,"the offline social interaction, the arcade.
C: Yes, that might attract the players. At March 3rd, there will be China’s first “Super Street Fighter 4AE” national competition, we want to invite diago umehara, but it’s not looking good.
K: Oh?Did you guys not invite SAKO?
C: You know SAKO?
K: ah yes, he is a really strong player!
C: In fact, we would like to invite him, but unfortunately we don’t have contact.
K:I have a good friend who is a buddy of his; I can help you to get in touch!
C: I’m really very grateful! Oh SAKO is a very mysterious person, right?
K: Oh yes, he rarely appeared in the arcade, always practice alone at home.
C: how does he practice?
K:He just hits the training mode. He’ll think of some combos or setups that no one has thought of. And then keep trying his ideas for hours. Sometime he does that the entire day.
C: nice, so this is how he becomes a master
K: SAKO is really strong, his technique is great.
C: Speaking of the tournament, what does tougeki mean to you?
K: Some of the players do not care, if tougeki hosts their game they will play and have one more goal to achieve, and if not, they will continue to play their game and not give up.Some players like excitement of playing in the tournament.They will play the games with most competition and if tougeki host those games, they will play those.For2X players it doesn’t matter too much because there are X-MANIA and SUPER-CUP. And some people prefer the regular tournament than the single game / single elimination in tougeki.
C: if TOKIDO entered 2-3 games in tougeki, how he would arrange his priority?
K: Then only TOKIDO can answer. like me, I am more old-fashioned I cannot handle multi games at the same thing.So sometimes I am envious of those who can freely switch between multiple games.
C: Well if one day tougeki is gone, there is no effect on you?
K: I think there will not be much impact. If one day 2x is gone, I will be very sad. If the game is here but there is no place to play, then I will feel sorrow.
C: will you switch to another game or another character?You mained Honda for 18 years already, no, almost 20 years.
K: Sometimes I see some people pick sagat in vanilla Street Fighter 4, and in AE they will switch to Yun. When I think of that,I think I won.
C: Why?
K:**In real life, everything will not be easy, there are always difficult times.You have to overcome them one by one, in order to move on.It’s like you stick with a character to win, to overcome the bad matchup.Like in vanilla Street Fighter 4 people will pick sagat and in AE they will switch to Yun, I think they are trying to avoid the challenges.**If you have the same mentality in life or in your career, you will not be able to overcome the obstacles. So I think I win mentally … … ha ha, I might get carried away too far.
C: Ha ha, actually I run 17utt.com for few years,sometimes I run into big problems, that is, I really do not know what to do. But after a few days I think it’s just part of running the business. I just have to hold on to it to make it through.
K: Yes, sometimes it is so.
C: can I ask about your vocation?
K: I am a veterinarian, now I run a veterinary hospital.
C: This is really unexpected! What do you think between the hospital business, and the fact that you main Honda, which is more difficult? (laughs).
K: (laughs) very difficult.Animals, like babies, they cannot speak, you give them the treatment and the pain will make them bite you like a child.It is not easy.
C: I respect you, you master a character with in-depth research, and you run a hospital so well. Please do not give up easily!
K: oh thanks.17utt.com is helping to keep the arcade scene alive.You have overcome many difficulties, I should say thank you.2 years ago, you have done so much for me, we’re obviously strangers, and you are so warmly welcomed me. You guys even prepared posters for me, there are so many enthusiastic people. At that time I thought if I did not insist on playing 2X until today, then I will not have such a wonderful day meeting you guys. so I will not give up, how could I abandon it?
C: next time you come to Shanghai, I think 2X will be there.Then we go play games, and learn from you guys!
K: Thank you!
C: This is our last qualifier event video in China.In addition to the game footage, there are live interviews and trailers and so on.
K: ah, MAGO.
C: Yes, he came last year, you know him?
K: No I don’t know him personally but I know who he is. He is one of the most hard working players in japan.He is quite like those of us old players, willing to delve into a game, studying it extensively.
C: Yes.So, this is for you, hope you’ll give us some comments later.
K: Thank you, I will treasure it!
C: It’s getting late, you are waiting for Mr. Fujimoto?Then we leave now.
K: Thank you!We’ll meet again next time, goodbye!
C: Good-bye!
And that’s why low tier chars are the best. The most frustrating but the most rewarding.
Nice post paps. I love his willingness to stick with Honda for so long, despite his bad matchups.
I’m inspired, I kind of want to start playing honda now.
i cried manly tears, no joke
Epic interview. This kinda stuff should go into the Domination 101. In fact, get this on the front page.
Hi pavo
Kusumonda is a beast, and very modest. I agree sticking to your main is always better than counterpicking, counterpicking won’t actually help you against expert players, people who actually study a game and learn it inside out.
Who is pavo?
Very nice interview, thank you for that. I totally agree, counterpicking is not very good in terms of increasing your experience and familiarity with your main. Instead of switching, it’s better to bite the bullet and tough it out, you never know, you may just learn a new trick.
Also, there’s a vid of Nuki vs damdai after SBO on nh2’s page. Good stuff!
Awesome interview.
fucking double post.
Great interview. He’s definitely one of the guys I look up to. 
I truly wish there were more of these great interviews from top players all over the world, and not just in Japan. It really provides a valuable insight into the minds of great players, and what it is that makes them great player.s
Thanks for the translation papasi, it’s a good interview.
Great Interview.
Big thanks for translation
Yo should highlight the 3s quote too lmao!
AWESOME interview. thx so much for linking papasi!