Monthly Heroes - Katsuya Shirai x Rumiko Takahashi
Translation by: Dylan Acres
Monthly Heroes, is a magazine that continues to produce "new heroes required by the times". The magazine serializes various "hero manga" such as ULTRAMAN which will be the current version of Ultraman, Kamen Rider Kuuga, and Atom the Beginning which depicts the birth of Astro Boy. The magazine celebrated its 5th anniversary on November 1st.
In commemoration of this, Comic Natalie has developed a serialization project for three consecutive months. We will post a dialogue between Katsuya Shirai, who became president of Heroes in June of this year, and a guest who has a connection with him. After joining the editorial department of Weekly Shonen Sunday, Shirai served as the editor-in-chief of Weekly Big Comic Spirits (both at Shogakukan) for 10 years beginning at the time of its first publication in 1980. Rumiko Takahashi, who produced many hit works such as Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 and serialized Maison Ikkoku in the first issue of Spirits, appeared in the third and final part of this project. The mission: Shirai, Takahashi, two people, who have what can be called a teacher-apprentice relationship, reveling in the memories of those days and talking about the future of manga.
What I Learned Before My Debut
When did you first meet?
Rumiko Takahashi: Was it when Big Comic Spirits was first published in 1980 and I was drawing the second or third chapter of Maison Ikkoku? I think it was the first time that Mr. Shirai appeared at a coffee shop near Shogakukan where he had a meeting with my editor and greeted him. Mr. Shirai said, "I'm the editor-in-chief." [1] I feel like I didn't have much to say at the time.
Katsuya Shirai: When I ask people around me later, they always say that I just greet people briefly (laughs).
Takahashi: When Mr. Shirai was working on Weekly Shonen Sunday, I didn't meet him. I'd like to ask you a lot of questions today, but when did you join Shogakukan?
Shirai: I joined the company in 1968, and six or seven years later I was assigned to the Sunday editorial department, I moved from Big Comic. I joined the company when Sunday wasn't selling, so at that time it was said that Sunday would be cancelled.
Takahashi: Eh, Sunday!?
Shirai: There was a rumor that the editorial department would be dissolved and merged with the academic year magazines. Kindergarten (学習幼稚園/Gakushuu Youchien), Shougaku Ichinensei (小学一年生/1st grade elementary school), and Shogaku Ninensei (小学二年生/2nd grade elementary school) each published about 1 million copies each, and Shogakukan at that time was known as the "School Year Magazine Kingdom". [2] Sunday editorial staff had to walk at the corners of the company corridors, and grade magazine’s editors passed through the middle. That’s the way it was then.
Takahashi: That's surprising.
Shirai: Then our rival magazine, Weekly Shonen Magazine (Kodansha), was about to reach 1 million copies. Moreover, Weekly Shonen King (Shonen Gahosha) was catching up to the point where we could hear them breathing down our necks.
Takahashi: At that time, I was a devoted reader. I read the shonen magazines quite extensively. I originally read Sunday, and I read Shonen King after Wild 7 (ワイルド7) (Mikiya Mochizuki) started.
Shirai: In the mid-1960s, the kingdom of Shonen Sunday was built with gag manga like Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん) and Obake no Q-taro (オバケのQ太郎). [3] In Shonen Magazine, the great Masaru Uchida, was the editor-in-chief, and chose some great story manga. There was Star of the Giants (巨人の星) and Ashita no Joe (あしたのジョー), and there were no gaps in the lineup, it had such artists as Shigeru Mizuki and Kyuta Ishikawa. [4] On the other hand, Sunday wasn't very good at full-scale story manga.
Takahashi: Tadanori Yokoo was in charge of the covers of Shonen Magazine, so you also put a lot of effort into visuals. The atmosphere of trying to manage Sunday really came through.
Shirai: I suddenly changed the covers.
Takahashi: I remember the cover with a photo of a toilet bowl full of eggs (1970 issue 42).
Shirai: Yes, it was a surreal time for contemporary art. The first half of the 1970s was a time when we were struggling to sell issues and looking for new directions. What year of college were you in when you submitted to Sunday?
Takahashi: I made my application in the winter of my second year of university, and made my debut with Katte na Yatsura in June of my third year. When I applied and was waiting to hear the results, Mr. Shinobu Miyake, the editor in charge (who is also the former president of Heroes), was also in charge of Mr. Kazuo Umezu, and I was called to Mr. Umezu's workplace. [5] I think that was the first professional workplace I ever saw.
Shirai: Were you a self-taught manga artist?
Takahashi: No, I studied for half a year when I was in the second year of university at Kazuo Koike's Gegika Sonjuku (I was a first generation member). [6]
Shirai: What did you learn?
Takahashi: When I was a kid, manga itself became a textbook for me. I imitated the frame divisions and compositions of my favorite manga without knowing the theory behind it. Koike-sensei is a person who teaches the theory in words. He gave me a detailed explanation of "why this is happening" and "what kind of effect this has", and I finally understood "Oh, that’s the way!". Koike-sensei often talks about "what it means to make a character". He gives us a number of concrete examples of "a memorable character,” but then you can see that there are an infinite number of correct answers. There are various elements that become characters, and as a result of trial and error by the author, there are innumerable "memorable characters", each of which is the correct answer. However, the ones that other people have thought of and used are not new, so characters that are based on previously created characters cannot be used. Therefore, the answers are steadily decreasing, but even so, I have come to understand that there are rules and equations for character creation. [7]
Making Miso Soup for Kazuo Umezu
Kazuo Umezu, whose name you mentioned earlier, is a writer who was under the charge of the then new editor, Mr. Shirai.
Takahashi: Did you join the Sunday editorial department and immediately work with him?
Shirai: Actually, Kazuki Tanaka, who was the editor-in-chief at that time, decided it. Umezu-sensei had previously serialized Cat Eyed Boy in Shonen King, and had also drawn in a few magazines such as Big Comic. [8] Nowadays, he isn’t as prolific but at the time he was extremely, extremely busy, saying things like "I only want to sleep for 30 minutes" and "I don't need food." Sunday was having a tough time. The editorial side was also having it hard. After Cat Eyed Boy was over, I started serializing his Orochi in Sunday, but Umezu is a really delicate person. He would never ride in cars because they smelled like people, so I couldn’t ride in a taxi. He and I just walked.
Takahashi: You can still often see Mr. Umezu walking (laughs).
Shirai: Yes, it's a specialty of Kichijoji (laughs). A long time ago, I walked from Seijo Gakuen, where Tadanori Yokoo's workplace was, to Takadanobaba, where Umezu-sensei's workplace was at that time, even though it was a great distance. I think Umezu-sensei must be thinking about things while he's out walking.
It's also difficult for editors to work with mangaka. I've heard that Shirai-san went to Umezu-sensei's workplace to make miso soup.
Takahashi: You cook!? This is my first time hearing this (laughs).
Shirai: I bought freshwater clams at the supermarket in front of Mejiro Station and made miso soup so that Umezu's liver would not be weakened.
Takahashi: Hmm!
Shirai: You can't imagine me working in the kitchen (laughs)? Serializing in a weekly magazine can really mess up your life. It's really tough, so I want to be able to support the artists as much as possible. Umezu-sensei's serialization in Sunday was Orochi followed by Again and Makoto-chan.
Takahashi: After Again, The Drifting Classroom started, and Makoto-chan was drawn using the child characters that appeared in Again.
Shirai: Oh, I see. In the first issue of The Drifting Classroom, the main character's school disappeared, and everyone in the company came to read the next week's issue to see what would happen. It seems like they knew what was going to happen (laughs).
Takahashi: Well, the title gives it a way a bit (laughs).
Shirai: However, the shocking development was that people from other departments came to see the galley which was not yet published. The Drifting Classroom is a "mother's story." Due to their love for one another the mother and son can still communicate across dimensions. He made a really epically scaled work, I think. Also, My Name is Shingo was a work full of the foresight of love between boys and robots, but now 30 years after its completion, it's going to be staged as a musical. Great works change shape and continue to live on. [9]
A Year and a Half at Ryoichi Ikegami's Apartment
Mr. Shirai and Mr. Ryoichi Ikegami were also able to persuade you.
Shirai: At that time, Ikegami-san drew Lonely Rin (ひとりぼっちのリン/Hitoribotchi no Rin) (Original: Shinya Atsukida) in Monthly Shonen Magazine (Kodansha).
Takahashi: No, it was a weekly publication.
Shirai: Oh, weekly? The monthly publication was Spider-Man (スパイダーマン) (Original: Kazumasa Hirai) in Monthly Shonen Magazine (Kodansha). I remember it well now. [10]
Takahashi: I’m a huge fan of Ikegami-sensei, so that's important to me (laughs). I also submitted to Magazine because he was in it.
If you were selected, the history of manga might have changed (laughs).
Shirai: At that time, Kodansha took great care of Ikegami-sensei and took steps to give him a weekly serial. When I saw the magazine, I thought, "What a great artist he is!" When I was a newcomer, I wasn't familiar with his manga, but I knew immediately that he was very good at drawing.
Takahashi: How did you try to poach him for Sunday after that?
Shirai: Ikegami-sensei was working in an old apartment in Mitakadai. The entrance is shared with where I was living, and if there were leather shoes there, you could tell "Oh, the editor of Kodansha is visiting." I can't go inside until the editor leaves, so I went for a walk around the apartment building. When I got back home, I went to him and said, "Why don't you do a weekly serialization in Sunday?"
According to Ikegami-sensei's essay, you had been doing this almost every day for a year and a half.
Takahashi: That’s amazing!
Shirai: Finally, Ikegami-sensei drew Otokogumi (男組) written by Tetsu Kariya, and when I saw the picture of Jinryu Goji in the first preview I thought, "Oh, this might be a hit!" [11] Well, all the main characters are almost the same way (laughs). The villain in Otokogumi was drawn so well, so I had a feeling it would be a hit. And it was a big hit. I later heard, when Ikki Kajiwara was preparing for the serialization of Ai to Makoto (愛と誠), that he wanted to do it with art by Ikegami-sensei. [12]
Takahashi: Oh, that's right!
Shirai: Kajiwara-sensei said, "Thanks to you, I was screwed" (laughs). But I should have thought about that. Both Ai to Makoto and Otokogumi were big hits.
"Conflict" Between Sunday and Magazine: The Rival Magazines
The editor-in-chief of Shonen Magazine, Uchida, chose an artist with great care. And then this rival magazine poached him.
Shirai: It was probably the biggest tactic to reduce the enemy's strength. Rather than just drawing something amazing over there, I take their artist and have them draw it here and damage the opponent. If this is a hit, it will be even more positive, and the difference will be more than doubled. If this goes well, it will be a great pleasure (laughs).
Takahashi: It wasn’t just Otokogumi, there was a conflict between the two magazines.
Shirai: Nowadays, Sunday and Magazine have a friendly relationship with each other, such as planning the 50th anniversary together, but at that time it was not far from a hostile relationship. The editor-in-chief’s complexion would change just by hearing Magazine. I once heard that a Kodansha person came to the coffee shop we used to frequent and he said, "Please replace the air in here" (laughs). It was so intense. Then, once the groundwork for the reversal was created with "Overthrow Magazine" as our rallying flag, Takahashi-sensei came.
Takahashi: At that time, Yu Koyama's Ganbare Genki (がんばれ元気) was serialized, and Otokogumi had ended. Otoko Ozora (男大空) hadn't started yet, and Yasuichi Oshima's Oyako Detective (おやこ刑事) (Original: Norio Hayashi) and Umezu's Makoto-chan (まことちゃん) were being serialized.
Shirai: The editor-in-chief described you by saying "she's amazing, a genius." You debuted like a comet. It was an extremely rare example where your very first serialization is an immediate hit from someone who had just come out of a university manga club. [13] I would re-read the new chapters of Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2 every day before going to bed. It's so well done, it's still really interesting.
Takahashi: Thank you (laughs).
Shirai: Alongside Takahashi-sensei was Mitsuru Adachi, who drew Miyuki (みゆき) in Shonen Big Comic and a shojo manga Hiatari Ryoko! (陽あたり良好!) [14] It was a sign of the times. Urusei Yatsura and Touch (タッチ) became two major icons of romantic comedies that could not be imitated by Shonen Magazine or Shonen Jump. The genre unique to Sunday was decided, and the new readers flooded in. There is also Gu-Gu Ganmo (Gu-Guガンモ) by Fujihiko Hosono-sensei...
Takahashi: There was the uncompromising Musashi no Ken (六三四の剣) by Motoka Murakami...
Shirai: Even if you think about it now, it's a great lineup.
A Professional's Understanding of the Greatness of These Mangaka
Takahashi-san, how did you feel when you decided to make your debut and publish in the same magazine as the mangaka you read?
Takahashi: I was really happy. Of course, I was scared. When I started drawing for it, it was no longer the magazine I'd been reading. If you are a reader, you can say what you like about people's manga. When your work starts to appear, your opinions on others disappears entirely, and there is only respect. You can see why these creators are where they are. You can easily tell the difference between an amateur and a professional.
You could understand for yourself how good a professional manga artist is right away.
Takahashi: That's right. There are times when the quality is so overwhelming. Asking myself “can I keep up?" is important.
What do you mean by "keep up"?
Takahashi: Well it's fun, right? The fun of doing the work can’t be understood unless you try to draw it and get a reaction. I was afraid that I couldn't continue drawing it if I didn't understand why it was so fun. I felt that kind of fear of “keeping up,” but the joy of appearing in Sunday outweighed that.
Shirai: Urusei Yatsura was a complete serial, but what if you got stuck in the story?
Takahashi: At first, it started as a short-term intensive serialization of five chapters, but in the fourth chapter, I was already out of bullets (laughs). [15] The first four chapters were based on ideas I had had at Gegika Sonjuku, but the fifth chapter really started from zero.
Was there any advice you received when you were a newcomer?
Takahashi: Miyake-san, who was in charge of the new talent, taught me how to edit a story. When I brought in my name, he would edit out panels without replacing them, and say "You don't need this panel, it's useless". [16] When I think about why, I realized it was easier understand with fewer panels. I realized, "Oh, I really don't need it. Being lazy and having more drawings just makes it wasteful."
Shirai: It's like cutting unnecessary branches and allowing the trunk to grow.
Takahashi: If you're a newcomer, you can't really understand unless you look at it. It turns out that having a meeting with your editor is important and informative. [17]
I Couldn't Wait and Went to Buy it in the Middle of a Typhoon
Takahashi-sensei was involved in Big Comic Spirits since its inception, when Shirai-san was the first editor-in-chief. What are your memories around the time of the first issue?
Takahashi: It was thrilling. Of course, I kept it a secret because I wasn’t allowed to tell people around me that it was going to be launched. It was the first time for me to have a secret like that. I was seriously thinking, "If you let it slip out, you'll be killed" (laughs).
(laughs)
Takahashi: When the first issue was published, you made posters with characters from each artist sitting on chairs. It was like taking a commemorative photo, and I was excited to say, "It's about to start." It was the era before the economic bubble, so the "outlook of the future" was amazing. [18] When the magazine was first published, I could read the manga of all the characters lined up on the poster ... It was fun.
Shirai: I went to a magazine kiosk on the day of first issue and when I saw someone who bought it, I was happy and worshipped them from behind (laughs).
Takahashi: The day before first issue there was a typhoon. Magazines had arrived at the general store next to my house one day earlier, but I couldn't wait for the typhoon and went to buy the first issue (laughs).
Shirai: In the postscript of the first issue, I wrote, "I'm going to make a magazine that isn’t based on the principle of questionnaire supremacy." [19] I was so enthusiastic. I thought about something amazing after it was published weekly in 1986. I wanted to publish Spirits twice a week.
Takahashi: Yeah! And you mentioned earlier that a weekly serialization is harsh!? (laughs)
Shirai: We could have released it on Mondays and Fridays, let's do something that no one has ever done. No, I heard back from everyone, "It's absolutely impossible!" "When will you grow up!" I was just happy that the weekly publication was successful... I guess.. (laughs).
With a Masterpiece Called Maison Ikkoku
From the beginning of Spirits, a hit work called Maison Ikkoku was born.
Shirai: The response to Maison Ikkoku was that it was a hit was from the first chapter. The wacky residents of the apartment and the widow Kyoko and the main character, Godai. With the well-made settings, there was a feeling of being "swept away" from the first chapter. It feels like you're taking me to a new world. It was a great honor to be able to work with a masterpiece like that. I can’t imagine there will ever be anything like it again.
How far did Takahashi-san think about the story of Maison Ikkoku during the serialization?
Takahashi: I think I was vaguely thinking about the general direction, but I wasn't really up to a point. Because I was doing it by hand. The development of the final stage was visible about a year before the end, or something close to that.
The story is a record Godai-kun's youth.
Takahashi: That’s ultimately what it became. Originally, I wanted to do a story about all the residents of the apartment building and their lives, but in the end, I think documenting Godai’s growth was the correct approach. I was too young to draw the humanity of all these residents, or rather I didn’t have enough life experience to do it.
I Value the Fun of Turning Pages in Books
What do you expect from manga in the future?
Takahashi: I buy my favorite works as tankobon, and I'm quite the reader of everything in Sunday, (the magazine Kyokai no RINNE, her current serial appears in).
Shirai: You still read a lot of manga, don't you?
Takahashi: I'm always reading (laughs). After all, I'm looking forward to seeing the work of young and interesting people. I read seinen manga that are sent to me as much as possible, but every magazine has a manga that I absolutely want to read. After all, it is important for me to support a paper medium. I want to cherish the fun experience of "turning a page" within myself.
Shirai: Do you ever think in terms of a weekly magazine serialization that you have to crush your rivals?
Takahashi: That's a really direct question (laughs). Hmm... I don't know... I don’t know. I don't know how to "crush" (laughs). Only a mangaka could have the right to say such a thing. Now and then I’ll say, "I'll crush ‘em," What sort of mouth would say such things? (laughs) I don’t really think as an artist when I see other people’s work. I tend to become a reader when I see their work.
Shirai: So you do have rivals.
Takahashi: But reading works from other companies is easier. You don't have to feel competitive, so you can read them comfortably.
The Hero Image of Rumic World
Monthly Hero's has the concept of a magazine that produces various heroes, but what is Takahashi's own idea of a hero or heroine?
Takahashi: If I think about it from my own childhood someone like Joe Yabuki of Ashita no Joe (あしたのジョー) is an eternal hero. [20] When it comes to the heroes I draw, what do you call it ... "It's not like a hero," or This is “another type” of hero.
Shirai: They’re not about running in a straight line to save someone.
Takahashi: I can't draw a perfect human being, but I can create someone who is more flawed I think.
Shirai: When creating a character, it's important to set a weak spot for them.
Takahashi: It's easier to draw if there is something like that, and I think that people who are reading my manga expect that kind of thing. Like “how will he screw this up?"
Shirai: Hahaha! (laughs)
Takahashi: That's important (laughs). It's difficult to continually draw perfect people. In particular, it’s difficult for me to draw them as the lead character.
Shirai: It's hard to say "this is what it is" for heroes of this era, but there is an essential element, isn't it? For example, in the case of Ashita no Joe, Joe Yabuki's lone wolf wildness, loneliness, kindness to children who suddenly appear, stoicism towards boxing, professional spirit ... The important elements for such a hero are still the same in this era.
There may be something in common.
Shirai: Another requirement is self-sacrifice. A timeless hero is not someone you can try to make from the beginning. Like Joe, like the main characters of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, it's important to be loved for a long time. Perhaps Sazae-san is also a hero. You might say, "Someone who has been loved for a long time becomes a hero as a result." I would like to ask people to create a hero image of Takahashi-sensei.
Takahashi: Sure, if there is an opportunity (laughs). Heroes has a series of Ultraman and Kamen Rider, so I think it's easy to pick up because it feels like you have a hero of your own generation. I'm not of the Ultraman generation but of the previous Ultra Q generation. Previously, when I participated in the poster project for Tsuburaya Productions, I drew Ultra Q. (Reference: Tatsuma Ejiri from P2! Appears in Heroes, and Rumiko Takahashi's Ultra Q poster )
Shirai: Thank you for your help with that. Do you have an perfect idea for what you would like to draw in the future?
Takahashi: Hopefully I will continue with shonen manga for as long as possible. I want to continue drawing until the very end.
Footnotes
- [1] Takao Yonai (米内孝夫) was the second editor of Urusei Yatsura and the first editor of Maison Ikkoku. Takahashi mentions that he is the editor that came up with the term "Rumic World".
- [2] Known alternatively as the "Shogaku Years" magazines (小学年生誌/Shogaku Nenseishin) or the "Shogakukan Year-Grade Educational Magazines" (小学館学年別学習雑誌/Shogakukan Gakunenbetsu Gakushuu Zasshi) these magazines are various numbered and marketed towards first graders, second graders, etc. up to sixth and eighth graders. The magazines began in 1922 with various grades introduced in the intervening years with some name changes as Japan shifted to a war footing in the 1940s and then shifted names again during the American occupation. Shogakukan celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022 and some of these magazines have essentially been published throughout the entire century. Rumiko Takahashi published MOON, The Great Pet King in Shogaku Sannensei in the 1990s. Shirai discusses these magazines further in his interview with former Shonen Jump editor Kazuhiko Torishima.
- [3] Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん) by Fujio Akatsuka and Obake no Q-taro (オバケのQ太郎) by Fujiko Fujio were both comedy gag manga in Shonen Sunday in the 1960s and 1970s. Takahashi has made a short manga about her love of Obake no Q-taro. Additionally Takahashi expressed her excitement that director Naoyuki Asano (浅野直之) would be working on the 2022 Urusei Yatsura anime as she had enjoyed his work on Osomatsu-san (おそ松さん).
- [4] Takahashi was an avid reader of Shonen Magazine at the time as she was a particular fan of Ashita no Joe, even parodying Star of the Giants in one of her earliest dojinshi. Takahashi actually submitted to Shonen Magazine prior to submitting her work to Shonen Sunday.
- [5] Shinobu Miyake (三宅克) was Rumiko Takahashi's first ever editor and is the namesake of the character from Urusei Yatsura. After departing Heroes Miyake ran Parsola. In addition to editing Urusei Yatsura and Makoto-chan he also edited Pro-Golfer Saru.
- [6] Gekiga Sonjuku was a manga "cram school" where Kazuo Koike, the writer of such iconic manga as Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman and Lady Snowblood helped train a number of manga luminaries before their debuts. Besides Rumiko Takahashi, other Gekiga Sonjuku alumnai include Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star), Yuji Hori (Dragon Quest), Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D), Keisuke Itagaki (Grappler Baki) and Marley Caribu (Old Boy).
- [7] Kazuo Koike's most important dictum is on the creation of unique characters. Two of his books are titled Create a Character Like This! and Use Your Characters Like This!.
- [8] Kazuo Umezu is a well-respected horror manga artist known for The Drifting Classroom (漂流教室), Orochi (おろち), Cat Eyed Boy (猫目小僧), Makoto-chan (まことちゃん) and My Name is Shingo (わたしは真悟). Rumiko Takahashi is often stated to have been one of Kazuo Umezu's assistants, though in truth this was an arrangement by their shared editor, Shinobu Miyake, who wanted the novice Takahashi to see how a professional studio was set up. Takahashi explains that she only visited Umezu's studio three times and filled in the ink on Makoto's mouth. Umezu is a noted eccentric, always shown wearing red and white striped shirts and living in a red and white striped house. Shirai mentions that Umezu was no longer as prolific as he once was, which is due to his tendonitis.
- [9] Kazuo Umezu won the "Prize for Inheritance" at the Angoulême International Comics Festival for My Name is Shingo in 2018. The prize is awarded to a historic publication that is newly released in French. Though Umezu's tendonitis had prevented him from publishing manga, the win seemed to inspire him to revisit My Name is Shingo in a series of 101 paintings he made in 2022.
- [10] Rumiko Takahashi is a huge fan of Ryoichi Ikegami and mentions her love of Lonely Rin in another interview on Ikegami. Spider-Man Ikegami and Hirai's adaptation of the Marvel Comics character was another of her favorites during her teenage years. His work includes Crying Freeman (クライング フリーマン), Sanctuary (サンクチュアリ) and Wounded Man (傷追い人). Kazumasa Hirai (平井和正) is the creator of 8 Man and Genma Taisen and a mutual fan of Rumiko Takahashi.
- [11] The writer of Otokogumi, Tetsu Kariya, was best known for his manly series at the time, such as Otoko Ozora (男大空) (also drawn by Ryoichi Ikegami) and Kaze no Senshi Dan (風の戦士ダン) (drawn by Kazuhiko Shimamoto). However his career changed gears when he began writing the long running, ultra popular gourmet manga Oishinbo (美味しんぼ) (drawn by Akira Hanasaki) that cemented a new direction for his career.
- [12] Ai to Makoto (愛と誠) was instead drawn by Takumi Nagayasu. Nagayasu is known for not using any assistants when working (an unusual practice in the manga industry). His other works include Otoko ni nare! (男になれ!) and Dr. Kumahige (Dr.クマひげ). He was interviewed on Naoki Urasawa's Manben television program as well. His manga The Legend of Mother Sarah (沙流羅) was written by Katsuhiro Otomo and was released in English from Dark Horse.
- [13] Rumiko Takahashi founded the manga club at Japan Women's University (日本女子大学/Nihon Joshi Daigaku). Thus A Half of Them Are Gone and Bye-Bye Road are examples of the manga she published as dojinshi through her manga club prior to her professional debut. The Japan Women's University manga club is still active today and its new members still publish Vivid (びびっと), the dojinshi that Takahashi founded in the 1970s.
- [14] Mitsuru Adachi is the artist most closely linked with Rumiko Takahashi given their similar age and interest in romantic comedies. Both were the two pillars of Shonen Sunday for decades they both appeared in the magazine together from the late 1970s through to the 2010s. Akiko Higashimura speaks of her envy of the Takahashi/Adachi friendship in her interview with Rumiko Takahashi.
- [15] Urusei Yatsura's early publication history was fairly non-traditional. After the first five chapters were published weekly from August through September of 1978 the sixth chapter was then published in a special issue of Shonen Sunday in October or November. Takahashi then returned in February to continue Urusei Yatsura for approximately ten chapters. This was because Takahashi was still in college at this point in her life. She then returned to Urusei Yatsura through April 1979 before stopping and publishing the five chapter monthly mini-series Dust Spot!! in a special edition of Shonen Sunday. After Dust Spot!! she returned to Urusei Yatsura sporadically until March of 1980 when its continual, regular weekly publication began in earnest. Looking at the publication dates of the chapters in the first two volumes helps clarify this as well as shows that some of the chapters were rearranged from their original publication order.
- [16] "Name" (ネーム) are storyboards. These are the rough drawings that layout each page's panel layouts, character positions in each panel, and handwritten dialogue balloons. Some artists ink over their name, others draw on a fresh sheet which preserves the name. After joining Twitter (and on a few rare occasions earlier) Takahashi would share a panel of her name next to the finished panel.
- [17] For more on Rumiko Takahashi's relationship with her editors please see "My Page One".
- [18] The Japanese economic bubble (バブル景気/baburu keiki) began in 1986 and burst in 1991. The bursting of the bubble lead to what initially was considered "The Lost Decade" which has now turned into "The Lost 30 Years" as the Japanese economy has continued to be sluggish.
- [19] "Questionnaire supremacy" meaning as editor-in-chief Shirai wished to publish cutting edge series regardless of what the readers said they liked or disliked. Big Comic Spirits was created as a play to host many of the "New Wave" artists that were publishing in lower tier magazines and give them a platform for their work. The New Wave (ニューウェーブ) movement in manga is a product of the late 1970s into the early 1980s characterized by experimental works that did not fit into the traditional shonen/shojo/seinen/adult manga categories that were established at the time. Small circulation manga magazines such as June (ジュネ), Peke, Boys and Girls Complete Competitive Collection of SF Manga (少年少女SFマンガ競作大全集) and Supplemental Volume of Fantastic Sci-Fi Manga Complete Works (別冊奇想天外SFマンガ大全集) were the homes of these experimental newcomer manga artists. Katsuhiro Otomo (大友克洋) and Hideo Azuma (吾妻ひでお) are both held up as universally agreed upon members of the New Wave, though there is little overall consensus. Other artists often cited as part of the New Wave include Jun Ishikawa (いしかわじゅん), Daijiro Morohoshi (諸星大二郎), Hiroshi Masumura (ますむらひろし), Noma Sabea (さべあのま) and Michio Hisauchi (ひさうちみちお). Though Rumiko Takahashi is not often named as a part of the New Wave, a case could be made to include her. She is of the era and published some small works in Boys and Girls Complete Competitive Collection of SF Manga such as ElFairy/Sprite. The New Wave is said to have ended with the launch of Big Comic Spirits and Young Magazine which served as more mainstream homes for these avant garde artists. Rumiko Takahashi, Hideo Azuma and Jun Ishikawa all were published in the first issues of Big Comic Spirits.
- [20] Rumiko Takahashi has often spoken of her fondness for Ashita no Joe and its artist Tetsuya Chiba.
From the beginning of Spirits, a hit work called Maison Ikkoku was born.
Shirai: The response to Maison Ikkoku was that it was a hit was from the first chapter. The wacky residents of the apartment and the widow Kyoko and the main character, Godai. With the well-made settings, there was a feeling of being "swept away" from the first chapter. It feels like you're taking me to a new world. It was a great honor to be able to work with a masterpiece like that. I can’t imagine there will ever be anything like it again.
How far did Takahashi-san think about the story of Maison Ikkoku during the serialization?
Takahashi: I think I was vaguely thinking about the general direction, but I wasn't really up to a point. Because I was doing it by hand. The development of the final stage was visible about a year before the end, or something close to that.
The story is a record Godai-kun's youth.
Takahashi: That’s ultimately what it became. Originally, I wanted to do a story about all the residents of the apartment building and their lives, but in the end, I think documenting Godai’s growth was the correct approach. I was too young to draw the humanity of all these residents, or rather I didn’t have enough life experience to do it.
I Value the Fun of Turning Pages in Books
What do you expect from manga in the future?
Takahashi: I buy my favorite works as tankobon, and I'm quite the reader of everything in Sunday, (the magazine Kyokai no RINNE, her current serial appears in).
Shirai: You still read a lot of manga, don't you?
Takahashi: I'm always reading (laughs). After all, I'm looking forward to seeing the work of young and interesting people. I read seinen manga that are sent to me as much as possible, but every magazine has a manga that I absolutely want to read. After all, it is important for me to support a paper medium. I want to cherish the fun experience of "turning a page" within myself.
Shirai: Do you ever think in terms of a weekly magazine serialization that you have to crush your rivals?
Takahashi: That's a really direct question (laughs). Hmm... I don't know... I don’t know. I don't know how to "crush" (laughs). Only a mangaka could have the right to say such a thing. Now and then I’ll say, "I'll crush ‘em," What sort of mouth would say such things? (laughs) I don’t really think as an artist when I see other people’s work. I tend to become a reader when I see their work.
Shirai: So you do have rivals.
Takahashi: But reading works from other companies is easier. You don't have to feel competitive, so you can read them comfortably.
The Hero Image of Rumic World
Monthly Hero's has the concept of a magazine that produces various heroes, but what is Takahashi's own idea of a hero or heroine?
Takahashi: If I think about it from my own childhood someone like Joe Yabuki of Ashita no Joe (あしたのジョー) is an eternal hero. [20] When it comes to the heroes I draw, what do you call it ... "It's not like a hero," or This is “another type” of hero.
Shirai: They’re not about running in a straight line to save someone.
Takahashi: I can't draw a perfect human being, but I can create someone who is more flawed I think.
Shirai: When creating a character, it's important to set a weak spot for them.
Takahashi: It's easier to draw if there is something like that, and I think that people who are reading my manga expect that kind of thing. Like “how will he screw this up?"
Shirai: Hahaha! (laughs)
Takahashi: That's important (laughs). It's difficult to continually draw perfect people. In particular, it’s difficult for me to draw them as the lead character.
Shirai: It's hard to say "this is what it is" for heroes of this era, but there is an essential element, isn't it? For example, in the case of Ashita no Joe, Joe Yabuki's lone wolf wildness, loneliness, kindness to children who suddenly appear, stoicism towards boxing, professional spirit ... The important elements for such a hero are still the same in this era.
There may be something in common.
Shirai: Another requirement is self-sacrifice. A timeless hero is not someone you can try to make from the beginning. Like Joe, like the main characters of Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku, it's important to be loved for a long time. Perhaps Sazae-san is also a hero. You might say, "Someone who has been loved for a long time becomes a hero as a result." I would like to ask people to create a hero image of Takahashi-sensei.
Takahashi: Sure, if there is an opportunity (laughs). Heroes has a series of Ultraman and Kamen Rider, so I think it's easy to pick up because it feels like you have a hero of your own generation. I'm not of the Ultraman generation but of the previous Ultra Q generation. Previously, when I participated in the poster project for Tsuburaya Productions, I drew Ultra Q. (Reference: Tatsuma Ejiri from P2! Appears in Heroes, and Rumiko Takahashi's Ultra Q poster )
Shirai: Thank you for your help with that. Do you have an perfect idea for what you would like to draw in the future?
Takahashi: Hopefully I will continue with shonen manga for as long as possible. I want to continue drawing until the very end.
Footnotes
- [1] Takao Yonai (米内孝夫) was the second editor of Urusei Yatsura and the first editor of Maison Ikkoku. Takahashi mentions that he is the editor that came up with the term "Rumic World".
- [2] Known alternatively as the "Shogaku Years" magazines (小学年生誌/Shogaku Nenseishin) or the "Shogakukan Year-Grade Educational Magazines" (小学館学年別学習雑誌/Shogakukan Gakunenbetsu Gakushuu Zasshi) these magazines are various numbered and marketed towards first graders, second graders, etc. up to sixth and eighth graders. The magazines began in 1922 with various grades introduced in the intervening years with some name changes as Japan shifted to a war footing in the 1940s and then shifted names again during the American occupation. Shogakukan celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022 and some of these magazines have essentially been published throughout the entire century. Rumiko Takahashi published MOON, The Great Pet King in Shogaku Sannensei in the 1990s. Shirai discusses these magazines further in his interview with former Shonen Jump editor Kazuhiko Torishima.
- [3] Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん) by Fujio Akatsuka and Obake no Q-taro (オバケのQ太郎) by Fujiko Fujio were both comedy gag manga in Shonen Sunday in the 1960s and 1970s. Takahashi has made a short manga about her love of Obake no Q-taro. Additionally Takahashi expressed her excitement that director Naoyuki Asano (浅野直之) would be working on the 2022 Urusei Yatsura anime as she had enjoyed his work on Osomatsu-san (おそ松さん).
- [4] Takahashi was an avid reader of Shonen Magazine at the time as she was a particular fan of Ashita no Joe, even parodying Star of the Giants in one of her earliest dojinshi. Takahashi actually submitted to Shonen Magazine prior to submitting her work to Shonen Sunday.
- [5] Shinobu Miyake (三宅克) was Rumiko Takahashi's first ever editor and is the namesake of the character from Urusei Yatsura. After departing Heroes Miyake ran Parsola. In addition to editing Urusei Yatsura and Makoto-chan he also edited Pro-Golfer Saru.
- [6] Gekiga Sonjuku was a manga "cram school" where Kazuo Koike, the writer of such iconic manga as Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman and Lady Snowblood helped train a number of manga luminaries before their debuts. Besides Rumiko Takahashi, other Gekiga Sonjuku alumnai include Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star), Yuji Hori (Dragon Quest), Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D), Keisuke Itagaki (Grappler Baki) and Marley Caribu (Old Boy).
- [7] Kazuo Koike's most important dictum is on the creation of unique characters. Two of his books are titled Create a Character Like This! and Use Your Characters Like This!.
- [8] Kazuo Umezu is a well-respected horror manga artist known for The Drifting Classroom (漂流教室), Orochi (おろち), Cat Eyed Boy (猫目小僧), Makoto-chan (まことちゃん) and My Name is Shingo (わたしは真悟). Rumiko Takahashi is often stated to have been one of Kazuo Umezu's assistants, though in truth this was an arrangement by their shared editor, Shinobu Miyake, who wanted the novice Takahashi to see how a professional studio was set up. Takahashi explains that she only visited Umezu's studio three times and filled in the ink on Makoto's mouth. Umezu is a noted eccentric, always shown wearing red and white striped shirts and living in a red and white striped house. Shirai mentions that Umezu was no longer as prolific as he once was, which is due to his tendonitis.
- [9] Kazuo Umezu won the "Prize for Inheritance" at the Angoulême International Comics Festival for My Name is Shingo in 2018. The prize is awarded to a historic publication that is newly released in French. Though Umezu's tendonitis had prevented him from publishing manga, the win seemed to inspire him to revisit My Name is Shingo in a series of 101 paintings he made in 2022.
- [10] Rumiko Takahashi is a huge fan of Ryoichi Ikegami and mentions her love of Lonely Rin in another interview on Ikegami. Spider-Man Ikegami and Hirai's adaptation of the Marvel Comics character was another of her favorites during her teenage years. His work includes Crying Freeman (クライング フリーマン), Sanctuary (サンクチュアリ) and Wounded Man (傷追い人). Kazumasa Hirai (平井和正) is the creator of 8 Man and Genma Taisen and a mutual fan of Rumiko Takahashi.
- [11] The writer of Otokogumi, Tetsu Kariya, was best known for his manly series at the time, such as Otoko Ozora (男大空) (also drawn by Ryoichi Ikegami) and Kaze no Senshi Dan (風の戦士ダン) (drawn by Kazuhiko Shimamoto). However his career changed gears when he began writing the long running, ultra popular gourmet manga Oishinbo (美味しんぼ) (drawn by Akira Hanasaki) that cemented a new direction for his career.
- [12] Ai to Makoto (愛と誠) was instead drawn by Takumi Nagayasu. Nagayasu is known for not using any assistants when working (an unusual practice in the manga industry). His other works include Otoko ni nare! (男になれ!) and Dr. Kumahige (Dr.クマひげ). He was interviewed on Naoki Urasawa's Manben television program as well. His manga The Legend of Mother Sarah (沙流羅) was written by Katsuhiro Otomo and was released in English from Dark Horse.
- [13] Rumiko Takahashi founded the manga club at Japan Women's University (日本女子大学/Nihon Joshi Daigaku). Thus A Half of Them Are Gone and Bye-Bye Road are examples of the manga she published as dojinshi through her manga club prior to her professional debut. The Japan Women's University manga club is still active today and its new members still publish Vivid (びびっと), the dojinshi that Takahashi founded in the 1970s.
- [14] Mitsuru Adachi is the artist most closely linked with Rumiko Takahashi given their similar age and interest in romantic comedies. Both were the two pillars of Shonen Sunday for decades they both appeared in the magazine together from the late 1970s through to the 2010s. Akiko Higashimura speaks of her envy of the Takahashi/Adachi friendship in her interview with Rumiko Takahashi.
- [15] Urusei Yatsura's early publication history was fairly non-traditional. After the first five chapters were published weekly from August through September of 1978 the sixth chapter was then published in a special issue of Shonen Sunday in October or November. Takahashi then returned in February to continue Urusei Yatsura for approximately ten chapters. This was because Takahashi was still in college at this point in her life. She then returned to Urusei Yatsura through April 1979 before stopping and publishing the five chapter monthly mini-series Dust Spot!! in a special edition of Shonen Sunday. After Dust Spot!! she returned to Urusei Yatsura sporadically until March of 1980 when its continual, regular weekly publication began in earnest. Looking at the publication dates of the chapters in the first two volumes helps clarify this as well as shows that some of the chapters were rearranged from their original publication order.
- [16] "Name" (ネーム) are storyboards. These are the rough drawings that layout each page's panel layouts, character positions in each panel, and handwritten dialogue balloons. Some artists ink over their name, others draw on a fresh sheet which preserves the name. After joining Twitter (and on a few rare occasions earlier) Takahashi would share a panel of her name next to the finished panel.
- [17] For more on Rumiko Takahashi's relationship with her editors please see "My Page One".
- [18] The Japanese economic bubble (バブル景気/baburu keiki) began in 1986 and burst in 1991. The bursting of the bubble lead to what initially was considered "The Lost Decade" which has now turned into "The Lost 30 Years" as the Japanese economy has continued to be sluggish.
- [19] "Questionnaire supremacy" meaning as editor-in-chief Shirai wished to publish cutting edge series regardless of what the readers said they liked or disliked. Big Comic Spirits was created as a play to host many of the "New Wave" artists that were publishing in lower tier magazines and give them a platform for their work. The New Wave (ニューウェーブ) movement in manga is a product of the late 1970s into the early 1980s characterized by experimental works that did not fit into the traditional shonen/shojo/seinen/adult manga categories that were established at the time. Small circulation manga magazines such as June (ジュネ), Peke, Boys and Girls Complete Competitive Collection of SF Manga (少年少女SFマンガ競作大全集) and Supplemental Volume of Fantastic Sci-Fi Manga Complete Works (別冊奇想天外SFマンガ大全集) were the homes of these experimental newcomer manga artists. Katsuhiro Otomo (大友克洋) and Hideo Azuma (吾妻ひでお) are both held up as universally agreed upon members of the New Wave, though there is little overall consensus. Other artists often cited as part of the New Wave include Jun Ishikawa (いしかわじゅん), Daijiro Morohoshi (諸星大二郎), Hiroshi Masumura (ますむらひろし), Noma Sabea (さべあのま) and Michio Hisauchi (ひさうちみちお). Though Rumiko Takahashi is not often named as a part of the New Wave, a case could be made to include her. She is of the era and published some small works in Boys and Girls Complete Competitive Collection of SF Manga such as ElFairy/Sprite. The New Wave is said to have ended with the launch of Big Comic Spirits and Young Magazine which served as more mainstream homes for these avant garde artists. Rumiko Takahashi, Hideo Azuma and Jun Ishikawa all were published in the first issues of Big Comic Spirits.
- [20] Rumiko Takahashi has often spoken of her fondness for Ashita no Joe and its artist Tetsuya Chiba.
- [1] Takao Yonai (米内孝夫) was the second editor of Urusei Yatsura and the first editor of Maison Ikkoku. Takahashi mentions that he is the editor that came up with the term "Rumic World".
- [2] Known alternatively as the "Shogaku Years" magazines (小学年生誌/Shogaku Nenseishin) or the "Shogakukan Year-Grade Educational Magazines" (小学館学年別学習雑誌/Shogakukan Gakunenbetsu Gakushuu Zasshi) these magazines are various numbered and marketed towards first graders, second graders, etc. up to sixth and eighth graders. The magazines began in 1922 with various grades introduced in the intervening years with some name changes as Japan shifted to a war footing in the 1940s and then shifted names again during the American occupation. Shogakukan celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022 and some of these magazines have essentially been published throughout the entire century. Rumiko Takahashi published MOON, The Great Pet King in Shogaku Sannensei in the 1990s. Shirai discusses these magazines further in his interview with former Shonen Jump editor Kazuhiko Torishima.
- [3] Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん) by Fujio Akatsuka and Obake no Q-taro (オバケのQ太郎) by Fujiko Fujio were both comedy gag manga in Shonen Sunday in the 1960s and 1970s. Takahashi has made a short manga about her love of Obake no Q-taro. Additionally Takahashi expressed her excitement that director Naoyuki Asano (浅野直之) would be working on the 2022 Urusei Yatsura anime as she had enjoyed his work on Osomatsu-san (おそ松さん).
- [4] Takahashi was an avid reader of Shonen Magazine at the time as she was a particular fan of Ashita no Joe, even parodying Star of the Giants in one of her earliest dojinshi. Takahashi actually submitted to Shonen Magazine prior to submitting her work to Shonen Sunday.
- [5] Shinobu Miyake (三宅克) was Rumiko Takahashi's first ever editor and is the namesake of the character from Urusei Yatsura. After departing Heroes Miyake ran Parsola. In addition to editing Urusei Yatsura and Makoto-chan he also edited Pro-Golfer Saru.
- [6] Gekiga Sonjuku was a manga "cram school" where Kazuo Koike, the writer of such iconic manga as Lone Wolf and Cub, Crying Freeman and Lady Snowblood helped train a number of manga luminaries before their debuts. Besides Rumiko Takahashi, other Gekiga Sonjuku alumnai include Tetsuo Hara (Fist of the North Star), Yuji Hori (Dragon Quest), Hideyuki Kikuchi (Vampire Hunter D), Keisuke Itagaki (Grappler Baki) and Marley Caribu (Old Boy).
- [7] Kazuo Koike's most important dictum is on the creation of unique characters. Two of his books are titled Create a Character Like This! and Use Your Characters Like This!.
- [8] Kazuo Umezu is a well-respected horror manga artist known for The Drifting Classroom (漂流教室), Orochi (おろち), Cat Eyed Boy (猫目小僧), Makoto-chan (まことちゃん) and My Name is Shingo (わたしは真悟). Rumiko Takahashi is often stated to have been one of Kazuo Umezu's assistants, though in truth this was an arrangement by their shared editor, Shinobu Miyake, who wanted the novice Takahashi to see how a professional studio was set up. Takahashi explains that she only visited Umezu's studio three times and filled in the ink on Makoto's mouth. Umezu is a noted eccentric, always shown wearing red and white striped shirts and living in a red and white striped house. Shirai mentions that Umezu was no longer as prolific as he once was, which is due to his tendonitis.
- [9] Kazuo Umezu won the "Prize for Inheritance" at the Angoulême International Comics Festival for My Name is Shingo in 2018. The prize is awarded to a historic publication that is newly released in French. Though Umezu's tendonitis had prevented him from publishing manga, the win seemed to inspire him to revisit My Name is Shingo in a series of 101 paintings he made in 2022.
- [10] Rumiko Takahashi is a huge fan of Ryoichi Ikegami and mentions her love of Lonely Rin in another interview on Ikegami. Spider-Man Ikegami and Hirai's adaptation of the Marvel Comics character was another of her favorites during her teenage years. His work includes Crying Freeman (クライング フリーマン), Sanctuary (サンクチュアリ) and Wounded Man (傷追い人). Kazumasa Hirai (平井和正) is the creator of 8 Man and Genma Taisen and a mutual fan of Rumiko Takahashi.
- [11] The writer of Otokogumi, Tetsu Kariya, was best known for his manly series at the time, such as Otoko Ozora (男大空) (also drawn by Ryoichi Ikegami) and Kaze no Senshi Dan (風の戦士ダン) (drawn by Kazuhiko Shimamoto). However his career changed gears when he began writing the long running, ultra popular gourmet manga Oishinbo (美味しんぼ) (drawn by Akira Hanasaki) that cemented a new direction for his career.
- [12] Ai to Makoto (愛と誠) was instead drawn by Takumi Nagayasu. Nagayasu is known for not using any assistants when working (an unusual practice in the manga industry). His other works include Otoko ni nare! (男になれ!) and Dr. Kumahige (Dr.クマひげ). He was interviewed on Naoki Urasawa's Manben television program as well. His manga The Legend of Mother Sarah (沙流羅) was written by Katsuhiro Otomo and was released in English from Dark Horse.
- [13] Rumiko Takahashi founded the manga club at Japan Women's University (日本女子大学/Nihon Joshi Daigaku). Thus A Half of Them Are Gone and Bye-Bye Road are examples of the manga she published as dojinshi through her manga club prior to her professional debut. The Japan Women's University manga club is still active today and its new members still publish Vivid (びびっと), the dojinshi that Takahashi founded in the 1970s.
- [14] Mitsuru Adachi is the artist most closely linked with Rumiko Takahashi given their similar age and interest in romantic comedies. Both were the two pillars of Shonen Sunday for decades they both appeared in the magazine together from the late 1970s through to the 2010s. Akiko Higashimura speaks of her envy of the Takahashi/Adachi friendship in her interview with Rumiko Takahashi.
- [15] Urusei Yatsura's early publication history was fairly non-traditional. After the first five chapters were published weekly from August through September of 1978 the sixth chapter was then published in a special issue of Shonen Sunday in October or November. Takahashi then returned in February to continue Urusei Yatsura for approximately ten chapters. This was because Takahashi was still in college at this point in her life. She then returned to Urusei Yatsura through April 1979 before stopping and publishing the five chapter monthly mini-series Dust Spot!! in a special edition of Shonen Sunday. After Dust Spot!! she returned to Urusei Yatsura sporadically until March of 1980 when its continual, regular weekly publication began in earnest. Looking at the publication dates of the chapters in the first two volumes helps clarify this as well as shows that some of the chapters were rearranged from their original publication order.
- [16] "Name" (ネーム) are storyboards. These are the rough drawings that layout each page's panel layouts, character positions in each panel, and handwritten dialogue balloons. Some artists ink over their name, others draw on a fresh sheet which preserves the name. After joining Twitter (and on a few rare occasions earlier) Takahashi would share a panel of her name next to the finished panel.
- [17] For more on Rumiko Takahashi's relationship with her editors please see "My Page One".
- [18] The Japanese economic bubble (バブル景気/baburu keiki) began in 1986 and burst in 1991. The bursting of the bubble lead to what initially was considered "The Lost Decade" which has now turned into "The Lost 30 Years" as the Japanese economy has continued to be sluggish.
- [19] "Questionnaire supremacy" meaning as editor-in-chief Shirai wished to publish cutting edge series regardless of what the readers said they liked or disliked. Big Comic Spirits was created as a play to host many of the "New Wave" artists that were publishing in lower tier magazines and give them a platform for their work. The New Wave (ニューウェーブ) movement in manga is a product of the late 1970s into the early 1980s characterized by experimental works that did not fit into the traditional shonen/shojo/seinen/adult manga categories that were established at the time. Small circulation manga magazines such as June (ジュネ), Peke, Boys and Girls Complete Competitive Collection of SF Manga (少年少女SFマンガ競作大全集) and Supplemental Volume of Fantastic Sci-Fi Manga Complete Works (別冊奇想天外SFマンガ大全集) were the homes of these experimental newcomer manga artists. Katsuhiro Otomo (大友克洋) and Hideo Azuma (吾妻ひでお) are both held up as universally agreed upon members of the New Wave, though there is little overall consensus. Other artists often cited as part of the New Wave include Jun Ishikawa (いしかわじゅん), Daijiro Morohoshi (諸星大二郎), Hiroshi Masumura (ますむらひろし), Noma Sabea (さべあのま) and Michio Hisauchi (ひさうちみちお). Though Rumiko Takahashi is not often named as a part of the New Wave, a case could be made to include her. She is of the era and published some small works in Boys and Girls Complete Competitive Collection of SF Manga such as ElFairy/Sprite. The New Wave is said to have ended with the launch of Big Comic Spirits and Young Magazine which served as more mainstream homes for these avant garde artists. Rumiko Takahashi, Hideo Azuma and Jun Ishikawa all were published in the first issues of Big Comic Spirits.
- [20] Rumiko Takahashi has often spoken of her fondness for Ashita no Joe and its artist Tetsuya Chiba.
Comic Natalie
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